Happy 2009!!

To make the transition into 2009, here are 9 reasons (in no particular order) why 2008 was a blessed year:

9) Tim spent a lot of time with his dad before he passed away. We went back to the States for his funeral and celebrated his very fulfilling life. Tim's father, Craig, was very focused on his relationship with Jesus and we know exactly where he now resides- Heaven!

8) Laura ended her first year teaching 2nd grade and began a second year teaching it again! Both of my classes have been a pleasure to teach and my job is absolutely wonderful. A great staff, parents and children definitely contribute towards this.

7) Traveling was both a big and fun part of 2008:
Laura's school sent her to Portugal in February then she traveled to Budapest with friends. In April, Laura visited her family in South Carolina. In May, we went to Ireland for a week, then Laura's sister, Mary Paige, came to Prague and we took a trip to Venice, Italy. Laura's parents also came for a visit to Prague. Then we went to the States to be with Tim's family for quite a while. We especially enjoyed a trip to the beach in North Carolina with Tim's family. In October, Laura went to Stockholm, Sweden with a friend. We went to Nuremberg, Germany for the Christmas Market in November. Finally, we came back to the States in December.

6) We LOVE LOVE LOVE our friends, jobs and life in Prague.

5) Faith Community Church, our church in Prague, has grown so much since it opened in April of 2007. We have been very blessed to be apart of this community.

4) We made the decision to live in Prague for another year. Most likely, we will return to the States (for good) in the summer of 2010.

3) Tim is relatively healthy and still living out his dream (with great stats) of playing pro ball in Europe.

2) Community Group. We joined a church community group in the fall. Tim and I are able to be in Bible study together with other friends from our church.

1) We celebrated our first year of marriage in July! We enjoyed a few days at a fun resort.