2009 - Year in Review

So, blogging for the past year and a half or so has been VERY rare. Blog time again... finally.

This entry will probably be somewhat long... mostly because I have to catch up on the whole year. I have no excuse for NOT blogging other than I was busy, not in the mood, or I simply didn’t make time for it. Lame, huh?

Actually, it was my good friend Daniel Lillegard (HI!) who reminded me that I haven't done a blog in a long while and so much has happened that I feel overwhelmed, once again, to share it all with you. But, I shall try and give you a little bit of the latest and then make a personal goal AGAIN to be better about my blogging. =) So, enjoy.

So, in the last post I wrote about books I've read and also a list of books I wanted to read next. Have I read them? NO. I haven't had time!! I still mean to but life gets so busy and overwhelming and finding time to read is hard! I read “New Moon” by Stephenie Meyer again. I read through the whole Twilight series so fast because I was just anxious to finish so I am reading a couple of the books over again. I also read the Percy Jackson series, which were AWESOME!! I am actually trying to finish – I still have the last one to read. They are making movies of them; I’m excited to see how they turn out.

But let's see... what's been going on? Spring came...and went. Then summer came… and went... and Fall came… and went. HAHA. It’s deep into Winter now. Strange because it doesn’t even feel like Fall happened…only one week out of the summer it’s felt hot… and the rest of the time it was in the 70’s – mid 80’s. We didn’t hit 90 once in the whole month of July! I LOVE IT! But, now being almost January it’s absolutely FREEZING! Negative and single digit temperatures are the norm now… and we have so much snow!

I am still working at Sonic, much to my disappointment. But, it's a good thing I didn't quit when I was going to because things happened that really would have changed a lot of my goals for the future. So, I’m still there… and dealing with a lot of drama and junk. I feel like I’m stuck in a black hole. But it has its good parts too... I still have lots of friends there, a second family basically. But, I am tired of actually WORKING there.

So, the trip to Nauvoo in April with the Swedish relatives was AWESOME! I posted tons of pictures from it on my Facebook, which you all need to join and add me! I’m posting pictures on there more than here lately. But ANYWAY, so that was really neat to spend time with our Swedish family. They loved Nauvoo! They had been before but never really had the time to look around much so for us, it was a joyous experience. I think the highlight of the trip for me was walking down Parley Street to the edge of the Mississippi River with them and talking. The sunset was so beautiful and we really got to know them all better in those precious moments. Also, going to Carthage Jail the next day with them was something I’ll cherish forever. The little bit of time we were able to spend in that room where Joseph and Hyrum died was so sacred and emotional. We were all crying… and we really bonded together as a family. I’m thankful for that. I’m thankful for my forever family. I’m glad that even though they all live so far away, we will someday be together forever… even if we have to wait for the next life. I’m just soooo happy we had the time with them, to get to know them and have sooo much fun together in NAUVOO! =)

Also in April – my brother Michael would have been 22 if he hadn’t died all those years ago. I still can’t believe how much time has passed since then. I love my brother dearly… miss him all the time… but I know I’ll see him again someday!

I spent a lot of April watching Doctor Who, Twilight and American Idol!! Kris Allen was my favorite. I must have voted thousands of times for that guy to win…and HE DID!! =D

In May, I was mostly consumed with work and seeing the movie STAR TREK! Oh my gosh, over the course of a month and a half I saw that movie six times!!! It is right there in my top five movies of ALL time! I loved it. YES, because all of the actors are good looking… Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, ---- to name a few. But it also makes me smile with joy. I mean, I grew up watching Star Trek TV shows as well as the movies and so seeing these characters come to life as a younger version of themselves was SO much fun! By the end of the movie I was astounded at how well the actors portrayed some of my most favorite sci-fi characters of all time. LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE! I wish I could see it a billion more times and I’m excited to now have the DVD so I can. =D

Also, we went to the Pella Tulip Time Festival. =D That was loads of fun… it is every year. It’s so pretty with all of the flowers, trees and good ole Dutch food. It’s one of the things I look forward to the most in the Spring!!

My brother Daniel turned 13 on May 31st!! Sweet little guy… I can’t believe my chicken is that old!!

June was a hard month. It had good times and bad times. Free Root Beer Float night at Sonic was insane… in a good way!! =D

Also in June… My Grandpa Anderson was taken to the hospital after collapsing in his bedroom. They had him on life support for over 24 hours when our Heavenly Father called him home. Grandpa passed away. =( Our family had kind of expected this because he hadn't been doing well for quite some time. But, nothing prepares anyone for death.

I am very thankful he lived as long as he did. His life was full. Grandpa Anderson did so much in his time here on Earth. I am truly happy he gets to be with his beautiful wife, my Grandma, once more. I know they are happy... though I miss them both, so so much. My cute little Swedish Grandparents. I can't believe they're gone. Life changes so much, and so fast.

We spent two weeks in Utah for the funeral and everything else. I saw a lot of the Anderson relatives that I hadn’t seen in many years... so that was really great. I also spent time with my Mom’s side of the family which is always so wonderful and FUN! We’re all a bunch of crazy people together and I love it. I just wish we weren’t so far away. Anyway, Utah was nice and I really enjoyed the time off from work. The reasons for going weren’t so happy but the trip itself was very memorable… something I will remember for the rest of my life.

July. Well, the 4th of July was awesome… sort of. It was the first 4th I haven’t had to work in 3 or 4 years so I was totally excited for BBQ, swimming, fireworks and everything. BUT, it drizzled all day… and was actually cold. Yeah, to the point where I needed a jacket to sit outside. BUT, it was still really fun. We grilled, didn’t swim, but we lit fireworks we had bought in Utah and that was SOOOO much fun! It finally cleared off at about 8pm or so. So, it turned out to be a really nice 4th of July… my favorite holiday! I am so happy I didn’t work…

July was the month that I became OBSESSED with racing… CAR RACING. See, we have the most awesome Iowa Speedway here – only about 30-40 miles away from us. My Dad’s company was incredible enough (at the time) to be a sponsor of the Speedway which meant that we had the BEST of times in a really EXPENSIVE suite overlooking the track. Ah, bliss. I was never really a fan of Nascar … or even CARS for that matter but oh my gosh, going to several races completely CHANGED me!! Of course I thought all the drivers were adorable… I especially liked the really young rookie drivers! =D haha. But, the adrenaline – the speed – the smell of burnt rubber – everything about it I have grown to LOVE. I hope to have many more adventures at the Speedway in 2010. I hope, I hope, I hope! I even enjoy watching all things Nascar on TV now. Wow, never thought I’d see the day… I can’t help it though. I love it.

We also got to take another trip to Nauvoo. I had the opportunity to meet a good friend of mine who I met through facebook named Jason Coffman. It was basically his first REAL experience in Nauvoo so my family and I spent a few days with him showing him around, seeing the Nauvoo Pageant, and just enjoying the amazingness that is Nauvoo. I love that place with my whole entire heart. Paul and Alex weren’t there this year… sadness. It was strange without them. The Pageant had a different “feel” to it…but Jeff Dickamore was still there playing Joseph and that made things a little better. There were also lots of new, friendly faces – especially John, who played Hyrum. Michael (Willford Woodruff) was the same as always and so between familiar and old…it was just as glorious as always. But, I’ll never forget my first time there and the magic I felt then. THAT experience will NEVER leave me.

The whole trip was AMAZING. I had so much fun… as did Jason, and the rest of the family. I experienced a lot of things. I won’t go into too much detail here… believe me, I could write a book but I’ll just simply say that it was different, incredible, wonderful and it truly is the best place on Earth – in my opinion.

I also saw Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince MANY times with my brother. =D It’s so epic. HAHA. I love it. Ever since reading all the books I have seriously grown to love the movies a lot more… I’m not one of those people who freaks out if there is something left out of movie if it was in the book. I understand that the people who make movies have to change things for certain reasons. That’s FINE with me. I mean, unless they TOTALLY mess it up I’m all for book versions and movie versions. Books are always going to be better. That’s just a known fact but movies bring the books to LIFE and I am not gonna complain at all. Anyway… moving on…lol

August -- spent lots of time at the Iowa Speedway. LOTS of amazing adventures. Continued to get to know my friend Jason. That was truly awesome. The highlight of the month though was my Birthday weekend. I turned 26. Yes, I am old. I don’t look it…but I am. It’s just crazy. I don’t act 26… maybe I should. My Birthday weekend was INCREDIBLE. FANTASTIC. BRILLIANT. How can I sum it up?

I went to Kansas City. Jason came. We stayed at my Aunt and Uncle’s house and got to see the most AMAZING thing EVER!! The Chronicles of Narnia – The Exhibition. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I’ve explained before how much I love those books/movies… and when I realized that there was an exhibit going on (and my bday fell on the last weekend of its run in KC) I just HAD to go! I felt a little selfish asking for such a HUGE thing for my Birthday…but the experience was incredible.

First off it was in an old train station… the building was majestic and so that added to the magic. You go down into the “basement” of the station and there you enter Narnia. OH MY GOODNESS!! It was incredible. Unfortunately, pictures weren’t allowed inside… it starts off with a room full of C.S. Lewis memorabilia. Then, you enter the room where the wardrobe sits. There it is. A real replica (although slightly larger for wheelchair access)! I am going to post a link to the video of the Exhibit on Youtube. It was truly amazing. As I entered Narnia through the wardrobe I really felt like a little girl. I had tears in my eyes. The music playing in the background, the blast of cool air in your face as the wardrobe opens… MAGIC. For a couple of hours it literally felt like I was in Narnia… that experience will never leave me.

Also in August we went to the American Idol concert in Kansas City. I was soooo happy that my Dad got tickets!! That day was so, so awesome!! Jason came.. haha =). We ate at a really cool burger joint right in the middle of the city and then we went to the concert! It was INCREDIBLE! Pictures on my Facebook! =D I <3 Kris Allen, he is soo my American Idol. All these people who like Adam Lambert are CRAZY! Lol. =D But afterwards we went out and stood in the autograph line to see if we could “meet” any of the stars! Well, most of them came out – and the place we stood was awesome because we all met two AWESOME guys - Jay and Kevin Henderson! They were ahead of us in the line and they were nice enough to hand stuff to Idols for them to sign because there was no way for us to reach the fence! We all bonded with these guys pretty quick – especially Jay because we stood talking with him for a long time as we waited for the Idols to come out! We’ve kept in contact through Facebook and it’s just so awesome because they almost feel like family or something… lol! =) Anyway, that night was truly awesome – I’ll never forget it!! It stands out as one of the most amazing nights I’ve ever had. =D Oh yeah, and Kris Allen/Danny Gokey… they are adorable up close. HAHA =D And Allison is way pretty!!!

September – more races. =D Spent a lot of time just living… working… for the anniversary of 9-11 I wrote a big note on Facebook about my thoughts and feelings towards it. September was an interesting month – I felt like I was going through a lot of ups and downs. I went to a church Young Single Adult conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota. THAT was an experience. I was completely out of my element. Luckily my brother Karl and his friend Jessica were able to go with me so the whole experience wasn’t totally isolating. I met a lot of really nice, interesting people and refocused on who I am… and where I am going and who I want to be. Julie Beck from the Relief Society Presidency was there. She is an amazing woman! I sat in her class and could totally feel the Spirit telling me that I have worth… I am a Daughter of God. He knows me and loves me. The whole weekend was wonderful… hard in some ways, but I am so happy now that I went. I need things like that. I need experiences that are uncomfortable and humbling. How blessed I am. Other than that, the month was pretty much normal.

October – I started going through a lot of personal things – and I felt sick a lot. Halloween was fun though. I dressed up like a Pirate… with curly hair which was kind of annoying. LOL. It was really fun though – we had the traditional Beggar’s night which was FREEZING! I went out anyway. The next night was Trunk or Treat. We decorated the whole van with TIN FOIL. It was INSANE!! Pictures are on my facebook. Afterwards we went to Sonic to show off the car – it was cold. I talked a lot with Wesley, which was nice. I sure do like that guy. He is such a good friend of mine… =D There are so many people at Sonic who mean so much to me and I am glad for their friendship.

November – For my calling in church I am part of the Young Single Adult council. We are a group of 18-30 year olds who meet and do random fun things… movie nights, dinner nights, etc. I started being really involved with that this month. It’s really fun. It helps me feel like I belong to something… that I have friends in the church. That is a VERY good thing. Star Trek came out on DVD this month! YAY! =D Uhhh..what else? November… I kinda started struggling with certain things. I can’t exactly go into detail here…

The next installment of the Twilight series came out… “New Moon”!!! YAY! My favorite book and movie….just because of Jacob Black. I love this character. Everyone deserves a best friend like him. =D But I went to the midnight showing with Karl, my sister Mindy and most of the Sonic crew! I got to sit by Rob and Wes and it was such a blast!! I couldn’t stop laughing most of the night… just because of those two! =D I didn’t get home until about 3am and didn’t sleep until maybe 4:30am. Got up at 9am. Yeah, it was rough…but fun.. and I seriously LOVE that movie compared to Twilight. But again, it’s all thanks to Jacob Black. =D

We spent Thanksgiving in Kansas City at my Aunt and Uncle’s house. We always have so much fun there…eating, watching movies, acting crazy, playing games… laughing. It was a really awesome time!!

December – well, I’m finally almost caught up with the year. My brothers went crazy again decorating the house with a million lights for Christmas. Our house was shown on the news and we entered a picture of it into a Holiday Lights Contest on a local radio station. Due to the help and votes of many of our friends, we WON!! =D My brothers were sooooooooooooooo excited and happy! We won Trans-Siberian Orchestra tickets, an autographed guitar and a cd/dvd set of music. SOO awesome and it wouldn’t have been possible without all the help from our friends and family, so thank you so so much. You really helped make Christmas extra special for my brothers… and all of the family.. THANKS!!

We also went to a Christmas party at Joe’s house. (Joe is a ham radio friend of my brothers!) He has done so much for our family – and so it was a really fun evening. We all went over there, ate food, watched shows, played “Ham Radio Jeopardy” –which I FAIL at, and just had a really awesome time getting to know random people. It was really fun and festive!

One of our Christmas traditions since we have moved here is to go to Hessen Haus (a German bar/restaurant in downtown Des Moines). We go every year – have German food and then go see the drive-thru Jolly Holiday Lights – and then we take a picture with Santa and get hot cocoa and sugar cookies! Well, this year was just as fun… except we went on a Saturday night… and the Hessen Haus was PACKED! There was a live polka band and everything!! A couple who gives Polka dancing lessons taught Nathan and I how to dance…. Ahhahahahaa. I was so nervous at first but once I let go – I had so much fun! It was a really funny, amazing, festive night! Such a fun place to go…and a neat tradition.

Christmas was like normal. =D We had the Swedish dinner on Christmas Eve… and Christmas Day was beautiful. It snowed. We just relaxed all day. I was really melancholy this year though. I think I realize every year that I am getting older – and that I never know when will be my last year with my family for Christmas. I mean, I have been ridiculously blessed to be able to spend soooo much extra time with my family – more than many my age. But at the same time… I just get sad thinking about the day when all of this comes to an end.

I have grown up a lot over the past year but at the same time – I’m still just a little girl. I know I shouldn’t be that way. I don’t know how else to be though. Do I let the crazy, silly things go…? Does that make a person more responsible, mature… adult-like?

I’m passionate about a lot of things in life. I can’t help it. Some may think it’s childish… but what’s life like for those people? I would think rather boring. It’s always good to have a young at heart attitude about life… I’m lucky that I can. I know I need to “grow up” but ….. I just…I dunno. It’s hard.

Anyway, Christmas was awesome. I got some really nice gifts and we had lots of Christmas miracles come to our family. =) What a blessing.

So what have I left off? Tomorrow is New Years Eve… WOW. I can’t believe it.

For the most part, 2009 has been a pretty good year… but it’s also been very emotional and at times… well, rough, disappointing, heartbreaking and confusing. In all honesty…it wasn’t the best year I’ve had. We’ve had a lot of ups and downs as a family… my Dad getting laid off, dear family members passing away, personal guy problems, work issues, school issues, …. Lots of stuff. I am actually looking forward to putting this year behind me. Of course I will remember the good times… and the bad … but I have to find the faith and hope that 2010 will be better than 2009.

For some reason, it seems like it will be. I actually have a really good feeling about 2010. I don’t know if it’s just because the year sounds cool. I like saying it…2010. 2010. Haha. I mean, even though my family is starting the year off with a LOT of uncertainty I have a personal feeling that things are going to be okay. Maybe it’s just the idea in my head that I have a fresh start… anything is possible. My Dad being out of work is VERY scary. Money is going to be tight, I am sure. But, I have a job… and endless options in front of me. I am free to go wherever and do whatever I want… but for my Mom, Dad and younger siblings - it’s different. I ache to think that they might have to move or something. I really hope that is not the case. It would be DEVASTATING. Iowa is home. It has become my most favorite place to be. I think I would be content living here forever. But, who knows what the future holds for my family. It’s a scary thought. REALLY scary.

But, 2010. I am going to make it better for ME – no matter where I’m at.

I have a strong desire to move back to Utah and finish school. I don’t know if I’ll be able to pull it off. I lived with my Grandparents and that was fine, other than the worry and lack of freedom. Now my Aunt and her family are living there because my Grandparents needed someone living with them to help for awhile. So, that means… there’s no room for me anyway! If they could move out, I’d more than likely go back. I’d try living in a dorm or apartment too if need be but MONEY becomes the factor on all of that! Urgh.

I also have a strong feeling that I need to work on domesticating myself. I have no clue when I’ll be married, or to WHO but I feel as a woman I can set some goals and do some projects. I want to learn how to do things I’ve never tried… I want to cook well, and try out new recipes. I want to make handmade things, like quiet books or something that I have to sew. I want to scrapbook. I want to arrange flowers. I want to decorate. I just want to do so many things. It’s making my brain hurt though because I feel like I don’t know where to start.

I am going to continue on my path to losing weight… for my health. My headaches are just as bad as they have ever been. It really is heartbreaking for me to have to go through each day with a headache or a migraine. I am convinced it’s a chronic problem though and that they are in my life for some reason. I need to learn to just live with it, and not let it stop me from living life the way I want it. Often times I feel so depressed about it – but it’s nothing compared to what some go through. So who cares if I have to deal with it every single day that goes by? With God’s will they WILL go away. That will be heaven, but in the meantime it is my burden to carry and I will try to be better about my attitude towards the pain.

I want to travel this year… even if it is just to Nauvoo a couple of times. I FEEL better there. Haha. I am starting to sound like my Dad when he talks about Sweden. It’s not even that I feel better physically there – but mentally it is such a wonderful way to refocus on what is important. I know I can do that anywhere – even in my own home – but Nauvoo is my heaven on Earth. What better place to go to help me… be me?

I want to grow closer to the Lord this year by continuing to study the scriptures and pray. I want to be better about sharing the Gospel with everyone I know… and I want to be a better example. I want to realize how much I am worth to my Heavenly Father. It’s so easy to get lost, I want to be found.

I want to read more… good books! Maybe I will re-read the Lord of the Rings. It’s been so long, and I adore those books.

I want to do all the things I said I would do for a long time. I want to write that list of personal goals, set dates and accomplish them. I want to FINISH everything I start…ok, maybe not everything… but most things. I want to de-junk my room, my storage, my life…

I want to be better in 2010.

I want to actually BLOG in 2010.

Now that I’ve actually sort of caught up for the year… in a very condensed, lacking in detail sort of way… I can start new. I will continue to post my blogs here on myspace but I am going to start my blogspot account as well. Myspace, sad to say, is a thing of the past. Facebook has taken over and I am actually alright with that. =D So, please read… enjoy…

I love you all. If you are reading this – you have somehow blessed or touched my life. Even if you are a stranger you obviously found something you liked here to read this long.

Happy New Year everyone. May you all have a blessed, happy, refreshing New Year. Make it better than the last… 2010.