I will send an email out to family and friends because I'm sure by now the few of you who read this have stopped since we haven't updated it in so long. We got very busy and Mike just didn't have the time and energy to update things. He has now shown me how to upload photos etc so I can takeover some of the updates. There will be a lot of new photos to look at and I'll try and update you on what we've been up to over the last year.

Hard to believe the last time I wrote anything we had just finished climbing half dome. A few months later we went to Puerto Vallarta and we had a great time. We stayed for a little over a week and we had a great time. We explored the city which we loved because it wasn’t super touristy. There aren’t as many photos as I would have liked but many of the things we did we couldn’t take the camera with us. We did zip lines and a dune buggy/atv ride. Because both involved water the camera was usually tucked safely away.

After that lovely vacation we got back to the real world and back to work. We’ve both been busy at work and thus part of the problem with keeping this thing updated.

I can honestly say that 2009 feels kind of like a blur. The spring was busy for me with work and then Mike had to go to Kansas for most of the summer. He was able to come home for one weekend a month during the summer so we tried to make the most of our time together. We took a trip to Leavenworth, WA for our anniversary and we have pictures we will post. Mike took a trip to Alaska to fish with his dad and brother.

Sadly this year we didn’t get to take a vacation, first time since we graduated college and moved to Seattle.I know it sounds selfish but it’s one of the things we have tried to treat ourselves too each year so I really missed it. Mike got to take a few trips i.e.Alaska and Las Vegas with a few guys for a bachelor party. We are hoping to take a trip back to Europe next fall but so far we are just in the beginning stages of planning it.

We have just returned from a busy Christmas in Idaho. It was greatseeing family and friends but we were glad to sleep in our own bed again. We havea lot of unpacking to do but we are looking forward to 2010. It’s hard tobelieve that it’s been almost 10 years since I finished high school and I spentNew Years Eve in Time Square with my dad. A lot has happened since then.Hopefully everyone is doing well and will have a great 2010.

I decided that it was time for another blog. This year has really seemed to fly and it is a little freaky that it this year is almost half over. We have been very busy and I guess that is why the time has gone so fast.

Since the last blog I have started my new job and I am really enjoying it. I love my co-workers and the work is really interesting so the days just seem to fly by.  I traveled to Washington DC in April for National AHA Lobby Day and it was a great experience. We had over 700 volunteers from all 50 states it was truly a site to see.  Mike is still enjoying his job and is the lead controls engineer on his current project.

Mike and I had a very busy April we were out of town every weekend but all the trips were fun. We attended a close college friends wedding in Lansing, MI and it was like a mini college reunion. A total of 6 of us flew to MI to support her and meet her husband since we had not yet met him; we flew in from Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Many people were surprised how far we all came but I know there was never any doubt that we would be there for her. We were really lucky and made some amazing friendships in college that despite the distance we have been able to maintain.

We also went home for my grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary in April. It was a wonderful party. They are truly role models for all of us 60 years later and they are still very much in love. It’s hard to believe but on the 31st Mike and I will celebrate our 5th anniversary. The time has flown by and I can't believe it has been 5 years already.

After a crazy April Mike and I are trying to get some things done around the house and just enjoy life.  Last weekend we finally tackled the flowerbed along our driveway it took us about 10 hours over two days but it looks a lot better. This weekend the warm weather finally hit and we are hoping to go camping. It was a wonderful 85+ today and we just loved it. We hope it sticks around so we can do lots of camping this summer.  We are heading to Yosemite National Park at the end of May with some friends and we are hoping to climb Half Dome. It is a very difficult hike but we hope to finish the 14 mile hike by starting early. You have to do it all in one day as there is no where to camp along the way so it will be a long day but the scenery and the views will be worth it.

Wow, time has flown by. I can''t believe it is all ready 2008 it seems like 2007 went by so fast. I must apologize for the length between our blogs time just gets away from us.

The second half of 2007 was a busy time for us. Mike and I had some great adventures but we also worked very hard. In August Mike and I flew to Boise for the weekend and went skydiving with his brother, dad, sister and our good friend Sara Herring. It was something both of us have always wanted to do so when his brother suggested it for his birthday we both jumped at the opportunity. Plus it was the weekend of my mom’s birthday so we were able to celebrate with her as well.

Over the summer my job became very stressful for a few months after pretty much everyone but me quit. Nothing was wrong with my boss everyone left for different reasons but it made it very stressful for me to go from a four person team to a one person team. By August I was pretty stressed so in anticipation of needing a break Mike and I agreed I should try and take some time off and join him in England this fall. I had been planning on going since May but that was before I knew everyone was going to quit so I wasn''t sure if it was still possible. Luckily for me my boss was nice enough to let me go and by the time November rolled around we had hired 2 of the 3 empty positions so it wasn''t such a big deal after all.

I took 3 ½ weeks of vacation in November and joined Mike in England. He was there from Mid October till the end of December. It was a great break for me and while Mike had to work all week he was nice enough to play tourist with me on the weekends. We had a great time and I truly feel after this second trip that I “know” England. The first trip we did nothing but tourist things but the second trip I learned to drive and I dealt the everyday things like grocery shopping and laundry etc. While I was there we went to Cheddar and did cheese tasting, saw the play Wicked in London, visited the tower of London, visited Stonehenge, and drove through the Cotswold’s. We also explored Bristol, the city we were staying in. We will get pictures up soon but both of us have been battling colds since the holidays and we haven’t had the time or energy to post them yet. We spent thanksgiving with 3 other Americans and 4 Brits. It was fun cooking a traditional meal and sharing our traditions. Finding all the supplies for a traditional American Thanksgiving was an adventure all in its self.

That was the only real stressful part of the year and I must admit I felt like I was going through a quarter life crisis at the time. But I realized with all my co-workers leaving that I needed to re-evaluate what I was doing and get back on a career track. I was extremely fortunate that shortly after I started mentoring with a co-worker in our advocacy department that a position opened. I was able to apply and I got the job! I started 2008 as the new Advocacy Coordinator for the American Heart Association. I will even get to travel to Washington DC in April for National Lobby Day. I am really enjoying the position and I feel like I am back on track. I have always been a political geek and I am happy to be doing something in that arena. I haven’t had the opportunity to use my political science minor since graduation until now so I am very happy.

Mike started on a new project after Christmas that will keep him stateside. The farthest he will travel for this project is Wichita, Kansas. He is excited as he will be the lead controls engineer. I honestly don’t know much else about the project so you will have to ask him for the details.

We had a wonderful trip home for the holidays that was packed with family and friends. It was great to see everyone especially since we didn’t make it home for thanksgiving. Well this blog has gotten extremely long I guess that is what happens when you don’t write one for 6 months. If you are still reading this I hope everyone is doing well and I hope everyone’s 2008 is off to a good start.