Reflecting on 2009

Wow! What an amazing year! Becoming a mom has been the most amazing experience ever! Jared and I have enjoyed every minute with Hadley. She is now 10 months old and as happy and as spunky as ever. She is getting into anything she can get her little hands on and then she immediately puts it in her mouth. Jared and I were laughing because we have a 9 year old Golden Retriever named Rusty who doesn't chew on any of the furniture, but our 10 month old daughter chews on the leather couch and we have recently discovered bite marks on the railing of her crib. She really enjoyed her first Christmas. She did like the tissue paper and the bows just like most babies at this age, but she did pay some attention to the gifts too, which was fun.
We are waiting on the bank to close on our house loans. We are building our "forever house" in Prairieville next to my parents. We can't wait to be near them and out in the country. Jared was off the past two weeks so we were able to pick out the roof and look at bricks and choose our lighting fixtures and some plumbing stuff. It is fun and stressful at the same time. We are just ready to get the ball rolling. It will be an interesting journey; we pray about it every night! I am about to start my second semester of grad school for library science. I am looking forward to my 120 hours of field experience this semester. I will be returning to the school I used to work at to work with the super awesome librarian there. I am looking forward to learning many new things. As far as my future job, librarian vs. teacher. Only God knows where I will end up and I have a peace about whatever happens. I ran into a student I taught in 6th grade and he said, " I never pictured you as a librarian!" I had to laugh because I find it pretty ironic myself... being that I love to talk!! Maybe I can redefine what it means to be a librarian!!!
As I looked back at this past year, I am so grateful for everything God has blessed me with. I never want to take anything for granted. God has blessed me with an amazing husband and daughter. I have the best parents and in-laws that any girl could ever ask for. I have some awesome friends and family that I love dearly. I am healthy and we both have jobs to pay the bills. Over the past year, I have learned a lot about saving money on groceries and I hope to continue doing so in the future. Google My Baton Rouge Mommy for a money saving blog. We have saved up to $60.00 in one shopping trip at Target using coupons effectively! Try it- it is awesome. It does require some practice and planning, but once you get the hang of it you will never stop. You will wonder why you have been paying full price for groceries before.
These are just a few of my random thoughts!