In February, Kyle and i bought our first home. We signed the papers and celebrated our buy with dinner at Orso's. It's a modest 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bathroom, with a 2 car garage, and a small fenced in backyard located near Dimond High School. I love the layout and the real hardwood floors throughout the downstairs. So far, we really like it. As everyone else likes to say, "it's a great little starter home".
In the summer Kyle ended his stint with CATCO up on the slope to work here in town for Wilder. He enjoyed the work and appreciated being able to come home to me every night. Working nights he was able to put in quality time working on his off-road truck while i was at work during the day. He finished it up enough to be able to take it out a few times over the summer. If you haven't had to chance to see it yet, the thing is a beast. The tires stand almost as tall as me. He sure does love it though.
In July, we were able to travel to Oahu for Kyle's best friend Dean's wedding. Kyle served as his best man. We went down early and had some time to ourselves to explore the island. It sure was different from Kauai, the island where we got married. We didn't like it quite as much, but we enjoyed our time snorkeling, going on a Submarine tour, and visiting the Polynesian Cultural Center. I am not a big fan of the ocean myself, but i couldn't resist getting in the water to see the sea turtles and sting rays. My luck ran out however, when i was stung by a jellyfish while swimming in the ocean right in front of our hotel.
In August, my sister, Erin, and her boyfriend, Dane, announced their engagement. We were overjoyed considering Dane is already very much a part of the family. The wedding is set for August 15th, 2009. I am excited to help with the planning considering Kyle and i didn't have a big wedding of our own. I will be serving as Maid of Honor and Kyle has also been asked to be a part of the wedding line-up. Now i need to start thinking about the bridal shower and of course the bachelorette party!!
Not long after their announcement, Kyle and i had a little announcement of our own. We found out we are expecting!! We have been told it is a girl and my due date is set for March 25th, 2009. That day falls right in the middle of mine and Kyle's own birthdays. We can't wait and feel very blessed. Plus both sets of grandparents are looking forward to having their first in-state grandchild to spoil.
Also in August, we welcomed a new litter of Cocker Spaniel puppies. We had 4 beautiful, healthy, surviving puppies. There were 2 chocolate/white parti -colored males and 1 female, and 1 solid chocolate female. They sold in no time and all went to great homes. We decided to make this one the last considering Hailey turned 5 this year and now that we are starting a family of our own we won't have the time required for puppies. Since getting Hailey spayed she has found a second wind and seems more like a puppy than ever, and Hunter seems to be taking over the alpha dog spot.
This fall i continued coaching high school gymnastics. After Cyndi Havelak resigned and moved back to MN for personal reasons, I stuck with the head coach position at Service after a very rough falling out with South. My team tripled in size from last year and was largely made up of freshman, so i am looking forward to building off that next season. One of my old South gymnasts, Tosh Lekity, decided to volunteer coach and was a great asset to the team. My girls even won the highest GPA award. I enjoyed coaching this year more than ever before.
This fall also came a few new arrivals to the Virgin side of our family. Kyle's sister, Christy, and her husband, Ben, welcomed their second son, Jeb, to their family. And Kyle's brother Stacey, and his wife, Katrina, welcomed their second daughter, Brooke, to their family. Our little one will be the tie-breaker for the girl to boy ratio.
In October, Kyle and i celebrated our 1 year anniversary. Our bond seems to grow stronger with every passing day. I feel very blessed to have found him. It's amazing to me how much can change in that amount of time. We are looking forward to many more years together yet to come.
During the winter Kyle decided to head back to CATCO. Wilder offered him a position to stay on with them, but he decided he would get more hours and make more money up north. He plans on getting in a few 5 week hitches before heading back to work with Wilder next summer.
That about sums up our year. We wish everyone a happy and healthy 2009!!
