Welcome 2005!

Happy New Year! It is 2:00am and I'm beat. Just returned from playing games and ringing in the New Year with friends-- Happy Birthday Lisa! Now, I'm off to bed. What better way to start off a new year, than sleeping!?

Goodbye to 2004!

Hello! It is time for a 2004 wrap-up ... it is December 31st and I have yet to send Christmas cards. I guess you could say other things began to take priority. So, this year cards will be packed away and a blog will be created for your reading pleasure. Thanks Andrea for the great idea! When I look back on 2004, it was jam packed with visitors, big events and the day-to-day drama of life in Quincy, Massachusetts. If I haven't bored you yet, keep reading to find out about the monthly highlights of 2004!

In March, I was elected to the church board of Wollaston Church of the Nazarene. "Wolly" as it is affectionately called, is located on the corner of Eastern Nazarene College. I have attended Wolly since I moved in Quincy in 2001. Along with church board, I sing regularly on the praise team, teach a Sunday School class on Spiritual Gifts and serve on LeadershipTeam for the Young Adults.

In April, I accompanied ENC's SGA Executive Council and members of Student Life to Kansas City for the annual Nazarene Student Leadership Conference (NSLC). It was held at MidAmerica Nazarene University. It was my first time to "Mecca" and my 5th NSLC to attend. I also made my debut in the SGA Lip Sync with my RAs from Spange and Willy. We did the opening act from "My Best Friend's Wedding" ... Wishin' and Hopin' and Thinkin' and Prayin' ... needless to say I was in rare form and even the students didn't recognize me.

In June, my collegues and I headed to Shilom Springs, Arkansas for the Associated Christians in Student Development Conference. It was my first time to Arkansas. People think life in Idaho is slow-- they haven't seen anything. We really enjoyed ourselves there ... touring the area, finding renewal and developing professionally. Following the conference, I took off for my third and final summer at Geneva College. I spent two weeks there, taking four classes in preparation for graduation in May 2005. I am ready to be done!

In July, I celebrated my 25th birthday on July 3 -- that same weekend Zach and Matt Chitwood came out for a visit. We had a great time in Boston seeing the sights and spending time together. I am so glad they were able to come out and visit.

Towards the end of the month, I flew to Oregon to prepare for Zach and Sarah's wedding. They got married on July 31st in Salem, Oregon. It was a beautiful wedding and reception. I am enjoying having a sister-- although Zach often suggests he feels a little ganged up on.

Following the wedding, I spent a week on the Oregon Coast with Mom and Dad. We enjoyed the opportunity to kick back. We did what we always do best- eat and shop! Upon my return to Quincy, I moved from the freshman/sophomore women's hall (Spange/Willy) to the junior/senior men's and women's hall (Young). It has been a fun change. Would you believe my seniors this year were freshman when I started at ENC? Boy, time flies! My new apartment is great. I have a beautiful new RED couch (more to come on that later) and real walls (no more cinderblock for me).

In October, the Red Sox won the World Series!! It was so much fun to be in the area. I have been come quite the fan and now own three items of Red Sox clothing; including a championship shirt I bought following the winning game at 1:00am from Sports Authority.

November was a month full of visitors ... first came Ryan Danker. He spent a few days with me while he looked at the PhD program at BU. Then came, Missy Johnson and her boyfriend Jason for a visit. It is always great to get together with Missy. We had a wonderful time catching up and doing a little shopping too. Then, my parents came out for Thanksgiving weekend. We had a great time. We drove up to Maine and spent a significant amount of time (5+ hours) at the LL Bean Flagship Store on Thanksgiving Day. Always fun to have visitors!

December came and went ... I wrapped up my coursework for Geneva, shut down my hall for Christmas break, then headed to Washington State to be with my family. I spent a week and a half in good ole' Yakima. It was a nice time-- watching movies, eating out, coffee at Starbucks almost daily and of course time with family. Thanks everyone for a great vacation!

Well, this wraps up highlights from 2004. I hope you enjoyed! It is hard to believe another year has come and gone. I wish you and your family the best this coming year. Check back again-- you'll never know when you'll find another bit of news!