anthony + pearl

So another year came and gone and I want to reflect a bit on what happened this past year.  Here are the top 10 most memorable events.

1. Anthony proposed at the top of Mammoth Mountain!  I was totally surprised!  I was so shocked that my initial response was "are you sure?" then it changed to "yes!"
2. Day after Anthony proposed, I took a turn down a run too fast and my ski got caught under some slushy snow.  So I went down, my knee went one way and my ski went the other.  Anthony thinks that the rock he had given me threw off my balance.  But we all know that he was just gunning for my life insurance. J/K.
3. This is sort of part of number 2 but it is pretty memorable by itself.  I came down on the ski patrol sled after the fall.  It was pretty weird being inside a metal sled, head first, going pretty fast down the rest of the run.  But instead of people asking if I was ok, I got many congrats as apparently they were all up at the ski patrol station at the top of the mountain witnessing Anthony popping the question!
4. We took two months to design and build a 25 foot long barbeque for the engagement party.  But man was it worth it!  42" grill with separate side burner.  mmmm.. MEAT! plus a gorgeous view to boot.
5. We lost Opa, Anthony's grandfather, to lung cancer.  He bravely fought until he was called on All Saints Day.  His last treatment was a few days before he left us.  Margaret said that he had raised both his arms straight up and that's when he released his spirit back to his Maker.  Pretty impressive of a sign as he apparently had not been able to do that for over 10 years!
6. We had a historic election.  The country was going to change regardless of who won the election, whether we were to have the first black man or first woman holding office in the White House.  We also had historic number of people voting in this election.  It means that people do give a damn, that people DO care about this country!  Regardless of who they voted for or why they voted a certain way, what matters is they voted.
7. Jolene, Anthony's cousin, got married!  Congratulations! She's the first of many.  Heck! Most of our friends got engaged this year. Tons of APX weddings this coming year and the first is Mike and Natalee's in a couple of weeks.
8. I passed the LEED exam! I am now a LEED AP!
9. The economy took a nose dive.  Many HUGE companies declared bankruptcy and are closing their doors or needed government bailouts.  Investments, retirement funds, etc were drained or took a severe hit.  Many people lost their homes, and thousands of jobs were cut.  In fact, we have a few friends who were laid off this year.  We are both very fortunate to still have our employment, our health and our homes.  But we wish the best of luck to those who have lost their work in finding something during this recession.
10. The Christmas spirit returned!  During this time, I think people finally remembered what this time is about.  It's not about getting a lot of presents or trumping what another person got, it's about spending time with friends and family and letting them know that you appreciate them.  It's about making memories that you can tell stories about later on. My parents came out for Christmas.  They met the rest of Anthony's family, saw some of downtown San Diego, visited the ceremony and reception sites, ate tons of food as usual, played white elephant for the first time, stole and locked in a lobster dinner, and toured the wild animal park and the dairy.  But most importantly, they spent time with me.

Woohoo!!! I PASSED!!! I'm now officially a LEED AP! :D  (just in time before the new version is launched)...  my office decided that if 30 additional people become LEED AP's between, I think it was, September 1 to December 31st, they would raffle off a Prius to the LEED AP's of the office minus the management group of course.  This was a very good incentive apparently as we only need 6 more and we still have 21 days.

Now back to wedding planning... anyone know a good band or DJ?