2009-Ups & Downs...but Mostly Ups

2009 seemed to be here one minute and gone the next! I guess they're right, time flies when you're having fun, huh? These are the noteable moments of the past year...

January 2009-My best friend & sister got married! Erin said "I do" to Mr. Chris Semprun, a guy seemed to be made just for her. :) A wedding at Great Wolf Lodge followed by a dance-filled reception and fun at the water park were products of one of the most fun weddings I've ever been to. And I got to be the Matron of Honor!

February 2009-Grant & I joined a Small Group at our Gateway Church. Best decision we could make! We have been blessed with good friends, lots of laughs, and an "Austin family".


Febuary 2009-Grant treated me to a Valentine's Day gift that will forever rival other V-Day gifts for years to come. He took me to a gorgeous resort in Mexico for an awesome vacation. We went on a snorkeling tour, parasailing, and enjoyed lots of R&R on the beach. I wish we could celebration Valentine's Day Mexico-style every year!

May 2009-I must've racked up some "good wife points" this year because I had one great birthday. Grant rented Large Marge the Party Barge and my 27th birthday party was, by far, the biggest party I've ever had. We danced, went down the slide, and swam in the 65-degree lake. Nothing says "Happy Birthday" like a boat filled with your favorite people!

May 2009-After 7 years of driving my Molly Mazda and a failed inspection, I gave her up. I didn't spend a lot of time pining over her, though, because I got something I've been wanting since I was 16. I met and fell in love with Big Red, my red Dodge Ram! With two dogs, a husband who competes in triathlons, and our love for camping, Big Red is the perfect addition to the Qualley way of life.


May 2009-Grant's parents planned a Qualley family trip to the lake in North Carolina. They rented a lakehouse, complete with a boat, equipment for tubing, and fishing poles. That week was a great getaway from the world and lots of Qualley-fun!

July 2009-This month will go down in history as one of the Melson's saddest. I got a call from my Mom that our sweet dog of over a decade was being put to sleep. Annie was a true Melson and had many fans. We remember the good times we had with that smelly girl and thank God for such an amazing pup.

September 2009-Laugh at me if you will, but I got to see Britney Spears not one time in concert, but twice! The first time was in March of '09 and then I went again in September. The thing that people don't get about Britney is that it's something that my sister & I share. We love dancing to her music and acting like Melson sisters do...goofy. For this particular concert, we took our old roomate, Kristin, and had AWESOME seats. I think we spent the entire concert giggling like teenagers at our good fortune (I realize the words "good fortune" are relative to many of you).

September 2009-Grant and I took the dogs for a mini-adventure to Enchanted Rock one weekend. It was still hot that month so climbing a giant rock was not only rough on the dogs, but me! It was beautiful, though, and defintely a trip that Grant & I will remember and hopefully repeat soon.

October 2009-Another sad month for the Melsons. My Mommom (Dad's Mom) passed away. We made the trek up to Richmond, VA to attend the funeral. It was extremely sad and obviously hard to say goodbye to one of the most patient women I've ever known (you'd agree if you knew my Poppop). However, Melsons are great at using humor to cope with rough situations. So a trip to morn turned into one with lots of laughter and memories made.

October 2009-Another mini vacation! This time, Grant & I loaded up the truck and drove down to the beach. We found a great spot at a National Park and let the dogs experience their first taste of saltwater. While that ended up quite messy, they had a fantastic time romping through the waves and Grant & I had a blast watching them.

There are so many more good times that I'm not including but I'm definitely thankful for each of them and can conclude that 2009 was more than good to me. Bring on "oh-ten"!