We hope that this letter finds you all well and joyful for the holidays!

It is hard to believe that December is over halfway done and Christmas will soon be upon us. As busy as 2008 was for us, we had hoped that 2009 would stick around a little bit longer so that we could fully enjoy our year. But atlas, the year is drawing to a close and we look back at our year in review.

Game nights and indoor projects made up the majority of our colder winter months. We only have 2 rooms left until the entire house has been repainted. It is wonderful to see the house reflect more of who we are. Warm food, board games and good friends rounded out our free time.

With spring and summer came many outdoor projects. We started many of our garden plants from seedlings around Easter and enjoyed the early start on our growing season. We began to build our garden in May and spent the remainder of the month making multiple trips to the city compost site. Our 9 ft by 15 ft garden didn’t seem so big until we had to shovel in all that dirt! We have also continued to work on the landscaping and Julie had a wonderful time planting flowers around the house.

In June we were finally able to plant our garden. The months also brought our one year anniversary, which we spent working outside to put gutters on the back of the house. We like to think that it was another opportunity to work on our communication. We did take a day trip to Saint Paul and enjoyed ourselves at the Science Museum and the Wabasha Street Caves.

The fall brought a bounty of food from our small garden. We had over planted with the expectation that we would loose a few of our started plants... who knew we would be lucky and loose only 1 or 2. With 5 types for peppers and 3 varieties of tomatoes, Julie not only canned a great deal of peppers but also got to try her hand at making homemade salsa this year.

In September, David was sent to Denver for work to meet with a client and Julie had the opportunity to go along. We took tours of the US Mint, Hammonds Candy factory, and rounded out our day with a trip to Red Rock. We had a wonderful time although we still aren’t sure about some of the crazy drivers out there! October and November brought in our birthdays as well as our 5 year anniversary of being together! It’s hard to believe that much time has passed.

David has been very busy with work. Changes to the healthcare industry have ensured that Negtain is constantly busy and growing. Julie is continuing her job hunt and currently enjoying the time she gets to spend at home. She spends a great deal of time working on her crafts which keep her thankfully busy.

Hoping you have a wonderful holiday and a blessed 2009.

Much Love, David and Julie