First Blog...January 2009...recap of 2008

I have made attempts at this blogging thing before, but have decided to create this as a way to keep friends and family up to date and provide some inspiration to others who may come across it.

It's been a year of catching up, reconnecting and moving on...

I'm going to skip the first part of 2008, and many of you know why. The majority of the late summer was spent at the lake with my two wonderful friends, and one of my favorite couples, Michael and Britt...who were gracious enough to share their boat with Andrea and I, and the occasional friend we brought with us. Some of my best memories from the summer were spent at the lake with "the boys."

July and Independence day meant family vacation for the Rosenbergers. Mom chose a house at Lake Gaston, NC. The trip was very up and down for me, as I was in the throes of the end of a relationship and a major job decision. I'm afraid I may not have been much fun to spend vacation with and I know I wasn't as kind to my family as I should have been. Lucky for me, family is forgiving. I enjoyed the time there with the kids, Missy and her husband, mom and dad, and Andrea. Despite not showing it much, I was so happy to be near family when going through such a tough situation and decision.

I made a vow at the beginning of 2008 to travel to places I had not been before and visit friends. This is the best way to travel, as you don't have to worry about the expense of a hotel. I made 2 trips to Boston (one in late 2007 and one in the spring of 2008) to visit my dear friend Katie, from graduate school, and her adorable husband, Tim. I had never been to Boston before this and it was a great experience. The first trip I made with Stacy and Justin, 2 other close friends from graduate school. The second trip I made alone.

In October, I flew to San Francisco. This was my first time in another time zone! Hard to believe it took me until age 31 to experience this, but I'm glad I did. I visited another very dear friend from graduate school, Chad. It was a whirlwind trip, but he showed me the city and much it had to offer and we were able to catch up. I had not seen him since graduation from WFU in May, 2001! We vowed not to wait that long to see each other again.

I'm a huge Wake Forest Football fan and purchased season tickets this year, as I always do. Andrea was able to attend most of the games and we had lots of fun. Tailgating is certainly the most fun part of the whole experience, but watching the team move up and down the Top 25 was also exciting.

I attended my first NASCAR race at Martinsville this fall. I have a friend in the business and he was gracious enough to get me a pit pass. I was close to some of the drivers and got to see, first hand what racing is all about. It was very loud and very fast. Funny thing is, that track is so small, it's not near as fast as others :)

In October, I drove to Cleveland to see an old high school friend get married. The Buttolph brothers were a big part of our life growing up in youth group, etc. Brian (the last of the 3), got married in October. I had not seen these guys for at least 15 years! It was great to celebrate this occasion with them and their family and catch up on many, many years! Thanksgiving weekend, Andrea and I made a trip up to Missy's in Charlottesville for the family Thanksgiving gathering. As a gift for my parents, we hired a photographer to take some pictures of the family. This was a fun experience and we got some great shots! Here are a few of my favorites:

Julian and I had an addition to the house this summer. My great friend Shannon moved in with me. It is the perfect arrangement because we both really needed it. She loves Julian almost as much as I do and we work fairly opposite schedules and don't get in each other's hair too much. It's fun having someone in the house with me. It's really almost like college again, sometimes. Having a roommate is the perfect way to fight these tough economic times and to guarantee that you don't have to feel alone!

I spent Christmas at home (in Meadville) with mom and dad and the rest of the family. It was warm and inviting as usual in the barn but we didn't get nearly enough time with the boys. We got some great news near Thanksgiving that Missy and Kevin are expecting their third child. I LOVE being an aunt and can't wait to meet this one! While at home, I re-connected with my childhood best friend, Lori. Lori went to the Peace Corps shortly after college and had been in Africa, then moved to the west coast for graduate school. It had been many years and it was time for a reunion. She lives in DC now and I plan to see her as often as I can!

My biggest piece of news and accomplishment this year was having my first publication published in the NC Medical Journal. It's been a long time coming and I'm very proud. Many of you may not want to read about blood pressure control in primary care practices in NC, but if you do, here's the link: www.ncmedicaljournal.com/Nov-Dec-08/Rosenberger.pdf It came out in the Nov/December issue.

That's a quick "year in review" for me. I just watched the presidential inauguration and hope that there are many changes in store this year for me and this country...