Happy 2008!

I know I should have posted this blog entry closer to the New Year but I totally forgot about our blog and so that lead to forgetting to post. Looking back on the last year I have to say it's been the toughest of my entire life. Don't get me wrong, it has been a fantastic year but I don't think I have ever felt "growing pains" as much as I did in 2007. Of course, marriage changes alot about life. You can no longer think about just yourself, you now have "your other half" and you learn very quickly that your marriage is not about you. Justin is an awesome husband and I love him dearly, but it's been a challenge bringing two independent people together in one house. I also had my first teaching job. The only thing I can say is I learned a whole lot about the word patience and that I defiantly did NOT want kids right away. June was a fun month. Justin and I didn't work and we enjoyed the company of both of our families. We spent a week at the beach with my family, a couple weeks spending time with my grandparents and then a week in good ol' tally with the Sculley crew. Then there was the big move to Texas, which by the way is very different from Florida. I missed the beach right away(it was terribly hot during the summer here in Texas with no beach to go to) but the biggest thing I realized was that I was going to miss my family support group more than I thought I was. My life went from having a loud family event once a month or so to living in a city where Justin knew no one. I realized what I had just gotten myself into and I wasn't as happy about moving to Texas as I was before we actually did. It was tough for a little while. The only thing that was amazing about it was I had the opportunity to rely on Justin. We had time alone where we spent together and our relationship grew so much more. I also had to rely on God a WHOLE lot more then I did when I was living in Fort Myers. I started my job at the World Missions center here on Campus in August. Talk about an amazing job! I loved it the day I started. What a perfect place to work when your husband is getting a degree in Missions! Then September came along and I ended up going to the hospital one Sunday Afternoon. I went because I had sharp pains on the right side of my abdominal area and I thought I might have appendicitis. It ended up being an ovarian sist. I had to get emergency surgery that next Friday. It was a scary time in my life, considering I don't like hospitals, needles and knives and I had never had surgery before. But wow, the amazing things God did for us during this time. Our Seminary family came together so much for us during this time. We had dinner brought to us every night for a few weeks, cards sent, financial help given from the Professors and their secrataries, I even had someone buy me a nice blanket and some comfy sweat pants and slippers to take to the hospital with me so I could be comfortable. It opened my eyes to the amazing support group we had been adopted into during this time. What amazing people we are surrounded with here at SWBTS! (I sound like a commercial for the school, I know, but it's the truth!) My mom also came up and spent a week with me during this time. Having four kids in our family there isn't alot of one on one time with mom, so I enjoyed laughing and crying and just talking with my mom for the week. (Although I wouldn't trade my siblings in for anything, I did enjoy feeling like an only child for a few days.) The rest of the year slowed down. Justin and I continued to grow as a couple and we also started growing closer to the Lord. We spent Thanksgiving in Fort Myers with my family. We had a great time. It was good to be back with the Klingensmith/Koshko bunch agian. My grandfather turned the big eight zero and we had a big surprise party for him during the Thanksgiving break. For the first time in a while my dad's side of the family were ALL together (all 60 of us or so) we had a great time and it was sad to leave but at the same time I was ready to get back into our schedule back home. We celebrated our first year annivesary by enjoying a hike in one of the state parks here in Texas. We realized we wanted to start hiking and camping more so we bought a state park pass. We then spent a romantic night at the Melting Pot (talk about great food)! Christmas was spent with Justin's family in Tallahassee and we had a great time. And we ended the Year with having my mom and brother Tucker come to Texas for New Years. We went to the Armed Forces Bowl and Had a great time! Anyways, that was our year in a nutshell. We are excited to see what God has planned for us in the 2008. Oh, and a New Years resolution? Besides hoping to lose ten pounds or so (I know, WAY OVERDONE) I think I'm actually going to try to write in our blog and keep our friends and family updated with our lives. So check back you never know what we'll be up to this year!! *Amy