2008 in Review

In honor of the new year, I have looked back on a year of blogging and found that there is much to be thankful for, much praise to be given to a Father who indeed does guide our paths.... Without further ado: 2008

January: I was given the "surprise" of being handed the reigns to the girls ministry with the Navigators at Fort Lewis. I was overwhelmed and under qualified. The best way to start any endeavor. I continued to process what it meant to be an Army Wife ( aka. dealing with either a sleepy-tired husband or an absent one). This was the month I decided to have "more girl friends" and incidently became friends with Amy....so that worked out rather well, I suppose.

February: I spent the month throwing parties, attending parties and doing all this while being sick. Or at least that's how it seemed. It is true that I threw a lot of "gatherings" in February which basically just meant that whole "making more girl friends" meant that we doubled our friends and therefore doubled our social circle. Makes for Busy Times in the Wilson house hold. Oh, and yeah...who's surprised about the sick thing? I'm always sick.

March: In march I found my favorite recipe of Brett and my marriage thus far ( of course, my current favorite is Cindy's Enchilada Soup, but I've only had that one two months so we'll have to wait and see...) Easy Indian Samosas. Honestly, best thing ever! In fact, this month I did a lot of cooking and baking and I also watched a lot of Angel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer in between cooking. This was mostly because once again I was faced with my husband being gone. A. Lot. However, we were greatly encouraged by seeing some Spiritual Growth and hunger among the guys he was working with, a much needed boost.

April: While April was the month Brett and I found out he was going to be put on a MiTT team, I went to Texas for my sister's 30th Birthday, Brett and I went to an international soccer match, I got sick ( again), we finally reached the end of the FIVE seasons of Babylon Five that we'd been watching since the new year, and I made my first pie from scratch, Emma and Lydia visited from New Zealand, and we found out we were moving to Kansas... but by far the most crazy thing that happened in April was that some woman thought I was pregnant. yay. ( whoa, April was CRAZY!)

May: Brett and I attended a Hawaii-Mystery-Theme Party, I doubted my abilities to lead a growing girls ministry, we watched the Stroud kids play t-ball, and I continued to love my job at the coffee shop. We continued to deal with the Army's horrible way of springing things on you, Washington had some beautiful weather and we enjoyed it. Oh, and I had a kidney stone.

June: I started to feel more "calm" about our future regarding Kansas, June decided to be full of rain and 60 degree weather making me mad, we entertained my sister and her husband as well as Steve and Billie while they attended a Guitar building Conference and went and saw Mt. Rainier and Mt. Saint Helens with them at the end of their stay. I started to prepare to pack up our apartment by collecting boxes and not buying groceries. One worked better than the other. The girls ministry starts to blow up and more and more girls seem to come each week-a perfect time for TWO people to take over from the ONE me....

July: I went "camping" for the first time ever. Spent the 4th with friends eating homemade ice cream and experiencing one of the most amazing fireworks displays over puget sound. I dealt with the headache of packing up a house full of belongings and literal headaches ( lots of migraines this month). And in between all the packing, we went to an all day concert in Seattle, visited Snoqualmie Falls with friends and took a weekend trip to Canada's Victoria Island for our one year anniversary, none of which stopped me from turning into a giant Monster from all the horrible packing...of course, after the whirlwind of packing and moving we jumped on a plane and went to Texas for a much needed "break" from life where Brett said goodbye to even more family and friends.

August: Started the month out in Texas, and from there we flew back to Washington, moved our stuff into storage and hit the open road with brother Josh and Aunt Donnave heading to Kansas. We had lots of surprises in August, Kansas was not ugly, our living situation was awesome, Brett's job required lots less "working hours" and all in all adjusting to life without a job or friends or really anything to speak of was a lot easier for me than I would have thought. In short God was handing out Grace and Mercy at the door of Kansas.

September: I started volunteering at the Senior Center doing meals on wheels twice a week, I began going to the PWOC women's bible study on Fort Riley, Brett got into the swing of his new "work/training" schedule. I finally officially changed my name from Abigail Abt to Abigail Wilson with the United States Government. And Brett and I watched our lives slow waaaay way down and enjoyed every second of it.

October:I enjoyed Real Live Fall weather in Kansas while stressing about Nov-December and what I would do once Brett left ( Go to China? Teach English in a high school? Final Answer: none of the above). Brett and I spent a long, glorious weekend in Kansas City where he bought an ipod touch and I got my iphone-buyer remorse soon followed. Brett headed off to California for the end of his training, I headed off to Washington for a 'visit/doctors appointment'. Brett's deployment started to sink in and I cried tons.

November: Brett and I returned to Kansas for one final week and a half together before deploying. It turned out to be as perfect as such a week could ever be, in short it was a miracle. Brett left for Afghanistan, I pulled myself together. Papa and I drove from Kansas to Washington and then flew to Texas all in four days time, where I then let out a long sigh of relief and cried a little. Celebrated my 25 birthday with the birth of my friends Katie and Thomas's daughter Eden. I learned slowly how to deal with a Long Distance Husband. Celebrated Thanksgiving with both sets of family and went to rehearsals for the Messiah.

December: went to a wedding, a funeral and spent a lot of time with family. I rekindled old and new friendships and let a few old things pass away. Celebrated yet another holiday away from Brett,but also found that grace abounds in all situations and whether facing new marriages or the passing of a dear one- He is near.