Once In A Blue Moon

Have you ever heard the saying, "Once in a blue moon"? The saying started because blue moons are very rare and it was an inventive way to express time! Every year there are 12 full moons...one full moon a month. This month is different--there will be two full moons! The second full moon is known as a blue moon and tonight will be its debut! The next time there will be a blue moon will be 2028, so make sure you get out there tonight and enjoy it! A blue moon sounds like the perfect way to end 2009!

A Look Back....

This year has been pretty amazing! Now that we are approaching 2010, it's important that we learn from the past and build up our future. When I start thinking about this year, I almost can't remember everything. Looking through picture albums helped me remember some amazing times in 2009. I thought a look back would be great before we started a new year....
We started off the year on St. Maarten-Jason was in his 5th and final semester!! April came WAY TOO FAST and the time came for us to pack up, say goodbye to our wonderful friends, and get ready for the next chapter! After we left St. Maarten, we headed back to Missouri. We were able to celebrate our first wedding anniversary back where we had gotten married. Jason had planned for us to stay in the bed and breakfast where we got married . It was perfect!
Jason had a few months of studying before he would take the STEP 1 and get placed into a clinical spot. He did wonderful on his STEP and we found out that we would be moving to California to start clinicals in September. Knowing that we would be moving so far away from home, we enjoyed our summer as much as possible.
We took a roadtrip to Tennessee to see Brian, Melinda, Megan, and Bert! We had so much fun hanging out with them for a few days! After we got back from our Nashville trip, we flew to Pennsylvania. Grandpa Conway organized a family reunion--it was pretty nice to have us all together!

Being that we were so close to our other friends Andy, Alissa, Frank, and Candice, we decided to meet in the middle! The middle for us was Sandusky, OH--home of Holiday World, one of the greates amusement parks! We had to try it out...it was so much fun acting like a kid again! Once we got back from Pennsylvania, we were asked by my sister to watch her kids for a week while they went on vacation. We love those dang kids!! We had a few fun things planned to do with them while we had them. Summer was over before we knew it and we were packing up AGAIN and moving to California. We saw so much on our drive out west...Cadillac Ranch, 4 corners, Petrified/Painted Desert, the meteorite hole, and the Grand Canyon! After a long drive, we finally made it to California. September, October, and November were a little difficult because Jason was living in LA doing a psychiatry rotation and I was living in Bakersfield. He drove home on the weekends but it wasn't the same! I found a job that I absolutely love in early October. I'm the program coordinator for a non-profit organization that helps adults learn to read. It's a very rewarding position...I'm so grateful! After living here a few months, the in-laws showed us the Sequoia National Forest. We took a weekend and explored the forest...it was amazing! The trees were bigger than I could have ever imagined! It was definitely something to see!We've been making the most out of our time! We are making the best out of the current situation and loving it! Exploring Los Angeles, snowboarding in the mountains, and taking time to enjoy each other are just a few of the things we've been up to these past few weeks!

We are trying to take the weekends and explore the area...San Fransisco, Las Vegas, and Napa Valley are a few of our future visits! 2009 was an amazing year for the Conway family and we look forward to 2010!

New Years Resolutions

With 2010 right around the corner, I've started thinking about what I hope to acheive and do better than previous years. I'm not a fan of resolutions because I think it sets the year up for failure. I did a little research when I started thinking about new years resolutions and this is what I found...the average person keeps their commitments two weeks and 35% of people break their resolutions within the first two days. In the past, I've set huge, unrealistic goals and I was one of the 35% that failed within the first two days. Broken commitments are not the best way to start off the next 365 days... definitely not starting off on the right foot. This year is a different story!Commitments can be made anytime of the year...it just makes it easier to set a goal at the beginning of a new year! With all that said, I've been thinking of things that I would like to improve on in the year 2010. Here's my list of things....

*Be more health conscience (eating healthier, exercising more, taking time to reax more, etc)

*Make an effort to tell family and friends how much they mean to me on a regular basis

*Go to the grocery store less--eat the food we have in the cabinets/freezer/refrigerator before buying anymore.

*Become more "green"

*Get more involved in church related activities

These are just a few of the things that I'm focusing on in the upcoming days, weeks, and months. I'm determined to focus on the different areas of my life that will improve the quality of life, my families as well as mine. Life is too short--so enjoy it! We are looking forward to 2010 and all the adventures it has to offer....bring it on!!

Still On Vacation

Nothing new happening here...Jason went back to work on Monday and I'm still on vacation. I go back to work on January 4th. I'm loving the time off but I'm starting to go a little stir crazy, especially with Jason back at work. Last week was so nice because we both had off. We slept in, watched our favorite movies, cooked meals together, washed the cars, went sight seeing, and napped! We really took advantage of our time off....it was so nice! I'm definitely ready to have something motivate me to get up and through my daily routine!
Having so much time off allows me to really think of a good New Years resolution.....
2010 is just around the corner!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas is always a great time of year! This year we spent Christmas in California...a little different from a Missouri Christmas but still great! Something that made Christmas great was getting Christmas cards in the mail from all our family and friends. Getting cards in the mail and hanging them up around the house really made us feel special....

We opened our gifts early on Christmas Eve this year because we were headed to Ventura in the afternoon to spend the night and wake up with Chip, Sue, and Timothy on Christmas Day.

I was so excited to get Dirty Dancing in Blu-Ray! Movies, pearls, and gift cards were just a few of the presents I got...I'm so spoiled! Notice Bazzle sitting right beside me...he was so excited to see all the presents under the tree! He couldn't wait to open his gifts--yes, grandma sent the boys some presents!

She sent the boys soft chew toys and Christmas cards made out of rawhide...something they enjoyed very much!

Jason loved opening his gifts too. He got everything he asked for and more! He got a Blu-Ray player to go with his new TV and all the different movies to go along with it.

We headed down to Ventura after we opened our gifts and packed our bags. We went to a Christmas Eve service once we arrived in Ventura. That was both our first Christmas Eve service. Something about singing Christmas carols on Christmas Eve with candles, lights, and decorations all around...it really set the mood!

Our California Christmas was so nice! It was good to be around Jason's family for Christmas. I missed my family terribly, especially all our traditions, but it was nice to start making our own traditions. Merry Christmas from the Conways!

Timothy Visits Bakersfield

After we left the Crystal Cathedral, we brought a visitor back to Bakersfield with us. Timothy, Jason's younger brother, decided to come spend a few days with us!

The second he walked in the door, he had a new friend. Muzzy followed him everywhere and wouldn't leave him alone. When it came time to eat, he wouldn't get down off Timothy's bed. He didn't want Bazzle to get his spot...Timothy is HIS friend!

The next morning after we woke up we started calling around at different paintball fields. We wanted to take Timothy to play paintball...something he's been wanting to do. Because of the time of year, the paintball fields are only open on the weekends. BUMMER! We didn't let that stand in our way...we decided to head over to the shooting range. We walked in to the range and got situated with our ear muffs, shooting glasses, bullets, and the shooting target.

We chose the zombie target-it made shooting a little more fun and exciting. Jason made sure to show us the safety features along with how to shoot the gun. Once we felt comfortable, we started shooting!

We had a good time at the shooting range. We compete with each other and see who could hit certain areas the most! It actually helped me feel more comfortable with our gun! We tore the zombie target up pretty good!

After the shooting range, we headed out to play frisbee golf. Frisbee golf is such a fun game--not to mention a good excuse to get outside and get a little exercise.

The boys had a good time competing and showing off their frisbee skills. Jason really enjoyed spending a few days with his brother....something he's never gotten to do. I know God put us in California for a reason! It's been nice to see our California family a little more!

The Crystal Cathedral

Yesterday afternoon we drove down to Garden Grove, California to watch "The Glory of Christmas" at the Crystal Cathedral. The cathedral was amazing...the second we turned off the interstate and saw the huge glass building, we knew we had arrived.

The Crystal Cathedral was dedicated in 1980 but before it became an actual building it was just a gathering of people at a local drive-in theatre. When they outgrew the outdoor theatre, the preacher decided to build a church home. The preacher liked the outdoor feel so in 1980 he designed the cathedral to be made 100% of glass windows. There are over 10,000 glass windows that cover the cathedral and that's not counting the other 3 buildings! Here are just a few pictures...they definitely don't do it justice.

All along the sidewalks through the different buildings were scriptures that different families designated as their favorite. It was pretty neat to walk along and read all the encouraging and uplifting scriptures.

We're glad we got to the program a little early so we could explore everything...

Once it got a little closer to the Christmas show, we met up with Sue and Timothy. They got stuck in a little bit more traffic than we did so they didn't get to explore around as much. The inside of the cathedral was amazing...my favorite thing was the organ! It took up the whole back side of the church...250 pipes! The music playing was so soothing, yet so powerful!

Once the show started we couldn't take any pictures, but I did get a picture of the stage before anything started. The details that they displayed were incredible. The costumes were detailed and right on for that time period. Angels flew across the top of the cathedral in glittery gowns as they sang! They had live horses, sheep, donkeys, and camels that helped portray different parts of the nativity scene. It was an amazing show! They did a great job of showing how our Savior was born some 2000 years ago!