Looking back to 2008.

I to am new at this blogging but decided to start this as a fresh start for the new year 2009. With Christmas just ending and a year that has been sad but joyful at the same time. I want to start by saying how thankful I am to have my family and my friends support me in the decisions that I make. Thank you for always being there for me in good times and bad.

2008 was going to be better than 2007. As most of you know my sister Heidi was diagnosed with Brain Cancer in July of 2007. So after she completed radiation and detox due to an overdose of steriod medications the drs had her on, we knew 2008 was going to be a good year.

Jan 2008 Michael & I and all of his family spend New Years out at our favorite camping and riding spot Dove Springs. We rang in the New Year with much joy and excitement.

Feb 7 2008 Michael proposed to me. I was so happy as I have waited gosh my whole life for this moment. Past relationships seemed to diminish, which in the end was meant to be for me to meet that MR. RIGHT in which I was blessed to have met in 2006.

However on February 16th we had tradegy when Michaels mom passed away unexpectadly while the boys were on a Riding Trip for the weekend. Things from that point on changed in not only the Graham family but for me as well. Michael has a younger brother and with his dad working long hours leaving in the early mornings of 3am, they needed a motherly figure in the home. So i moved in along with Michael to his family home in Littlerock. It was something I had to adapt tol. But I knew that this was going to be my family I would be marrying into so I have made the best of it. Tough times were ahead as the Michael and his younger Brother grieved the loss of there mother. There Dad however moved forward much sooner than they did and eventually got involved in a relationship within months passing.

I have heard from some people that men move forward quicker than a woman. I dont know, I just remember when my Dad passed, dating another man was no were in my moms thoughts for years and years.

We were unsure on if we should proceed with wedding plans as we had decided to get married on September 20, 2008. This date being set just before Michaels mom Donna had passed away. After much thinking we decided that it would be best to continue on with our original date as Donna would not have wanted us to delay it due to her passing. We were sure of that. So we had a very stressful year of planning, and buying.

Thanks to the help of my mom, Aunt, Sister, and inlaws we were able to pull things together. We had a wonderful vacation and wedding out in Las Vegas on September 20, 2008 were I had my sister Heidi as my maid of honor, my niece Allison as my Jr. Bridesmaid, and Michaels cousin Teenie as the flower girl. We also had Michaels Brother Estefan as the Best Man and my nephew Gavin was the Ring Bearer. Everything was wonderful and I was blessed to have my close family and friends attend. We decided to have a backyard reception the following week here at the house in Littlerock,CA. Everything turned out just perfect.

In November we decided to have a small Thanksgiving here at the house, unfortunetly Art Michaels dad was not there, we missed having him but he chose to be with his girlfriends family. Thanksgiving was hard on both the boys as they realised again that there mom was not there this year. We were blessed to have Michaels aunt and cousins come up though and I was able to also invite a co worker of mine who lives here in Palmdale alone while her family lives all in Alabama. It was a very enjoyable Thanksgiving.

Christmas was just around the corner, and with the economy how it is, all of us were just quite poor this year. We were able to enjoy a quite Christmas Eve at my sister Heidis house. Usually my sister puts on a big Christmas Eve Party but this year we decided to just have us siblings get together with our immediate families. My brother Rob was not able to make it from Las Vegas and my mom was in Utah for the holidays, So it was my sister Heidi and her family, My brother Dennis and his family, and then Michael and myself. We skipped out on our traditional Tamale Christmas and instead did Enchiladas and played WII..that was a lot of fun. Then had the kids open the family gifts.

Christmas Day I was able to spend with Michaels family except excluding his Dad as he spent Christmas as well with his girlfriend and her kids and family. Michael and I got up and started our day off by giong to the Cemetary here in Palmdale were my dad is buried on Mormon hill, and my Grandpa is also at that cemetary. It was soo cold but peaceful there, and I even ran into an old high school friend Kelly Bell there who was there to visit her deceased brother and grandfather. Then we headed down to Chatsworth to the cemetary were Michaels mom, older brother and grandmother are buried. After that we continued on our day to Hawthorne, were we were going tobe spending christmas Dinner with Michaels aunts, uncle, and cousins. We had a great time.

We are looking forward to a Happy 2009 year. We hope that this new year brings everyone in good health and spirits.