And the winner is...

Well, I'll tell you who the winner is in a minute.

First, a little recap of 2009.

Little might be a misnomer. More like a post full of pictures and memories of 2009.

This time last year, we celebrated New Year's with a party at home of just the five of us. Yummy snacks, board games, and planning our Disney vacation of '09. It was a great time!

True to form, February brought Ohio lots of snow. Good thing, too, since Santa had given the kids sleds and snowsuits for Christmas...

There's nothing like celebrating Superbowl with friends, even if you're really not into football.

2009 became the year of running for me. Despite the discouragement of some, I proved to myself that I could indeed run a race (and despite saying I would never be a runner, I proved to myself that indeed I am one!). In March, I bought a new pair of kicks...

and ran in the cold rain in my first ever race. And I loved it!

Elijah and Isabel got their driver's licenses...at Walt Disney World, that is.

We spent the rest of the cold winter months playing lots of euchre with Joe's parents, waiting for the first breath of spring. (I'm pretty sure we won this hand!)

April brought a big change in my career: I left my friends in the SICU and took a position as Nursing Supervisor. Although I miss being at the bedside of my patients, I truly love my new job. And I still get to see all my buddies every night that I work.

May brought another race, The Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati. I ran in a relay with these women from my church (my part was a very hilly 5.8 miles; felt like a hundred!). Also in May, Lula and Lacey drove up from Virginia and took me to the Kings of Leon concert. Unfortunately, I have no photographic evidence of this trip, due to a computer virus :(

In June, I got to meet in real life my first non-family blog commenter, Jennifer from Three Little Indians. I met Catherine through Jennifer's blog, and the rest is history. We had such a great night together, meeting up in my little hometown!

On June 18th, my firstborn turned eleven. We are teetering on the brink of adolescence here, and it's making me nervous... (Surely, Elijah won't give me any trouble, right? Right?!)

In July, Joe and I took a mini-vacay up to Put-in-Bay, Ohio. Escaping reality for a couple of days was just what we needed to survive the rest of the year!

Later that month, we loaded up the kids and drove to Lulaville, where we wined and dined with Scotty and Lula and their sweet girls, Libbey and Caroline. Our kids and husbands hit it off fabulously (as we knew they would), and our families had a great visit.

We have lots of summer birthdays in my family; to celebrate, a group of us went to the local winery for a night of wine, steaks and laughter. Joe turned 35, my sister turned 43, and our moms turned one year older...

The beginning of football season started in August, and although Elijah went into it with high hopes, it wasn't all he dreamed it would be. I was so proud of him for sticking it out for the season, and I think it really helped build his character, knowing he could do whatever he set his mind to do.

The new school year for 09/10 meant sixth grade for Elijah, fourth for Isabel, and another year of teaching high school math for Joe.

Gabe turned five on August 27th, started a Young Five's preschool program, and decided to learn how to ride a two-wheeler. 2009 was the year of learning his ABC's and how to NOT drive his momma too crazy :)

Somehow, we let Isabel talk us into letting her cat have a litter of kittens. You all know that story. Here are the last two, Jasper and Alice, before we had to take them to the animal shelter.

In October, we took yet another mom-and-dad-only trip; this time with my sister and her husband. We went to Hocking Hills, Ohio, and had a great time. We have decided to make this an annual event!

On October 29th, I turned 25. I mean 30. Okay, okay, I turned 36. Really, who's counting? We celebrated by going around to our neighbors begging for candy. Oh, wait, that was Halloween. It's hard having a birthday so close to the holiday...sometimes I get confused.

In November, I took a solo trip to the mountains of Tennessee for Estrogen Extravaganza '09. I reunited with Lula, met for the first time bloggers that I have known for well over a year, and found some new friends, as well. We can't wait to do it again next year!

November also marked a milestone for Isabel and me: she ran in her first ever race, alongside of her proud momma, in our Girls on the Run 5K in Cincinnati. Her time? 29:59! Beat my time back in March by 2 whole minutes!

Speaking of Isabel, the sweet thing turned ten on December 21st. You may remember the 80's-themed party...

And here we are now, still smiling (well, except for Gabe, he was exhausted by this point) and loving each other more than ever.

2009 was a year full of blessings for our little family; I only hope 2010 brings more of the same, for us and for all of you!

Happy New Year!

Oh, and if you made it this far and are wondering if the winner is you, here it is:

Here are your random numbers:

6

Timestamp: 2009-12-31

Hot tub Lizzy, That's you!!! Email me your address just to make sure I have the right one, okay? Congratulations, and thanks everyone for playing along!