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Friday, January 2, 2009

Happy New Year

So, what happened this year? In a quick “cliff-notes” version (not that I know what cliff notes are mom!) here it is:

January-
Moved back to Georgia! WooHoo!!!
Started my last semester as an undergrad

February-
Celebrated our 22nd birthdays

March-
Went to Savannah to celebrate my grandmother's 80th birthday

April-
Studied for final finals!

May-
I graduated from KSU!!
Planned a 4 day Indian wedding...this was my first commissioned ethnic/blended wedding!

June-
1 year wedding anniversary!!!!
Joel & Ifat got married
David & Caroline got married

July-
Neal worked at GE
I had to find a "real" job :(

August-
St. George with the family
Neal starts his last year at Georgia Tech

September-
I found a job at the Korean Consulate!!!!!

October-
Neal's mom celebrated her 50th birthday

November-
Thanksgiving with Neal's siblings and found out that David & Caroline are expecting a little one on July 4th!
Thanksgiving with my family
Thanksgiving with Neal's parents (we were really stuffed by this point!)
45-42!!!!!!!!!

December-
Neal's semester finally ended
Christmas with Neal’s parents before we left
2 weeks in Barcelona and Paris
Christmas with my family when we got back

We got back from our wonderful trip two weeks ago today. Hard to believe it has been that long already! We had such an amazing and relaxing time exploring the culture and art and sights of both Barcelona and Paris! It was nice to actually get to see Neal again. I think I had almost forgotten what it was like to see him on a consistent basis! His last semester was just tremendously demanding of his time. Some weeks I only saw him when I would wake up in the morning before I had to head off to work! So, after months of that, needless to say, it was very nice to have my husband back!

We headed off to Barcelona on Sunday afternoon, December 15th. We arrived around 8am on Monday. We were exhausted from the travels and school and work, so all we did was sleep away Monday. It was rainy anyways, so why not!!! Tuesday though, we woke up and hit the town! Here are some highlights from the week in Barcelona:


Overview of Barcelona from Parc Guell


Sagrada Familia- this bascilica has been under construction for 100 years and is 50% complete



Casa Mila by Antonio Gaudi



I'm at the Mediterranean Sea!


Neal on top of the world at Montserrat


Eating dinner in our favorite spot on the La Rambla: Egyptie

National Cathedral in Barcelona- built on ancient Roman walls


Neal with the mosaic lizard in Parc Guell

After a magnificent week in Barcelona, we boarded another plane for Paris. Neal has been a time or two before, but this was my first experience in the city of lights! Was I excited or what?! It was rainy and freezing cold on Monday when we got there, but that was not going to stop us one bit from enjoying what Paris has to offer!

We were blessed to be able to meet up with Neal’s Uncle, Aunt, two cousins, and paternal grandmother. They are currently stationed in Germany with the US Army, and Paris is a short 4 hour drive away. We spent Monday, Tuesday, and most of Wednesday exploring and sight-seeing with them. Here are a few highlights from that time:
Champs Elysees
Eiffel tower from the Arc de Triomphe


On the top of the Eiffel Tower
View of the city from the top of the Eiffel Tower
Arc de Triomphe
Notre Dame



Inside the glass pyramid at the Louvre


Mona Lisa!


Eiffel Tower on Christmas Day


Christmas came and went. We packed and reminisced about all of the amazing things we had seen and done. We headed back home on Friday, December 26th. I’ll spare you the details of the nauseated plane ride and 4 hour delays on the way back home!

Neal has had this past week off of school. I had to return to work on Monday. It has been a pretty quiet and uneventful week, but it was a good transition back to normalcy!

We had a quiet New Year’s Eve at home. Started watching the Chick-fil-a bowl, but we didn’t finish it…. New Year’s day we went to the King Tut exhibit with my family. It was very interesting and educational. I would recommend it!



Yeah, a lot happened this past year that really kept us on our toes! We thank the Lord for seeing us through it all. We are praying for peace and joy, restoration and guidance in our families for this next year! I will try to update more frequently for all of the family members that are geographically distant!!

Happy New Year and God Bless,

Neal & Deborah Parker

1 comment:

Caroline @ The Feminist Housewife said...

What a wonderful way to end the new year (and to celebrate the close of such a rough semester!) You two are adorable. Love the pictures! Hopefully we'll see you soon!

Caroline