So how was 2008 for you?

By -
Dear Diary, How was 2008 for us?
Well, as you can imagine, it was a mixed bag of emotion and throw in a load of stress too. I think it is safe to say that with the exception of Isla's impending birth, just about everything that happened in 2008 was not in our plans. I said to Colin last week that it would be nice to turn the page on the calendar and everything would be as we want it and forget 2008. If only it would be that easy but we believe God doesn't give us more than we can handle.
The year started with me going to a OB appointment only to find that my BP was through the roof. The dr. that saw me was ready to check me in the hospital and deliver Isla but thankfully the senior dr. didn't think that was the right course of action and decided it would be better to send me home and have the midwives monitor my BP at home. This worked well for about 5 weeks until my BP went so high the midwife had to call the hospital and send me in. That was Valentines Day. Three days earlier than my due date, we were blessed with Isla Jennifer on February 17, 2008...
My mom came to visit and meet Isla a week later which was great because Colin ended going away for a week once he went back to work.
All during this time, Colin's mum wasn't feeling well at all and eventually was hospitalized. She was able to hold Isla 3 times before she was called Home on April 11, 2008. We miss her and we are also comforted knowing that she knew of the hope we have in Jesus and is free from all pain and suffering. On Isla's bedroom wall we have a picture of Nanny Black holding her in the hospital. We look at the photo together and tell her about her Nanny Black and how much she loved her. It's the year of firsts without her. It hasn't been easy for Colin.
Shortly after his Mum's funeral, Colin left for a few weeks to go to Colorado to get things going. During this time I stayed at home in Larne to pack up the house as much as I could.
We left N. Ireland in May and flew to Canada to my parents house. Colin soon left us again for Colorado and I stayed in Canada for about a month before he came back and we all went back to Colorado together for two months. It was basically alot of going back and forth and living apart for the summer. We finally came to Colorado together in October and hope to be able to stay as long as possible. We are still working on a permanent visa and pray that in 2009 this issue can be resolved once and for all.
Our visa situation is still a concern for us and we just want it to be over with but in reality it could be October until we're done with American bureaucracy. We may not stay in the US if we don't get the visa (only 62,000 are issued annually) and may move to Canada. It's frustrating and stressful. We feel like we can't make plans for anything. We don't even have our personal effects, they are still in Waterdown at Mom and Dad's house so it doesn't feel like home yet either.
But we solider on and live day by day. We know that we don't have control over anything. God has been watching over us and has brought us this far. He alone knows what holds for us in 2009.
On that note here are some last 2008 photos to share.
Don't these clouds look like UFO's?