Cheers to the new year.

Were back! I can't believe today is the last day of 2010. 2010 has been an amazing year. Matt went to school for his current job and graduated top of his class, we soaked up our last days of living in Hawaii, and went on our last inter-island trip to the Big Island which might actually be my favorite of all the islands. Here's a few pictures I love but haven't posted before of our last days in Hawaii:

In April, we sent our things off with TMO and slept on the plastic wrapped bed in the living room again. It's like our "extended honeymoon" came full circle. Then we hopped a plane for California where I cried my eyes out for about 2 hours mourning the loss of my first home. In California, we sat on the floor and slept on an air mattress for a month before our stuff got here. But I was okay with that because my house was certainly an upgrade from my shabby little apartment in Hawaii! The pictures of these beds make me laugh but also remind me how much moving across the ocean SUCKS.

In April we also bought our washer and dryer which was our first major appliance purchase and pretty exciting for us because we're nerdy like that! We spent most of May getting used to our new home, painting, decorating, and exploring the area. I graduated! Matt started his new job in June and worked super long days until August. I went home for a visit! But we still managed to squeeze in a little fun. Matt got promoted! And got instructor of the cycle! And Kelly, Nick and Steve came to visit too!

In September, we went to our first rodeo, took our road trip to San Francisco, went to Big Bear for a weekend on the lake, went to an Angels game, and then went to Virginia to visit our best friends from Hawaii.

In October, Matt started work again (and was picked to be the machinegun instructor for his company over lots of more experienced guys, a huge honor!) but we still found time to go apple picking, see the Patriots play at Chargers stadium, tailgate in Compton for a USC vs Oregon game, and dress up as Monsters for Halloween. In November, we went to Vegas for the Marine Corps ball and had our first California Thanksgiving.

This past month, we decked out the house for Christmas, walked around and enjoyed the food in Little Italy, went to Disneyland, celebrated our own little Christmas in California, and went home for a visit where we were bombarded with a blizzard and kisses from a 1 and 2 year old.

We've been so busy and done so many amazing things this year. This is honestly just a small sampling. To put into perspective how much traveling we've done just throughout the state of California - remember these maps I made?

Well this is what California looks like now. And we drove down the entire coast from the top pin all the way to the second pin from the bottom!

Needless to say, 2010 has been an amazing year full of changes, new friends, and new experiences. We cannot wait to see what 2011 has in store for us!