10. Moved from Virginia Beach to Arlington (D.C. area). In May, we packed up the U-Haul for the 3rd time since we’ve been married, headed to northern Virginia, and moved into our smaller and more expensive apartment! Our main reason for making the move was to be closer to Danielle’s family, and it was made easier because Geoff was able to keep his same job by transferring to his agency’s D.C. headquarters.
9. Danielle finished her class requirements for grad school. Oh happy day! She also just finished her first semester of internship at an elementary school in Arlington, with 
another in the spring at a local high school. Lord willing, she’ll graduate in May!
8. Two trips to Wisconsin (a.k.a. The Frozen Tundra). Our first trip was over the 4th of July, where we cheered on the Brewers (in vain), toured the Sprecher brewery, and enjoyed Danielle’s famous scones while watching Wimbledon. We visited again for Thanksgiving with some last-minute air tickets that allowed us to celebrate the holiday with Geoff’s family – and watch the Badgers clinch a Rose Bowl berth!
7. Regular visits from friends and family. While we think that the visits were just to see us and had nothing to do with the tourist attractions in D.C., we enjoyed hosting Geoff’s brother and Danielle’s sister and mother, a couple couples from Virginia Beach, and good friends from high school and college. Showing our guests around town has been a good excuse for us to explore our new home.
6. Sunny Mexican vacation in December. Winter is great, especially when it’s spent on the beach soaking up 70 degree weather! We spent a week with Danielle’s family at a resort in Playa del Carmen on the Caribbean Sea, where we enjoyed sunbathing, snorkeling, shopping, and authentic Mexican cuisine like chilaquiles and queso fundido.
5. Safety during trips to the Middle East. Geoff’s job at the Government Accountability Office took him to the Middle East twice this year, including one trip to Afghanistan and visits to 5 countries overall. Observing Ramadan, enduring 130 degree heat, and traveling in body armor were some of the more interesting aspects of the trips. Graciously, God kept both of us safe while we were apart.
4. Getaways for just the two of us. We took advantage of Danielle’s spring break in March to visit New York City for a few days, where we caught two Broadway shows, took a tour on the rivers arou
nd Manhattan, and visited friends who live outside the city. Then in June, we celebrated our 3rd anniversary at a Bavarian-style bed and breakfast in West Virginia. We planned on having dinner at a local establishment we found online, but after actually seeing it in person we decided on Plan B – Applebee’s.
3. Found a new church home in Arlington. Undoubtedly, the hardest part about moving away from Virginia Beach was leaving behind our beloved church family there. However, we have been blessed with a new community of Christ-followers at Portico Church in Arlington, which had started just a couple of months before we arrived. We have been able to form new, close relationships in our small group, and have recently completed the church’s membership process.
2. Brand new (well, to us) wheels! Anticipating our upcoming move to northern Virginia, we wanted to downsize to one car from our mini-van (don’t laugh) and the unreliable vehicle I was taking to work. After receiving a larger-than-expected tax return, we mentioned what we were in the market for to a car-salesman friend of ours from church. The very next day, he called us with great news – he had found just what we were looking for! With Geoff able to take public transit to work every day, having just one car has worked out perfectly for us.
1. Standing in awe of what God has done for us. God has blessed us tremendously in earthly terms, some of which we have tried to capture in this list. But what we are most thankful for is the new life we have through Jesus Christ, who came to this world, lived the perfect life that we are unable to, and took the punishment of our sins upon himself at the cross. We rejoice that, even when we miss the mark, God sees the righteousness of Jesus instead of our shortcomings, and patiently uses his Spirit to gradually make us more like him. May you find peace in the gospel of Jesus Christ during 2011, no matter what the New Year brings!
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