Happy One-Year Anniversary to us!

What we've accomplished in the past year:

- Found two apartments in New York City. One without having jobs, and the other on the second try. Neither with a broker. We are pros.
- Managed to survive this recession! It's good to already be poor when the economy hits the tank; less of a change for those of us without all that much money in the first place.
- Found a group of Charger fans and watched every game last year. Now we have a new bar and really cool T-Shits :)
- Convinced almost all of our friends to come visit (I think the prospect of New Year's Eve in New York helped).
- Convinced one friend to move out here with us; Andie gets here August 1st!
- Made my mom, dad, and grandma come to New York for their first ever visit. And they all survived, but I think Grandma may have had the best time :)
- Had visits from most of Kendra's family as well; we love guests!
- Watched movies on rooftops, in the park, and on piers.
- Gone to a New York Philharmonic concert. For free. In Central Park. Although, eveyone else there was a little more cultured that us; we forgot the wine, cheese, and prosciutto.
- Watched elephants parade down 34th street.
- Saw two Tony-Award winning plays.
- Made visits to Philadelphia (for Thanksgiving; thanks Adam), upstate New York (for the outlet mall), and New Jersey (for a hockey game). And now Kendra is in Massachusetts. I think Connecticut will be next...
- Made some fantastic new friends.
- Voted, in person, for the first time ever.
- Figured out the subway and bus systems. I don't think I remember how to drive a car...
- Learned that even though you don't need a designated driver, you still have to be able to get home.
- Survived our first Northeast winter.
- Visited most of the major landmarks. Although, I've still only seen the Statue of Liberty from a ferry, but that's less crowded, anyway.
- Seen most of our favorite LA musicians here. We still miss the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood though...
- Attempted to compete in a relay triathalon, but then we both got swine flu.
- Survived a global pandemic!
- Managed to get robbed only once.
- Bumped into a few celebrities, including Tea Leoni at Starbucks, and Julia Roberts at a play.
- Been told that we look "very New York." Thanks, we try :)
- And we were both accepted to graduate school programs in the city; Kendra to John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and me to Teacher's College, Columbia. We're excited.

In conclusion, it's been a great year. We've definitely had our difficult times, but overall it was the best decision we made of 2008. It's been fantastic.