2008 Year in Review

2008 Year in Review
I know it is a little late, but since I don’t keep a regular journal, I feel like I need to do a 2008 year in review. This past year has brought the biggest changes for our family and I want to remember them. So here they are:
*February-March, Tom took a overnight trips to interview at MBA schools including University Of Pittsburg, Wake Forest, Indiana University, and University of Washington
*In April, Tom was accepted to University of Pittsburg, Wake Forest, and Indiana University for MBA school. He committed to attend Indiana University.
*On May 7 at 5:51 a.m., Ainsley Anne Reese was born via c-section at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center. She was 9 lb. 3 oz. and 21 inches long.
*On May 30, Bethany finished four years of teaching. She had taught second grade for one year at Meadow Elementary in Lehi, UT and 3 years at Freedom Elementary in Highland, UT teaching second grade for one year and third grade for two years.
*In June, Tom quit working for Zions Bank Corporation after 7 years in which he worked as a bank teller, New Accounts representative, and Human Resource Reconciliation Specialist.
*In June we took a family vacation to Grand Canyon, Zions, and Capitol Reef National Parks. Ainsley was only 8 weeks old at the time.
*In early June, we went to Tom’s family cabin at Yellowstone Ranch in the Uinta Mountains. It was Ainsley’s first trip to the ranch. We carved her initials in the tree where Tom and Beth’s initials were, visited the reservoir, walked the pipeline, etc.
*In late June, we went to Snowbird Resort for an overnight getaway. Left Ainsley alone with Grandma and Grandpa Butler overnight for the first time.
*July 10-12 was the Winder Reunion, we had dinner at Spaghetti Factory, Bees Game, and dinner at John and Arliss Winder’s house.
*July 12, we went jet skiing with the Butler family at Deer Creek Reservoir
*Over the course of one year Beth had multiple tests for her hepatic adenoma tumor and abscess including1 MRI, 4 ultrasounds, 3 CT scans, and a Liver/Spleen scan as well as multiple blood work tests.
*July 14, Bethany had surgery to remove a 7 cm tumor in her liver. The surgeon, Dr. Van der Werf removed 65 percent of her liver and her gal bladder. On July 16, she had to have a blood transfusion because she had lost so much blood during surgery. She spent two days in intensive care and a total of 8 days in the new Intermountain Medical Center hospital in Murray, UT.
*July 29, we moved out of our two bedroom apartment at 106 W. Thorneberry Way in Pleasant Grove, UT after 3 years of living there. We shipped our furniture with ABF to Bloomington, IN.
*Tom was released as first counselor in the Branch Presidency and Beth was released as the Primary Presidency in the Thorneberry Branch.
*August 4, Tom and his dad drove to Indiana in our white 2001 Honda Accord. They drove through Wyoming, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana.
*August 8, Bethany and her mom flew with Ainsley to Indiana. Tom dropped off his dad at the airport that same afternoon he picked us up and drove us to our new home. Grandma Butler spent one week with us helping unpack since Beth was still really sore from her surgery.
*August 11, Tom started Jumpstart classes at IU. His school officially started August 25. He was in the green cohort. His first semester called the Core was a lot of work. He took Economics, Quantative Analysis, Accounting, Operations and Supply Chain Management, Strategic Management, Marketing, Finance, and Critical Thinking and Ethics.
*August 28, Bethany was hospitalized for an abscess in her liver. A radiologist drained the abscess by inserting a tube and catheter into the liver cavity during a CT scan. Over 1 liter of infection was removed.
*August 31, Beth’s mom came out to spend time with Bethany after her hospital stay and take care of Ainsley since Tom was in school.
*In Septemeber Tom was called to be on the activities committee and Beth was called as the Primary Chorister in the University Ward in Bloomington.
*On October 21-28, Beth and Ainsey flew home to Utah to visit family while Tom visited Benton Harbor and Battlecreek, Michigan and Chicago, Illinois with his Marketing Academy to tour companies such as Kraft, Jewel Osco, Whirlpool, Kellogs.
*November, Tom’s group went to the second round during the Case Competition for Habitat for Humanities and Whirlpool
*November, Tom went to Cinciantti, Ohio to tour P&G with his marketing academy.
*November 23-26, we went to Chicago for a family vacation. We visited the Shedd Aquarium, Millenium Park, American Girl Store, Navy Pier, Michigan Avenue, and the Chicago Temple.
*November 27, we spent Thanksgiving with a bunch of friends from our ward at the Steeplechase Clubhouse in Bloomington.
*December 11, Tom turned 29 years old. We had lunch at Olive Garden and he studied for finals.
*Decemebr 15, Bethany turned 26 years old. We had breakfast at Panera and then she went out with her friend Marin Coltrin to Casa Brava for dinner.
*December 19, Tom finished his finals for the Core semester of MBA school.
*December 21, we flew home to Utah to spend Christmas with family. We stayed for one week at the Butlers and one week at the Reese’s.
*December 25, Ainsley’s first Christmas. She received toys, a doll, tons of clothes, ruby red shoes, Minnie Mouse, finger puppets, and an IU frog for Christmas.
*During our Christmas break in Utah, Beth went snowboarding with Cami and Jonathan at Snowbird, shopping with her mom and sisters, and movies with Anne, Susan, and Tom. Tom played Anne’s Wii, watched the U of U beat Alabama in the Sugar bowl, prepared for internship interviews, and spent time with family. We went to some of our favorite restaurants which they we’d missed since being in Indiana including Café Rio, Wingers, Kneaders, Thai Siam, Los Hermanos (Susan was our waitress), etc.