2009 in review

My expectations for this year were pretty big, after all it was the year of 09-09-09, a day that I was supposed to get married, yes it was a Wednesday and at the start of the year I wasn’t even dating anyone, but a lot could have happened in 9 months right? Well it didn’t, no man, no wedding…but I’m ok with that. Looking back 2009 wasn’t so bad at all. Here’s my 2009 in review:

January:

Just trying to ease in to 2009, nothing exciting happened!

February:

Went to the dentist for the first time in 5 years…only 5 cavities , whoops!

Katie moved back from Virginia to work in Rochester

Took mom to see Mamma Mia at Shea’s, what a great performance! We had a blast

Moved from Lancaster to Cheektowaga at the end of the month. Leah (my old roommate) was getting married in April and her new husband was moving in so I got the shaft! Moved in with Jen and am loving every minute of it…

March:

Went on our annual family week-long vacation to Freeport, Bahamas. Man was it amazing, one of the best vacations yet! We swam with the dolphins, took a Jeep tour around the island, and con-ed the guys at the front desk into giving us an ocean view room because it was our parent’s “25^th wedding anniversary”! 3 pools, beaches and water for as far as your eye can see.

Started a new friendship with Laura, an awesome woman of God who has pushed me to lighten my baggage…I can’t believe we’ve only been friends for 9 months, it seems like a lifetime.

Took a fly/road trip to Wisconsin with Erin to follow the Bona’s women’s Basketball team in their playoff dreams!

Decided to start growing my hair out for one of my BFF’s (Liz T.) wedding in September.

April:

Bought my new Macbook. L-O-V-E it! I can’t believe I waited that long, it truly is amazing and so much better than any PC I have ever had.

Officially moved Katie from Virginia to Rochester, we rented a white PT Cruizer for a one way trip from Buffalo to VA, found out that the horn stuck for a good 20 seconds every time you honked it! Rented a Uhaul to drive from VA to Rochester…we packed that thing FULL and still had to leave some stuff.

May:

Went back down to VA to get the rest of Katie’s things, one of the most eventful trips to VA because we saw a dead black bear on the side of the road!

Went to Pittsburgh to be a 2^nd shooter for a wedding with Rachel…LOVE those times where I get to spend some un-interrupted time with my BFF’s!

Started playing summer soccer in a women’s league in Rochester, Katie came to every game, and I’d like to think I got better throughout the summer! It was nice to reconnect with some teammates from Naz!

June:

Spent the first few days of the month in Saratoga Springs for work

Participated in the local Ellicottville Relay for Life where we raised over $30,000 for cancer research (I even sang the National Anthem for it)…

Took a roadtrip to Turtle Bay, Kentucky for a family reunion, we stayed for about 2.5 days although it took us 4 days to get there! We had a great time with all of the “Zender’s”..my mom & her 2 sisters and all of their families. It was a couple days filled with golf, swimming, games, food, bonfires, golf-cart racing, and golf-cart jumping! Overall it was a really good time because we were all together.

July:

Mom had elbow surgery on the 1^st of the month, so the next couple days were spent home in Allegany playing nurse!

PJ, Bri and some of her family came in for the 4^th of July and we had a great time. We played can-jam and homerun derby where my brother and I tied at 7 homeruns through 3 rounds. I’m waiting til this year to beat him!

My 10 year High School reunion took place at the end of the month, and it was a really good time…and that’s when I realized that I look pretty dang good! I got to reconnect with some old friends that I have lost touch with over the years…I can’t believe it’s been that long. “We’re the sparkle, we’re the shine…We’re the class of ’99!”

August:

Went to KingdomBound all 3 days and had a blast! Got to hang out with my great friends Amber, Holly and Shannon and rock out to some great Christian artists.

Shot the Bonaquist-Willet wedding and had a great time…such a great group. I was able to get pretty creative with some shots too!

Got a raise at work!

Celebrated Katie’s Birthday with some Moon Shoes!

Went to my first ever Bachelorette party for Liz’s wedding…oh man!

September:

Celebrated 09-09-09 with great friends, Jen F., Tami P., Laura L., and Rachel! Went to go see the movie 9 in honor of the day!

Celebrated Liz & JP’s wedding, what a day that was…

Took a family trip out to Andover, MA to visit PJ & Bri and to help with some renovations on their new house, that was a busy 4 days…I was on team A, B & C!

Celebrated my 28^th birthday…holy crap, I’m 28!

October:

Impromptu surprise visit to VA…

Went to a Women’s weekend retreat in Ellicottville and listened to some great speakers…and found one of my new favorites: Lysa TerKeurst from Proverbs 31 ministries

PJ got engaged!

November:

Headed out to Andover, MA again to help PJ with the house. Dad came out too and we worked hard! Then we all drove to Allegany to spend the week together for Thanksgiving.

The weekend after Thanksgiving Becca and I drove to Pittsburgh to shoot a wedding that Rachel was in. What a fantastic weekend of sharing, laughing, and learning!

December:

Went to Albany with some co-workers and helped watch 4-month-old Brendan, had a great time chilling out, eating out and shopping!

Watched A LOT of Christmas movies and did A LOT of Christmas shopping

Celebrated Christmas with almost everyone…

So overall it’s been a great year, and I haven’t even begun to describe all the changes and growth that I have gone through as a person! I’ll save that for another blog.

But I have learned one main thing: I shouldn’t set big goals that are out of my control…I’ll just sit back and see what God has in store for me in 2010.

So hope you’re able to look back on 2009 like I have…that I’ve done A LOT. I’ll try and make 2010 just as interesting but less about me at times.

10 year High School Reunion...

This weekend I will celebrate being graduated from High School 10 years. Technically it's been 10 years, 1 month and 4 days...but who's counting!

So much has changed (especially my eyebrows!), yet so much has stayed the same...and I find myself reflecting on the past 10 years and beyond. I've been told that your personality is shaped in the first 5 years of life, but I have found that a lot that happened my final 5 years of high school impacted my life in a way I'll never forget!

When looking back to my high school years, it's a time that i'd give anything to go back to. I know it's not healthy to dwell on the past, and i'm not...but it was a much simpler time back then: Always being in shape, able to eat whatever you wanted, no job, no responsibility, free food and housing, getting to see your best friends every day, and doing semi-illegal things but never getting caught!

We were all trying to discover who we were, and what our place in this huge world was....how much was acting to be popular, and how much was genuinely ourselves. We had great adults trying to make us wiser, better people...some who'd challenge us, some who'd support us, and some who'd act more like your friend than teacher.

Don't get me wrong, high school was not all fun & games for me....I spent many nights trying to figure out why I was popular in one realm but unpopular in another, thinking i was fat instead of athletic (when looking back i was super skinny!), and wondering how to enjoy myself at a prom where i was the only one without a date...(sob, sob).

But I'd like to think I had a lot of friends...i tried my hand at a lot of different groupings: soccer, basketball (2 weeks there to be exact), softball, theater, senior steering, art, math, AP chemistry...I was all over the place..hanging out with a lot of different people....we'll see what everyone remembers this weekend!

But the one major thing that happened in high school which I am most thankful for is playing soccer and eventually meeting (and liking) my two best friends to this day: Rachel & Rebecca Freer (married last names: Shipman & Johnson respectively and pictured above). It was Mr. Mac, my amazing soccer coach of 5 years that kept both on the soccer team for more than their soccer skill. He kept them on the team for their faith and their skill. And for that I am eternally grateful.

You see it is Becca and Rachel who befriended me at one of the lowest points of my life, and through our friendship and a trip to a winter weekend camp, introduced me to Jesus. Finally, something to live for! What's more amazing than living to bring God to glory and praise. A God who made us perfectly, in His image, who created the world and everything in it....to love others more than I love myself, to show others the amazing transformation that can happen when the truth enters your heart. (Picture from 2008...lookin' pretty good!)

So this weekend, I hope my classmates see the changes that have happened over the past 10 years. From an intimidating, untouchable, unlovable, tomboy athlete to a loving, caring, approachable, feminine Christian.

God really does orchestrate every part of our lives, even if we don't know Him yet. So tell me...how has God worked in your life over the past 10 years?

And here's just one more picture for good measure...um yeah...i was 13!

Why #9?

So if you know me at all, you know that I have a thing for the #9.   For those who don't know me, they may say that i'm obsessed, and since i'm a little bored sitting here in my hotel room, and haven't blogged in quite some time, i've felt the need to explain myself.

I could say that it all started on the day I was born...9-27-81.  9: September  2+7=9   8+1=9.  The time i was born was 9:27pm again do the math, and both of my parents were 27 at the time.  But it all came to fruition on a late August day in 1993.  I was 12 and had completed the Allegany Girls Varsity team pre-season.  We were all picking out uniforms, and since i was the youngest newby on the team i got last pick.  There was a perfectly packaged uniform in a gallon ziplock bag...I remember it like it was yesterday.  It was a uniform worn by a senior the previous year, and wouldn't you know what number it was...yup you guessed it: #9!

I believe that's where my story really starts for me.  Not at the point where the #9 chose me, but the point where I was given that uniform, given a chance to show the world who Jaime Snyder really was, well who the Jaime Snyder at 12 years old really was.  It started me on the journey of people knowing who I was, of my development as a leader, and ultimately soccer played a role in my salvation and beginning my relationship with Jesus.

Even as a unidentified opponent to other teams, they didn't know my name where I came from but they knew my number.  They knew to look out for #9, or be afraid, or pay special attention to #9...and that was me.  I wore #9 for soccer for Varsity, Olympic Development, a select team down in Jekyll Island, Varsity softball...

So really sports is where i have found myself, my strengths, my leadership, my college, my dedication, my friendships,  and ultimately pretty much every job i had ever gotten.  So the #9 just is related to all of it...and in the process is how people identify me, associate with me, and ultimately remember me.  

And for that last reason may be the main reason why I keep my "obsession" going.  I keep reminding them of me & the #9...so then when i'm not around, when I haven't talked or seen people for awhile, I like to think that when they see that 9 they think of me. 

So...past, present and future, the #9 is here to stay.  After awhile it just seems to get funny, after all i can't give it up now when i'm planning a kick butt party for 09-09-09!

New Photography Blog!

Hey everyone...

Just wanted to let you know i've made a new blog for my photography to be a little more professional per Rachel's request!

So here's the new link: http://9designsandphotography.blogspot.com 

I'll try to do better to blog about my life on this one, and leave the big important pictures to the other blog...

THANKS!

Jenna & Andy Palka

Jenna and Andy are a great couple that were married on a cruise in Key West in March (which they didn't apparently need me as a photographer...how rude!) :)  But they came back to Buffalo (although I'm not sure why) and had an amazing reception with friends and family on April 4th.

I was able to hang out with some great friends and get a few shots in the mean time!

I've never shot a wedding/reception where the groom helps the bride into the dress!

I knew we had to get a few shots at the piano!

ummmmm i hope i caught them just kidding around!

They didn't have their champagne glasses...so why not clink fists!
Big family...great shot!  Thanks to my cousin Jennifer for the idea!

Thanks again Andy & Jenna for letting me share in your special...err...second most special day!