2008, Almost Over?

I can't believe that 2008 is almost over. Where has the time gone?! This year has been such a roller coaster... I guess time really does fly whether you're having fun or not!

• The ups/downs of the CPA exam! Thankfully, that was mostly ups and is now O-V-E-R... Never to be looked upon again. Now, I just need to keep up with the continuing education requirements...but that's a walk in the park compared to studying everyday.
• Dad in the hospital. Super-scary and a nail-biting experience...hopefully, to never have to experience again ever. As it turns out, everything is fine and the test results were all normal. Hooray!
• I discovered my love of beading! Mostly due to me needing an outlet from studying, and probably something that I would not have tried otherwise. I find that sort of weird, but I just kept trying "crafty" things until one stuck...this one is definitely here to stay!
• The terrible stock market. I know this has affected a lot of people, but this year I saw my 401(k) savings drop to about half of what it was worth a year or so ago! I know I still have many, many years until retirement...but still. In the meantime, I just keep telling myself I'm buying low and don't open my quarterly statements!
• My brother's wedding. That was definitely an "up" since he and his new wife are completely adorable together!
• Hermione disappearing. This shouldn't have surprised us in the least bit, since one of her nicknames was Herm-dini. Still haven't seen her again, except for Z's one sighting many months ago... :( Unfortunately, she isn't the only cat that went missing this year, a couple strays that used to come around are both gone and the cat of one of my church friends went missing too. My guess is they went to the Jellicle Ball and maybe one of them was able to be reborn. It's my story and I'm sticking to it!
• We adopted Minny...if Hermz hadn't run away, we probably wouldn't have taken her in, so this is sort of a mixed blessing. Minny is too much fun, and along with that comes kitten naughtiness! She is basically Holly's twin and adores Holly...it reminds me of the big sister being followed around all the time by the little sister. :)
• I made the decision to build a house! Even though technically this will be completed in 2009, I made the decision to build in 2008...
• I have met some great people on the Internet! It's weird to have "friends" you have never met in real life, but it's also nice to know that they're out there in BloggyLand. :)