Wait...where did 2008 go?

It amazes me how much faster each year seems to fly by. It's already 2009. Where did 2008 go?? A lot happened in the last year, but it doesn't seem like there was enough time for it all to occurr. So what happened in 2008 in the life of Ryan Peace?? Let's find out... (Now, I seriously considered doing a month-by-month recap. But then I realized that it could get boring fast, so I'm gonna limit it to the big stuff. Haha.)

I officially began preparing for dental school. I spent the last week of January shadowing my cousin and some local dentists, including my own. That was an awesome week. I got to see so much. I watched a lot of root canals, fillings, crown preps, an implant procedure, an extraction...it was pretty cool. It definitely helped confirm that I wanted to pursue dentistry. I also took the DAT in May. I spent the 2 weeks beforehand studying non-stop. Ok, not really non-stop, but I studied for at least 4 hours a day. It paid off- I got the score I wanted. Then I began the application process, which was pretty insane. The stuff they want you to include on the application is nuts. They want family history, shadowing experience, EVERY class you've taken and grade you got in college along with the transcript you're going to send them...kinda redundant. And I had to write a 1 page personal essay about why I want to be a dentist. All in all, the application was 17 pages long.

I failed my first class. That's right...Ryan Peace got an F. In high school, that would have NEVER happened. But I have Organic 2 to thank for that. I was pretty bummed about it. Failing that class meant that I had to retake it over the summer, because you have to have at least a C in the class for dental school. It also meant that I had to give up working camp for a second summer. I was really torn about that. I really wanted to work again, because the summer before had been one of the BEST summers ever, and I grew so much. But part of me also felt that I shouldn't be working again. Well, Organic 2 decided for me. But looking back, I'm really glad I failed. Yeah, it sucked at the time, but I honestly feel like I wasn't supposed to work camp again. I don't feel like I would've been able to give it my all, and I probably would've compared it too much to the summer before. I also got an A in Organic 2 the second time around...it was definitely worth retaking it. I got to hang out with close friends and build on relationships that had started at the end of the semester. I got closer to so many people, and I got more involved and plugged in at Living Hope. I started teaching 8th grade guys Sunday school, and it has been so awesome. I'm sure it would have been a good summer at camp, but I feel like God wanted me to stay around BG for a reason. Funny how He works.

My best friend got engaged. Two of my other closest friends, Jeff and Mary, also got enagaged. And so began the year of weddings. I went to 5 weddings over the summer. A lot of good friends got married, and it was a lot of fun to go to their weddings. Usually, I don't particularly enjoy weddings, but I really had a good time at these. It was fun to celebrate with the ones who got hitched and to look back and see how God brought them together. And you can't forget partying at the receptions. I had a blast dancing and hanging out with all of my friends that were there.

I started my senior year of college. In August, I thought it was crazy that I was beginning my last year at WKU. Now, I have one semester left...it's nuts!!! I'm really going to miss WKU. I've made so many friends here, and I've grown so much, largely in part because of what God has done in me while at Living Hope and at the BCM. I'm gonna make the most of my last semester and really enjoy the time I have left in BG.

I got a girlfriend. I started dating Sarah Sprinkle in September, and the last 3 months have flown by. She's a great girl, and I don't know why she's dating me. But I'm not complaining. She's also an Auburn fan, but I've learned to look past that. :)

I found out that I got into the U of L School of Dentistry. This was probably one of the more exciting things that happened, along with dating Sarah, of course. :) I won't go into a lot of detail because I've posted about this already. But, I'm very excited. I've wanted to be a dentist since 7th grade, and all of the hard work has paid off. I'll be starting school again in July. Again, that's nuts.

I started having gallbladder problems, and after a lot of tests, the doctor said it needed to come out. It worked at 15%, so the week before Christmas, I had surgery. When it came out, there were infected lesions all over it, and the ducts on it were really small. Recovery has gone well, and I'm feeling much better without it.

So that's the summary of the big stuff in my life in 2008, although I'm sure I forgot to mention a lot of things. But all in all, it was a good year, despite the economy and an incredibly long, long, long election year. God has blessed me in more ways then I can count, and I'm so grateful. I don't deserve any of it, but that's the beautiful part about his grace. I'm looking forward to what He has in store for me in 2009, and I'm praying that you all have a blessed year as well.

And even though it's a day late, I'm gonna end with this....Happy New Year!!! :)