A Year in Review

The Christmas letter we should have sent out. =P

Dear Friends and Family,

                It has been quite the year! We decided that for our first year together, we would like to start a good habit and write a Christmas letter every year! (Hopefully.)  The year began very well with a deepening relationship with each other which eventually led to a proposal in February! The day after MMM proposed, he left for a two week trip for his job. That gave me the great opportunity to get a start on wedding planning. 

                A short three months later came our wedding day. It was a perfect day in June and we are both so thankful for that! It was so much fun to have that day with so many friends and family to celebrate with us.  The day went perfectly and that was largely due to all the wonderful help we received. Thank you so much to all of you who helped us.

                We had a few shorts days after the wedding off before MMM had to go back to work full time and I went back to work part time.  Life continued on for about two months where we had to learn how to be married and how to live with someone new.  And then at the end of those two months, we packed up and headed to Ohio for a three month training.

                Dayton, Ohio was an amazing experience for us both. Having the opportunity to spend those months relatively alone really gave us the time to get used to being married, and learn how to work through issues as they came along. It was a time of great growth for both of us.  We were extremely blessed in our church family there, and learned a lot from them about how to be a blessing to others.

                Coming back to the Windy City was quite the ‘adventure’ (read as ‘stressful’) because we still hadn’t found a place to live. But, we learned again and again how important it is to trust the Lord for our next step. As we trusted Him He provided us with a place to live at the very last second!  We are so grateful we were able to move in just a few short days after arriving in the city.

                It has been so much fun making our little house into a home! We are enjoying the area and the convenient distance from MMM’s job.  We had just a short time to settle in before heading down to Arizona for our belated honeymoon. It was a great time just getting away from the stresses of moving and being back at his job. We had a wonderful time there and were able to visit with some great friends and family.

                Immediately from Arizona, we went to Iowa for our biggest family Thanksgiving ever!  What a joy it was to have the opportunity to be with family. In all likelihood, we won’t have everyone back  together again. Our family is spreading out and growing, so that makes it so much harder to coordinate!

                Speaking of growing families, we do have an addition! His name is Thor, and he is the most cuddly puppy I’ve ever known. He also has been the source of much frustration, laughter, and joy. MMM and I have been learning more and more how much work it is to have a dog, but the rewards are more than worth it. We both love him so much already, and he’s only been here a short while.

                This year was probably the craziest year in both of our lives, but it has also been the happiest and most fulfilling. We have been very blessed. And now I sign off with a very Merry Christmas to all of you! Wishing you all the best.

Arizona Honeymoon - Part Two

After going to the Grand Canyon, we drove south about 3 hours to Camp Verde where we crashed at a hotel. The next morning we went to the Out of Africa wildlife park.

Gotta love the bones they carried with them up on top. All the big cats were taking their afternoon nap when we got there.

This is Boom Boom, or rather the statue of him. He was one big boy!

We all got the chance to feed the giraffes. It was slobbery.

This giraffe made himself very comfortable in the bus and began eating treats out of the front! It was quite entertaining. I really wanted to pet its neck, but knew that was a bad idea.

The ostrich was interesting as well! I didn't realize how unintelligent the animals are. Pretty funny actually.

Over all, it was an enjoyable day. The park has been kept pretty simplistic and is not particularly made to cater to people. That actually added to it's unique charm.


After our time there, we made our way back to Phoenix where we spent more time with MMM's grandparents. Then we went out to eat with C and J who are old friends. We really enjoyed our time with them! Too bad I didn't get any pictures of it though!

Arizona Honeymoon - Part One

I've been very absent lately, I know, but I'm back to do a few posts at least! MMM and I weren't able to take time after the wedding for a honeymoon, so we decided to take it in November when he already had some days off.

We drove down to my parents house first on the 9th. We were supposed to fly out from there on the 10th, but we got delayed a day by weather. =( We finally made it to Tucson on the 11th, and straight from the airport we drove the speedway to Phoenix! I have never seen crazier drivers. Seriously. Talk about a stressful drive! We stayed the night with grandparents near Phoenix and really enjoyed spending time with them.

The next morning came our first adventure. We decided to go to the Grand Canyon! It was further up than I expected, so we got an early start to make the trip there. We had heard about Sedona, AZ and so when we saw signs for it, we chose to take the detour.

We drove through the Oak Creek Canyon (I believe), and it was gorgeous! I wish we would have stopped so I could have taken better pictures. All I have are pictures through the car window.

The pictures didn't capture the color of the rocks very well, so I did alter the pictures some to get that rich red/orange color back. It is Red Rock country up there!

Our detour took us on a mountain trail where we literally drove up one side and down the other. This made for an exciting trip! We stopped once to take a short walk and I found this place. I wish I could have captured it better. The trees were so tall, and the sun was streaming through them so beautifully.

In the process of finding the last picture, hubbie and I found our retirement house! It was so cool because it was off the road a ways, and the only ways we could see to get in were this (private!) bridge, and a water covered road. The creek just flows right over the road. It's pretty neat, and having a private bridge is the coolest thing ever!

Finally, we got our first glimpse of the Grand Canyon! I had only been there once when I was very little, so I couldn't remember much of that trip. Seeing it again as an adult was so exciting. MMM had never been there, so it was great for him too!

He took a few more risks that I was willing to take. But he's just like that. =D We did agree that we are never bringing kids here. Maybe if we trust our teenagers we will bring them there. It really is a dangerous place. A lot of areas don't have any railing or fences (as you can see above) and so I'm not surprised that there are a few fatalities there every year.

One of the interesting aspects of the Grand Canyon is just how it pulls you in. If any of you have been there, or to Niagra Falls, maybe you understand what I mean. It just has this magical power on you that makes you want to be part of the beauty. It pulls you in. It draws you to the edge. Whenever I felt that pull get a little stronger, I would run away from the edge. =P

I did enjoy sitting on this precipice. MMM was with me for most the time, except what it took to take this picture. It was a beautiful place to see and take it all in. The only complaint, it was too cold!

The only picture we have of us together at the Grand Canyon. It was a beautiful place, and we really enjoyed our time.  We only spent a day there, and I'm sure we could have done so much more, but we were eager to continue onto a  new adventure. That will come in Part Two!

Our New House!

It's been a few days since I posted, and so much has happened! We stayed Monday night with our aunt and uncle and then I got to spend Tuesday hanging out with our aunt. MMM and I went to lunch at Josie's and it was great to go back there! I'd had so many dreams about the shop while we were gone that it was great to finally see it again and see that it hasn't changed much at all.

My aunt and I worked on looking at houses and then we took a little drive to the park MMM and I got married in. I knew there were going to be so changes to the park so I wanted to check it out and see how different it was. They put in a very nice playground exactly in the spot we had the ceremony. We knew that would happen which is one of the reasons we chose it. We know that we are the only people who will ever get married right there.

We spent two nights with some good friends and really enjoyed the chance to catch up with them. Thank you guys again so much!

On Thursday we got to move into our new house! I'm really excited about living here! We have been crazy busy trying to move all our things inside. Yesterday we even had the help of our friend and MMM's old roommate. We took all three cars and loaded them to the brim! Right as we were loading up it started to snow! It is our first snow this winter, and the first time it's snowed after being married. It was just an unfortunate time for it to snow! Oh well. We got tons of stuff moved in, and now I just have to start unpacking all of them! But for now I am going to relax and stay warm in our cozy bed. It is so nice to have our bed back! Hurray for a new house! I'll try to post pictures soon!

Dayton - Day Sixty-Five

Normally I wake up a bit more when MMM is getting ready for work, but I barely noticed anything. I woke up later feeling like I missed out on something. It's amazing how those few moments can be such an important part of the day.

My morning went quickly and so did MMM's. His schedule has become emptier as the three months have progressed, and so today he had a 3 hr lunch break! :P We went out to eat across the street again. It tasted good, but we both just ate way too much. So we got back home and he took a quick nap while I day dreamed about my time in Germany. It seems like forever ago that I was there. I always feel nostalgic when I realize that even if I do go back to Germany, it will never be exactly the same. I've changed a lot, and my life circumstances have changed a lot. I wouldn't want anything else, but it is interesting to see your life in the past and know it'll never happen again.

Anyway, MMM had to go back to work for just a short while before being done for the day. Once he was home for good we just hung out for a while. Wouldn't you know, I fell asleep. I think being at home all the time has caused my body to relax so much that I can sleep a lot more. I'm not sure whether that is a good or bad thing.

The night was capped off with watching Monk on Netflix and giving each other back massages. Then right before bed we re-watched our wedding ceremony! It was so great to see it again and relive the memories.

Dayton - Day Two

After our wedding I was only working a few shifts now and then so for the most part I was just staying at home. There were a few times I got a bit bored, but for the most part I had plenty to do. Well, here in Dayton I can not say it's been the same. I don't have a job, don't know my way around, and don't really know anyone. Let's just say that life has been pretty boring.

The nice things have been being able to actually watch the Olympics and the opportunity to work on some of my older projects! The really nice thing about today was getting to meet one of the families who are here for M's military training! I got to hang out with them for a couple of hours and it was nice just being around other people.

I'm looking forward to making more friends here. I'm also really hoping to feel physically improved soon. That accident did more than I first knew and I think that has had a big part to play in my low spirits. It's hard to feel super happy about life when it hurts to do just about everything. :P But I can remember how blessed I am that nothing more serious happened.

We drove around our area tonight and found lots of shopping areas which is nice. There is quite a bit to do here, which was surprising to me. I'm hoping to find a cheap bike here that I can use to explore the area a bit more. Here's to hoping that tomorrow I will feel a bit better. :)

What Dreams I Had

...1.23.11, 2.24.12, 6.2.12...

What can look like a random assortment of numbers is, in fact, part of the most significant change in my life...ever. 

It is

 only 90, 

no 50,

 no 20,

 NO...9 days

 until the day I have been dreaming of for most of my life. 

Over the course of our engagement I have gone through moments of disbelief and shock that I am actually getting married! I am going to be a wife in just 9 days!

 I have been thinking about the dreams I had when I was little. How I expected to meet the man of my dreams, the fun things we would do together, I dreamt of how he would propose, and of course, I dreamt of what our wedding would look like.

 Oh the plans I had. Little did I know how much would change in the course of my twenty-one years. The love of my life is so much better than the man of my dreams. The amazing things we have done together have been so much more wonderful and life changing and anything I dreamt up. I could never have dreamt up a better proposal than the one I received. My wedding is different than what I always imagined, but it is so much better.

 It is so much better because it is shared with a real man, not just a figment of my imagination. How blessed I am.

 I just can't get over how incredible our God is, and how perfectly He works everything for good. I hoped to meet the man of my dreams when I moved here, but I never expected to meet the love of my life. 

I have only experienced this for a short time and have already seen what a blessing it is to have my best friend be my future husband. To have his love and laughter in my life every day. To have his encouragement and his pressure to continue becoming stronger in who I am. Wow, I have been given so much. 

What I find interesting is that I wouldn't have dreamt up what has actually happened and found it to be exciting enough, but to have lived through it and felt God leading within it all has shown me time and time again how His plan is always better than mine. 

The countdown is nearing an end, the details are managed, the excitement is growing, and now I'm just beyond excited to become Mrs. M.

Changes

I miss it! I miss how things used to be. I miss when swing dancing was a huge part of my life and all my friends were dancing too. I miss all the games and movies we enjoyed together. I want to have a party right now, but I know it won't be the same! Three out of our group have moved away and the rest of us are just too busy to set aside that time for each other. I definitely have a part in that with all my wedding planning, so I'm to blame as well. I just miss all the friends. I suppose it is pretty strange to want things to be as they were, because I obviously wouldn't want to change the fact that I'm getting married, and that is a big enough change to throw everything off balance. *sigh* I can't have both my life as it is now along with the life I had when I first moved here, it is simply impossible. But I'm glad that my life has progressed to where it is now. I'm excited to be getting married in only eleven days! It is amazing how God has been working all these events together in such a way that has brought me to such a blessed stage of life. I really am blessed.  What a blessing to have had that time of friends as I was first settling here. What a blessing to have grown closer to a few of them and to have retained them as my best friends. What a blessing to be where I am now as a young bride excited to see where the Lord will take us. My life is going to be turning upside down over our first year of marriage, but what a blessing to go through all of it together. Yes, I do miss the good ol' days, but I am blessed beyond measure.

The Nightly Struggle

Here I am again, awake way too early. It seems that for as long as I can remember, I have had issues getting decent sleep each night. Unfortunately, it runs in my family. I can think of countless times I have woken up at four in the morning to find my mom in the kitchen watching tv or washing the floor.

 Now, if only the reason could be established. I have a few guesses. I have had many struggles with nightmares, and this night was no exception. I also have very annoying hands that want me to scratch them while I'm sleeping, but that almost always wakes me up. Boo.

 So here I am again, the 'victim' of bad dreams and itchy hands. That being the case, what will my attitude be for the day? I could choose to remain the 'victim' and bemoan the fact that I got very little sleep. I could complain that I have a headache and just want to go home and sleep. 

Or, I could use this extra time being awake to get something accomplished. I could spend the day rejoicing that God allowed be to wake up for another day in this world. I could spend the day rejoicing that I have hands! And now only do they move and function, but I can make a living with them, and I can make music with them.
I also could be smart and try again to fall back asleep. I have reached the 'couple hours' mark that always must be reached before my body will relent and let sleep return. So, I will continue yawning and try my best to sleep, but if I cannot, I will be getting something accomplished. Time is too short to be wasted. I have much to take care of in the next 47 days until my wedding day! Here's to hoping for more sleep! G'night!

A Needed Absence

I haven't blogged in quite a while. I simply didn't feel I had anything important to say. But at the same time I have had so many life changing things happen in the time since my last post. The biggest and most exciting is that M and I are getting married! :D We are having a quick engagement and are tying the knot in June. I am so excited to start this new phase of my life. This period of time between dating and getting married has been much different than I expected. I have had to grow up a lot in the past month of being engaged. I have had the chance to ask advice from many of those who have gone on before me into the realm of matrimony. The most frequent piece of advice was to pick your battles. How true it is! =D I have had to learn and re-learn that some things are just not worth the fight and for the things I have no preference on, I should let his preferences dictate the outcome, just as he has done for me. A lot of things are changing for me now. Not only am I getting married and starting a new life with my husband, but I am also quitting my job and going with him during his military orders across the country. We'll be away from our home for over 3 months. What an experience that alone will be. I've got a lot look forward to in this year.