We got married almost a year ago, October 30, 2010 - one of the happiest days of my life, the day I married my best friend... so you can imagine that the time before that was extremely hectic with showers and gifts and decisions and planning. Well, it hasn't slowed down since! Writing thank you notes and organizing our gifts carried us straight to the holidays - our first holidays spent together. It was such a special time, and we were able to make it work out where we saw both families for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Tom's parents were so kind to come spend Christmas here with us and my family to make our first Christmas easy on us, and I appreciate that so much.
(here we are in front of our Christmas tree!)
After Christmas and New Year's, Tom and I started seriously thinking about buying a house. We met with our realtor friend, Monte, saw a bunch of houses, and finally decided to build. We say build, and everyone looks at us like we're insane. Without exception, people always say - "Wow, you're newlyweds and building a house?! That's the hardest thing we ever did! If your marriage can survive that, you can survive anything!" (Which is just terribly encouraging I must say...) Well, I guess we'll stand the test of time because building our house was one of the easiest things we've ever done! Granted, it's one of those planned neighborhoods where you choose the lot, the floor plan, and all the colors (paint, granite, wood, etc.), but we had a great time! We came out to the house every day (sometimes more than that) and watched in amazement as our first home was built from the ground up in record time! They actually finished early - critics be damned!
(here we are having a picnic on our foundation - thanks for the great idea, Mom!)
Of course this wasn't enough to keep us busy either - what better to add to newlyweds building a house than a brand new puppy?! Yes, in our infinite wisdom we brought home our beloved Daisy. Much like most of our major decisions we make (getting engaged, building a house), we felt like it was God's plan for us on God's timing, and she has certainly been a blessing. I plan to devote a whole post to the Daisy Dog so stay tuned for that :-)
Lastly, all that just wasn't enough on our plates, so I began studying for the Series 7 - the General Securities Exam - to be a Registered Representative of the financial industry. Some how, I began studying for this test (which takes 4 months to prepare for) in March, poor timing since we started building the house (which also takes 4 months to complete) in March. Yeah, not the smartest thing I've ever done. But it worked out okay. They finished the house early. We moved in. My very benevolent boss gave me paid time off to get moved in and settled AS WELL AS time to finish studying for and taking the test!
Thankfully, and by the grace of God, I passed and took the state licensing test a month later. This was followed closely by a small housewarming party that included about 50 guests and a shower for Mal the following week! (The housewarming party is quite a story since I convinced Tom to let me invite that many people by promising him that only half would come! Needless to say, he freaked out a little when the RSVPs kept coming in...)
My dad went into the hospital for a low sodium problem at the end of August, and trying to do what I can about his health (plus Mallory's wedding and the associated activities) has brought me to October. So you see, it's been a pretty crazy year. It's gone by so quickly, and people say it only gets faster from here. I simply can't believe that, but I guess it must be true. I will certainly try to soak it all in, never let a moment slip away unappreciated or unexplored, but still I find myself at the ripe old age of 25 and having no idea how I got here. It seems like just yesterday I was heading to take my driver's test with my dad on my 16th birthday. Wow...
Next up, a trip to visit Tom's parents, the Run to Read benefiting my mom's nonprofit, Jean Dean RIF, our anniversary, and year 2 of our holidays as a married couple :-) Bring it on, life - I'm ready for you!
(here we are in front of our house - I wish you could see the looks on our faces - Daisy was going CRAZY while we were trying to take these pictures!)
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