It's Been A Year

We just passed the one-year mark since moving into our house and back to our home state. And oh boy, what a year it's been. Filled with celebrations, occasional downfalls, all four seasons and lots of change.

We've celebrated big events, hosted holidays and created traditions. We've had drop in guests, noise filled evenings and made lots of memories with those we care about. This house has turned into our home, such a different feeling than that from our San Diego house, that always had an air of "for now" to it. We take such pride in this house and it feels so much more permanent, so much better, just right, like home. This is where we're supposed to be, I just know it.

In the last year I've watched J settle into a work routine here and couldn't be more proud of him. He works so hard to provide for our family and it makes me beam just thinking about all his success. I have almost survived my first year of medical school and find myself thinking with fondness and sometimes dismay about all the places around the house I've cooped up studying late into the night.

I've cried tears of happiness and sadness in this house. Fought with my husband and fallen even more in love in this house. Cursed the heat because of our lack of AC and wrapped myself in blankets by the fire in this house. We celebrated one year of marriage and found out about our baby in this house.

When we first fell in love with this place I had ideas in my head about what this first year had in store. I never would have imagined it would turn out so good. Here's to year one and all that's in store for the next year!

And if you want to see what a difference actually watering your lawn makes, 

here's what it looked like last year compared to now.

100 Days of Happiness pt6

It's officially been 100 days! And what a ride it's been!

The seasons have changed from winter to spring and then back to winter with a late snow storm. 

J and I enjoyed many tasty treats and beverages.

We went on a fantastic Mexico vacation with some of our best friends for spring break.

Our O-dog has been nothing but his usual sweet self, bringing us so many smiles.

I've survived almost another semester of medical school and almost an entire first year.

We've shared the news about our bun in the oven, watched my belly grow and learned that we'll be having a son.

I can't wait to see what's in store for the next hundred days!

Days 81-100

To see the entire 

100 Days of Happiness Project 

view them here

Days 1-16

Days 17-32

Days 33-48

Days 49-64

Days 65-80

100 Days of Happiness pt5

Apparently Ollie has been making me extra happy recently. Maybe that's because I've been home a lot more thanks to changes in school schedules. Love that silly pup and all the other little things in life that have made me smile lately. Only 20 more days till 100!

Days 65-80

Days 1-16

Days 17-32

Days 33-48

Days 49-64

100 Days of Happiness pt4

My 100 Days of Happiness Project is past the halfway mark. 

And it's already almost the end of April. 

Time sure is flying!

I'm thankful for the change in schedule I've gotten recently. 

I'm thankful for the small things. 

I'm thankful for my sweet little family.

I'm thankful for spring time and change on the horizon.

Days 49-64

Days 1-16

Days 17-32

Days 33-48

100 Days of Happiness pt 3

Weather is improving. 

Baby bump is growing. 

Cravings are being eaten. 

Prego wine is being drunk. 

Ollie is sleeping. 

J is making me smile. 

Sometimes it's the little things that truly are the most important.

Days 33-48.

Days 1-16

Days 17-32

Baby H: Spreading the News

Sometimes the best thing about good news is sharing it with others. 

J and I (and this little babe) are so blessed to have the family and friends we do and sharing our news with them has made this journey that much more special. We made the decision between us to keep our big news a mostly secrete for what seemed like eternity and then surprised everyone one way or another. 

The first people I told were my lovely med-school ladies. They found out at 6 weeks, complete with "early birthday cupcakes" for the little one. Out of my comfort zone definitely due to the timeline but inevitable unfortunately. Because of the lovely anatomy lab, Baby H news spread like wild-fire at school thanks to my hideous respirator. But I wanted to make it something special for these ladies since they've been my rock the last six-ish months. They're reactions were priceless, clapping, cheering, and even a few tears. I'm thankful for all 6 of them for sure.

A few of J's friends also knew early along. Mostly because we knew early along about their family-planning efforts/successes. It was somewhat comforting, sharing news with someone else who was in just as vulnerable of a position, and it was nice for J to have someone to talk to about it all.

Everyone else we told a bit later in the game.

My best friend from San Diego got a phone call from a thousand miles away around 8 weeks. We chatted numerous times about life plans over the years, weddings, babies, school, so she knew all along my thought process about starting a family and I knew she would be thrilled with the news. And boy was she! So thankful for her encouragement.

On our recent Mexico trip we tossed around the idea about whether or not to just come out with our news or try and hide it from our friends. I was only 9 weeks at the time and still a bit nervous. I've never been a huge partier and thought I might get away ordering virgin drinks. But once we were there we decided why not and it definitely made the rest of the trip easier. I was able to sit in the shade and go to bed early without being hassled.

Telling our mom's at 10 weeks was by far the most special. We bought two sets of "Grandma" bibs  and told them we had gifts from Mexico. My mom picked us up from the airport and we told her that night and she was and still is so thrilled. J's mom and step-dad found out the next day and were completely shocked. Our dog has been the "grand dog" of the family for years, hence his involvement in present opening (spoiled brat) as well as J's step-dad already referring to his mom as "grandma". Now there's a real grand baby in the mix. Both of our moms' reactions are something I'll forever hold close to my heart and I can't wait to some day show this video to our little one so he/she sees how much love there already is.

J's sister and extended family found out all together shortly after the mom's knew and my sister got a phone call since she's gone for school. We had J's dad and step-mom over for dinner to spread the news to them a week later.

While it was actually nice at times to have a secret, something just J and I knew, that we were so excited for between the two of us, sharing the news, giving our families this gift of sorts was so very special. I wish I had been able to capture everyone's reactions but the few that I did get and the memories we made for the rest will last us a lifetime. Watching the video again and again still makes us tear up.

There's nothing quite like bringing the first grand baby, niece/nephew into a family and sharing in the excitement with everyone.

100 Days of Happiness pt 2

100 Happy Days is making me focus more on the positive things in life. 

It's helping me realize that there's always something to be thankful for even on the bad days. 

I am already more intentional about finding the good instead of focusing on the bad. 

Here's days 17-32.

View part 1 here

100 Days of Happiness pt 1

In the midst of all that's been happening lately 

[being half a year down in med school, having a babe growing in my belly, the weather starting to turn around, etc etc]

I decided to jump into a new project. 

Enter the 100 Happy Days project. 

I've been snapping a picture of something that's made me happy every day and plan on continuing to do so for a total of 100 consecutive days. My original plan was to Instagram the photos but that's just proven to be too difficult (especially when out of the country for spring break and while keeping a HUGE secrete for a few months). So instead I'm just blogging the pictures in parts. 

I started randomly on February 9th which means my last day will be May 20th. 

Who knows, maybe I'll decide to keep it up for 200 days but I'm not making any promises yet. 

For now, here's days 1-16.

Homeowners: We've Moved

It has been quite the stressful, busy, hectic, and yet amazing last week or so as we finished preparing for our big move, made the drive to CO and are finally in our new home. We have yet to get all our belongings delivered by the moving company and are anticipating their arrival on pins and needles but we are thankful to be in the new home even if it is a little off still. 

Here's a glimpse into the adventure so far....

 the sweet pup finally starting to adjust after being pretty out or sorts // generous spare items from family to make things a bit more workable around here

porch lights that signal we're home to the neighbors // delicious homemade & warm treats from next door

 the dying front tree that we're fighting for // the back tree that doesn't quite know where to grow leaves from

 air mattress beds and bits of home in the form of dog toys // a master bathroom with super high countertops that I love

cozy house pants that bring a bit of life inside // a front porch on a cul-de-sac to display more gorgeous blooms

lavender waiting to go in the ground // empty planters waiting for a garden

this view from our upstairs, I seriously can't get enough

Now let's just hope that our stuff arrives sooner rather than later so we can have more clothes, furniture and a full kitchen again. Until then we're making due with what we have, relying on the generosity of our friends and family and loving our new life back in our home state. 

Dreams Really Can Come True

This is me at age 4.

Approximately.

This is also the age where if you were to ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up?

I'd answer fiercely, a Doctor. 

And I've been answering that question the same way for 20 years. 

For those of you unfamiliar with the process of becoming a doctor, I'll tell you that it is tough, really tough. You must have a bachelors degree that includes a big list of prerequisite courses and most likely you have to be in the top of your class. High GPA made even better with honors recognition, high MCAT scores, emphasis on community involvement, leadership, volunteer work, clinical hours, clubs, research.... I think you get the point. 

Then there's the application process. A primary application that gets sent to all the schools you are interested in that includes every detail you can possibly put on about why you will be an outstanding physician, what you've done to prove yourself and what sets you apart from the thousands of other students in your position. Secondary applications from specific schools if they're interested in you about why their school, their programs, their missions, what you'll bring to the school and how they know to invest their time and education in you. It seems easy, you talk about yourself, what makes you who you are but the tough part is the doubt about whether it's enough, whether they'll pick you over someone else. Not to mention the financial burden that comes along with application fees and such.

And if they do pick you at this stage you're still not in the clear. It's now on to the interviews. Flying around the country, dressed to your finest, hoping that the person you are in the flesh coincides with the person they have on paper and that they will see you as an attribute to their school, that they will pick you once again and give you a seat in the much-too-small class size from a pool of more than qualified applicants. 

Now if you'll remember, our trip home for the holidays and the wedding was extended slightly for me while J took the burden of driving back to SD alone as I was given an interview at one of my top schools. The interview was a little over a week ago. 

The stress, the application process, the waiting, the doubt about whether you did enough, the analysis of your interview answers, everything. It is all worth it. Because sometimes life works in mysterious ways and now, sometime within the next 6 months, we are headed back to Colorado and I will start my first year of medical school in the fall. 

On Monday our lives were forever changed. 

And I am left feeling so thankful, so excited, so blessed, so immensely grateful for all the things that have happened in my life within the last month. I honestly feel like I'm in a bit of shock with the realization that in less than 30 days I was married and accepted to medical school. 

2013 is my year. Life sure is good. 

Immensely Blessed

I am beyond blessed for the people in my life and for the events that have happened recently. 

+ At the end of 2012 I married my best friend on one of the most amazing days of my entire life.

+ We rung in the new year in Breckenridge as husband and wife snuggling on the couch in the cozy condo as fireworks boomed outside. Even though I was sick as a dog (thanks to being out in the freezing cold taking wedding pictures) we had a great relaxing weekend to cap off the wedding festivities.

+ We spent the last few days getting all the chaos from post-wedding under control and spent time with some great friends. Its so encouraging to have friends who are in the same stage of life as we are (recently married and/or recently parents) to be able to talk with and get advice from.

+ Saturday was supposed to be our 18 hour drive back to San Diego but a huge change of plans happened late Friday night. Around 8 pm I got an email with an invitation to interview at one of the schools I applied to here in Colorado. Some last minute phone calls to work, some sacrifice from my amazing husband and I'm still in Colorado until my interview this coming Tuesday!

+ Not only did J volunteer to drive home by himself with Ollie tyesterday so that I could stay here and get the earliest interview date possible but when I was trying to tell him how thankful I was for what he was allowing me to do, all he had to say was how proud of me he was. He is such an amazing man, sacrificing an 18 hour car ride alone and pushing me towards my dreams.

+ And to top it all off, I'm here with my mom spending time with her while still getting text messages from my new in-laws about joining them for dinner or pumpkin pancakes in the morning. J is gone and I still feel right at home with them and I couldn't have asked for a better new family.

My heart is so full of love and joy and hope for life that I sometimes find myself wondering how I got so lucky. I cannot wait to see what life has in store for me individually, for J and I in our marriage and for our family in the coming year. Here's to 2012 with everything amazing it brought and to 2013 for what's to come!

A Tribute to My Mr.

Today marks 68 days until our wedding and as the days and the months quickly pass by I just can't seem to stop myself from thinking how blessed I am to be marrying this man. And quite frankly, I hope I never stop feeling lucky, feeling loved, feeling like I'm in exactly the relationship I dreamt of my entire life.

 

Life is definitely not bubble gum and roses every moment but it's because of that fact, because there will be moments when I'm angry, moments when we fight, moments when things don't go my or our way, that make our love so special. I cannot wait until the day that I get to call J my husband but even more than that, I can't wait to live my life together with him because I know it is exactly where I need to be.

 

Source: spicedsweetroasted.blogspot.com via Jayme on Pinterest

 

I love you babe, and I can't wait to be your wife!

Tying the Knot: Crossing Things Off The List

This past week J and I were back home in Colorado to take care of some wedding related items and to spend some quality time with our family and friends. I am so happy with how the trip went because we were able to cross off everything from our list that we wanted to get done! Wedding planning is in full swing and I feel so accomplished getting so many things taken care of already.

_______________________________________________________________________

+ I finalized my decision about where/who I want doing our flowers for the big day. Since it's going to be the winter I knew almost immediately that I didn't want to go overboard with florals for our wedding. For one thing, the price of flowers is so crazy and it just isn't my taste to have them everywhere. We're sticking to just personal flowers (bouquets, boutonnieres, and corsages) with a few individual buds for some of the tables. Here's some inspiration for you...

Source: google.com via Jayme on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Jayme on Pinterest

+ I had my first alterations appointment and it went swimmingly! It needed to be taken in about a half inch on both sides, I chose to have cups put in the top and it needed a bustle like all dresses do but these things are all normal. And the best part was that it needed no hemming! Apparently dresses are made the right length for someone who is 5'10" which I am definitely not. When I ordered the dress my amazing consultant suggested that if I wanted to save some money (was she joking?) that we could order the dress to come to from the designer 4 inches shorter. We had to pay for it but the cost was much, much less than what putting in a hem would cost so I said yes. 

+ My wedding shoes have been picked thanks to the above appointment. The dress needed to be approximately 6 or 7 inches shorter when we ordered it originally. So the 4" chopped off from the designer plus a 2 or 3 inch heal and I was set. I had bought two pairs of shoes to try on with my dress and was so, so happy when I stepped into the first pair and the length of the dress was absolutely perfect! It couldn't have worked out better! Now I get to wear them around the house for the next 5 months to make them comfy.

+ There were a pair of earrings at the bridal boutique that I tried on with my dress and really liked. But I did not like the price tag. (Shocking, right?) Well my mom and I headed to one of our favorite places in town and found a pair almost exactly the same for less than 10% of the price of the first pair. Score!

+ The pre-consultation with a new hairstylist is complete and I know they'll do an awesome job. I have been getting my hair cut from the same lady (out of her house) since high school so I knew I needed to try a new salon for the big day. I was in desperate need of a trim so I booked myself an appointment/pre wedding consultation based on a suggestion from a friend. I am so happy with the job she did on my hair cut and we chatted the whole time about my perfect wedding look. 

+ J and I picked out the attire of the gentlemen for the wedding and I am so excited to see J all dressed up. I think we came up with a fabulous look for his groomsmen that fits perfectly with my bridesmaids and the winter setting and I absolutely love what J is going to be wearing. I do feel a little special that I get to know what he'll be wearing and he has absolutely no clue about my look!

+ I also had my bridal shower and feel so blessed to have so many kind, sweet ladies there to celebrate with me. This was one of the main reasons we went home when we did so the festivities deserves it's own post that will come soon but here's a sneak peak.

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+ This happened before we went on vacation back home but J and I went and picked out our weddings bands. It's a bit early for them but we both have known for quite some time what we wanted for our rings so we figured let's just get it taken care of! Now that we have them though, all I can think about is wanting to wear mine. Don't tell J but I've slipped it on my finger a few times already ;-)

+ I have also finished our guest book! I'm guest blogging for Syndal while she's on her honeymoon and shared all the details about it there so you should click on over and check it out. I personally love it... but I may or may not be biased!

So tell me, what have you crossed off your To-Do list lately?

4th of July Week[end]

J and I were blessed enough to have 3 of our most amazing friends come and stay in San Diego for the 4th of July this year. They spent many, many days with us and I was left with a renewed happiness that we sometimes miss living 1000 miles away from such great people. Here's a recap!

+ Beach day on the 4th dispite the yucky weater

+ Mexican and margaritas for dinner

+ Our first fire in the backyard

+ Complete with s'mores of course
+ Celebrating J and my 6th July Fourth together! Wow is the time flying by!

+ Watching fireworks from our own backyard
+ Comforting our scared-y-cat dog from the loud noise

+ Taking advantage of their hotel pool with a mini stay-cation

+ Enjoying pitchers of fruity beverages while taking in the sun

+ Night out on the town with two of my favoite ladies (who both happen to be in our wedding!)

+ Seeing J so very happy with one of his greatest friends
+ Loving on my handso. fiance

+ Cracking up laughing at the dueling piano bar we were at
+ Best friends and soul mates

+ Playing on new bouncing toys like we were little kids

+ Having such amazing friends

This 4th of July was exactly what we needed. We can't wait to go home in a few weeks to see them (and even more friends) again!

Tying the Knot: Our Save The Date

Our Save the Dates were mailed about a week ago so I'm pretty sure that everyone's received them by now. 

(and if you haven't gotten yours yet then I'm sorry for spoiling the surprise!)

I loved our engagment pictures so much that I knew instantly that I would include at least one of them for our STD. (yes, Save the Date, not the other kind) I also knew that I wanted to make them myself to cut down on cost.

Traditionally STDs go out about 6 months so I cut it a few weeks early but I figured we're only going to be getting busier and our wedding is close to the holidays I wanted to give people plenty of warning and get these suckers in the mail!

I used a program on my computer called Comic Life to design them which was super easy to use. You select your picture and then add text boxes for all the rest. It took me quite a while to decide on a picture and final wording but I am so happy with how they turned out. In case you were wondering, the two fonts are JB Cursive and Pharmacy and I downloaded them both for free. (Lots of sites have them)

Once the design was finalized I exported the file to iPhoto and cropped it to 4x6 dimmensions just to ensure that nothing would get cut out on accident. I wanted to make them into a fridge magnent of some sort but couldn't find any for the price I wanted to spend so instead I had them printed as simple 4x6 photos from Target. I had a coupon that I thought was for 50% off and I'm still irked at the employees I worked with that day but oh well.

I had 50 photos printed at $0.15 each so I spent a total of $7.50 on the STDs themselves. They were mailed in standard A6 white envelopes from Staples that come 50 in a box for $8.50. Add on $20 for stamps and I spent a grand total of $36 to DIY my STDs!

They designed exactly how I wanted them and they were also a great deal. I personalized them even further by stamping a cute "Happily Ever After" stamp across the seal of the envelope in navy. I'm still in the deciding process of what I want to do when it comes to our formal invites but after all the success I had with this project I can bet I'll be DIYing again for those as well. I'm also planning on doing a similar project for our table numbers (based off something I loved from Pinterest) and I can't wait to get started on those!

Strawberry Jam

On Monday night I tried my hand at making homemade jam for the first time. I found the recipe in one of the spring editions of Bon Appetit that my mom gave me the last time J and I went home. I had read it on the plane and knew I wanted to try it.

source



The recipe is seriously so easy! (to get the full details, click on the source link for the top picture to be taken to the Bon Apetit site.) Basically you quarter some strawberries and throw them in a pot with suger and a grated granny smith apple.



You bring the pot to Medium-Low heat stiring so the sugar doesn't burn until it starts to melt.

I cheated and used a potato masher to squish everything up but the strawberries eventually get soft enough that you can just use a spoon if you'd like.

Bring the mixture to a simmer and allow to reduce for about 10-15 minutes. I don't think I waited quite long enough but since it was my first time I errored on the side of caution. I didn't want to ruin it! Here it is coming together quite nicely, starting to look like real jam!

Once it's done you transfer it to a jar or bowl, thankfully I saved an old spaghetti sauce jar that worked perfectly for the amount that I made. You let it sit for a little while and once it's cool enough to handle you cover it and put it in the fridge.

*Please excuse the crappy cell phone pictures. As luck would have it, right as I put the pot on the stove and took a picture of Ollie eating a straberry, my camera battery died. And I couldn't exactly wait for it to charge since the stove was cookin!*

I tried the jam the next morning and it was absolutely delicious. J tried a bite of it and said "that tastes like the real stuff! It's bomb [dot] com!" I can't wait to let other people try it and to possibly try different variations of it. I'm thinking a mixed berry might be amazing. Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries maybe? Or an orange mango possibly? The options are endless.

So tell me friends, have you tried something new in the kitchen lately? 

Tying The Knot: Asking My Maids

One of the first things that came to mind about planning our wedding was who our wedding party was going to be. We both agreed that we wanted a wedding party that wasn't too big which lead us to deciding that each of us would have four people stand up for us. J has a group of guy friends who've all been together since high school and he knew which of them he would pick almost right away. I've always had more of a select, smaller group of best friends as opposed to having a posse of 20 always around so my choices were relatively easy as well. 

But that's it for us. There will be 10 people, J and I included, standing in the front of the room during our ceremony. We don't really have anyone younger that's close to us so junior bridesmaids, flower girls and ring bearers are out (unless J convinces me to let Ollie participate, ha!). I have a very small family, J doesn't have any young cousins, nieces or nephews, no friends with kids (yet), and we didn't feel like we should place people in our wedding just for the sake of doing so. 

When we returned to SD after the holidays I was immediately checking out Pinterest, drafting ideas and trying to find the perfect way to ask my Maids to be part of our wedding day. There are so many creative options out there but I knew I wanted something a little more minimal since they were going to be sent through the mail as opposed to hand delivered. I loved the idea of giving a bottle of wine or something like that but when it came down to shipping cost I removed those ideas from my inspiration. After many amazing options I decided on this as my final inspiration....

                                                                       Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Jayme on Pinterest

After a trip to Michael's to pick up some card stock I pulled out my watercolors (remember how I made them?) and got to work. The process is simple and outlined completely in the post I linked to through Pinterest but just to give you an overview.... Write or trace over a print out using a white colored pencil, watercolor over your designs, let dry mostly, wipe off excess paint and dry completely. I absolutely love how they turned out so I'll let the pictures do the talking. 

They are all similar but all unique. I chose cooler colors and used the same 3 colors on all the cards but in a different layout for each. I love that they're personalized and handmade and I think the ladies did too. 

For the insides I printed out two different sets, one for my Maid of Honor and one for my three Bridesmaids. I cut the paper so that it would cover the whole inside of the card because the watercoloring left the paper slightly wavy. I glued them in, signed them and let them sit between a bio-chem and a physiology text book overnight. (I knew those books would come in handy again!)

While my paints were drying I also made custom envelopes with pretty scrapbook paper. The details for these are found in the same Pinterest link as well but again they're super easy. Just measuring, cutting small triangles, folding and gluing. They're amazingly unique and again I loved how they came out. I chose paper that was bold enough to be different but was still reasonable to address without causing confusion for the postman.

I finished off the cards by sliding them in their envelops along with a photo of me and each girl respectively and off they went. Three to Colorado and one a couple hours away in San Diego. I couldn't think of four better ladies to share in this journey with me and I am honored they all want to have a place in such a memorable day for J and I. 

One maid of honor, three bridesmaids and one extra happy bride-to-be!

(all of the ladies have already gotten their cards which is why I can finally share this with you)

The J & J Breakdown

+ J and I started dating the summer of 2007, right after my senior year of high school. But we had actually known each other for some time before. I believe we first met the summer of 2005 while we were both working at the same out door pool. It was actually the pool (we were both lifeguards) that brought us together in 2007.

+ We are both from Colorado and actually share the same hometown. We cherish the change in weather there, enjoy both the snow and the sun, get to spend quality time with both our families easily and love our vacations home.

+ We had only been together 2 short months before I moved away for school to San Diego. We spent a year of long distance dating, flying back and forth, talking on the phone/iChat, missing each other like crazy. J would fly out for weekends to visit me in the dorms and we'd spend hours taking goofy PhotoBooth pictures while loving the time together. After the first year was done, J moved to San Diego with me and we've loved having an apartment together.

+ J loves diet pepsi and I love cupcakes. (Or maybe it's the other way around?) We swear we're the same person sometimes and it didn't take long for us to realize how special our love was.

+ We both love country music, in fact, our first date was country line dancing at a bar back home. J says he stole my heart with his sweet dance moves, I sometimes agree :-) The pictures above were taken at the Rascal Flatts concert and the Jason Aldean concert.

+ We also both love adventure and sport. Whether it's kayaking in the ocean in La Jolla, climbing Mt. Cowels in San Diego, waterskiing on a lake in Colorado, skiing the Rocky Mountains or playing tennis at home we love being outdoors together.

+ There are things about us that you'd never guess. Like that J can make a mean quesadilla or buffalo chicken pizza (while wearing my apron, sorry babe!) or that I'd pick up a frog around a campfire. We're a one of a kind couple, that's for sure.

+ We love being goofy together and we're actually more silly than we are serious on a daily basis. We love playing jokes on each other, like that one time I gave J only ONE shoe for Christmas. But when all is said and done, we love each other with our whole hearts.

+ Speaking of love, in July 2010 we added to our little family with our fur baby Ollie. He has completed our little life and we both love him to pieces. It's been quite a bonding experience trying to raise a little guy into a loyal and well behaved pup but I'd say we did a good job.

+ J and I took our first big vacation in January 2011 to Oahu, HI and it was a trip of a lifetime. We'd taken smaller trips before, like to San Clemente, Phoenix and obviously back to CO but this Hawaii vacation was by far the best vacation week ever.

+ When J and I first started realizing that this relationship was going to be for the long haul, J decided it was perfect timing for him to apply to the master's program at SDSU and think about moving to San Diego with me. Well three years later, this past May, we both graduated from SDSU. It was a huge day for both of us individually as well as for our relationship and the accomplishments we've had together along the way.

+ We are a competitive couple who loves to win, keep each other on our toes, and push each other to be better people. I couldn't have asked for a better boyfriend, best friend, or soul mate. He motivates me, supports me, loves me, cherishes me, laughs with me, grows with me and is everything I could have wanted.

I love you J. Happy [almost] Anniversary!