The big 2-9!

Today I celebrated my 29th birthday. It is truly a blessing to be counted among the living! It's so funny how in a year my entire life changed. Last year I celebrated my birthday with my sister and niece at a local Japanese restaurant. For the past few years that has been our ritual because my niece and I share the same birthday. We are exactly 20 years apart. I think that it's really neat to be able to see a miniature version of me at the various stages of life. Anyway, following the dinner last year I retreated back home where I got the "after party" started! Seriously, though I proceeded to drink a full bottle of wine and enjoyed the rest of evening at home alone.

Well that was last year!

This year was SPECTACULAR!!! Kevin and I decided that we wanted to do something special for Meya this year. Back in March, Kevin and I had the opportunity to attend this fun park in Raleigh called Frankies. We had a blast and knew we wanted to share this experience with Meya. Anyway, we decided to make a weekend trip out of it and we wanted to surprise Meya with it. She had a blast at Frankies! I didn't realize it at the time but it was her first time ever getting to actually drive the go carts! She of course was so excited and immediately developed the need for speed! She also got the opportunity to play laser tag for the first time. I am so glad that we were able to give her this experience that she will never ever forget.

The WORLD'S GREATEST HUSBAND....

I am so blessed to have a husband who makes it his mission to satisfy my every desire. What I truly love about Kevin is that he listens to me and really takes my feelings into account with all of his actions. For my birthday Kevin and Bentley gave me a really nice pair of Adidas walking shoes. The gifts didn't stop there because Kevin also gave me a photo printer! What makes this gift so special is that Kevin got this for me because he heard me mention over 6 months ago that I wanted one. Now ladies...how many of you out there have men who remember what you said 6 minutes ago let alone 6 months ago! So, I now have a photo printer and I can now print out pictures for our scrapbook, Christmas cards, and for any other purpose. I'm really excited as I think about the many uses of my gift. I'm sure as our family expands that printer will get a full workout! All in all I have to say this was my best birthday. I was surrounded by family and friends. I was able to give my niece an experience that she will remember forever and my husband did the same for me.

I really love my husband.....

Gotta get organized...

Ok...this week I almost had a slight melt down! So, I'm sitting at work and decide to check my blackboard account to see if any information was posted only to discover that about half the class was posting their journal reviews. Well...that might not be a cause for alarm for most however I WAS NOT AWARE IT WAS DUE!!!!!!

Of course I began to freak out. The assignment required me to locate a journal article and write an academic review of it using the provided format. The hard part is not writing the review BUT locating the article to review! In the end I found one when I got home and was able to get it completed later that evening. As a result of this near melt down, I've decided that I must get organized and regain control over my chaotic life.

Almost a month...

In few days we will celebrate our one month anniversary as a married couple! Isn't that funny! What's weird is I recently read a post from my friend pertaining to her 7 year anniversary. First of all I can't believe that 7 years has gone by already! It seems like only yesterday that they got married. I don't know much about the ends and outs of their marriage however based on what I do know (from her blog of course!) I sincerely hope and pray that Kevin and I are just as blessed throughout our marriage as they have been in theirs. They have a beautiful daughter, they both have awesome careers, and it appears that they have kept God at the center the of their relationship. I'm sure that's why they have been so successful.

As more and more people are finding out that I am married, I have been on the receiving end of advice. It's been very interesting sifting through all of it. I truly understand that I should be prepared for the first year being the toughest year. I have to admit I am a little nervous about all of that. I can't help but think or ask the question: does it truly have to be? I mean I know that there will be a day where the "honeymoon" ends and the realistic view of marriage kicks in but if the two people "prepare" for it...can't the drama be avoided?

The first month has been great for us. I know for me I have really noticed a shift in my thought process. I am very proud of my ability to get over my childish and immature ways when things don't go the way I want them to. I am also impressed in my ability to think of Kevin and his needs without a second thought. It's funny when I walk in a store and pick up a bottle of his favorite Vitamin water or record a show I know he wants to watch (because he's at work) without even thinking about it. I have even had the moment where I didn't feel like cooking but did it anyway because I knew that he was tired and hungry from working a 13 hour shift. It really feels good doing those things because you truly love a person and you know the value they have in your life. I can't thank God enough for blessing me with Kevin.

Updates...

I can't believe that my last posting has been well over a month and some change ago. So much has happened since my last posting....

AUGUST 8, 2008

Kevin and I got married! We decided that it was more important to live a life pleasing to God than doing things "our way" in efforts to save money for our wedding next year. It feels really good knowing that at the end of the day Kevin and I are in a relationship that is pleasing to God and well with both of our souls.

It really was a nice ceremony. We initially tossed around the idea to get married and only include a witness but over time we both decided that we wanted our parents to be a part of our special day. In the end, we both had representation from our families along with close friends share with us our special day. Looking back at it now, I am so glad that I did things the way I did it. So much of my life I have spent doing things the way others felt I should. I can honestly say that this was one of the first decisions I made that I was 100% bought into and truly supported.

I feel so blessed to know that for the rest of my life Kevin and I are forever connected. We are as ONE and I am so happy!

Our honeymoon was really sweet. We spent the night at a wonderful Bed and Breakfast here in New Bern. I can honestly say it was SO romantic!! Again, it really is the simple things in life that are really near and dear to me. We are planning to do it up big next year, however I will forever remember my simple ceremony followed by my simple honeymoon celebration.