2011

If you've visted any blog lately you know that reviewing the past year in pictures isn't a new idea, but I liked it so much that I decided to do it too! What a great excuse to look back and see how greatly I"ve been blessed in this past year. What a year it was!

 January- Steven and I got engaged! It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon and he took me to a bunch of little local art shops in the Plaza District that I had been wanting to go to. We got coffee and hot chocolate at the coffee shop and he even let me shop around the thrift stores down there. We went looking for the Mesta Park/Heritage Hills neighborhoods because that is my all time favorite place to drive around and waste a nice Saturday afternoon with the windows down. There just so happened to be a house empty and for sale so we decided to get out and take a look around. As we were coming back to the front we stopped under this arch covered with vines and before I knew it he was on one knee with a ring in his hand! Even though Steven had absolutely nothing really planned it turned out to be the best engagement day ever.

February- This marked the crazy beginning of wedding planning, moving back to Choctaw and leaving Steven in Weatherford to finish school, and preparing to student teach for the next twelve weeks. We were all so busy with life that our annual girls Valentine's night turned into cupcakes and coffee, which was just what we needed.





March/April- Student teaching was in full swing. Six weeks at the high school with three clay classes and one drawing class and six weeks at the middle school with two classes of 6th graders, one 7th grade class, and one 8th grade class. The picture is from a girl in my 9th grade class. We learned about line and movement and the students did yarn paintings. Luckily they really got into them! This was the absolute best experience ever! I loved the kids so much and had a blast teaching them...most of the time.



 May- Graduation time! Me and Steven also officially got "grown up jobs" which helped seal the decision to move the wedding up to July instead of September. Planning mania to say the least! We also had to say goodbye to some of our best friends who was sent to Abilene by the air force. Such a bittersweet month.

June- Steven moves into our first house! Luckily our friends were just moving out as we were needing a place to live. God is so good and works in amazing ways! We were able to move into our house in the middle of June which gave me plenty of time to add my touch to it before I officially lived there. Let me just say 1.5 months until the wedding, new grown up jobs, and all of our stuff into a new house makes for one busy summer!

 July- What a busy month! My birthday, lots of showers and parties and finally the big day! It was the hottest, dryest summer I have ever experienced and this was the month we decided to have our wedding with an outdoor reception.... crazy? Absolutely. But it was everything I had dreamed of from the table cloths to the twinkle lights to the desserts. Perfect. Happiest day of my life!

August- Honeymoon time! This was our first vacation with just the two of us. We just took a long weekend to down town grapevine since we didn't have much vacation leave built up. So. much. fun! We stayed in this bed and breakfast on main street and just got to hang out and spend some quality quiet time together. There was no agenda whatsoever so we just decided to do all the things we never have time for. We saw two movies, ate delicious food, went to the most amazing movie theatre ever and an aquarium in the mall! It was a great first vacation. We will definitely be going back.

September- The first day of september brought a strange into our house. We called to police after realizing what all they got away with. What an absolutely terrible feeling knowing that someone brought evil into your house that you have worked so hard to make a safe haven. After things started dying down I decided to throw my sweet mama a surprise party which was so much fun! All kinds of finger foods surrounded by shades of purple, her favorite color. She was so surprised and the best part was the fact that she was the center of attention even if it was for a just a little while.

 October- The weather finally started to cool down. We took advantage of it and spent one weekend at the lake with my parents for my dad's birthday. Then it was time to get ready for our Halloween party! I loved getting everything ready and decorating our little house. Me and Steven were Shaggy and Velma... love.

 November- My parents got Longhorns and we survived our first thanksgiving! This was also the month that I had to make two of the hardest decisions ever, to get Hank and then to sell him back a week later. I felt like getting him maybe wasn't the best idea and I knew I should've listed to my gut when Steven's truck broke the day after we got him. God is so mysterious though and makes great things out of everything I mess up. A lady I work with fell in love with Hank and bought him and all the things we had bought for him, leaving us out only the gas money which was amazing since fixing the truck cost almost exactly as much as Hank did. I'm positive it wasn't a coincidence. What an amazing learning experience!

December- Busy, busy, busy! Work parties, friend parties, Christmas shopping, spending tons of time with family. I think the hardest part for us was not getting a Christmas break like in college. Not going to lie.... being a "grown up" kind of stinks. But we made it through to our first Christmas together! Morning donuts and presents and lounging together started off the day. Since we did most of our family things on Christmas eve our Christmas day was pretty relaxing. This also kicked off the start of Thunder basketball! Thank the lord.

What a crazy, crazy year! I have experienced the happiest and saddest and most anxious and most peaceful feelings throughout 2011, but overall it was wonderful! I know that 2012 will definitely surpass what 2011 gave us, I can just feel it!

I can not wait to see what God has in store for us and our lives. I know without a doubt that it will be wonderful and just what we need to make us stronger, wiser, and more like Him.

Happy 2012 everyone! It's going to rock!