Time flies when your are having fun!

I can't believe Ryan and I have already been married a year! On December 13, 2008 we began our life together and I have to say the past 12 months have been full of surprises, changes and most of all lots of fun and laughter!

Along with it being our 1 year anniversary of being married we also celebrated 5 years together! We were smart in getting married the same weekend we got together half a decade ago! To celebrate we decided to take a trip to South Carolina and it was exactly what we both needed! We also got to eat our wedding cake as well right before we left and I was very nervous! A cake that has been in my parent's deep freeze for a year didn't sound to apetizing- however I must say it tasted great!

Here is our celebration in pictures :)....
The Cake!!


My gorgeous anniversary roses... my favorite of course! Red roses cut short! I love the vase too... I intend on filling it with a fish once the flowers die!


Welcome to beautiful Charleston, South Carolina!


Our hotel... I LOVED our hotel! I have pretty much been talking about it nonstop... it was fabulous, romantic, the food was great and the people were so sweet!





We biked everywhere, it was not only a great work-out but the best way to see the city...



Here are a few things we saw while biking around town...
Rainbow Ridge... it is called this because all of the houses are a different color- I loved this street :)

The beach!

Our boat ride to Fort Sumter... my camera died during the boatride so all of the Fort Sumter pictures are on a throw-away camera since my charger was back at the hotel!

Fort Sumter from a distance...

The Battery... this is where all of the rich people live, the houses are gorgeous and bike route there was amazing!

My favorite house...

The avenues...



I now need to take a moment of silence for the food in Charleston... I just need you to know that it was the BEST food I have ever had on vacation! Everything we had was phenomenal and we even got a few recipes from the restaurants because we could not imagine life without it once we had it! We went on a witch-hunt to find the best "Shrimp and Grits" in Charleston. Now, this sounds gross... I was very skepical of it myself but then I tried it and my life was changed haha. Here is the winner of our witch-hunt!
It is called SNOB for short!


We went to eat a this very fancy place on our anniversary night called "Penninsula Grill" our concierge told us is was known as being the best restaurant in South Carolina. It was by far the best meal Ryan or I have ever had! (and the most expensive but hey- it was our anniversary!!)

Getting ready for our nightly walk to dinner...

My Meal...

Ryan's Meal...

Our dessert... it was bannana pudding. it was heaven.


We also went to see the "Festival of Lights" on James County island while we were there... i LOVE Christmas lights and these were the best!




We had so much fun in Charleston and can't wait to visit sweet South Carolina again soon! I have about a million more pictures of our trip but figured this was enough for one post! I will leave you with one last picture of us on our way into a restaurant called "Poogans Porch" it was named after a dog, precious Poogan greets everyone when you step on his porch!


I am so thankful for my sweet husband and to say the last year has been the best year of my life is an understatement. I am so excited to see what our future holds and feel so blessed to be married to my best friend :) Happy Holidays everyone!!

So much to be thankful for...

Happy Thanksgiving!
I hope everyone had a great, relaxing day filled with tons of food laughter and great people! I love the holidays, Christmas is by far my favorite but Thanksgiving holds a special place in my heart due to the fact that Ryan and I happened to have our first date 5 years ago today- the day after Thankgiving. I also love this holiday because it is the one day that people spend time just purely thinking about what they are thankful for. This year, I could not have more to be thankful for!

The past year has definately been full of surprises! I wanted to just list out a few of the things I am thankful for this year, I am so blessed!

1.My marriage- God has blessed me with such an amazing husband! I am so lucky to have found someone who understands me, loves me for who I am and pushes me to be the best version of myself everyday. I didn't have the best of luck when it came to boys before ryan, in fact I would go as far to say as I had pretty terrible luck! Although I don't regret dating anyone in my past as they somehow brought me to Ryan in the end, I am so thankful to have finally found someone who truly respects and loves me more than anyone else in the world. I am also so blessed to have married someone who loves God more than he loves me- this has made our first 11 months of marriage God-breathed and so much easier then I ever thought it would be!

2.My friends- God has taught me alot in the last year regarding my friendships. People I thought I would forever be close are no longer a part of my life and many of my friendships have changed- some for the better! One thing that has not changed however is that God is in control. He has put amazing people in my life for this chapter and for that I am so grateful- I could not be more blessed by my friends. They have helped get me through so much in the last year when I have really needed them more than ever.

3.My family- I am so lucky to have my wonderful family. They have always been a source of strength and even being 300 miles away still are! My parents continue to be such a great example of a healthy, Godly marriage and Ryan and I aspire to be like them after 29 years of marriage. My sister has always been my best friend but in the last year we have become closer than ever- not only did she help me plan every detail of my wedding but she stood by my side through a lot of hard things, my favorite thing about my sister is how loyal she is. She will be my friend no matter what. I am also so blessed by my new family- Ryan's family is so great and I am lucky to have them in my life. My Grandma is also doing so much better! She is starting to respond and recognize us, this is a miracle that I am SO thankful for. Please continue to keep her in your prayers, she is fighting this and doing great!

4.My job- I am SO incredibly blessed to be doing something I love and for a company I believe in. With the economy the way that it is I am lucky to be employed period. The last year has been a rollercoaster- so scary and so much fun! I love where my career is going and look forward to the future!!

5.Fort Worth- can I just say that I love this place?? It is such a fun place to live! There is always something going one and I love it! It has been such a great place to live in my mid-twenty life. I am SO thankful for the confidence and drive God gave me to get here. I love love love our life!

Well, those are my top 5- again I just have to say that I am so blessed!

Where to start?

I feel like everytime someone asks me how things are going lately I have to answer with "Things are SO busy and crazy!!"

I drove home this past weekend so that I could visit my g-ma in the hospital, her status is pretty much the same- I do have to admit it was super hard to see her. I knew it wasn't going to be easy and had thought about it on my 3.5 hours in the car- trying to prepare myself but when I walked through the ICU doors and saw her I knew there was nothing I could have done to make this easier. Her eyes are open, she moves around quite a bit but just doesn't recognize us at this point. It was just so weird, it didnt even seem like it was my Grandma and the fact that she couldnt respond to me made me feel like I was talking to a stranger.

One thing about my Grandma is that she is a fighter and she is a survivor. She has had a difficult life since childhood and somehow finds the good in everything. I see that trate in my Mom- it's one of the things I love most about both of them. Even in the worst situations, when the people in her life have been selfish and not given her the respect she deserves she continues to love them unconditionally- never thinking of herself. She was a single mom at a very young age and somehow kept it all together with 3 kids! My favorite memories with her were our family Christmas eves at their old house- her Christmas tree was always decorated perfectly and had these lights that had colored water that made a bubbly sound inside it- I will always remember Santa coming to see us at her house and the fruit salad she makes!

Minutes before she was taken back for surgery she called me because she wanted to tell me how proud she was of me and how much she loved me. This is my grandma, even when going into surgery she is thinking about everyone else and now she is in ICU, unable to respond. I can't even imagine what my Mom must be going through everyday, I was in Houston for a weekend and was so drained by the time I left. My Mom, Dad and Grandpa are there day in, day out visiting, talking and reading to my Grandma just hoping she will wake-up and recognize something. Your continued thoughts and prayers mean so much- I pray that she will fight again and come back to us soon.

A few happy things did happen while I was in Houston, my friend Michelle had her baby! Logan Thomas is PRECIOUS! I got to see her while she was still in the hospital because he came early so that was very exciting! We also threw my friend Rebekah's baby shower on Sunday afternoon and it was great to see her and the girls from home, I don't get to see them very often so it was fun! Rebekah looks great and the nursery is so cute, she is doing a safari/sports theme and everything is coming together nicely :) I was able to help set-up and decorate with the girls, it was alot of fun! I can't wait to meet baby Everett and was so glad to be apart of everything.

I also got together with Lindsee and Laura Saturday night and it was just what I needed after the difficult hospital visits. We had dinner and closed the place down! It made me miss our college days oh so much when we could hang out everyday! I am so glad to say that even though we aren't in college anymore and I am 4 hours away- nothing has changed! We laughed until we cried, covered all that is in our lives and the 5 hours we were together seemed like 30 minutes! Thank you for being there for me this weekend and for driving to see me :) I love you both!

I wanted to put something happy in the middle because what I am about to write about is something that has been so heavy on my heart that I honestly can't even believe has happened. Late Wednesday night, I got a call from one of my besties from college informing me that one of our sorority sisters was in jail for something that broke our hearts. This is not just someone I knew in college, this is someone that I had very many sleepovers, late nights and crazy times with- someone that I love very very much, someone that I consider to be a very good friend, someone that is part of who I am today. She is an amazing person with a great heart that could make me laugh like no other person on earth and has prayed with me and for me more than I can count. Although she has made a mistake that has turned her life upside down I know that God is in control. I don't know what the future holds for her but I do know that I love her and that she is my sister and my friend. I am so heart-broken for her but I know that the best thing I can do is just pray, pray, pray and be there for her- unconditionally, just like she has done for me so many times. I think it's easy in times like these to go mia because it's difficult. I'm not going to lie, it is clearly going to be hard seeing her, writing her and not having a sleepover for however long it ends up being but in the face of difficulty your friends are supposed to stand strong and hold you up when you can't do it alone anymore. I know this is going to be a different friendship then it was before but she is my friend- good times or bad. We all make choices, some are good and some are bad and right now my choice is to be the best friend that I can be. I ask that you pray for her and her family during this time, I can't imagine how they are feeling right now but my prayer for them is that they stand strong and support her.

Whew! I need a break after that long post! Thanks for reading and all of your thoughts and prayers! Life is a beautiful mess right now!

Hey everyone! Sorry it's been a while again since I have updated... life has been crazy! My Grandma has had some hard days and most recently we have had a few good things happen. Yesterday she opened her eyes and smiled at my Grandpa and my Dad also got a half smile out of her when he was talking to her a few days ago. She is moving both arms and legs now which is a HUGE deal but she still hasn't actually woken up. My mom and Grandpa have been able to get a few hand squeezes in response to things they have said to her but we aren't sure how much she is actually understanding. The doctors have said its really just a waiting period and we have to stay positive and keep praying! We do know that her stroke was pretty serious and that if she makes it through all of this she will walk before she talks. Please continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. It's still so hard not being there during all of this but I am getting to go down this weekend so it will be good to support my family. I know alot of you who are reading are friends with my mom- thank you so much for all you have done to help her during all of this!!

On less important notes, I had a really fun weekend- Ryan and my friends have been amazing in getting my mind off of things lately and I really needed it! Friday night Katie, Raven and I went to see "Whip It" and we all LOVED it! Such a cute movie and of course I loved the skating :) Then on Saturday Raven and I took a little road trip to Athens, TX to see her god-sister perform with the Rangeretts! They are the first drill team ever created and are pretty famous here. After seeing them perform, I can see why!! They were precious and did a great job!! Raven's god-sister is so sweet and I was so glad I got to meet her! It was great to just get away and have a day together, the little town was so cute and quaint- it really was a bizarro huntsville, where we went to college so we loved seeing the littl square!! Then, on Sunday Ryan and I went to meet his family for brunch at this great place in Dallas- The Original Pancake House, the food was fantastic and it was great seeing them! Our niece is growing-up and talking so much!! She is the cutest thing :) After brunch we headed to the fair to meet some of our friends for the day. It was TONS of fun!
Everyone bought a different kind of fried food so we could try a bunch of different things, we all tried fried peaches and cream, fried cheese on a stick, corn dogs, fried corn, fried apples, fried snickers and fried oreos!! I would have to say the best thing was the fried apple! Luckily i didnt have a whole of anything except a corndog b/c im pretty sure i would have thrown-up if I would have eaten all of that!! Here are a few pictures of the fair:

Our Group, minus the photographers- Ryan and Curt


Not the best picture of us...


Trying some of the food!

G-ma Update!

Unfortunately I don't have the news I was hoping to post on my blog... my Grandma's surgery did not go well, they were unable to do a full triple bypass because of the condition of her heart and ended up having to just do a double bypass. She has suffered a very serious stroke since the surgery and has still not woken up. Neurologists have most recently been brought in to run Cat scans and MRI's to try to see what kind of brain damage we are dealing with at this point. It seemeed to them that her right side was responding but her left was not responding at all. Up until tonight she had not really moved at all and was not responding to anything... everything has obviously been very difficult for my mom and we are just all praying for a miracle!

Well, tonight we did get a little bit of hope, she started kicking both legs which the doctors have said is a good sign b/c this means that both sides of the brain have hope. Now as we all now things in ICU can change by the day, minute and even second so we are just waiting to see what is to come. The doctors have predicted that she will be in ICU for at least 3 weeks, this is if she wakes up and survives and will probably be in the hospital for a few months after. Our prayers are that she comes out of this and that she has her motor skills, there is a chance that the brain damage will be extensive enough that she will not walk,talk or swallow again on her own meaning that she will be on a feeding tube. However, I know that my God is faithful and stronger than all of this and HIS plan will be done regardless of what the doctors say. Although we do not know what is going to happen we are trying to keep positive and are praying that we still have many more years with her!

I do have to say that working at the American Heart Association has never meant more to me than it has in the last week, I am thankful to be apart of the organization that has done the research that is keeping my grandma alive right now. Your continued thoughts and prayers are coveted!! Thank you so very much!

Prayer Request!!

Hey everyone, my Grandma on my Mom's side is having heart surgery today, triple bypass and a stint put in her leg. Please pray for the doctors and staff along with her to have the strength to make it through! Since my start at the American Heart Association I have always been told that if someone close to you has not already been affected by heart disease or stroke it will happen at some point in your life and it has happened. It makes me so thankful to be in a job that is making a difference in the lives of the people that I love but it also makes it hard to actually know medically speaking what she will be going through today!

These are the days that it is so hard living far away, unfortunately I am unable to be there with my family but I know she is in good hands.

I will keep you posted, the surgery is at 2 and is supposed to last at least 5 hours.

Sometimes not being in control is the most beautiful thing in the world...

I am not normally a Tyra Banks fan, however I caught a re-run of America's Next Top Model and she said this phrase to a girl who was sent home...
"Sometimes not being in control is the most beautiful thing"
Tyra,I couldn't agree more! We get so caught up in trying to keep it all together, we want people to think we are confident, sucessful and independent. Don't get me wrong; confidence, sucess and indepence are all goals we should work towards but at the end of the day we are all a disaster! Maybe your job is falling apart or the lack of even having one has you down, maybe you are in a bad relationship or have not found the right person or maybe you feel that you are in over your head in the lifestyle you chose. Maybe you are nervous about what the future holds- whether it be graduation, moving a new start or just the unknown. The unknown is something that I struggle with everyday. I am quite the planner. I like to have timelines, calendars and spreadsheets of where my life is going. There is absolutely nothing wrong with planning. It is good to look to the future and to have goals... I believe the problems arise when we are not flexible in our plans changing to what God has in store. We need to just let it all go. Let go of the control, forget about trying to keep it all together because to be honest we are incapable of doing it on our own! We were never meant to be in charge. Stop the juggling act-life is not a circus! So is this control easy to hand over? Not at all even though it should be seeing that God is the only one who can get us through this crazy life. For whatever reason we let our weaknesses keep us from letting go. It's funny how God's plan works to strengthen these weaknesses if you let it. Sometimes these are hard lessons learned through pain but if strength is found in the end then give me pain! One thing we must keep in mind about giving over control is that it can not be given over in peices. God doesn't want to manage different departments of your life no, He wants to govern your whole life. Let's be honest, things always run better with one person charge. So, I hope you will embark on this journey with me and just let it all go because sometimes not being in control really is the most beautiful thing.

Lots of headaches, weird neurological tests and one MRI later...

The last few weeks have been pretty scary! As many of you know, I have been struggling migrains since I was 18 and when they hit I don't just have a headache! I become completely incoherent, my hands, feet and tongue go numb and my vision goes a little spot crazy! Anyway, about a month ago I ahd the absolute worst migraine of my life! It was my 5th one for the month and Ryan almost took me to the hospital because the pain was worse than anything I have ever experienced and it scared him. I have a pretty high tolerance for pain, especially for headaches and when I have had migraine episodes before this one i just take my medicine and go to sleep and get on with my life- but no sir, there was no going to sleep with this one!

So, I called my doctor the next day while still having the headache to find out what I should do and she felt that I really should go to a hospital or see a neurologist. So, I made myself an appointment with a neurologist even though this scared me as seeing this type of doctor is definately a last resort!

Dr.Blaire has been SO great!! He ran a series of tests and ordered an MRI despite the fact I did not want one :( let me tell you- it was horrible! Quite possibly the worst thing I have ever had to deal with on a medical level! I definately got a headache from the test that I thought would never end and have never been so dizzy in my life!

Thankfully, I had my follow-up appointment today for the results and everything came back normal! I do have to start visiting the neurologist every 4 months so we can document the number of headaches I am getting and I am on 2 new medications but hopefully everything will get better! I had a ton of people praying for me so if you were one of them- thank you!! I definately needed it during this time!

Such a great weekend!!

Happy belated labor day everyone!
Ryan and I had such a relaxing weekend and it was much needed because things have been pretty stressful lately! My fabulous parents came up to visit and we had a blast! Everytime they visit we go to a steakhouse called Cattlemens, it is in the Fort Worth Stockyards which is my favorite part of Fort Worth- its an original old western town that actually still has rodeos and cattle drives. It's so Texas and we all know how much I love Texas! Anyway, we ate there and hung out in the stockyards, they have tons of shops and cowboys and indians walking around and then we got up early the next morning and went to the best breakfast spot in Fort Worth- McKinley's. It is this precious little bakery that also does breakfast, lunch and dinner. It was so yummy! We went to the Fort Worth Water Gardens and then hung out in downtown Fort Worth to do some shopping! My mom and I went a little shoe crazy in one boutique... I got three really cute pairs! My mom got some adoreable flats, we were pretty happy :) We hung out at our house for a while and they headed back to Houston. It was a quick trip but we had so much fun and were so glad they came up!
Ryan and I spent labor day night together just relaxing, we had dinner at my favorite mexican place and hung out at home. I have a few of the pics from our weekend below!

We are seriously starting to plan our anniverary trip now! We are still narrowing our spots down but it looks like its going to be New York. If any of you have any suggestions let me know!! Hope you all have a great week!

Please continue to pray for Ryan as he searches for a ministry job, he is getting more and more discouraged as time goes on! Also, I have an MRI on Monday, please pray that everything comes back normal- it is for my migrains that have become unbearable and more frequent lately. Thank you so much!

Believe it or not...

This weekend was so not what we had planned! Originally Ryan and I were going down to Houston to celebrate my wonderful mother-in-law's birthday but it ended up not being a good weekend for her so we are rescheduling. The great part was that Ryan already had Saturday off so we actually had a normal weekend together for the first time since we have been married! We got to sleep in on Saturday and did some errands and hung around fort worth, then Saturday night we had dinner with my 2 sister and brother in law's that live in Dallas and my father-in-law and 2ND mother-in-law. It was so great to see all of them and my precious 2 nieces and 1 new nephew! I can't believe how grown-up Sophia is getting, she is so gorgeous and so sweet! I got to play with her alot and found out she loves my jewelry!! Her 1st birthday is in a few weeks and i am so excited! After dinner we went to trinity hall and listened to an Irish band which was great and headed back to fort worth.

Sunday we went to church- which I have not talked about our church recently. We have been going to Fellowship Church, our pastor is Ed Young JR and we absolutely love it! We have been getting more involved and are trying to join a small group, we just have to find one that will work with our schedules. Our church is doing amazing things, we did a huge outreach to kids who needed backpacks and our location alone gave close to 2,000 backpacks to kids in need! We are excited to have found a place we feel so at home- FINALLY! After church we went to Ripley's believe it or not and Wax Palace. There was some crazy things to see and we had alot of fun with the wax people! I was especially happy to see the Wizard of Oz exhibit and got to take a picture with the cast!

The weekend ended up being exactly what we needed, I love having so much time with Ryan and it was nice to not have a strict schedule to stick to! It feels like we have had something going on every weekend since I have moved to Fort Worth!

Oh and I also have to update- my great friend Jalei from work had her baby and Elliot is SO gorgeous! I can't wait to see her in person (they live far away!) I am so excited for her and Lane! Congratulations ya'll!!

I also need to shout-out to my amazing friend Ashley Ochoa! Please keep her in your prayers, she is going to do mission work overseas and is trying to raise the last bit of her funding needed. She is going to do great things in Kazakhstan and as much as I am going to miss her I am SO excited to hear her updates in the next year. I will keep all of you updated on what is going on with her as well!

With school being back in high gear work has been very busy! I am back to recruiting, I have 96 schools to recruit before October 31st!! I hope to hit my goals and look forward to the school year- recruitment is not my favorite time of year so I just want to survive! I have been getting to know some of my coordiantors and I am excited to plan all of their events! Well, I am off to spend the rest of the night with Ryan before it's back to reality of life tomorrow! Love yall!!

It's the climb...

Ryan and I went rock climbing this weekend, it was SO much fun! I have never been rock climbing before so although I knew I would obviously be scaling a wall I really had no idea what to expect. I even tried to wear jeans and a cute shirt and Ryan laughed at me and told me I would definately want to be wearing work-out clothes. Definately glad I listened to him even though I said I thought he was dramatizing the situation haha. I am not a fan of wearing work-out clothes in public so I was not too excited about this. Anyway, we headed to a place called Dynorock in Arlington, I have to say I almost didnt go inside it was inside an old creep wearhouse but I am so glad we did! After putting the harness on and getting a quick lesson we were set out to scale TONS of walls. It was scary at first just trying to find a good foot and hand hole but once I got started it was pretty easy to get to the top. Even though you have a harness and a rope around you it is still a little nerve-racking when you look down and imagine yourself falling onto the not so soft pads on the ground. It was also interesting how everyone starts at a different place and gets to the top in their own way and even their own direction. I tended to stay in the middle of the wall while ryan always seemed close to the right side. It definately takes ALOT of trust in your partner because if they dont hold the rope tight enough or aren't paying attention to what you are doing you could fall fast and hard! Ryan of course took good care of me but I was so freaked out when trying to come down the first time- you have to lean back, let go of the wall and hold on to the rope. We both lived and didnt have any disasters thank goodness! We had so much fun and I want to start rock climbing on a regular basis.

My efforts in rock climbing were so similar to what we face in life everyday. Whether you are working on your relationships, education or career you are on a climb to make things better, to get closer to the top. Sometimes you can't find a good foot-hold and you have to try a different direction, sometimes you bolt to the top without a problem and sometimes you might feel stuck to the ground with no where to go. Regardless of where you might be, in order to get to the top you have to start climbing and this takes a movement of faith. In rock climbing your faith is in your partner, the rope and yourself. You have to trust that the rope is strong enough to hold and that your partner isn't going to leave you... the truth is that these things aren't great things to put your faith in! People make mistakes, ropes break and you might even slip up! Thank goodness we have something so much stronger to trust in for our lives! God will never leave, break or slip up- and my favorite part, He is always there to catch us when we fall!

I am going to keep on rock climbing and working on my faith. God is doing great things in mine and Ryan's life and I truly believe He is working on our faith! Please keep us in your prayers as Ryan continues to search for a new job in the ministry. We are thankful for the job he does have, especially with so many lay-offs happening to people around us but his heart was made for something more. It is so hard to watch him go through this time of waiting, just feeling stuck to the ground but we know that God is going to tell us when it is time to start climbing and I have to tell you we are hoping it is soon! Until then, we will just wait- harnessed up and ready for His timing.

Everything happens for a reason...

It has been a long time since I have updated, I know! The Summer has been SO great, so relaxing and just a time to recharge my batteries. My job is amazing in the fact that we really do get to rest during the Summer. Don't get me wrong, we still work but we get to work from home and it is supposed to be a time to reflect on the school year and just really spend time with our families and honestly relax! I can not even begin to tell you how great this has been for me! The last year has been crazy to say the least! There have been SO many great moments, when the Summer started I couldnt believe that just a year before Ryan had proposed, I moved to Fort Worth and just completely got caught up in a whirlwind of change.

These changes have been tough, starting over always is. I was so lucky to have the love of my life beside me a few amazing friends, one as my roommate for those months of crying, laughing and just adjusting! I was so blessed to have Owen- one of my childhood best friends living less than 5 minutes away, it was definately like having a peice of home right with me. Of course having Ryan with me was amazing- we had such a hard time during our 10 months of long distance and I can't describe how it feels to finally be the one you love. Even with all of these great things the move was hard, I am very close to my family and I am the first to move away. I miss the Friday night dinners we used to have, all the things my sister and I used to do together and all the nights with my friends. It has definately been hard on a few of my friendships! Unfortunately, not all of them made it through... which was a complete shock and hurt more than anything I have experienced. However, I know that there is a plan in all of this that is much bigger than me and the friends that are still here are the ones that want to be, the ones that are meant to be and they have been there for me more than ever which has been great.

On to my happy changes, I am now married to the man of my dreams. I dont deserve him, but for whatever reason he chose to be with me and I am such a lucky girl! Ryan makes me want to be the absolute best version of myself and he just brings it out. He makes me more patient, understanding, forgiving and most importantly he makes sure I stay true to myself no matter what. I have always heard people say they fall in love with each other more everyday after marriage and I never really understood it until now. A year ago I thought there was no way I could possibly love Ryan more and today I can say I love him so much more than I did then. The last 8 months have been the best of my entire life. People kept telling me before the wedding just be prepared - the first year is going to be so hard and you are going to have a hard time adjusting to living together. Those people didn't have the luxury of marrying Ryan because I have to tell you he is just absolutely wonderful. The "adjustment" has been a breeze.

Onto less cheesy things...
We just got back from vacation! We went to Lake Tahoe and I have to say it was fabulous! Its so gorgeous there, it was my 2nd trip and Ryan's first. He loved it. He kayaked, hiked, swam, went out on a yacht one day and did just about anything else that required us to be outside! It was so nice to just get away and spend some time together. Ryan's work schedule doesn't allow us a ton of time together- he works 2-11 and his days off are Sun-Mon, thank goodness for the Sun because we actually get one day that we are both off. Anyway, it was a great trip and I wish we were still there! We are already planning our 1 year anniversary trip, we aren't sure where we want to go but I can't believe its almost been a year! It feels like it just happened!

We also recently were part of a wedding that meant alot to us both! Ryan officiated and I was a bridesmaid in Laura and Adam Sanders wedding. It was so gorgeous and so much fun! They are a great couple and we were honored to be a part of their big day!

The pictures are from our vacation and from the wedding!

Ok, well that is all for now... just wanted to do one big update, things are going really great and I am so thankful for all of the amazing people in my life! I love yall so much and miss the ones I don't get to see! Hope you are all doing great!!

25 and feeling fine!

I love birthdays! Absolutely love them! I always try to do whatever I can do make my friends and family feel fabulous on theirs and I just love everything about them! However, this year I wasn't really looking forward to it honestly. I wasn't excited about turning 25 and I wasn't excited about being far away from my family...

Even with my attitude...this birthday was great! Ryan and I headed down to Houston for the weekend to see our Moms. We got oin around 3:30... that is a.m. and slept for a few hours, then we went to brunch with my parents at Hubble and Hudson, which is my family's new favorite place- we just love it! We hung out around the Woodlands for a while and then went to see Ryan's mom, we went to BJ's which is awesome and one of my favorite places ever! Sunday we slept in and went to lunch with my entire family for mine and my sister's birthdays (we are 2 days and 2 years apart) and Mother's Day- it was quite the extravaganza! Then we went back to the house for cake and presents. My sister and I have been doing a double-blow out of our candles since I can remember. It is actually one of my favorite things about my birthday! We also swam, layed out and just relaxed.

Ryan and I got back to Fort Worth around midnight and went straight to bed! Ryan had me take off Monday b/c he said he wanted to be able to spend the eday with me and had things planned. (those of you who may not know- ryan works nights and his days off are sun-mon, so needless to say we have to work at finding time with one another) So anyway, I took the day off and he had a day planned outside with the zoo... that just wasn't in the cards seeing that it was POURING rain outside! However, Ryan snapped right into action, I took a shower and he decided to schedule a massage for me- which was amazing! We went to lunch at one of my favs. here and off to my massage I went. It was so relaxing and just what I needed! We spent the rest of the day at home just laying around and enjoying our entire day together! Monday night Ryan planned a birthday party for me with a few of our friends from up here- we went to Joe T. Garcias which is a fabulous mexican restaraunt that is all outdoors- its in a gorgeous garden, they only make two things- fajitas or enchilads which is obviously great for me! He also got me a cookie cake that said "Happy Birthday Princess Jen-Jen" it was hilarous and I just loved it! Along with our friends from Fort Worth, my friend Andrea from my sorority in college who lives close surprised me and came! I was so happy she made!! After dinner we went to downtown fort worth for a few hours. When I got home, Katie and Raven had decorated our front door and left krispy kreme doughnuts for my birthday breakfast! It was so sweet of them b/c they knew I would be spending most of my actualy birthday alone. This morning, Ryan made me a fabulous breakfast and we worked in a doughnut too and I went to Gloria's with a few work friends for lunch. They sang to us and my other birthday twin Becki and I blew out a candle together. I love those girls! They are great! Then, I came back home (I had a home office day) and Katie and Raven had yet another suprise- fun-fetti cupcakes (my FAV) with candles! They sang to me and it was precious! I also got tons of voicemails, texts and sweet emails :)

Thanks to everyone who was so great!!

What a great weekend

I had such a great weekend that was much needed! I have had a hard last few weeks and it was so nice to just have fun without drama! I drove down to the woodlands on Friday and had a daughter/daddy date because my Mom was at Disneyland with her two besties! We went to Los Cucos and I just had so much fun- my Dad is so great, I am so lucky to be blessed with a Dad who I am so close to. Then Saturday my sister and I headed to Galveston for a beach day with Bella and Lady (our dogs) the traffic was terrible and it was overcast but we still had so much fun just getting away! My sister truly is one of my best friends and I am not sure what I would do without her! She always tells the truth and is so loyal, things that are hard to find in people, I just love my big sis :) Then Saturday night I got to spend some much needed quality time with my childhood bestie Rebekah who by the way is.... PREGNANT! I found out last week but just needed to see her in person and congratulate her- it was so good to see her and I could not be more excited about the baby on the way! I love her so much and I am so blessed to be able to share in her joy!

Sunday I got to see my phi lamb girls at Laura's first wedding shower! I have the huge honor of standing next to Laura in one of the most important days of her life! I am so excited to share in this with her and SO excited about the wedding! The shower was so much fun and I can't wait for the others coming up.

I have another belated announcement, my good friend Jalei from work that alot of you met during my wedding festivities is pregnant as well!! I am SO excited for her and Lane, they are naming their little girl Elliott Reese- which I think is adoreable! She is due in August and is the cutest pregnant girl ever!!

Here are a few of my favorite pics from this weekend, love jen

Happy Easter everyone!!

I had a really great weekend! Friday night Raven, Katie and I went to McKinney Bible Church for their Good Friday service and it was really great- I am so lucky to have them both in my life :). Saturday Ryan and I spent the day together at the house, trying to relax b/c we had a huge drive ahead of us that night- Ryan went to work and I ran around getting easter supplies. Saturday night a ton of our friends got together for an "easter bbq" it was so fun and the food was great! Ryan got home from work around 11 and brought Easter surprises for me, he bought me flowers and a hollow chocolate bunny which is my absolute favorite easter candy. Then it was off to Houston- yes again in the middle of the night! We got in around 3:30 and crashed to wake up a few hours later for chuch with my family. We woke up to easter baskets from my parents- mine was princess themed of course and ryan's was camoflauge, army men and all- it was so cute! We went to church and then had our annual Egg hunt and Los Cucos which is amazing mexican food we always have on Easter- this year Ryan and I found $21.00 and tons of candy! It was alot of fun because all 3 of the boys are old enough now to get excited and understand what we are doing, we were able to just relax and I even took a nap before heading back to Fort Worth. Although it was a long 24 hours, it was so fun and Im glad we went. Here are a few of the pics from our weekend :)