Catching up: Chris gets a new truck

It was sad to say goodbye to the jeep, but Chris has wanted a truck for a long time, and with two big dogs and looking to start a family soon, we really needed the extra space.  We got a 2006 Toyota Tundra in February 2012 - an early birthday present.  And he friggin' loves it.

Starting the Catch-Up: We bought a house!

I remember it, we had been house shopping for a few weeks.  It was Columbus day.  Monday, October 10, 2011.  Because of the "holiday" we had the day off. Chris decided to go hunting and I invited my mom (since that is also her birthday) to come look at a few houses with me. The first two that my realtor wanted us to see were totally lame.  I had seen the third one online and I just knew it was going to be good.  I had a feeling.  When we pulled into the neighborhood I immediately liked it.  It is so cute, it is a little older but very well-kept with beautiful large trees in all the yards and a small park in the middle of the houses to share.

When we pulled up I saw the beautiful large tree in the front yard and then...the house.  It was peach.  Yuck.  I really dislike peach as a house or wall color.  But we went inside.  The layout was great, you don't just walk right into the living room like many houses, there was a living room in the front of the house and a family room in the back, both good sizes.  The kitchen had an island instead of a peninsula or galley (I did hate the cabinets above the island, but you can't win them all).  The bedrooms were a large, the layout of the master bathroom was efficient and the walk-in closet was the perfect size. And the park out the back yard surrounded by large trees was beautiful and private.

This was it.  The one.  I knew it right when we walked in.  I left Chris a message to call as soon as he was off the mountain so he could come see it.  It was pouring rain so Chris got done early but our realtor was busy hat afternoon (with a guitar lesson, actually) so we weren't able to see it until that evening after dark.  Chris assured me that if I liked it enough to put in an offer, so would he, but I wanted him to see it.  When he saw it he agreed it was great (duh!) from the house to the location it was perfect.

We put an offer in that night.  It was a foreclosure so we were dealing with a bank.  We found out there was another offer on the house so we offered full asking price and it was accepted!

We moved in as soon as we could, which happened to be Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 2011!

 Back of the house

 Backyard with the park behind

 Front

 Kitchen, don't worry, we changed the floor immediately

 Kitchen looking into the dining room

Looking into the family room from the kitchen, huge windows let in a ton of light

My husband is going to jail

...TO BE A CORRECTIONAL OFFICER!!!!! We are so excited Chris has a new job! (non-seasonal with benefits! woohoo!!) I might just end every sentence in this post with an exclamation mark I'm so happy! We found out on Wednesday after waiting almost a month since his interview to hear if he was chosen, it was nerve-wracking to say the least. (<--- I almost put and exclamation here too, but didn't want to overdo it.) It is a big step in our lives because this is not just a job, but a career, it is stable and with plenty of opportunity for advancement. I am also so crazy happy for him because I think he will really enjoy this job, I just hate the idea of him doing something he hates just for money's sake and coming home all grumpy (plus it makes me grumpy too!). He starts in about a month, and until then he's going to get in as much sleeping, boating, hunting, fishing, etc. as he can....jealous.

Date Night!

Last weekend Chris had to go out of town without me, so he said that we needed to go on a date when he got back. Sooo...we did! It was a ton of fun, and definitely a welcomed change of pace. We hadn't really had a date for a while since I had been so busy with the end of school.

We decided to go to Westside Drive In because it is so close to our house, quick, not too expensive, and REALLY delicious.

He doesn't look like it (mostly for the camera) but he was really excited, and we were both hungry!

I was admiring my shoes. NUDE SHOES! my absolute favorite! Plus, they go with pretty much everything. I was so happy for an opportunity to get dressed up in my new coral summer dress.

And here it was....FANTASTIC! mmmmm......

After dinner we went and saw Green Lantern, definitely entertaining, but not the best superhero movie out there. Overall it was a great night, and we even got home early enough to actually get some sleep. (I am still not used to this getting up early for work schedule.)

I Guess it's on to Real Life

I graduated!!! After six years I have my Masters Degree in Architecture. Looks like now I need to get a job.

P.S. do you see this ridiculous cap? it's way too big for my head, actually my head is just pretty small. But they really don't want you to look good when you graduate do they? I would inquire about this if I just knew who "they" were.

AAAHHHHH!

I'm tired. Why? Because I just ran two miles. Yep. I don't care that in the grand scheme of things that isn't really a long distance, it is a big deal to me. Two miles, straight, without stopping, even though I really, really wanted to. It's the longest I've ever run before in my entire life. I pretty much hated every minute of it, but I am nonetheless very proud of myself now (hence the post) and I will definitely be doing it again.

On other news, Chris left last Wednesday for wildland firefighting duty and he was called out to a fire Thursday and Friday so I didn't get to talk to him on our anniversary. He came home last night and I've got to say, the absence thing so far is a good thing. He has been so crazy lovey since he got back. We celebrated our anniversary tonight with a date and saw Inception (good, but confounding). Tomorrow we are planning a hike and then have a birthday party in the evening, then he leaves again on Wednesday :( Missing a picture? Oh ok. Here are a couple pics of the babes doing what they do.