Cheers to One Year!!

My o' my how things have changed over just a few months...

I'd like to take this moment to first say, "Cheers to us!!" Eddie and I celebrated our 1st year wedding anniversary one week ago yesterday. It has been one amazing year!! And I am so thankful for my husband. We began our celebration with a "rememberance day" the day before our official anniversary. We started the day with massages at Massage Envy...something we also did the week of our wedding. Then we had a picnic lunch at the Dallas Arboretum, which is where Eddie proposed. It was a little rainy that day, but we didn't care. We found a nice, dry place on the exact bench where he proposed, under some beautiful trees, enjoyed our lunch just the two of us and thought back on that day just two years ago, when he made me the happiest girl in the world. After strolling around the Arboretum, we stopped by the house to get ready for our evening. Then, we went to Fridays for dinner with the family...the same Fridays where Eddie and I shared our first date. It was a lot of fun, and we really enjoyed spending that moment with our family. Lastly, it was off to Sherlocks, to have a toast with friends and take a glimpse at the spot where Eddie and I first met. We really enjoyed that day!! And enjoyed thinking back on the wonderful five years we've had together and on our first year as husband and wife. On Sunday (our anniversary), we stopped by Swan Court (or what used to be Swan Court...they have since closed their doors) to stroll the very area where we said "I do" just one short year ago. It was a lot of fun, and very romantic, visiting the place that currently holds the title "The Best Day of My Life!!" Then, it was off to Hot Springs, Arkansas to continue the celebration of our first year together...we actually stayed outside of Hot Springs in a resort near Mt. Ida, which is about 25-30 minutes from Hot Springs. We spent that evening in our room, which had a view of the lake and mountain range, enjoying the top layer of our wedding cake, watching our wedding video, and truly soaking in the wonderful moments we've shared together. On our first full day there, we enjoyed sleeping in, the glorious view from the deck of our room, and a stroll near the lake. Additionally, on our trip, we enjoyed a horseback ride through the mountains, a nature hike (which was quite a bit of exercise), a dinner cruise on the Hot Springs riverboat, a stroll down the streets of the tourist part of Hot Springs, a trip up the mountain to the mountain tower (where we soaked in a breathtaking view of the city) and we visited the beautiful gardens. It was truly what the doctor ordered!! Not only did we enjoy some tourist activities, but we found plenty of time to just relax and enjoy each other. I would not have wished for a better vacation!! We ended our trip with a drive to Neosho, Missouri, where Eddie's niece and her husband graduated...Jake finished his Fourth Year and Crystal finished her Third. We are so very proud of them!!

But if celebrating our first year of wedding bliss wasn't enough to raise a glass to and say a toast, we also decided to ditch the idea of renting and go straight to buying our own house. I won't go into detail (it's a long story), but let's just say that we quickly realized renting is no longer our cup of tea. No, we have not had a chance yet to find land, design a house and have it built (unfortunately), but we did decide to find a house which we both can love for at least a few years, while we make our building dreams come true. I think we have said our final ADIOS to the idea of renting for the remainder of our days!! We found a lovely two-story house in the city of Rowlett, only one short mile from the lake and very close to my parent's house. This house will be a wonderful place for us to start a family, which we hope to do in the very near future. The most exciting news of all is that we close on it tomorrow!! And, we couldn't be more excited!! All we have left to do is sign the dotted line and we will be homebuyers in DFW!!

What more could we possibly ask for?!?!