Four and a half years... of exciting anniversaries

Today is Ryan and I's four and a half year anniversary. We were married two days after Christmas, and despite parental advice, we thought it wouldn't be a problem to always celebrate over the Christmas holiday.

We were wrong. With an anniversary right after Christmas, we have always been on the road visiting our parents. Therefore, we usually stay in a random, cheap hotel in the mall next to our parents' homes. Not exciting.

So, in an effort to be more exciting, we decided we should celebrate our half anniversary, June 27th. But has this solution solved our problem?

Last year on our 1/2 anniversary, Ryan flew to Washington for a family reunion that I couldn't get off work to attend. I was at work, and he was at the airport, when the DHL man walked in. Ryan had gotten me a vase of bamboo. (Surprisingly, due to no effort on my part, Ryan has managed to keep it alive for a full year now. It currently smiles at me from the kitchen counter.) An exciting 1/2 anniversary? Not really.

So, you may be asking, what am I doing for him this year? Something exciting?

As I mentioned in my previous posting, I am still quite nauseous on a regular basis, so Ryan has been preparing all our meals and doing all our grocery shopping for the last 15-weeks. The thought of food... not good.

Tonight, here's my "exciting" plan: Italian marinated chicken breasts, rice, steamed fresh broccolli, and a side salad.

But can I pull it off? Thawing the chicken breasts and placing them in the salad dressing about an hour ago resulted in three loud, obnoxious gags. But, blessedly, I didn't throw up. Now, I just have to get it into a baking dish and then the oven this evening without puking. Can I do it?

And that's the plan to celebrate our 4-1/2 year anniversary this evening. Nothing too exciting, but we wouldn't want to ruin the tradition.

Welcome to the World of Blogging!

It is time. I have spent a lot of time convincing Ryan that I can keep our blog private, and with all our life changes lately, I think it is time. Also, if one more friend asks me about our blog or if we blog, I may scream.

So, a little about the life changes that have prompted me to start blogging.

1- Ryan has a... career! Ryan started working for Caterpillar on Tuesday. Though he is still working on his thesis in the evenings, and we will return to Madison in August for his defense, he is unofficially graduated and will get his first "real" paycheck the first of August. We can't wait! So far, he really loves it and is enjoying himself.

2- We own a home! Though we closed on our home May 5th, we moved in... a week ago today. It is so fun to do laundry and never have to wait for an available machine and to leave it in the washer or dryer as long as I want without fear of a stranger touching my underwear. It is so nice to be able to stand in the kitchen at the same time as Ryan and cook together without stepping on each other's feet. We even have work space! It is so nice to weed the flower bed while Ryan mows the lawn (OUR lawn!). It is funny how what used to be a chore growing up is now kinda fun in your own place! It is so nice to load the dishwasher after dinner instead of rock-paper-scissoring about washing the dishes. This is definitely the life.

3- We are expecting our first baby! Today I am officially 15 weeks. My due date is December 18th. We are so excited about our little one. We are hoping for a boy who won't be bothered by a Holiday birthday. I have been feeling quite a lot better than about a month ago, but I am still waiting for the "2nd Trimester Bliss" the doctors, websites, and my friends talk about. I'm ready! I have noticed I have more energy and that I can go without eating for an hour or two, but... it is going to get even better right? (I threw up this morning, so....)

4- I'm not working anymore! June 10th marked my last day as a full-time teacher. I taught 6th grade for two years in Utah, and 4th grade for one year in Wisconsin. I had a little bit of a nervous break-down when I realized on June 13th that I'd never receive another paycheck, but my heart tells me I'm doing what's right. It is just my brain that is freaking out!

Well, those would be all the major life changes in the last month that have prompted my desire to start blogging. Hopefully, I will be able to match wit with some of you out there. One of the main reasons I haven't done this sooner is because whenever I read your blogs, I laugh to the point of crying at the humorous experiences you have. I am just not that funny (and don't have as many funny experiences), but I will try.