one year.

A year ago I was so torn. I had two lives, really. One waiting for me to continue in Oregon, and one being finished in Alaska. I was moving out of the house for good. No more coming back for the summers, when school was done. This was a huge step for me; I am so very close with both of my parents. Not only was I moving to a different state, but in a month I would be getting married. Such a rush of emotions.

I have a really hard time living in the present. And I always end up kicking myself for it. I have things to look forwards to, and base my happiness off of that goal. But what happens when it arrives? Usually, it's amazing. But I was so focused on the future that I didn't enjoy what I had in the moment. I did that with Homer. I was so eager to leave, so eager to be with my fiance. And when the time came to FINALLY leave, I didn't want to.

I'm not saying that being with Josh, who is now my husband, is disappointing. No no no. Not at all! It's more than I was dreaming, than I could ever hope for. I love him. So so much.

But let's just recap what has happened in a year, shall we?

I left homer, bound for Oregon. A tearful goodbye.

2700 mile road trip.

5 girls, 3 cars. It was definitely an adventure I will always hold dear in my heart.

I moved into a very tiny apartment (which we named the shoebox) by myself. Something I had never done. Just a few more weeks, and I would have a roommate!

And we finally got married!! It was a perfect day.

And soon, married life became the new normal.

It was definitely a year for weddings! Went to Vancouver to shoot a wedding for some friends from school. A project to keep me busy, I'll take it!

A few weeks later, Mom and Dad were heading south for the winter. So they stayed in town for a few days.

Unfortunately, the shoebox turned out to be a disaster. We got carbon monoxide poisoning, and had to temporarily move into my in-law's place.

I had a job interview at a small coffee roasting company, and got the job! OH happy day!

And because I got a job, we were approved to rent a wonderful cabin!

We moved into our new house immediately, and then went to Texas for Christmas! Josh survived meeting my crazy family :]

I started my job, and eventually got into the swing of things.

Mom flew up to Oregon, for our birthday. Yes, we share a birthday. I normally don't like birthdays, but this made it extra special.

Then out of the blue, my boss asked me to start developing pastry recipes. He was planning on moving to a new location in Hood River, and it would have a kitchen. So, recipes I did indeed start testing.

Suddenly, spring showed up, and was welcomed warmly.

Which meant that my parents were once again passing thru Oregon. And they too were welcomed warmly.

And then a new opportunity presented itself. I was offered the manager position of a new store that we would be opening very quickly.

In the middle of all the new store opening, a dear friend came to visit for a few short days.

We successfully opened the new 10-speed in White Salmon! What a rush.

The next few weeks mostly consisted of getting into a routine with the new shop. work work work.....

With a wedding thrown in, of course. Like I said...it's the year of weddings!

The eagerly anticipated 4th of July came. And I finally got to spend it with my love.

A few weeks later, we drove to California, to shoot another lovely wedding.

Turned right back around the next weekend for my sister-in-law's wedding! Phew. Glad that is done. 3 weddings in 18 months, in our family alone.

Well, that pretty much brings us up to current date. I just bought tickets for a Caribbean cruise in Febuary! It's going to be our belated honeymoon. Next month is already our 1 year anniversary. I can't believe it! I think we deserve a vacation.

Sometimes, I'm just exhausted. And then I think back on this year and give myself a little break. Yeah, its been busy. But that is me, I suppose. It's been so good, coming upon challenges, like baking and opening a new coffee shop, and been able to face them head on. Our next big mile marker is beginning to buy the White Salmon store, starting in January. It's a bit frightening, but overall, it's going to be a huge investment. Here's to future challenges, and being able to face them, with the love of my life!

framed.

We finally finished a project that we've been working on for a few months now!

I got this window from my husband's workshop. He installs glass, and sometimes they save old pieces in decent shape. His boss gave this one to me for free! Can't beat that. You can't see it in this image, but it it still has it's old hardware on <3

Sand it down, paint it fresh. I feel like I do this a little too often...

Do you like my drying method?

Next, I had my handy handsome husband cut down the piece that would go in the middle. I made it into a chalkboard! I do love me some chalkboard paint. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of that boring step. Haha.

We found an old memo board in Josh's "mancave" at his parents house, when we were sorting everything for a garage sale. On one side was a white board, and the other was a cork board. They were simply glued together, so we ripped it apart. I cut the cork board down to fit into another piece of the window, and covered it in fabric I bought from wal mart. Again, no pictures. Oh well.

We went to the recycle center in town (love it!) and found so many materials for several projects. Including this - sheet metal. Only, it was in the form of an old air duct. So once again, my husband to the rescue. Nothing some strong hands and tin snips couldn't handle! We covered the sharp edges (careful!) with electrical tape, and then covered the whole thing in the same fabric I used to cover the cork board.

Put it all together aaaand....

Tada! Pretty cute, huh? Of course, it's in the green room. So there you go. The ultimate memo board! Magnet board, chalk board, and cork board, all in one! I love recycling materials <3

pet peeve.

There are several things I do not understand about the facebook world. Most of them, I just ignore or block. But one of them is a major pet peeve and it gets under my skin every time. It's the mass email, sent only to girls. Ladies, I'm sure you've all at some point had this kind of message appear in your inbox.

OK pretty ladies, it's that time of year again, in support of breast cancer awareness!! Remember last year so many people took part that it made national news and, the constant updating of status reminded everyone why we're doing this and helped raise awareness!! Do NOT tell any males what the status' mean, keep them guessing!! And please copy and paste (in a message )this to all your female friends to see if we can make a bigger fuss this year than last year!!! I did my part... now YOUR turn!
The idea is to choose the month you were born and the day you were born. Pass this on to the girls only and lets see how far it reaches around. The last one about the bra went round all over the world. So you'll write... I'm (your birth month) weeks and I'm craving (your birth date)!!! as your status.

Example: Feb 14th= I'm 2 weeks and craving Chocolate mints!!

etc. etc.

I'm really not sure why it bugs me SO much, but I just don't get it. Why is posting your status that has nothing to do with breast cancer (which makes you sound pregnant, nonetheless...) helping raise the awareness? Why not just post your status as "HEY GUESS WHAT. It is breast cancer awareness month. Be aware." But I still don't see what that is doing to help. It's just telling you to be aware, not to donate or do anything. So, it's still kind of pointless. But, then again, why does breast cancer need more awareness? It's not like people don't know about it. I can confidently say that anybody who has a facebook account either a) has a family member who has battled breast cancer, even it is their second cousin twice removed or b) knows someone who knows someone.

It's not a secret.

How about posting something about the sex trade? That is going on all over the nation, and it's being swept under the rug.

Ok. I'm done venting.