Good-Bye 2009

As 2009 comes to an end, I cant help but think of HOW FAST this year has completely flown by. I remember anxiously awaiting 2009 because that meant I was getting married THIS year. Now that it's all done and over with I cant believe it!! We made it alive through another year!



2009 was a great year for us. We took 2 huge steps in life, marriage and buying a home. We couldn't be happier where we stand today. We are adjusting to married life still, and enjoying every second, good and bad. We have made some great friends, let go of people who did more harm then good, and continued to strengthen friendships and relationships we've had for years. We definitely have a lot more to experience and learn, but we are looking forward to it. Bring on 2010 and let the memory making continue =)



2010 New Years Revolution: Save AS much money as we can, become debt free, eat and become more healthy.

We wish everyone a VERY happy and SAFE new years! Hug loved ones closer, mend stupid burnt bridges, and appreciate all you have! tomorrow is never promised!

Shame on me!

I was doing so good =) and thennnn it all sort of slipped haha. I know i've been slacking. BUT in my defense (hehe) we had our first Christmas dinner in OUR house. Of course i procrastinated on EVERYTHING so the last couple weeks i've been stressing out! I made everyone's gifts which all turned out GREAT. So in 1 week I had to complete 10 gifts, clean my house spotless, and get stuff made for our xmas eve dinner. All in all it was a successful night! We had a ton of fun! Christmas was pretty laid back this year but we had fun visiting with family and relaxing with our dogs. Bailey is getting BIG and she's the funniest puppy i've ever met. She loves to play, and when she comes inside from going potty or being outside she gets SO HYPER i cant help but laugh. Everything is going well at our house. Trying to get Christmas stuff put away and our house back to normal. I have also been slacking on taking pictures...so i will get on that as well =) Hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas and wishing everyone a happy new year as well!!!

#30- WOOHOOOOO

I DID IT! I completed the 30 day challenge, and not falling behind a whole lot! Man am I proud of myself! I hope to continue to blog regularly, but the challenge was sort of hard some days!! For my final post I must say I am thankful for life! I am thankful to have an amazing husband, family and the ability to live life to the fullest!! My husband is my rock and my support and i'd be completely lost without him. My family is always there for me and we have a great time!! Today we are going to add to our family. Since Jackson found a new home, and Abby will here as well, we are getting a yellow lab. Small dogs need SO MUCH more attention then big dogs do. Abby and Jackson were not getting the attention they needed or deserved and made it obvious by digging up our yards and acting out. They were left outside all day and most of the weekends while we were out and about. Big dogs are OK with that, small dogs arent. and it wasnt fair to them!!! I know that once we have kids it would only get worse. So today we are going to Connell to pick up Bailey. She is a 15-week old purebread AKC yellow lab. We hope her and Broady hit it off well, as they will be hunting with Chris every weekend! Bailey is my Christmas present and i'm so excited! the people that are selling her sent me this picture last night:

#29

Today (pretending its Tuesday) I am thankful for good people. I am thankful for people that open up their hearts and home. Monday, I found Jackson a new home. He wasn't getting the attention that he needed and I felt bad! So a mom and her 13-year old son took him home. She called me today to let me know how well it was going (we were both nervous it wouldnt work out because he didnt do well on a leash with me and he was being SO SHY) so i was so relieved to hear he was doing well and starting to really warm up to her son. I know her son will play with him and give him the attention he needs!! She said they even took him for a walk when they got him home and he did GREAT on a leash!!!

#28

Today I am thankful to work at a company that does a lot of giving during the Holidays. The 2 owners got their dentists to donate toothbrushes, toothpaste and floss for the troops (we are sending over some goodies for them!) and we are also adopting a family in need. Not only that but they ordered pizza for lunch tomorrow for all of us to help out the police officers that were shot. If you would like to participate, if you order from Papa Johns tomorrow or Wednesday 20% of the proceeds go to help them. Just like when they did it for Alex and Taylor the two little girls who died in the car accident. How awesome is papa johns!?!

#27

Today I am thankful for (Sunday 12/6) my husband doing household chores! Today was a productive day. He halfway made breakfast (biscuits and gravy) he finally put up the ceiling fan in our bedroom...woo-hoo!! AND mounted our TV in our bedroom! It was like Christmas at our house, I was a happy wife!

#26

I am thankful for great neighbors!! Moving into our home we didnt know what to expect since its a brand new development and every night we'd go to check on our house, no one else was out there. But we have been blessed with some awesome neighbors. Well on one side at least. They are young, married and have an almost 2 year old. Chris being as friendly as he is sparked conversation with Brad a few weeks ago, last weekend he invited them over to BBQ which is when I met him and his wife Robin. And we all hit it off great! Saturday they invited US over there to BBQ and we watched the proposal, had a few drinks and had fun! I'm glad we found some friends!

#25

I'm a bit behind so bare with me. Pretending today is Friday the 4th, i'm right on track =) hehe. and Today i'm going to be thankful for McDonalds breakfast!!! I know its not good for you, but it sure does make getting up early for work not so bad! It definately made it so I could make it through the work day! Friday's are hard for me to stay focused, i'm ready to be off work and enjoying my weekend!!!

#24- PARTAYYYY

Today I am thankful for Christmas parties! I LOVE this time of year. and I love Christmas parties, an excuse to get dressed up with my husband and have a good time with co-workers, family and friends. This year we have 3 Christmas parties!!! One for my job, RCS. One for Chris' Job, Local 598. and one for our family business TEM! I'm so excited to get dressed up and have a good time!

#23- New Found Traditions

Today (pretending its Wednesday) I am thankful for my first Christmas with my husband as man and wife. I am thankful for the opportunity to create and start our own traditions, that maybe someday will be passed to our children. I wish my parents had started at tradition or two when I was young. Although they didn't, I always knew I wanted to. So we started one this year for Christmas. Every year we are going to pick an ornament for our tree that best describes us as a couple/family for the last year. I thought it would be fun for us, to see how we "see" ourselves. And also something neat we could hand down to our kids one day. So this being our first year, we bought an ornament called "New Home" its a big key with a saying on it. Which symbolizes that this year we became First time home owners, and we LOVE it. Its a big milestone we accomplished together =)

#22- Coupon Crazy!

So today I am thankful for the opportunity to use coupons to the fullest and SAVE MONEY! A lady that lives locally has a blog called fist full of coupons. She has been in the newspaper and on the news for saving HUNDREDS of dollars on grocery shopping! While reading her blog I noticed that she does FREE coupon classes. So i emailed her and am having one TONIGHT at my house. If you didnt get the invite and would like to come call me. Its at 6:30. But I am very thankful for the opportunity to LEARN how to coupon and save money! Her blog says she can show a family of 4 how to live off of 200$ a month for groceries, personal things like shampoo etc AND diapers!! We spend more than that on our family of TWO and no diapers needed!! SO wish me luck, hope I learn A LOT!

#21- NO ICE!

Today I am thankful for our garage! and the fact that my husband cleaned it out so we can PARK in it! Which means NO ICE ON MY WINDSHIELDS in the morning!! For you that know me, I am NOT a morning person. I sleep in until the VERY LAST second possible. Which means by the time I get myself out of the door, waiting for my windows to defrost puts me behind schedule a few minutes! I HATE scraping my windows!! I LOVE the garage and am thankful for it especially in the winter time!!!

#20-Family dinners

I am thankful for our Sunday dinners. Usually every sunday we have dinner at my grandma's house. Nothing better than authentic mexican food, and hanging out with the family and having a good time!!

#19- Holiday Spirit

Today I am thankful for Christmas Decorations. They make me SO happy! I am also thankful for a CLEAN HOUSE! Today I scrubbed our house. It was SO GROSS from all of the painting and what not. And my reward for cleaning everything? Being able to put up Christmas decorations!! I LOVE Christmas season! It is my favorite time of the year!!! Below is our Christmas Tree!

#18- Black Friday

Today I am thankful for GOOD DEALS! Although i'm not a black friday fan. We ventured off to some places at 6am and although I found NOTHING. Chris found a lot (imagine that) but I cant complain because everything he purchased he got a GREAT deal on. He got some tools, DRESS CLOTHES (yes dress clothes) and some other misc. things. I am always a fan of saving money! And for that i'm thankful =)

#17- Happy Turkey Day!

Happy Thanksgiving!! Hope Everyone has a great holiday. Today I am thankful for EVERYTHING! (I think this is appropriate since its THANKSgiving!) I am thankful for my friends, family, husband, dogs, roof over my head, food on my table, clothes on my back, shoes on my feet, and the list goes ON! Hope everyone enjoys their turkey day, hug loved ones close and don't take anything for granite!

#16- TGI..W?

Every Friday I wake up thinking TGIF (Thank God Its Friday) and today I woke up thinking TGIW (Thank God Its Wednesday) because today THANKFULLY is MY FRIDAY! WOO-HOO! I am so excited for a 4 day weekend with my love. I am excited to spend tomorrow with my family, and our first thanksgiving as a married couple =) I am excited to get up early and go Shopping on Friday (which i've never really done) and I am most excited for a weekend that doesnt consist of PAINTING, at least not this weekend!!! SO I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving, hug your loved ones close. Enjoy the delicious food! and the time off from work!

#15- Blessed

Today I am thankful for all of the blessings the Lord has given me the past year. I couldn't name all of them even if I tried. I believe blessings are everything small and big, materials and not. This past year I have been blessed a countless amount of times and for that I am very thankful. I am thankful for great family, friends, and a great husband. I hope everyone has a fantastic Thanksgiving!

#14- Short Week

I am thankful for a 3-day work week. Waking up this morning the only thing that dragged me out of bed was knowing I only had to do this 3 days this week! And then it was a 4-day weekend! After all of the painting festivities I am SO looking forward to a 4-day weekend. I am also looking forward to spending time with my family and eating WAY MORE then I ever should!!!

#13- Missing my lazy sunday

I usually look forward to my lazy Sunday. Where i can lounge all day, do some house cleaning and laundry but still be in my PJ's. This Sunday was NOTHING like that! Chris was up and painting by 8. Me by 9 when he decided he wanted my help. The painting didn't end until 9 last night. After he went through and did all the touch-ups, tearing down of the taping etc. Taping the house off took the MOST time. It took FOREVER. Although our house now looks a BILLION times better, in fact it doesn't even look like the same house, it still made me THANKFUL for my lazy sundays. MY ONE day a week I justify spending all day in my jammies if I want to.

#12- Date

I am thankful that after a long day of painting, I am able to share a quick date night dinner with my husband. I am thankful that we are able to go out to eat and enjoy some time together and away from the house!!! I barely saw him Friday night, I went to New Moon with the girls in my family, so straight from work I went to applebees to meet them, then new moon, then home at 8:30ish. I came home to my dining area DONE and the wall our fireplace is on DONE. So Saturday he got up and painted the mantel, which took a lot more time then expected. Around 4 I dragged him to applebees for half priced appetizers! I enjoy our time and our date nights!

#11

Ask anyone that knows me, I do NOT go anywhere without my phone. It is my lifeline. I am on it probably WAY more than I should be. But what can I say? I am thankful for technology. Not just my phone but for EVERYTHING. TV, Computers, all of the technology that is used in hospitals daily to save people's lives. Without technology lives wouldn't be saved, and life might not be 'sane' It amazes me what sort of technology is out there these days. It seems to get better and better, and some of it is getting ridiculous (some if it will make you even more lazy at times!!). But I am thankful for all the technological finds, maybe one day it will save my life?

#10- DR. me please!

Oh man. Do you ever have those days where they never seem to end? Where you just want to throw your feet up and have a nice cold beer or drink? WELL I have been having those A LOT lately. And since it is usually during the work day (go figure) I cant throw my feet up and have a beer (dangit) BUT I do have a pick-me-up. I am so thankful for my wonderful Dr. Pepper. It helps me get through the rest of the day without falling over! Some people have their crutch's, Whats yours????

#9

I saw this one someone else's post...I thought it would be fun =)

What is his name? Christopher Lee Brodaczynski
How long have you been together? Been together a year and 8 months. Been married 2 months
How long did you date? We dated a year and a half before getting married. We had an 11 month engagement.
How old is he? 24- He will be 25 in April
Who eats more? Chris by far =) I couldn't keep up with him if I tried.
Who said I love you first? Chris- in the parking lot before going to Hogs and Dogs. He always told me he'd never say the "L" word. So he'd always say " I heart you" Which was stinking cute in the beginning. But then we got more serious and it would start to drive me nuts. So when he finally said the "L" word I was on cloud 9 =)
Who is taller? He is! I love it.
Who can sing better? We both give it our best shot =) He does sing to me all the time though and I love it. Our first dance as a married couple he sang the whole song to me. Melted my heart.
Who is smarter? Chris is naturally smart. So he definitely wins this one. He is smart when it comes to EVERYTHING. He does awesome in school and in his job. I am so very proud of him. I love how smart he is, and he is quite the handy man =)
Who does the laundry? That would be ME! Its not my favorite thing but I love my washer and dryers which makes it an easier job =)
Who pays the bills? ME! and i'm OCD when it comes to them haha
Who sleeps on the right side? Chris does. Always has!
Who mows the lawn? Chris does, our agreement since we've lived on our own has been he takes care of everything on the outside, me on the inside. Makes it nice.
Who cooks dinner? ME 99% of the time. Chris will BBQ but that's about it. Which is OK with me. I've found a new love for cooking (more so when it turns out good!)
Who drives? Chris does, unless he's been drinking or sick or something.
Who is more stubborn? Surprisingly, Me. Chris is good at letting things go. I on the other hand am not so good.
Who kissed who first? Chris kissed ME first =)
Who proposed? Chris did. and it was AMAZING. I couldn't have asked for a more romantic, fun, meaningful proposal.
Who has more friends? We pretty much have the same friends now. Which means we both don't have a lot of them haha.
Who is more sensitive? Depends on the situation
Who has more siblings? ME. 5 brothers!
Who wears the pants? Well i learned at my bridal shower that he thinks he does. He couldn't be MORE WRONG. I know most girls say they do. but I honestly think ours is equal. We have a pretty equal marriage, and i think we balance each other out wonderfully.



Today I am thankful for our jobs. I am thankful we both have good jobs and continue to work. I am thankful that we are blessed enough to contribute equally. We both work our butts off for everything we have. We are able to pay our bills and still do some recreation on the side. We are able to keep a roof over our head and transportation from point A to point B. AND keep food on our table! I am thankful that the tri-cities hasnt really been hit with the negatives from our economy like other places have.

#8

Man i'm doing good with these posts! Yay for me!! I can't believe its already mid-November. Where has this year gone!?! We got our Christmas cards in the mail Saturday. They turned out pretty cute! We are in the midst of painting. Chris got our garage cleaned out so we BOTH park in there now =) WOO-HOO no more waiting for my car to defrost OR scraping windows!!!

TODAY I am thankful for my aunt Jaime! She ran around town to starbucks after starbucks looking for my insulated VENTI size tumbler that they carry. They had them in the Spring and they sold VERY fast (they didnt have the VENTI size though) my step mom was looking for one forever. They were giong on E-Bay for like 90$! When I got to work this morning a girl I work with Shonna showed me that they had got some holiday ones, the only difference being the straw looked like a candy cane. and I was so excited I was telling Jaime about them. She went to the Starbucks by Target in Richland and they had ONE so she bought it for herself because I was giong to go to the one by safeway on my lunch. Since my lunch is only a half hour I didnt have time. So she went to the one on Road 68 and they only had the Grande size and said as of 2 hours ago they only had 14 of the VENTI size left IN THE TRI CITIES! WOW! So i got online to see if i could just order one because i saw them on there this morning. To find, the VENTI size was taken off of the website. So Jaime said i'll go one more place for you. She went to the one by Winco in Richland and they had 8 left!!!! MAN she's a life saver =) Thanks JAIME!

#7- Friends

“Even though we've changed and we're all finding our own place in the world, we all know that when the tears fall or the smile spreads across our face, we'll come to each other because no matter where this crazy world takes us, nothing will ever change so much to the point where we're not all still friends.”

This quote I find so true. As we grow up we start our own families and own lives. and I have been truly blessed with some amazing friends. Some I know if we didn't talk for weeks or months and I needed someone, they'd be there in a heart beat. Not that I ever plan on letting the weeks or months without talking or seeing them happen, it's just the point. When we were in middle school our life revolved around our friends. What we were going to do that weekend, and who's house we are going to stay at. Then we all grew up, and now being married its amazing how much your life completely changes. But I can say I am so blessed with some AMAZING friends. I wouldn't trade any of them for the world!

#6- Home is where the heart is

I am so very thankful for our home. I am thankful to own our own home, because I HATED renting. I am thankful to HAVE a home because I know unfortunately some people are without. I am thankful to be a first time home buyer, and not only get an AWESOME tax credit, but to get the keys to a home that WE OWN. A home we can do WHATEVER we want to. Paint whatever we want, hang whatever we want. It feels so good to walk in the front door everyday knowing that we work for our home, and the check I mail out every month is benefiting us, not some landlord! We actually (and by we I mean Chris lol) started our painting project Sunday. Saturday we bought some sample colors and tested them out. Yesterday Chris did our dining area. We painted it a burnt red which I LOVE. I think it adds SO MUCH to our home, and it makes it 100% different its crazy!! We have one more coat to do, which he is doing Tuesday night. I'm excited to see it all done with some pictures hung :) I will post some Before and After pictures on Wednesday!

#5- FAM-ILY

My computer at home is DINOSAUR slow, and I haven't played around with how to blog from my phone. So I decided to wait until today to do my catch up blogging posts for the weekend, which by the way went by WAYYY to fast.

So pretending today is Saturday =)

I am thankful for my family. Even though I am thankful for them each and everyday, its usually Holiday Season that I feel even more thankful. Thankful we have people to share the Holiday cheer with, make some good food, and have some good laughs! My family is a blast to be around. We have family dinners every Sunday night, and we have a great time. Laughing, cracking jokes, and reminiscing. It's CRAZY to think I'm now old enough to be married, buy our own house, and someday start our own family. Time goes by SO fast that sometimes I forget to stop, take a breath and enjoy the PRESENT time. Sometimes I think we get too caught up in our drama, that we forget about the people close who are always lending a helping caring hand. You NEVER know what tomorrow will bring you, so enjoy all the time you have with your family far and near!

Although I LOVEEE Christmas and the holidays, I cant help but to feel some sadness as well. Linny was a Christmas freak. There was a Christmas tree in every room and storage units full of decor. I miss her A BUNCH over the holiday season. I know she is with me, and watching over Chris and I. But oh man what I'd do to hug her tightly one more time on Christmas morning....

#4- WEEKENDS HERE!

I am so proud of myself...4th post in a row! WOOHOO FOR ME!!!!!

Today my thankful post is me being Thankful for WEEKENDS. I am thankful for the 2 FULL days a week that I don't have to work. I am thankful to have a job that allows me to have weekends off with my husband! It allows some much needed 'us' time and when we have a family it will be SO NICE to enjoy our weekends. I worked retail for a few years and VERY VERY rarely did I have A weekend off. Let alone EVERY weekend. I then worked at HAPO for 2 1/2 years, and until I transferred to the Hanford branch my last 6 months there I worked every OTHER Saturday. I got a day off during the week but...what good is that when a lot of my friends worked Mon-Fri?? I am 1. very grateful to have a job with our economy going the way it is. and 2. even more thankful that every Friday at 4:30 I walk out of our business door knowing I have 2 WHOLE DAYS to do what I want, on MY schedule and on MY time. And boy am I thankful for that!!!!

Hope everyone has a FANTASTIC weekend. TGIF!

#3- The Air I Breathe

Today my thankful post is very SAD. But bare with me =)

I am thankful for the very air I breathe. This may seem like a much to "broad" thankful post...but allow me to elaborate.

I am thankful for the air I breathe because tomorrow int promised. Tomorrow is promised, an hour from now isn't promised, a minute from now isn't promised.

Yesterday a girl I went to high school with lost her life. At a young age of 22, a senior in College with a whole lot of life before her. She was hit by a car, and was taken off of life support once her parents arrived from Texas. Brittany and I were not best friends by any means, in fact we rarely hung out unless our groups were at the same place. The thought of someone I KNEW lost her life has been hard to juggle. My thoughts and prayers go out to her close family, friends and sorority. I know she has touched MANY people's lives, and her memory will never fade.

Someone you know, so young, losing their life makes some things that have been buried away so much more clear. Never take your life or the people in it for granite, for tomorrow isn't promised, and either is the rest of today.

Here is a picture of Brittany, Breaks my heart to see such a young life lost.

#2- Perfect Day

I think today is a PERFECT DAY for this Thankful Post. I think it is VERY appropriate seeing how today is Veterans Day!

For me, today was a very emotional drive to work. Listening to 94.9 and their tribute to all of the fallen soldiers and to everyone that was injured and lost their life in the Fort Hood incident. I couldn't help the tears streaming from my face, even though I myself haven't lost a loved one to the war, I have family and friends serving our country and for that I'm grateful.

I am thankful to every single person that IS or HAS served our country. I am thankful for my cousin Rudy that is a Marine and has been for 3 years. and I am thankful for my little brother Hunter that is at boot camp as we speak. War is a very scary thing to me, the thought of my little brother being there SCARES ME to death! But his courage and drive to defend our country astonishes me. I am so proud of my little brother and my cousin and everyone else that has made the leap into an armed force to help defend our country, a lot of them leaving their families behind.

Some people I went to school with also are in an armed force so not only am I thankful for my family that is in it, (as well as everyone else of course!) but I'm also thankful for my friends/classmates that took that leap as well. Although I don't keep in great contact with any of them as much anymore, I do talk to Mike's wife here and there, I am still very proud to say I was your classmate and at one point or another, your friend. So thank you Mike, Roger, Robby, Cody, Sean, Justin, Rashell and EVERYONE else. You make me a proud sister/cousin/friend/classmate/ and AMERICAN.


Hunter and I at my Bridal Shower 08/09 Rudy and I: Christmas 07

Slacking Big Time!

I know! I've been HORRIBLE once again! Shame on me! But like I said, our lives are pretty boring =)

Tomorrow I'm having a Lia Sophia jewelry party! It should be a good time with good people and good food =) So I really hope you can all make it!

Yesterday I ordered our Christmas Cards to send out like we did last year. I know it might seem a little early, but I was reading a blog that I check in on and it gave a promo code for 50 Free ones and I was like Heck yeah! That's a great deal that saved me 25+$! If you do Christmas cards for your family, let me know and i'll give you the information. Its only valid until 11/30.

I decided that I'm going to try Dave Ramsey. Not because we are in tremendous debt, but because I want to SAVE A LOT OF MONEY! I was reading his success stories on his website and WOW! I also know people that have use him, and continue to use him and they all SWEAR by him. So I am excited to give him a try and see the benefits!

I decided that it's not fair of me to check people's blogs everyday and be disappointed when there is nothing new to read ( I LOVE reading people's blogs) when my blog itself isn't updated!! So from now on I'm going to do Ashley's blogging challenge. Every day for the month of November (starting today) I will blog about something/someone I am thankful for. This should give me the kick to update as I should, and get me in the habit of doing so as well! I know Today being 11/10 that means I am TEN days OVER-DUE but I will not stop my challenge until 12/10 so it is A MONTH of straight blogging!

SO to start off my 1st day of the challenge:

I am thankful for my amazing husband. He works his butt off every week to provide the best he can for us. He worked SO HARD on getting our yard put in and our fence up so we could start our lives together in our new home. He tells me a hundred times a day how much he loves me, and reminds me of how beautiful I am. He listens when I need to vent, and is my biggest support system. He loves me unconditionally and I am so blessed and thankful for that. He does everything within his power to better himself and better us as a couple. He does things for me without having to ask, and accompanies me to places (like the craft store) just to keep me company. I am so very proud of him for every single thing he does for himself and for us. Anyone that knew him before we started dating tells me how big of a turn around he has done since we have been dating, and I'm so thankful that he saw me (even before he really knew me) as someone he wanted to better his life for. He spoils me, and loves me more then anything everyday. and I am SO THANKFUL every night I go to bed with him, and every morning when I wake up to him. He is the best husband ever and I know will make an AMAZING daddy someday! I love you honey! With every inch of my being =)



My Husband hard at work =)

♥ TGIF ♥

I cant wait to have kids... I feel like i'll have more to blog about then =) haha ANYWAYS--

I have an hour left of my work day...and I am SO ANXIOUS for this weekend. I dont know why..I just am. Tonight we are going to dinner to celebrate a good friend of mine's, Reyna's birthday at Azteca. And then home to BED.

Tomorrow Chris has school all day. and at 4 we have my little brothers going away party =( He leaves for Boot Camp on Sunday! I can't believe it! Where has time gone?? Although I am so EXTREMELY proud of my little brother, I am very sad to see him go. It will be hard to let him go, especially with how scary the war gets sometimes! My family will have to rely on God for strength to get through this, and to protect Hunter every second of every day! We Love you Hunter James and couldn't be more proud of you and your accomplishments! Kick some booty!!!

I havent posted pictures of the house because i've had NO motivation to even start decorating. Crazy i know. Especially with how excited I was about it. The walls are so white and it makes it feel so cold and blah. I hope to get started this weekend! But we will see!

We love our new furniture, Infact I have made a new rule for it. NO DOGS ALLOWED ON COUCHES! Annnd this is what I came home to the other day:


His Excuse: He wasnt ON the couch, he was on him.

Ohhh Husbands I swear!!

Have a good weekend. Hopefully I'll have more to blog about when it's over =)

Where to Start?

So I am very much aware how stinkin far behind I am with our blog. I don't even know where to start. Not only am I SO far behind, I also had to find some inner strength to blog about everything I need to... so here it goes:

On September 5th 2009, 2 weeks before our wedding, God took a very special man in my life and called him up to heaven. Lonnie Cook lost his battle with LMS at around 10PM that night. Lonnie and my dad have been the best of friends since they were in high school, I've always known him as "uncle lonnie" and would be the most excited little girl when he'd come visit us when we lived in Yakima. It absoloutely broke all of our hearts. He left behind his beautiful wife and 2 little girls. Kamryn is only 4, and she's a spinning image of her daddy! Lonnie was the most amazing man and everyone who has ever met him would say the same. He took a piece of all of us with him to heaven and we miss him dearly. It was an EXTREMELY hard week for the DeWitt family...but what we do know, Is Linny is up there whippin him into shape =) not only does he have a great Woman keeping him company, but he is no longer in pain and no longer suffering... and that in itself is a blessing.

We miss you Lonnie! And we will continue to each and every day! We will see you again someday!!

After 2 short weeks of healing, I was heading down the isle, and our wedding day was amazing. I couldnt have asked for anything more.

Married Life is amazing. I didnt expect for much to change, but I feel like we fell in love all over again. And since a week after we were married we got the keys to our new home and have been INSANELY busy getting the yard put in so we can live in it, we havent had ANY "us time" which i'm hoping to change this weekend. I dont know how yet..but i'll figure something out to surprise my wonderful, hard working husband with some sort of date night =) which we are both needing the attention from one-another.

Last night Chris, Thomas and John finished our fence! All that was left is the gate, and since Chris' work was canceled for today (lucky duck!) he has plenty of time to do it before school. That way I can open the door, let the dogs out with NO WORRIES for the first time since I got them!! Our sod is in, sprinklers are in. OUR YARD IS DONE (well..the must haves anyways!)
There are a few things we'd like to do EVENTUALLY but just stuff for our benefit =)

The inside of the house is coming together slowly. The majority of things are un-packed. I just cant figure out WHERE to start putting stuff. I'm super stressed and overwhelmed because I want it to be warm, inviting, nice, and 'grown up' so we will see!

I will get pictures posted soon (once Chris' fixes my camera!)

Officially Married!!

I know! I've completely SUCKED at blogging the last MONTHS! But I am excited to say Chris and I are now a married couple =) Our wedding day was AMAZING and we couldn't have asked for a better turn out! We had a great time, and by the time the Limo came at 10:30 we were EXHAUSTED! And now today we are SUPPOSE to sign on our house at 1:30. I'm crossing my fingers extra tight, with our luck somehow we always get screwed!! Here are some pictures from the wedding..I hope you enjoy. Can't wait to see our professional ones =) Sorry this blogs so short, I will get back into the habit when things settle down a bit =)

Last Minute Kind of Girl

Man its been quite the busy week! Getting things taken care of for the wedding. It's 2 weeks away. Where has time gone??? I made our unity sand jar, and bought a lot of things off my "misc. list" it feels good to get it all accomplished!!!

September 17th at 8AM we have our FINAL walk through for our new home! We are both very excited! We went there last night to take a look, and for the first time it was somewhat CLEAN. You can tell someone had vaccumed the carpets, it was a nice feeling. Usually there are all sorts of things laying around that the construction workers left behind. We have a GREEN front yard, our trim on our house is finally painted, same with our shutters and front door. It looks AWESOME! Besides the few touch ups inside that need to be done, dings in the wall, stuff like that, I can finally say our house IS COMPLETE! We have a storage shed full of stuff, furniture at the Ashley Store warehouse, Fridge at Sears Warehouse and washer waiting to be moved in! Hopefully we will get a computer before we make the move so I can post TONS of pictures! They are on my camera just waiting to be shown!

With the week 2 weeks away Chris agreed in letting me bring one of my best friends, Sarah onto the bridal party. Last minute I know, but I'm glad he agreed. Sarah was originally already planning on being there ALL day with us the day of (her husband is a groomsmen as well) to help me with my makeup and misc things like any best friend does. But it feels more RIGHT knowing she will be up there waiting for me to walk down the isle! We are both VERY excited, both her and her husband are VERY good friends of Chris and I's and in the last 6 months we've all gotten a ton closer!!!

I will try and update as much as I can. With the wedding being 2 weeks away i'm busy busy! Hope to see everyone there on our special day!

Almost There!

Tomorrow is September 1st which means we are 19 days away from our wedding. How INSANE is that?? The more I think about it, the more paniced I get because I still have a list of things to do! Anyways, so our house is pretty much done! As of Friday our Sod was laid, all that needed to be done by the looks of things were touch up's of things that needed to be fixed and CLEAN (and they beetter kill all million of the flies!!!) I just wanted to post some updated pictures! We are SO SO SO excited. This month will be A LOT of new changes. The 9th I start a new job, 19th we get married, and 21st close on our house! YIKES!

Our fireplace with the tile that matches our entry way!


Our living room with our carpet =)


Kitchen sink with our backsplash which I LOVE!


Outside with our trees and rock. Before the sod was laid.
Once again the color looks weird!


Microwave and Stove!


And we have AC =) No one other then TEM!

Looks like a new house everyday!

This is the Furniture we ordered.

Thank God for double sinks!

The picture turned out really dark for some reason!

Promised Pictures!

This is the frame I made to sit by our guest book at the wedding. I also made one for Chris' Grandpa!


Our double sinks in our master bath! Thank God for double sinks!



Our house when they put on our garage doors and paved our driveway. Our house is now painted!!! And the pathway and patio to our house is now paved!


Kitchen! I LOVE the birch cabinets. This picture doesnt capture their true color, they are dark birch. I LOVEEEE them they are gorgeous!

Far Far Behind

I know. I'm farrrrr behind! Things have been quite BUSY!

The last 2 weekends I've had Bridal Showers! Last weekend (The 15th) I had the Bridal shower for my moms side. And the weekend before (the 8th) My bridal shower with my step mom and Dad. Both Showers had an AWESOME outcome and we got A TON of stuff!!! Infact, we still have a trip or two to our storage unit to get all of our crap out of my grandparents dining area!

The wedding is 4 weeks away and counting! Man has time flown by! The guys went Saturday morning and got fitted for their tuxes. While they were doing that my step mom and I went and got pedicure and manicures. Boy was that needed! It was nice to relax and enjoy our time together! Everything for the most part is done for the wedding. Is it bad that I'm almost anxious for it to be over?

Our house is looking AWESOME! Last week they completed sheet rock, sanding and texturing of the walls! It looks like a REAL house! This week they should get a lot of the cosmetic things knocked out...like flooring, cabinets. etc. We are SO excited to see those things taking their places, we are sooo anxious for it to be done and start our lives together in our new home that we OWN. Our finish date was moved from September 30th to September 21st. (2 days after our wedding!) Since the USDA loans are SO FAR behind we are hoping that this week our house will be at least 90% done so they can order a half appraisal, which the government OK'd them to do to speed up the process, since they are so far behind. Once we are 90% complete they will order the appraisal, which will get us in line. Then when our house is 100% complete that will be sent to our file which has hopefully moved up in line. By the time they look over our file, everything will be there. HOPEFULLY its not TOO LONG after the 21st!

I will post pictures sometime this week! Hope everyone is doing well, and Hope to see you on the 19th of September. If you have not RSVP'd pleaseeeeee do so! www.mywedding.com/chrisandalexisforever.

July 25th, My worst day of the year

July 25th is the day that I dread every year. It brings back all the memories of the hardest day/weekend of my life. Saying good-bye to one of the people you charish most in life is by far the hardest thing i've ever had to do. As this years July 25th came and went, not only was I happy it was over with, but I was amazed that it has already been 4 years since God called Linny up to heaven. As much as I miss her DAILY, I was surprised that it really doesnt feel like it's been 4 years. More so now then ever, I've been struggling with it a lot more then usual. With the wedding, and the building of our first home, its times like those that I feel her loss more then ever. The fact that she won't be there in person for my big special day, leaves an emptyness I thought I was prepared for. I know that the empty hole will never be filled, but I can say... on Sunny days, I do feel her with me. With the sun shining down, I can just picture her face glowing, in her nike tennis shoes, sports bra, and shorts, working in the yard. Its memories like that I will hold onto forever.

I suck

I know.. I've completely SUCKED with keeping up with the blog! SORRY! We have been so insanely busy with the wedding, and the house its CRAZY! The wedding is close to 9 weeks away! I can't believe it! Well..to keep it short and sweet! They started our house about July 7th. I have taken A TON of pictures, but of course our computer crashed so I havent been able to upload them yet. I have taken some on my phone though which i will put at the bottom of this post! As of last night all the windows and sliding glass door were IN, looks as if the trusses will be started today. Its VERY exciting. Hope you enjoy the pictures. It has been SO NEAT to see the progress EVERY DAY! They even work SATURDAY AND SUNDAY! I'm excited to get everything painted, moved in, and see the pictures from dirt, to DONE!