Goodbye 2010!

This year has been a full and crazy year.

Just to recap:

The husband and I got married in May.

We got Gatsby shortly after.

We both searched and searched for jobs and had basically given up once we got back from our delayed honeymoon.

The week we returned, I got two calls and was asked to two interviews.

The same week, Husband got a phone call offering him a new job.

The day we were moving, I received a phone call offering me my job.

The best part is that they were only 45 minutes from each other.

We moved back to my hometown and stayed with my parents for a while until we got on our feet. Our plan was to rent a house for a little bit until we became more financially stable.  My dad had remodeled an old mill house that he bought from a family friend (See Ashleigh here). My mom and I helped my dad to modernize the house, but still keep it's mill town charm (since it is around 100 years old). We all fell in love with the house and were a little bit sad to put it on the marked. (Mom and I were sad, anyway). When it didn't sell right away, my dad and his investment partner offered to let us rent from them so we moved in as soon as we could.

And now, fittingly, on the last day of 2010, we've taken the first steps to buying our sweet, little house!

I will go into more detail later, but we are officially on our way to becoming first-time homeowners!

So, I would like to wish everyone a safe and happy New Year!

I hope you have many more just like it!

Things I'm currently obsessed with

My puppy, Gatsby

He is quite possibly the most handsome Bloodhound I've ever met.

He is surely the sweetest.

Pajama Jeans

Not because I like them or even think they're clever.

To be perfectly honest, they seem like they may be the decline of civilization.

Seriously.

Why not just put on jeans?

Or just wear pajamas?

Weddings

This is my Dad and me on my wedding day.

Since then, I've been obsessed with the way people plan their weddings and how they get their inspiration.

I would still read wedding blogs every day if I had the time.

Grammar

 Okay, to be honest, grammar has always been an obsession of mine.

However, now that I teach, it has become increasingly more pertinent.

This is my absolute FAVORITE book on how to write.

It is short, sweet and to the point.

You will finish it a different writer.

And finally, the Whirley Pop Popcorn Maker

 I realize that popcorn is not always the healthiest snack,

especially the way my family likes it.

But you will not find a better bowl of popcorn anywhere than what you've popped from the Whirley Pop.

[Photos 2 and 5 credited to www.pajamajeans.com and www.slashfood.com respectively]

For the sake of Auld Lang Syne

I don't make New Year's Resolutions, as a rule.  I don't see the point.

Yet, here I am on a new endeavor.  I'm not even 100% sure what this will turn out to be.  Really the only thing I know is that I have a lot that needs to get out there whether or not anyone is listening.

So, for this New Year, I resolve to keep this up; to write and "write bravely." It may be extremely necessary for my sanity.  :)