Cheers My Dear to 1 Year!

WE MADE IT! We survived our first year of marriage. Woo hoo! High five!

One year ago we were in the depths of wedding planning, Nick was finishing culinary school AND working full time, and we had just purchased and moved into our first home. I'm not sure how we fit it all in but somehow we made it work! We were both putting in really long days with very few opportunities to see each other. I remember looking forward to our honeymoon because we would get a chance to spend more than 2 hours together.

Now a year has passed and we can officially mark it down in the record books.

I have one word to describe our first year of marriage - rollercoaster. This year has brought the highest of highs and lowest of lows. We've said goodbye to loved ones, celebrated new job opportunities, struggled with a miscarriage, and welcomed birthday milestones. But, through it all we've had each other to lean on for guidance, support, laughter, and sometimes just a shoulder to cry on.

Some say the first year is the toughest and I hope that's true because I'd like it to be smooth sailing from here on out. Well, okay, maybe not smooth sailing but definitely not rough, choppy waters. A couple waves would be fine with me. :) You hear that God, aliens, big guy in the sky or whoever is up there?!?

Although this year hasn't been the easiest, we did find some time to have a little fun in between everything. I've been keeping notes here and there of things we've done so I wouldn't forget. I always want to remember those little moments together. Here are a few of my favorites. 

• Sept 9 - The first day of our honeymoon. Waking up that morning and looking over at my husband. MY HUSBAND! Ah, so crazy to say! But it was the best feeling in the world.
  
  
  

• Oct 31 - Halloween! We dressed in costume to pass out candy to kids in the neighborhood. Nick was a Colts player sporting a blue mustache and jersey and I was a garden gnome with a little red pointy hat and long gray beard. Nick made my hat out of kitchen towels and newspaper. We sipped cocktails of Fireball Whiskey and apple cider. As Oliver would say, they were DELICIOUS! We laughed until we cried taking garden gnome photos in our backyard and ooo'd and awe'd at the cute kids who came to the door.

• Nov 16 - Dancing to Yonder Mountain String Band in our living room!

• Nov 24 - First Thanksgiving in our new home. Jordan, Katie, Michelle, Doug came down for the weekend. My Mom & Mike came down for the day. We ate, we drank, and we played many games of euchre. Each person wrote one thing they were thankful for on our chalkboard wall. A few things on the list: My Hot Wife, rustle the love muscle, Mr. T (Teagan, Jordan & Katie's little guy), and family. Sadly, I have no photos of this day, what was I thinking!

• April 5 - Nick became Sous Chef at Jack Fry's! A HUGE day for in our household. Nick has worked his tail off for 2 years going to school full time and working full time and his hard work finally paid off. After a year working the line at Jack's, he was offered the Sous Chef position. Jack Fry's is one of the best restaurants in Louisville. I couldn't be more proud. He's so talented and I know that Jack's has found a gold mine in him.

• April 14 - Completely random but fun Sunday! We drank coffee together in the AM (this may seem silly but one of the things I look forward to most is enjoying a morning cup of coffee with Nick. We sit in our living room and catch up with each other, discuss the news, sports, anything. I love it.) Next we hit up Flea Off Market, this awesome flea market in downtown Louisville that's held once a month, where he scored an awesome Hunter S. Thompson print and we sipped Bloody Mary's while listening to soul music. When we got home, we enjoyed and evening on our patio and had our first of many Spotify battles. A Spotify battle, for those of you that don't know, is when we take turns playing a song on Spotify. It can be any song we want. The playlists we have come up with have been very interesting!  

• April 20 - Thunder Over Louisville! Our first time attending and our dear friends Amy & Stoker joined us. The weather was chilly with clear sunny skies. We packed a cooler and enjoyed a few cocktails in our "car bar" before heading down to the waterfront. We also supported our local Record Shop by purchasing The Jive Turkeys album at Matt Anthony's Record Shop. Once we made it to the waterfront, we were shocked to see it close to empty. (Thunder Over Louisville is the largest fireworks display in North America. Typically averages between 700,000 - 1 million people each year). We were perplexed but thought oh well, better seats for us! We set up camp about 50ft from the water - killer seats. We spent the day talking, laughing, drinking, and enjoying the air show and fireworks display.

• Sept 1 - Labor Day / Anniversary Getaway at Cumberland Falls. The past couple months have been stressful for a variety of reasons and we desperately needed to get away from town and enjoy some quality time together. We stayed at this fantastic little campground called Sheltowee Trails. The staff was wonderful and the amenities were clean and well maintained (major plus if you're a female). There was a good chance of rain/storms so we opted for a Camp Inn (basically a covered campsite) as opposed to a primitive campsite. It was awesome! The Camp Inn slept up to 8 people and with it being only two of us and the dogs, we had plenty of room to stretch out and organize our gear. Plus, the doggies had their own bed - double score! We spent the day hiking up and down the Cumberland River. The area had experienced heavy rain the past few days which made the falls a site to see. We hiked Trail #9 which is ranked the #1 trail in Kentucky. Definitely not an easy trail but well worth it. Ringo was my trail guide, he found all the shortcuts and waited for me patiently as I navigated through tricky parts. Nick and Vida enjoyed a cool swim under a waterfall before we hiked back. In the evening, we fished along the river until sunset and then headed back to camp to cook dinner. Nick prepared ribeye steaks (my fav), sautéed squash & mushrooms, and mashed potatoes. We used the leftover "china" and "silverware" from our wedding reception and enjoyed a bottle of champagne as we toasted to our 1st year of marriage. Right after dinner, the sky cleared and a millions stars could be seen - it was perfect.

"The river rolls and the river winds
And it seems to do something for my peace of mind
Though I didn't know it, I came here looking to find
A place to forget about my troubles for awhile

I saw a mother with her little baby when I was walking here
There's something 'bout a little baby that makes me laugh
They don't seem to have a care
And I wonder if I'm ever gonna feel that way again

Until then, I'll find some time to spend down by the river

I spend a lot of time looking forward
Looking back and looking down at my feet upon the ground
I fell backwards and when I opened my eyes
I found myself staring straight up in the sky
And it seemed like there was something there to learn
When I realized I had nowhere else to be
And the only sound that mattered was the wind that blowed so gentle through the trees

Such a harmony down by the river

Well I heard music, it was soft and clear
And I sang out for the first time, I didn't care who would hear
Because I found my answers in the wind and waves
And the magic in the little things that happen every day
And I played that tune on my old mandolin
And I didn't hurt at all for company
Because the river likes to sing along and knows the words to every song I play

Such a lovely day down by the river
Such a lovely day..."
      -Yonder Mountain String Band

As I reflect on the past year, I realize that life gives you good times and tough times. If you can make it through the tough times with a smile on our face and a hopeful outlook for tomorrow, you can make it through anything. Keep on truckin'!

Cheers!