Hermit.

I have developed a new appreciation for people who live on their own. In their own houses, by themselves.

How the freaking heck do they do it!?

I have a four bedroom home I share with two dogs, both of which easily fit in my lap at the same time. It's a house meant for a family, not just me.

I love my husband, more than anything in the world. And I appreciate him for the sacrifices he is making now to make our dreams a reality.

For anyone unfamiliar with our situation, I will brief it out for you. Justin took a job with Timberline Drilling Company based out of Coeur d'Alene. However, it is a company that works wherever someone hires them. And in this case, that hire would be in a tiny little town in Nevada called Elko. Google map it, or wikipedia it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elko,_Nevada

Its a population of 18,000 people who generally come from Basque. That would be in Europe, thank you very much.

I have never been there so I cannot describe it, and I probably will never visit it. But from what my darling husband has said, it's not amazingly interesting.

Anywho, he is on a super fun schedule of 2 weeks working straight and 1 week home. So I am on my own 3 out of the 4 weeks in every month.

I never really imagined my marriage to be like this. I don't think anyone truly does. But it takes a lot more strength than most people have. But they always say you do what you have to do.

And for now I have to do this.

I have filled my days with Pinterest, the Kroc center (like the YMCA) and praying for a job opening at the dental office I want to work at.

I met the doctor and staff yesterday and it seemed to go well but now I just want a call in to show my skills and hopefully earn a seat amongst his staff. Cross your fingers.

I'll need it.

Home Sweet Home

"Home is where I'm with you."

I've been terrible at updating recently, what with packing and moving across the state. But now we are finally settled in our new house in our new city with our boxes unpacked. 

I am an absolute stickler for refusing to live out of a box, a suitcase or anything meant to temporarily store and move my belongings. I could be in a hotel for 3 days and I have to unpack and hang all of my clothes or else I go a little bit psycho. Not even joking.

Anyway, it feels like its fifty degrees below zero and covered in snow. I am spending my days alone as hubby is working away in Nevada so it is just me and the girls for the past few weeks. 

We are hoping to go home sometime next week to pick up the rest of our stuff and I want to hopefully start passing out resumes to dental offices in the area soon. 

It has been a lot in a short amount of time and we are more than exhausted, but we thank Heavenly Father each day for the blessings he has bestowed on us.

Merry Christmas

Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

I love the Christmas story. I think it has always been one of my favorite parts of the scriptures. The account of the sheperds herding their sheep, struck and terrified when the ultimate glory of angels appeared to them bringing the glorious news of the arrival of the Christ child. To think that the creator of heaven and earth, Jehovah, Yahweh, Elohim, the great I AM, who is and was and is to come, humbled himself and came as we all do, in the body of a weak and fragile baby. 

I don't think people understand what it would be for divinity and eternity to place themselves in the body of sin and mortality. We are not divine therefore our understanding of it is limited. But it is one of the most beautiful acts, the beginning of the abolishment of sin. Before Christ could sacrifice himself, he needed to be born in human flesh. With skin that felt cold, that brought pain and cries of hunger. I am sure he was unlike a normal child, one without fear of the world he came to save. But he felt as we felt. That is a glorious understanding.

Jesus was most likely not born in december let alone on the 25th exactly. The Christmas holiday was adopted over a pagan feast day by a Christian roman emperor over one thousand years ago. But it doesn't matter how commercialized or paginated or idolized the Christmas season is by most people. Because that is not why I celebrate it. It is a remembrance, an honor for the day God became a baby, laid in the arms of a righteous teenage girl and her husband. 

How terrified Mary must have been faced with the responsibility of bringing the savior of her sins up as a man to fulfill the purpose. But she must have felt peace, submitting her complete and utter will to the Lord. I cannot fathom the strength and courage that took. But I thank her every day for her answer, "let it be to me as you have said, I am the Lord's servant." 

I am thankful for the blessings in my life, and I look forward to spending future years with my children gathered around as Justin and I tell them the day that God came as a baby just for you and me.

Tis the Season...

So this particular holiday season has been unlike any other that I have experienced before. It has been busier, more stressful and a little less cheerful than any before.

We are living in an apartment filled with boxes, balancing the new joys of closing on a home within the end of the year and spending time with our families for the holidays with a whole slew of stress that follows with it.

I am not allowed to talk about the house much because we don't have the keys so we technically are not homeowners yet. So instead of jinxing it, I will simply say that I hope to ring in the new year in our own home soon.

We have spent so much money on presents and the new house that I cant help but feel a tiny sword prick my hear whenever I have to take out my debit card for yet another purchase. We aren't broke but it hurts!

I have had a few bad days since I quit my job which I wont discuss because I like my privacy in that sense but it definitely hasn't helped my strain levels. That and the fact that every little thing makes me want to burst into tears for no reason. Its been an emotional train ride as we finally climb the last crest to the final drop in our new step into adulthood.

I am so thankful for my family and my close friends who are with us each step of the way on this strange, hard new journey.

It's weird to think that I am 21, married, buying a home and expecting to start a family soon. Inside I still feel like a 15 year old girl terrified of boys and I cannot even fathom where I will be in 6 years. Lets say it was never where I ended up today. But I wouldn't have it any other way.

Packing Boxes

December rolled around WAY too quickly but I wouldn't have it any other way. Our dining room is now filled with boxes from both of my jobs waiting to be filled with all of our junk. We get to lug a whole apartment full of furniture across the state! Whoopie!

Despite my obvious enthusiasm for packing and packing and more packing, I have never been more excited for almost anything in my life as much as this move. Save for the day I married my sweetheart of course!

We are in the process of trying to purchase a home but Justin is already working monday through fridays in Coeur D'alene and Nevada while I wait out things here. We only see each other on weekends now but luckily he gets 3 weeks off for the upcoming holidays before work starts again in January. 

I put in my resignation at my dental office for the 15th and gave my espresso stand notice of my leaving soon. It has become so real now that my permanent connections here are fraying. I am perfecting my resume in hopes of working a private dental office in Idaho monday through thursday 7 to 4 like a normal assistant usually does. Monday through Saturday was great but as we grow nearer to the days when mommyhood appears, I don't want such long work weeks. Slowing down in more ways than one.

Our lease is up in January, so stay tuned on our turning of events! 

A Change of Address

So it's official. The hubs and I are packing up our tiny little apartment, two dogs and traveling across the rainy woods of Washington to the flats of Coeur D'Alene, Idaho to set up our permanent residence.

This decision has been a long time coming but a new job opportunity arose for Justin which he could not deny from a family friend who bases his company out of CDA. Our lease is up in January and the house hunt has begun.

We drove 6 hours in our little white pick up late last night so we could spend four glorious days with our friends, the Lanpheres, while we look around at the houses available in the area. Being the cheapo's we are, we are aiming at a price of the mid 100,000's. Something that would be absolutely UNHEARD of in the Snohomish/Mill Creek area since apparently that part of the country didn't hear about the housing market dip.

We have spent a part of our saturday driving around and scoping out places we are interested in having our agent show us tomorrow. A 3 bed 2 bath sounds FABulous. Enough room for us, our pups, a baby or two and the impending arrival of one sister-in-law who graduates this coming summer as she starts her freshman year at NICC.

I know, I am absolutely amazed at the generosity we have at offering my kid sister a place to live rent free while she goes to school.

Anywho, we are unbelievably excited at this new step in our lives together and cant wait to ring in the new year with a new state and a new address and our FIRST home!!!

'

This house is 148,000 with 4 bedrooms. Where the HECK would you ever see that in Washington.

My hunter husband and I are very happy with this decision :)

Thanks Be For Fall

October is over and November is here! A whole month closer to my favorite holiday! Christmas! But turkey day brings its own blessings (green bean casserole) and curses (five pounds further away from my good weight). Now lets reminisce of all the favorite parts of the closing to each year.

1) Rain. Its cliche for a born and bred Seattlite to say but I really do love the pitter patter of rain drops on our deck as I sit snuggled up to watch a movie. Running outside in the rain however is whole different matter and I don't personally like feeling damp. Just looking at the damp things outside while I am dry inside.

2) Warm beverages of all different types! Cold weather means hot drinks and hot drinks for me know no end. Whether it's a Coconut Mocha, Almond Hot Chocolate, Creme Brulee or Pumpkin Spice latte or my new favorite Salted Caramel Mocha. Nothing tastes better!

3) Old movies. Hubby thinks I am weird but I love classic films from the 30's, 40's and 50's. I was watching The  Mummy circa 1932 last night and fell in love with the old time glamour of the era that was reflected in the acting and the costumes. The starlets eyebrows however, were an eyesore.

4) Close quarters with the man I love. I like snuggling. correction: LOVE. When the weather is cold I get the excuse of touching skin to skin with J and my cuddly little girls. Nothing I love more.

I love the end of the year because it brings me that much closer to the next year and with that a lot of new surprises!