Our 3rd Anniversary!

Our 3rd anniversary is very special and I know we will always remember it - the summer we moved into our first real house!!

Here's a picture of us then:


And now:

Home Sweet Home

We got the keys last night after our long wait!! We couldn't have been more excited. Sorry there are no pictures at the moment - my camera and computer are in different houses currently. My wonderful Mom bought us all kinds of cleaning supplies and was there, cleaning and vacuuming before I even got home from work! She also bought us food and countless other supplies. I was so happy for her to see our house for the first time. Can't wait until my dad gets home to see it soon. :-)

It felt a little strange in such a big house with nothing inside it - kind of echoey - and for awhile it seemed like the air conditioner was not doing its job, but it was fine after awhile. Charlie came home from work and carried me "across the threshold" of our front door. He was too cute. He brought the dogs over and they literally raced across the floors for several minutes. It must have been very exciting for them!

So for the next few days, we (and our family!) are painting before moving any more furniture in. The washer and dryer and couches get delivered tomorrow, hooray! Let the projects begin!

Almost There!

In 2 short days we will officially be homeowners!!

It seems like we've been waiting forever for all the nitty gritty paperwork and repairs to go through. I have one word - laziness. The most ridiculous part of this process has been the selling agent - she refused to drive to the house to let a handyman come in and do a repair since the lockbox was broken, even though he didn't have another opening for a week. I can't believe people conduct themselves like this in the current economy. Aren't they afraid of losing their job, or at least some business??

Ok, I am done venting.
It will all be worth it, Charlie keeps telling me.

We did buy an adorable coffee table and side table at Ikea this weekend, in the midst of painting my mom's kitchen. The side table cost $7.99. I couldn't believe my eyes. They have the same tables in every room at my internship, so I know they can withstand alot!

We both really do love our jobs right now, which provides a great distraction from the house process.
I forgot to say earlier where Charlie works: Oasis Animal Clinic in Chandler at Alma School and Warner.
And where I am doing my internship: Neurologic Music Therapy Services of Arizona in Phoenix.

That's all for now ... until Wednesday!

4th

After church on Sunday, we went with the Salemis and my mama to the Queen Creek Olive Mill. They were having a special meal for the 4th of July and we had never been there before. It was so much fun and we learned alot about olives!





Red, white and blue


Then on Monday I got to meet up with my dear friend Amanda whom I hadn't seen for an entire year! We had fun at breakfast and shopping but we really missed our 3rd Musketeer, Melissa!



To keep ourselves distracted from the fact that we can't move into our house yet, Charlie and I watched Gone With the Wind for the first time this weekend. I really liked the movie, even though it is pretty depressing at parts. And now I feel like I know where those lines "Frankly, my dear..." and "Tomorrow is another day" came from, and why they are so memorable. I loved the costumes, too.

North Carolina

Tyler and Geoff



So as you know, Charlie was a groomsman in Geoff and Tyler's wedding this past weekend. It was in North Carolina, where we had never been before. It was so green and beautiful, but with such beauty comes humidity and giant bugs like I have never seen. I kept comparing it to a jungle. Literally, so many trees, grass, flowers, bushes, and vines so high, I didn't know what to call them. We spent alot of time outside because everyone kept saying how nice it was, but seriously, give me air conditioning and dry heat any day!! Poor Charlie wore a wool tux outside for several hours on the wedding day while I got to wear a sundress.


The Thirsty Beaver Bar (for the bachelor/ette party)


Waiting before the wedding



But about the wedding, it was very nice. The ceremony was beside a mansion and a lake, and we walked over to yet another mansion for the reception. The reception house was apparently the site of a Penzoil commercial recently. I will have to look that up. I tried to take pictures of the inside of these mansions without seeming like the creepy guest, but my quick, covert shots are not that great.

The lovely mansion





We managed to do some other fun things when we weren't hanging out with Geoff and Tyler and their friends and family. We saw the Charlotte Museum of History, which is the site of this very old (1774) house. We also went to downtown Charlotte to see an IMAX movie, which was inside a cool science center. I don't know how this is possible, but every time I see an IMAX movie, it seems like it's bigger than the last. I absolutely love it and I wish I could see one every day. It just overwhelms me and calms me at the same time. Probably because the movies are always about some cool nature element, in this case, Tahiti.

Museum


Tomorrow I leave for Kris's Camp as part of my internship. The camp is for kids with special needs, their siblings, and parents. It's a week long in the mountains in California. I can't wait!

Groomsman Charlie

Yeah, the Men's Wearhouse employees that measured Charlie must have made a mistake, don't you think?? Or else he has grown half a foot since our flight to North Carolina yesterday. I didn't even notice the woman laughing in the background until I looked at this picture again.

Geoff's wedding is Saturday and I can't wait! It's going to be gorgeous and we are "just guests" = no responsibility!

Casey's Graduation

Last weekend my mom's side of the family met up in San Antonio for my cousin Casey's high school graduation. Casey is a soccer star and super smart, and he is going to UT Dallas on scholarship in the Fall! He is a funny, polite, loving guy, and I can't believe how fast he grew up. When I think about all the 18-year-old boys I have known, Casey is pretty special - and not just because he is my cousin. :-)



Of course we had to take a family picture!!



Grandkids and great-grandkids


P.S. In other news, we got the house!!!! We close sometime before the middle of July. It makes me so happy to imagine us living there, now that it's "safe" to imagine and not worry about getting my hopes too high. I find myself daydreaming of how we will paint or arrange furniture or decorate. SO EXCITED.