Celebrating 1 Year

Can you believe it? It's already been a year. It feels like yesterday ... yet it doesn't. Does that makes sense? I feel like David and I just started our life together. However, if I think too hard I start to remember everything that has come across our plate this year ... and it feels like forever.

Example? David and I hadn't even been married a month and we found out his mom had been diagnosed with cancer again. They even used the words no cancer patient wants to hear. Stage 4. I remember getting the news and thinking "this could change everything." Thanks to the grace of God, we sit here a year later knowing that he tumor markers are progressively getting smaller and smaller. Chemo is over with -- and instead we focus on maintaining the ground we've made. Will the cancer ever be gone? That we don't know. We do know though that God can take something bad and make good from it. It was during this time my husband's family grew stronger and walls that had been built started to break.

Another example? David had a major job change. Instead of a 9 to 5 and getting a paycheck every other week he decided to focus on freelance. It's a major test of faith. Not knowing if you'll have work this week or not. The first month was the hardest. Trusting that God wouldn't let us down and that we'd be able to survive with the income we did have. Again, like the other situation above, it made us stronger. David and I were finally able to spend more time together and have the marriage we envisioned. Before that it was just 3 hours a day, pop your head in the house to say hello and then run off to work. Believe me it sucked!

Anyways, enough time running down memory lane. How did we celebrate the milestone?? With Disney World of course. We had decided even before we got married that we wanted to go to Disney for our 1 year anniversary -- and not our honeymoon. We started saving right away and even booked the trip before we hit our 6 month mark. We spend an entire week at Disney. Stayed at a Disney resort ... never even stepped a foot of property until it was time to leave. Below are a few pictures of the week. Our actually anniversary day we were back in Nashville, but due to the long vacation spent most of the day sleeping. We managed to crawl out of bed to go to dinner at the Melting Pot that night.

First arriving at Magic Kingdom

On the Tomorrowland Super Speedway - David's favorite ride

A special treat a cast member gave us for celebrating our Anniversary

The castle during the "Celebrate The Magic show." That's Cinderella projected onto the castle.

Our resort at sunrise. Coronado Springs

First arrival at EPCOT

Meeting the man.

Waiting for the Hollywood Studios to open for the day.



Lunch at Sci Fi Drive-In

Eating a lemon tart in France -- a must for me

David trying on silly hats at World of Disney

Breakfast with Lilo at 'Ohanas

Rockin Roller Coaster at Studios

Animal Kingdom

First arrival at Animal Kingdom

Nemo Musical

Saying goodbye to Disney -- or last night.

My Upgraded Crafting Space

Our 1 year anniversary isn't for another month and half but David went ahead and gave me my present early. It's a new crafting table!! When we bought our house it came with a really nice office with built in shelves and enough space for my crafting, but this new addition will get me even more organized.

The wings of the table can be collapsed to take up less space when I'm not using it. And the bottom shelf is big enough for me to file all my stickers into categories.

 

All my crafts are no long stored in boxes in the cabinet or closet but right at my reach.

 

 

With all the drawers I've been able to free up space on the shelves to make room for my Cricut.

 

 

My husband is the best ... meantime the monster was no help. He just slept the whole time.

Countdown to Vacations

If you've been in close proximity to me anytime over the past two weeks, then you know I'm overjoyed about going on vacation soon. Besides an overnight at Holiday World and Tunica we haven't been away for an extended time since our honeymoon. I know what your thinking ""Whine, whine, whine. Most newlyweds don't have the money to go on a vacation let alone two "days" trips. You should be happy."" And yes, I am very happy. I know that we are incredibly blessed to be able to go on not only one vacation this fall, but three. Still, it feels like it's been a very long year for the two of us, and you can't fault me for looking forward to a good time. Between a close family member battling cancer, to a job change and other more private matters it's been a LONGGG year with very little rest. It will be nice to get away from everything, especially work. Which is ironic because one of the places we are going to is my former work. We are planning a trip to the Happiest Place on Earth.

We recorded this show on our DVR a couple weeks ago. And even though we've already watched it I'm keeping it around just in case I need something to tie me over. It's no secret that I am a Disney fan. I also told people that one day I would work for Disney ... and I did. I participated in the College Program during the Spring and Summer of 2006. I was a tour guide for the Hollywood Studios Backlot Tour. The attraction is still around -- yet is much different then when I was there. In fact a lot about Disney World has chanced since I've been there. I can name several new attractions even a new "land" that has been developed since I've been there. It's been 7 years since I worked at Disney World and 5 1/2 since I've visited ... needless to say there is a lot to see.

But what I'm most looking forward to is sharing a Disney experience with my husband. He hasn't been in nearly 20 years. I could go on and on and on about my excitement but that will only annoy you. LOL!

My Relationship With Debt

Growing up I knew that my parents were very aware of just how far a dollar went. They did the best they could to teach that principal to us. From very early on if we wanted to buy something special or attend a weekend camp with the church youth group we had to work to earn it. Whether it was cleaning around the house, doing yard work or helping my mom with her cleaning clients ... we worked to get the money. Another example: As soon as I turned 16 I was told if I wanted a car, the gas to drive around and spending cash to hang out with my friends I needed a job to make that money. I was even instructed to start applying for jobs a few month before turning 16 so that I could start ASAP. We were also taught about credit cards and loans and how you had to pay back interest. We were taught, I believe, more then average person. But as the stereotype goes just because you teach someone how to fish, it doesn't mean they'll follow your instructions.

When I went away to college I signed up for my 1st credit card. I remembered everything my parents told me and stayed frugal. Or so I thought. I clearly remember the shock of getting the credit card statement and realizing I had charged almost $900 in just a few months. I vowed to not spend another dime and pay the whole thing off. But as a college student working at a fast food restaurant the money wasn't rolling into my bank account. I paid the minimum (which was barely covering the interest). I was late a few times (only increasing my interest rate more and more). And despite what I promised myself I didn't stop spending like I should have. Long story short by the time I graduated from college I had $3500 racked up on my card.

Now, I know a lot of people reading this are probably saying. "Oh, that's not so bad!" And thank God it wasn't in comparison to other people I've met. But for someone straight out of college only making $24,000 a year it was a huge deal. I still had a car payment, rent (in Nashville) and the everyday expenses like TV, internet, food, gas, etc. I continued to only pay the minimum, which again wasn't a lot.

Then in 2010 while in prayer I got a message from God. No I didn't hear a voice talking from above or anything clairvoyant. It was just a feeling ... a nudge. I was angry that I wasn't advancing at work. I was angry that I wasn't in a relationship or anywhere near a prospect. I was just all around angry. That's when I was told that if I cleaned up the messes I could control, God would clean up the ones I couldn't. From that moment on I made a big financial change. I cut back on everything and anything that wasn't a necessity so I could start make large payments on my credit card. After paying my bills and putting $600 on my card I was living off of just $75 a week. That's for food, gas, everything ... I was EXTREMELY frugal.

Slowing I started seeing the numbers go down and I felt proud of myself. But beyond that, within 6 months of starting my financial journey I got a promotion at work. And a year later I met the man who would become my husband. It was so amazing to see that if I did want God asked of me he would fulfill his promise. I was able to pay off every piece of debt except a small student loan before I got married. Thankfully my husband was also debt free besides a mortgage.

I can't tell you how important it has been to our life to be mostly debt free. It's helped us plan dream vacations together and have the freedom to do things NOW that we may not be able to do once we have kids. It also gave us wiggle room when David left his job and wasn't bringing in a paycheck for 2 weeks. We still aren't rich nor anywhere close to being millionaires, but because we don't have big bills hanging over our head it's given us peace. I'm not telling you this story to brag or make others feel bad. I'm telling you this story to prove that God will work in your life if you follow his instructions. I was there ... I was stuck in debt ... and I came out on the other side victorious.

Matthew 6:24

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." .

Proverbs 22:7

"The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender."

7 Months -- But Finally Together

Today David and I have been married for 7 months. During that time a lot of stuff has happened. I dare to say more then the average marriage. We've had a family member battle cancer, a family member pass away, a friend take their life, and the most important a big job change.

About a month and a half ago David separated from his job with the school system. It was a good paying job with good benefits -- but in reality it was taking a toll on his happiness and ultimately our happiness. My schedule with the TV station is not your normal schedule. I am completely unavailable during the weekend hours and they only time I'm home is when I'm asleep or eating breakfast. David's job was a normal Monday through Friday 8am to 5pm position. So basically except for when we were sleeping we had about 4 hours each night (20 hours a week) to spend time together. I'm sorry, but out of the 168 hours available through the week only 20 together is terrible. We kept telling ourselves that other couples have overcome more then us and we'd be able to work through it.

Now with his new job we get to spend much more time together. He still has to work on my days off but most of it is done from home. So even when he is working he's in the house with me and I have the ability to go up and talk to him or have lunch with him. It's definitely more of the marriage I imaged. Having actual days off together and the ability to go ride bikes, visit parks and do other things together.

Death & Mortality

You're reminded of your own mortality when you start losing the people around you. I guess that's the world's way of kicking you in the butt so you stop wasting your own life. Not that I feel like I've been wasting my life ... but I guess we can always do better.

On April 28, 2013 I went into work like any other day only to be informed that one of my co workers had gone missing overnight. It's a long personal story that's not mine to share in detail, but they would end up finding his body exactly two weeks later. This was a person who had a lot to live for. He was young, had an adorable little boy and an amazing talent to share with the world. Why things happened the way they did can never be understood, but all we know is that a person we had grown to love is no longer with us.

Then this morning I woke up to more bad news. My aunt, my mom's sister, had a bad asthma attack. By the time she was able to get medical attention she had been without oxygen for far too long. She had irreversible brain damage and her immediate family decided to take her off life support. Another reminder of just how mortal we are. I can count on both hands the number of people I personally know living with asthma, but never someone to actually die from it. I guess we take for granted the medical technology that helps people breath ... that is until it's not around.

In both cases I lean on the knowledge that each had a relationship with God and were welcomed into a far better place. My aunt won't have to live with asthma or allergies and is breathing like the day she was born. While my coworker has complete peace. During a memorial service for my coworker the pastor talked about how good can come out of bad situations. That because of my coworker's passing we had grown stronger as a work family. I know my aunt's situation will be the same. Her children will be able to come together as one and have a stronger and better relationship.

Afraid of the Dark?

The other day I was coming home from work when I passed a homeless man pan handling on the street corner. It was about 11pm, extremely dark, and of course I hit the red light; meaning that I had to sit there for another 2 minutes, alone, while this man stared at me. Thankfully me attempts to ignore him were successful. That was until the last minute! He actually walked up to my window and knocked on it trying to get my attention. I shook my head no just as the light turned green and I drove away. I know, I know! There will be people reading this thinking, "Couldn't you have helped him? How selfish of you!" But here is my reasoning ...

I am deadly afraid of doing anything in public at night by myself. While I was in college I worked freelance for a sports program that covered High School football games every Friday night. Most of the games were in the mid-state area, but sometimes it was still a good 1-2 hour drive from where I lived. That wouldn't put me back home till midnight in same cases. One of those times I really really really needed to pick up some groceries. I had a long weekend of work and knew if I didn't do it that night I wouldn't have anything to eat till Monday. There was a Walmart directly across the street from my apartment complex, and being a naive college girl, I never thought anything bad could happen that close to my apartment. But it did. After getting my groceries and walking to my car in the parking lot, a man approached me, grabbed my wallet from the shopping cart, and jumped into a nearby get-a-way car. He didn't have a weapon, but it was still a very surreal, scary experience. I had to wait for police to arrive and immediately called my bank. Within 2 hours the thief had already charged $300 to my account. I had a wonderful bank that covered the $300, and closed the account. They also immediately opened a new checking account with the exact amount I should have had so I never went without money that weekend. However, I still had to get a new drivers license, student ID, I even had to put an alert on my credit because my wallet happened to still have my SS card from something I needed it for earlier in the week. I was lucky that they didn't try to steal my identity, but for all I know there is someone walking around with my card still waiting to strike.

Ever since that experience I make it a point not to shop at night, get gas at night, or go to the ATM at night unless I am with another person. Since then, I've also worked in overnight news for almost 3 years. I hear enough reports of robberies, and ATM thefts in the middle of the night to know better now.

So was I willing to roll down my window at 11 o'clock at night for a homeless man I didn't know? Especially with no witnesses around? Hell no! You could even subtract the homeless portion from the story. If it was just a random person on the street, I would still never roll my window down for a stranger in the middle of the night. Unfortunately that's the world we live in now-a-days.

It does remind me of an experience David and I had early on in our relationship. I think it was our 3rd or 4th date. We had met at a bar for a band that was playing. We drove separately, so after the show was over we were standing in the parking lot talking. It was almost midnight. We ended up getting approached by a homeless man asking for cash. It was apparent he had been drinking. David handled the situation very well. Instead of giving cash he told the guy about the Rescue Mission just a couple blocks down the road. He also offered information about "Room in the Inn." No surprise, the guy only wanted cash and could care less about the other options suggested for him. Still, when it was clear the guy wasn't going to go away, David was able to get us out of there. My knight in shining armor!

The "C" Word

For years I've followed a blogger and youtuber by the name of Hayley G. Hoover. She's about 5 years younger then me, and has a HUGE following on the internet. I once read an article about her, written by a fellow youtuber, on how and why Hayley had found "internet fame." The answer was simple ... she was transparent. She let people into her world and didn't hold back. They knew random details about her life and she shared most, if not all, of her experiences growing up. She's grown up with the internet and didn't know life any differently. That same transparent identity can not be put on me ... While my husband and parents probably think I share far too much of my life on the internet I've never had the courage to divulge as much as Hayley does.

(side note: There are some things Hayley hasn't talked about including a very nasty breakup with her equally as "internet famous" boyfriend and musician Mike Lombardo. The breakup involved the FBI and child porn charges. It was pretty big news in the Youtube world -- yet Hayley has never talked about it or answered questions about it.)

There's a portion of David and I's life that I've left quiet when it comes to the internet world. Since November 2012 my mother-in-law has been battling Stage 4 Breast Cancer. It was her second round. The first happening around 2007. I remember this because I knew David back then even though we weren't dating. I told my immediate family and a few select friends, but for the most part I never mentioned it in my youtube videos, blogs, facebook, or twitter. I didn't think it was my news to share. It was my husband's and I didn't want to step on his toes.

That being said, I do feel confident finally sharing the good news. As of a couple weeks ago doctors did another PET scan and say her tumor markers have been gettin smaller -- meaning she's beating it again! Amazing news! And news I'm willing to share with the internet world.

Our First Valentines

Because of my work schedule David and I never seem to celebrate holidays on the day it actually happens. We've become accustom to opening Christmas presents on Christmas Eve and doing Thanksgiving a week before ... even a month before. So when it came to this year's Valentines Day it really turned into a Valentines Week.

I'm one of those people that even if it's not near a person's birthday -- but I see a good deal -- I'll buy it and then save it for the special occasion. So, needless to say I have been planning David's Valentine presents since early January. We've talking about doing The Viking Cooking School but when I went to their website they were already sold out for Valentines week. I little dissappointing considering it was a month away. That's when I found a place that does cake decorating classes. I had mentioned the idea to David before and he seem interested so when a deal popped up on Groupon that would make the class buy 1 get one free I pounced on it. The only problem was that the classes were on Saturdays which I always work (10am-11pm). I decided to bite the bullet and ask for a vacation day the Saturday after Valentines, but I wouldn't tell David till that week -- and make it a surprise. I also found a living social deal on a Brazilian Steak Place we like ... so another good deal.

Fast forward to Valentines week! I ended up having to work an extended weekend before.

Friday 1:30pm-10:30pm
Saturday 10am-11pm
Sunday 11am-11pm
Monday 9am-5pm

Besides the 12 hour gaps to sleep I was basically at work for 4 days straight. David knew I was tired by Monday night and offered to bring home dinner so I didn't have to cook. This is what he got!
I thought it was very cute and of course yummy!

A heart shaped pizza along with a smore's pizza

Our actual Valentines night plans were to go to a Predators Hockey Game. David thought of the idea and I loved it. Still he wanted to take me out to dinner some time before since the night of the hockey game we wouldn't be able to (I worked right up till the game). We decided on Dave & Buster's. Anyone who knows us, knows we are a sucker for arcade games. Typically on Wednesday nights Dave & Buster's has half-priced games ... so we always try to go then. This time around we got a good deal with tokens so we only ended up spending $50 on food and games. That's when we found "THE JACKPOT."

While playing games, I noticed a machine that was only charging 0.5 tokens. Most of the games cost 5.0 or 6.0 tokens so it seemed like an awesome deal. I played a couple of times and noticed that the token count on my card wasn't going down. It was letting me play for free! And I was winning 200-500 tickets a game! Eventually, a worker was told that the machine was broken but they said they didn't care .... We ended up playing that one game for about an hour and winning over 40,000 tickets without spending a single token.

**Disclaimer -- Yes, I felt a little guilty. But the fact that the worker knew and said he didn't care made me feel less guilty. If they knew and cared, they could have turned off the machine!**

So all in all a long, nice Valentines week. Recap: heart-shaped pizza, Dave & Busters, Preds Hockey, Cake decorating classes and a Brazilian steak house. We are blessed and lucky.

2012 Survey

It's a little late -- but don't they say it's better late then never?
I stole this from a friend's blog.

1. What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before?  Bought a house and got married

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
  I didn't make any resolutions. In fact it was one of the 1st years I didn't.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?  My sister Katie had her third child, Carter Mark.

4. Did anyone close to you die?  No

5. What countries did you visit?
  Jamaica, Mexico & Haiti

6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?  Free time to just do nothing and hang out with David.With both of our new jobs this year it changed our schedule drastically where we really don't get to just have a day to ourselves.

7. What dates from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?  Getting Engaged, January 1st, 2012 
  My wedding date, October 28th, 2012

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
  Finally getting off overnights at work. It's come with it's own set of challenges and setbacks but it's so nice to not be sleeping during the day. 

9. What was your biggest failure?
  Getting back into a healthy lifestyle ... yeap, that went bad

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
  I got really sick after our wedding and had a bad cough for almost 4 weeks

11. What was the best thing you bought?  A house, a wedding dress

12. Where did most of your money go?  Bills, new furniture and appliances for the house

13. What did you get really excited about?  My wedding and getting to see all the Youtube BIPB girls together

14. What song will always remind you of 2012?  "I won't give up on you" Gavin DeGraw

15. Compared to this time last year, are you:
- happier or sadder? Happier
- thinner or fatter? Fatter
- richer or poorer? Richer, both David and I got better jobs and finally paid off a lot of debt

16. What do you wish you’d done more of?  Exercise, crafting

17. What do you wish you’d done less of?
  I can't think of anything

18. How did you spend Christmas?With family -- both David and I's

19. What was your favorite TV program?Walking Dead & Grey's Anatomy

20. What were your favorite books of the year?
Divergent Series, & Matched Series

21. What was your favorite music from this year?Silver Seas, Katy Perry, Adele

22. What were your favorite films of the year?Twilight #4 -- I know, but I didn't get to see many films

23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?I turned 26. We had a cook out at our new house

24. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?Working a different schedule that didn't include weekends

25. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?Uh…. what's fashion?

26. What kept you sane?My Youtube girls

27. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012.Patience is hard to come by, but if you are patient good things can happen.

Finally ... House is Almost Complete

A while back I posted pictures of the new house and talked about how the dining room has become more of a collecting spot then a real dining room. While we were unpacking stuff it became the room that all the unknown boxes went, and while we were getting married it became the room that all the wedding gifts were stashed. Even now that we've been married over 2 months it still has random gifts and boxes from both events. Our goal is to ultimately make it an entertaining/game room for when we have people over, but it hasn't been a top priority.

Then the other day we were at Costco walking around when I spotted THE TABLE. I called for David and showed it to him and we instantly knew it would be perfect. It wasn't too expensive and thanks to a nice good-bye present from the former owner's of my work place we had a little bit of money sitting around. So we went ahead and purchased ... but did we know what we were getting into??

The table came in 4 boxes. One with the table and three with the chairs. Everything had to be assembled by us. Let me tell you the boxes were heavy and I'm pretty sure we looked like fools as we tried to load everything up into the SUV. We had to tie down another purchase to the roof cause there was simply not enough room in the SUV anyone.

Once that was complete we then had to get the suckers home and IN THE HOUSE!! A mini workout.

The biggest box being unpacked

David getting the bottom support screwed together

Did I mention all the packing material? The way they pack stuff now-a-day has tons of cardboard and plastic wrapping. It was a mess, but Liam the cat didn't seem to mind.

Having too much fun!

Hours later, despite one injury and a wobbly chair that had to be worked on over and over the table finally got finished. It looks great! So excited to finally put it to use. Now I just have to find the time to get rid of the last few unknown boxes stashed in the corner.

Celebrating The New Year -- Hello 2013

Unlike 2011/2012, I had to work the New Years Holiday this year. Thankfully, it was the first time it wasn't an overnight shift. So even though I produced the 10pm news I was able to jet down to Franklin to be with David and his friends and ring in the New Year together.

New Years use to be a blahhhh holiday for me.

Reason #1: It always seems so bitter sweet. You go to parties and countdown 10, 9, 8, 7 ... only to be in just another year. Kind of a let down. Sure it's the dream of possibilities and a new start but if I'm gonna hold a party and countdown I want something exciting to happen. Like winning the lottery.

Reason #2: Everyone (mostly TV & movies) makes a big deal about having someone to kiss at midnight. And I never had that ...............until last year!

New Years Day 2012 was the day David proposed to me. Since I was off work we decided to go to Atlanta and spend a long weekend together. Little did I know he had packed a ring and was going to ask me right after midnight. We did the whole "downtown Atlanta" scene on New Years Eve and watched the peach drop at midnight, after we got back to our hotel room was when he got down and asked me. It was a complete surprise.

This New Years wasn't as dramatic, but it was just as special. I love having David by my side and being able to celebrate holidays together. We may not get to see each a lot because of my work schedule, but I resolve this year to make the most of the little time we do have. I don't want to take a single moment for granted.

I know 2013 is going to be a year of big dreams. 2012 was about David and I putting together the building blocks of what is our new family. This year will be about developing those building blocks and working hard to make things better for us.