A Year of Marriage

A couple weeks ago, Louie and I celebrated our one year wedding anniversary.  It is amazing how quickly time goes by.  It feels like just yesterday that we were staying up late together doing homework, walking the streets of Plymouth during the annual art fair, and making plans for our future together.

Many people told me that the first year of marriage is one of the most challenging.  I didn't find this to be true.  In fact, I found it to be very comparable, if not easier, than the previous couple of years we've spent together.  I think for many couples, the first year involves a lot of change - moving in together, realizing that marriage always a fairy tale, finding independence and maybe a new job.  For us, many of these challenges occurred before we were married, and our first year was a break from big life changes - we didn't move, we had no large events to plan, no job changes, we already lived together, etc.  Not to say we didn't have our challenging moments.  "For better and for worse, in sickness and in health" - those vows rang true.  Yet overall, we became closer to each other and developed a deeper understanding of where our life together will take us.

We had some amazing adventures!  Our honeymoon to Mackinac Island was a blast.  It was the end of the season, so there wasn't much to do. That was fine because we have strong homebody tendencies, and we were able to spend a lot of time bumming around the city and our hotel without feeling like we needed to always be doing stuff.

We went to Chicago last winter to see Les Miserables and the art museum.  I finally got to see some of Monet's works in person!

We attended the wedding of some of our best friends.

We went on our East Coast road trip which had been on our "to-do" list for years.

It has been an exciting year, and I'm looking forward many more together.  The vastness of "The Future" lies ahead of us.  There are unending choices to be made, challenges to face, and adventures to be had.  I am glad I  have Louie to hold my hand through it all.

Thoughts on Home

When I was a little girl, I would dream of the day I would have my own home.  I would picture it in my mind - a gorgeous 2 or 3 story home, complete with balcony, fireplace, spiral staircase, a horse barn and pasture, and acres of gardens off a bumpy dirt road, secluded in the forest.  I thought I'd grow up, get married, move into a house, and start a family - very 1950s style.  It would be an organic move from one home to the next.  But what no one ever tells you is that when you move out you have to make a home.  Home doesn't just happen.

I've been struggling for nearly four years to feel at home in various apartments in various cities. I'm embarrassed that it has taken me this long to accept that yes, I live in an apartment. This is our home.  While it never automatically felt like home, I doubt that any place, even my dream house, would automatically feel like home.

Home is something you create through decor and tradition.  Home is something you live through your actions and values.  Home is love because of what you bring to it.  Home is cozy because it's safe.  Home is where you keep everything that is valuable to you - people, pets, things, thoughts, dreams... Home is just as much inside of you as it is a physical place, and whose to say you can't have more than one?

I'm not giving up on my dream house by any means, but I'm working towards creating a home to bring with me when I get there.

Dog of the Week: Shades!

This week's Dog of the Week is Shades - a gorgeous7 month gray and white pit bull mix.

I saw Shades on HSHV's website last week (www.hshv.org) and immediately fell in love.  She's SO cute!  This week, I got the chance to walk her.

When I stepped into her kennel, I was bombarded by dog.  She was jumping all over me and wouldn't stay still enough to get the harness on.  I was a little discouraged.  I'd been walking a lot of difficult dogs, and I'd been hoping she'd be as easy as she is cute.  I held her still and managed to get her leashed.

Once we got to the play yard, my whole perception of this dog changed.  What a goofball!  She loved chasing after her kong and would bring it back to me enthusiastically.  She looked up at me with those puppy dog eyes and smiled a HUGE smile.  Then, she flopped over and let me rub her belly, her tongue lolling out of her mouth.  What a silly girl!  She was all over me with cuddles.

On our walk, she did great.  She only pulled a little, but that's expected as she is still a puppy.  She was super goofy - she kept looking back at me as if to say, "Am I doing this right?".  She responded to all my ques with tail wags and smiles.

This is one of the things I love about walking dogs at the shelter - you never know what to expect.  A dog can begin a walk one way - in this case, with a bad impression - but by the end of the walk you want to take it home with you.  It just goes to show that you can't judge a dog by it's photo or breed.  Each dog is unique and worthy of a chance.  Shades is no exception.

Dog of the Week: King!

Meet King!

King is a lovely black and white pit bull mix with a sad story.  He was found locked up in a school yard with wounds on his face and neck - poor guy!  Apparently someone dumped him over the fence!  He's almost all healed up now and doing great.  It's hard to imagine why someone would be so cruel to such a sweet dog.

King is a big fellow - as far as pits go - weighing in at over 50 lbs!  I love big dogs, but I am slightly intimidated by them, at least until I get to know them.  I was nervous about King.  A beat up pit.  A big pit.  But he turned out to be a favorite.  He is very obedient and smart - not to mention super goofy!  When I asked him to sit, not only did he sit, but he lifted his paw up to shake as well.  He really wanted that treat!  He walks lovely on a leash and is a big, silly cuddle bug.  Check out the evidence!  

Be still my heart!

Celebrating Fall

Fall is my favorite season.  You can't beat chilly days, sweaters, hot apple cider, leaves changing color, boots...  The list goes on.  Fall is a cozy time of year where I start winding down from the crazy spring and summer.  My body is happier with the cooler weather, and my mind begins to focus on the coziness of the upcoming holidays.

This year, I have decided to celebrate fall daily in order to really make the most of it.  Technically, fall doesn't begin until next Friday.  However, last Thursday was the first day it really felt like fall to me, so I'm counting that as the first day of fall.

Follow my daily celebration of fall on Facebook, and watch for additional posts here.

Happy Fall!

What I Learned on Vacation

1. I love being at home.

 This may seem strange to some people who would expect to hear something like, "I love exploring the world!", but it's true. I learned, while being away from home, that I love being at home. Yes, I love seeing the world and experiencing new things, but nothing beats hanging around the house. Home truly is where the heart is. It's where you can truly relax, be with your family (or your cats), and have everything on your own terms.

2. I'm kind of a snob, and I'm OK with that.

 I made (OK, Louie made) Super 8 give me a refund. The room was a little to... gross. Surprisingly, the guy behind the bullet-proof glass (that should have been our first clue that this hotel was NOT for us) refunded our $$. Then, we drove down the street and stayed at the Marriott. Much better :)

3. I'm a suburban girl.

I used to think I was a country girl. I grew up in a small town. I loved playing in the woods. I befriend all animals (except Muffins - sorry Muffins. It's just not working out). However, there's something about driving through the mountains of Vermont that really makes you miss seeing a Starbucks at every exit. I like convenience, what can I say?  I don't think you'll ever actually see me in a subdivision, but I can guarantee I won't be too far from the mall.

4. I'm tougher than I thought.

I was sick for 5 days of our trip. However, I camped, I walked around, I drove, I explored. And I lived.

5. As much as I complain about my husband being constantly plugged in, I'm very grateful for it.

He made his phone our own personal hot spot. We could get internet in the car so we could get directions. His phone has video and GPS. I could search for a campground, hotel, or restaurant while we were driving. AND we had Netflix in our tent. Sweeeeet!

Summer in Review

One of my goals when I began writing this blog was to log all the awesome things I do and include photos.

One of my failures with this blog has been neglecting to log all the awesome things I do and include pictures.

Let's catch up and continue as planned... shall we?

Summer:

Summer began with a trip to Portland, Oregon for the American Peony Society National Convention. Louie got to come with me, which was really awesome! We stayed at the Holiday Inn where the convention was being held. The food was surprisingly delicious for a Holiday Inn! They even had a really neat coffee maker in the lobby where you could choose all your coffee options, and it would customize a drink for you!

We also toured a number of peony and perennial growers including Adelman's Peony Paradise. On our one free day, we toured some gardens in Portland including the Japanese Garden and the Lan Su Chinese Garden. I wanted to go to the Zoo, but Louie wasn't up for it.

All in all it was a great time!

Then, there was my birthday. Our friend's, Ed and Vicki, came up from Indianapolis for that AND the Peony Festival. It was great to see them, and we had a blast.

Later in June, I went to Bonsai in the Bluegrass, a symposium held by the American Bonsai Society and Bonsai Clubs International, in Louisville, KY. I went with a co-worker of mine which I was nervous about at first since I didn't know her that well. We had an excellent time together! Our eating/sleeping/exhaustion threshold are very similar, so that made everything easy! I learned a TON and saw a bunch of cool trees and met a lot of interesting and knowledgeable people. It was a great introduction to bonsai!

In July, Louie and I traveled up to Ludington to put in a perennial garden for his mom. I pre-ordered a ton of plants and had them mailed to her house. We had to haul and spread a TON of good topsoil into the garden area. Of course the truck that delivered the soil dumped it 20 ft. from the garden instead of IN the garden. And it was 90 degrees. We did it though. Everything got planted and mulched. It needs to grow into itself (almost everything was in 4" grower pots), but next year it will be spectacular.

Unfortunately, Louie and I didn't make it to the Plymouth Art Fair this year. That really bummed me out because that is where our relationship bloomed and where we got engaged. We go every year. This year, though, it coincided with the trip to Ludington, and it would have been too much to try to do everything. Oh well. Next year.

At the end of July, I helped to throw a baby shower for my Aunt Patty. It was so much fun to plan and decorate! Execution of the party was a little stressful, but everything went well. It is so exciting that she is having a baby because she has always wanted one. I'm so happy for her and Uncle Sam!

Two weekends ago - the middle of August - Louie and I went to Indianapolis to visit Ed and Vicki. They just got a new house! It's SO amazing! Three bedrooms, hardwood floors, AMAZING kitchen and big back yard. We got to explore downtown Indianapolis as well. I never thought much about Indianapolis, but that's because I'd never been there! It was clean and trendy and FUN! It was a great trip, and I can't wait to go back :)

OK - those are the highlights. Much more happened, but I don't want this to be TOO long of an entry. Upcoming events in my life include a vacation, the renaissance festival, and visits with family.

Let's see if I can keep updating so we don't have to do a "Fall in Review" entry!