In Honor of Our Anniversary...

*Warning: picture heavy post* 

Today makes 3 years that Preston and I have been married.... 3!  It truly amazes me how quickly these 3 years have went.  So let's have a flash back of our wedding and an over view of the past years.

Preston and I were married at Coal Run Church of Christ on May 14, 2011 .

We had our reception at the East KY Expo Center, which I think was a blast!

We had a wonderful honeymoon on a Carnival cruise to Grand Cayman, Belize, Isla Roatan, and Cozumel. 

Our first home was in Grayson, KY.  We then moved from there to Tennessee where I finished my schooling and earned my Master's degree in social work.  We liked TN, but knew it wasn't the right place for us.  After living there a year and a half, we moved to VA.  We moved into one home and within a few months, moved again to another home still in the same area, thanks to Preston's job.  It is such a blessing that we both have jobs in our career field here! 

Also since being married, we landed an awesome deal on another cruise and went in Spring 2013. 

We also went with our friends to the Outer Banks in North Carolina... 

So 3 years, 3 fun vacations, 3 different states, 4 different homes, 3 college degrees, 5 different jobs, and a ton of fun later, we are here today... I have so enjoyed these past 3 years and I am looking forward to many more.  I am thankful for the one that God created for me and I am excited to see what the future holds for us! 

Count your blessings, name them one by one.....

Hello and happy Wednesday.... what day is it? Huuump Daaay!
Do you ever just stop and think about how awesome our God truly is? Yesterday evening as we were cleaning at our new house, I couldn't help but think about how great God is and how BLESSED I am. So, whether you are interested, or if I am just writing for my own memory, this post is about blessings that God has given me lately, and I am so grateful! I don't want to make it seem like I have all these things that make my life perfect, because it's not, but I just want to recognize some of the wonderful blessings that God has given me.

*I am blessed with a husband that loves me, even when I might be cranky or have a list of to-dos that seem like a mile long. A husband that loves the same God I do and puts God before me, just like I do him. A husband that values me and is very understanding. A husband that is encouraging and a husband that prays.
*I am blessed with a family that is supportive and loving, I don't remember many times that they weren't. By family, I mean my "side" of the family and Preston's as a whole. We don't have the problem of not wanting to see in-laws or anything like that. Our families work well together.
*I am blessed with a job that I love, I get to work with children on a daily basis and know that I might have a tiny chance of making a small difference, and that's why all the papers, exams, and studying in my student years makes it all worth it. I have a pay rate that I'm happy with and a benefits package that is wonderful, that in itself is another blessing.
*I am blessed with wonderful friends. Whether they are 9 hours, 4 hours, 2 hours, or 10 minutes away, I've got friends near and far that I consider true friends. The ones I know I can call at any time and know that if they can help me they will, the friends that will pray with/for me, the friends that are dependable. The friends that share some of the same values with me.... that's important! *I am blessed with good health. I don't get sick often, and when I do, it's not too bad, my blood sugar/ blood pressure is usually right where it's supposed to be. I know there are so many medical problems these days and I'm grateful to be in good health.
*I am blessed with reliable transportation, not being able to get where you need to go can be difficult and I am glad that I can get to work every day with no struggle.
* I am blessed that we are getting a new (to us) home. With Preston's job, a house is included in his income package, so we will have a very spacious and newly updated house that will be saving us monthly because of the decrease in bills. We like the layout of the house and we are excited to move to a bigger place, even though that means this will be our 4th move in 2 years and we just got settled into where we are now, it will defintely be worth it.

I know that these things are not all of my many blessings, but they are a few that I've been thinking about lately. God is good, He blesses us, even if it means we have to wait and be patient for the blessing. As I said before, I don't want to come across as a "my life is perfect, look at all my great things", I just want to be grateful and recognize the things that I have been blessed with. What are some of your blessings?

How things can change in a year

Have you ever thought about where you were in your life this time last year? Since last August, lots of things have changed for us. I have decided to do a flashback comparison month by month to show a difference between then and now... so, I am rewinding the past year just to remember what has happened over the past 365 days, warning: This post is very long and has some an overload of pictures!

August 2012: We were living in Elizabethton, TN. I was a full time student working towards my Master's degree at ETSU, I was working at my internship placement part time, and I was working at a shoe store part time.... Preston was working on his Master's degree through KCU, and was working at Best Buy. Preston and I also celebrated 4 years of being together since we started dating, we went to a Tenth Avenue North concert

September 2012 Last September was a lot like August, consumed in school, work, internship, etc. In September I also made my first deco mesh wreath so that it would be ready for October, it turned out like this:

In September I also made chicken and dumplins' for the first time!

October 2012 In October, we continue with the working/school routine... I made this wreath for halloween.

In October I went to my friend Deanna's baby shower and got to see some friends from high school!

November 2012 In November, my mom and I did our annual Black Friday shopping (we LOVE it) and my sister got to join for the first time.... after that, we were on the road and Florida bound for Emily's baby shower!

December 2012: In December, we enjoyed Christmas, the Biltmore estate, and a short break from school!

January 2013 January came and we continued school, but I was excited for it to be my last semester. Towards the end of January, for the first time, I interviewed for a full time social work job position for after graduating school. In January I picked up a new hobby and began crocheting sashay scarves

In January I also got a picture of Chloe sleeping like she normally does, on her back, on a pillow, covered up, with her tongue out... spoiled?

February/March 2013: In Feb and March, not much changed... the same school/work routine. We must have been either boring or busy because I didn't even take any good pictures.
April 2013: In April, Preston and I found an amazing deal on a cruise (thanks to my brother who told me about it)and we booked a cruise on the spur of the moment and we were ready to set sail in just 2.5 weeks. If you know me, I'm a huge planner, so going on a trip like this without planning it was crazy to me, but it was so much fun!

At the end of this cruise, I got a voice mail which led me to talking to someone from the company I interviewed for back in January, I ended up being offered and accepting the job!
May 2013: In May, we had already planned to go on vacation with our friends Adam and Renee to the Outer Banks in North Carolina so we went on another vacation. Also in May, I graduated from graduate school with my Master's of Social Work degree!

June 2013: In June, we moved to Virginia and began to get things situated in our new home. I planted my first rose bushes, which I was extremely excited about. My family had planned a beach trip.... so I was blessed with another vacation, this time to Myrtle Beach, SC.

In June I was also honored with being a bridesmaid in my dear friend, Jade's wedding... it was such a fun wedding!

Also in June, I started my job as a social worker doing what I love and working with children every day. It's great to go from having a crazy schedule to only working 8:30-4:30 Monday through Friday, I love my schedule!
July 2013 July continued work, but my 3 month streak of vacations came to an end! I did enjoy visiting the church camp a lot in the evenings after work, though!
And that brings us to where we are now, August... I'm enjoying the changes that have made, our move, and my job, I'm excited to see what the next year brings. What's been going on in your lives lately?