Happy ONE YEAR Anniversary

Today marks ONE YEAR of being married to the most amazing man, and I am so thankful that God chose him for me! I say my husband is "amazing" not only for putting up with me, which I know can be very trying at times, but also for being who God called him to be.

This year has definitely been a new experience for both of us. We were learning how to be married while living in a new city and never seeing each other. But through every situation (good or bad), Mike has blown me away with who he is to the core. He is so patient, thoughtful, faithful and giving in every situation.
Our minister, Nathan, challenged us to live by the 3 C's and Mike has held us to it.
1. Never stop COMMUNICATING with each other. Even after long days and when we are angry.
2. Never stop CONFIDING in each other. Remain best friends with Jesus first and then each other, keeping the freedom to confide fully & without shame.
3. Never stop COURTING each other. Your family & job are demanding but continue to date each other.

We have been so BLESSED with such a full year of memories, laughter, love and growth. I love my husband more today than I did on our wedding day. Here's to many more years and a lot more memories!

beauty

I'm happy to report that we had a wonderful time at the Lodge! The house was gorgeous and the views were breathtaking.
It was great weekend getting to know some of our friends on a deeper level. Friday night we stayed up into the wee hours of the morning playing games. I was happy to see that others were just as competitive while playing games as me! The couple that owns the house cooked us a huge breakfast on Saturday morning and we just hung out for the rest of the day.

We left TN bright and early Sunday morning to head to NC to meet my dad. My parents are keeping O'Malley for the next several months since Mike & I will be traveling a lot. I miss him already but know he loves being at poppy & nanny's house. (Dad- PLEASE do not feed him too many cheese nips or cookies. I don't want to send him to fat camp when we get him back!!)

We are heading to Hawaii later this week and I AM SO EXCITED!! I'm ready to spend 12 days straight with my husband celebrating our 1 year anniversary!

Lodge time

We're heading to the mountains this afternoon for a quick getaway with a few friends! I am bursting at the seams because 1)this is our first "sleepover" with Knoxville friends 2) the house is AMAZING and 3) it gets me pumped up for the App Family homecoming weekend!!

One of the couples that leads our Sunday school class owns a bunch of cabin rentals all over TN. They graciously gave us one of their houses for the weekend, and are coming to cook us a big ol' country breakfast one morning. Seriously, aren't they the sweetest?! We're looking forward to lots of corn hole, hiking, building relationships and some nice cold beer on the side.

This house would be perfect for the App family (sleeps 28 people), if only it was not located in TN :(

Celebration

Mike sent me beautiful flowers on Monday which was a very nice surprise. I asked him why he sent flowers, and he said "to celebrate both of us being in Knoxville for 2 weeks straight". Yes, I'm serious. It's important to celebrate the small victories in life, folks!

NYC

I got to spend 2 weeks in the city that never sleeps...comical, I know. Actually, I had a great time, got enough sleep and was a little sad to leave.Let's recap- After a fabulous time in Boston, we flew from Boston to Charlotte, I changed suitcases, said bye to my husband, and walked right back into the airport to head to NYC! Are you still with me?!
Our hotel/event was in Time Square so I was a little over stimulated and actually missed the slow pace life in Knoxville (just for a second though). We had a great 1st week onboarding all the new hires in our campus program. Even though we worked a lot of hours, we mixed in some fun events. Week 1 included a boat/dinner cruise, my first Cuban dinner, cupcake tour of NYC, and a lovefest with Kat & Masser! I haven't seen Masser since App homecoming weekend a few (maybe 4) years ago. Needless to say, I practically peed my pants when she walked in the restaurant. Masser hasn't changed a bit, and I loved catching up on life, hearing about her next adventure options (CLT please) and laughing about so many college memories. Kat, Masser and I ate and drank the night away and they made me stay out way too late...but it was totally worth every minute!
I flew home for the weekend because it was Mike's actual 30th birthday. My parents were staying at our house while they watched my niece and nephew. Sis was moving to Bama, so nanny and poppy were on babysitting duty. Yes, Mike spent his actual birthday with 2 kids and his in-laws...he was a trooper!!! We had a busy weekend celebrating Mike's birthday and playing with the kiddos. I took an obnoxious amount of pictures, as usual-go Em's blog to see them!

I headed back to NYC and was ready for another full week of work & fun! Week 2 included a dinner/tour of the NBC studios which was amazing, bowling and some night time fun.
I had to travel around NYC for different events that week so I got to see much more of the city. The "cab highlight" of week 2 was when the taxi driver didn't know the location of where I was trying to go (I was going to a well known financial district location and was baffled that he didn't know where to go) . He pulled over and asked 2 different taxi drivers and still didn't really know where to go. I needed to take control of the situation, got out my iphone and let him look at the map while driving. Thank you technology!

All in all, I had a great time working with my teammates (WHO I LOVE) and having fun in the city. Kat did try to convince me that I could live in NYC, which is quite a compliment, but we all know that isn't true. I'm not that flexible/easy going/non controlling person...wish I was though! Have you seen how well Knoxville's going?!?! :) It's a wonderful city with so much to offer and I cant' wait to go back in a few months.

Boston surprise

Last weekend, I surprised Mike with a trip to Boston for his 30th birthday!! I have been planning this trip for months and I was so relived to spill the beans. It was so hard keeping that a secret for such a long time!

We headed to Charlotte on Wednesday night and spent the night with Kel & Robby. When we were getting ready to head to the airport, I let Mike open his presents so he would know where we were going. He opened a Boston Red Sox shirt and 2 baseball tickets...I have NEVER seen him so excited! Boston was on his bucket list and so was going to a Red Sox game.

We arrived in Boston on Thursday afternoon, checked in the hotel and started walking around downtown. I decided to "live on the edge" and agreed to a pub crawl. We had a blast, but I needed a little extra help getting back to our hotel that evening.Friday morning we woke up and headed to our Duck Boat Tour. Our driver, MC History, was hilarious and made the 2 hour tour so much fun. We got to see the city by land and water and enjoyed every second. We spent the rest of the HOT day walking the freedom trail, trying a few restaurants, drinking a TON of water and exploring the city. That evening we had a nice dinner on the water and enjoyed a stroll around the city.
Saturday we woke up and walked to brunch right near our hotel. When we arrived, Kelly & Robby were waiting to surprise Mike. We had a great brunch, made BFF with the waiter and ate/drank way too much. After brunch, we took the subway to Harvard and walked around the campus and did a little shopping. I have to admit, I felt myself getting smarter just by walking around...seriously!
Saturday late afternoon, we headed to the Red Sox game. We were lucky enough to get 11th row seats right behind home plate. Mike was in heaven and enjoyed consuming lots of "stadium" food!

All in all, it was the perfect weekend! Exploring new cities together has become one of our favorite things to do. If you have never been to Boston, you should plan a trip. We can't wait to go back and see more of the city.