Ok so I'm still working on becoming a Blogger. Actually I'm working on a lot of things this year. Since we are already married, our only kid has fur, and we aren't moving anywhere this year. This is the year to work on goals.
Blogging: I love reading other peoples blog, so I thought it's something I should be able to enjoy & do. I admit though I feel unqualified because we don't have a little one to track their progress & although we are doing projects in our home, they are no where near the level of "Young House Love." And the biggest draw back for anyone reading this... the camera I do own has a glitch so I very rarely use it. So the amount of pictures on here are limited. However, I'm not giving up. I vow to take more pictures & have an exciting enough life that you want to read about it! ...with as minimal drama as possible!
Picture taking: Addressed above & in addition: Be more creative, get more framed & in books, and maybe even get a new camera!
Fitness: Be as faithful at going to the gym every morning as my work-out buddy is! WE are suppose to go every weekday morning at 5:30 am. Its a good week if I've gone 3 times... however this week I haven't missed a day yet. **knock on wood** Also, B is planning on running a marathon in October. I haven't fully committed to this yet, but I am STRONGLY considering running it with him. My work schedule may be my obstacle. It is inconsistent and not very flexible as far as taking weekends off. I'll keep you posted on the progress.
Health: How I would love to be able to cook more HEALTHY recipes. My creativity is limited, and I don't feel comfortable cooking with new foods. I really need to get out of my box on this one...it may take a while.
Wealth: Become Suze Orman! Ok, so not really become her but take her advice to heart. In my younger years I always thought that if you weren't struggling then you were doing just fine. Now I want that 8 month emergency fund with an extra, usable, savings account as well. Suze always talks about how she lives BELOW her means. That's something that I truly want to do on a regular basis. This may take a lot of dedication, but I've already started & it feels great. I just have to resist feeling the need to USE every coupon that comes my way!
LOVE: Doing more things WITH B. We tend to separate the house chores, which is ok. But the big projects seem to be more satisfying when we do them together. Right now we are working on tiling our main room in the basement. I wasn't able to help with the big area due to work, but I was able to help clean it up afterward and will be helping with the tiling of the second half. B doesn't feel as much like a work horse & I can be proud of the work as well. Also, our TV time. We have 2 dual DVR's so essentially we watch to totally different TVs. However, sitting on the couch enjoying a show with my husband is much more relaxing and enjoyable then alone or with our cat! We need to be better at enjoying the small amount of time that we do have TOGETHER!
Friends: Have more casual get togethers. I was looking at photos from when we first moved up here. We had soo much fun just sitting in a circle together, playing games, telling stories or having impromptu dance parties. We NEED to do more of that this year!
Ok: Ready, set GO!!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Saturday, January 1, 2011
2010: The year of Changes!
So I remember when I was younger and it seemed like forever until Christmas and my next birthday. But as you get older and your life fills with more people and things to do, the time just seems to slip away. A little over a year ago I ended my stay at Walt Disney World. It was a little premature but the right thing for me. I had been given the opportunity to make more money which is a sad, but very realistic influencer. My time away from my soon to be husband was hurting us both more and more everyday, and there were a lot of things in this little state of Iowa that I was missing. It was time for me to come home.
Brendan and I ended last year by finishing our schooling. Brendan got his degree in Economics with an emphasis in Business Analysis and I finished my Criminology degree and also obtained a Training and Development Certificate. We were now on the job hunt. Now as mentioned above I did have a job, but the offer wasn't quite what I had expected so I was still looking. Brendan was still employed with the company he worked with throughout college and they had offered him a full time job. He liked the work, but wanted something that actually used his college degree, so he was still looking. Around March, Brendan ended up taking that full time position and I was about to start working in the banking industry.
In April we thought we should casually look at houses, just to see what is out there and kind of prepare us for when we want to buy a house. Well, SURPRISE! After looking at close to 30 different houses all over the Cedar Valley, and having my mom come down for her expert opinion... Brendan and I bought a house! We closed on May 14th. Our family and a few friends helped with the packing, painting, and moving. My mom was the lifesaver and would come down and paint our walls while Brendan and I were at work. One of her friends even came down and helped us hang pictures and arrange the house to make it more homey.
Our Summer was filled with trips to Dubuque. A lot of it was wedding related but we managed to see some friends and family and get some fun in as well. We attempted to do the Grandview Gallop in June. We have ran that race every year since it started. However it got postponed due to rain. It also happened to land on the same day as one of the wedding showers and my bachelorette, so I missed it because of my limited timeline and Brendan, Doug, and Gabe just ran the first half (the starting point to my parents house) by themselves. At the end of June Brendan also ran a half-marathon with Doug. It's a good thing Doug is a coach and a good friend because that is exactly what Brendan needed to get through with NO training!
Another big change in our life came in July. A company Brendan had interviewed with in the late winter/early spring called and offered him a job. It was something that he always wanted and worked hard for, however the job is 90 minutes from our recently purchased home. After a lot of conversations filled with "what ifs," he took the job and started in early August.
The last weekend of summer in most peoples eyes is Labor Day weekend. Well, this year that was also the beginning of my life as a Blok. Brendan and I got married on possibly the most gorgeous Labor Day of our lives. It was a wonderful day that we got to share with our family and friends. I wish I could do it all over again without all the work. There are still things on my "I wanna do" list from that night. However, it was great to be able to relax and focus on the house again afterwards.
Our fall was busy with 3 more weddings in October and November. My maid of honor Abby married Mark the Saturday after Thanksgiving. They had the best weather possible for a November weekend in Iowa, which was complimented with a very beautiful wedding!
Immediately following Thanksgiving I started a "new" job as well. This is the job that I thought I was coming home to but we didn't get on the same page. After some movement within the company and a few conversations, they asked me to come back and help run the CF store. It was not an easy decision for me because I loved working at the bank, the people were great and you can't beat the hours! Eventually, Brendan and I decided it was the right move for our future and I am very happy with the decision. It is a challenging and rewarding job, I love it!
In the beginning of December we had to say goodbye to Brendan's Grandpa Sanchez. I feel very fortunate to have been able to get to know this man so well. He was always around while Brendan and I were dating and lived with his mother for the last year or more of his life. After Brendan and I were married he called me "mija" which is slang for mi hija which translates to my daughter. It was official, I was blessed to be his granddaughter, even if it was for a short period of time. He was a hardworking and humble man that was always giving. He has definitely left a big hole in our hearts.
Brendan took it very hard, but it also made him appreciate family a little bit more. For his Christmas present to himself and his father, they went to a Bears game at Soldier field and had a blast celebrating the Bears win and the day together.
Other than working on the house, we hope to have a life changing free year for 2011!
Epcot, my temporary home. Brendan & I both miss it!
Brendan and I ended last year by finishing our schooling. Brendan got his degree in Economics with an emphasis in Business Analysis and I finished my Criminology degree and also obtained a Training and Development Certificate. We were now on the job hunt. Now as mentioned above I did have a job, but the offer wasn't quite what I had expected so I was still looking. Brendan was still employed with the company he worked with throughout college and they had offered him a full time job. He liked the work, but wanted something that actually used his college degree, so he was still looking. Around March, Brendan ended up taking that full time position and I was about to start working in the banking industry.
In April we thought we should casually look at houses, just to see what is out there and kind of prepare us for when we want to buy a house. Well, SURPRISE! After looking at close to 30 different houses all over the Cedar Valley, and having my mom come down for her expert opinion... Brendan and I bought a house! We closed on May 14th. Our family and a few friends helped with the packing, painting, and moving. My mom was the lifesaver and would come down and paint our walls while Brendan and I were at work. One of her friends even came down and helped us hang pictures and arrange the house to make it more homey.
This was taking before we purchased it, for some reason we don't have a picture of the front of our house!?!
Our Summer was filled with trips to Dubuque. A lot of it was wedding related but we managed to see some friends and family and get some fun in as well. We attempted to do the Grandview Gallop in June. We have ran that race every year since it started. However it got postponed due to rain. It also happened to land on the same day as one of the wedding showers and my bachelorette, so I missed it because of my limited timeline and Brendan, Doug, and Gabe just ran the first half (the starting point to my parents house) by themselves. At the end of June Brendan also ran a half-marathon with Doug. It's a good thing Doug is a coach and a good friend because that is exactly what Brendan needed to get through with NO training!
Another big change in our life came in July. A company Brendan had interviewed with in the late winter/early spring called and offered him a job. It was something that he always wanted and worked hard for, however the job is 90 minutes from our recently purchased home. After a lot of conversations filled with "what ifs," he took the job and started in early August.
The last weekend of summer in most peoples eyes is Labor Day weekend. Well, this year that was also the beginning of my life as a Blok. Brendan and I got married on possibly the most gorgeous Labor Day of our lives. It was a wonderful day that we got to share with our family and friends. I wish I could do it all over again without all the work. There are still things on my "I wanna do" list from that night. However, it was great to be able to relax and focus on the house again afterwards.
We love each other and the water, perfect day!
Our fall was busy with 3 more weddings in October and November. My maid of honor Abby married Mark the Saturday after Thanksgiving. They had the best weather possible for a November weekend in Iowa, which was complimented with a very beautiful wedding!
Immediately following Thanksgiving I started a "new" job as well. This is the job that I thought I was coming home to but we didn't get on the same page. After some movement within the company and a few conversations, they asked me to come back and help run the CF store. It was not an easy decision for me because I loved working at the bank, the people were great and you can't beat the hours! Eventually, Brendan and I decided it was the right move for our future and I am very happy with the decision. It is a challenging and rewarding job, I love it!
In the beginning of December we had to say goodbye to Brendan's Grandpa Sanchez. I feel very fortunate to have been able to get to know this man so well. He was always around while Brendan and I were dating and lived with his mother for the last year or more of his life. After Brendan and I were married he called me "mija" which is slang for mi hija which translates to my daughter. It was official, I was blessed to be his granddaughter, even if it was for a short period of time. He was a hardworking and humble man that was always giving. He has definitely left a big hole in our hearts.
Brendan took it very hard, but it also made him appreciate family a little bit more. For his Christmas present to himself and his father, they went to a Bears game at Soldier field and had a blast celebrating the Bears win and the day together.
Other than working on the house, we hope to have a life changing free year for 2011!
Gotta start somewhere...
So I've been closet blog reader for over a year now. It started when I was living in FL last year. Some close friends of ours were having their first baby & I was totally bummed that I was missing what seemed like the whole prenancy and the beginning months of this precious girls life. To make me feel better there was a blog for me to follow, which I did religiously and still do. However, I soon started reading her friends blogs and then other just random blogs by hitting the "next blog" button above. I was hooked, but afraid I wouldn't have anything to write about. I'm still not sure that I have anything worth reading, but I'm giving it a shot anyway. Hopefully, if nothing else, it will get me to start taking pictures again so I have something to look at to go along with the memories we create. My first posts are going to be a summary of 2010 and our goals for 2011. I hope you enjoy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)