Anniversary Recap

So, on Monday of this week, Bryan and I celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary. I can hardly believe it's already been a whole year. Time has really flown...but it's been an amazing year.
This past weekend we wanted to do something to celebrate without breaking the bank. We had originally thought about going on a weekend vacation somewhere, but after looking at prices, we decided we'd rather put that money towards our house down payment. So, we didn't have anything special planned, but we ended up taking an impromptu trip to...hold your breath...Frisco. We stayed the night at the Westin Stonebriar and went out for dinner and drinks at La Hacienda Ranch. It was a fun and relaxing evening, and just nice to get out of the house. Here are a few pictures...

Our Hotel

Possibly the most comfortable bed EVER!

View from our balcony...I wish we had brought our suits!

Bryan and his romantic ways...ha!

And then on Monday (our actual anniversary) I cooked a nice dinner and we ate the top tier of our wedding cake. It did not live up to what I had hoped for...but it wasn't terrible either. I think I may have defrosted it wrong...cause it was looking pretty shabby! But, I swear, it tasted much better than it looked. Haha! Oh well, it's tradition...

9/29/07

9/29/08

All in all, it was a wonderful anniversary, and I feel so fortunate to have a husband like Bryan. The last twelve months have been nothing less than blissful, and I look forward to many more happy years together! I'll end this post with one of my favorite pictures from our wedding...

We're Buying a HOUSE!!

So, the time has finally come for us to purchase our first home! We are beyond ecstatic, and have been working toward this goal for a LONG time! We've been extremely cautious about it due to the economy and foreclosure rates. Probably overly cautious due to some of the things I've seen working in mortgage and banking. But, we both feel like the time is right, and we've saved up a nice little chunk to put down. So...we put down a deposit a few weeks ago to build a home in Anna (just north of McKinney). It will look like this...Minus the ugly pink colored brick. It's 1920 square feet, 3 bedroom, and 2 bath. Here is our floorplan... So, right now we are trying to pick out colors for brick, granite, tile, paint, carpet, etc. Which sounds like a fun and simple task, but it has me majorly fretting! Who knew there could be SO many shades of beige!?! Bryan has opted out of this process, and says he'll be happy with "whatever," so all the pressure is on me. I'm sure I'll figure it out though. Once I do, they will break ground, and then construction should take 3-4 months. So we're thinking we'll probably close after the first of the year. We can't wait! It's been great living in Blue Ridge, and I'm sure we'll still spend alot of time out there, but it will be so nice to have our own space.

New Beginnings!!

Well... this is our first of many "bloggings". Since we are constantly on the go and so many new things are happening in our lives, we thought that this would be a great way to keep our family and friends updated!

Here's a little recap of things you may have missed over the last several months...

Carolyn
Many changes on the career front for me this year. I completed real estate school in February of '08, and absolutely loved the experience. I still need to take my state exam and get licensed (before I forget everything I learned!), but I plan to list my license as inactive for the time being. In such an uncertain economy and weak real estate market, I felt that the timing was just not right to become self employed. It is definitely something I hope to pursue in the future, but that venture has been put on hold as of right now.
In March, I was offered a Sales Assistant position for a mortgage company, which is mainly what my professional backround consists of. It was a great learning experience, and I loved my co-workers, however it was 100% commission based, and with the country's current mortgage crisis, it simply did not turn out to be what I had expected.
About that time, a position opened up at my dad's company, and for the sake of stability and helping out the family business, I decided to accept the challenge. I'm really enjoying working with my dad and sister, and I'm hoping that some of my dad's good business sense will rub off on me!


Bryan
Great news on the career front for Bryan. He just started a new job in August that he is absolutely loving. He now works for RB Landscape and Turf and delivers sod to new developments. The best part is....he is HOME EVERY NIGHT! This is huge for us, and something that we have been working on for a long time. It's also very new to us because for basically our entire relationship Bryan has traveled for work more than he has been home. But, it is wonderful, and we are loving being able to do "normal" things like watch TV together during the week. It's definitely a nice change!

Stayed tuned for some exciting news!