Anniversary/Memorial Day Weekend Recap

Warning: BIG Photo Post!

11 years!

Last Saturday was our 11 year wedding anniversary, as you may have realized after the last blog post. We usually go somewhere and do a big vacation (or move, depending on the year), but this year we stayed a little closer to home. Or at home, I should say. We didn't take extra time off last week like normal, but instead are about to enjoy our second four-day weekend as a mini-vacation, of sorts. Woohoo! We didn't rest much last weekend so we're looking forward to a little R & R.

Thursday night we celebrated early with Mexican food and a little sangria.

I do heart Mexican food!

Our financial focus has been split into different directions for so long and especially now that we're out of debt. We finally are willing to put money towards these big $ needs we've had for a while, except that we need to save big-time too. What to do? Well we finally decided to just take care of the three big needs and once they're done, to save everything.

Our three big needs were: a new bed, a new couch and loveseat (or living room furniture), and dining room chairs. We've needed a new bed for at least four years, our current couch is broken and is not at all restful to me, and our current dining room chairs were the cheapest of the cheap from IKEA years ago and have been broken and fixed at least twice per chair, plus the fact that they're REALLY uncomfortable.

Since it was Memorial Day weekend we knew we had to hit the sales! Friday night and all day Saturday, we drove up and down Highway 70 to Furniture Row (where all the local furniture stores are), we drove back and forth between mattress stores, laid on countless mattresses (which I'm still trying to forget), and FINALLY had success!

Our bed is the same as the second from the front. It's amazing!

We found the mattress of our dreams, a Sealy Tempur-Pedic or something like that. We like support but softness, or 'plush' as it's called in the mattress world. We were debating between two mattresses at two different stores. They were both the same price too. The saleslady ended up giving us free same day delivery and knocked $50 off the price of the bed, so once we decided on the mattress, we ended up getting it cheaper too!

We did stick with the queen sized bed, but later once we're in a house again, we'll upgrade most likely. Then this amazingness will become the new guest bed. I love it when a plan comes together!

After we found the mattress of our dreams, we finished looking at couches and loveseats. Ashley Furniture was having a great sale where if you bought an inexpensive couch (certain $ range), you could buy the matching loveseat for 50% off. We were debating that when we found a chaise couch elsewhere we really liked. In the end, we went with the Ashley Furniture deal to get a complete set since both the couch and loveseat were cheaper than the one chaise couch we'd found. The new couch and loveseat get delivered in a week and I can't wait!!!

Believe it or not, we were sick of spending money and decided we'd need to wait to get dining room chairs, our lowest priority of the three. For our anniversary and to celebrate the furniture/bed purchases, we went to Gonza for dinner. Have I mentioned how wonderful Gonza is and how much I love Mexican food?!

Such a handsome man! (although he looks the same as he did in high school)

After dinner we had about an hour to be home before the delivery window on our new mattress. We had tons still to do, including moving our old bed into the guest room AFTER taking apart the old guest bed and frame. The frame has already sold on Craig's List for the asking price, which is awesome!

Getting ready!

Hubby busted his tail getting everything done in time, and we got to sleep on our new bed that Saturday night. What a difference a new bed makes!

We swapped cards in a rare moment of no-craziness that day and died laughing when we realized we both went with the exact same card, which happened to be the first card we both looked at in the store!

Still in sync after all these years!

And then Sunday came! I was off work, but it was wonderful to sit together during the church service without having to work. We went out for a quick lunch and then hit up Target to look for new bedding. We haven't found new bedding yet, but look what we did find!

New dining chairs for more than 50% off?! I think so!

We were trying to be so wise with the funds available and make good choices for all this furniture which is why we'd given up on finding chairs. We just aren't comfortable yet spending $100+ per chair when we need six of them. We walked into Target and these were each $80 on clearance for under $40, PLUS with the Target debit card we saved an extra 5%! Perfect!

Poor CC then spent two days putting all the chairs together, but fortunately for me he absolutely loves it! Only one chair out of the bunch was damaged and he even called about five Targets in the area to find a replacement, which he did after we'd finally prayed about it (God is so amazing!).

We immediately drove over to Brier Creek, exchanged the damaged chair for the good chair, and then celebrated with Gigi's Cupcakes- yum!

CC had a helper with the chair-building!

Tuesday was back to work as usual but after the hectic weekend, we were kind of ready for it. So no, we didn't go anywhere or do anything big for our anniversary, but we DID meet all the needs and buy new stuff, which is equally exciting at this point!

And after work Tuesday we got official word we were debt-free, so that's exciting!

Paid In FULL!

After this weekend's mini-time off, we have a 5k to train for, and are getting back into eating right and working out. The other day we went on a walk with Scout who wasn't having it. I really think she just wants to get her Jersey tan on, but then gets disappointed when we make her sweat a little. Go figure.

Back on track!

Eleven.

Today marks eleven years with CC. Happy eleven, Baby!

Eleven years ago I walked down the aisle to meet my best friend and commit to a life with him.

We'd already been dating for over five and a half years by that point- I thought I loved him as much as it was possible to love someone. I thought I knew everything about him, his strengths and weaknesses. I thought I knew what I was getting into.

Eleven years later, I love him more, know him better, realize he's not quite the same person he was back then, and praise God he still loves who I am today vs. the girl I was at that time. The Lord used this man to grow me, challenge me, support me, strengthen me, love me, hold me, cry and laugh with me, and on and on.

I am so daily, eternally, grateful for the man I'm married to.

I love you more today than eleven years ago, CC.

When?

Lots of heavy stuff going on these days, and I began to wonder at which point I became a grown-up. Life as an adult is TOUGH. You hear that as a kid, "enjoy it while you can!" but you think it's a lie adults tell kids to keep them in line or something.

Was it when I got married and moved into our own place?

When I turned 18 or 21?

My first 'real' job? Or my second real job where I've actually flourished and stayed for going on ten years?

When we bought our first house? When we sold our first house because we were trying to reduce expenses?

When I began to get excited talking about debt-reduction and Dave Ramsey?

When we got out of debt and now can get excited talking about saving?

When a friend had infertility and I walked with her through that? When death touched my family once again and my beloved grandmother passed away?

When miracles happened and the Lord blessed us?

When I get excited every week if I get all of the laundry done in a single day?

When we paid taxes yet again and finally had figured out our numbers so we didn't owe for the first time in our marriage?

When another sweet friend discovered a mass requiring surgery with a very high mortality rate?

When I'm driving down the road and I see BABIES driving too? Or, when I walk through the mall and see teenage girls with low shirts and too-short shorts on?

When did I grow up?

It's crazy how true it is that as you get older, you still feel like the same younger version on the inside.

Sometimes I wish I could stop time and just stay in that one particular happy phase of life. But as we all know, that doesn't happen.

Oh well... I feel a sudden urge to go color in my coloring book now... if you're looking for me, you might find me swinging on the swing-set outside today.

Waiting Is The Hardest

Waiting is all we seem to be doing lately and it's driving me nuts. We have some major decisions we are in the midst of researching, gathering counsel, looking into, and hopefully in the future acting on. But in the meantime, all this waiting is driving me nuts!

On our list includes a new bed, new furniture in general (our couches need replacing and our kitchen chairs are pretty crappy), the iPad situation we're still waiting on- whether to get them or not, vacation plans, and on and on.

Now don't get me wrong. I am not here crying oh poor us, we have money and don't know what to do with it. NOT AT ALL. In fact, the great fallacy with being out of debt is you think you are now in possession of all this extra money. It's a LIE, people! If anything you have less because you're saving more and too cheap to spend what you do have.

But the money we do have (and are saving) we're trying to be extra wise about spending, which explains all the decision-making we're facing.

What do you do while you're in the midst of the limbo time where all you seem to be doing is waiting? What do you do to help you decide something?

Target Does It Again!

So this past weekend was fun but very much did not go as planned. Because of this, we didn't quite get the rest and relaxation in as much as we were hoping for.

Defenses were down, people!

Yesterday after lunch we went to Target to get groceries for the week. Supposedly pretty uneventful, right? Wrong!

I don't usually check the weekly ad but something made me stop and check it out. Turns out iPads and iPad minis are on sale this week! Add in the 5% off we save by paying with our Target debit card, it was kind of a no-brainer.

So guess who now owns her very own iPad mini?! ME!!! I'm loving it so far, too; I'm really glad all our research has finally paid off.

CC has decided to still wait to get his own new iPad for now, since he's got the one from his job to play with in the meantime. He sure does spoil me so!

There You Go!

Today will be a much better day than yesterday. I've got Starbucks, a date with a good friend for lunch at Chipotle, and it's Thursday!

Thursdays are currently one of my favorite days of the week- it's the end of my workweek and officially begins my weekend (My weekends are typically Friday-Saturday.).

This weekend, I hope to bake something (CC, be warned!) and we have lots of fun things planned.

Tonight I am holding out for Gonza but might settle for Chubby's or other Mexican food. Tomorrow night, we're going to our friend, Betsy's, place for the first bust-out-the-grill session of the season! We'll play cards, eat yummy food (GRILLED PINEAPPLE), and laugh lots. Saturday, our friend Norah, turns one year old, and her parents are grilling out then too for a little mini-party for her.

I love grilled food. Especially now that we're in the apartment and can't have our own grill again, I tend to appreciate it that much more. (And we did renew our lease for the apartment for another year, so no house-hunting or grill-hunting for us yet. Hopefully one more year, but we'll see.)

I know this is a pretty random post, but as you might have guessed, I'm pretty stoked about it!

Oh, and Sunday I'm off work again- so three day weekend! Woohoo!

See? Already a much better day today. Praise Jesus, because yesterday stunk!

On another random note, we're trying to figure out what to do for our next mini-vacay. We could take a whole week off but right now we just have a few days off at the very beginning of June. Where would you suggest we go? Or rather, what should we do?

We were hoping to go to California then, but it doesn't look like it's going to work (which I'm super bummed about). My high school small group leader/matron of honor/really good friend is moving to Switzerland in July, so we were hoping to go see her before she left. That and she only lives about 30 minutes away from several bloggie friends. It was a win-win until we figured out how much it'd cost to go. I'm kinda not over it, but trying to be, you know?

So what do you think? What should we do?

Pfft.

Today is one of those days...

• When you feel like nobody's telling you anything you actually need to know
• When you're in a funky and miserable mood
• When you need closure for a situation and aren't able to see the person to resolve it
• When everything on the to-do list seems difficult to get done and takes twice as much time
• When it seems there's not enough prayer or coffee or chocolate on the planet
• When you call or text to talk to someone and nobody's answering or responding right away
• When you don't want to be around people and you're surrounded by them
• When every sweet kindness, however tiny and minute, means the world to you and makes you want to bawl your eyes out
• When even the dreary weather seems depressed along with you

... Yep, it's one of those days... 

This day is making me look very forward to the weekend though. We have fun planned all weekend and hopefully it'll be sunny and a complete 180 from this moment.