7 Years NOT Married

TODAY July 26th 2015 marks seven years of being together with my amazing husband. SEVEN YEARS! Like what is that? In seven years a child learns to eat solid foods, walk, talk, read and start learning right from wrong. A lot can happen in seven years AND BOY a lot has happened in the past seven years!

July 2008

Kyle and I first met at our Christian Camp July 13th '08. We had mutual friends that introduced us (kind of) and I remember spotting him around campus here and there. I thought he was cute of course but he was a chaperone at the ripe old age of 19 and I was still a student going into my senior year of high school at 17. We did however exchange numbers after I so boldly asked for it. I was always pretty oblivious to boys and their feelings towards me and didn't even really know how Kyle was feeling but I didn't care I still asked for his number. I was thinking that when we parted ways MAYBE we could get together since we both had cars and there are roads that go between Connecticut and Rhode Island so there was a possibility to see one another again after camp. We have an ongoing chicken or the egg debate as to who called the other first. PRETTY SURE it was Kyle because I wasn't going to have asked for the exchange in numbers AND THEN make the first call on top of it! I'm not that progressive but Kyle will stand by that I called him first because well, that does just sound like a giddy 17 year old having a crush on the cute army dude she just met that was also a Jesus lover. I remember the first week after camp we talked every single night sometimes until the sun came up and I remember being thankful it was summer so I could sleep in until I had to work at 330. 

He came over the following weekend. We had about an hour and a half in between us so whenever we would go visit one another we obviously stayed over the other persons house. ALWAYS would sleep in the basement of the prospective house which was good because then I had time to wake up and put make-up on before we saw one another after emerging from the basement (oh how that has changed rapidly). He asked me to be his girlfriend by changing his status on Facebook. We knew that we were dating but that just made it official...el oh el. 

Merrill's Batman Birthday Celebration!

First weekend meeting the in-laws

I remember being TERRIFIED to meet his family. Oh and I haven't mentioned by now but this was my first official relationship of my life besides this kid who kissed me under the rice table of pre-school. A rice table was much safer than a sand table. Anyway....this was REAL DEAL STUFF and I didn't know how to act meeting his entire family in one sitting the first time I drove to Rhode Island. He is one of four and all of them were in relationships/ marriages so all significant others were over because we were celebrating my father-in-laws birthday so needless to say I WAS OVERWHELMED. I think I did alright because well, they still like me, and talk to me, after seven years, I think. They still invite me over so that's a good sign. :) 

My Soldier

Kyle like I mentioned earlier was in the military. A wonderful soldier. I am so proud of my husband for so many things and am especially proud to have been by his side through a deployment and four years of his military career. I firmly believe that his deployment helped us to grow so much. That year apart helped us to learn great communication skills because that's all we had was the phone and a short period of time to talk to one another. Looking back I want to slap that Emily for being SO EMOTIONAL ALL THE TIME. Honestly don't know HOW Kyle put up with me because it was so immature how I was always answering the phone holding back tears saying "I miss you so much" when it was far harder for him. I loved that time apart as weird as that is to say. I think it made us the people we are today. Him coming home was the most wonderful part. Oh my goodness having spent months apart and then be able to embrace one another is the most wonderful feeling in the world. Look how happy us crazy kids were! 

HAPPY HE IS FINALLY HOME

When we first got married we were broke. We weren't poor per say but we were just making ends meet. Even in the first few months of marriage it looked scary because I didn't have a job until about April (four months after we got married). God always provided though and my greatest struggle in faith is NOT TO WORRY. Even after seven years and 4 1/2 years married, I still think that for some reason God won't provide. I don't think those words exactly but I still worry about bills and working but I have all I need to live and maintain a quality life so yeah I'm basically thinking that God won't provide WHENEVER I WORRY. We were blessed to have such a cheap apartment when we were first married but it was in a not so good area, and you could feel cold air coming into the apartment when you were standing about a foot away from the windows as well as no outlets on the counter to plug in essentials like, you know, coffee. I could go on and on about the flaws but it was a blessing in every way to live there. God is good ALL the time. Those first three years of marriage really helped us to grow and learn.  

7 Years Later in Omaha :) 

NOW HERE WE ARE, seven years later. Older and wiser than those two kids at camp but amazed at how far we have come and how things have turned out for us. The day I met Kyle I never expected to marry him, heck I even was scared to date him. I was also thinking to myself the first person I call my boyfriend I am dating with the intentions to marry them. Hence why it took me forever to get a boyfriend because well not a lot of 16 year olds want to date to get married. Having the same religious beliefs and lifestyle was very important to me so even when I met Kyle and things seemed so good on paper I was still hesitant. I'm so happy I said yes, then I do, and yes to every adventure after that and ahead of us! Happy SEVEN YEARS Kyle! Thankful for God's constant blessings in our life! 

An Overdue Post-3 Ways To Acclimate After a Big Move

WHOA...I haven't written a blog in over three months and I'm sure you all have been DYING to ready my non-english majoring high school level writing. Kyle actually was the one who brought it up last night before bed saying"you know you haven't written a blog in a very long time". I was half asleep already and just said "yeah I know life's been boring." It really hasn't been all that boring though...it's been quite exciting actually! SO below, because I like bullet points and lists, I made a list of one hundred FOUR ways to acclimate after a BIG MOVE. (Don't know if you're planning a move or anything and even if you're not all these things can be don't to just spice up your life and bring some JOY!)

4. Make Friends

Seems like a really easy thing to do but not everyone is going to like my quarks, outgoing personality, hyper and loud self! As much as I like to think that everyone likes me I just know that that's not true. AND GUESS WHAT that's ok. I am not going to change who I am as a person to make others like me. That's called being fake and I like being REAL. I will say that Kyle and I have made some really WONDERFUL friends out here that are genuinely kind, fun, and caring. It really makes all the difference when you are invited out or can invite people over! So if you're planning a big move of sorts make sure to put yourself out there. Invite people over, say yes to when YOU'RE invited out. Omaha has become so much like home in part by the friends that we have made that have showed us how AWESOME Nebraska can really be!

3. Get an Animal 
MY CAT IS THE BEST. Hands down, no questions asked. If you know me, I have become a crazy cat lady unlike any other. AND WHO WOULD HAVE KNOWN that would happen but if you met Frankie, you'd fall in love too. I had a previous post all about how we got Frankie and how important he was for the loneliness Kyle and I were feeling when we were on opposite schedules. You don't have to get a cat (obviously I think dogs are equally as cool) BUT it is nice to have a companion if you didn't have a spouse or significant other around. Frankie just makes me smile. He makes me laugh when he is being crazy. When you're in a new place that is still unfamiliar even after having been around for months, it is nice to have that companion that just solely loves you!

2. EXPLORE and Go Visit Your Family Back Home

We decided to go home to Connecticut and Rhode Island to visit our families after only being residents of the midwest for a short four months. We were a little home sick mainly just missing our mommy's and daddy's. Siblings too! We ended up driving a nice short 24 hours back to the east coast. We also brought our cat with us which was QUITE the experience! He ended up being MUCH better than I expected in the truck and I think it had a lot to do with the anxiety drops that I got from my vet. He was so chill and just wanted to sleep on the very uncomfortable dashboard but it was adorable to have him along for the ride! We will NEVER do that again because it was just SO MUCH TIME spent in a truck, but we did end up saving hundreds of dollars because it was so much cheaper than buying a plane ticket. When we got to Connecticut first to visit my parents it was nice to just be able to relax and enjoy the time with family. We were there for 1 week and didn't do anything out of the ordinary. My one request was to get a delicious Lobstah roll (Lobster for all you people that aren't from the east coast). The second week we spent in Rhode Island with Kyle's family and it was also wonderful. I have a  few good friends in CT but the majority of friends reside in RI since that was where I was living for the past 4 years. It was wonderful to spend time with them and tell them all about the move, our adjustments to the mid-west, and all the fun things we've been up to like just working and getting a cat. I thought I would never be ready to leave but to be honest, towards the

end of the second week I was ready to get back home to my own bed, my own kitchen, and my own bathroom. Lord knows how much I love my deep bathtub. I almost felt bad that I was ready to leave because I love my family so much and I do miss them all everyday but we were just trying to skirt around the inevitable drive back home. Home....it's weird to think that our official home is now Nebraska. I think going back to visit our families really set in reality that now it's just going to be made up of visits whenever we can afford it. Makes me really appreciate the love I have from both sides of the family.

One thing that I was a little mad about is that we really haven't done a whole lot of exploring in our new home state! Granted we will live here for quite sometime (until I finish my schooling and Kyle gets the training at his job) and have ample opportunities to explore but I feel like we are letting the mundane work life get in the way of our fun! We can die and meet our maker at any moment in time and I want to know that I didn't just work to pay bill and on days off sleep because I was too tired from working all those long hours.


1. Find a Home Church and Love Your Husband (or wife)
This was the most important thing for me when I moved here was finding a Church! God really has blessed me with this community of believers and the fellowship that we have together! I had been praying for YEARS to be led to where it is I would feel most encouraged and service my savior best and it's amazing that he has answered that prayer right here at Grace Bible Church. If you're not religious then this probably won't matter to you but being a part of something that's bigger than this world is something unexplainable but also the best feeling you could ever have. So many people have talked to me about how they feel "empty" or "missing something" trying to fill a void with sex, drugs, alcohol, money, people, their job, basically ANYTHING of this world. I have not felt like that ever since I have accepted Christ as the ruler and Savior of my life. This Church that I am now apart have has reaffirmed my love for the Lord in a way that I never expectedI. I have made wonderful friends that motivate me to be the best servant of Christ that I can be. This is number one because if any of my fellow Christian brothers and sisters know what it's like to be apart of a church that gives you a glimpse into how Heaven will be, that's the best feeling in all the world! HANDS DOWN.

One of the biggest things to acclimate after the big move is just continue to love my husband. I read a wonderful post the other day from a friend that said "there are a million different ways to say 'I love you', 'put your seatbelt on' 'watch your step' 'did you eat' 'get some rest' you just have to listen" and I LOVE THAT because I say 90% of those things all the time on top of saying I love you probably 100 times a day but it's really important to keeps saying those things. To show that no matter where we go, what we do, home is wherever I am when I am with you! I love my family and Kyle's family but ultimately, Kyle and I are a family (Frankie too obviously). I can't make everyone in life happy I can only focus on the man that I wake up to everyday, that I pray for everyday, that I make dinner for a couple times a week (you thought I'd say everyday I don't have time for that working the night shift at the restaurant I'M NOT PERFECT). Sometimes I feel like my words are never enough for how much I truly love this man. It can only be a gift from God to know this love and if I love my husband this much, it is almost UNFATHOMABLE how the creator of the world could love such a sinner like me to save me from my sins by sending His only begotten son. All love is a glimpse of God and his love for us. I love you Kyle! Sorry to get so mushy in public like this but you'll get over it!

Lions, Lighting and Love

Kyle and I are currently on opposite schedules and only have one mutual day off together which are Wednesdays. Wednesdays are clearly my favorite day of the week (besides Sunday mornings at church) because it has officially become our "date night". Kyle sleeps all day because he gets off work at 6 am so usually our day off together doesn't necessarily start until night time anyway which I am completely fine with because it gives me time to do some household chores, go to the gym, take care of Frankie and play with him for a little bit. Today was an especially wonderful date night though because Kyle was somewhat willing to wakeup earlier than 5 o'clock. When I say somewhat it still was a little hard to get him out of bed having only slept for 6 hours but once he was up I was VERY appreciative because he knew how badly I wanted this date night. TONIGHT we went to the zoo!! It was more late afternoon than night since they only stay open until 6 BUT still, even going for just a few hours was important to me! Obviously the most important part of marriage is actually seeing one another during your marriage.

Us Rhode Islanders are so used to the Rodger Williams Zoo and how that's like the bee's knee's for Zoo's around there. They do the pumpkin spectacular, they have elephants, it is a really nice zoo. The Henry Doorly Zoo however makes Rodger PALE IN COMPARISON. They had a whole house
dedicated to the big cats. CATS. Big 'ole ancestors of Frankie to view. A tiger, a leopard, a lion, oh those big cats were so fluffy and cute! I mean, they'd kill you, but they were fluffy and cute. They had so many exhibits to look at and WAY more animals than I ever expected to see! Kyle said he wish he recorded me every time I walked into another room because I sounded like a five year old with all my OO's and AHH's. There's just something about the zoo that makes me feel like such a kid. I'm sure a lot of adults feel that way but I just decide to verbalize it far more than anyone else. It's just fascinating to watch something
that you don't get to see everyday. It's nice to see the creations of God just made for his glory. I just love the zoo. I love going with Kyle. I love going anywhere with Kyle because he is my best friend. Being with him makes me smile because we crack jokes, we poke fun, we made weird faces at the smell of the poop in the Gorilla house, we laughed when I said "I felt like I was in Nemo" when we were in the aquarium and on and on the list goes of our fun. He understands me better than anyone else and he was willing to wake up when he didn't want to in order to make me happy and take me to the zoo. He is the best husband ever. That's what love really is: making sacrifices, making your spouse happy, making sure you take the time to remember why it is you're married in the first place. Anytime we are together just the two of us I am constantly
reminded that I love my husband for the way he makes me laugh, for the silly things he does just for me when no one else is looking, that he loves Penguins (which by the way were the coolest thing at the zoo because they were like bullets under water and popping up waddling around it was just the funniest thing to watch). There are so many other reasons but he strives to make me happy, and I strive to make him happy as well. There is a certain give and take when it comes to marriage. When we got home, if it were up to my unreasonable self I would spend every minute of everyday together however I have to realize this if the first day off for Kyle in four days so he wants to do what he enjoys which is play his game online with his best pal Ryan. Granted, we did eat dinner and watch TV for a little bit which was also a wonderful
way to spend our day together before being interrupted by one of the tenants in the apartment setting off the fire alarm. It was actually a good thing because we went outside to see all the fire trucks and finally met one of the neighbors of our floor.

Now, I am binge watching an entire season of Scrubs on Netflix with Frankie in my lap as I type these very words while also taking a few moments to get up and look at the CRAZY lightning storm that's currently happening outside. The cool thing about being out West now is the very big open sky which is perfect to watch these storms. A little intimidating I might add however a wicked cool thing to witness. I watched it far away and then saw it slowly make its way directly over our apartment complex. The whole sky lights up. It's quite terrifyingly beautiful. You can't help but to be amazed and intimidated knowing you have no control over this chaos. I'm sure in our time here in Omaha we will see a tornado and that's just insane to me. It's nothing to everyone else but TO ME it's going to be a life changing experience. To witness such a destructive, powerful, chaotic looking THING happening right before my eyes, I'll just be in awe. I don't know I might think so differently about these things and be crazy but I am just so simple minded. I am simple minded in a way that is not of stupidity but rather just taking the time to break things down into simple terms. Living simply starts with thinking simply, not stressing about the big stuff or the small stuff, just taking the time to look at some animals and lightning and realizing how beautiful everything around you truly is. Makes me think about my God and how powerful, wonderful, beautiful He is and the things he has done for this Earth are just incredible.
Wednesdays are my favorite days. Next weeks date night: eye exams to buy new glasses for the both of us. Sometimes date night becomes a day of chores instead of "doing something fun" but either way, doing it with Kyle makes me happy and we will make it fun. Love my husband, love my God, love my life.

Lets Be Frank

The Badlands of South Dakota

Windmills of Iowa

This Friday will mark one month here in the heartland of America! Kyle and I are pretty much just working all week long and on opposite schedules of one another so still haven't had an opportunity to explore the land as much as I would have liked to by now. Then again, we have only been here for a month and getting settled in takes more than just getting boxes unpacked and such. We are working to get all our finances in order from Rhode Island to here, working to make sure we are saving not just breaking even, etc. etc. We have a few ideas for what to do this Summer once it gets warmer. Kyle suggested taking 4 days off going to the Badlands of South Dakota which is a 6 hour drive from us but what a  beautiful state park! Not sure if we would camp or find lodging close by but either way it would be a nice little get-away. On our bucket list as well is going to Mt. Rushmore, Denver CO, seeing a tornado, go to a Huskers Game and just do whatever wherever! We have so much land to explore out here! When we were driving through Iowa during our move we saw all these little red blinking lights, all in sync, miles and miles of them and couldn't tell what they were at first but then once we got close we noticed that they were windmills. I'd love to see all of those during the day time. Lots of ideas I have of where to explore and clearly looking like lots of time to do it while we are here!

So in the mean time, like I mentioned earlier we are on pretty opposite schedules at the moment so coming home after work to no one or even waking up to no one can be a little.....lonely of course. We had talked about getting an animal for a while but weren't sure about where to start in that decision making process. Our apartment has a specific building for dog owners and all other buildings can have cats and whatever just no dogs. We have wanted a little feline fur friend for quite sometime. In the past thought I have had many allergic reactions to cats. Kyle's family cat Ajaa was medium to long haired cat and I would have to take some allergy meds being around her. They weren't too bad but allergies would flair up if I spent too much time in any particular room that she resided in. I always mentioned to Kyle that it might not be so possible to get a cat with my "condition" even though I really wanted one too. There are a few cats that my friends have had where I had no problems at all. Both were shorthaired so I thought maybe that was the key! The biggest thing is that we just wanted something to look forward to when we came home instead of being sad that we weren't coming home to each other.

I was going to surprise Kyle because really it was just me holding us back being unsure of my reactions but I decided what the heck lets just pop some Zyrtec and bury my face into my little kitty! I looked online and really the only places besides sketchy craigslist in which to purchase an animal is from a breeder or a shelter. Breeders were ridiculously expensive and I didn't really want to go through a breeder because I knew how many cats (and dogs) were in shelters and needed just as good a home and in my mind deserved it. I loved the idea of adopting! Next step was call the particular humane society and see what was needed in order to adopt and the response I got was hilarious "it doesn't take long at all". Ok...so here I am assuming I need to put some paperwork in and be an acceptable candidate to adopt. Kyle and I went to the humane society in Council Bluffs Iowa to check out their kittens. We walked in, asked if we could take a look and the woman gave me a little application with just basic information: Name, Address, Phone number, and we filled it out while we picked out our little guy. We saw one and just instantly fell in love with him. He was so calm and good didn't even meow or claw when we picked him up and turns out his name was "sleepy". I told Kyle this was his spirit animal if her were reincarnated into a calm cat it would be this one. Once we
handed in our application she said "that'll be 75 dollars do you need a cat carry box?" WHAT that's it? I give you some basic information and we can bring him home? I was a little nervous like whoa this is REAL am I ready? This isn't even a human and I was nervous that I would be unable to take care of this kitty. I can't imagine how irrational I will be when I am one day carrying our future child (good luck Kyle). Anyway, sleepy is not a suitable name for this little guy and Kyle had the perfect name. FRANK. Oh little Frankie how we love you so! You're just the cutest little rascal we have ever had the pleasure of adopting! Once we got him home he was so cute jump skip and hopping around. He would explore and meow and was just the most adorable stinking thing ever. AND I haven't had any allergic reactions thus far which is WONDERFUL. I can cuddle him and love him in all the best ways.

So lets be Frank, literally. He is so happy and care free and just makes you
happy by looking at him. He hops on your back like its a piggy back ride and could play with a piece of string for hours. What a life. He is a good reminder to be happy and know that when things are not as great as you want them to be like being in a shelter or not seeing your husband everyday of the week, they'll get better, they will change like being adopted or getting a cat to ease the loneliness. God is good. He provides. He has been at work in our lives long before we even take the time to say "thank you God" So be like Frank. Yeah you gotta work but take the time to enjoy your surroundings, play, cuddle up to the ones you love, because lets be honest look at this face. Best thing we have done so far in our short time here in Nebraska.

Making an Apartment a Home

We have officially been here in Omaha Nebraska (well just outside Omaha) for about 12 days. Probably not enough time to make concrete opinions on how things are so far BUT I will admit, so far so good! We have probably been too busy with settling in to really realize how big of a move and adjustment this is and to be honest, I am thankful for that. Of course I already miss my family and if I think about it for too long, I'll definitely become sad but no matter where I go in this entire world, so long as I am with Kyle, that will be home.

We have a lot of crap. EVEN after moving into Kyle's parents basement and "downsizing" as much as possible, there were STILL so many bins of books, art supplies, novelties, whatever. I power housed the unpacking process like A CHAMPION OF LIFE because I just wanted the apartment to feel like home already! Within two days there were only three bins left to unpack but really they are things Kyle and I need to go through and ask if it's something we really want to keep, sell, or toss. We have a majority of the bins that we were able to unpack just sitting out on the deck cause I don't know what to do with them. The good thing is that the apartment is unpacked and livable!

My favorite job in being a wife is making wherever we live a home. I enjoy making our apartment feel as much like ours as possible such as hanging up pictures, organizing clothes, making dinners, doing whatever it takes to make coming home from work as relaxing as possible. Some may think that I am being too "1950's beaver cleaver" wife but that's like a compliment to me. I remember Kayley Cuoco getting flack for this comment about serving her husband and feeling like a housewife but I have to say YOU GO GIRL! I enjoy serving my husband. I enjoy being the housewife. Doesn't mean I am any less of a woman for doing it IN FACT it makes me exactly what God has asked us to be as wives! Kyle is very grateful and loving to me for providing the warm home feeling. I feel that some may fear their husband becoming demanding or harsh because they are looked at as being weak or lesser but that is so not true. If I didn't make dinner I think Kyle would eat PB&J everyday. I am keeping him alive (hahaha just kidding). I enjoy being the 1950's housewife, she looks good vacuuming in pearls.

Here's a few tips for making anywhere you live a HOME: 

1). Make Yummy Dinners

 I made this yummy lemon chicken piccata for dinner one of our first nights here. So simple, so easy, one skillet (thank you Pinterest). I work full time so anything that is easy to make after work or before work is always good for me. The best way to feel at home is cooking like mom! My mom is always an inspiration for food I even called her yesterday to get her recipe for balsamic roasted brussel sprouts. If you don't like this delightful vegetable I suggest trying it again! Just roast in the oven at 405 for about 20 minutes (I tossed them in a bowl of olive oil salt and pepper before placing them in the oven) and in the last five minutes I drenched them in some balsamic vinegar. MMM yummy for my tummy. That's the one real comfort for a new place in my mind is having some good home cooked meals! Associating anything with food is always great!

2.) Decorate, Hang pictures, Be Proud

I love that my new apartment has a fireplace and a mantle to decorate. I went to Homegoods and target to make this beauty. It's nice to have things to look at that make if cozy. I found on pinterest the best way to decorate a mantle: candles for movement, pictures for sentimental reasoning, mirror or large accent piece, and I needed a clock in the room to tell time since we don't have cable so when I saw that teal awesome colored retro clock I pretty much revolved the color pallet around that! I framed one Kyle's Honorable Discharge paper and hung that in his "man cave". He should be so proud of his accomplishments and look at it everyday. I am so proud of doing these things myself. Hanging up all those pictures behind the couch, making the place feel warm and inviting, it's something to pat yourself on the back for! 

3.) Get Involved 

One of the best things about this move was that we both have jobs right when we got here (obviously Kyle since that was the reason we moved) but I was able to transfer which was such a blessing to have two incomes! We already have met some wonderful people at our jobs. Kyle got some good suggestions for places to eat/ visit. I was already invited out by a really wonderful couple that I work with so it makes it feel more homey when you begin to make friends and make connections. Biggest challenge is just figuring out the area although everything is pretty much one major route with side roads connecting them all. We are also in the process of finding a new Church which is very intimidating here since there is a bible believing church on pretty much every street corner. I did attend one this past Sunday that felt just like home and that's always a good thing. A few couples that were our age which is again a wonderful way to get involved with the community!

Kyle and I are doing very well though. Really loving our new apartment, getting to know the area, getting in tune with our "new" jobs, and all around just spending time with one another. Nothing is better than starting a new adventure with your best friend. Happy to be in Nebraska.

The New Residents

We did it! We are here! We are ready for "the good life"! 

What a long awaited process and yet it seems to have happened so quickly! After our first visit we were on the road within two weeks of Kyle accepting his job offer! That's crazy. It was pretty simple to pack up and go since a majority of our stuff was sitting in storage from when we moved out of our most recent apartment into Kyle's parents basement. I don't understand why it is we always end up moving in the winter but that seems to be a reoccurring theme in our lives. The most daunting process of packing up the Uhaul was because its was snowing all day this past monday so we went at 8 am to try to beat the "worst" part of the storm and with a little help from Moochie (my mother in law) and
Kyle's best friend Ryan, we got all the stuff out of storage and on the Uhaul within an hour! Not too shabby if you ask me! My biggest concern was making sure it was packed tightly and efficiently so nothing bent or broke! I ended up using ALL of the blankets Uhaul provided for us in covering the nice bedroom set we have (that we officially just paid off praise the Lord!). Very thankful that we simplified our life the best we could before we moved out and just decluttering. Just trying to keep only the necessities.

We officially waved goodbye to Rhode Island on Tuesday! This is probably the longest I have ever been in a car in my entire life! Kyle actually just made this road trip bringing his other friend to Missouri last year so he was already prepared for the long drive ahead.

I was so excited for this adventure though! I have had such a peace about this trip and change in our lives that I was just ready to attack the road! Now I would be a liar if I told you I had no worries about this trip. We had the past four years packed into one 20' truck, a trailer attached with Kyle's 2013 Mazda towed behind us, and I'm not supposed to worry about anything??? ALSO, it's kind of

hard not to stress over the possibilities of what could go wrong. We were traveling 1,400 miles through 8 states in a truck that wasn't our own car, that could break down, get a flat tire, and all other sorts of problems! Bad weather, traffic, sickness, and yes granted this was only a 2 day trip but a LOT can happen in two days! Oh how I kept praying that nothing would be damaged but in the end I kept telling myself "they are just things". I need to practice what I preach and remember that nothing in that truck behind me I can take when I die anyway. I really stopped when I remembered God is in control! He has orchestrated all of this and when I was letting God lead I knew I had nothing to worry about! The first day was long. We left at 12 in the afternoon so I was planning on hitting SOME sort of traffic but we didn't end up going through New York City so we didn't hit any traffic. BUT NONE? REALLY? NO TRAFFIC? How is that even possible! I mean I knew that the further west we went the less traffic there would be but we literally were not standing still once on this road trip. AWESOME. Pennsylvania and Iowa were the worst states to drive through because they were both so stinking long. BEAUTIFUL but long. PA was full of hills that you're literally driving through. Made you feel real small but gorgeous! Through every state, I was really trying to stay off the phone (which is already always so easily distracting me) and making sure I was taking the time to admire every state. This country is so big and I think we sometimes get all excited to go see other countries in the world (which I hope to do and encourage) but we already live in a great country too with so many things to see!

NEW YORK

OHIO

We stopped around 8:30 Tuesday night to get some dinner at a truck stop. Once we headed back to the truck, Kyle noticed that the trailer lights weren't on and you obviously cannot drive on the highways if the trailer attachment with his car on it wasn't working properly. We called the Uhaul roadside assistance and they had someone out there at such a reasonable time (which made things a lot easier). We could have come to worst terms so quickly but we both remained calm and just let whatever be, be. Turns out a fuse popped and just needed to be replaced. Bing bang boom within 14 minutes of the worker showing up we were back on the road! We stopped at a hotel around 2 in the morning and slept. Woke up Wednesday and DROVE. When I say drove, KYLE DROVE. He was ready to be there that day and be done with the Uhaul. No more driving! I was definitely getting cabin fever and we were both a bit crabby towards the very end of the drive but I will admit I was just relieved to get "home". We arrived at 4:30 AM (Thursday) to beautiful NEBRASKA! It was so nice to pull into Omaha and realize we were getting out of that truck soon! We found a hotel and slept until 2 in the afternoon Thursday. It was beautiful. Needed. Refreshing. We both made it a point to get massages once we were officially moved in because that truck had no lumbar support, and my neck hurts, and we were going to be lifting boxes up 3 flights of stairs today so yeah. Massages sound great.

SO TODAY, Friday the 13th, though most may be superstitious about today, I am SO THANKFUL that everything is coming together. The things that could have been SO STRESSFUL and anxiety inducing went VERY SMOOTHLY. The truck didn't break down, Kyle's car stayed on the trailer, my car was finally picked up and is now on it's way to Nebraska, from the looks of the truck nothing shifted during the road trip, there is just so much to give God the praise for. We arrived to our apartment to sign our lease at 9am and were rearing to get our crap into our new home. We hired three movers for 200 dollars. As Kyle would say: best 200 dollars every S P E N T. Which I couldn't agree with more because I just told them where to put things as I started unpacking and they were so kind. We also live on the third floor so they also brought up the heaviest things! Kyle was also happy about that! There was only one thing that broke but I can't even remember what it was right now so must not have been that important.


Finally, I am sitting on the couch, enjoying homemade corn chowder (so simple to make and good after a long days work) and watching Avatar in front of our cool fireplace. VERY happy to have my home. Still a good amount of unpacking that needs to get done but to have a place of our own, to have everything go so smoothly, I am thankful, I am happy, I am tired. Best thing happening this evening is having my own bed back and boy am I excited to sleep!

The Big Move

WELP a few of you may have been seeing some of my co-workers uprise with many changes of their profile pictures on Facebook. Some may have seen them post comments of dismay and sadness for some reason. They were probably the second people (besides mom's, dad's and siblings) to know the BIG ANNOUNCEMENT in mine and Kyle's life! After all this blog is about our ADVENTURES and we haven't really had a whole lot of BIG changes in our life that could be categorized as an ADVENTURE...until now!

A few months ago, probably the end of November very beginning of December, there was an opening in another state that Kyle could apply to. A promotion of sorts with added learning experience and a new position with the same company. All in all a great opportunity. So we discussed it. Talked about the pro's and con's to where this position was located......talked a lot about how big of a change this would be, I started praying a lot and just seeking God's guidance; praying that all in all this would be glorifying to HIM about anything. Then I gave the OK for this decision to start the application process. Soon the interviews were happening over the phone and things seems a lot more REAL that this was a good possibility and even with Kyle's realistic outlook on how he probably wouldn't get it because of, well, whatever reason he thought he might not get it, I (being the wife that I am) just had that gut feeling and know that he was going to get the job. After all, I think Kyle is the best for any position because well HE IS the best....duh.

Anyway, first phone interview that Kyle had he was feeling really confident. I thought it was kind of nice that it was over the phone....a little less pressure when you don't have to look at your hopefully future boss in the eye to try to say all the right things to get this job. The second interview was another "hire up" boss of the boss and Kyle felt a little less confident after that. They said it was between him and three others which I already thought was a victory in itself! My husband....one of three and who knows how many before that even! I was already proud of what he had accomplished to just get as far as he did and in the end it didn't matter if he did or didn't get the job. Right there, I was proud of him and happy for him for even trying.

These interviews all happened before the holiday's and they said that they would make their decision the beginning of January so now the worst part of the entire process was happening: THE ANTICIPATION. Waiting to hear from the future bosses was terrible. They weren't even my bosses to hear from and yet I felt like this was my job to accept! In a certain way it was because this is a big life changing move for us should Kyle chose to accept (if he even got the job). So first week of January officially rolls around and I'll never forget it was a Monday, I had just arrived at work and I wasn't aware of my phone text messages going off until I looked and saw five messages from Kyle and just saw

"I got the job"

"Um hello Emily I got the job" 

"Eh whatever you don't care"

I wasn't sure what I was more excited about the fact that he got the job or the fact that I couldn't stop laughing at the third text. At first I was a little angry that I didn't get a call that I was told about this life changing event via text but then come to find out he was still on the phone with the guy offering the job that he was just so excited and couldn't wait to tell me he just did it over text. SO then I couldn't be mad it was actually very nice.

Oh wait what? I didn't? Really? I haven't said this ENTIRE blog where it is we are moving? Oh well I'm so sorry I bet the anticipation is KILLING YOU if you didn't know already where it is we are going! I just wanted you to get a little feel of what it was like WAITING to know if we were moving or not!

KYLE AND EMILY'S BIG MOVE is to NEBRASKA! 

If you don't know where that is it's the heart of America essentially: 

Crazyyyyy I KNOW! BUT SO exciting none the less! I'm sure you're asking yourself the following questions: 

WHY Nebraska? 

What's in Nebraska? 

What's there to even DO in Nebraska? 

Is there electricity out there? 

Having lived in the east coast all my life, moving to the mid-west sounds AWESOME. Thinking about a slowed down pace of living, a simpler way of life, I think of everyone in the mid-west as being KIND and having a smile when you walk by. People in Rhode Island think it's weird if you smile at them and you don't know them. Maybe I was born to live in the mid-west! As for what's in Nebraska: the same stuff that's in Rhode Island.....and lots of corn! Where we will be moving is a very active, suburb area. There are restaurants, movie theaters, museums, the best zoo EVER (at least

from what the website looks like). There is lots around where we will be. That answers the next question of what we will be DOING. What's funny is that when people have asked me that I tell them "well...what is is that I really do HERE?" The most I do outside of working everyday is sleeping, being at home, going to the movies, going out to eat, running errands, and leading a pretty typical lifestyle. The few times that I do go out it might be a cute little bar (I think they drink in Nebraska) or restaurant. I'm not skydiving or mountain climbing or kayaking or even surfing when I have a perfectly good ocean. I live pretty simply and this state may just be the epitome of simple living. After all, isn't that what this whole blog is about?

The last question is just to be funny.....there's definitely electricity. And cars, and running water!  

Right before Kyle got the job offer, literally 2 hours before, I was in JCPenny and right across the cash register was a guy wearing a Nebraska Cornhuskers sweater. I had to laugh to myself and say "You're funny God" because he definitely has a humor! How funny to have seen that and then find out that I should probably invest in that sweater soon! 

So there you have it. BIG NEWS for the beginning of 2015 for us kids! Our quest to simplify life and living is really happening. God had a plan for the fact that we needed to get rid of crap and simplify knowing that we would have to pack it up and move half way across the country! He had a reason for me not getting into the nursing program. This was all planned. Its the perfect time for the two of us: I can find a great school to continue my education and we have no kids, no set in stone job for me (I can transfer). It is all in all a simple and good life AND FACT: that's the state slogan! See right there....the good life. If simple living is what we are striving to accomplish, I think that this is a great start to slowing down, being kind, and living life the way it's supposed to be lived! 

MAWIAGE

Hope you're not sick of me talking about how much I love my husband because if you are then just don't read THIS POST. This is America baby do what you please. BUT if you want to know how we have had what I think of as THE BEST four years of marriage successfully work at such a young age well then...keep reading and I hope you enjoy.

FOUR YEARS (as of January 8th 2015). Oh my gosh. I appreciate every year that we have had together because every year is more special than the last! I love that our anniversary is in January because what a great way to start off the new year! I love celebrating each year by remember the man it is I married and how every year is a new adventure together!

Some people thought it was crazy that I decided to get married at such a young age.....if you didn't know I got married at 19 and Kyle was the ripe old age of 21.......but guess what. I knew what I was doing. I was more of a 30 year old at 19 than I was a 19 year old. I still had maturing to do in different ways but becoming a wife to this man was top priority to me. I didn't care to go out and drink even before I was 21 (and even when I was 21...I was mainly just happy to be able to order a glass of wine with dinner) and I didn't care to do half the things that "people my age" wanted to do whatever that may be...I wanted to be a wife. Now what does that mean.  I didn't want just the wedding (which I think most people who get married as such a young age end up desiring) I wanted to be the wife which is far more than just picking out the white dress and flowers. If you want to get married realize the years following the "I do's" are much longer than getting to them. 

NOW I am sure you just want some bullet points on how it is I believe my marriage/ relationship is just so successful and here you go.

1. We have TONS of fun

Literally....from day one. Picture to prove it. Might seem pretty obvious that you should have fun in a relationship. After all, when we are in the beginning and it's new, it's fresh, it's FUN, it's exciting. Some people lose sight of that fun SO EASILY THOUGH. Fun is the glue to any friendship and after all your relationship is the most important friendship you'll ever have. I literally want to do EVERYTHING with my husband. When I go out with friends, I want him there because he is my best friend. When something exciting happens, I want to call or text him above anyone else. When I learn somethings or do something he's the first person I want to tell. When something new opens or something exciting is happening I want to experience it with him. If you don't  strive to consistently have fun with your significant other, you will start to fade away from each other, find someone else to have fun with, and drift apart. Kyle and I laugh everyday, multiple times a day. We have fun. We are the epitome of fun. You might not think so but that's fine, because I think that we are. Our stupid may not be the stupid you like but so long as we are laughing together I think we are successful. 

2. We COMMUNICATE  

This seems simple and everyone may say "oh we communicate beautifully" but I'll tell you the honest truth...took me a while to learn how to properly communicate with my husband. If you think that you just come together and roses butterflies and rainbows will follow after the I DO'S everyday you're wrong. No matter how much you have in common, no matter how much you agree on, you are two different people with two different opinions, emotions, likes, dislikes. In order to overcome the differences you have to voice your emotions, feelings, opinions and know that it is ok if you don't agree. Took me a long time to realize that we might not agree on everything but agreeing to disagree can and will be ok. I will admit that Kyle's year long deployment before our marriage really prepared me for communication. After all, that's all we could do......talk. We discussed everything and knew everything about each other. We may change along the way but we change together and tell each other when we feel differently about things or opinions so that it's no surprise or comes to the point of saying "I DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU ANYMORE" because if you change together, you're still together. So......just talk...real talk. Not just some filler garbage talk.

3. We Listen (sometimes)

It is so easy to listen talk. I think a key factor of the previous bullet point is to be able to listen to what the other person is saying. Kyle and I are both pretty stubborn. When I believe I am right, he better believe it too! AND VICE VERSA.  This one, I struggle with. Even with just the little things. He might tell me something and I might be watching television, reading or doing social media on my phone and completely miss what it is that he just told me even though I responded. THAT'S SO BAD. That needs to stop. We need to take the time to look at each other and open our ears, put away the distractions when we are talking to each other. ESPECIALLY if it is something important! I have come a long way from where I was in the beginning of our relationship when it comes to listening. Still can always improve but one less argument avoided that won't start with "YOU NEVER LISTEN!" I'm sure we have all had one of those! 

4. Think of your significant other MORE than yourself and ADMIT when you're wrong. 

In today's world we are told it's all about ME. Everything I do is to be a better ME. I have to be INDEPENDENT. I have to think about ME before anyone else. Well that's not allowed in a relationship. There is no room to be selfish. Now don't misunderstand that as SUBMISSION to abuse or ill nature. THE POINT about thinking about your significant other is that you KNOW they are also thinking about you! A lot of times, when Kyle wants to do something that I may be opposed to I will stop and think about him. WILL it make HIM happy? I know there is that saying "happy wife happy life" but I HATE THAT. Well maybe not hate BUT happy husband HAPPY ME! When Kyle is happy....I AM HAPPY. I know that in the end, whatever Kyle does that may affect the two of us I know he is not ONLY thinking of himself but me too (that also has to do with trust for one another)! After all, that's what we signed up for! If I only focused on myself and my happiness as well as Kyle pouring in all his happiness into making sure I'm good then where does that leave him. DRAINED. It needs to be a balance of making sure you're both thinking of one another's HAPPINESS. 

5. LOVE

Ah yes love. Such an easy thing we think. We are flooded with stories, movies, books about this seemingly blissful and easily accomplished emotion from the day we are born. The best advice my father ever told me was in the wedding letter he wrote to me and gave right before I walked down the aisle. Biggest bullet point of it was "love is not an EMOTION or FEELING. It is an ACTION. A VERB. There are going to be days where you're not going to like Kyle but that's ok because you can still LOVE him and be a great wife even if you don't really like him. You have to chose to be with him emotionally everyday Emily and I promise you, your marriage with have all the love it needs if you chose to love and not feel the love." 

LITERALLY the best advice anyone could ever ask for. I love my husband as a feeling of course but in times where we may not have listened to each other, or communicated effectively, or agree, I can't just run away. I would never just leave or stop trying to love. IT IS A CHOICE. You chose to get married and you should chose to stay married. I love Kyle with all my heart and being and look forward to being cranky old people together. 

Four years together, many more to go. I wouldn't change one thing. 

I hope everyone can have what I think it is we have and for all marriages to work because everyone deserves to laugh the way Kyle and I laugh.