We Bought A House!

It has been a long time since I posted. We've been so busy. I started my new job back in August at Liberty Hospital. I work on a surgical/oncology/hospice unit at night. I love it, but am definitely still adjusting. What I find that hardest is admitting a patient one day, being there when they're diagnosed with cancer the next, and seeing them placed in hospice just days later. I know it's something that will never be easy, but I love caring for these patients and being able to laugh and cry with them and their families when they need it the most.

 

On a lighter note, Andrew and I bought a house! We've been here 2 weeks and I couldn't love it more! We bought a 4bedroom house that was a foreclosure, so that meant some work. In two weeks we have built a privacy fence, painted 4 bedrooms, the kitchen and living room, and moved in. Whew! We couldn't have done it without the help of my parents and in-laws! I have a few favorite things so far... There is a dishwasher, a garage, and extra closets! At our last place we (meaning I) had to wash dishes by hand, and I HATED it! We had a garage at the last place but it was no connected and was a haul just to get up to the house, so we didn't use it. And closet space! Oh my it's wonderful! Every month when it's time for Andrew to go to drill we struggle to find all of his stuff because there is so much it is stored in so many different places! Not anymore! We can finally put all of his Army stuff in one closet AND its not in our master bedroom floor!! (it really is the little things!)

 

Well here are a few pictures of our new home! We welcome visitors, so come see us!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh yeah! On our first night here, there were fireworks! I know they were just welcoming us to our new home and to the neighborhood!!

 

It's Been Awhile

Well it's been a very long time since I have posted. We have been so crazy busy lately. Here is an update!

I graduated nursing school on May 10th. With graduation comes a whole lot of questions. Most frustration question #1: Do you have a job? No, I need to have a license to have a job. I will be taking boards on June 10th.

#2. Well Kansas City is a long drive from St. Joe on a very dangerous, busy interstate. Will you move closer to your job? Yes, I am aware of the distance and thank you for your concern but we are big kids now :) yes, we do intend on moving back towards the KC area. When and where is to be determined. Looking into Kearney at the moment.

#3. "Is Andrew still going to school?" Yes, he is.

#4. "Now that you graduated you can have babies!" Ok, so this isn't a question, but I hear this CONSTANTLY and I always laugh and answer NO! We are NOT ready to have children. We are still young and that is not what we want at this exact moment. Yes, someday for sure, but there are many other things we need to accomplish first. So please please please stop asking this question! (pssst... spread the word, I hate this question!) Besides, we have a perfectly adorable 6 week old niece to spoil right now. What's better than having a baby to spoil and then give back to mommy and daddy? ;)

All those questions basically sum up our life right now. We are super busy and enjoying every second we get to spend together being married. We've been married just over 7 months and it has been wonderful. We are looking forward to this summer and hope to be in our first home by the holidays!

2013: A Year Worth Remembering

As 2013 is coming to a close, I can't help but reflect on how totally crazy 2013 was for Andrew and I. Andrew spent the majoriy of 2013 overseas in Afghanistan, while I spent them here at home waiting for his return. Andrew left in December of 2012, just two days after he dropped to one knee and asked me to be his wife.

Janurary 2013.
I turned 21! Andrew adjusted to his new life for the next year in Afghanistan. At first, he kind of liked it, but that changed. It wasn't long before he was ready to be home. In Janurary my wedding dress was bought too! I learned a lot in Janurary, I learned what it would be like to have my best friend and fiance half way accross the world with very little contact. I learned how much I could rely on my family and friends for support, and they probably learned how annoying I can be. Haha.

Feburary- April.
This is when things got long. Every day seemed like a struggle. Andrew was full swing into daily life in Afghanistan and I was full swing into nursing school. I filled my night with studing for exam after exam and memorizing drugs with names I could not even begin to pronouce correctly. I remember being so excited for April to end because I was looking forward to starting my internship at the KCVA Medical Center and because I was looking forward to moving back home (Silly, I know). Once it was summer though, I could go full speed ahead into the crazy wedding planning madness without worry.

May.
May came, I have two words. Finals. Freedom. Finals were brutal, but I made it. Haha. May was a rough month for Andrew as they lost one of their brother in arms, but they had each other and great support back here at home.

June-August.
Planning, planning, and more planning. Thats what the summer consisted of. As well as work, work, and more work. School started again. I found Andrew and I's first home, painted and decorated and got all moved in. Now it was some more waiting until he was home and could join me in our new home.

September.
This was by far the best month of the year. At least up through October. Haha. Labor day weekend came and then FINALLY that Monday Andrew boarded a plane out of Texas, landed at KCI, hopped on a bus to Belton where we were waiting. I can't really describe the feelings I felt when I saw him walk off that bus. This was the day I dreamed out for the last year and I couldn't believe it was actually really here. The minute he was released, I hoppped over the concrete barriers and ran into his arms. Yes, I cried. It was so perfect. He was extremely happy to be home. September was a grreat month for us, but we lost a dearly loved family member. Andrew's Grandmother "G-baby" passed away. So we made a trip up to Illinois for some family time. It was nice to see everyone considering the circumstances. We know she's in a better place and that she'll always be a very important part in our life. She was really looking forward to the wedding, but we know she was there and had the best seat in the house.

October.
10.19.2013. The best day of 2013. Don't get my wrong, homecoming was absolutely perfect, but nothing compares to marrying your best friend. I'd been waiting for that day since I was 14! Looking back it's totally crazy to think that I fell in love at 14 and 7 years later married the goofy boy from high school.

November-December.
These last couple months have been kind of a blur. School was crazy busy, we made a trip to Chicago, St. Louis, and to Mexico. We had a great time every where we went. Andrew saw lots of Bears games this season and I even managed to get him to a Chiefs game! Our life over 2013 had it's ups and downs. We struggled and cried and laughed. We spent most of the year apart, which is why we are looking forward to 2014 and spending our first year together as husband and wife.

Worth the Wait

I met Andrew when I was 14 and he was 15. We went to the homecoming dance together that year, and every other year too, I watched him play football and baseball, he watched my softball games. We went to proms, had date nights, and survived high school together. After high school Andrew joined the Army and I went off to college. I waited almost 5 months when he was off at basic, he was home a few years, popped the big question, and then deployed. 11 months later I watched him walk off the bus and back into my arms. 1 month after that, he watch my dad walk me down the isle and hand off his little girl to him. 

For 7 years I've been able to call him mine, maybe not always close to home, but nevertheless always mine. Sometimes those days apart felt like forever. I hated planning a wedding without him, I hated moving into our first home without him. Last weekend, October 19, 2013, made it all worth the wait. So many times throughout the last year I thought, "we should have eloped." "a courthouse wedding would be so much easier." Yes, it's true a courthouse wedding would have been easier, elopement would have been much less planning, and cheaper, but I had the best day I could have ever asked for. Great family, great friends, and finally my husband! 

I wanted to share some pictures with everyone. These are not our professional pictures, just pictures that everyone has been nice enough to share with me. Enjoy, because I know it was certainly the best day of my life!

Rehearsal was miserably cold but dinner was great. We are missing Kirstin here, she disappeared. 

Melvin decided he needed in on the action too.

So get this. This is my best friend. She has been studying abroad in London this semester. Well, she traveled to Paris and she put a lock on the lock bridge for Andrew and I. She gave me the keys so now we have to go back to Paris to throw our keys in the river! I couldn't have been happier that she was home to share our special day!

Love love love my sisters!

Best Friend!

Little Ashley :) my first college roommate. Love you!

The flowers were beautiful!

So was the cake! Until later, you'll see. 

Table Decorations.

The ceremony site.

These were the bouquets. Andrew's grandmother passed away just a few weeks ago, and I wanted to find a way to make her a special part of our big day. We know she was watching from the best seat in the house, but I took these pearls from a necklace and added them to my bouquet and to Kirstin's. We sure missed her there that day. 

The walk down the isle!

The vows!

The kiss!

The Turnboughs!

I love you!

Best/Most Beautiful Bridesmaids Ever!

I told you that you'd see later. Cake was pretty, but not all over my face.

First dance.

Yes, there was a photo booth. Those photos are for another day!

Basically my second family + my dad. I love this family like my own.

Hoover forever! 

This beauty caught the bouquet. She's next!! ;)

Tradition. Love you both!

The reason I am surviving nursing school.

So happy I got to see her! I missed you!

My best friend and our men :)

You would have been very safe, look at all these almost nurses! 

14 days

I'm sitting here wondering how in the blink of an eye Andrew left for training, came home, asked me to be his wife, deployed to Afghanistan, and came home again. Of course, if you asked me a 2 months ago I would have told you it's been the longest 9 months of my life. But now I can hardly believe that 2 weeks from today I will be walking down the isle and saying I do. It's crazy how fast and how slow this last year has been.

Andrew has now been home just a month, and 3 days to be exact. It is just as perfect today as it was the day he stepped off that bus here at home. Since then so much has happened. We lost Andrew's sweet grandmother and they had a very nice service for her up in Chicago. We will definitely miss her at the wedding but she'll be watching from the best seat of all. Andrew got to go to the home opener Chicago Bears game and obviously was beyond excited for that. Things haven't really settled down since he's been home. We decided Athena needed a friend, so she now has a little brother. He's a pure breed German Shepherd and only 12 weeks. He's super cute but such a whiner! We had a trip planned to Chicago, so 2 weeks later we headed back to Chicago for a nice long weekend trip. We had such a good time. We went to Wrigley Field and saw the Cubs WIN! (it doesn't matter, I know. but it's the first time we've seen them win in person)! I've been crazy busy with school and clinical. I have fallen in love with OB clinical but I am super excited for my journey to Children's Mercy in a few weeks!!

I really don't have much excitement to talk about but I will shortly! :) Here are a few pictures of our first month back together! :)