Just like a fairytale

"Mom, what if this is my last Christmas at home?" Standing in the kitchen with my mom, I asked her this question somewhat jokingly on December 25, 2008. Little did I know that the following day, I would be surprised by Dan asking me to be his wife.

As Christmas 2009 draws nearer and nearer, I find myself thinking about the whirlwind of a year that I've had. Just a little recap:

I graduated college. I could not wait until graduation. Looking back I probably rushed it a bit, but at the time I was so stressed and just wanted to be DONE! My time at Liberty was amazing. I met my best friend there. I met my husband there. And had some of the greatest times of my life there.

In June, we took a little trip up to Minot, ND. Well actually, mom, dad, Mitchell and I drove to Atlanta, flew to Minnesota and drove 7 hours to Minot. All while the sun was shining until 10:30 at night! My big brother found a pretty awesome girl and they got married on the border of Canada and North Dakota in the "Peace Gardens." It was an intimate ceremony in a beautiful location.

After graduation, I just wanted a break. So I didn't get a job right away. It started out as wanting a breather before I got a job, but turned into not getting one. Oops. On my time off from not having a job, I did a lot of wedding planning (when I say "I" I mean my mom). I know my calling was not to go into wedding planning. I really did enjoy a lot of the process, but it's just a stressful thing and I couldn't have done it without my mom. In between wedding planning, I did a little freelance photography that my mom sold in her store, helped out here and there at "A Touch of New York," and toward the end of the summer I started babysitting the Allen kids.

October 24, the most beautiful and wonderful day of my life. I got hitched! Everything was more beautiful than I imagined and I was pretty stoked about the groom too :) At 4:00 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Prattville, the wedding bells rang (and rang and rang) and I was surrounded by hundreds of people I love and the most amazing man at the end of the aisle. We partied it up at the Union Station in Montgomery and left on a horse and carriage...just like a fairytale :) The next day we were off to Australia for our honeymoon...all planned by Dan with a little help from his mom.

We returned to the states and our cozy little town home jet lagged and exhausted...but married! We underestimated the size of our furniture so there was little room to walk at first, but we're figuring it out and doing some rearranging. Piece by piece it's coming together and looking more like a home. Our first home. My parents even got to come visit us for Thanksgiving! We had an awesome time using our new fire pit and showing them around the town.

And now it's our first Christmas together. I am proud to announce that I put up Christmas decorations on our porch and we got a (real) tree all decorated. Happily, we will be spending our first Christmas in our new home. We will be missing my family in Alabama but look forward to seeing them for New Years 2010!

This has been quite the eventful year. I look forward to what 2010 holds and the adventures I will have with my new husband.