Sunday, January 1, 2012

2011- Year in Review

People talk about time moving quickly.  This past year has been the fastest year of my life.  Much of it a blur.  I took every effort to slow down and soak it in-and still there are months I can't recall.  I thought I would do a high level recap.

January 2011
  • I put my first home on the market.  A little bittersweet but I had to make way for new beginnings.

My first house.


February 2011
  • Scott and I took a short vacation to Southern Florida for the Miami Boat Show and some needed R&R.  You can read all about our vacation here: Our trip to South Florida

March 2011
  • We continued to look for a new home and we found one at the very end of the month.
  • Thankfully less than a week later we went into a contract on Pandora's Box.
  • We set a wedding date for early August and a reception date for late August-the planning begins.
April 2011
  • We closed on the new house and began the demo that same week.  
The new house
May 2011
  • My brother Shaun got married in Hilton Head.
  • Scott and I had our first couples shower.
  • I closed on my house
  • I moved all my things from my house to the basement of the new house
  • The renovations continued
  • Scott and I at Shaun and Allisons wedding.
    

     
    Scott and I at our couples shower.

     
    
    The group in Charleston for the bachelor/bachelorette party
    July 2011

    • We continued with the house.
    • We took a brief, and very rare break to celebrate Fourth of July at the marina. 
    The sheet between the top and bottom floor of the new house.  It helped with dust and chaos control
    August 2011
    • I celebrated with the ladies for a girls only wedding shower.
    • We traveled to the Bahamas to get married and honeymoon.
    • We came back and had all our family and friends in for a wedding reception

     
    Our honeymoon

     
    September 2011
    • The upstairs neared move in ready.  Scott finished the kitchen with appliances.
    • We attended a Univ of TN tailgate-the first of many games which would have better pre-game festivities than the games themselves.
    Scott and the supervisor

    October 2011
    • We MOVED UPSTAIRS.  It took us 6 months. 
    November 2011
    •  Scott went hunting in Arkansas
    •  We moved all Scott's furniture from his garage into the new house.  Finally we were mostly furnished.
    • While he was gone I figured out how to use all my existing holiday decor in the new house
    • We received our wedding license in the mail-so at last we can proof it happened;)
    • We hosted our first Thanksgiving celebration.  In our brand new kitchen.  It went very well.

    December 2011
    • We attended holiday parties galore.  We hosted our third annual garage party which was a success.
    • Bailey took a turn for the worse health wise and we had a very hard 10 days at the end of the month before his small heart couldn't take anymore. He dies on December 19th which was impossibly hard.
    • Scott and I celebrated our first married Christmas-which despite the sadness was nice and good.

    This past year was one of the most hectic I can recall.  I feel we did so much in such a short time.  We had some fantastic highs from getting engaged to getting married after almost 4 years together.  We got to celebrate our life and future with our loved ones.  Those highs made the horrible low of losing Bailey bittersweet.  But-its how it happens.  It can't be all good-bad things happen.  I have high hopes for 2012.  Can't wait to see what's in store!!