Year 1: The Memories

Since our 1-year anniversary is this Sunday, I wanted to go through each month, and highlight my favorite memories and milestones from that month. Our first year of marriage has been pretty great! Here's to hoping for a LOT more years like this one!

July 2008
Highlights:
-Wedding!! July 12, 2008
-Honeymoon to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg, Tennessee
-I moved into Luke's apartment
Picture Memories:
Honeymoon
Gift-opening party with our families after the honeymoon
August 2008
Highlights
-Having our first cookouts and parties at the apartment
-Getting the offer from my uncle about buying his rental house, and looking at it for the first time.
Picture Memories
Our House, before we moved in
September 2008
Highlights
- Meeting Gabby for the first time! (She lived with my in-laws until we moved into our house in November)
-Dreaming about and beginning work on the new house.
Picture Memories
Baby Gabby
Luke, working on our houseOctober 2008
Highlights
October was a BIG month for us!:
-Spending every spare minute working on the house!
-Finding out that in order to close on the house, we had to first paint the entire exterior. This was a stressful time!
-Moving out of our apartment, even though the house wasn't ready yet.
-Living at Luke's grandparents' house at the end of the month since they were vacationing at their winter home in Arizona.
-Closing on our first house on Thursday, October 30, 2008.
-Celebrating closing on the loan by eating out at Taco Bell. We were a little too freaked out by how much money we had just spent to eat somewhere nice. But let me tell you, a Taco Bell meal has never tasted better :-)
-By the end of this month, being able to navigate through Home Depot with my eyes closed. I bet we went to Home Depot just about every day this month. And sometimes twice a day!
Picture Memories
One of our many painting parties
November 2008
Highlights
Another big month!
-Still living at Luke's grandparents' at the beginning of the month. We were there for about a week-and-a-half total.
-Taking a break from renovations/moving for my birthday on November 6. Luke let me pick any restaurant I wanted, and took me out to eat. then we came back to my parents' house, where my mom had made me a chocolate & peanut butter cake! All of my gifts were fun decor items for the house. Oh, and Luke got me an mp3 player :-)
-November 9, 2008, we officially moved into the house.
-November 10, 2008, Gabby finally moved in with us!!
-Sleeping in late on Thanksgiving morning, and watching the Macy's Day Parade in bed while eating breakfast. Then spending the day with our families
Picture Memories
This picture was taken on moving day. It still stresses me out to look at it.
Finally, about a week before Thanksgiving, the house was clean, finished, and organized:December 2008
Highlights
-Going out on a Saturday morning and getting our first Christmas tree at Sanor's. It was real...tradition in both of our families.
-Decorating the tree and trying to control Gabby. I believe 3 or 4 ornaments were broken that day.
-Spending our first Christmas morning together. We exchanged gifts in the morning, and then spent the rest of the day with our families.
-Finishing up the final room in our house: The Ohio State room, which is our atttic/hang out room.
-Going to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert in Cleveland for the 5th year in a row together.
-Ringing in the New Year with our best friends, and each other.
Picture Highlights:
Us by the tree...our next year's Christmas card image
Us on Christmas morning, watching "The Polar Express" in HD. Yeah, we're cool ;-)
TSO Concert, year 5
January 2009
Highlights
-One of our first parties was held at our house, in the newly completed Ohio State room for the Fiesta Bowl. Unfortunately, OSU lost, but the party was fun!
-This past winter was so bitterly cold and extremely snowy, it seems the only thing I remember from it was being shut inside, curled up under a blanket with Luke, trying to stay warm. Oh, and I remember a lot of snow. Which, I guess, was beautiful, as much as I hated it!
Picture Memories
Fiesta Bowl Party
Snow, snow, snow. And bitter coldness.
February 2009
Highlights
- Luke opening for Remedy Drive at Salem High School...his biggest concert yet!
-Luke making me breakfast on Valentines Day! Making him dinner, and then going out to a movie together.
-Helping at 30 Hour Famine with the youth group at church.
Picture Memories
One80 and Remedy Drive Concert
Valentines Day - Luke's making breakfast, and a mess!!
March 2009
Highlights
-Finishing up my grandma's apartment, which is attached to our house
-Having our first bonfire at the new house.
-Getting to spend lots of time together outside, as it was an uncharacteristically warm March!
Picture Highlights
Bonfire!April 2009
Highlights
-Spending Easter with our families and each other
-More bonfires!
-Lots and lots of rain. Learning that the side of our house, right where the steps leading up to our apartmen sit, floods when it rains a lot :-/
-Moving my grandma into her apartment. Now we are neighbors!
Picture Memories
Us on Easter
Grandma at her new home
May 2009
Highlights
-Celebrating Luke's birthday by throwing him a birthday bonfire on May 2, 2009
-Going to an Indians game and Thousand Foot Krutch concert at Progressive Field.
-Day trip to Pittsburgh to see Luke's sister play volley ball at a tournament.
-Another Day trip to Cleveland to the Cavs watch party at the Q for a play-off game.
Picture Memories
Luke's 25th birthday
Cavs Watch Party
June 2009
Highlights
-Finishing up the school year, and having lots of spare time and energy to spend with Luke!
-Spending Lots of time at church softball games watching Luke
-Spending Saturdays at my parents' pool together
-Suffering the loss of Scott, one of our friends from church.
-Our fun trip to Columbus to shop and see an IMAX movie
-Sharing fun, summer memories together.
Picture Memories
Softball
Columbus

And I'll save July 2009 for next year's memories, because it just started. So there you have it: the big memories and milestones of our first year of marriage!! Can't wait to find out what year 2 has in store! :-D