Summer 2016 Bucket List

How are we already halfway through June? Christopher graduates from pharmacy school this weekend {cue the Hallelujah Chorus}, and will be on a graduation trip next week before starting his job full time. Then we'll have July 4th followed by Amanda's wedding the next weekend, and summer will be halfway done!

It's feeling like it's all kind of escaping me too quickly; wasn't life supposed to slow down after the wedding? So I thought I'd sit down and come up with a list of things I want to accomplish, some fun and some not so fun, before life gets truly hectic again later in the year.

1. Spend some time at Jekyll Island | Christopher has never been, and I go each year for work trips. It's wonderful! Great beaches and great food, with plenty to explore: new and old! 
2. Clean out {and clean up!} the wedding and Christmas rooms | yes, I have one for both. Although, the Christmas room has become the dumping ground for all of Christopher's things as he moved his stuff in the week before the wedding. I've been working through the wedding room, sorting all of our lovely gifts and finding a home for each of them, while trying to create an office/study space for Dr. PharmD. 
3. Move the curio cabinet in | My grandparents gave me a large curio cabinet for my birthday almost 15 years ago {sounds so funny--15 years?!} that I displayed dolls and mementos in. I've never moved it out of my mom's house because it's giantly heavy, and I also didn't live anywhere that accommodate such a large piece of furniture. Now that we are living in an actual house we have enough room, and so many beautiful wedding gifts and serving pieces to display in it!
4. Host a summer soiree | Another great thing about our house is giant yards to have fun in! I'd love to invite our friends over for a cookout with our new grill and the cornhole boards Christopher made for our wedding...that we forgot to put out on the day of...oops. We'll have to wait for the evenings too cool off a little though...it's in the 100's here this week! 
5. Make at least one new recipe a month | this is kind of a goal for our first year of marriage, too. It's so easy to get into a cooking-rut {we had tacos four times in a week earlier this month}, so I want to be intentional about expanding my cooking skills and filling my monogrammed recipe box from my bridal shower! 
6. Financially plan for a new car | I want a new car. Pretty much anyone around me has heard of my desires for a third row, specifically a 4Runner in white, with tan leather and a sunroof. I've never bought a car myself, and don't want to run out there all willy-nilly and buy the first one I see. I've test driven one and loved it, so I know what I want, but I need to wait for the right one at the right price. I also don't want to put any unnecessary stress on our financial status as a couple by making such a big purchase too soon! Money is one of those things that we agree on 99% of the time, and we enjoy working towards our goals together. We can really focus on our finances once Christopher starts working full time, and I'm excited to do this as a team!
7. Spend more time with family | I've not seen my family since we got married, and that was almost two months ago! I can't believe how time flies. I'm hoping to see them all more, and maybe take a trip to North Georgia to spend a few days with the grands, too. 
8. Plan trips | we had the absolute best time on our honeymoon; I literally think about it every day! While we have a few trips planned in the upcoming months for weddings and things, I really want to plan a few couples trips and maybe even a family vacation for us to go on! Spending time together as a couple, and also as a couple with our families is very important to me. First on the list? A long weekend at Disney to celebrate both of our 25th birthdays in the fall! Then maybe a Christmas family vacation? And something special for our one year anniversary in the spring! Any ideas? 
9. Try new restaurants | Christopher and I love trying new places with amazing food. We've covered a lot of the Savannah staples, but there are some gems out here "in the country" that we've yet to hit.
10. Learn to make fancy cookies | my bestie and I are obsessed with every royal iced sugar cookie we come across. We're constantly tagging each other in those oh-so-soothing Instagram videos of cookies being decorated. She's attempted some on her own, and now I want to try! I love the fancy cookies!

What's on your summer bucket list? 

Month-In Musings

It's official: our first month of marriage is in the books. Even if he claims "it's the same!" I totally think being married is way better than not. The month has flown, and we've laughed a lot and learned a lot as well!

What's Different
We see each other every day. For years, we've only seen each other on the weekends, and the occasional mid-week meet up for dinner {usually at Cheddar's...buff chick wrap, yum.}. We've also never been very good phone talkers, so actually catching up each evening is refreshing. Some days, we even have lunch together at home, which is lovely. Some of this will change as Christopher starts his real job in a few weeks and is commuting more, but it's been a great way to start off the married life.

There is honestly a lot more cleaning than I expected. Another person means more dirty clothes and dishes, and as "the clean one," it can sometimes feel overwhelming. But we've done pretty good about working together to get organized and stay on top of the house chores.

What's the same
We still cook together. This is something I have always loved: that Christopher is an excellent cook, and that it is something we both enjoy doing together. We also still grocery shop together; these are two things I hate doing by myself, so it's wonderful to have the regular company.

Our habits. Of course those don't change overnight, and I didn't expect them to! But it is funny to see them a little more up-close and personal than before.

What I did expect
A fight. Maybe that's really negative of me, but I just assumed that moving in together and figuring out life together would instigate some kind of fuss. Of course there has been a few times where we've gotten annoyed at each other, but I've seen both of us take a step back, breathe, and reevaluate how to handle the situation. It's refreshing to see how far our communication and problem solving skills as a couple has come.

What I did not expect
Having to figure out how to incorporate my phone time with friends/family. I hate coming into the house on the phone when he's already there waiting on me. It just feels rude in a way. And my commute is literally three minutes long, so there isn't much phone time in the car. Before getting married, I would spend hours a day talking to friends and family at night when I got home. I'm definitely working on learning how to balance all that.

The Bachelorette. Well, not really The Bachelorette per say. But I guess how easy it has been to spend time together every day. Again, going from doing 100% my own thing everyday to incorporating another person, 100% into my daily life...I just wasn't sure how it was all going to work out!

The first week back from the honeymoon, there was one evening where I said, "Is this what we're supposed to be doing?" as we're sitting on the couch looking at our phones. And there are nights where Christopher {my little social butterfly} says, "So what do you want to do?" and I'm thinking, "Go to bed at 8 p.m., what do you want to do?!" But we've really gotten into a great rhythm, and have enjoyed just watching TV together {like The Bachelorette...I've finally convinced him to watch it with me! And Fresh Off The Boat...go. Watch it NOW. Hilarious, and I am the mom.} and weekly dinners with friends, and working on projects around the house together.

I know we have a long way to go, and a lot to learn. I know there will be hard days and trials, and days that are just days. But I love that we both are on the same page, working towards the same goals, putting 100% into our relationship each day. We are incredibly blessed, and love being married. It truly has been great for us individually and as a couple, and I am thankful for this relationship everyday!