A Year Already?!

July 11 of this year was Billy and I's one year anniversary. Time has really flown. It feels like yesterday that we were, mostly I, stressed about the upcoming wedding. We have had so many blessings this year. First we were able to move out of our mold-infested apartment into one that was much better. We then decided not to put any more money into my old Monte Carlo and we were able to purchase a 2006 Nissian Murano, which was the first car that I got to pick out and I still love driving it. We also were blessed with a house which we get to move in this coming Thursday. We have also went through some rough times. Billy's dad had major heart surgery and was hospitalized for a total of 2 weeks. My cousin, Matt, who was only 22 years old, was killed in a car accident. But in all the year was amazing because I am married to an amazing Christian man.

After paying for a new car and a new house, money was a little tight so for our anniversary we decided to keep it inexpensive. We ended up deciding to camping at Lake Jordan which I wouldn't have traded that for the world. It was a lot of more fun than I was anticipating!! We left right after Chad and Raeanne's wedding on that Saturday and stayed one night and left on our anniversary. Below are some pictures we took, along with a few life lessons we learned.

Life Lesson #10: Don't go bike riding in a suit.

Actually before we could head for our getaway we had to drop off our bike at Billy's parents. We were heading to the beach with his parents after our camping trip. Mr. and Mrs. Keown had a bike rack they were going to take their bike on so they said they could take my bike as well.

Life Lesson #9: McDonalds does not classify as a romantic meal but works when crunched for time.

We were in a hurry to get to the campsite before they closed. So we didn't have a lot of time between Chad and Raeanne's wedding and when the park closed so we opted for McDonalds.


Life Lesson #8: A lake-side view is wonderful during the day but the bug population triples when the sun goes down.


We had our choice of which campsite we wanted to pick and I choose the one next to the lake.


Life Lesson #7: Always place a tarp underneath the tent.

This lesson we actually followed and were very happy because it kept the tent dry.



The tent is finally finished. Now for the air mattress.


Life Lesson #6: BIGGEST LIFE LESSON!!! When bringing along an air mattress with a pump, make sure you charge the air pump before you bring it with you.

We were able to get half the air mattress blown up before the air pump completely died. So Billy and I took turns blowing up the air mattress. Next time we will be sure to charge it up.


After some hard work, the bed was finally made. It looked very comfortable when we were finished.


Life Lesson #5: Lanterns are a must when camping. Keeping the bugs away from the lantern...an even bigger more difficult must.

We purchased this lantern before taking our trip. Even though we had to spray it with bug spray and turn it off once in a while, it was very nice to have.


The sunset was gorgeous off the lake.


The sunset and me

The sunset take 3


Life Lesson #4: Setting the lantern so close to where you sit=a lot of bugs where you sit

For some entertainment we played Monopoly. This was the first time I think I have ever won a game.


Life Lesson #3: When camping, there is no a/c and it is extremely hot in July.

This was our homemade air conditioning for our tent, a battery-operated fan Some air is better than no air.


Life Lesson #2: Taking down a tent is a lot easier than putting up a tent.

Billy was a very good husband. He did a lot of the grunt work while I took the pictures.


This was the tag we hung in our car. Notice anything special??


Finally the campsite is clean and we are headed now for the beach.


Number 1 Life Lesson of our First Anniversary: Set your cake topper out a few days before you want to eat it and not just a day before.

When we went to pull our cake out of the fridge to take a bite, it was solid as a rock. Billy even accidentally dropped it on the ground and it made a huge thump. (It was completely covered in aluminum foil.) So we had to take it to the beach and hope that it would thaw on our way there.


Later on that night when we had arrived at the beach and unpacked everything, we were able to cut into it and enjoy a piece of our wedding cake that was a year old.

In all I would say that this anniversary was the best we have ever had!!!

I Guess We Will Share =)

So this past Sunday was our BIG 1 year anniversary. But this past Saturday, the day before our anniversary, two of our good friends got married, Chad and Raeanne. They even had their reception in the same place as we did, the DLC (Delta Lake Center). I told the almost wedded couple that we would be more than happy to share our anniversary with them as long as it wasn't on the same day. =) On Friday, Raeanne asked me to come help set up at the DLC and that really brought back a lot of memories for me. On Friday, I noticed that Raeanne's wedding cake topper was not yet painted so I volunteered to paint it for her that night and bring it back the next day. I spent all night working on it and spray painted it with a gloss the day of. Below is what the finished cake topper looked like.

The rest are a few other pictures I took at the reception.

Another set of Fireworks

Again on the fourth we went and seen fireworks. This time we went out with a group of our friends. Nick, our friend, invited us over for a spaghetti dinner and then after dinner we drove out to a back road and watched fireworks that were set off at the fairgrounds. It was nice to be able to hang out with friends we don't see too often. We got to see our friends, Chad and Raeanne who were getting married the day before our 1 year anniversary which would be that upcoming Saturday. Billy was able to give Chad some advice on the first year of marriage. =)
We also got to hang out with our good friend, Jay. He is such a great guy!!!
When the fireworks began, Nick and his girlfriend, Gwen, Chad and Raeane, and Billy and I all got to sit on a very small blanket. I wanted to get a good picture of Billy and I but the guys just would not let that happen.


Finally I just gave in and started taking silly pictures.

But eventually I got a few....

3rd Of July

Last year for the fourth of July we didn't get to see any fireworks because they were rained out. This year we made up for that by watching fireworks on the third and on the fourth.

On the third we went to the Durham Bulls Game with Tony, Lydia, and Ella. The game itself was not that exciting and there were only lawn seats left which weren't that bad. Ella made for much of the entertainment which was fun. We hadn't really eaten anything before we went so we got food at the game. When we were finished Ella had fun with the cups. Her favorite thing to do was to scream inside the cup. Billy also entertained us with the Chick-Fila hat Ella received when she came into the stadium.



Around the 8th inning we were kicked out of the lawn because they were getting ready to set up for fireworks. The gentleman said we could sit in any empty seat we found. So we walked towards the entrance of the stadium and found seats right behind the dugout that were open. If only we had these seats during the game. =) Below is a picture of where we were sitting on the lawn.

The Next Big Plunge

So Billy and I took the next plunge in our relationship. We have signed a sales contract on a new home. As of June 22, we will be home owners. After a lot of prayer Billy and I decided to look for a house to buy. (The $8,000 tax credit was what really helped us make that decision.) So starting at the end of March we looked aggressively for a house with the understanding that if God opened doors for us we would walk through and if he closed the door we would move on.

After some searching, some stress, and a lot of prayer we found a house we really liked that was in our price range. The house is located in Knightdale which is a city outside of Raleigh. Billy will be about 15 minutes from work and I will be probably 40 minutes from work. Where we live now is on the west side of Raleigh and Knightdale is on the east side of town. But the area is growing which will be good for resale value in 5-10 years. (when we grow out of it :) )

Here are some pics of our soon to be house if all works out:

The Front of the House

The living room when you first walk in


The living room looking back at the front door


The dining room next to the living room


The kitchen (the door in the background goes to the laundry room and then to the back yard)


The kitchen take 2


The kitchen take 3


Master Bedroom (Their bed was huge. We think it was a California King.)

Master bathroom..to the left is the dual vanity to the right is the walk-in closet...go straight and you walk into a room with the bath tub with the toilet (see below)

Master bath (has a garden tub :) )

Bedroom 2 (This room has a nice size walk-in closet.)

Bedroom 3 (Billy already says this will be changed immediately to an office. :) )

Bathroom 2

Our back yard