2010 was the year of weddings, firsts, and lots of love, laughter, and joy! It almost scares me to think about all that we jammed packed into this past year, and I wonder, how will any year ever live up to this one!? Luckily, I am a glass half full kinda gal!
Kyle and I were playing back the year to each other, and I found myself asking, "Did anything memorable happen from January through March?" Obviously not, since neither of us could remember! But can you blame us? We were planning our April wedding and hunting for a house! Thankfully, with this new blog, come December 31st of 2011, I won't have to ask myself if anything memorable happened throughout the year because it will all be documented on my blogger-ooski!!!
So, we'll just start with April...
Let's see...April 15th kicked off the wedding festivities with my bachelorette party in Downtown Wilmington, hosted by my child-hood bff and MOH, Kristen! We had an amazing dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Circa 1922, followed by a scavenger hunt all over down-town, and finally some stops at a few bars before I pulled my bride trump card and said I had to get some beauty sleep! Note to all the future brides...if at all possible, plan your bachelorette party on a weekend before the wedding! But, if your MOH is flying in from Michigan, you don't really have a choice, so enjoy yourself and remember you can always sleep when the wedding's over!
The next day, April 16, we had an adorable bridal luncheon, hosted by my aunts. I will never forget the tears shared as everyone shared memories and stories. I felt so much love the entire weekend, and am truly blessed with the best friends and family in the world! It was also really special because the date was my Dad's mother, Mama Louise, who I never got to meet's birthday, and I know it sounds crazy, but I really felt her spirit in the room that day.
That night, we had a fabulous rehearsal dinner hosted by Kyle's parents at his church (it helps when you're marrying the rector's son!) followed by an amazing after-party where we got to visit with all of our out-of-town friends and family!
You'd almost think that it'd be hard to top all of the pre-wedding festivities, but I'll tell you, our wedding day (April 17th) was the most amazing day of our lives! It was all that we could ever ask for, and more! It had been a long time coming (we'd been dating since our junior year in high school!) and the celebration of love and friendship was heartwarming!
Most brides experience something along the lines of "OMG the wedding's over, I spent the last ____ of my life planning this huge day, now it's all over, what am I going to do with my life!?" I did not even have a chance to feel that because once mine was over, I jumped right into planning one of my college bff's, Ashley's, bachelorette party on April 30th! We had a LBD party, with dinner at PF Changs, drinks and a lingerie shower back at the apartment. Fun times all around!
Then, in the midst of my 3rd graders End of Grade testing (my first experience with this, very stressful to watch your babies take this big test!), Ashy-poo married her high school sweet heart on May 8th in a beautiful ceremony and reception at the Angus Barn pavillion. I was honored to serve as a bridesmaid and Kyle got to be the DJ! Did I mention I just love weddings!?
One week later, on May 15th, Kyle graduated from NC State with his BA in Political Science!
Five days later, on May 20th, we closed on our first house and began the move-in process!
Can you imagine why I may have been just a tad bit exhausted around this time?
On June 10th, I balled my eyes out on the last day of school and end of my first year of teaching! It was the best experience of my life, and I love those kids with all my heart! Luckily, they pass by my room on their way to 4th grade every day, and I adore the hugs they give me, and the fact that they still call me by my maiden name!
On June 12th, we packed our bags and headed on our big honeymoon adventure! We visited my college bff, Beebs, and her boyfriend and family, in Baltimore for the weekend before heading up to NY to catch a visit with Kyle's grandparents and a Yankee's game (of course), and flew out June 16th for the most fabulous trip of my life...2 weeks of honeymooning in France and Italy! I won't bore you with the details here...just check out of honeymoon blog, if you're interested! I had never been to Europe and any other countries (excluding Canada and Jamaica), so this trip opened my eyes to a whole new world! Priceless!
August was another jam-packed month for us as we continued to settle into our new home, Kyle searched for a job, and I prepped for the start of school! Great news came on August 12th when Kyle was offered a job with a wonderful non-profit organization where he gets to oversee a program that provides back-packs of food each week to underprivileged children. It was such an awesome feeling to know that we were both doing jobs that we loved that also provided great service to others!
I started my 2nd year of teaching 3rd grade on August 25th with a new group of 23 totally awesome kiddos, who keep me laughing, and on my toes, daily!
Kyle's best friend from high school, David, married his gorgeous and sweet fiancee, Lia on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend (September 4th)! It was a beautiful ceremony at the same church where we were married. Kyle was a groomsman, and it was so fun to see Kyle's Dad do the ceremony!
October gave us beautiful fall weather...perfect for pumpkin patches, corn mazes, and the good o'l State Fair!
Our peaceful October turned into another busy November! Kyle and I are born a week apart, and his birthday is November 14th, which we spent with our fab friends Beebs and Bdo at the UNC vs. V-Tech game! My birthday followed on November 21st with a surprise party at a cute down-town spot that we'd been dying to try called Alivia's. No pics there! Since it was a surprise, I didn't know to bring my camera! Kyle is always so sweet and really does it up big for my birthday! I definitely owe him a great 2011 one!
The next weekend was Thanksgiving, which we celebrated at my grandparents' house. It was a different celebration considering my parents and my aunt and uncle and one of their daughter's were absent, doing some amazing mission work in Haiti. With the lack of 2 of our best kitchen helpers, Kyle and I, and the other cousins had to step up to the plate!
One of my high school friends, Laura, got married on December 4th in a gorgeous ceremony at my home-church. Christmas weddings are so beautiful with the churches all decorated and the candle-light!
Baby Addison was born December 10th while I hosted my very first gathering with some teacher friends for the holidays!
Sadly, Kyle's family said good-bye to their beloved dog on December 16th, Madison, who lived a long and happy life. He will forever remain their "bad-a**" dog, as Kyle's brother, Ryan, refers to him.
December 25th was our first Christmas together, and it was fabulous indeed! Our plans changed last minute with the pending snow storm! We spent Christmas Eve at Kyle's house and opened presents with his family Xmas morning, before hopping in the car and heading up to my grandparents to meet up with my family! The snow started falling, and just as predicted, we had our first white xmas! I had so much fun playing in the snow...something I never take for granted after growing up on the coast!
Tonight, we plan to ring in the new year with friends and fondue!
So long, 2010...it's been real! Real good, that is!
Ahhh - So many thoughts! I love that my kids from last year still call me by my maiden name, too. Your honeymoon pics reminded me of how much I want to go to Europe!! I love the corn maze pic and I love the dress you wore to the December wedding. You didn't tell me that Madison died!!! So sad!! I bet crazy Lily is so lonely these days :( And lastly......I love the last picture! So cute! HAPPY NEW YEAR GIRL! Eat some chocolate fondue for me. :)
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