No slowing down

So much has happened since I posted last.  We had our meeting with the builder and signed the final papers (at least until we close in March/April).  We have our "Sold" sign on our lot and we have, of course, taken a picture.  Below you can see our property behind us.  We are the only ones on our side of the street and the other side is spec homes - hopefully we get some neighbors some time.  They have leveled and staked off our land so construction can begin.  Now we just wait...man, are we excited to get into that house!

Last week was busy but wonderful!  Monday Scott and I both worked - Scott even came home for dinner but had to go back; he got home at 11:45 that night.  Tuesday was Scott's 25th birthday - I took the day off to start cooking for Thanksgiving #1.  That night we had Thanksgiving with some friends that are close by; we had such a great time and it was so relaxing!  Scott and I both had Wednesday off work so I made him stuffed pork tenderloin for a late lunch, then we had dinner with his family for a belated birthday celebration.  Thanksgiving Day we spent with the Reed family at my parents' house.  No matter how much we attempt to downsize the amount we make we still manage to have too much food on the table.  This year, my dad thought ahead and bought tupperware to send leftovers home with us!  Friday, we drove down to Clear Lake/Dickinson to spend some time with Scott's mom's side of the family.  I always laugh so hard around that family!

I'll try to keep this updated more as things progress with the house.  Scott and I plan to go out once a week to check on things until construction really gets underway.  Then we'll be there much more often, taking pictures every time.  Getting snow here this morning surprised us - it makes me nervous of what delays the weather will cause throughout the process.  Only time will tell.  Hope everyone is doing well as the holidays approach! Take care and God Bless!

Beyond Blessed

Last week was a little rough at home; November 2nd I went to the optometrist and was told I had pink eye, the next day Scott went to his primary doctor and was told he had acute bronchitis.  Needless to say we spent a lot of time at home trying to get better.  Now we're good as new! 

Scott and I have so much to be grateful for it's difficult to believe this is really our life and not a dream!  We spent last weekend in Abilene with friends celebrating one of Scott's buddies' marriage.  I have never seen him so happy; he and his wife have a great house on a good bit of land and are doing well.  On Monday we got a call from Keith (sales rep that sold us our home) - our builder's/"red line" meeting is set for November 17th.  After that, construction can finally begin on our house!  We are so excited!  Friday brought 2 great pieces of news.  First, my cousin (who is so close to our family we consider her a sister) got engaged to her boyfriend of almost 3 years!  We couldn't be happier for the two of them - they are wonderful together.  Then, later in the afternoon my sister Shannon called to let me know that she and her husband are expecting a baby girl!  (We knew she was pregnant but just found out it is a girl!)  Our little niece will be here in late March/early April.

This week we also found out that the Walk for Lupus Now - Dallas event has set a date: April 24, 2010.  For those of you who don't know, our family walked last year and our team raised over $3,000 for Lupus research (and that was with only 1 month). This time, we're getting started early!  Our team has already registered - our team is Megan's Pavement Pounders - and you can visit our website.  Below is a picture of our team from last year. Main event website: http://walkforlupusnow.kintera.org/2010 Our page: http://walkforlupusnow.kintera.org/faf/login/teamPageEdit.asp?ievent=329644&lis=0&kntae329644=91C1255356BD41248E396AB7BCBEAB7F&page=view 
For more info on Lupus: www.lupus.org

Hope everyone has a great rest of the weekend.  More updates to come!

Real progress

Tuesday and Thursday of this week Scott and I went to the design center to pick out everything that will go in our home. The experience was amazing!  We picked everything from brick color to light fixtures and everything in between.  Somehow it really seems like ours now.  The next step is our builder's meeting, which will happen in the next 30 days or less. After that, construction begins!  Our sales rep, Keith, says that with how quickly we're taking care of everything we may close in March or early April.  We are so excited!  (Below is a picture of most of the things we've picked out - some stuff looks a little different in the picture than in person.  Guess you'll just have to see it in person!)  My mom still can't believe that we'll be in a house before our 2nd anniversary - I was feeling the same way, but now it is starting to feel incredibly real.

Work has really been picking up for Scott.  Actually, that's an understatement.  He probably worked 70 hours this week, even with the 2 mornings we were at the design center.  As for me, the kids have been crazy this week.  The bad weather has kept them from going outside and made them stir-crazy.  Then, since today was Friday AND the day before Halloween, they were flat out insane!  Good thing a lot of them got picked up early!

Tonight, a friend of ours invited us to go to a Stars game with him at the American Airlines Center.  Scott hadn't been in quite some time and I had never been.  It was awesome!  The Stars lost 6-5 against the Florida Panthers in a shootout, but it was still a great game. This week has been crazy and we look forward to a (hopefully) quiet evening at home tomorrow.  Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Letting it sink in...

I had been waiting to post an update until I had all the pictures from our Reed family reunion downloaded, but I'm still waiting on Scott to do that for me (he'd rather do the ones from his camera - probably so I won't mess it up).  It rained most of the time we were there (thank goodness for the pavilion) so we weren't able to play volleyball or anything.  The guys still managed to throw the football around while the little ones decided to get drenched in the rain.  My cousin that I hadn't seen in at least 6 years was there - we had been best friends when we were little and it was so good to see her again!  And we finally got to meet her kids!  We had the entire side of our family there - aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, and all.  It was so great to have everyone together again.
Now for the big news.  As I had posted before, Scott and I have been house hunting since September 27th with the idea that we would figure out exactly what we wanted and then buy a house after the first of the year.  Well, October 10th, after looking at quite a few houses with our Realtor, we found a new neighborhood that is still building and happens to have exactly what we want and need in our price range.  After looking at the different homes they have we went home and thought about what we wanted to do.  One week later we signed a contract to start construction on our house!!  We made an offer on the house with upgrades and it was approved Sunday!  We bought a house!!  Scott and I will be in our home by March!  It all happened so fast, it's still hard to believe.  Our home will be in McKinney at Virginia and Custer.  It is a perfect little one story with 3 bedrooms, study, dining, family room, breakfast area, and, of course, a big kitchen! They will break ground next month and pictures will be posted as we have progress.  We are so unbelievably excited! 

Staying busy

The last week has been crazy!  I'm doing my best to make sure I keep this updated.  Saturday (the 26th) we took Harley to her first private training session - wow, what a difference!  This time it went so smoothly; we were really relieved.  The instructor told us that Harley is really smart and catches on quickly, she just had a major problem with barking in the group setting.  After class we went to dinner at Olive Garden (my fave) with Scott's parents and grandma in Dallas.  We were celebrating Grandma's 91st birthday!  It was so good to see her and spend time with them.

Sunday was so many things - exhausting, exciting, overwhelming, amazing.  We met with our realtor for the first time and began the house-hunting adventure.  We have found 2 houses we like so far and will be looking again in a week.  I still can't believe it's happening!  It's hard enough to believe we've been married over a year and now we're looking for a house!  Of course, now that we've started looking every little thing about apartment life is starting to bug us... we can't wait for Harley to have a yard and to not have people stomping on our ceiling at all hours.

After the greatness that was this past weekend, Monday brought a little stress and chaos at work.  As everyone knows flu season is upon us.  Well, we've had a small flu outbreak at the elementary school where I work, including some H1N1 (aka swine flu).  A tad nerve-wracking for me for 2 reasons: 1- I have 91 kiddos in my program, 2 - I have a practically non-existent immune system.  Thankfully I have not gotten the flu.  Scott and I seem to be getting colds, but we'll take that over the flu!

We are really excited the weekend is almost upon us, grateful to have made it through this week.  Friday night we get to see Scott's college/Corps buddies.  Saturday we are driving to Waco for a Reed family reunion, driving home Saturday evening and watching the Texas A&M game on TV.  Sunday we hope to see some of Scott's family who will be here for the A&M v. Arkansas game at the Cowboys Stadium.  We both took Monday off of work so we can recover.  We have a very blessed life!  Hope everyone has had a great week and enjoys the coming weekend!

"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." - Abraham Lincoln -

Ups and downs

As some of you may already know, we enrolled Harley in group training classes at Petsmart.  Our first class was September 12th ....and it was a nightmare!  Scott and I both went and could not get Harley to stay quiet longer than 5 minutes.  The class lasted an hour.  We thought about what we should do for a week.  Saturday came around again and we were supposed to go to our 2nd class that night.  We went up there a few hours before our class time and spoke to the trainer about what would be best to do - our main concern was the other pets and owners not being able to hear the instructor because of our loud beast.  We will be starting private lessons on the 26th. (Yes, it was that bad.)

On the 16th I had a doctor's appointment that was the best one I've had in a long time. The doctor informed me that I am in remission again!  This summer I was not doing very well - I was in a lot of pain, feeling crummy all the time, and my levels were the highest they had been in the nearly 8 years since I was diagnosed.  Scott and I were so happy and relieved by the news!

One more quick one..

Our photographer from the wedding, Barry Benton of Gittings in Dallas, was kind enough to e-mail me a digital copy of my bridal portrait.  Now that I've figured out how to post pictures on the actual blog here it is.  Barry did bridal portraits and wedding pictures for all 3 Reed girls (my sisters and me).  He's amazing!

Remembering...

I'm a little behind with this post...I was just too tired this weekend.  We have an update on that Army Captain friend of Scott's who lost his legs in a train accident.  He's doing well; he had surgery to clean up the wounds and get him into the recovery stage.  After his surgery he was running a fever but it was going down the last time we heard something.  He will be transferred to San Antonio once he is stable (since he's from Texas).  His mom, who is a teacher in Texas, has been with him the whole time.  She will now be going on unpaid leave so she can be by his side the entire time.  One of Scott's buddies is going to set up a fund to help their family afford all that he will need.  We are all so relieved he's doing better and thank God for all the support he is getting from everyone he has known.

This week, as we're all painfully aware, commemorated the 8th anniversary of September 11, 2001.  The song by Alan Jackson was playing in my head all day: "Where were you when the world stopped turning, on that September day?"  I remember it like it was yesterday.  I was in my car listening to the radio and pulling into the school parking lot.  I thought they were talking about some movie - it couldn't really be happening.  Then I walked into the cafeteria to join my teammates (there hadn't been swim practice that day but we had to be in the cafe for 1st period with our coach) and that's when I found out that it was in fact VERY real.  Then the announcement was made that a plane had hit the Pentagon.  We sat there in stunned silence.  Like Ashley, that was the first day I had heard the word "terrorists".  I still can't believe that was 8 years ago!  We must never forget.

As for us, we couldn't be more blessed.  Scott ran in the 5K on Sunday that was hosted by the McKinney Fire Department (all proceeds from the race benefit the Boys and Girls Club of McKinney).  Right now his next race will be the half Iron Man in Lubbock next June. I'm his swim coach, and it's been so fun!  He's amazing (and a tad crazy)!  I've been pretty busy with work this last week.  It was Homecoming week for Allen so we had that theme at work too.  We dressed up each day (which the kids LOVED) and we even wore our mums and senior shirts!  People definitely thought I was a high school student.  Apparently I still look 17...

Coincidentally, an old friend of ours, Mike, apparently decided to post some old pictures from high school on his Facebook page this morning.  There was this picture of Scott and me at a high school football game our senior year.I loved wearing Scott's letter jacket - I'm pretty sure I had custody of that jacket our entire senior year.

When I look at this picture I can't help but smile.  The happiness on my face is still there now, 7 years later.  Yes, I am fully aware that I've gone into the "mushy" side of things, but I simply can't help it.  I've never been so happy.  I married my best friend!  I hope everyone gets to be on cloud 9 with me this week! 

Labor Day Weekend

This week started out like any other but is finishing quite out of the ordinary.  The kids at work were completely crazy but seemed to start calming down in the latter part of the week (thank goodness!) as they get used to our routine and rules.  Scott is now heading up the current task/project at work; he has had meetings at 6:00 AM every day this week.  We both get Monday off for Labor Day, and we both need it!  Thursday I took Harley (our mini dachshund) to the vet for her check-up and update on her shots - she now weighs 13 pounds, fully-grown, and is completely healthy.  An old friend of ours that we have known since our first year of high school came into town today.  We had the chance to meet him and his girlfriend for a late lunch and really enjoyed catching up.  As we all get older and start settling down into real life it gets more and more difficult to see friends.  People get married or change jobs and settle into different cities, and we never seem to have enough time to see each other.  It takes a wedding or reunion to get everyone together.  I found this is the one thing I don't like about growing up.  Sure we have bills and more responsibilities, but I don't mind those.  The people that you become close to drift away and it gets lonely without those dear friends you've come to rely on.  I am lucky that I married my best friend, though.  Who knows where I'd be without him?

We had one thing happen this week that makes me feel utterly powerless to help.  A former fellow cadet (a few years older) of Scott's from the Texas A&M Corps was in an accident at 1:00 AM Friday morning in Georgia.  He is living there and was attending a Captain Course for the Army.  He tried to climb a ladder on a moving boxcar of a local train when he lost his footing and fell on the roadway.  The train stuck him and severed both his legs, one just above where the knee was and one just above the ankle.  Thankfully, he will recover and is in stable condition.  Please keep him and his family in your prayers.

The rest of the weekend should be fairly uneventful - we cleaned the apartment today so that's out of the way.  I have to study so I can take my CPR re-certification test next week...boring stuff but at least we get 2 more days of stress-free time!  Hope everyone enjoys some much needed time off!

A Year in a Nutshell

Welcome to our blog!  A friend of mine recommended Scott and I start a blog to keep family and friends updated with our life together - so here we are.  It is hard to believe that we have already been married for over a year.  Does that mean we're no longer classified as newlyweds?  July 5th marked one year of marriage and 7 1/2 years together.  I was in such a hurry for our wedding day to get here, and now I just want time to slow down!  We are truly enjoying our life together and have never been happier.  How can I not when I see the love of my life as soon as I open my eyes each day?

Today we started talking (seriously) about looking for a house.  We're thinking that by the time December rolls around we'll know if we can afford it by the time our lease is up at the apartment.  It's exciting and scary all at the same time!  Although I'll miss being able to make one call when something is broken and someone coming to fix it within 24 hours (no extra charge), it will be nice to have a place that we will be able to start a family in (in a few years) and a yard for our puppy to run around. I guess we'll see where we are in a few months.

For now, things are pretty calm.  I just wrapped up the first week of school with Kids Club.  It was crazy, but I'm blessed with a great staff team this year.  Scott still has his job at HP; he has now survived 4 rounds of layoffs (that started 1 month after we got married) at the company, and for that we are thankful.  Scott has recently become a tri-athlete and is training for the Half Iron-Man in Lubbock next June. He is really intimidating to live with, especially since my main hobbies are reading and cooking/baking! Our puppy, Harley, will be a year old next month and is driving us crazy!!  She starts training in 2 weeks (yay)!  Hopefully she'll soon be able to do more than just sit!

That's all for now. Hopefully I can keep up with this...