I thought our first post should be a review of our first year of marraige. Here are the highlights:
On June 21, 2008 we were married in Conroe. We had a wonderful celebration with our family and closest friends. We then went on our honeymoon to Costa Rica. This was the most relaxing vacation I have ever been on. When life gets hectic, Jon & I often think about our time in Costa Rica. I wish we could go on a honeymoon every year!
In September 2008 we experienced our first hurricane together! The night of the hurricane was a lot of fun. I was on my pediatrics rotation and was released from the hospital early that day. That night we gathered outside with our neighbors and watched the storm roll in. Listening to the hurricane pass over us was incredible as I fervently prayed that a tree wouldn't fall on our roof. Despite the initial excitement, we quickly grew tired of our situation. No electricity + Texas heat + a sick wife = no fun. One day we were so tired of the heat that Jon and I donated blood just so we could spend an hour in the air conditioner. Two weeks later and copious amounts of candle wax on our tables and floors, we had electricity and couldn't be happier!
In October the presidential election was off and rolling. Jon and I added a new component to our after work routine: complaining about the election. As the weeks went on, complaining turned into anger and discussing turned into shouting. Eleven months, a stomach ulcer, and numerous migraines later, and we are still going strong.
Grandmother's 90th Birthday!
Thanksgiving in San Francisco!
In December we got to meet Mike Huckabee! He was doing a book signing in downtown Houston, so we took our copy of his book and stood in line to meet the man who should have been the 2008 presidential candidate... in my opinion. Governor Huckabee was so kind to everyone who waited in line to meet him. Despite the bookstore workers' best attempts to rush everyone past him, Gov. Huckabee made sure to speak to each person. After his signing everyone walked Gov. Huckabee and his wife to their bus and cheered, "2012! 2012" as they drove away.
We went on a cruise to Mexico!
In February, we had a new addition to our family: Scout. When we first met Scout, she was a tiny boxer-pitbull puppy who instantly fell asleep in my arms. I was hooked and Jon and I brought our darling puppy home. To be honest, we are pretty sure that Scout's previous owner drugged her before we met her. Now, I have never had a puppy before, but Scout has to be the most hyper, disobedient, and obnoxious dog. I can't emphasize this enough. She is fine if she stays outside all day to get out all of her energy. Unfortunately, Scout learned how to climb fences from her brother Wrangler, so now she can't stay in the backyard unless she is chaperoned. The good news is that Scout is making progress. We are hopeful...
The next few months are a blur of patients, studying, and little sleep. Needless to say, my third year of medical school has to be one of the best years of my life. I could write a book of all that I learned from my experiences with my patients. The friendships I made during that year are so special to me and it makes me sad that we are all leaving each other in less than a year!
In May Jon graduated with a masters in biology! I am so proud of him. Though I have known Jon for 4 years now, I continue to be amazed by his thought process and knowledge. I am excited to see how the Lord will use all of the gifts and passions Jon has to touch people's lives and fulfill His purpose for Jon.
This is getting to be a VERY long post. I'm just going to conclude it now: I am often asked to describe my first year of marriage to Jon. The most accurate word continues to be, 'fun'. Not to belittle the gravity of the marital committment or the difficult moments we have had along the way. We will be the first to have a conversation with someone contemplenting marriage about the seriousness of this committment. However, with Jon as my husband, how can I not have a life full of fun and laughter? Thank you to everyone who actually read the entire post. I will try to keep them shorter in the future. I hope everyone has a great week!
I asked Jon to pass me the jar of water we were drinking from and this is what he handed me:
