Year one: Nailed it!

Howdy.

So has anyone else noticed that Christmas started the day after Halloween this year?

I'm a little creeped out.

There are some people who are slight grinches -- Justin -- who complain about Christmas starting up the day after Thanksgiving, but I think that works ok.  Seeing Starbucks employees in their "Spread the Cheer" shirts and seeing the Santa display up in the mall the first day of November seems a little excessive, however.  The way things are going, ten years from now, we'll begin Christmas decorating sometime in August.

Hey!  It's our first anniversary tomorrow!  I can't believe it snuck by so quickly, although I guess it's not suprising, given work and school and a few moves tossed into the mix.  It's been pretty amazing... one year later, I'm still blinking in astonishment, wondering how this became my life.  I am blessed to have the husband I do, and the past 365 days -- with all the ups and downs that naturally accompany them -- have only served to make me more certain of it. 

Everyone said before we got married that the first year is the toughest, and although there was a learning curve to figuring out how to live together (like learning to put the condiments away)... I think I spent more time laughing than anything.  There were so many times it felt like we were just goofy kids masquerading as grown-ups by occasionally doing responsible things like paying bills and going to work.  The rest of the time?  We played.  Whether it was watching the Seahawks lose, playing laser hockey on the Wii, watching back-to-back-to-back episodes of the Office, or playing online poker -- we played.  It's had to be cut back some since school started, but still, we play. 

There were times I cried too -- I've always done that when I am overwhelmed -- but even in that I experienced a deep-seated joy -- that of being loved and understood when you can't be at your best.  There's nothing like someone pulling you close and holding you there even though you are a red-faced mess of snot and tears.  There's nothing like consistently having someone in your corner, cheering you on.

It's been good.  I'm a lucky girl.  I know one year is no big deal in light of folks that have been married fifty years and head to Starbucks and still sit there holding hands (Justin and I got to know this couple when I was a barista)... but this first year fills me with hope that the best stuff is still ahead of us. 

Justin planned a trip for us this weekend... we're headed to the lovely "Bavarian" village of Leavenworth.  And -- just like in Whistler on our honeymoon, it's supposed to start snowing the first night we're there!  I don't think I can express how cool that is.  To me, all the world is magic when there's snow falling.  And there's nothing funnier than one or both of us totally biting it on some ice, falling down in one big clumsy heap.  Heh heh.