One Year Later



On our wedding day, April 17, 2010



Erik and I celebrated one year of marraige on Sunday, April 17. I've said it before and I'll continue to say it, but I cannot believe how quickly the last year went. It seemed like we had barely been married when we packed up our life and moved to Florida. That was almost nine months ago! It really has been a crazy, but wonderful year. I am so thankful to have Erik as a husband, and I loved celebrating our anniversary!

The day before, we drove out to Daytona Beach and enjoyed some time hanging out at the ocean. We checked into Homewood Suites by Hilton and were very impressed at our room. Erik had some school work to do, but I didn't mind. I spent some time relaxing down by the outdoor pool and whirlpool at our hotel. Our lives have been so crazy recently that I haven't had much time to myself, and even though I am an extrovert, I still enjoy being alone once in a while. After I showered and got ready, we went out to dinner. You may think we're lame for our selection, but we went to Chili's. We like the food there and were able to get a lot for our money. We got an appetizer, two meals and dessert. I don't know if I've ever been that full!



Exactly one year later on the Rivership Romance.

 We enjoyed a quiet night in and then got up and headed to Sanford, where we enjoyed a lovely brunch cruise aboard the Rivership Romance. We were served breakfast and lunch and enjoyed seeing the sights (we spotted an alligator even!) and getting our portrait drawn. After getting home we kind of just laid around and relaxed, but we had a great day. Erik cooked me a delicious manicotti meal and we enjoyed some wine. I couldn't have asked for a better one year celebration!

Turning 24

In the weeks leading up to my birthday, I was feeling kind of bummed because this was my first birthday being across the country from all of my friends and family. For the last five years my best friend, Katie, has always made my birthday special and fun; this year she is 1,000 miles away (with all of my other family and close Illinois friends). On top of that, it landed on a Thursday, which is one of the nights Erik doesn't get home from class  until 9:15. However, I ended up having a great birthday and feel very blessed! =)

The day started off with a nice, big breakfast Erik cooked me. I was greeted by a balloon and a cute card from my co-workers, which put a smile on my face. My friend Leigh, who I met at work, took me out to Panera, and I really enjoyed spending time with her. Erik also decided to forgo class that night, so when I came home he was there! He had even baked me a cake (chocolate with funfetti vanilla frosting, yummm!) We went to dinner at Logan's (thanks for the gift card, Pat!) and had a great evening. We finished off the night by watching What About Bob?, one of my favorite movies that had somehow escaped my collection. Thanks to my loving husband, I now own it! I loved all of the cards and presents I got from people back home, and of course I received lots of phone calls and even more Facebook wall posts, adding to the birthday greatness!


The day after my birthday at my work breakfast celebration.

 The next day, we had a little celebration breakfast at work, and I felt very blessed by my sweet co-workers. The day only got better as we went to life group that night. Afterwards, we were treated to a delicious feast of goodies that our new friend Michelle prepared. She made an amazing chocolate-peanut butter pie/cake, chocolate covered strawberries, and filled cupcakes. It was wonderful! They all signed a card for me too, and I really appreciate the efforts everyone took to make my birthday special.

Overall, I had a really good birthday, despite being away from many of the people I love. My new family here made it special, and I feel very cared for. Thanks to everyone who made my birthday rock! It was also my first birthday as a wife, which is pretty cool. =)

Blasting to Jupiter and Exploring a Magical World

As usual, I've been slacking on my posting. A lot has happened since my last post, so I've decided to make a few separate posts, in order of the events. I figure this will also help with the ridiculously long posts. :o)


Erik and me at Havana Hideout.

On April 1, we headed down to Jupiter, FL with some friends from our life group. We stayed in a three-story, four bedroom condo for completely free. We were just minutes from the beach, and even made a trip down to Havana Hideout, a restaurant featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. It's a cuban restaurant and it had really good food. Erik got the two-handed tacos and I got tamales. Everything was delicious! Affer lunch we went to the beach and then all grabbed some take-out food and brought back to the condo. We had a great weekend and really enjoyed fellowship time with the people in our life group. This is our community now, and it was nice to be able to spend a whole weekend with them.



Taking a break to enjoy our delicious butterbeer!

 After a fun couple days with our life group buddies, we ventured out to Islands of Adventure at Universal Studios for Universal Knights. Every year, UCF hosts a free night at at one of the Universal them parks for students and their guests. This year they chose Islands of Adventure, and we were thrilled to go explore the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (WWHP). We had an excellent time and really enjoyed ourselves. I got Erik to go on the Dragon Challenge (formerly Dueling Dragons) and he loved it. We even rode it twice! I was very impressed with the WWHP and the authenicness. We of course had some famous butterbeer, and it was just as delicious as I had heard! For those wondering, it tastes like a combination of root beer and cream soda. The frothy part on top is not just foam. It's sweet and creamy, and lasts all the way to the bottom. If you ever go to the WWHP, you must try it! You'll spend some time in line, but it is worth the wait. I promise. We also went to other parts of IA, and had a great night walking around and riding rides.. It was definitely a highlight of the recent months! View my Facebook for a whole album of our day at Universal. I was so excited that I got a little picture happy. One of my friends said I posted so many pictures, it felt like she was there. =) Enjoy!

You can look forward to reading about my birthday and our one year wedding anniversary (which is actually today!) I promise to be faithful and post them within the next few days. Thanks everyone!