First Anniversary

We had a wonderful First Anniversary! We woke up, made breakfast together [french toast, bacon, & eggs] , headed out to Borders & Best Buy and picked up a pizza for dinner. All in all, a great day!

Next month, we're heading to the coast for a few days as a late anniversary trip.

One Year Ago Today...

I finally became a Grable...

I was giddy with anticipation for the biggest day in my life...

Sam was his calm, collected self...

We had the BEST wedding party for us...

I hardly lifted a finger and enjoyed being with family & friends...

We had so much love & prayer surrounding us on our big day...

I was nothing but smiles walking towards my husband-to-be...

We stood before God & everyone present to commit ourselves to each other...
Each for Each Other; Both for God.

We hung out in the scenery as husband & wife...

The food was delicious (shown by Sam's groomsman, Charles) ...

As well as the cupcakes. So good...

And then it was just the two of us...
Happily Ever After!

Happy First Anniversary Sam! One down, a lifetime to go!
There is no one I'd rather walk through life beside.

A Week of Anniversaries

Two years ago, I was just beginning to dive into the wedding planning process. I had graduated from college, went to India, and secured a job in Bend. The location part of the wedding process was probably the easiest. I had the location picked out in my mind even before I was engaged, but due to the popularity of the place, you could only reserve your wedding date a year in advance. Once we decided on a Summer 2008 wedding, we contacted the location. Of course all the Fridays, Saturdays, & Sundays in July & August were booked almost instantly, but June had a few open spots, one in particular: Friday, June 27. That was it! That was our wedding day and with our deposit in, we could really start the planning.

It wasn't until I had announced the wedding date to family & friends that my (now) brother-in-law, Josh, pointed out something that we will always hold special. Between Sam's parents, two pairs of aunts & uncles, his sister & brother-in-law, and now us, all of our anniversaries fall within a 5-day window of each other. And if that wasn't special enough, they are all on 5-year increments. See below for the break down:

Phil & Donna (Sam's parents) : June 24

Andy & Gina (Sam's uncle & aunt) : June 25

Bill & Sandy (Sam's uncle & aunt) : June 26

Sam & I (first anniversary tomorrow!) : June 27

Josh & Laura (Sam's brother-in-law & sister) : June 28

As cheesey as this all is, it makes me happy to know I fall within a week of some couples who are great examples of a happy marriage.

Wednesday Wish List

I love to be comfortable. Period. Plain & simple. As I have mentioned before, a tee & jeans is most ideal for me. That's why this Wednesday's wish list should come to you as no surprise.

(image)

J.Crew's Tissue Ruffle-Sleeve Tee looks to be about as comfortable as they come. And judging by last week's Wednesday Wish List, lately I am drawn to a subtle ruffle or two.

Weekend Recap: Father's Day Edition

With only one of our father's within driving distance, this weekend was spent in Sandy with Sam's dad. We arrived on Friday night and quickly got to work on dinner: homemade pepperoni pizza! We chatted & ate until a little after 10 and were off to bed.

Saturday came early, 7:30am for me, thanks to the pups (who were so happy to be at Sam's parent's house playing with their dog) . I had heard through several blogs that Old Navy was having a promotion this weekend for $2 tank tops, so my plan was to stock up! My mother-in-law and I arrived just before the store opened (9am) and were out by 9:30am, with 5 tank tops each (the max) . We had hoped my sister-in-law could come, but she had a junior high event to take care of at church. Upon leaving, we decided to take the long way home to see if we could spot any garage sales... which we did! My mother-in-law is the first person I've met who usually spend Fridays & sometimes Saturday mornings scouring the area for good finds. And boy does she come back with quality items at a fraction of the price! A few of the finds she found this week included a bread maker & a crock pot. I'll go garage sale-ing with her anytime! When we came back, the boys (Sam & his dad) had already got to work on this weekend's project: spreading bark dust. They had ordered almost 15 yards and by 4pm, the pile was gone (mostly due to the guys, but Donna, Laura, & myself helped a little) . Saturday night didn't bring much excitement, but we grabbed Taco Bell and came home to play The Farming Game, a new favorite of mine. We finally got to bed a little after 11pm and were asleep almost instantly.

On Sunday, we woke up and went to the early service at Sam's parent's church. They had a very touching slideshow of pictures of dads that go to that church with their kids. I teared up. After Sunday School, we all went back to Sam's parent's house and Sam, his dad, and brother-in-law took a Father's Day present to Sam's grandparents house. They bought him a fabric tent gazebo and were going to set it up, but once they got out there they realized that Sam's grandparents wanted to stain their deck so they weren't able to set it up. The long trip out there was a little worthless, but at least they got it out there. One of these next weekends they'll get it set up. Once the guys came back, we headed over to Sam's sister's house and had a delicious lunch. Then we headed back to Sam's parents house for dessert. We left Sandy around 5:30pm and once we were home, we unpacked and cleaned up and headed to bed. These busy weekends are fun, but very tiring.

Next weekend, we've got bark chips coming to our house, so Sam will get to do it all over again (on a much smaller scale) . And it's also our First Anniversary next Saturday! Hopefully we'll just get a relaxing weekend at home together =) .

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to my dad, Tim, & my father-in-law, Phil.

We have learned so much from the two of you!

Anniversary Ideas

A week from tomorrow marks Sam & I's first anniversary as husband & wife. I'd love to say I'm all prepared with gift in hand, but unfortunately I'm not. Sam has proved to be one of the hardest people to shop for mainly because he buys everything he wants/needs before allowing someone else to get it for him.

I know it's very last minute, but I'd love some ideas (either traditional or not) that I could buy/make for him. Thanks in advance!

Wednesday Wish List

In high school, my choice of shoes was simple: flip flops, which carried me through my college years as well. Once I got my first "real" job after college, flip flops were banned and my shoe wardrobe evolved into more work/adult appropriate choices (although, I did wear flip flops for my wedding!) . Now, taking a look into my closet, I can't find suitable sandals to wear with dresses or skirt. This leads me to this week's Wednesday Wish List item.

The GOjane Ruched Thong Sandal is the perfect option for me! The subtle detail of the ruffles would dress up any outfit, not to mention the flat sandal would keep me from falling on my face. And it comes in a rainbow of color choices: yellow, green, hot pink, purple, orange, tan, & white (with white, tan, or black being my favorite due to versatility) ! For under $10, it doesn't matter what you do or where you go in these shoes, they'll carry you through events with ease!

Graduation

Sam's brother, Matt, is graduating college today and we are so very proud!

He's transfered between Mt. Hood Community College & University of Oregon and will finally have a degree to show for all his hard work.

(He's actually been done with school for close to 8 months, but waited to walk until the end of the year.)

Wednesday Wish List: Birthday Edition

With my birthday a little over a month away (July 12) , I thought it fitting to pass along a few of my [more reasonable] Birthday Wish List items*.

-- I was first introduced to Clarks Shoes by my lovely sister-in-law, Laura. She's the type who saves her money for a good pair of shoes, rather than buying a couple cheap versions instead. I admire this. I am trying to become this.

Enter Birthday Wish List item #1: indigo by Clarks Women's Bisque WedgeReally, any pair of Clarks black flats would suffice, but for less than $30 (orginally almost $90), you can't really go wrong here!

-- About a year ago, I was a few weeks away from getting married and trying to keep myself as sane as possible. This resulted in a number of pedicures to help tame my raging "bridezilla"-ness. Since then, I've missed the pampering, but haven't been able to treat myself (mainly because I have no reason to) .

Enter Birthday Wish List item #2: A professional pedicure!

Not my feet, image here

This would come in just in time for the warm summer months of sandals & open-toed shoes! Perfect!

And while we're at it, let's throw in a haircut & color (Birthday Wish List item #2.5) , since it's been almost 6 months since the last =(

-- Unfortunately, I don't have an unlimited budget for clothing (although I sometimes think I do...) . So what better way to support my shopping habit than a gift card from a few of my favorite stores.

Enter Birthday Wish List item #3: a Gap , J.Crew , or Anthropologie gift card
Easy way to ensure I'll find something I will wear (and usually on sale) .

And if you still need more ideas... check out my previous Wednesday Wish Lists .

*This primarily for those in need of some ideas (i.e. husband & family)

Wednesday Wish List: Thursday Edition

Since it was my father-in-law's birthday yesterday, I didn't want to take away from the post to him by doing a Wish List, so instead, I moved it to Thursday.

Our budget is tight this month (like most months, since we're trying to eliminate debt) , so I'm trying to refrain from buying anything that I don't necessarily need (i.e. clothing & shoes) . And if you took a look into my closet, you'd see that I'm not hurting when it comes to something to wear. But this dress was TOO cute to not make the Wish List!

The Black Mixed Fabric Dress from Target would be a very versitile item in my closet. With the sleeveless cut & the basic colors, this dress could take you from work (with a cardigan of any color) to an evening out. It'd also work for a sunny day at the park. And it's only $25! Another steal in my book, but something that will have to wait.

Happy Birthday Phil!

[left to right: Matt (brother-in-law), Phil (father-in-law), Sam (husband!)]

Happy Birthday Phil!
I'm very thankful to have you as my father-in-law!

Happy Birthday Dan!

To the one I grew up with... My big little brother...
Happy 20th Birthday Dan!
You're no longer a "teen"!

Yard Work

Yes, more yard work. I didn't think it would be this everlasting when we bought our house, but over the last month we've spent quite a few weekends sprucing up our yards.

Sunday afternoon, Sam decided he wanted to remove some of our grass in the back yard (similar to what we did in the front, but a little different) . Our plan is to make more room to move around in our back yard, since right now it's basically all grass and a little deck. We hope to be able to plant a little more & make it easier for Sam to mow the grass.

We were also approached by our neighbor to go in on a truck load of bark chips for both our yards. Since this is essentially cheaper than ordering it ourselves or going to Wal-Mart and buying individual bags of the stuff, we jumped at the opportunity. We're not sure the exact amount we're ordering yet, but we know it's coming in a few weeks. We've got to finish the back yard and prepare the sides of the house so we can get to spreading the bark chips as soon as it arrives.

Hopefully, we'll be satisfied with our yards soon and we can just spend the weekends enjoying it, rather than working in it. Detials & pictures to come soon...