Catching Up: The Start of Something Wonderful

I have discovered that Erik and I apparently like to try to make ourselves as busy as possible. This summer, however, tops the four and half years we have been together. Now it is time to catch up.

During the 2008-2009 academic year I was enrolled at Pacific University getting my Masters of Arts in Teaching in early childhood and elementary education. The program was included year long intensive courses, two work samples, and full time student teaching. Handling that with Erik working full time would kept us plenty busy. Then in March Erik took me to the beach for our four year anniversary and proposed to me! I had always wanted an August backyard wedding and I wanted my name changed before I became a teacher...that meant we had five months to plan a wedding, simultaneously finishing a work sample, teaching, oh yeah and trying to get a job.

As it turns out, if you are planning a simple backyard wedding using your parents house as your venue, your grandma as your officiant, your dad's friend as a photographer, flowers from a local farm, and a dress bought during a David's Bridal sale then it is very doable! The only thing we had to research was a caterer and that is where the internet comes into play.

I guess wedding planning and finishing school wasn't enough. Because on top of all that I found myself surfing the web for houses for sale. I had been badgering Erik for a year that we should buy a house. I desperately wanted a yard for a garden and more space for all of our stuff. Our two bedroom apartment was overflowing with all the things we had accumulated over the years. Then Erik thought about registering for our wedding. Where were we going to put our wedding gifts? The price of houses had gone done so much we could actually afford buying one not to mention we qualified for the first time home buyer tax refund.

So when I should have been working on my work sample on the weekends, we would take off and look at houses. Well, naturally we found one that was in our price range that we both liked on a quiet court that had a backyard with room for a garden. After multiple offers and counter offers the house was ours. We moved in right after school got out. Three weeks later I started my summer job at an arts camp for six weeks. A week after camp was over we got married and took off for Hawaii. Looking back I find it kind of amazing I was able to pass my work sample and graduate with everything else that was going on!