A year later

1 year. 

So after officially being married, a home owner and a dog owner for one year - I figured I should jot down what happened and how everything feels to remind myself in 10 years or so. 

Anniversary: We spent our 1st anniversary in Mexico (same place we honeymooned) and our friends Mel and Dave joined us after a few days. We woke up and exchanged gifts (Paper of course). Brian got me a massage gift certificate and I got him tickets to the Heavy Seas brewery chili and beer tasting, which we went to and had a really good time. I highly recommend it. Any who - we then had breakfast at the room and then hit the pool and that night we did a combined dinner with Mel and Dave at the Italian restaurant and shared our year old cake topper - yes, I carried that bad boy onto the plane. its tradition. It tasted like stale cake and Mel and I spent the night feeling nauseous, not sure if that was the cake or alcohol positioning but I won't be eating year old cake again just in case, can't say the same for vodka and cranberry. 

Early on in our trip we met a super sweet couple and wanted to bring them home as our souvenirs but they said something about family, and a mortgage. yada yada. so that didn't work and we settled for a shot glass instead. 

The trip was full of late night shows, pool side lounging, "Riviera Myas" (Best drink ever), and yummy food. When Mel and Dave arrived we planned a day trip to Isla Mujeres, a small island about 30 minutes away by boat. We rented a golf cart, saw sea turtles and had a really awesome lunch at a restaurant on the beach. 

I wish I had taken more photos this year, but it was nice to just enjoy the time there without feeling like I had to document it as much as we did on our honeymoon. 

After a year the best advice for surviving newlywed-hood would be to plan for it. Talk about how you will manage your money, which one will do what chores around the house, what holiday traditions are important to you. talk it all out. You cannot prepare too much to make a lifetime commitment to someone. 

A year into our house - We've accomplished so much. Sometimes I look around and think "WOW. This is our house!". Everything in it we've worked so hard for, and it may take some time to have it 100% complete, but the fun of the reward is the journey that takes you to it. 
We are currently working on basement built ins. This year we want to have our basement bar complete, outdoor seating space, and dining room completed. Anything else is a bonus. 

And Anchor. one year with that sweet girl. Man we were NOT ready to have a little monster come in 4 weeks into owning a brand new home. she has scratched our hardwoods, snagged our carpet, and burnt our grass and I am confident when I say we wouldn't change a thing. She brings so much laughter and love into our home. She was a missing puzzle piece and I am so glad she found us.