We're back

So, I realize we're grossly behind in providing updates, so I'm going to attempt to now. First of all, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We now officially live in Denver. Nate has successfully finished his first quarter of his IMBA at DU (only 5 more to go!), and I am still working for Booz, only here in Denver/Colorado Springs now, which is quite a different experience than DC. For a little over two months, we lived in a hotel, and we hated it, but didn't want to be too permanent anywhere while we searched for our home. On October 30, we finally closed and celebrated Halloween moving in. Our first purchase for the house was a snow shovel to dig ourselves out of the two feet we received earlier that week. We love our place (and especially that we can walk around barefoot again).

Once moved in, we were on the go again. We visited Nate's parents, and mine, and then spent a couple of weeks in Peru, where Nate served his mission. We loved Machu Picchu (except for the mosquito's, which I'm still recovering from), and I especially loved meeting many of those Nate taught. I became quite attached to his cook in his first area, Petita, who made sure we were well fed and cared for throughout that week. I experienced the motos, dirt roads, cold showers, non-flush-able toilets, and yummy food, including roasted chicken, goat, guinea pig (a delicacy), aji de gallina, anise tea (my stomach thanks you), chocolate milk, and alfajor. I felt like a celebrity as I was probably the only blonde within miles anywhere we went, and I even felt kind of tall. :) Oh yes, and we were in "slug bug" heaven - our favorite game of late. Most of all, I was particularly impressed with how kind, happy, and welcoming the people were. The cold showers were worth it to be among such choice friends.

Nate and I are still absolutely loving being married to each other, and are amazed that we can feel an even deeper love for each other than before. We didn't think it was possible. We love being in this great adventure together!

One month of bliss - so far so good

We have already reached a month - we can hardly believe it has gone so quickly, and we have loved every moment! Here are a few pics from the big day.

Janae is the BEST!!!

Now that Janae has shown me up by posting a series of little articles about us, I'm going to post one just about her. First of all, any woman who can spend more than five minutes with me has the patience of a saint (in Janae's case, of the latter-day variety). I have been extremely impressed by her from the first conversation I had with her. My memory is a little fuzzy about what we talked about (probably because of something in the spagetti sauce), but we were able to carry on a good conversation beyond "what's your name?", "where are you from?", and "what do you do?" (all the classic questions). After our conversation was over I thought I would be really smooth and not get her phone number, which I regretted for the next four months, and actually couldn't get her out of my thoughts. So, the next time I saw her I didn't waste any time getting her number. Janae's kindness and thoughtfulness toward others is one of her traits that has drawn me to her the most. Things that I would never even consider she thinks of and actively tries to make people feel comfortable and accepted. She has more energy than the energizer bunny on crack, so she keeps me on my toes. I look forward to creating many more happy memories with Janae and am constantly amazed at how lucky I am to have her in my life.

When I fell in love...

While it wasn't just one event, I do remember very clearly a couple of experiences when I realized I might be falling for Nate. The first - when we went latin dancing. I remember thinking how cute he was and how much fun I was having. Another time was when we were just hanging out at my place and randomly decided to read a children's book. I don't remember the book, but I remember laughing hysterically throughout as Nate read each page in a different accent. He really missed his calling in life and would have been very successful doing voice-overs. I'm glad he provides endless entertainment to me with his talents. Of course, both of these experiences were just the beginning...

Just one month to go...

We are counting down, and couldn't be more excited! With Boston behind us, our table re-finished, and many of the major wedding decisions made, we can now focus on more of the details in our final weeks! My list of To Do's is much longer than Nate would like it to be, but we'll get there.

Heading to Denver

Big change... seems to come with more big change. Nate has accepted his opportunity to attend school at Daniels College, at the University of Denver (DU) this fall, which means I get to move not once, but twice this summer. We both have mixed feelings, but overall are very excited and feel very calm. We'll miss DC a lot - our friends, the monuments, and the city - yet also look forward to being closer to family, snowy winters (as a result of marrying me, Nate now is required to learn to ski!), and camping more during the summer. We're not looking forward to the mounds of debt ahead for school though of course. I feel very lucky because it looks like I should be able to keep my job, which I love, and transition to the office there in Denver. I'm hopeful at least that all will transition smoothly. We hope we won't have to say goodbye to DC forever, and really, if Nate gets all he hopes for, this will only be the first move out of many in years to come.

Two years to the day...

Today officially marks two years from our first date. Nate loves to eat at dive restaurants, so we picked up take-out (one dish was amazing, the other not good at all) and had a little picnic at the tidal basin (we shared our food that night and have ever since, to his sister's dismay). Nate's favorite place in DC is the Jefferson Memorial, and my favorite time of year is during the cherry blossoms, so it worked out perfectly. Since then, we've made it a tradition to return each year on the date, have a picnic, and enjoy our favorite things in DC together.

Tonight was especially exciting because Nate proposed again - only this time with the ring! We finally received it and are very excited. Nate designed it himself, and it took a little longer than expected, but was well worth the wait. I love it!