A work in progress

We've been homeowners for about 2 weeks now! It's been a pretty good journey so far, but I'm definitely glad the relief troops are coming in this weekend- my parents are coming in for 2 weeks! And believe me, we'll have plenty of work to do!

The classic new home owner shots:

Ellie going for a cruise around the new neighborhood

 My pet project: stenciling. Seriously addicting. I got the template for the stencil online, and then I got a stencil gun with one of my Joann's coupons and let's just say we've been spending a lot of time together. Here's the inside of Ellie's closet. Cute huh?

Remember how this house used to have a kitchen? Well, Scott took care of that problem! This is the main reason we are EXTREMELY grateful my parents are coming in this weekend. The demo we can do (obviously). The reconstruction? Not so much.

A couple of my friends from church have been helping out with the painting. They are AWESOME!

So far, we've got all the bedrooms painted and ready to go. Scott will probably finish ripping out the carpet in those rooms tonight (we've been lucky enough to find almost pristine hardwoods underneath). And then the party really gets started next week!

Whoa whoa whoa... hold on, is this for real??

Zupas has a website?? With RECIPES???? Amazing! Awesome! I might actually cry I'm so HAPPY! (well, maybe not cry... but you get the idea)

Zupas, for those of you who live under a rock, is a restaurant in Utah that is amazing. They're more of a sandwich/soup/salad/dessert place, and I have been M-I-S-S-I-N-G them! Sorry Panera Bread, you just don't hold a candle to my Zupas. So you can imagine how thrilled I was when I found their website on pinterest. Now, I haven't tried any of the recipes yet (I literally made this discovery less than 2 minutes ago), but I feel fairly confident that I will find their recipes to be more than satisfying.

A sampling of the delectible treats you can find on their website:

Homemade Junior Mints

Pesto Mayo (this makes any sandwich taste gormet)

Wonton Soup

Tomato Basil Soup

And the list goes on and on... Now, I'm not sure how good all the recipes will be (don't want to get my hopes up too much) but I will tell you one thing: I am MAKING THE JUNIOR MINTS SOON!

Today is THE DAY!!!

When we woke up this morning, we were not homeowners. When we go to bed tonight, that will have changed. WE ARE SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And don't worry.. plenty of pictures are on their way, I'm sure.

The best is yet to come

Though let's be honest, the here and now is pretty awesome as well.

My Grizzly Bear and I celebrated 3 years of marriage today! Feels like we've been together forever, really. I know you're supposed to say that I couldn't imagine my life any other way, but I'm one of those people who constantly worry over what ifs... especially when its late at night and my reason for existence is driving home and has the bad habit of forgetting his seat belt from time to time. In those moments, I'm glad that my life is exactly the way it is. I love Scott soooo much. And I like him too, which I think counts for something. We enjoy doing things together, and he makes me feel safe. We went out to dinner tonight and between Ellie tantrums over wanting out of her high chair, I asked Scott what 3 things he has learned over the course of our marriage. His list: don't mess with honey bear, kids are crazy, and the Lord blesses His children. And then I got thinking about my list: don't get in an argument when one or both parties are hungry, when I don't want his opinion don't ask (especially when it comes to decorating our house), and Scott loves me. Now you may be thinking "shouldn't you have learned the third one long ago?" and the answer is yes, probably. But for me its taken a while to really understand that he loves me for the long haul. Marriage is scary my friends for one main reason: when you get married, you are deciding to put all your eggs in one basket for the rest of your life. Scott holds my heart completely, and I wouldn't have it any other way, but at the same time that fact scares me to death. Or at least it used to. But in the past three years we've been through a lot. And even after the low lows and the high highs and all the monotony in between, he's still there. Everyday, loving me and my imperfections. So I decided its time to stop doubting him, stop worrying that one of my metaphorical eggs might crack in his basket, and just enjoy the journey (as corny as that sounds).
And now a photographic timeline of our relationship. Enjoy:

Dating, 2007

Engaged, 2008

Married, 2008

Christmas, 2009

Fall, 2010

August 2, 2011