One year of home ownership bliss!

Saturday marked our one year anniversary of home ownership!

I cannot believe that a year ago we were closing on our home and Matt was proposing!

In the last year we have completed a number of home improvement projects and we still have a ton on our to do list. This week I will be sharing a few photos of our progress!

Texas Training Trip

Last month I had the opportunity to go out to Texas and Louisiana with work to learn about the training that our amazing troops go through before being deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan.

First stop was Fort Bliss in Texas!

Second day was split with the morning at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, TX.

We participated in a Purple Heart Ceremony.

and toured the amazing Center for the Intrepid!

The afternoon of our second day was spent in Louisiana at Fort. Polk!

All of the troops in the above photos will be in Iraq or Afghanistan before the end of the year. My prayers go out to their families. This trip was an emotional one for me because my brother is currently depoyed as a dog handeler. I am so proud of what he is doing for our country and the sacrifies that I know not only impact him but also his wife and children!

Thirty by Thirty UPDATE

Here is my Thirty by Thirty

1. Get Married Married the most wonderful man January 29, 2011

2. Become a Home Owner - Matt and I bought a home in Alexandria last September 17, 2010

3. Take Emma to Disney World
4. Go Scuba Diving
5. Become a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP)
6. Go on a Winery Tour - Traverse City Old Mission Wine Tour

7. Get a Dog - Just waiting for Karson to move out
8. Take a Cooking Class
9. Run a 5K - Registered for a race this month in Salisbury, MD

10. Plant a Vegetable Garden
11. Take a Photography Class
12. Spend a Minimum of 4 days Hiking and Camping with Matt
13. Take Emma Camping - Will do this October
14. Cook a Full Thanksgiving Dinner
15. Do a Family Photo Session and use the Picture for a Photo Holiday Card - Coming to homes everywhere this December!
16. Go to Europe with Matt
17. Take Dance Lessons - Taking lessons currently. There is even a performance at the end of the sessions
18. Give up Fruit Snacks… this will be a HARD one for me
19. Take a Family Vacation with another Family
20. Enlarge a Photograph that I’ve Taken and display as artwork in my home
21. Become a Government Employee
22. Find a cheap and hideous piece of furniture to refinish/reupholster and make it BEAUTIFUL
23. Create a Fitness Goal and stick to it- worked out with a trainer before my wedding
24. Redesign and decorate an entire home… on a budget - work in progress
25. Get my Event Planning Business up and running
26. Become active in the PTA
27. Give Emma a brother or sister
28. Become organized enough to scrapbook
29. Cook at home for a full Month... another SUPER Hard one
30. Go two months without buying clothes

I've successfully crossed nine items off my list with four that I plan to complete before Christmas.

Not too bad!

Photos after the Ceremony

Right after the ceremony we stole a few minutes away as a new family.

Emma with her beautiful necklace

I'm not a huge fan of staged photos with Weddings but wanted to share a few of ours.

My Family

Matt's Family

With my Parents

With Matt's Parents

Grandparents

Wedding Party

Claire looking SUPER cute!

Kisses

and a few more...

In front of the church

Walking across the street to the reception venue

Where I want to be: Hotel Yountville

With all of the rain we have had the last few days I cannot help myself from daydreaming about going on vacation to get away from all the wetness!

Where might I want to go... Well Napa, California of course. With beautiful fall weather I would love sitting on a vineyard without a care in the world.

I would stay at the AMAZING Hotel Yountville! The design of this property is exactly what I want my home to look like and the hotel rooms are what I would like to model my master bedroom addition after! After seeing these photos I want to instantly start planning a design board for our future space.

Take a look at these photos featured on their website and you will see why I'm in love with this hotel! Try not to drool on your computer keyboard!!!!

The gray washed wood beams are gorgeous in this lobby and I am in LOVE with all the furniture in this space. I will take one of everything please for my living room!

LOVE the large candle lanterns lining this beautiful pool.

Couples massage! Sign me up!

Walking in the beautiful vineyards! This is where I want to be right now... with a picnic blanket and my Zoom reading the 3rd book in the Hunger Game series!  

Restaurant on the property!

Yummy yummy!

And now for the guest rooms... I love the simplistic elegance!  

I LOVE these pillows! 

  

LOVE the table, chairs, sofa, pillows, artwork, light fixture... YES I LOVE IT ALL!

Here are some additional photos of the beautiful surroundings.