Our House Is A Very Very Fine House :)

My Grandmother has a plaque in her kitchen that reads, " a house is made of bricks and stone, but a home is made of love alone." I always loved that plaque because its words ring true.

On May 18, 2010 Chris and I became proud homeowners to a 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath house in Phoenix. It is a beautiful new home with a great open floor-plan.

One of the reason we fell in love with the house was the neighborhood. It has a great community pool (behind our house), beautiful green grass everywhere and many of our neighbors are young, first-time home owners like us.

Chris has worked hard on the landscaping of the backyard. He designed the look, and then met with a landscaper to help make his vision a reality. Chris is currently working on planting some new plants in the yard such as: Birds of Paradise and peach bushes. It is great to be able look our our windows and see our gorgeous backyard. Once the weather cools down I know we will be out there all the time.

Currently, Chris and I are working on furnishing and decorating the house. We just purchased a living room set this weekend! But it may be awhile until we add any more.

As for decorating we have not done too much. We want to really decide what we want before nail holes in the wall. We have decided to do our kitchen with a wine theme and our guest bathroom with a beach theme.

Our house might not be full of fancy paintings or expensive furniture, but it is filled with love. It is a fun project for us to work on together, and I will keep everyone posted as we continue to work on our house.

No Shoes, No Shirts, No problems- Honeymoon in the Caribbean

I always forget what it was like living in humidity, but when we arrived in Tampa Thursday after our wedding I was quickly reminded. Although breathing the air felt like we were inhaling hot water Chris and I explored the Tampa area and had a great time. We spent a day at the Lowery Park Zoo where Chris fulfilled one of his life-long dreams... He saw a manatee up close and personal! I practically had to pull him away from the tank to move on to the other exhibits. The following day we spent at the beach. We swam and laid by the beach for half a day(hence we were sunburnt the next day), and then we went to a great restaurant that overlooked the ocean called Whiskey Joes. The food was incredible! We sat for an hour or so eating our food, drinking our beer and admiring the beautiful scenery that surrounded us.

Sunday we boarded the Carnival Legend for our 7 day Western Caribbean cruise! If you have never been on a cruise you are missing out. A cruise is a fancy hotel with amazing food floating on the ocean. What's better then getting pizza at midnight and then staring out at the ocean? Or finding a new towel friend in your room each night? Or gambling away your money at sea? Cruises are the way to travel!

Our cruise had four ports of call: Grand Cayman, Cayman Island; Cozumel, Mexico; Isle Roatan, Honduras; Belize City, Belize.

We snorkeled over a ship wreak and a reef in Grand Cayman. We zip-lined over a jungle and drank amazing margaritas in Cozumel. We relaxed on a private island in Isle Roatan. Lastly, we went cave tubing in Belize. Our favorite excursion was the zip-lining in Cozumel. It was cool to feel like you were flying over the Mexican terrain. Also the port (Puerto Maya) had amazing shopping and many inexpensive watering holes :)

Our least favorite excursion was the cave tubing in Belize. The details Carnival provided were misleading. It was a five hour excursion, and we only spent one hour in the water. It was an hour and a half bus ride both ways, and a mosquito filled 40-minute walk to the river. (The following day we were covered head to toe in bug bites.) Once we got on the river it was not adventurous or exciting. We laid in tubes while our tour guide pulled us. The caves were pretty, but I wish we could explore and spend more time on the water. The highlight of the entire trip was at the end Chris and I bought local Belize beers, which were outstanding.

But overall our honeymoon was amazing. Chris and I had such a great time that is was really difficult to leave the cruise. I told Chris we should leave our life in Phoenix behind us and join the Carnival crew! (He of course said, "No!" )

I look forward to our next cruise. I do not know when it will be, but I hope we can cruise soon.

Wow! What a month!

Sorry it has been awhile since I made a post. Life has been a little crazy :)

On May 29, 2010 Chris and I tied the knot! It was a beautiful ceremony. Chris' hometown pastor, Pastor Pike, performed the ceremony; my friend Aiko did a wonderful job with all the music, and my friend Katie blew everyone away with her amazing vocals with singing "So This is Love" from Cinderella. Surprising enough I only cried a little when I walked down the aisle, but besides that it was smooth sailing!

We did have a few mishaps before the wedding. But they were all quickly resolved. One story is quite hilarious... Chris' brother, Mike, was the best man and in charge of my wedding band. My dad told him it would be best if he put the ring on his pinky finger so it would not get lost. Except, one the pre-wedding photographs was of the boys playing catch with their gloves on. Unfortunately, Mike forgot to take the ring off, and it got lost in the grass when he took his glove off. So all the guys in the tuxes were searching the Church lawn for my ring, while the guests were arriving. But thank goodness one of our awesome photographers found the ring before the ceremony started. But Mike was still a great best man and gave one heck of a toast at the reception. :)

All in all the ceremony went swimmingly, and it really reflected Chris and my faith and commitment to each other.

The reception was out-of-this-world. The Sheraton Wild Horse Pass was worth every dime. The food was amazing, the decorations were amazing, and the staff was helpful and extremely friendly. Sandra even added a few extra things like a home plate at the head table, which really set the tone for the night. Mike our DJ from Event Centrale really made the reception. He moved the reception so smoothly, and many of my guests came up to me later and said he was one of the best DJs they had ever heard. He really made the night a blast.

Thank to all my friends and family who made Chris and my wedding day so special. We love you more than words can say, and this was truly a dream come true for the both us.

When our wedding photos are ready I will post the link and password to my blog and Facebook page.