The start of the year welcomed little Riley into our lives. Riley is the daughter of our good friends Dana & Benny and she is now our Goddaughter. Riley has changed my life in so many ways I never knew possible. I never knew it was possible to love someone as much as I love that little girl. It's a completely new type of love that I have never felt for anyone before. She is truly a blessing to Jason & I and I am so glad that we get to be a part of her life as she grows up. It's amazing how fast they grow-she'll be 1 on Christmas day!
In the spring, Jason & I decided that we were sick of throwing our money down the drain by renting and we were ready to buy a home. Once I started looking I was shocked at the cost of housing here, it is unbelievably low compared to what I'm used to being from Virginia. We spent a few months looking for houses and it was certainly an adventure. One of the main houses that sticks out was this HUGE (like 2,700sq/ft) house that was totally stuck in 1975. It had the WORST wallpaper....each room was different and it was so ugly and so busy, just awful! It was way more work than what we wanted for our first home but it's off the market now so someone must've had a vision! haha
We eventually found our house, a modest 3 bedroom 2 bathroom home that had a small face lift, in a cul-de-sac with a neighborhood pool. There are things now that I realize don't matter as much as other things and when we go to upgrade to a larger house in a few years, we'll have a better idea of what we really need and what isn't as important. It feels like a huge accomplishment to have bought my first home at 26....some people don't ever get to experience this so I realize just how lucky I am.
(Ignore the lack of landscaping-that's in the works!)
We closed on the house the Friday before Memorial Day and moved that whole weekend. I use to have to spend time worrying about my living arrangements. From age 17 to age 26 I moved 11 times if that tells you anything. It was nice to be home and no longer have those concerns!
In May I also got a new position at work. The job has proven its self to be quite challenging-in more ways than one. But it's good! Keeps me on my toes. I like what I'm doing for now but I do not see it being the job I retire from. I'm not sure I could handle dealing with insurance companies for that long-haha. Jason also started a new job in May. He is now working for a company that sells sports packages and tickets to games, concerts, shows, etc. He has really enjoyed this job and he is proving himself to be quite the salesman!
The summer was nice with a few planned vacations. In July we went to Smith Mountain Lake to spend the 4th with my Aunt Pam & Uncle Lenny. Neither of us had ever been to SML and both Jason & I were hooked as soon as we got out there on the water. We spent 3 days out on the lake and it was a blast! The water was so clean you could see your feet! We are really hoping that we can find a way to get back up there this summer-not only was the lake wonderful, it was so nice to spend time relaxing with family!
In August we headed to Emerald Isle with my Mom and the rest of the crew for our annual family vacation. It was a week spent lounging, reading, tanning, shopping & making memories with my family. I look forward to this trip every year. The older we all get the harder it is for us to get together and these summer trips really give us all a chance to reconnect and get silly with each other.
At the end of August there was new edition to the Hayes/Jolly household in the form of a 4-legged pup. One of the people Jason works with was trying to re-home a puppy and we had been wanting a dog for awhile but as renters before it made it a little hard. Jason met Toby at work one day and brought him home that night. He's a basset hound and boxer mix who is full of love and aggravation! :)
September was a busy month for us. One of our best friends got married and I was fortunate enough to be a part of their special day. 9-10-11!
Jason also had a big milestone at the end of September. He turned the big 3-ohh! We had a small Carolina themed get together with some of our friends...after all, what else matters but cake and our Tar Heels? ;) It was nice to have everyone here to celebrate such a major life event!
November was full of fun and adventures too. Jason & I hit the four year mark at the beginning of the month. We didn't celebrate it in any way but it was still fun to recognize that we've spent four years dealing with each other's crap-haha just kidding!
Before Thanksgiving Jason's Dad & his girlfriend Mel came to visit from Alaska. I had met them a few years ago but it was a short dinner so I was really looking forward to being able to spend some more time with them. We got to spend a lot of time with them on the weekends and evenings after work and that was nice. His Dad also took us to Myrtle Beach for a few days and that was a lot of fun. It was really nice to get away from reality for a little while and enjoy some good company.
December has been sort of quiet for us. Jason's been working a lot since this is their busy season and I've been busy shopping for Christmas presents and decorating. As I type this I am thinking about all of the last minute things I need to do for Christmas. As much as I enjoy the holidays, this year I am ready for it to be over. I'm ready to exchange gifts, take the tree down, pack up the decorations, & have my house back to normal. I wouldn't say I'm "bah humbug" about it, I just like normalcy in my life :)
This will be the first Christmas that Jason and I are spending together. Usually he heads to Va beach to visit his family but this year he decided to stay close to home. So tonight, Christmas eve, we're heading to his Mom's to have dinner and exchange gifts. Tomorrow we'll head to my Mom's to spend it with my family and then tomorrow afternoon we're going to head to Dana & Benny's to celebrate Riley's first birthday!! I am sad that there is family that we won't be spending Christmas with but hopefully next year we'll be able to be with them as well. :)
Merry Christmas from Jason, myself & Toby!!
2011 Family Photo (minus Frankie)
2011 Family Photo (minus Frankie)
We are looking forward to the new year and the changes that are coming in our lives. The start of the year will bring a visit from some of my best friends and I am really looking forward to that!! We hope that everyone has a great Christmas and that all of our friends & family are blessed with nothing but great things in the new year!! We love you all very much!
In my next post I am going to explain the title of my blog: "Sara Smile". This post is going to open the door to the main reasons of why I've started this blog. So stay tuned! ;)
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