Anniversary thoughts

Rob and I just celebrated our four year anniversary this past week. We also found out that we were going to be parents this past week. At dinner celebrating both having made it four years and finally getting started on our family, we talked about how we thought we were doing on the joint five year plan we made when we got married. For the most part we have done fairly well on our list of shared goals. Some items didn't happen the way we thought they would. For example, we had both wanted to have 'real' jobs. We both still work for the company we worked for when we got married, but Rob has moved up in the company to an office position and I have stayed because of the flexibility it allows me to pursue my degree and get our company up and running. We also discussed where we wanted to be five more years from now.

I think it is very important in a marriage to set joint goals. I have known couples that both have five year plans that are independent of the other... What happens if you reach your goals and you weren't working towards the same thing? It ends up pulling you apart! On the other hand, when the two of you are pulling together towards a shared purpose, you are more likely to succeed than on your own and when you get there, you will end up in the same place as your spouse.

Where were we supposed to be by May of next year?
Have finished master's degree (me)
Have started grad school (Rob)
Have our own home
Have real jobs
Have started planning for retirement
Have started a family

Our first two goals have to do with finishing our education. I will graduate in July of this year with my MBA, then return to finish my concentration area (March hopefully). Rob is a little behind on his as we had to be sure we were staying somewhere for two or three years before he could apply for grad school. He is looking at masters programs locally and thinking about studying for the GRE.

The next three goals had to do with gaining financial and geographic stability so that we could...start a family without worrying about money on top of the stress and excitement of a baby. While we haven't bought a house yet, we have made it out of apartment complexes.

The next five years will hopefully bring a couple more kids, a house of our own, my sister and I's company taking off. Rob hopes to be working with either the military or on an international level in his company and have finished his master's degree. I hope and pray that wherever we end up we can find a church family that feels like home. The Lord has kept us so far. We have a good life and it has been an amazing four years together!

Road Trip (Part III)

Due to much complaining that there were no pictures of me...here is one of the few pics taken on vacation that has me in it...

Interference

I won't be on here for a couple weeks due to school and life in general interfering with my Internet time. My apologies... As far as updates go, I got a call back from a firm I applied to so I might be joining the adult world and getting a real job sometime this summer. I have planted part of my plants for the summer. My house is finally starting to look good on a consistent basis. I got enough veggies from the store to make seven or eight excellent soups over the next couple weeks so we should be eating good for a little bit at least. I managed to survive Mother's day at the restaurant without yelling at anyone or hurting myself. I'm exhausted and can't wait till my next school break...seven weeks and one day, not that I'm counting the days. I miss my social life and will hopefully emerge sometime in the near future a stronger and better person for the experience. I think Rob has made the top of my hit list for encouraging the going back to school madness...

Doctors and the Like

Having been sick since Thursday...NOT with swine flu as everyone keeps asking...I agreed to go to the doctor if I didn't feel better today. I woke up this morning and for the first time in five days, I could breathe. Relieved that I wasn't going to have to take time out of my busy day for a doctor's appointment, I got up and started getting ready. Then I looked in the mirror and decided that maybe I should go to the doctor after all. A quick search of WebMD confirmed my suspicions and I was off to see a very excited doctor who "had never seen a case this bad before!" Really, could you contain your excitement at least a little bit? Then a whole lot of phone tag to find someone to cover my shift. Apparently I have pink eye, which normally wouldn't bother me too much, but she told me to throw away my toothbrush, contacts, and wash my sheets and towels. For the record, my project for last Sunday was the bathroom and bedroom. I just changed the sheets two days ago, my toothbrush and contacts are two days old... It hurts a little to throw away three month lenses that have been worn once. Oh well. The bright side is I have the night off, so I should have plenty of time to get my homework done.

Road Trip (Part II)

These pictures are from days two and three of our trip. On those two days, we went from Albany, NY to Saratoga Springs, NY to Green Mountain National Forest in VT, to Montpelier and Burlington, VT to Concord, NH. We finally stopped north of Portland, ME at the end of the third day.

This picture is of the Capitol building in Albany, NY. It is the only state house in the country that does not have a dome.
This shot was of the skylight at the top of the million dollar staircase in the capitol building.


A very cool old fashioned lift.

A waterfall with a restaurant overlooking it in Quechee, VT.

The bridge over Quechee Gorge in VT.


The view from the bridge over Quechee Gorge. We hiked about a quarter of the way down in before the snow and ice and our inappropriate footwear forced us to turn back (apparently sneakers aren't the best choice for hiking downhill in snow...).

Stay tuned for pictures from Acadia National Park...