1 Year

Well, Craig and I made it!

Tomorrow is our one year anniversary!

It's so hard to believe that this time last year I was with my bridesmaids getting my nails done, getting ready for the wedding rehearsal, followed by the rehearsal dinner.  Then the next day I would be all dressed in white walking down the aisle with my little Dad!  Holy Cow time has gone by fast!

Man, Craig and I have been busy!  We started out by going on our fabulous honeymoon.  Then I packed up and moved to Minnesota - that by far was one of the hardest things I've ever done!  We finally get settled in up there, and I find a FABULOUS job at New Horizon working with the sweetest babies in the world!  Life is good!  

Then we decide to buy the craziest dog that ever walked the face of this earth.  We thought we would kill him but now we can't possibly imagine life without him!  

Then, in April, Craig and I find out that we have a little one on the way!  HOLY COW!  Then, Craig gets a new job at Lowe's and we are now living in North Carolina.

All I can say is - what a year!  I don't think that there is anything that we would change about our year.  We've gone through the usual good and bad but we've always come out on top!  I couldn't imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone other than my goofy husband!  I love you, Craig!  If only we could go back and re-live our honeymoon all over again.   

21 on the 21st

Since I don't have a job .. yet .. I have a lot of free time to sit around and think.  Most of you that know me, know this is NOT the best thing for me to be doing!

"Holy crap, you're getting ready to leave me with two horses, ALL ALONE!"

My little brother, Brett, turns 21 on the 21st.  I've been thinking about this for a while because it's a pretty monumental birthday!  He will finally be legal to drink!  Not that he will ever want to, I'm probably going to have to pry his mouth open on the 21st and pour a drink down his throat, but still, it will be legal!  So after several days of trying to find the PERFECT gift .. I started thinking .. then it hit me ..

Brett and I at a Sunrise Stables Hunter Pace

I'M GETTING OLD!  Holy cow, my BABY brother is going to be 21.  What in the world?  When did this happen?  For some reason it has just been crazy for me to think about.  [And yes mother, I just managed to turn Brett's 21st birthday into something about me!]

It was my "Bachelorette" ride and his "Birthday" ride!

I would say my brother and I had the "typical" brother/sister relationship growing up.  When he was born I thought he was the coolest thing ever.  Mom always talked about me singing to him when he was little!  Then we started to get older, and man-oh-man I couldn't stand that kid.  That is where I think the "typical" brother/sister relationship came into play.  We would get along every now and then but must of the time we were fighting.  He knew exactly how to push all of my buttons and he did it so well!  He would do just the smallest thing, but gosh, it would fire me up and I would start yelling and hitting and then guess who would get in trouble?  I remember one time I pinched him so hard on the belly it left a huge bruise and I said the famous line "If you tell I will beat you up again!"  Of course he told - of course I got in trouble!  You think I would've learned by then?

I was the yellow ranger and he was the red!

There were the occasions where I do remember getting along.  My favorite memory with Brett was when Mom and Dad were gone and we would take plastic Solo cups and turn them into a shield of armor.  We would wear them around our arms, around our legs, we made them into hats, just let your imagination run wild here!  Then we would take out or collection of bouncy balls (whenever you went to the dentist you got a surprise, we would always pick out a little bouncy ball).  We would bounce those balls all over the kitchen - we were so good we never even broke a thing!  We had a blast!  Then, just before Mom and Dad got home we collected our bouncy balls and took off our armor and we hid them in the cabinets above the refrigerator - they were never found!

We're always happy.

Then as I went onto college and I started riding horses - we became very close!  He was one of the few that I trusted to teach me at the barn.  He would give me the skinny on all the horses so I knew what to expect.  He would push me (and it would royally piss me off) but he knew I could do it and knew I was capable, thats why he pushed me!  That is also why he got the nickname of "Trot Nazi".  I've really learned a lot from him and I'm so glad that we can share that experience together!  He is the best horseman I know!  He truly loves and cares about each of his animals and always knows what is best for them!  Any horse that ever comes to live at Breezy Rock will have the life of luxury!

This is my favorite picture of us EVER.

I cannot write any more because I'm now crying - imagine that - BUT .. Happy Birthday to the most amazing brother that any sister could ever ask for!  You've put up with a lot from me and I cannot thank you enough for that!  I love you and cannot wait to hang out with you at the RVHS and get a snow cone - or seven!

A Few Weeks in NC

Craig and I have been in our new home for almost two weeks.  Craig has almost completed a whole week of work - so we've had quite a few experiences.  A fault on my part is the fact that I've hardly taken any pictures - oops!

The first week we were here Craig was off of work which was nice because it gave us a lot off free time to check things out.  Of course we had to try out all the Mexican restaurants, we found 3 and ate at all three of them.  They were amazing!  We went to check out Concord Mills Mall - which was pretty cool and I'm super excited because they had a Macado's inside.  Granted we walked the thing in no time - we're used to going shopping at the ole MOA and having to spend an entire weekend in there just to get through everything!  I also got my Chick-fil-a breakfast and BoJangle's breakfast (can you tell I've been really excited about food?).

We also got to go to the Charlotte Knights game.  Craig was super excited about this because he loves baseball, the Knights are the AAA team for the Chicago White Sox.  [He even wore his White Sox hat - which was WAY illegal because the Sox are a big rival to his MN Twins] We get there early because we figure that it would be super busy since it's a AAA team so the players are really good because they're working really hard to get into the Majors.  I'm pretty sure there was only like 50 people there!  We still had fun though!

We ventured to the pool twice, which I just love - except it's quite a different experience going with my sweet husband!  I like to go to the pool to relax and I take a book to read, Craig on the other hand likes to play and talk and play some more - I don't get much reading in I should say!

Moving 15 hours closer to home enticed my parents to come up for a visit.  They came up Friday night and stayed through Saturday at lunch time.  It was a very short trip but thats possible when you live so close to home!  It was great having them visit.  They brought Craig some candy and I got my first batch of maternity clothes!  Bryer acted like he had no sense the entire time they were here - way to go Bry-man (someone is now signed up for obedience school)!

Then Monday rolled around and Craig headed of to Lowe's, it was just Pup and I hanging out for the day.  He is always less than trilled when Craig has to leave.  He cries and sits at the door for a bit, then he will come over to look at me, then he walks right into his crate and lays there ALL DAY LONG.  It's like he's telling me I'm the most boring person on the planet so he's going to pout in his crate until Dad gets home.  The only time I can get the little monster to meander out of his house is when I offer to take him on his afternoon walk - which he never turns down!

It's also been quite the cooking experience since we've moved into our apartment.  We thought we were going to be slick and keep the majority of our stuff packed up so that when we move to our house in three months (hopefully) we won't have a lot of packing to do.  Well, this has worked really well everywhere except for the kitchen.  I have browned meat with a ladle that you would serve soup with, I've browned meat with a plastic fork, I have opened a can with a knife (a real one) - which should be alarming to everyone since last week I cut my finger with a PLASTIC knife, didn't even know that was possible!  Lastly, I cooked steak quesadillas with two plastic forks - I'm getting super talented.  I am at a road block right now though because I have two delicious pizzas in the freezer for me to cook but my beloved stone is in a box somewhere - I wonder if I could rig something up that would work for now?

Right now, Craig is out on a team outing with his new work peeps and this weekend he's playing in a softball tournament - things are starting to feel like home!  If only I could entice someone to hire me!  :o)

Leaving NHA and Minnesota

I'm kind of behind, but when you are stuck without internet for 6 days then you really don't have a choice.  I cannot tell you how excited I am to have the internet back, I've felt disconnected from the world!  :)

Anyways, backtracking a little, on Friday I had to say goodbye to my new friends and adorable babies at New Horizon.  When I first learned that Craig had gotten his new job and we were moving I was thinking that I would be sad to leave NHA but I was so excited to get closer to my family I guess I didn't really think about exactly HOW sad I would be.  I cried all night Wednesday and Thursday (being pregnant doesn't really help with these emotions).  Craig already knows I'm crazy so this did not affect him much!

Thursday during the day the great Cassie had planned a little surprise for me that I just LOVED! Most of my parents came down to surprise me that afternoon, it was so sweet!  There truly is no argument that the yellow room parents are by far the GREATEST parents at NHA!  I absolutely love all of them and cannot thank them enough for all they've done!  After work on Thursday I met Cassie, Dawn, Stephanie, Pat and Pam at Don Pablos for dinner!  That was also too much fun!  I wish we hadn't of waited until I was leaving to all get together!

Friday morning I go into work thinking "Okay, I've cried my eyes out enough on Wednesday and Thursday, I should make it through the day.  Right?"  That was a big fat WRONG!  I walk in the door and I hear Ms. Stephanie say "Ms. Ashleigh, I have something for you!"  I walk next door and the tears start flowing - I haven't even opened anything yet!  As it hits me that I won't be seeing these kids grow anymore and I won't be able to catch up with the parents anymore.. it makes me super sad.. therefore I cry all morning!  Then we get the day going - which is good because it keeps my mind occupied on other things!  On my break I went and got lots of hugs from all the kids I've had that have moved up!  THEN, I clock-out.  On my way back to the room.. this is what I see..

Guess what happens next.. yup.. tears start rolling!  Then eventually the real goodbyes come and the tears come even more!  

I cannot tell you how much I loved working at NHA!  I've learned so much there and I'm so thankful for that because before I had that job I had not even began to change a single diaper and now I'm having a kid (baby.. haha) of my own!

Next phase: The Big Move.  Saturday promptly at 8:00 the movers come to start packing us!  Let me tell you, these guys don't play!  They came in with their boxes and paper and before Craig and I could turn around our entire house was in a box!  The truck came at 11:00 and it was completely packed by 3:00.  Then we were on the road to Roanoke for a night!

We had to snap one last picture in our empty townhouse..

Then we hit the road waiving goodbye to old Shakopee..

Believe it or not.. Pup had quite the hard time getting comfortable in our car this trip.  I guess it's because he's gotten so big!  He was great in the car it just took him a while to get comfortable enough to catch some shut-eye.  

We stop in Roanoke for one night and had a cook-out with the family!  I even had one last illegal ride on my sweet Gray baby before I get too big!  :)  

Monday morning we head off to our new apartment.  We made it in about 2 hours and 50 minutes!  Sa-weet!  It took us two days to get settled it, sort through boxes, and store boxes we aren't going to unpack but by now everything is where we want it.  We even had some time to get to the pool this morning - which was amazing!  Bryer has worried me a bit though because he hasn't really eaten.  This isn't unusual, but you know me, I like to worry!  It's a rare occurrence that he eats both meals in a day anyway.  He's in a new place and has had a lot going on the last few days!  Hopefully he will settle in soon!

Now - on to the job hunt!  Cross your fingers!  :)

Baby Jarrell

So - as many of you know by now Craig and I are expecting our first kid!  How exciting?  We're excited and super nervous!  We've known that I was pregnant since April 14th.. which KILLLED me to keep a secret!  So then my craziness takes over and I start googling things - morning sickness, being super tired, sore boobs, peeing a lot, the whole 9 yards.  All of this makes me freak out even more because I'm not experiencing any of this - except for the being tired.  Then I think to myself - I've always loved my sleep anyway so thats not really out of the norm - this must be some kind of mistake, I'm not pregnant.  (I really am crazy)

Craig knows how crazy I am, so to keep me from peeing on 2,309,483 sticks, he said I could do one a week!  Well - of course I did.  They were all positive.  Still not enough for me to believe it.  I schedule my first appointment (which was yesterday) and I'm freaking out because I know that they are going to search for the heartbeat and not find it and I'll be devastated (like on Marly and me - we already have the psycho dog - it just made sense).

We get to the doctors office and of course they save the heartbeat for last.  The doctor says "Alright, time to go fishing!"  She moves her little stick around on my belly for what seemed to be 14 hours.. silence.. more freaking out.. then FINALLY we hear that amazing little heartbeat.  Any normal person would be so excited they would lay still and soak in the moment - or cry.. what do I do you ask?  I laugh!  Which screws up the listening so she has to find it all over again!  Only me!  :)

There is a heartbeat, I am pregnant, I'm so excited I could jump out of my skin!  I'm due December 11th!  We cannot wait to find out if it's a boy or a girl - 9 more weeks!

Finally - we had to break the news to the grandparents.. here are pictures of how we did it!

ABC Fam is on the Move!

As many of you have heard by now Craig has accepted a job with Lowe's in North Carolina!  We are so very excited that this opportunity has worked out for us!  Even before we got married I was not thrilled about the idea of living 18 hours away from everyone in my family - so I have always wanted to get back home from the get-go.  Craig on the other-hand LOVES the big cities and how many things the cities have to offer - as in nightlife and sports teams.  This move gives us both what we want!  I will be 2.5 hours away from my family (I could drive from Roanoke to Charlotte and back 4 times in the amount of time it would take me to get from Shakopee to Roanoke) and Craig will still have some city life - as well as some sports teams!  Football is what I'm most excited about - the Carolina Panthers!  I will still always be a Viking fan at hart because that in-fact was our first home, I've already looked at the football schedule and the Vikings play the Panthers in Carolina (if there is a football season - there better be)!  wooo!  Also something that I'm SUPER excited about is the fact that North Carolina will have Sweet Tea, Bojangles, and Chick-fil-a!  On a downside there is no Burrito Loco - but there is Chipotle!  :)  It's the little things that matter!

As with everything there are always a few down sides.  First and foremost - the job hunt begins again, ugh!  I hate trying to find a job - especially with the economy the way it is now - it's so hard!  I've already looked for elementary teaching positions and there are none open - of course - so now I'm looking for some daycare openings!  I'm sure the daycares down there will not compare to New Horizon - they've set the bar pretty high!  That leads me to one thing that I will greatly miss - everyone at NHA!  I've made some great friends, I've absolutely LOVED working with Cassie!  For her to be able to put up with someone as goofy as me and not kill me - thats something to be said!  I am also going to miss Dawn and Stephanie too, my neighbors in the blue room!  They also put up with my crazy antics and don't kill me - but they don't have to be with me all the time like Cassie!  haha!  I will of course miss the babies and the ladies that work upfront!  Everyone there is just great - the 27th is going to be a hard day at work!  But hey, isn't this what Facebook is for - so we can keep in touch with everyone?

All-in-all Craig and I are jumping out of our skin excited!  We have one more 1,200 mile drive with the crazy dog and we will be in our new home!  We are moving sometime Memorial Day weekend and will live in an apartment for 3 months until we find our first official home!  I can guarantee you that it will have a nice fenced-in back yard so our crazy dog-son can run is little heart out and hopefully that will help out with the craziness!

North Carolina - here we come!  :D

What is Bryer thinking?

';;\ <- Before I even begin those marks are from Bryer shoving his red squeaky bone into my keyboard so I will throw it for him instead of typing this blog.

Anyways, I seriously think I have the most insane dog that ever roamed this planet.  Anyone in my family who has met him will definitely agree with me.  He is one bundle of energy.  All of a sudden something will get into him like he's just been struck by lightening and he will frantically sprint around the house - always spinning out when he's not on carpet.  He will bounce from couch to couch and jump on and off our bed like a mad man.  I would love to know what goes on in his mind that triggers that.  He can be as calm as a normal dog and then all of a sudden he is psychotic.

Also, I think he has quite the humor.  He knows when he grabs things that he isn't supposed to have.  Today, Craig was out playing softball and I decided to take a shower.  I thought Bry-man could handle himself for a few minutes by himself, guess who was wrong?  I lock him in our bedroom and leave the bathroom door open so he has free run of both of those rooms, and that is it!  In the middle of my shower I hear him romping around and think "Oh gosh, what is he shredding?  If he has my My Little Pony that dog will never live to see another day."  I hurry up and finish my shower and while I'm drying off I yell for him.  A few moments later he comes strolling in the bathroom with a half torn tissue box.  "Oh Lord."  I glance into our bedroom and he has shredded an entire box of tissues that I keep next to my bed.  I think it's hilarious that he comes strolling in the bathroom with the evidence hanging out of his mouth like it's no big deal.  This afternoon Craig and I were sitting in the computer room together and in strolls Bryer with my bra-bag (for laundry) in his mouth.  I feel like most dogs try and hide what they've done wrong.  Not Bryer, he just strolls in like it's no big deal.

He definitely makes us laugh.  He has his sweet moments, too!  Last night while Craig was out playing softball I decided to watch The Bucket List - pretty much just because it was the only thing on TV.  That was a bad idea because I'm a big cry baby.  Of course at the end I start balling and sweet Bryer comes over and starts to lick my tears away (vomit) but then he just lays on my chest and snuggles with me for a while.  Why can't that dog stay around all the time?

I would give anything to know what that dog was thinking.  I wish we could make a contraption like the dogs wear in Up.  Sometimes I would be scared to know what goes on in that head of his!