New Beginnings

So, I thought I'd give this blog thing a try. It's a new year, why not start something new?

I can't say I'm sad to see 2010 go. Like every year, it had it's ups and downs. Mike and I started our marriage living in a beautiful 2 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath apartment in downtown Lawrenceburg. When we first signed the lease we couldn't stop talking about what a bargain it was, but by the start of 2010 I was unemployed and we were putting at least $200 on our credit card each month just to stay afloat. In April we moved from my dream apartment in a nice area to a tiny 1 bedroom house in one of the worst areas of Frankfort with no inside doors except for the one on the tiny bathroom. And while we don't feel unsafe in our new neighbor, we did inherit some neighbors I could do without. It gets really easy to feel sorry for myself when I look at things this way.

But 2010 wasn't all bad. While I don't always love our living situation, we pay very low rent for a stand-alone house with a fenced in backyard that our awesome puppy Oscar loves. This past year, I went from being unemployed to having two jobs. During the school year I am an in-home nanny for the most beautiful and amazing little girl in the world, Caroline Martin. I've fallen madly in love and am firmly wrapped around her finger. In the evenings and on weekends I work at Gatti's Pizza. Sometimes it stinks to think that I went to college for 4 years and now make minimum wage at a pizza place, but they gave me a job when no one else would so I have to be grateful for that. We also took the big step to cut up our credit card after finishing Financial Peace University. It's great to know that we don't have to rely on it anymore and that the temptation isn't even there. We're slowly but surely getting rid of our debt and learning to spend responsibly.

The absolute highlight of the year was celebrating the first of many wedding anniversaries with my awesome husband, Mike. We didn't have much money to celebrate with, but we spent a wonderful evening reflecting on how fast the year had gone and all of the great things we had enjoyed about being married.

We've also become parents! Pet parents, anyway. In Cctober of '09 we adopted Oscar - the coolest and craziest puppy in the world. He's my baby and I spoil him rotten. Then in July of '10 I found a tiny stray kitten and brought him home. Unfortunately, he was sick and didn't live very long. Oscar was very sad to have lost his friend so we decided to adopt another kitten who we named Tesla. At first he absolutely hated Oscar and we weren't sure that it would work out, but now they're best buds who love to wrestle and play. They bring a lot of joy and tons of laughter to our home.

I'm excited to see what God has in store for me in 2011 and am already making positive changes to make myself healthy and happy for this new year!