Life can go ahead and slow on down any moment now. I would greatly appreciate it. I logged on to write my new blog post and my jaw dropped when I realized two weeks have absolutely zoomed by. Gone. Just like that. How do you make time slow down? I would really like to know. Just the other day someone at worked asked me when Evan got back from deployment, and I answered "Oh, he just got back in April...well actually...I guess that was 9 months ago." Really I'm just sitting trying to figure out where my entire year went, literately.

This is about how my year went in a blur:

I graduated from Asbury

Scout found me

Christmas

New Years

Potty Training a puppy

Counting down the days until Evan got home

Collecting furniture for our home

Trip to Kentucky for Katie's bridal shower

Getting Evan home

Uncle Don's funeral

Moving to Tennessee

Unpacking/Cleaning

Weddings

Job search

Trip home to Pennsylvania

Visitors

Starting my job

Taylor Swift Concert

Halloween

Thanksgiving

New Job

Working both jobs until Christmas; trying not to die

Sitting on the couch at 2a.m. writing this listening to Scout snore

All of that stuff feels like it's been compacted into just a few months, when in reality it's been an entire year. At this rate an entire year will feel like 5 minutes when I'm 90. Lately I feel like I have a never-ending list of things to do that will never get done. Goodness gracious I haven't even put up my Christmas tree yet and it's less than 2 weeks until Christmas! I need a new game plan to slow down time, my list of potental ideas are:

- Staring at a clock all day (it worked in high school and college)

- Taking up a tedious, unfavorable hobby

Yep. That's all I got.



Thanksgiving was a blessing. We got off on a late start leaving Wednesday, and didn't make it home until 3:00 in the morning, but I was just happy we were home. I was relieved that I got off from work to go home. Although a 10 hour car ride can make you feel trapped and tired, one of Evan and I's favorite things to do together is car rides. Our best conversations have been in a car. He asked me out in a car, so I guess that's where it all started. A long car ride lets us catch up on each other without interruptions or distractions, plus we get to hold hands. Evan found this song and let me listen to it on the way home, it's so adorable!

Speaking of things that are mushy and gushy...The most exciting thing that happened over break was Matt and Erica got engaged! She (and everyone else) had no idea, it was so great. I didn't believe her when she called and told me! I left for a single hour to take pictures and she gets engaged! Matt took her down to the riverfront in Kittanning, eventually ran out of sidewalk and had asked her. He was so adorable telling the story, he was still nervous just recalling it. I'm so happy for the two of them! Now I will have 2 brothers named Matt!

That night all the family got together for an engagement party

 Isn't her ring gorgeous?

 Opening engagement gifts

Things I am thankful for this year:

My loving, patient, strong, and supportive husband coming home safe, and being all together for the holidays this year

I'm so thankful that our families live so close to each other, so that Evan and I can always spend holidays with all of our family

Good health

The best friends and family a girl could ask for

The sweetest puppy ever

A beautiful warm home with nutritious food

A job in this tough economy

Paying off my student loans