first anniversary

they say the first year is the hardest. but they also say the top 5 biggest challenges in marriage are...

1: the birth of your first child

2: financial stress

3: major moves

4: job changes

5: the loss of a loved one

(in no particular order, though i believe these days, who ISN'T going through financial stress?!?)

well, friends, today joseph and i have officially made it through our first year of "wedded bliss." 

but did you know we experienced all five of these challenges before we ever walked down the isle?

first: we had our precious hadley.

second: we had part time jobs, slow economy, medical bills, tax bills, blah, blah blah.

third: we drove four days across the country, and moved from portland, oregon to toledo, ohio.

fourth: joseph started a new, full time job as an optometrist with a practice in toledo. I quit my wonderful job to make the move. (more than willingly, to be clear!)

fifth:  we lost one grandparent (my grandma), a good friend's young daughter, and my best friend's two grandfathers. (also, because i loved him, my sweet baby kitty, cole, died in the loving care of my mother back home in oregon. joseph is really going to make fun of me for putting a pet on this list.)

So, considering what we went through before we made it to the alter, this first year really has been a breeze. not perfect, but great. 

we spent time traveling to many new cities since we are conveniently located so close by car now! four of these cities were to visit MLB stadiums and one was for the dodgers spring training facility. we visited...

chicago

cleveland

cincinatti

detroit

louisville 

lexington

pittsburgh

philly (well, barely, we drove to the suburbs and spent a weekend with joseph's family for his grandfather's funeral.)

(on that same trip, we visited NJ for the first time. his grandpa was buried there.)

and last week, i made my maiden voyage into canada, and joseph's first trip back since childhood. we drove SOUTH into canada from detroit, which is an interesting thing:) i think that is the only spot you can do that.

we have celebrated three birthdays, 5 holidays and a few three day holiday weekends as a solo family and savored our time together for the most part. (sometimes you just wanna go home!)

we have had one visitor. 3 times. (thanks, mom!)

we have visited joseph's friend, ethan from optometry school(and his family!) in kentucky once.

we met up with them in cincinatti once also. for baseball!

we met my sister and brother in law in chicago once. went to baseball!

we went on a fabulous honeymoon to arizona in march, and spent time at the dodger's spring training facility, explored phoenix, traveled to sedona and beyond, and drank dutch bros. coffee. when it was snowing back in toledo, the sun was AMAZING in arizona. we are still in love with the state, specifically phoenix, and can't wait to go back, and secretly want to live there someday. or maybe it is not so secretly:)

that's a lot of stuff for one year:)

and my, oh my, it's been a great year. 

happy anniversary to my sweet man. you are my hero. you are my best friend. you are my partner in parenting, dodger stalking and geocaching. i couldn't have in a million years landed a better man. i love you.

xoxo, al