Thoughts to Wrap Up 2013

I can't believe that three short days 2013 will be over. It will be bittersweet to say the least. 2013 was by far the best year of my life to date. I'm so lucky to have been able to marry the love of my life and along with my new marriage, I got to become a mama to my stepson, Joshua.

I can honestly say that life hasn't been anything of what I expected, but I'm so glad with the way everything has turned out. I remember times as a teenager and young adult wondering what my life would look like once I got married or even met the love of my life and it has been so much different  and so much better than I expected. I couldn't have asked for anyone better than Aaron to share my life with.

As 2013 winds down, I'm determined to keep the good times rolling in 2014. I know some people think that new year's resolutions are cliche, but here are mine:

Be Present: If there is one thing that I hate about myself it is my inability to enjoy moments. In the midst of my determination to reach my next goal, I sometimes forget to slow down and enjoy the process. I love the high of reaching a new goal, but seldom take time to just remember that I will never have this moment back. I want to take more time talking to people than reading online gossip sites, more time sending handwritten cards than facebook messages and more time enjoying myself with my family!

Choose to cultivate my marriage everyday: I'm a newlywed and to be quite honest, marriage has been on of the easiest and most natural things I think I have ever done in my life. I don't want to lose the passion and love I have for my husband, so in 2014 [and every year] I want to be purposeful about loving my husband. I want to encourage him and remind him that he is the only one for me. I want to take each step of our lives as one. I believe in the commitment that I made to him on our wedding day and I never want him to doubt that our bond is unconditional.

Be a better mom: Motherhood has been quite the opposite of marriage for me, it has been one of my hardest roles to conquer. I quietly remind myself that motherhood is really a journey and not something that I need to conquer. My journey thus far hasn't been one that I can say I have been proud of. I haven't loved, played with, or shared in enough special moments with Joshua as I could have. I have really struggled to find my role in his life. I definitely feel that our relationship has become stronger in 2013 and I am determined to make our relationship grow everyday. I love sharing in the little moments with him and I pray that in those times he understands that even though I am not his biological mother, I still love him like he is my own. I want to take more time to spend with him because I know soon he will be all grown up and these are the moments that will really stick with him.

Make healthier choices: This has been another area I've struggled. Working full-time and going to college have been excellent excuses to neglect my health. I really want to get rid of my excuses and put my health at the forefront of my life in 2014. I have been struggling with back pain that has gotten increasingly worse and I know that if I can make some healthier choices, I will ultimately benefit myself.

Save more money: This is pretty self-explanatory. I want to be able to plan for our future better. It is a huge goal of mine [and Aaron's] to buy a house. I would love to be able to make a plan this year to save some money. At the same time, I would like to also realize that we are never promised tomorrow so I still want to be able to take advantage of the opportunities to take family vacations and to go see our families.


Writing about all of this makes me really excited for all that is to come in 2014! I hope everyone else is as excited about me to ring in the new year. I pray that all of my friends and family have a blessed year. That we believe in ourselves and cling tightly to our loved ones. Tomorrow isn't promised!

To The Love of My Life, Happy Birthday!

Today we celebrated Aaron's 33rd birthday. It was such a chaotic and busy day, that I honestly feel like I'm about to pass out, but he had an amazing time and I was so thankful to be able to celebrate with him. This is the 3rd year that I've been able to celebrate his birthday with him, and the first as his new wife! 

Today consisted of waking up early and getting decorations and the cake, plus having breakfast with the little one and my sister. 

After we made it home, we rushed to finish decorating before Aaron got home from golfing. I wrapped up his present [which was seriously so hard to keep a secret from him] and we finished everything about 20 minutes before he got home. 

He was super surprised by the decorations and the fact that I got him a gift since we just purchased a new car for him, but I couldn't help myself since he has been going on and on about how badly he wants a surround sound for our living room. His reaction was definitely worth it! 

We ended the day with my family stopping by to eat pizza and watch the UFC fights and had some cake. It was such a great time. But the best part of it all was that I got to spend it with the man who makes my world go around. 

Aaron,

Everyday I think of how lucky I am to wake up by your side. I'm blessed to call myself your wife and your best friend. We have a beautiful life together and our love is something I will never take for granted. Thank you for loving me, supporting me and encouraging me on this amazing journey of life. Happy birthday my love!

I'm back!

Today, I decided to write a new blog and was blown away that the last post I did was exactly one year ago! I have so much to update...

2013 has been by far the BEST year of my life. It started in February, on Valentine's Day, when my best friend and the love of my life took me to Vegas and asked me to be his wife! Everyday that I get to spend with Aaron makes me thankful that he chose me to spend his life with. In July, Aaron and I made it official in front of my parents and grandparents. We went to the courthouse and had a very special day surrounded by my family.

We've almost been married for a month now, and I'm still in awe of how lucky I am to be Aaron's wife!   I've always been one of those people who said that "marriage is just a piece of paper," but marriage has changed my life. Even though many of the things we are do are relatively the same, our commitment to each other is so much stronger and I know that we are truly reliant on each other to nurture our love and relationship.

And so begins the new chapter of this blog.. Our Golden Life - obviously a play on our last name to document life as newlyweds and our sweet adventure of life!