Winter 2009 - Creating New Traditions & Keeping Old Ones

I am sitting on the bed with my cat Billy looking outside to our backyard in our new home (my parent's house we are renting) and excited that it is actually dry out and the blue sky is shining through. We went through a rainy and cold beginning of winter and the last few days of January have gotten up to 60 degrees!
I am happy to report that Adam and I went on our official "Honeymoon" with just us two in November. We went to Maui and it was everything I thought it would be and more. Adam can vouch for me when I say I have been begging him to go on a tropical vacation for years now and we finally did! It was our first true vacation we've been on with just us two and we have been dating for going on 9 years now. I think both of our favorite parts aside from the all-you-can eat buffet breakfast was the snorkeling with the sea turtles out at Black Rock. There were 3 of them just hanging out with us and it was like a fantasy.
Adam has been working alot, especially through the holidays, so anytime we get together we try and do special things. Now that it has been over a year that he has worked at Monroe Fire Dept I am getting used to him being gone so much. A few things we did over the holidays that are memories we won't forget are the 2nd Annual Minaker Holiday Party and our trip to Leavenworth.
The Minaker Holiday Party included ridiculous tacky Christmas outfits, tons of hors'dourves, good friends, wine, and laughing all night long at the hilarious games we played together. This one will go down in the books with the 1st one as unforgettable.
Our 2nd wonderful holiday event was our weekend in Leavenworth at the Bavarian Lodge. It was right across the street from the city center where all of the action took place. Our hotel was perfect for the Leavenworth experience. They even had a late night menu where you could order holiday treats and hot cocoa. We walked around with the crazy crowds looking at the light displays, listening to the carolers, and shopping. It was like a Winter Wonderland version of Disneyland. Our favorite part of the weekend was going to a place called Uli's Pub across from our hotel. We sat outside and sipped hot spiced wine (our new favorite) and looked at the view of the snowy Cascade Mountains. Although it was about 5 degrees, we snuggled up together and created a lasting memory. We can't wait to go again next year, we already booked it! Apparantly, to get reservations there during the light show weekends is something you have to do a year in advance. We might just have to make this an annual tradition!
So that leaves us with starting our new year of 2010...
For 2010 I am hopeful about my Young Life Girls and building my relationships with them, continuing with the Marriage Bible Study with Adam and my close friends, absorbing the blessing that has been given to Adam and I to have Jessica be our roommate, and continuing to grow in my relationship with God and my husband. I want to support him as best I can with his pursuit of his Firefighting career.
For Adam I would say he is hopeful about his fire career, our marriage, and turning the chapter from young adulthood to mature adulthood. We are both transitioning our lives to have more stability and solid priorities.
Stay tuned...the next blog will come sooner and not so long!

1 Year has Gone by so Fast

As I sit in bed writing this blog, I feel a sense of peace and yet excitement about our future.  We recently have decided to move into my parent's old house and move out of the first house we lived in together.  That means we have until October 1st to pack up our things and head down the street!  Oh, and with that, Adam and I will be gaining 2 roommates!  Jess is moving in with us and my fluffy and adorable cat Billy will be staying at the house.  

Along with this move comes alot of preparation and work-around.  Adam has been working ton at the fire station and when he isn't working he has been studying like a champ.  He has at least two firefighting tests coming up in September.  He has been doing such an amazing job staying disciplined and working diligently to take on all of his responsibilities 100%.  I am so proud of him and find myself doing extra work around the house to make sure he has time for his workload.  

With the next chapter of our marriage beginning to unfold, we have found a new meaning of teamwork.  Moving into our new home and raising the bar on our existing challenges have brought us a new sense of joy to share with each other.  Oh, and if I haven't mentioned it before, we are excited to not have carpet in our kitchen, be able to wash our dishes in a dishwasher, and relax in our backyard!

And for me, I can't wait to take nice hot bubble baths.  As for Adam, he finally has a garage to work in again and a place for his tools.  

Looking back on this last year, I will agree with the piece of advice The Quinn's wrote to us in our wedding card; "If you put the hard work in now, it will be rewarding in the long-run."  Adam and I recall that quote often and can honestly say that though this year was hard, our relationship is better for it.  We can't wait to see what this next year has in store for us!

Our First Car

Here we are!  I know I haven't added anything to our blog since it was created.  But I am excited to report that we have purchased our first car as a married couple.  It was a big decision for us because neither one of us have ever bought a brand new car.  With much consideration, we decided to get the Volkswagen Tiguan.  As Adam would put it, think "Tiger" and "Iguana" put together.  We both absolutely love it.  At first, my favorite part about the car was the really long sunroof that extends all of the way to the back.  But now that I have driven it more, my favorite part is definitely the 2.0 turbo.  It's like a rocket when you punch the gas.  

Although buying a new car can be fun because it's a new and exciting, I think the best part about buying the car together is that we have both made a big commitment together that we mutually decided on and can now call ours for the first time in our marriage.  It' something we share.  So, it brings us closer together and strengthens our marriage.  

Of course there is a lot of "firsts" still to come for Adam and I.  However, we are thrilled to have this one under our belt and are trying to remain patient and enjoy our time together while we are young.  I think this endeavor we have undertaken will keep us busy for the time being and we look forward to appreciating what we have for awhile.  

As I conclude this blog I would like to ask for your prayers in Adam and I's future as we venture into a busy time in our lives focusing on Adam's career and the prospect of him getting hired on at a fire department.  This is his dream and passion and we have faith that God will provide us with a lasting career for him to step into in the near future.

Love,

Krista and Adam

Our First Blog

This is both of ours first blogging experience. I thought it was about time we create something like this since alot of our other friends are creating blogs too. It is such a great way to keep updated on the important events going on in our lives and display it with a personal touch! Adam and I have been married for about 7 months now and together a little over 7 years all together. This is a way for us to begin journaling our experiences together to help us keep track of them all and share them with everyone else. Time flies by so fast and before you know if we will be celebrating our 50th Wedding Anniversary and our newlywed days will be a distant thing of the past. Its time to celebrate our moments with all of our family and friends to help us remember the good old times :) Here's to the documentation of The Hubbard Resident - forever and always...
Adam and Krista