Summer Days.

Oh hey, it's me.  I didn't move, fall into a deep dark hole, or entirely give up on this thing.  Let me take that back.  I did fall into a hole this Spring...one with a lot of homework, very minimal time to do anything else, and some anxiety on the side.  I think each semester towards the end, I say how brutal it was and how my energy gets taken away with it.  This past semester was different -- it really wasn't super hard material, it just took up every.single.moment.in.my.life.  It probably doesn't help that I pile other things onto my plate, but hey, thats a whole other topic.  I'm not going to bore you with my school issues because good news -- it's not back until August!  Finally made it through Dead Week and tackled five finals that were staring at me and had a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders.  

Other things going on in life are fun so I'm so excited to share them with you! :)  We will skip through January and February months because let's be honest, they were cold and nothing that exciting happened.

March: We celebrated our Laila's 2nd birthday!  I just can't believe she is already two, she is a total teenager but keeps us entertained and on our feet ALL THE TIME.  Anyone that has a Boxer can understand this...and if you are ever considering getting a Boxer, CALL US.  I think we could write a book on just these two years.  Total lover though.

She looks a little funny here with her ears pulled back.  I think she had just had a bit of a barking episode in the store and she knew she made a mistake.

We have continued with our tradition of making a homemade birthday cake for her. SO fun, cheap and easy!

Not her birthday, but I think the picture is hilarious.  Can you guess how much she spends looking outside? Every second.

March (#2): We bit the bullet and redid our countertops in our kitchen!  When we moved in not even a year ago, we talked about how someday we wanted to make changes, but I never imagined we would be doing it this soon.  We looked at a lot of samples, and found our choice literally as we were leaving the granite shop.  The process was so fun -- we picked it out, and even got to help install it.  I'm so happy with our decision and feel like it has richened our kitchen.  Next steps: Backsplash and cupboards painting!

 

Before, during and after installation.  Obviously we weren't fully finished yet but I promise you will get an updated after everything is done!

April: This was the best month that included a huge surprise in my life.  My man, my best friend and my rock, got down on one knee in front of my family to pour his heart out and propose to me.  Needless to say, I was completely out of my mind shocked - "Oh my gosh" came out about ten times before I said YES. <3 Also, a side note that the evening we got engaged, I literally had decided to just throw my hair in a bun and not do much to myself, so...we took more pictures the day after.  Regardless, it was amazing and we got to celebrate with my family and some neighbors that popped over late into the night.  Wedding planning has definitely begun with our date set in 2017 and I am SO SO EXCITED!!  I'll be taking you through the progress of planning our wedding, as it has already been a huge learning experience for us. #tryingtobeclassyyetfrugal

Cheers to new beginnings!

May - June: These months were almost as juicy as April.  I got to take the trip of a lifetime to Europe.  I was accepted into a study abroad program to Italy for school, and then I decided to stay and travel for an additional two and a half weeks with some friends from my program.  Ah-may-zing.  Honestly, my only trip out of the country has been to India, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect.  I can now say I feel like a mini world traveler, and I encourage anyone that has the opportunity to do this, to say yes right away!  I never took the time to really look at a program like this when I got my first Bachelor's Degree and I regret not doing so.  Although this was only two weeks, I learned an incredible amount of information as well as a lot about myself, and I'm so excited to share Italy plus my other travels with you soon (including lots of food pics and recipes, oh my)!

This was the morning we flew out, with a sweet ISU picture at the airport!

Current (July): When I returned from my trip, I hopped right back into work.  It's nice to be back in my main office and working with some great people, as well as actually earning an income (hello full-time student).  What else are we tackling this summer? Finishing up the kitchen, volunteering, teaching yoga, having fun with my KIND demos, taking the GRE in a few short weeks, and planning details for our wedding.  Busy, but a good busy, and I can't believe August is right around the corner!

I'm so excited to be back in the US of A and into my routine, as well as sharing my experiences with you as I re-live every amazing moment.  Watch for another blog post soon to whip something Italian up with me! 

Rimanere in buona salute (Stay Healthy).

XO