7 months.

The day almost got away from me without me noticing! It's been 7 months of marriage! Right about now 7 months ago we had just taken pictures with our bridal party and were waiting for our guests to arrive. I was tucked away in the barn with all of my closest friends, and they prayed for our marriage, and all the days after we would spend together. I've seen the prayers from that day unfold as we're undoubtedly more joyfilled and in love after 7 months of matrimony.

I've been staring at these pictures the last few minutes. What a holy moment this was!

(I sure am glad you can't tell how much SWEAT was happening in these photos ;)

Weekend wrap-up.

Whew! Busy week, and busy weekend. We didn't have a single evening of downtime at all this week or weekend. Which, if you know me at all, is definitely not my favorite. The introverted part of me needs downtime to feel re-charged, and so I'm definitely feeling a little on the tired side this Monday morning. But! We did have a ton of fun, hung out with a lot of people we love, celebrated some birthdays, and had a few adventures, too.
A little late night pizza/soda date on Wednesday.

Somehow we got invited to a Mozart concert at the Austrian Embassy on Thursday. Random, but fun!

Celebrating 56 years of life for our cute mom!

We added this beautiful little cart to our home. You can find it at IKEA.

And another birthday celebration for our friend Jumana. Girls night out was a success!

The Library of Congress and The Old Post Office.

We got to check two items off our DC bucket list yesterday! Sometimes I can't believe how lucky we are to have such beautiful sights right in our neighborhood. We live just a few blocks away from the Library of Congress and had yet to go. It's stunning inside! They have an exhibit of Thomas Jefferson's book collection, and it certainly made me wish I had more time to read. We both wondered if he had read ALL of those books. After that, we headed down to the Old Post Office which has one of the best views of the city. It's rumored to have been purchased by the Trump family, and will soon be turned into a hotel. Definitely worth visiting before it under goes construction. I hope you've had a good weekend, too!

Happy Weekend!

I've certainly slacked at the whole blogging thing this week. It was a busy one full of getting back into the post-holiday chaos of work, socializing, and trying to get in bed by 10:30 p.m. All of the socializing has made me extra tired this week because of how dark it is after work! I know I should be used to it by now, but something about the night sky makes me want to skip the hanging out and head straight to bed. Thankfully, we get to hang out with really great people so it's always worth it.

Moving on! We're excited for this weekend for several reasons, it's going to feel like SPRING outside (65+ degrees!), and we're seeing a Jim Gaffigan show tomorrow night. I can't wait. I'm hoping our afternoons are full of biking and frozen yogurt. I'll let you know ;)

Aaron looked so handsome earlier this week so I made sure to document before heading off to work ;)

2012. A Year in Review.

At midnight on the first day of 2012, my immediate thought was "it's Wedding Year!" And for the first half of 2012, that would be an accurate description. So much of our energy and anticipation went into the preparation for our marriage and wedding. The winter months were full of long-distance dating, and we poured our energy in planning for the biggest party we've ever had. The second half of the year started on June 30. We finally shared a last name! We finally shared an address! Marriage to Aaron began that day and hasn't stopped since. We are married in every sense of the word. We share a life, a home, a bed. I feel that we are very married.

Although this very-married-year has been one of my most joy-filled yet, not all parts of it were picture perfect. Just a day after we'd returned home from our Aruba honeymoon, my parents told us that my dad would need open heart surgery to repair a value in his heart. Cue the days of stomach-dropping, praying on my knees, and crying in my new husband's arms. My dad has since made a full recovery, but this event marked our hearts. It gave us more gratitude for our loved ones, changed the way we prioritize our time, and gave us hope that God is intricately and intentionally Good even in the gravest of moments.

As the months passed our once separate routines slowly became OUR routine. We explored our new city, we celebrated the marriages of close friends, we worked, played, traveled, and dated more than once a week. The months of this year have been sweet. Each in their very own way. This year has been marked by anticipation and enjoyment, I've loved it wholeheartedly. I truly can't wait to see what's in store for the next! Here's just a glimpse of what our 2012 looked like...

New Year 2012!

a trip to New York. 

lots of weekends spent in Norfolk.

the completion of our handmade invitations... what a task!

the beautiful bridal shower my sister and bridesmaids had for me! I felt so celebrated.

making a (tiny!) Capitol Hill english basement apartment our first little home.

my bachelorette weekend!!

our wedding rehearsal and dinner, even though it was the hottest day of the year!

a marriage license! and wedding prep!

...... and our WEDDING! Finally!

Our Aruba honeymoon.

the day my Dad had open heart surgery :( he still smiled anyways!

a summer spent exploring our new city by bike.

enjoying museums and other DC sights

attending my first National's game!

and a spontaneous trip to NYC for a night!

Watching my dearest friend Natalie marry a man named Derek Brown!

Beginning all of our holiday "firsts" as a married couple. Halloween! Thanksgiving! Christmas!

It was truly the greatest year. Happy 2013!