We are married!

Yes, I am SO behind on this blog and I am going to finally start making an effort to keep it updated. 

Christian proposed to me at 12:12am on Wednesday, December 12, 2012. Christian and I had gone to see The Rockette's in New York City and when the show was over at 10pm, I was ready for bed {I blame my Mom for my inability to stay up past 9:30pm}. We went back to the hotel and I went to bed. I woke up to Christian kneeling beside the bed and I hate to say this, but I was still delirious so I don't really remember anything he said. He then showed me a slideshow of us together and asked me to marry him. I said "yes", called my mom and dad and sister, texted my brothers, and went back to bed. So 12/12/12 at 12:12am has been one of the most memorable moments of my life! 

Here is the video Christian made for me: 

Marry Me Taylor

We decided to get married in Shreveport, Louisiana since that is where Christian and I are both currently living. We had an beautiful outdoor wedding on April 27, 2013. We had over 140 guests from all parts of the United States and even a few guests from Belgium! We feel SO incredibly blessed to have such an amazing group of friends and family who came to be with us on our special day. 

It's not until you spend 4 short months planning a wedding do you truly realize how amazing some of the people in your life are. I do not think I can ever tell my mom and sister how thankful I am for all their help and support, or my dad for his advice throughout the months and days leading up to the wedding and then on the wedding day itself. My sister has an amazing mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law who outdid themselves putting together all my floral arrangements. They came in 3 days before the wedding and worked every single day up to the wedding putting the arrangements together. I could go on and on listing all the wonderful things people did for me on my special day and I am so beyond thankful. 

Thanksgiving Break

I welcomed this past week with open arms. It is always so nice to have absolutely no obligations for a few days {and to wake up without having to set an alarm clock}. We woke up Thursday morning and did our annual family Turkey Trot at the local park. 

We went out for breakfast afterwards and spent the rest of the day lounging. We took our family Christmas pictures and then headed to our close family friends house for Thanksgiving dinner. 

I had to work on Black Friday and this picture pretty much sums up how my brother and I felt about having to work the day after Thanksgiving....

 

We really do love our jobs, I promise!

I did get a little Black Friday shopping in with my baby brother...

The rest of the weekend was spent completing various Pinterest projects. I could kick myself for not posting "before" pictures, but I will post all the "after" pictures later. 

Formula One

Last weekend, Christian and his family drove to Texas for the Formula One race in Austin, Texas. The venue was the first purpose-built Grand Prix facility in the US. We had a great time!

A crash on the Lamborghini race

LSU game

I drove to Shreveport this past weekend to visit Christian and attend the LSU vs Alabama game. I thought UT went all out for games, but LSU tailgates like no team I have ever seen tailgate before. We are talking miles and miles of people tailgating. The game was at 7pm and we started tailgating at 12.... so it was a lonnnnggg day. Although LSU lost, it was a great game. 

I could spend all day in a photo booth. They are SO much fun and make me feel like a kid!

Tailgating

I love snow cones!

Record crowd!

House Hunting {is not fun!}

Let me tell you, rental house shopping is NOT fun.... especially when you are trying to do it 500 miles away! With the housing market the way it is, and us only planning to live in Shreveport for 3 1/2 years, we decided to rent instead of buy. Ideally, we would love to move in January/February of next year, but most renters want you to sign ASAP, so that is another obstacle we are facing. 

Here is what we are looking for:

• 2+ bedrooms
• 2+ bathrooms
• walk in closet in master bedroom
• in a safe neighborhood {#1 choice is South Highlands}
• hard wood floors
• central air {yes, these homes are OLD!}
• 2 car garage
• curb appeal 

Here are a 2 homes we have our eyes on:

We also experienced our first "renter's scam" today. Basically, a home is listed for sale on popular websites like Trulia. A scammer will then copy the listing word for word {pictures too}, and list it for rent. They leave no contact information, so you must contact them via the contact tab on the website. They will then email you back letting you know that yes, the house is for rent and not for sale, and that they had to move for the military and will have to do everything via mail-- basically wanting us to send them the deposit and first month's rent and they would mail us a key. haha! I knew right away something was up, so I called the realtor who was listing the house for sale and she informed me it was a scam. I even looked up the homeowner's name in the white pages and the scammers use a fake email with the homeowners name. Crazy!

So the search for the perfect rental house continues....

Shreveport, Louisiana

It's official! Christian has accepted a position in Shreveport, LA for the next 3 1/2 years. I am excited for this new chapter in our life and like the old adage says, "You go heaven for the weather..." {you can look up the rest} :) Just kidding! I know we will make the best of it and I look forward to having Christian closer. 

New Jersey

From Virginia Beach, we drove to Baltimore for the night. Christian flew out early in the morning and I drove up to Woodbury, New Jersey to visit my Grandmom. I love being able to visit my Grandmom and I am so lucky to have such a wonderful relationship with her. I was also able to see some of my cousins while I was up there, so that was a bonus!

Cousins in Hopewell, NJ

My Uncle Andy

Grandmom, Uncle Billy and my cousins who live in Woodbury, NJ

Grandmom, Mr. Bob, Aunt Ro, and cousin Ali {from Pennsylvania}

Poppop {My Dad's father}

My amazing Grandmom and her friend Mr. Bob

I had a wonderful East Coast vacation!