It finally happened!

We now have a fence! We love it, and Benton is getting used to it pretty quickly, also. Other than visiting Kevin's Aunt Julie or Kevin's parents, Benton has never really had much experience with one. He still needs "permission" from us before he will roam around (usually me standing on the bottom of our deck steps is enough for him to feel like it is ok), but he loves the freedom! Kevin and I love only having to walk him once a day (I do it first thing in the morning, and we go between 2-5 miles depending on how much time I have)! We are staining it in a week or two when my parents come to visit. It will be the same color as the deck.

Birthday Work Treat

I made these today for my birthday, and I took them to work for everyone to enjoy. More people are there on Fridays than on Saturdays or Sundays, so I went in today even though it was my day off.

They are chocolate peanut butter cookies with blackberry jam. I used coconut flour for the first time, and I really liked baking with it. It tasted just like a gluten cookie would taste, and the mixture was less sticky than gluten-free mixtures usually are. I made enough for Kevin and I to have a limited number at home, and I certainly enjoyed my cookie!

25 on the 25th

I have a birthday in two days. I'm not sure if 25 is considered a milestone birthday or not, but I'm excited to see what it brings. Here are a few highlights of year 24!

*Took comprehensive exams on my bday last year (and passed!)
*Celebrated my birthday and the end of comps with the greatest fiance and amazing friends*Graduated with my Master's Degree in the same ceremony as Kevin
*GOT MARRIED!

*Went on an amazing honeymoon and celebrated Kevin's birthday in Maine!
*Moved to Wichita
*Adopted a fabulous dog, Benton

*Found a wonderful church home
*Bought our first home
*Celebrated the first of many holidays together
*Appreciated and fell more in love with each other every day

And, although my job hunt has been frustrating, it's allowed us to grow even closer to each other and God. 25, I'm ready for you!

Things we wish we would have known as first-time homebuyers

First off, we LOVE our realtor and our home! I honestly don't think we would change a thing if we could go back and do it all over again. Lately, though, a few random tidbits keep coming back to Kevin and I that we think people should emphasize more. For instance:

1. Fences are not small, quick, inexpensive additions. We've spent a few months researching companies and materials, and we are spending about $5,000. (but we're SO excited! Benton's birthday party will be held inside our brand new fence!)

2. Yards are not easy...especially if your home doesn't have grass when you buy it. It's not as easy as throwing out some seed and watering in the Fall. Oh, and sod isn't cheap.

3. New homes are wonderful, but they lack many standard items that add up: blinds, curtains, garage door openers, refrigerators, upgrades, etc.

Yard Work

When we bought our home in September, it did not have grass. We have been working on it ever since. It's getting better, but boy oh boy is it a lot of work. Some areas are so thick you could play soccer on it, and other areas are needing extra TLC. We don't have sprinkler systems, which we are learning is a must in Wichita. That's the next big project after our fence.

Speaking of fences, we are getting ours this week hopefully! I will have it officially scheduled after our last meeting with our fence company this afternoon.

And remember our Charlie Brown tree here? It's not so bare anymore!

The stick on the side of our yard is our property line. We still don't have houses on either side of us, but I think that may be changing soon. They are building like crazy around us.

One day down, the rest of my life to go

Yesterday was my first day back on Weight Watchers. It went pretty well overall. My biggest challenge this week will definitely be overcoming my schedule with eating. Right now, my work schedule is M, T, U from 4:15-9:15pm and Saturday 9am-2pm. A couple of times a month I work Sundays from 12:45-5:15pm. See a problem? Yep, there is a very clear overlap with eating times and working. I get one 15 minute break during my shift. So, before now I have been eating a normal lunch, a pretty big snack before work, eating a snack at break, and eating dinner when I get home with Kevin. There really isn't enough time to eat dinner at work, so I'm revamping how I do things. First off, my snack choices are changing to healthier ones, and second, I think I may divide my lunch into two smaller portions to try to help with not overindulging on calories but being able to stay full.

Any suggestions? Snack ideas? Another big issue is that I have Celiac disease, so I am unable to eat anything with gluten. Yeah, that's a fun little issue to work around. Most of the 100 calorie pack type items don't work.

Early Birthday

Last Thursday evening, Kevin and I celebrated my birthday early! I met Kevin downtown (his office is located there), and we ate at Larkspur for dinner in Old Town. Yum!



The Taylor Swift concert was a lot of fun, although I do think we were the oldest non-parents there. It was cute to see all the party busses filled with five year olds, but they got pretty tired before Taylor even got out to perform.


Taylor was so much fun!
Thanks for my birthday present, Kevin!