Lately...

It has been a few weeks since I have gotten around to updating the blog, and as strange as it sounds, everything and nothing has happened during that time. Matt and I are basically settled into our tiny little apartment, and I am starting to accept the fact that we simply aren't going to find a place for everything. Though most everything has been put away, we simply do not have enough storage for all of our belongings. His stuff + my stuff + wedding gifts + one closet in the entire apartment = lots of Rubbermaid tubs stacked along our bedroom wall. Though it bothers me that everything can't be stored out of sight, I am thankful that everything is pseudo-organized. We have spent a lot of time during the last three weeks organizing, hanging pictures, and taking care of the load of paperwork that comes with getting married. Our apartment is not completely finished yet (I am still debating on which pictures to hang, where to hang them, etc), but below are a few pictures of what we have done thus far. 

 Our little dining room table was donated to us by one of my dad's coworkers. 

It is very small, but fits perfectly in our dining area. Mom had the chairs 

reupholstered earlier in the year, so of course our fabric of choice was hounds tooth!

These pictures were among our favorite wedding gifts, and are currently 

hanging on one wall in our dining area. Our sweet friend, Matt York, digitally

retouched and framed shots of some of our favorite spots around 

Tuscaloosa. For those of you familiar with the city, there are two shots of the

stadium, one of Manly Hall, and another of City Cafe. We are glad to have a piece of 

Tuscaloosa hanging in our apartment in Madison.

Wide shot of our dining area ( I REALLY wish we could paint the walls!).

Getting everything to fit into our kitchen was a nightmare! Given

our limited space, however, I am pretty pleased with how it turned out.

These two pictures, which are hanging in our hallway, were also wedding gifts.

Marilyn Hunter, mother of our friend Austin, took a few of our engagement and

national championship pictures and created digital scrapbook pages for us. 

Hopefully I can figure out how to do this for myself eventually!

Our living room! This room, as well as our bedroom, is still a work in progress.

We are hoping to add more to the walls in the next few weeks!

Our bedroom is probably the room in our apartment that is furthest from completion, so I will be attacking that project at a later date. I will try to add pictures of that room, as well as our completed living room, as soon as they are completed.

Paperwork has also consumed a lot of our time in the last few weeks. I seriously did not realize how many documents contained my name until the time came to change it. Matt and I have had to change our insurance, banking situation, car tags/titles, licenses (he FINALLY has an Alabama license), and my Social Security information. Making all of these changes was incredibly time consuming, and I am so glad that we have everything taken care of! 

Amid the hustle and bustle of the last few weeks, we have also had a lot to celebrate. I turned 24 on July 24th, and we had a blast celebrating in Madison with friends from Tuscaloosa. I am so thankful that our group of friends is making such an effort to stay in touch, despite the fact that we are now spread out across the state. The next weekend, we were able to accompany our friends Scott and Laura to Handy Fest. Scott and Laura, both of whom were in our wedding, were searching for a band to play at their wedding reception. The trip was a success, and they found a band that I am sure all of their guests will love. Matt and I can't wait to be a part of their big day! This past weekend was a whirlwind as we traveled to Tuscaloosa for my graduation ceremony. Though I actually completed my degree in May, our ceremony was postponed for three months due to the tornadoes of April 27th. Friday and Saturday were exciting days for those of us who were receiving our diplomas, but it was heartbreaking to watch the parents of the deceased students receive diplomas on behalf of their children. The ceremony was definitely more somber than others I have attended, but I think it was a step in the right direction for the city and all who were affected by the storm.

  
Taking time to pose for a picture with my brother following my

graduation on Friday evening.

After my roommate's graduation on Saturday, we spent a few hours with various friends of ours still living in Tuscaloosa. It was great to catch up, but we had to return to Madison that evening so that Matt could prepare for the first day of school on Monday (today eek!). While I am excited for him to begin his second year of teaching, I have dreaded his return to school for weeks now. Unfortunately, I am still jobless. Since I am jobless AND in a new city, that leaves very little for me to do during the loooongggggg days that he is working and coaching. As much as I keep trying to find things to fill my time, it is still tough to sit in our apartment alone for 10+ hours each day. Continue to pray for me, that I may find a job in this area as soon as possible. I am about to go crazy with boredom! Despite my sadness at Matt's return to school today, I did take a second to snap the traditional "first day of school" picture.

 Matt left for school super early this morning, so I basically

rolled over and snapped this photo while still in bed. Sleeping late 

is one of the few benefits to being unemployed! Matt jokingly

said he chose to wear black to intimidate his new students. I, on the other

hand, think he looks like a member of the Best Buy Geek Squad. 

Happy first day of school to Matt and all of my other teacher friends! I hope to be joining you all in the field in the near future...keep your fingers crossed!