Another year of change

Does life ever go as planned for anyone?
Well, maybe it does for some, but that is not the case for me.

In June 2011, I was just graduating high school and looking forward to spending the next few years of my life in Clemson, SC. My oh my how things have changed.

First off, I spent a year at Clemson University, and I must say that I loved (almost) every second of it. I made so many wonderful friends and so many unforgettable memories. It truly was one of the best years of my life. I fell in love with college football... Clemson football to be more specific. The games were simply awesome to attend. The most exciting 25 seconds in college football truly does happen in Death Valley, and the way the crowd roars when a touchdown is scored is impossible to describe. While it was weird to see my small college town grow by at least 40 or 50 THOUSAND people every week, it was literally like attending a football game with 80,000 of my closest friends.

Aaron and I at his first Clemson game!

Just one side of the crowd

Storming the field after a HUGE win over Auburn!

Like I said before, I met some amazing friends. We had some great times together just hanging out. And the best part was they all lived on my floor. So all we had to do was just walk down the hall and we'd get to see all of our friends. We also lived on a co-ed floor. So we had plenty of guys that were always with us and were like the best big brothers ever. They helped us out whenever we needed a guy around. When our football team made it to the ACC championship game, we all took a road trip to one of our friends' house and about 20 of us stayed at his house for the weekend. It was simply an amazing trip with my best friends. I don't know what I'd do without these girls!

ACC Championship 

My best friends!! 

The next step in my journey began in October when Aaron got orders to his first ship. We were very excited when we found out the location because he was going to live just down the road from my brother. However, this perk came with a price. The ship he was headed to was currently deployed. So our first deployment was just around the corner. None the less, we survived. Aaron packed up his things and over my Thanksgiving break, I drove across the country with Aaron to Washington. It was quite the adventure of a trip, and we did it rather quickly to. He was worried about getting there fast enough so that he could prepare before he was flown to his ship. We survived it though! And I wasn't even sick of him by the the we got there. :) 

I was so happy to finally leave Kansas!

I finally got to see the Garden of the Gods!

My journey continued when Aaron left for the ship. My best friend Hannah vowed to take care of me while he was gone, and that she did. The first night he was gone we climbed into the dryers in the basement. Why not, right? I also started this paperchain countdown to the days until homecoming. I took one off every night when I went to bed and it gave me something to look forward to. As if I didn't look forward to bedtime enough. :) 

At the beginning of March, just 3 days after my 19th birthday, our first deployment ended. I wanted for hours to be reunited with my fiance after everyone else came off the ship. I hadn't heard from him all day so I was extremely worried and confused. Turns out, he spent the day in medical after passing out at muster that morning. So he had over 20 stitches when he came off the ship that day. Poor guy was in a lot of pain, but was still smiling when he saw me waiting for him on the pier. :) This was my favorite picture for months... until our wedding!

Our First Homecoming

Aaron's home away from home

On May 11, 2012, we tied the knot! It was a quick courthouse wedding, and I wasn't so sure about it, but now I couldn't be happier that we did it. I'm so extremely happy to be married to my best friend and starting a new chapter in my life. Hopefully next year we'll have a formal ceremony with all our family and friends, but for now, I'm moving to Washington! I'm sad I won't be returning to Clemson with my friends this fall, but instead I'm going to finally move in with the love of my life and we're going to put the 4 year long distance relationship to an end. We've dedicated our lives to one another and we finally said "I do" :)

Saying our Vows

An after-wedding shot. His ship is in the background! 

So the next chapter of my life will begin next month in Washington. I will miss all my friends and family back home and in Clemson, but I am truly excited about moving in with my husband. He always knows how to make me happy, and I can't wait to grow old with him.

Until next time...