Four

No, this isn't some post about the dreamy love interest in Divergent. Though, the book has been on my mind a lot, even though I read it over a year ago, so I might write something about it later. 

I titled this "Four" because that's how many years I've been married as of today.

Four years??? Sheesh. Wasn't I just going on my first date yesterday?

I know four years isn't really long (except by Hollywood standards), but at the same time, my mind is having a hard time wrapping around the fact that Eric and I promised to spend eternity with each other 1461 days ago. It's just that I remember that day so vividly that it could have been just last week! And yet, it's hard to remember a time in my life that Eric wasn't there. It seems we've always had each other.

Anyway, I decided to recap the last four years of bliss - where we started, what we've been doing, and where we are now.

YEAR 1

Eric and I got hitched May 22, 2009, the same year we both graduated college from Brigham Young University - Idaho. I used to have people ask me why I didn't go to BYU in Utah since I was accepted there as well. The answer may seem weak to you, and maybe it even did to me at the time, but it's very simple: I felt that I should. Lo and behold, in my senior year, who comes bouncing into my life? Several awesome roommates I still love to this day! And, of course, my sweet, sweet Eric. After marrying, we moved to Ringgold, Georgia, for a couple of months until we found employment, which took us back to my hometown in Montgomery, Alabama. 

YEAR 2

Eric has opened so many new doors for me since we got married. I've tried so many new things I never thought I'd do because of him! Like, say, running a half marathon. I know, right? A NeSmith, running an actual race? Don't hide in your bomb shelters. The end of the world isn't nigh quite yet. Technically, the half happened right at the end of year 1 (Mar 2010), but I'll loop it into year 2. I also finished writing my first novel with Eric's sister and another by myself several months later. HUGE milestone for me! I've since completed The Acquisition, currently on sale, which would make an excellent read for anyone wanting to celebrate mine and Eric's anniversary. This year also brought some disappointment. Eric wasn't accepted into PT school, for reasons we could never figure out, and we found out having children wasn't going to come easily for us (but that's another long, long, personal story). Since PT school never worked out, we stayed in Montgomery.

YEAR 3

Nothing too monumental happened during our third year (until the end). I continued working as a math teacher at one of the magnet middle schools in town. Eric continued working at a PT clinic. We still weren't blessed with any children. In fact, that whole process was very time-demanding and, oh, the emotions involved! I pray no one ever has to go through infertility treatments. Thinking our life was meant to be in Montgomery, we started looking to buy a house. Eric was promoted at work and was making more money, I still had a solid job with great benefits, so we felt comfortable settling down. We even found a really cute 3 bed/2 bath home that had me drooling! Days away from deciding to go for it, a major light appeared at the end of the tunnel. Days before our third anniversary, we learned that Eric's dream was finally going to come true! He was accepted into PT school, and we were moving to Florida.

YEAR 4

Florida is hot, humid, and wet. And lots and lots of bugs. A plethora of lizards. And home to the biggest dragonflies I've ever seen. Yet, the beach is 30-45 minutes from our home, I've met some wonderful people, and I've found even more time to write! This move has been very emotional and hard and wonderful and every other emotion you can think of, but it's all been worth it. We even survived a Georgia/Alabama football game, which, let me tell you, was NOT fun! Recently, Eric just completed his first year as a PT student (which means I only have to work for 3 more!), we have wonderful doctors who are helping us become parents, and most importantly, moving away from our families to such a foreign place has brought us so much closer. I love this man dearly, and I can't wait to see what year 5 (and forever) has in store for us!

Ok, I just threw this one in because it makes me laugh every time I see it. 

Throwback Thursday

I've been thinking a lot about my childhood lately. Maybe it's the homesickness, the longing to be surrounded by people and places I love, or maybe it's the fact that I can now say I have clear memories from twenty years ago.

TWENTY YEARS AGO.

Only adults can say that. But wait! I am an adult. And sometimes, I wonder how that happened. I swear it was just yesterday that I was getting my license and taking to the road all by myself. And by yesterday, I guess I mean ten years ago. I mean, I know twenty-six isn't old by any stretch of the imagination. I certainly don't feel old. In fact, I still feel like a twitterpated seventeen-year-old. 

Thus, I decided to dedicate Thursday as my Throwback day. Remember the good times. To kickstart this endeavor, I present to you one of my all-time favorite shows as a kid. Ladies and gentlemen, Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?

Remember this show? I adored it. But I there was some serious anger coursing through me when the final map wasn't the United States. How the heck was an eight-year-old girl supposed to know the countries in the Middle East? Even still, this was a personal favorite. 

What TV shows do you remember from your childhood?