Updates :)

     We are officially in Maryland and have been for 2 months and some days. Our little apartment is very quaint, sitting above a boutique and a coffee shop. But when I say little....I mean tiny. That and we have a lot of stuff. We literally unpacked and then packed up a good 7 boxes to take to goodwill- including our couch because it wouldn't fit!!! My Mom LOVINGLY drove across the country with us- we were in the moving truck and my Mom braved our cats in my car. It was a rocky trip to start but, HEY- we got here! My Mom is amazing. She helped us unpack and made the transition from being around all our family to being hours away from anyone we know! We are lucky that my Uncle Jon and Sheba live about 2 hours away and my Aunt Kimmie and Ron, Grandma Judy and Grandad live about 4-5 hours away and my Grandad's cousin (I'm not sure what she would be called in relation to me) and her husband live about an hour away from us. We met with them for dinner for the first time since I was (4-6?) and had a really good time. It's nice to know that there is family near by and we do have geographically close support!
    So we live in a really small town. It's a farming town and we are pretty much near the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay (we've visited both and LOVE being near the water!) It's about an hour drive in either direction. John went to a workshop in June where he met about 12 of the 30-something students that will be in all of his courses for the 3 years he's in school. It was definitely worth the time and money as he had the opportunity to get a good review and get a taste of what it's like to work with a cadaver (feeling queazy). He would come home and just smell gross. But, he got used to it (mostly) and is absolutely stoked about starting his courses. He begins August 20th. :) I am SO proud of him and excited (and a little sad because I'll be seeing a lot less of my amazing husband). It will all be worth the hard work and effort in the end!!!
    Seeing that we are in a small area, jobs are really tough to come by. I've been starting to wish I had majored in something more 'professional' as I call it. A major that had a direct occupation vs. Human Development where you can basically do anything but are not qualified to do anything. I've resorted to applying to retail jobs in the mean time (and I have one! It's 10hrs a week but, it's a start) and have been getting those fun rejection notices left and right. I'm not qualified to be an Office Administrator OR an employee at Target. Hmmm....something seems wrong here. Anyways, the talk of me going back to school has come up here and there but, it will just have to wait until John is done. :) Mostly because I'm pregnant!
     I figure close friends and family are the only people who really read this (and I'm not posting on facebook yet...if at all) so, who cares if it's too early to tell people- WE ARE EXCITED! Little baby is 8 weeks 5 days along and is due March 10, 2013! We had our first Dr. appointment on the 31st and got to hear the baby's heartbeat and the Dr. bumped it with the ultrasound piece and made it wiggle. In the picture you can see the little arm bud and the two little legs and the heart. AMAZING! A big concern of mine was miscarriage but, the Dr. said it goes down from a 15-25% chance to a 3% chance once you hear the heartbeat and it's strong. My heart is all a flutter and John and I could not be any happier! This wasn't exactly planned seeing as it's really bad timing (we had just decided to wait a year or so) but, like they always say, "no one is every fully prepared to have a child." I'm SO excited to get over the first trimester "hump" and be open about it. So far the only symptom that is pretty much continuous is fatigue. The kind of tiredness that makes your eyes heavy and your body totally limp. I hear it goes away and comes back during the 3rd trimester. Nausea comes and goes but, I haven't gotten sick yet!
     That's the news we have so far! I'll start posting pictures when the news can be freely spread :) Here is a little bit of our wedding- what an amazing, perfect day!

We're moving to Maryland!!!!

That's right! John found out this past week that he was accepted to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore's Physical Therapy program!!!! We are all so proud of him- he worked hard and earned it! John and I are still in a bit of shock- there are waves of, "OH MY GOSH YOU GOT INTO A SCHOOL!!!! YOU'RE GOING TO BE A PHYSICAL THERAPIST" and then waves of, "OH MY GOSH, WE'RE MOVING TO MARYLAND!" they are all happy waves of excitement.

Maryland is the perfect place for John to get into school, since I have family in Maryland and Virginia and John has family in Georgia (only an 11.5 drive from us- long but, do-able!!!). I know we're both excited to live back East for a bit and to get a taste of all the history. I have a feeling that during his breaks we will be doing a lot of historical exploring and sight seeing. :)

Limbo time!

     The first (almost) two months of marriage have been a mixture of emotions! The marriage part is going great and I love John more and more everyday. Life on the other hand...well, let's just say that it's been a little hectic.

     Our lease was up in February and instead of paying an arm and a leg (and maybe a kidney) to rent month to month, my parents graciously offered to let us live with them until we get everything figured out. It has been bittersweet living with them. It's sweet to spend time with them and to help them around the property etc. and it is absolutely beautiful up here, BUT we are newly weds so- in that aspect it's bitter.

      John has had 3 interviews and received another offer for an interview from Midwestern university in Arizona. We are supposed to hear back from Maryland University- Eastern Shore AND University of New England in Maine any minute now and I think I'm more neurotic about checking emails than John is. I really don't like living in limbo. Where are we moving? ARE we moving? Should I get a good job here-or will I have to leave it in a couple months? Maybe I should just get a retail job? Yadda, yadda, yadda.  That being said, I am very proud of John and have a bottle of champagne waiting for when he does get accepted into a physical therapy school.

    We lost my grandmother at the beginning of this month. My sister and I (along with my parents) all went out to Maryland to go to her funeral. It was the same weekend that John was in Maine interviewing so, it was a mixture of emotions (excitement and a very deep sadness all at the same time). I feel fortunate that I got to attend and to spend time with family and remember the amazing person she was and is. John handled everything like a champ and went with the flow of things. His flight from Maine to Atlanta was delayed causing him to miss his flight to Seattle that night. It turned into a blessing seeing as Mary and Andrew (John's sister and brother in law) live in Georgia and picked him up so- he got to stay with them for a night.

     I think that pretty much sums up the first couple weeks of marriage! Hopefully my next up date will be titled: "We're moving to _______!!!"

We're MARRIED!!!

THE BEGINNING IS NEAR!

     When I say the beginning, I am referring to the beginning of the rest of our lives. In 18 days I will be an OFFICIAL Robertson. I can't believe it's already here! John and I have been in awe the last week. The countdown started at 28 days and we're already to 18. 

    On the 13th my friends Tami (from Oregon) and Kati (from Arizona) are coming out to spend the week before the wedding with me. I look forward to doing facials, our nails, wedding-y stuff. I have not seen Kati in YEARS and am SO excited to be around some of my nearest and dearest. 

     On the 18th John's (I don't know if calling them his "best friends" is emasculating but, we'll go with it) best friends Joe and his wife Sarah are coming to town and possibly his other (*cough*BFF) friend Rusty will be coming as well. John is stoked to be hanging out with them as he hasn't seen them very often and it has been over a year since he's seen them. 

     John is officially a graduate of WSU with his bachelors in biology!!! I'm so proud of him! He did extremely well this semester and deserves each grade he received.  John is applying to Physical Therapy schools (I think a total of 19?!) and they are literally all over the country. A little over here, a little over there. We will hopefully hear from the schools sometime in February/March. Most schools require an in-person interview so, John may become a US travelin' man this Spring! I am still plugging away at my internship. I will be done on the 13th and then I get work and get PAID. I'm looking forward to not working 40 hours a week for free! Good news is: when I'm done with my internship, I'm done with school! John and I have been talking about me going back but, that may not be until after we have all the kids we want AND when they're in school...so, we'll see. Either way, it's down the road a bit.

That's about it for now :)

November, November...

     Goodbye November! Time is FLYING! This month was just as crazy as any. I don't know if school is insanely busy because it's the last semester of our Senior year and we're excited or if it REALLY IS BUSY. Probably both :)

     November was an amazing month. John's dad and step-mom flew all 4 of us over to Georgia to see Mary, Andrew and our nephews Cole and Gavin for Thanksgiving break. We got to meet Gavin for the first time and let's face it- the kid has some good genes. He's a cutie just like his big brother. Mary and I got some quality crafting time done and John and Andrew got to game a bit.  It was truly a remarkable trip full of a lot of laughter and love. John and I were so busy living in the moment- my camera never left my backpack. I feel so blessed to be marrying into such a wonderful family.

     Wedding planning is coming to a close! It's definitely bittersweet. I had such an amazing time researching, crafting and creating some really cool decor with my Aunt and Mom and everyone else who helped! I think our wedding will be intimate and romantic- just how we wanted....with about as much glitter as John (and my Aunt and Mom) would let me use!!!! :) What can I say- I like sparkle!

     Finals are coming up! John is finished on December 12th and I'm finished December 14th (minus the extra internship hours...but, I'll be done with finals at least!). Needless to say, there will be some serious toasting on the 14th (and I'm about 100% positive John will be toasting to himself on the 12th!). The weekend after finals John and I will be heading up to Alyssa (my sister/maid of honor) and Paul's (my brother in law/officiant) house to check it out. Paul will be able to sit down with us and figure out our ceremony. We're planning on having the shortest ceremony ever. :) Neither of us like to be the center of attention so- it'll be short, sweet, loving and to the point! We are seriously SO excited Paul will be marrying us.

     We out our tree up as soon as we got back from Georgia (Thank you Aunt Kimmie and Uncle Ron!). Putting up the tree always is so sentimental and heartwarming to me- looking at all the ornaments and remembering them from childhood etc. John got a Lionel train from his Dad last Christmas so, after I put up the ornaments he eagerly set up the train and sat on his knees like a little kid making it go fast, and slowing down (while giggling, mind you) and making the 'smoke' come out the top thing-y (I'm not up to par with my train lingo).

     John recently got his wedding band. We originally got a titanium one but, it was scratched within 2 weeks (which shouldn't happen unless you're a mechanic...) so, we returned that one and we ordered a black ceramic one yesterday! It's pretty awesome looking...It's practically impossible to scratch BUT if you drop it- it can shatter. So, Miss Graceful over here is NOT allowed to hold it- unless I'm putting it on his finger on our wedding day....hopefully I won't drop it then!

     Time is flying by and we only have 54 days left until the wedding. I couldn't be more excited!!!

So, it's October!!! It is finally starting to feel like Fall and I love it! September was busy- John and I went to the Oregon fair, we had John's Mom and Aunt over for a birthday celebration, and basically every weekend in September was eventful! This month has been eventful as well. On the first my Mom and sister came down to go with me to my first dress fitting and John and I took them cake test at Larson's Bakery here in Vancouver. Aaaaand we ordered our cake! :) There are a couple nephews that were born recently as well! John's step-sister gave birth to a beautiful little boy, Ethan on the 27th of September and John's sister, Mary gave birth to an beautiful baby boy, Gavin on October 4th! I am so excited to have nephews and nieces! Since John and I are waiting a bit to start a family- we get to love on them, it's a nice outlet and distraction :)

Sorry this is a short up-date but, I have to go to my internship! I will try to update again soon with pictures from the fair....like I said I would....a month ago. :)