update on the apartment

Well,

Ryan and I are in the process of applying for the apartment. They have approved our credit, but there is a few things that the county needs to varify before we get the apartment (such as the fact that I'm a full-time student, that Ryan works for the bank, etc). Everything's looking good so far, and they seem to want us as tenants, so that's encouraging. We were hoping to hear if we got it by Christmas, but it shouldn't be long now. In the meantime, we're keeping our fingers crossed and our phones near by in case they call. I'll let you know as soon as we hear anything more.

Update on the barn

As you all know, the plan has always been that the barn would be renovated into an apartment, and we would move in immediately following the wedding. Although we're still planning on moving in, it won't be quite as soon as we had thought. Due to a couple unexpected structural difficulties with the barn, it's going to take a little longer than planned. As a result, Ryan and I have been looking around for some possible apartments we will live in until the barn is all ready. It's been fun looking at different apartments. We've had the chance to see what possibilities are out there, and trying to picture ourselves in our first home. We're very excited about one particular apartment. It's low-income housing, so the rent is amazing! It's a brand new building, very pretty, very clean, and very spacious. It's an energy efficient building (which includes a windmill), so the energy bill generally comes to about $50 a month. All the other utilities are included. It's also in a perfect location. Very safe, close to both our families, and a halfway point between work for both of us. Even though we agreed from the start that we wouldn't let ourselves get our hopes up, we're really excited and hopeful about this place. We are still very excited about living in the barn, but until then, we're hoping to get this apartment. I'll keep everyone updated as we learn more.

Christmas time

It's been quite a while since I've posted anything, but I doubt anyone really reads this thing anyway.

So, we've been getting ready for the Christmas season. Ryan and I have been enjoying celebrating together. We decorated our little dollar store christmas tree that we purchased together last year. Think "Charlie Brown christmas tree" and it's a pretty good image of our own. We decorated it with two little trumpet ornaments and some homemade quilted heart ornaments. We topped it off with a creepy plastic santa head. It's perfect. This is a very significant Christmas for us both, because it is the last Christmas we will have before tying the knot. We know that next year we will have to juggle celebrating with different households, so this is the last year of Christmas simplicity for us. We're really enjoying being a part of each other's family Christmas traditions, and we can't wait to form our own. Christmas is such a great time of year. It's a season of curling up with a warm blanket, countless cups of tea and hot chocolate, festive neighborhood lights, and promise of special moments spent with friends and family. I'm so thankful to be spending such a beautiful time of year with my husband to be.