Green Tea

I'm kind of in love with green tea. I've completely switched over from coffee. In fact, I've become kind of a green tea enthusiast, drinking 3-5 cups a day. I've been researching a lot of the health benefits of drinking green tea, and it's been pretty cool to learn about. For example, drinking 3-6 cups of green tea a day can lower your chances of cancer, Alzheimers, high cholesteral, tooth decay, and boost your metabolism as well. It's been a great way for me to wake up in the morning (green tea has about the same amount of caffeine as coffee,) to relax in the afternoon and evening, and to do something good for my health. My new years resolution was to drink more tea each day, and I'm really glad I've gotten into the habit of doing so. It's been a really nice addition in my daily diet, and I'd really encourage others to give it a try. In fact, try drinking 3 cups of green tea a day for a week or two and see what happens. You might become annoyingly obsessed with it (like me.) I like it best with lemon juice, but you can try adding sugar, honey, or just drinking it plain.
Seriously, give it a try. You may notice a really positive difference in the way you feel.

15 weeks to go

We can't believe how close we are to the big day. We have less than 15 weeks to go. We still have a few more things to get done before the wedding. We still need to get our wedding rings, marriage license (kind of important,) flower girl dresses, order the chairs/tables, address the invitations, finish a playlist of music for the reception, and a few other little things. For the most part, things are coming along nicely. We just can't wait for the day to finally come when we can be married. It's going to be so amazing to not have to say goodnight to each other anymore, and just be in one household.
It's pretty unbelievable to think about how in just 15 weeks our lives will be changed forever. 15 weeks and we'll be committed to each other forever. It's really amazing to think about it like that. I've had someone ask me before if the reality of it being so close has sunk in yet. It has, and it only makes me more excited for it to come. I'm definitely over the "dating thing," and I'm just ready to finally marry the love of my life.

We've been blessed

I woke up this morning thinking about how blessed Ryan and I have been as we've prepared for our future together. People have been so generous with their time, money, and things. From dinner dishes, recipe books/magazines, wine glasses, knick knacks for the apartment, money towards our honeymoon, and time and energy spent helping us move, everyone has been so generous and giving. It's been such an encouragement to have so many people come around us and support us in our future marriage. We've received so much advice and help for the days ahead, and we're genuinly so thankful for what God has given us through others.
Thank you to everyone who has been so wonderful and encouraging!! You have no idea what it means to us!!!!! God bless you all.

pulling it all together

Well, the apartment has been great so far. We have our couch and kitchen table, which has really made the apartment feel more complete. Ryan and I are really enjoying putting our own touches on the place to make it feel more like home. We're really enjoying having a kitchen of our own where we can prepare meals together. Some meals have turned out great, and others... not so much. We're learning. Ryan has been so gracious when I make something that doesn't turn out so good. Even though I know it's bad, he always tries to reassure me that he loves it.
The wedding is also coming rapidly. Less than 5 months (143 days) from now we will be exchanging vows in his mom's backyard. We're both awaiting the day with excitement and anticipation. We're planning on renting a secluded mountain top cabin near Deep Creek Lake where we can enjoy nature, hiking, kayaking, swimming, etc. It should a nice laid back trip. We're very excited about it.
It's been a little surreal to know that this wedding is coming so soon, but we can't wait to be married, move in together, and enjoy our lives together as one union. I feel so encouraged and blessed to have a future with Ryan. We both can't wait for the day until we are recognized as husband and wife.

we got the apartment!!!!

This week has been very busy. Ryan and I got the apartment in Ellicott City and we love it!!! Ryan is moving in now, and I'll move in after the wedding. In the meantime, I'm moving some of my stuff in slowly. We've been busy with trying to transform the apartment into a home. So far, it's looking beautiful. We've hung pictures on the walls and been trying to personalize the place and make it our own. At the moment, we don't have much of any seating. The couch will be there on Thursday (which we're really excited about), and we're still waiting for our dinner table to come back in stock at Ikea. Little by little it's all coming together. Our families are so happy and excited for us, and have been so helpful with the process. They've helped us move in and given us a bunch of stuff we'll need for the kitchen. We've been so incredibly blessed by God. We're very excited to see our home coming together and we can't wait till the wedding when I can move in fully. Thanks to everyone for your prayers and well wishes for us to get this apartment. We're really looking forward to having people over once we're a bit more settled.

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.