Sneak peek of what I will be posting about next! 



In my "Close of 2015" post, I complained about my job. I felt silly... doesn't everyone complain about their job? I'm being a baby. I feel self-centered discussing my dislike for my work situation, but conditions were very bad.  I'm surprised that things have changed so quickly, but now towards the end of January I am entering my second week at my new job! 

I was searching a career website, and found a listing very close to my house looking for a purchaser and inventory control associate. I wasn't sure if my skill set would be what they were looking for, but I decided to apply anyways... you never know, right? 

The company is a tiny (30 people) engineering company that does extensive research in electrical and mechanical engineering. They create software and sensors for drilling. I wish I could explain more, but I really know nothing about the research they do and it is secretive. They called me back quickly and I went in for an interview. I was very nervous during the interview. I ended up speaking to the engineering team and then talked with the President of the company. It was intimidating, but I did my best and figured that it's always good to get in some interview practice. On January 6th, 2016 only one day after the interview, I was offered the position!  

I had to tell my current job that I was leaving, which actually wasn't that hard. I wrote a resignation letter, and was polite. I think everyone knew I had valid reasons for leaving, so they were very kind about it and wished me the best. My company let me leave that day. 

I had to provide a start date for my new job, so I decided to give myself one free week so that I could do some traveling. Reed was able to take off too, so we booked a quick trip and left the country! 

I had been reading a lot about Costa Rica. It was a destination I was thinking about trying to visit this spring for an anniversary trip. With the free week, we decided to go for it and I booked flights, a car, and a hotel right away. We had an incredible experience in Costa Rica! I will be posting all about it soon! 

So far I have only completed one week in my new position, but my stress level is low and I am confident in tasks I am performing. The company provides a quality work environment and great benefits. I can make my own hours provided I work 8 hours per day. It's also only 9 miles from my house. I can't believe that I am no longer dealing with a horrible commute! This company also is interested in higher education and will cover tuition costs! What a wonderful mindset/company outlook. My spirits have been lifted, and I know my future is strong. 

More on Costa Rica in my next post! 

I don't have a whole lot of things to post, but wow... How do people keep up with these blogs??? Life is so busy already. I just don't know how one can keep up with posts.

I am always evaluating my life and figuring out how I can improve on things. I don't mean to make my 2015 sound negative. It was really great! I just tend to pinpoint issues and see how I can be different next time. I am beginning this post with nature photos I took from this year to add positivity.


I loved this little dragonfly. He perched here every day for a month during the summer.

Job
Okay this has been a real problem for me. I accepted a job in logistics and was really excited to learn everything about transportation, specifically imports and exports. I had an upbeat boss that wasn't on my back ever and a small but friendly office.

When I cam back from Thanksgiving break, my boss called me into his office and told me he was getting laid off. He stated that the company was eliminating his position and that he would have to leave by January. I was automatically disappointed. I felt bad for him and his situation, but when I was hired on I was lead to believe that I was the first of what would become a dynamic logistics team. It was great to hear that I was safe and had a job still but what did my boss leaving mean for me?

The disappointment continued. I was made to move from my desk and take a spot in a temp building in the middle of the pipe yard. Also, they were unable to hook up my phone so it seems that I do not actually have a work phone anymore. This makes my life difficult since I use the phone multiple times a day to do my job. I am now under the shipping manager and am basically a glorified shipping clerk.

In all, I am beginning my new year in search of a new job.


Wild poppy growing in our neighborhood during the spring.

Family
Other than the whole job thing, everything else in my life has been spectacular. I've been very thankful that all of our family is healthy. We didn't go on any huge trips, but we did little fun things. Some of the cool things we did this year...

- Went to the George Observatory (looked through large telescopes and saw shooting stars)
- Took my puppy Bear to the dog park often which is now his favorite outing
- Added hardwood floors to our home and made it super pretty
- Went to the Dallas Cowboys vs. New England Patriots game for Reeds birthday (ate in the suite and had awesome seats!)
- Celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary on May 3rd
- Stayed at home and handed out candy for the first time ever this Halloween
- Got a DSLR camera and love it
- Started volunteering with animal adoptions for the city of Sugar Land
- Did some crafting and made a nice Thanksgiving/Fall wreath (could't mention that without including  a pic)

- Went to a Texas A&M football game and checked out the new stadium
- Put up our first Christmas tree in our house and decorated the yard
- I got Leo, which was probably a mistake, but he is the cutest little bunny and is such a nice guy (I didn't mean to hold him all twisted in the picture)




This was the year of the cooking for me. I used to only be able to make mac n cheese, but this year I learned how to make some great dishes that we love and that are fairly healthy (chicken fried rice, beef and broccoli, cajun chicken pasta, lasagna, and of course, turkey tacos). I am really proud of Reed and I for getting fit this year and working out more than we ever have before. We have both taken up running and I plan to continue distance running and regular workouts. I love that we can jog together with Bear. He loves to run!

 He also loves getting new toys and sleeping in our bed. He's our spoiled baby.






Okay, we're pretty boring but It's a nice life. We stress and try to plan everything, but overall things are good. I always need to take time to recognize that we are blessed. Many have never experienced the wonderful things we have in our lifetime.

And here are a couple pics from our Christmas... which was the warmest Christmas I've ever experienced. Temperatures in the 70s-80s across most of the United States.

Wishes for 2016
My list could probably go on much longer but here are some of the things I would like to do in the new year (and many of them do sound like the typical new year's resolutions) 

- health (keep working out, cooking healthy meals, stay a healthy weight, gain muscle) 
- GO ON A VACATION (something tropical)
- find a job I really enjoy 
- figure out what I want to do for a career (always trying to figure it out)

The list could go on, but these are the main things for me. Happy New Year to all! I hope to spend some time coming up with new creative posts in 2016! 



When I first got my camera I started photographing everything, including my rosebud in the front yard. I plan to read up on ways I can improve my photography and one day get more lenses for the camera (they are not cheap!)

How can I start documenting life after marriage without mentioning the wedding? We've got to start somewhere, so here's a recap. 

There were definitely some stressful situations leading up to wedding day. I'll get to those later. For now, this is the overall feeling that I took away from our wedding. 

To describe it in one word, our wedding day was magic. It was like we traveled somewhere isolated in time where love, family, and friendship erupted into one and the universe was as it should be. There are rare occurrences in life where that kind of feeling happens and when it does, you are certain that it's one of the highlighting moments in your life that's meant to be treasured. The day we married was certainly full of those moments. 


Photos by Alicia Pyne Photography