Falling Again

It's fall! The weather is cooling off and I just want to cozy up with Matt and the dogs and eat cookies! Here is what has been going on recently. 

-I finished the first quarter at Summit. It was a challenging nine weeks. I got two days off and now we are at it again. 

-Matt passed the bar! I couldn't be more proud of him. He is still looking for a job but has a few prospects. 

-I went to the horse races! This is something I've wanted to do for a few years now. We went to Keeneland and it was a lot of fun! It was really great to spend the weekend with my brother and parents. 

-Matt and I moved into a new apartment. It is so great! I love coming home to it and am excited that it is almost all cleaned up. Come visit us! We don't have a guest room anymore, but we can make it work somehow. Shoutout to everyone who helped us move: thank you!

-Meghan's baby is due in a few weeks. Eeeeeee! 

That is about all for now. Life keeps getting more busy. I'm trying to make time for all of the important things, and I don't think it will get any easier. Hope you all are doing well. 

Xo

A day of endings

Wednesday, July 30th, was a big day for the Reddish household. Many things came to an end for us. 

-Matt finished the bar exam. Fingers crossed for excellent results in September! I know he did great :) 

-I started work, which officially meant the end of my summer. The good news is that I really like the other teachers I met at orientation who will be working at my school! 

-Matt and I finally finished watching the series West Wing. It's been many months that we have spent watching the show, and it was fun to see it end at a natural stopping point. The show changed so much over the seven or eight years it was on, so if you want to watch, know it is a little boring at the beginning. We are used to so much action now, and this show doesn't really have all that much of it. But it is great! So long, Jed Bartlett and crew! 

The school year is now upon me, and there are so many differences about the new district I am working in. It will take some getting used to, but I am keeping an open mind. Matt and I had one last hurrah by staying in Downtown Nashville for two nights. I always love spending time with him wherever we are. 

I hope everyone is well! We are looking forward to a fall full of traveling and visiting friends and family. :)

More New Days

Wow!

It has been a long time since I have written here. Matt and I have had a lot of changes and events going on. I'll try to sum them up and then maybe keep this more regularly now that things are settling down.

In May, Matt graduated from the University of Missouri Law School. I have so many emotions about this momentous occasion. I am very proud of him and know he will continue to do great things with his career! Many people came in to celebrate with us, including his family, my parents, his Grandpa and Aunt Jeri, and Glenn, Nancy and Rachael. We shared many meals and some champagne toasts. It was the most lovely time!

During that month, everything seemed to change in our life. We left the place where I started this blog, our original new beginning, to come back "home". We changed from being a family with someone in college and the other working, which we have been for the last four years. We moved into Matt's parents house, leaving some of our own space behind. We left what really feels now like our town-a place that was our own outside of our families. We left friends and what was an amazing job for me at a great school where I could have really built a career. It brings tears to my eyes now thinking of it.

I am so grateful for the time Matt and I spent in Columbia. We grew to love and trust each other more there. We learned to rely on each other to get through difficult times.  We laughed and traveled and saw new things and so much more. We are looking forward to finding our place here in Tennessee again. I have a job working with 9th and 10th graders, and we are getting things situated to eventually buy a home and start a family. But those things are still for another time yet; different new days.

Cheers to the memories, Missouri.

 

A Surprise for Sis

Last weekend, Mom, Jenny and I all flew down to San Antonio for a surprise birthday party. Meghan was turning 30 and I think we actually did surprise her! It was also David's birthday the day before hers, so we had a big weekend! Angel food cake, chocolate bundt cake, very warm 70s weather, a parade, and a lot of good food is what we had in store!

I used mostly my 50mm to try and capture this weekend.  Some photos turned out better than others.  When I see them on the computer screen, I realize that I wasn't focused on what I wanted to be focused on. It will take some more practice, but I am still trying!

To Meghan and David, have a wonderful year full of adventures and light!

A warm Sunday

Today, Matt and I went on a little adventure. He got me some new filters for my camera lens and I wanted to try them out. I have a lot of work to get to taking photos like I want to be, but I will get there. I am so thankful that I have his support and encouragement.  He humored me while I stood taking photos of the same thing (often him) from different angles, different lenses, and different settings.  I hope your week is off to a good start!

The New Year (and some of the old)

Hello Again!

Well, it turns out I took a break from my blog. We went through both Thanksgiving and Christmas without a peep. It was a nice holiday season with a lot of time spent with family. I am so grateful to have them, Matt and my pups. I will post some photos for a recap:

               

                   

                   

So! Did you make any New Years resolutions? I've made a few and I want to look back at the ones I made last year. Here they are:

1. Work out every other day
2. Keep up with my "best of my days" calendar (more on that later)
3. Read 30 books (again!)

1. I did not work out every other day. But I did work out on at least half of the days of the year! That is an accomplishment, isn't it? I always put a little star on the day in my planner if I work out so I can go back and look. 
2. I did this! Check! It was really neat to be able to look back and read through these, as well as to know that I had a whole year written down. It felt like a major accomplishment.
3. Complete! I did read 30 books. Maybe I will put the list up later on. I write these down in a book as well. I have several years listed with all of the books I've read, which is also cool. If you can't tell...I like lists. 

2014 Resolutions!
1. Floss everyday
2. Adopt a healthier lifestyle
3. Think more positively about myself
4. Keep up with my journal-a-day
5. Read 32 books

A lot of these are just coming from my hope to make mine and Matt's lives more healthy and reflective. I am excited about this year and all of the changes that are inevitably coming.

I hope everyone is staying warm and that the new year is off to a good start. Happy 2014!

Fall Favorites

Hi All,

If you couldn't tell, this fall has been pretty busy for us. We did a lot of traveling to a lot of weddings. We also got to see our families and do some other fun things. Here is a list of great memories and then some photos to remember them by.

Visiting Iowa for Labor Day
St. Louis family weekend + wedding
Happy Hours with co-workers
Nashville weekend + 2 weddings
Camping at Finger Lakes State Park with awesome s'mores and friends
Jen and Dave's wedding
Three year wedding anniversary :)
Football tailgates
Homecoming weekend

I think that about sums it up. We are so glad to have friends and family who we love. This fall has been a whirlwind and gone by amazingly fast. I can't believe tomorrow is Halloween! We have been in school for 12 weeks already. It is surely bittersweet. Looking forward to this winter season where we have several other things lined up that I'm sure you will hear about. Happy Wednesday!