Countertops, kitchen sink....

Kitchen Remodel... almost done!

So when we first bought our house, the kitchen was definitely the worst room of them all. I'm talking 70's style vinyl on the wall, ugly stick-on tile, cabinets that didn't close all the way, laminate counter tops, and a sliding door that will randomly not open when it's told. We recently decided it needed a makeover! Not to mention it's a galley style kitchen, which can be a blessing and a curse. So we thought of what would be the most budget-friendly, design-friendly materials. We chose to buy granite tile. Everyone loves granite, right?! Well, duh. But not for $49.99 a square foot! If you ever want to redo your kitchen, I say look in the tile section! You get a very similar look for less than half the cost. All of the granite tile we looked at ranged from $3.00 a square foot to $10.00 a square foot. MUCH better. Plus, you can more than likely cut it yourself to fit your counter tops and not spend anything on installation if you have the right tools.

I don't want to post any pictures yet because we are soooo close to being done, but it looks amazing! In addition to the granite, we also bought a cast-iron sink and added a bar. Russell and his dad custom built our cabinet doors to reface the cabinets and stained them all a new, modern espresso brown color. LOVE. IT. So, just imagine it now. I think tomorrow will bring us a more finished product that I'm willing to take a picture of. Right now we are waiting for the tile to dry overnight so we can place the 75 pound sink in its hole, buy a faucet, trim out the countertops, and put our bead-board backsplash on. *Whew* Okay, so maybe we have another week until we're done. But my goodness I am excited!

Ode to Married Days

So, we've been married for 17 days. I must say, that sounds like a long time! I know it's just over two weeks, but I'm amazed! It feels like our wedding was just yesterday :)

Right now, my love is sitting next to me reading War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. Something I will always love about Russell is his passion for reading, and life in general. I thought I liked to read, but my babe LOVES to read. It's just so much more peaceful than video games, television, etc. and he's growing his mind. The pugs are asleep at our feet, and I (of course) am blogging.

I started classes last week for Speech Language Pathology. I only missed one question on my first A&P test, and have been [trying] to study a lot. It's hard when there's so much more to do! But, I will remain diligent, because the taste of an A+ is just too good.

Russell and his dad have been working on our kitchen. We are re-staining the cabinets an espresso brown color, adding granite counter tops, and adding a bar! There's been a lot of progress so far and I'm excited about it all. I will have to post pics as the end result gets nearer.

We are still trying to find a church in SA. Please be in prayer for us with that because it's becoming a lot harder than we thought it would be.

Tomorrow my SISTER is coming to visit us! I love that I have a sister now. My beautiful niece and nephew are coming too. I think we will have lunch at a Greek restaurant and just enjoy each other! I'm excited :)

HoneymoOoOoOoOn Part Tres

So a few things on our honeymoon didn't go expected. We wanted to visit a winery, go horseback riding, and go on a canopy tour. We didn't do any of those things. Every place we called said they were either "temporarily closed" or "not in for the day," and on the day of our scheduled canopy tour, it stormed. BUT, we still had an amazing time.

On the night of the storm, we (well.. Russell) grilled hot dogs.

We enjoyed a lot of time in the awesome private pool we had.

We got "Bones," our Bonsai Tree after visiting an awesome Bonsai Exhibit.

We went hiking!

And just had an all-around good time.

We were sad to leave our amazing cottage, but we had a great time and I will cherish the memories! We plan on going back to our cottage getaway soon. It was such a nice place and we are so happy to have found a nice hill-country gem.

HoneymoOoOoOoOn Part Dos

After our stay at Alexandra's House, we ventured on to Wimberley! Needless to say, we had a blast.

Russell and the rusted gun that was on the mantle. We were having fun!

We are at a nice restarant called Brewster's. Yum!

The inside of our awesome cottage at Canyon Sunrise. This is Sundance.

Eating tortilla soup at Wimberley Cafe. SO GOOD!

We went and walked the square and had a little too much fun outside the little shops.

To be continued....

HoneymoOoOoOoOn Part Uno

After our wedding, I had a surprise for Russell. For the first night of our honeymoon, I took him to Alexandra's Bed and Breakfast in San Marcos, TX. This place was a gem and we wish we could have stayed there longer. Here's a picture of it from the outside:

Isn't it beautiful?! We got the nicest room in the house- the Diana Suite.

This house has so much charm and was the perfect place for us to relax and unwind after a long wedding day. Our favorite part was the next morning when we had the delicious breakfast that Rosemary made for us. If I could describe it in one word, I would choose divine.

This is where was sat. Rosemary made us a special breakfast: Broiled Orange with Lavender, Dried Strawberry Scones, Eggs Benedict, and a scrumptious waffle with sour cream and berries. Delicious!!!

Unfortunately, we did have to leave. Here is our farewell picture with Rosemary and her husband, Reed:

To be continued.....

We're married!!!

So, the day FINALLY came and we are married! I have to say that I loved everything about my wedding day and God really blessed us with great friends, a good time, and of course- holy matrimony!

Here are a few pictures I have that friends and family posted on Facebook:

My dad walking me down the aisle to Russell

Russell and I exchanging rings and saying our vows

Celebrating being husband and wife!!

I couldn't have asked for a better ceremony. Every piece of it was so special to me. Our close family and friends were there, two of my 8th (now 9th) grade girls played music beautifully, my youth minister, Garfield, officiated, and I married the man I love. Seriously, who could ask for more? Not to mention... Chapel Dulcinea is beautiful and emphasizes God's beautiful creation. I love it!