2013: What a year!

I can very easily say that 2013 has been one of fastest years of my life. I can't believe all that's happened in the past 12 months:

our engagement, wedding planning, becoming an Auntie, making lots of improvements to our new house

my best friend and I both getting married within a few months of each other, an amazing honeymoon in Hawaii, accepting the role of Matron of Honor for another great friend's wedding next year

traveling around the country for work, especially to Kentucky and watching horse races at Churchill Downs, witnessing AHS Water Polo history and they clenched the NCS Championship

another whirlwind holiday season filled with family, my Nana going to heaven and seeing my family gather around each other showing so much love and support, spending extra time with the grandparents that are still with us

then saying goodbye in style to that crazy, wonderful, busy, unforgettable year!

2014 has so much in store for the Fisher family:

some expected changes and some surprises, times of joy and surely times of struggle. we'll take it all on together. 

finishing the biggest home project thus far (new flooring throughout!), job changes, a quick visit to New Orleans, grad school, our nephew's 1st birthday, a trip to London, more wedding festivities, our one year anniversary, and many more! 

I am so lucky and blessed to get to share all these past memories and future moments with my family and friends. Here's to a fabulous year done, and another one just begun!

"March"ing into spring

March was a crazy month! It was a great one, but crazy! We just "March"ed right on through! ;) I want to just recap a few highlights in photos:

Celebrated a certain someone's birthday with his favorite funfetti cake!!

Sprinkles!!



  

Spent an evening in SF watching The Bay Lights. It's an awesome
light show that will be running on the Bay Bridge for the next 2 years
every evening.  http://thebaylights.org/

Hosted my grandparents and aunt & uncle for a progressive meal
where we enjoyed asparagus and goat cheese soup at my sister's then a
 panini bar and delicious green beer for St. Patty's Day at our house! Such fun
to see my grandparents before they head back to Arkansas for the summer.

My mom and I did some wedding planning/shopping on 4th Street
in Emeryville. The shops there were so cute! We got lots of ideas for
centerpieces like this beautiful succulent that was just clipped and
placed in a large vase

And I love this vase that adds a little color and the
look of wildflowers freshly picked from the garden.

Went on a work trip to Louisville, KY where I
enjoyed some delicious fish tacos and a grapefruit
cocktail at this super cool restaurant. Check out the
chandelier and the frames on the ceiling!

That was a little bit of what happened in March! Now we're on to April which will hopefully be a very very productive month! Soon, I will post updates on our home improvement projets and a story about  how our engagement photos went - not exactly how we planned, but it's all worked out!

So much has happened!

I know it has been MONTHS since I've posted, let me just say that it has been a crazy crazy few months and other things have taken priority over this bloggy.

Let me try to fill you in brifely, and maybe down the road I'll do a post about each exciting event.

• I got engaged!!! He proposed on a cruise in the Caribbean and I was 100% surprised. It was amazing. And the ring, is amazing and exactly what I had hoped for!

• My brother got married to my wonderful new sister-in-law in Chicago. It was the most magical wedding and week of celebrating.

• We bought a house! Well *almost* bought a house. It's a short sale and we are opening escrow today/tomorrow. It is so much more than we dreamed our first house would be and we are so thrilled to move in and make it our own!
• I got a new job! I love it, I love the company, I love my new co-workers, I love the opportunities I have ahead of me with this company.
• We set our wedding date and chose a venue! September 14, 2013 is now scheduled to be one of the most memorable days of our lives! <3 Here's a little sneak preview:

• My wonderful friend gave birth to her sweet baby girl this past weekend. She is absolutely adorable in photos, I can't even imagine how much I'm going to fall in love with her when I meet her in person!

Now I have some very exciting things to discuss and document on this blog, so I hope I will be posting a little more often :)

Bucket List

As I find myself reading blogs for hours and hours on end, I have finally decided on my next post topic. My Bucket List. I always say, Oh! that's on my Bucket List! but I've never actually put it in writing. You can never set too many goals or have too many hopes and dreams, so I hope to continue adding to my list as time goes on.

Well, here we go (in no particular order):

1. Travel, travel, travel - current destinations of interest are: Thailand (just like the Bachelorette!), Fiji, the Maldives (recent interest), Dubai, Italy (oh, the history!), Greece (blue and white beautifulness), Japan, Peru (Machu Pichu), Costa Rica, the Great Wall of China, the Pyramids in Egypt, and the Bahamas, to name a few! - I should have just said to see the 7 wonders of the world...
2. Go hang gliding - it's been Marc's dream for as long as I've known him and I would love to get to experience that with him and see the look of pure joy on his face when he's "flying like a bird"
3. Read all Jane Austen's novels - I have an obsession with Pride and Prejudice (all versions of the book and movies) that started with my Senior Thesis in high school, so I must know what all the rest of her books are about. I've read parts of many, but I can't ever seem to make myself finish them... someday!
4. Go back packing - I've always wanted to do this but I am always a little worried that I won't be able to carry all my own junk... but I love camping and this would be like "minimalist camping" -- sounds like a blast!
5. Climb Yosemite's Half Dome - after putting all the risks and dangers aside, the view from up there has got to me amazing to see with my own two eyes and the feeling of accomplishment of getting to the top on my own two feet? Must do it!
6. Have me some babies - I always talk about how I was born to be a mama and raise some beautiful children. I know this will all happen in due time, but until then, I know there will be this empty space in my heart just waiting to be filled with the most unconditional love I will ever know. :)
7. Make a website - I know this sounds very lame because so many people have websites and they can be so easy to make, but I just don't have a good reason to make one yet...
8. Get a dog - to those of you who know me, you're wondering if someone hijacked my brain and made me say this... I am NOT pet person and am basically afraid of dogs and that's the last thing I want right now. But I really do want to have a dog someday when I have a family and that dog is as much a part of it as the human family members. I will come around.
9. Go sailing - my parents used to sail a lot when they were younger, my dad actually had a sailboat. I feel like it's part of my roots because they've told many stories about it and it just sounds like such an amazing adventure!
10. Take my mom to the Oprah show - This one had been on my list for a long time because I was practically raised watching Oprah and hearing my mom rave about her and the show. However, since the show has ended, this won't be happening, but still, 4:00 will forever be known as "time for Oprah."
11. Volunteer in a foreign country - my sister just got back from volunteering in Peru and I am so proud of her for that. I want to have a "life changing experience" like that. I want to give my time and energy to a deserving cause somewhere. A Spanish speaking country would be great so I will be able to use my Spanish.
12. Learn to dance - for real! Flamenco, Salsa, Waltz, Belly Dance, you name it! I want to learn them all. My mom and I took a brief Salsa class in Mexico when I was 16 and had a blast! I want to learn how to make this body move! "You've got to move-it, move-it!"

This seems to be all I can think of right now and geez it all seems so trivial. I know there are more things to add to my Bucket List, but for now, at the ripe age of 24, this is all I can think of off the top of my  head. Now it's time for me to start checking some of those things off!

For now,