364 days ago...

....Is a day to reminisce and remember how truly blessed we are to own our first home. We waited for a long time for it to happen and it was at times, an elusive goal we never thought we'd reach.

Not long after we moved in, we celebrated a lovely Easter, 2 children's birthdays, a college graduation and a pre-teens birthday. Soon to follow was our first season of holidays: we hosted Thanksgiving, several Christmas get-togethers, New Years.... It has snowed 3 separate times since we have owned this home.
We received this ginormous bottle of bubbly from the realtor at closing. For whatever reason, we did not drink it. (Though I was tempted to bust it open on this day when this wonderful group of ladies came to help clean - it was a bummer they had to drive home..)
...Instead of sharing it with the people who did this and would have to drive home...
... We decided that we would drink it on our first anniversary as home owners. I guess that sounds strange to you. But, for any of you that had cake on your wedding and saved the top tier for your anniversary- this is kinda the same to us.
Now, given the current circumstances, I will not be drinking this on my first anniversary. Here are a few occasions we may decide to have it instead in the coming year:
A teaching job, a baby born, a new car, a camper purchase. Now, I am not hoping for all of these things (although, I wouldn't turn them down, haha). But I promise, when I am not in my current state, I will be enjoying this with my husband. We have waited a long time.

Until then
*raises and orange juice glass*
CHEERS!

(Disclaimer: pretty much the entire inside of our house looks different now, thanks to my husband's handy-ness over the last year)