Time flies when you're having fun!

Wow! I can't believe that yesterday Brendan and I celebrated our one year wedding anniversary. We went out for a fabulous dinner at Oak Steakhouse and practically needed to be wheeled out after a dinner of Gorgonzola fondue, melt-in-your-mouth fillet, Scottish salmon, fried okra, and six-layer "chocolate indulgence" cake. It was certainly a great way to celebrate.

In some ways, I feel like we've been married forever, in other ways, I feel like it was just yesterday that we were riding around downtown Annapolis in the Wrangler "selling newspaper ads" in high school. Time really does fly when you're having fun. And truly, that is what our first year of marriage has been.

I've been told that the first year is the hardest, full of challenges and struggles to acclimate to one another's little idiosyncrasies. I don't know if all of that will dump out on our second year, but so far, it's really been smooth sailing and I can only see the blue skies ahead. Being married to your best friend is one of the biggest joys in life, and I'm so lucky to know that first hand.

So to stop myself from getting to mushy on ya', here's a little recap of my life since I became a Mendenhall:

-Had an amazing honeymoon in Hawaii. The one word that comes to our minds when we think of Hawaii: magical. Yes, Hawaii (Kuaui specifically) is a magical place. We both daydream about it often and would love to go back at some point in our lives.

-Moved to Charleston, South Carolina. At first, this transition was tough. With my family, friends, and my beloved South Park Mall hours away, I didn't know how I was going to cope. Luckily, I've adjusted quite well and have become very attached to the Charleston way of life. Are the beautiful beaches, amazing food and super fun downtown a substitute for family and friends? No. Am I scheming to get everyone down here ASAP? Yes! C'mon people...you know you want a double porch and a sail boat.

-Welcomed a new nephew into the world! And he's getting so big! Crawling around, chatting in baby-language...he's so much fun.

-Got a "real" job. As much as I loved the lazy college days, being part of the "real world" is pretty cool. Plus I got a really cute lamp for my desk from Ikea. I'm so grownup :)

- Joined a church. Brendan and I have been very fortunate to have had awesome churches in college and here in Charleston, God brought us to a new one. We love Seacoast! Check it out www.seacoast.org.

- Decided not to listen to the popular notion that now is the time to buy a house. Sure, buying a house would be cool, but we're not ready to leave to Daniel Island. When God wants to give us a house, we'll know. Plus, we can't really complain about our sweet crib.

-Bought a car! Brendan already wrote all about this, so refer to a few posts down.

It's been a great first year and I can't wait for a lifetime more. Here's what we have planned so far for year two...

-Visit NYC in the fall! I've been once (which is a story for another post), and I can't wait to take Brendan. He may not want to leave.

- Finish my book. I'm about half way through and am planning to really buckle down over the next few months.

- Spend some quality time up in Maryland. I don't know when this will happen, or for how long, but it's gonna happen, and I'm really excited!

I know that's a pretty meager agenda, but you know where to come for frequent updates :)