Autumn Passes

It's been a while since I've last blogged. Funny how different life stages can take the phrase "a while" and give it new meaning. Back on staff with the Navs, "a while" since I last blogged would usually constitute a couple months. Now, living in Frederick with little (relatively speaking) to do, "a while" denotes a couple weeks if not a few days. My blogging has drastically increased since my life has slowed down a little in Frederick! : )

I think we have been adjusting well to our new life. We still travel a lot it seems. We will have been in Frederick only one weekend this month (of the 2.5 months we've been married). But even though we still seem to be on the go during the weekends, our life has calmed down during the weeks, which we both are SO thankful for. Nate goes to work each day, and I find things to do each day. I am still job-hunting...PHEW...who would have thought this would take so long? I remember in college just bouncing from job to job every 4 months, constantly having new opportunities and new networks to connect through. Here in Frederick, its a different story. Not knowing anyone, and simply looking for jobs online and calling companies to hear they aren't hiring...I can just see it might take a little bit of time to find a place to work that uses my degree. We shall see!

On the side though, I am seriously contemplating beginning my own freelance graphic design business. Just this month I've had 4 requests to do design jobs from friends/family I know. Normally these opportunities come up without me searching for them - and I think if I were to begin avidly pursuing them I might be able to make some side-cash doing it! : ) Let me know if you have any design needs. : )

I'll post some photos to show what we've been up to. Some of you may be aware of my toe issue the past month - as an update, the stitches are out, and it is healing very well. I am walking normally and am even able to wear socks and my winter moccasins now!

(beware, a lot of photos are to come...)

Nate and I went disc golfing a while back:





One night we went to a fun brewery in downtown Frederick called Brewer's Alley:





An incoming thunderstorm outside our apartment!:



Our bedroom - we now have a queen bed!!! : ) :





My favorite part, our duvet cover:



On Tuesday nights Nate plays basketball on this church league (not our church, just a church...ha) so I get to watch him play and cheer from the sidelines.





One Sunday afternoon I decided to make some pumpkin cookies. I got the recipe off of my friend Megan's blog (which, btw, I always find very interesting - www.thelavendersoapbox.blogspot.com ) If you want it, let me know! They were really good.



We went to the Ingrid Michaelson concert (!!) and obviously had to make a bucks run before our drive to Towson, MD which is where she performed. Greg Laswell opened for her (which was amazing) and then she performed. It was a TON of fun - great performance!









We went to State College one weekend to visit friends, which was WONDERFUL and made our hearts warm! : ) We stayed with two of our dear friends, Jason and Amy, and here's a picture of me with their beautiful little girl, Zoey:



I got to visit with my friend Sharon (later in that weekend we traveled to Lancaster to be there for our niece Rachel's dedication) and her baby boy Riley:



Here's a photo of Rachel's dedication - it was so sweet! (Rachel is the daughter of Nate's brother Morgan and his wife Betsy)



And lastly, did I mention we have a new car (new to us!)?! Praise the Lord for blessing us (through Nate's mom!!) with an upgrade to my white saturn (named "Old Reliable") which is not as reliable anymore...ha!



I have more to update you all on, but I am at my max of blogging time so it will have to wait!

Nathan is 27!

Happy Birthday Nate!!

Nathan S. Forney was born November 4, 1982. Cheers to another year with this wonderful man!

God has created Nate very uniquely and has blessed this world with him for 27 years! I am thankful to have known him the past 2 years and 3 months. Of this time, I have seen his amazing character, his humor, his sensitivity and strength, his valor, his courage, his love, his intelligence...and the list goes on! Thank you God for this man!

Here's a photo tribute to honor Nate's life thus far :













































Happy Birthday Nathan!!!

World's Best Hubby

Some of you may be aware of my recent health dealings. I hurt my toe really bad in Bed Bath and Beyond last Saturday....Yes, that's right. I hurt it SHOPPING. ha! I was leaving the bathroom and pulled the heavy metal door OVER my right middle toe (I was wearing flip flops) and it pulled a lot of the skin with it and pushed the toe ring that was on the toe further up my toe...Then without thinking I had to push the door back OFF my toe to get my foot released, which brought the skin the other direction. : ( So anyway, a couple pools of blood later (ouch) and Nate helping me clean it, and 2 hours in urgent care, and 1 tetanus shot, and 3 numbing shots to the toe, and 3 stitches later, we were free to enjoy our Saturday! I hobbled the next days, and today I am able to walk more easily, which is great!

To help with all my recent health struggles, Nathan surprised me this morning with a sweet note and TICKETS to the Ingrid Michaelson concert next week!!!! AND he is so sweet because this concert (which, I love this girl...Nate likes her also but I definitely am the reason for these tickets being bought...I have a feeling he wouldn't attend this concert of his own accord) but he is so sweet because the concert falls on HIS birthday! So it is like reverse birthday presents...I get to go to a concert on his birthday! : ) I am one lucky girl. And if this isn't already wonderful, Greg Laswell is opening for her, which was an unexpected surprise. Both favorites. Thanks hubby! <3

Tour de Frederick

Here's a mini sneak peek into what has been happening at the Forney household.

Lots and lots of cooking. This is a picture showing the prep work to my dear sister KB's macaroni recipe : ) It turned out delicious!



A photo of hubby working on our budget, which I like to call the "budg budg". We have been trying to figure out how to budget for 2 people.



Here are some shots from our back balcony on a cloudy rainy day. Take notice of the fall trees changing (!) and our twin saturn cars : )









A quick photo of us before we left one evening to go couch hunting...



A small photo clip of my new Maryland license which I FINALLY got today!!!



And now for a small tour of two parts of our apartment - the kitchen and guest bathroom. More to come in the following weeks!

Our first fall decoration:



If you walk into our place, on the left is the kitchen and an open counter to expose it so it doesn't feel closed off from the living room.



I got this idea from my friend Kathryn to hook the oven mitts and towels onto the oven. : )



The sink area.



My aprons and the entrance to the pantry.



Our fully stocked delicious pantry.



Our fridge with my "to buy" list and "menu" list for our dinners each night.



A photo of our stove and our calendar on the wall.



Home : )



Our guest bathroom.





Hi!

Awestruck

One of my best friends, Brianne, wrote this amazing poem about a bird and its cage. I LOVE it and wanted to share it with you all. Enjoy!

_______________________

I told her she was free.
Re-mastered the lock, dissolved the key.

“Don’t be stubborn, you’ve not had a good home.”
Her heart kept a boring tempo – an unkempt metronome.

Occupy the space in the sky!
I’m giving you a voice, another try.
Lift yrslf with the flaking dead skin.
Transcend the roof of my home. Be bold – know no whim.

She shuffles her claws in linear motion.
Neither phased nor impressed with my clean notion.
Opens her cracked beak
And violently speaks,

“I’ve only known this rusted tin and you, always watching me.
Now you loftily proclaim I’m released from gravity?”

In an attempt to explain,
“Bird of my house, don’t be alarmed. I bring wisdom from above.
This is not some trick, this is love.”

Then the cage dissipates.
The bird gone, a fake.

A Voice deep inside,
“That bird is not real, the bird is a lie.
In her parables you hide.
In her bleak feathers you confide.”

“You march around, so confidently.
You search for your cage. You seek modestly.”

“Child! You have wings yet you stumble on feet.
Woman! The cage was never your home. You live in me.”

“I bring bright shiny lights from above.
This is no trick. I am Love.”

“In the backdoors and attics of your mind you retreat.
But open your veins, accept a new beat.
You know my voice
You are my sheep.”

“Call me your Love. I’m not just some Sir.
You are beautiful. You’re not just some bird.”

_______________________

Piles and piles

Today my current task is to place all the piles of things we have in our living room into their new location somewhere in our apartment. We received the last "round" of wedding gifts this weekend - we picked them up at Nate's mom's place and have officially opened every gift. It took quite a while! This was practically like the biggest Christmas experience I've ever had - getting like 120 presents is out of control and a super blessing. Now just to figure out where to put them all. (Again, for those of you reading this, thank you for your gifts!!! Thank you notes will be coming somewhere in the next 10 years depending on how long it takes to write them. ha)

Also on the agenda: figuring out how to lower our food budget. If any of you have any suggestions beyond just using coupons or looking at sales in the paper, please let me know how to maintain a monthly grocery budget and still have a variety of fun cooking options! : )

Current favorite music to listen to while unpacking and organizing: Rosi Golan, The Drifter and the Gypsy, specifically Think of Me.

Happy 1 Month!

Today is Nathan's and my 1 month anniversary already! I can hardly believe it. The time has flown by. We honeymooned in Aruba for about 2 weeks after the wedding, and have hit the ground running since returning - Nate with working and me with settling our home.

I attempted to get my new driver's license yesterday, but ended up waiting in line just to realize I didn't have all the required documents. In addition to my current driver's license, my social security card, my passport and our marriage license, I ALSO need two proofs of Maryland residence (a bill in my name with my new address on it, a bank statement with my new address, my car registered, or my new registration for voting...) all of which I have none of yet...sooo looks like my license will be delayed till I figure out how to get those other things first.

But today I thought I would post in honor of the 1 month anniversary of our wedding!

3 reasons I love Nate: 1) I love his character and that he is a Godly man - he is really kind, honest, ethical and has great integrity, especially in the work place, and I admire that greatly. 2) I love his humor - I have laughed more since being married than I probably have in the past year combined. He gives me a great ab workout. And last but not least for today, 3) I love how he treats me. He is a wonderful husband and takes time to listen to all I have to say (which is a TON considering he is practically my only friend in Frederick right now so I have lots to talk with him about) and gives me freedom to decorate our home and cook anything I like and he is always grateful for all I do - I feel very appreciated and loved by him : ) He also has been coming home at lunch each day to help keep me company and break up the lonely day : ) I love him!

Here are some random photos from our wedding/honeymoon:

This is us eating, and I have my bib on to avoid spills.



Us watching the slideshow Megan and Brianne put together for our reception! (thanks girls!!)



Nate dipping me during our first dance.



We are waiting at the airport waiting to board our first flight to Aruba the day after our wedding.



This is me giving a thumbs up because we got upgraded to first class for being honeymooners : ) Yay American Airlines!



Nate displaying our free bottle of white wine that American Airlines also gave us to have during our time in Aruba!



One night we had a romantic dinner on the beach : )



A downtown Aruban harbor.



At the tip of the island they had a lighthouse and a restaurant that overlooked the ocean and a beautiful sunset. We arrived for dinner just in time to see the sun set. It was magnificent!



Us standing at Baby Beach - a small "beach" that only goes about knee deep for around the length of a football field. Its like a huge baby pool!



This is a photo of us after we got done snorkeling - we are hanging out on the boat. We both got to snorkel while holding hands : ) We saw an eel!



Last photo for today - we ate at a Mexican restaurant one night - and yes, I had cheese enchiladas : )