The Great State

I know we promised the next post would have wedding pictures, but I still haven't received my disk in the mail, so hopefully later this week I will get it and be able to post some!!

Until then, I wanted to fill you in on some things I have learned since living in Washington.

1.) Rain
   It does rain here, but not nearly as much as people seem to say or think.  I know I've only been here a month, but its been December and January which you would think means cold and rain.  I've realized that yes, it does rain most days and sometimes all day, but usually that is a drizzle off and on.  Sometimes it's literally just a mist.  This does get annoying, but really people, depressing?! It's sunny and warm today! Okay, maybe not warm, but not cold!

2.)  Starbucks
  There is a Starbucks on every corner, because this is where it first started.  I love coffee so this is great expect it is impossible to find a drive-thru Starbucks!  This is actually when the rain or mist become most annoying, because you have to get out into it just to get a coffee.  With this being said, it has cut down on my Starbucks intake, which our bank account appreciates, but I will admit I am sipping on one as I write this :)

3.)  Speed Limit
  The entire I-5 through out the state is 60 mph.  This is annoying mainly because the wonderful people of Washington follow this rule very seriously and no one drives faster.  I don't think I realized how often I had a lead foot until I had to drive here.

4.) Police
   Speaking of the speed limit, the few people that do get pulled over on the freeway are pulled over by these lovely looking people.

 The blue really throws me off and the hats are just hilarious! When I see one I always think of the movie Super Troopers

5.)  Espresso
  You would think this goes along with coffee and Starbucks, but until you have been to Washington you wouldn't understand that an Espresso Shop and Starbucks are very different.  These little espresso shops are also found on every corner, expect the ladies working inside are wearing lingerie or swim suits.  Yes, you read that right, all of the girls are wearing basically nothing and its super awkward!  But don't worry ladies, if you are worried about being a girl and driving up to one, the little shops that don't have those girls are clearly marked!

Bikini Bottom Espresso

I couldn't find a picture but the stops without 'bikinis' usually have a sign on top of them that say "No Bikinis Here."  Why are there so many of these drive-thru's but you can't find a Starbucks drive-thru....hmmmmm....??

There is a long list of things I could write about that are different than California but for now I am just soaking it all in and enjoying living in another state for a year.

-Brie

My First Blog Post

Now that me and my new wife, Brieann, have finally settled in here in Washington, we've had a lot of time to ourselves. Much of this time involves quiet nights together, reading, watching TV, or playing video games. Having so much time to ourselves with few distractions has led me to do a lot of thinking, a lot of self reflection, and some looking back at where we came from, while casting thoughts towards our shared future together. It is these quiet moments of reflection I wanted to try sharing tonight.

Since our wedding on December 18th, the one constant that pops in to my head on a daily basis is thankfulness. I find myself being reminded not only daily, but sometimes hourly, how amazing of a partner I found. The peace of mind she provides me, the reassurance, and daily companionship sometimes make me wonder how I went 23 years without!

We have both agreed that it is time to get out of the military when my initial 4 year contract is over in January of 2012, and are both greatly looking forward to that date. It is the time after my getting out I find myself looking towards in these quiet moments, and I honestly can't wait. I can think of no one I would rather enter into a new phase of life with than my wife.

We love and miss everyone in Fresno! We have the most amazing group of friends and family either of us could ever have asked for. May God bless you all today!

Cliff Hanger: The next blog post will have our professional wedding pictures! Until then you can enjoy this picture...

-Maury

The First Snow

I wanted to start by saying Maury asked if he could write the next blog and I said yes, but he has been so busy and not feeling well, I decided I would update one more time and then he can do the NEXT one! :)

Last night we went to Bed Bath and Beyond to return a few duplicate wedding gifts and as we were driving Maury said "is that snow?!"  I looked out the car window a little more closely and could see a tiny bit of snow falling.  This has happened one other time since I've been here, but it only lasted a few minutes and none of it stuck so I didn't want to get my hopes up.  We went into Bed Bath and Beyond and shopped around getting a few essentials and then decided to go back to the apartment and watch the Lakers game.  We walked outside to SNOW...like real snow!! It was sticking and coming down pretty well! I tried to take pictures but since there wasn't much yet it was basically impossible.  We got back to the apartment and turned on the game, I heated up Pa's chili we had from the night before and we just relaxed watching the Lakers.  I completely forgot it was snowing.  Maury got up to go to the kitchen, yes we ate in the living room last night, and when he looked outside he said "Oh my goodness, it's really snowing!" I jumped up and ran outside on our balcony and got SO excited! The ground was completely covered and all of the cars looked white! I got my rain boots on, my jacket and my camera and ran downstairs to take pictures!! (We live on the 3rd floor) It was exciting for me to be in the snow when it was actually snowing for the first time.  I didn't even realize how cold it was until we got back into the apartment! So here are a few pictures I snapped from our first real snow here in Washington since we've been here!

Our view from the 3rd floor

:)

I loved being out in the middle of it all

Maury's truck was quickly being covered

My foot prints on the side walk. I was very fascinated!

Maury was such a good sport for coming outside with me.  He really wasn't feel well and fell asleep on the couch about 10 minutes after we got back inside.  Thanks for coming outside with me babe :) 

I was very happy to be covered in snow :) 

I also wanted to tell everyone that reads this, Maury and I bought plane tickets last night to come home in February! I don't know if I want to post dates and plans on here, but call or text us and we will fill you in :) We can't wait to see everyone in a month!!!

-Brie

Our Wedding Day

I don't even know where to begin when I think about or talk about our wedding day! It was such a special day that was 383 days in the making.  There was so much effort and work put into it and the day was over so quickly.  I got to marry my best friend and couldn't be happier with the way the day turned out. I want to give a very special thank you to my amazing parents who made the whole experience even possible.  My mom was so patient and helpful with the planning.  I can't tell you how many flea markets, salvation army's and yard sales she went to to find the perfect candle sticks for center pieces! My mom is amazing and if you give her a mission she will complete it with 110% effort! I am so grateful for all of her help in making our wedding day perfect! My dad was so helpful in keeping me on my toes with lists of things that needed to be done and making sure things were getting done the way I wanted them.  My dad always made sure I was happy and things were going smoothly and always said "if somethings not right, I'll fix it, just tell me."  Just him saying that made everything better! And to my wonderful husband who let me do whatever I wanted with the wedding planning and supported me in all of the decisions I had to make.  Most of the planning was done over Skype while he was in Iraq, but when he was in Fresno he drove me around town to wedding meetings and patiently helped me make decisions!  I couldn't have asked for a better partner in life and I am so excited to see where this new life experience takes us!

                                                       The best parents I could ever ask for :)

                                                                Father Daughter Dance

                                                      The most wonderful women in my life

                                       My beautiful girls- Kelsey, Kelly, Alex, Dani and Debbie

                                 Maury's Groomsmen- Rene Roy, Seth, Jordan, Ross and Eric

                                                              Sand pouring and communion

                                                                             First Kiss :)

                                                         The Batty Family- Enough Said :)

                                 The best girlfriends a girl could ever ask for!! I love you girls!!
                                                   MJ, Sarah, Jordie, Dani, Kelly and Ashley


Many many more to come later!!

-Brie