Oh, Joy

Joy to the new year! And joy to surviving scary changes in life.

Since practically everyone who reads this blog is either related to me, or Nic, or I talk to you on the phone, it isn't news that in July we moved from Texas to Michigan to live with my parents for a month while we hunted for an apartment in Chicago. We found an apartment and moved just before one of my best friends got married and I started grad school...so it was un poco loco for a while. But, I'm here to explain what happend between between August 2012 and January 2013...no that would take too long, let me sum up:

It took Nic, my dad, and me 9 hours to unload our moving truck and carry EVERYTHING (including all of the antique SOLID WOOD furniture) up the four flights of stairs to our apartment.

I almost called the whole thing off when our couch didn't make it up the vintage 1920s winding stairwell. We're back to sitting on Fred Flinstone's futon.

I finished my first quarter at grad school at DePaul and LOVED every minute of it. Managed a 4.0 GPA and am now hounding the financial aid office for money based on my amazing-ness.

Nic got a full-time position at his new Apple store, but he first had to spend two months impressing his management at the part-time level. He is dah man.

I now work as an executive administrative assistant at the American Osteopathic Association. In order to apply my skills as an editor, I have made it my personal responsibility to correct the grammar and punctuation of the doctors and PhDs that I work for.

Thanks to my lil' bro, I recently got a second job as an editor for a start up publishing company in Michigan. I get to edit manuscripts, be opinionated about commas and plot holes, and get paid for it. Dream. Job.

Nic took me out for an amazing birthday celebration this week to celebrate my big 25. Quarter century, baby.

Now for pictures! I know, it's always the best part.

Back story: Because Nic had to work New Year's Eve Day and New Year's Day, we had to stay in for the holiday. So, I decided I would throw us a surprise New Year's party; it would be a surprise for Nic because he didn't know it was coming, and it would be a surprise for me if I could pull it off and be under budget.

Surprise! It worked.

Our 2013 Jar of Happiness. For every blessing and happy event in 2013,  Nic and I will write it down on a piece of paper and add it to this jar. Then, on New Year's 2014, we can read all of the wonderful things that happened in 2013.

In case you can't read the sprinkle hieroglyphs,  the three center cupcakes read "A <3 N" Took. Me. Forever.

Happy New Year!