It's been too long

I've had a busy year. That's an understatement. My entire life has been flipped upside down. And that's a good thing.

In September, I got married to Ryan. We had a great party that was pretty small and very homey. It wasn't my dream wedding, mainly because I didn't feel comfortable having a huge, expensive bash while 34 weeks pregnant. Yes, I was a whale at my wedding. But I enjoyed every moment!

So that's the second big change in my life. October 8, 2009, I gave birth to a daughter, Winslow Camilla. It is hard to believe that I now have two children and a husband, especially after such a hard year in 2008.

What else? Personally, I've paid off $8,000 in credit card debt that I mainly built up while I was single and unemployed. And that's in addition to another $9k of my husband's debt. How have we done it? Wearing the same clothes over and over, even through pregnancy. Eating vegetarian. Making a very detailed budget and paying cash for just about everything. It hasn't been easy, but it's totally worth it. I'll come back to debt later. We're not through yet tackling all of it.

I'm also a home owner by proxy. It's actually my husband's house, but I guess it's mine now. We've painted every wall, purchased a tiny bit of new furniture, put in a new driveway, new windows, and refinished floors in a couple of rooms. It's looking better every week. We are cramped, though. This can't last forever. It's a 3 bedroom house better suited for college students than a family of 4.

Finally, I have become more interested in fitness and nutrition. My husband has lost 100 lb in the past 18 months or so. I met him when he was down about 40 lb and despite the fact I was pregnant and overindulging myself, I ended up his diet coach! Funny, I know. About 3 weeks post-partum, I got on the bandwagon working out and eating less. It's great having a partner in crime. Maybe I'll post pictures of before and after once i'm finished. The before pics are scary to me. And I have so much further to go. 7 weeks later, I have met my initial goal, which was to fit into my size 14 pants again without the muffin top of the century. It's only the muffin top of the year now.

It feels good to get back to writing a bit. I've missed it the past few months, but it's taken me this long to catch my breath after a whirlwind semester (yes, I still use that term even though I'm not in school).