And a Happy New Year

Years seem to pass more quickly the older that I get, but 2015 seemed to pass the fastest so far. Perhaps it was because I spent the first few months anticipating marriage, and then the rest relishing how much I loved it. It is without a doubt that 2015 has been the year to most shape my life thus far. 

In the year 2015, Kyle and I were sealed for time and all eternity. If that isn't just about the most important thing to happen in one's life, I don't know what is. We learned how much we truly love one another--something that will continue in 2016, 2017, and so on. We discovered how to problem solve as a couple and how we each deal with stress. We learned the power of a dishwasher. The year 2015 might  just go down in history as the year we learned how important a dishwasher is. We are so grateful for each other's companionship.

We started our life in Ithaca, NY. If you had ever asked me where I would end up as a newlywed, upstate NY didn't even pass through my mind. I knew from the time we were in HS that Kyle wanted to attend Cornell University, but to be honest, I had no idea where Cornell was. I also had no idea that it was just an hour from my father's law school alma mater and my brother's soon to be law school alma mater. So, I'm going to get married and move all the way across the country, but live an hour from my brother who lives all the way across the country? DEAL. How does life turn out like this? These nine months of 2015 spent in Ithaca have been mostly delightful and also brought along some challenges. The first few months we were trying to get our footing. By we, I mean myself. Kyle already had his footing....either that or he was really good at faking it! We spent the summer falling in love with this little town and all the things it had to offer....even if it didn't have a chick-fil-a. I tried to figure out what I was to do with my time, tried to make friends, and tried to find ways to get involved here. Those things came and by November 2015 I felt like a chicken running around with it's head cut off some weeks. A unique challenge in 2015 was figuring out our Branch. It was hard when I first got here to go from a what I had always known to a small branch that functioned so differently. Let me tell you, I did my best to push my pride aside, and learned to absolutely ADORE this little branch, all the people there, and it's unique and powerful way of functioning. That is a lesson from 2015 that Kyle and I both had, individually at times, and also together and that I wouldn't trade and never want to forget. We <3 Ithaca. 

In 2015 we went to school. Kyle finished his freshman and began his sophomore year at Cornell as an Information Science Major. I started school online and completed my "sophomore" year. (But really, who knows where I actually am....) Online schooling has been a huge 2015 blessing. It allowed me to work with great flexibility, as well as, continue my education from my school while living across the country. That's amazing. Kyle has learned how to code and has started developing two iPhone apps. He tries to explain what he is doing and it goes right over my head! He has been applying to internships for this summer and we are excited to see where Summer 2016 takes us. Just yesterday he was tweaking his resume and said "Do I put languages that I will know by this summer even though I'm submitting the application now or do I leave those off?" and I said "Are you in a language class next semester?" and he said "No, computer languages." Oh, right, of course....those exist. We both love being in school and, again, feel SO BLESSED by Cornell and parents who make it all possible. 

It amazed me how the last month of the year could so completely change the way I felt about the whole year all together. On December 3, 2015 my mother passed away. After many edits of the following sentences, adequate words still seem to escape me. Suffice it to say, this event shaped 2015 dramatically. 

Some additional things we did in 2015 include trips to Seattle, Salt Lake, Mexico, and WA DC. I was able to attend the World Congress of Family which shaped my future career and life choices. Kyle worked for the Johnson School of Business and continues to play for the Cornell Basketball Team. Kyle hit a three in the GA tech game, which is worthy to be mentioned in the "things that happened in 2015" post. 

Our New Year's Eve was spent at home all day finishing the first Harry Potter book and watching the movie, followed by food and college football and more lounging. Then, Kyle, seeing my visible want to do something and change out of my pajamas, whisked us off for ice skating at 10:30 pm. 

Bring it 2016.