One year...

So last year, on Easter weekend, Kev and I were moving our things into our new house (with lots of help from our parents because I was at school, thank-you!). We were so very excited and nervous about all the changes this new house brought to our lives. We woke up the first morning to a horrible noise, that we soon figured out was going to be an annoying problem, a woodpecker. 

                                                  Our little woodpecker friend showed up EVERYDAY at 6:30 on the dot, to give us a nice loud wake-up call. We tried everything we could think of to free ourselves from this new friend of ours who had probably really enjoyed this house for the year that it sat empty. And we finally resorted to borrowing a little boys bee-bee gun to shoot him. Don't worry, this never happened, seeing how Kev has never really shot a gun and would run out in his underwear, half asleep, and lean on the pillars to even hold himself up before shooting. A lot of things got shot that week, like our house, our trees, but not our woodpecker.  Then one day he just left. We woke up on our own, afraid to move for a second and then both smiled ear to ear... We were free!!!!

Our castle rum cake for the housewarming party! It was as good to eat as it was cute!!! 

The flag says "Casa di O'Neil", Thanks Bonnie!

Our beautiful new kitchen and the creator of that cake!

Now, a year later, you would not believe what I was woken up by today... THE WOODPECKER!!!!!!!!!! I almost had to smile about the way he came back on the same weekend we started this journey last year. It brought back all the memories of this house being new, and amazing to us that it was actually ours, now it's just our normal house that we are just used to living in. It also is so hard to believe that was a year ago now! 

Oh how things change in a year. To think I was still taking 18 credits, working, and student teaching last year at this time. This year I get paid to teach, go to Zumba classes twice a week and am starting a cake decorating class next Tuesday. I think I like where I am now just slightly better. :) Kev was just embarking on becoming a landlord, which we were both so nervous about, but we really lucked out there and found amazing renters who love our house and keep it up like it is their own. Kev has only had to go work on something there maybe 4 times in a year. We are SO thankful for Mary and Gina! I guess not all that much else has changed for him in a year though, still at good ol station 25 with a bunch of fun loving guys who he enjoys getting to spend 24 hours with every third day, still working his tail off in his time off either in our yard or with his dad, still spends every extra second he has with Rahja and Nala and sometimes they even invite me to tag along :) He also is a master beer brewer now a days. 

What an amazing year it has been in this place we call home. We are so lucky at our age to have the things we have and I know it is all Kevin's hard work that has gotten us through this scary year where I didn't get paid anything to go to work everyday! Thank you babe for the life you have given the girls and me!!! Oh, and borrow that gun again, we are going to need it ;)