2012, A Year of Memories.

So as we are officially into year 2013, I figured I would give you all a recap of 2012. My top 12 favorite moments and memories from this year. So here it goes!

1. Beth's Bridal Shower
Beth and I have had this unexplainable ability to do everything in our lives at the exact same time. Getting married was no exception. In late February/Early March, I made the trip to PA to celebrate with her at her bridal shower. I had the opportunity to meet Candace (now) Fish and Alli Potter, and I must say they are some very special people that I was honored to share this time in Beth's life with. And I got to spend some time with one of my dearest and very best friends, Lydia.

2. Graduating from Regent

After 4 crazy, painful, amazing, memory filled years of college, I finally did it. I graduated from college with a BA in Theatre into a great big grown up world. I will always miss those people and the times that we shared. All the growing up that we did together. We were more than friends, we were a family, and family never really leaves your heart or your mind. They are a part of you forever. 

3. Bethany became a Franz

Beth getting married was one of the most special, emotional amazing moments of life thus far. We have been through so much together, and seeing her that happy was a truly incredible moment. I dont think any of us kept from crying as she walked down the aisle that day. She was a beautiful bride to say the least. Being the shortest bridesmaid, what else is new haha, I had the honor of walking with Cody, the shortest of the groomsmen. We had a blast joking around and laughing through the day. It was truly a highlight of my year.

4. My Bridal Shower

A day full of more love than I know what to do with. The people who came and were a part of this were so generous and blessed us so deeply. My family is truly an incredible group of people with more heart and more genuine love for me than I ever thought possible. It was a day to celebrate us. To celebrate me. And all the good that the future would hold.

5. I became a Morris

Well this is a top 12 for obvious reasons. The day that I married my best friend. And I got to share it with some of my favorite people in the entire world. That day was full of love, joy and becoming a family that only God himself could have designed. I never fully comprehended how many emotions could be crammed into one day. But it was one intense ride. Filled with joy, tears, smiles and laughter. It was the perfect wedding, give or take the fainting bridesmaid and peeing jr. groomsman.

6. Our Honeymoon

Disney was an amazing trip. It was the perfect honeymoon blend. We got to take a breath and realize that we actually got married and began a family while also getting to be big kids for a week. It made the experience that much sweeter knowing that we completely in love, living a fairy tale, in the most magical place on earth. It was an amazing week. 

7. My dance with my mom

Our actual wedding day came and went so fast, and I feel like there is so much that I missed out on that day. It was perfect, dont get me wrong, but there are a few things I would love the opportunity to go back and do again. Getting the opportunity to dance with my mom at the reception is one of them. And my mom knew that. So at our casual reception in PA, my mom made it happen. We got the opportunity to dance together, with roses in our lapels (all you Gilmore Girls fans out there will get that reference) and it is a moment I will treasure for the rest of my life. 

8. Driving to Memphis to surprise the Morris'

Being so far away from both sides of the family is particularly hard, but for this occasion, we made the distance work. Nic's Grandma Vernita was turning 87 this year and they were throwing her a huge surprise party at Uncle Mike and Aunt Vickie's house in Germantown, TN. Nic had one vacation day left for this year, and we knew thats where it needed to be spent. So we packed up the car and drove the 15 hours through the night to spend the special birthday with some very special people. The looks on everyone's faces as we surprised them all was priceless. It is a memory held so near and dear to our hearts. 

9. The Marine Corps Birthday Ball

Last year the ball was nothing more than an overpriced, bad date. So I didnt go into it with too high of expectations this year. But to our pleasant surprise, it was a pretty amazing night. The presentation was beautiful, and it was extra special because this year I had the honor of standing with the military spouses when they were recognized for their service as well. That was a pretty sweet moment for me. Aside from that, the food was better, the cake was good, and seeing 4 pretty drunk Marines doing the Gangam style dance made for an amazing evening. 

10. Going home for Thanksgiving

This year going home was especially sweet because it was the first time we had seen my family since our causal reception in August and was the longest I had gone without seeing my family, well, ever. So it was more than just excitement about going home for the holidays, it was seeing the people I love more than anyone else in the world. We ate more than we should have, loved on one another, decorated my parents house for Christmas, and just had an all around amazing holiday.

11. Our first married Christmas

Our first married Christmas was pretty special. From the decorating (our first married tree was pretty epic, if I do say so myself), to the shopping, to the actual holiday, it was just all so very special to us. We spent the holiday with my parents this year, and it was so special to me to get to include Nic in all of our holiday traditions. Christmas Eve at Pap's house, reading the Christmas story next to the tree before we go to bed, jumping on my parents to wake them up, opening gifts, watching the parade. It was just as perfect as it could have been getting to share this with him this year. 

12. New Year's with the Morris' 

This year we spent the new year with the Morris' in Bluffton, SC. It was a lovely trip filled with lots of laughter, sight seeing and new memories. We toured Old Town Bluffton, Palmeto Bluff where the rich and famous live, and we toured Savannah, GA on New Year's Eve. We rang in the new year with Sparkling Cider, kisses with our significant others, Facetime with my family (which made my first year separated from them so much easier, so thank you God for technology) and board games into the wee hours of the morning. It was a great trip. It was so good to not be there for any particular reason other than to see them. It really meant a lot to all of us to have those cherished memories together. 

And that was the gist of our 2012. There are so many more memories that I could talk for days about, but these are the ones that stick out the biggest in my mind. This was the best year I have ever had and I honestly cannot think of one that will top it, but I know that 2013 holds big things for our family. We do not know exactly what that will look like or how this year will pan out, but I know that the first week of January in 2014 will tell the same story. It will be a year of new beginnings looking back on our biggest and best year yet. 

So thank you to all of you who are a part of our story, and have helped to shape this year into what it was for us. We cherish each and every one of you and we are looking forward to what the new year holds. We love you all. 

Here's to the best one yet.

Until next time...

Oh Holy Night...

Oh Holy Night has been my favorite Christmas carol for as long as I can remember. Its just one of those songs that truly makes you stop and think about what is happening and why we are celebrating this holiday. Last night as my family sat by the tree and read the same story of Christmas from the same children's book we have been reading from my entire life, my brother said something that really made me think for a moment. We had reached the part of the story where the wise mean and the shepherds made their way into the stable to greet the king that would save us all from our sins. My brother made the comment, "Wouldn't it have been an incredible experience to actually have been there that night?" Incredible doesnt say enough. Humbling is a better word. To know that you were in the presence of the king of kings. The baby that would become the man that would save you. To experience glory in the realest and most sincere form. I couldnt even imagine the immense joy that filled that stable that night. To hold that child, and to know that he would be my savior... Holy Night is an understatement.

This year, Nic and I celebrated our first married Christmas together. This has been a year of changing and molding and shaping us to become who it is that we are going to be. It has been a lot of change. Graduating, marriage, new jobs, making a non-dorm related move to Virginia Beach. Its been more than both of us can handle at times. But as we bring this year to a close, and look on to 2013 and all that this year will hold for us, I have a new excitement in my heart and spirit. I know that big things are coming for us. So there is much prayer going into this new year. Much prayer and anticipation for what God is going to do in us. And where he is going to be taking us. For the first time in a long time, I have a this uncontainable excitement for where we are going and I cannot wait to see how God unfolds our future.

So Christmas has come and gone, quicker than most any of us would like, and we are waiting out this crazy snowstorm so that we can make our way back to VA Beach safely and in one piece. We will most likely get there sometime Thursday with just enough time to do laundry repack and await Nic's return from work on Friday to make the drive to Bluffton to spend time with the Morris side of the family and to celebrate the New Year with them. Im really looking forward to starting new traditions and making memories to last a lifetime.

So Merry Christmas to everyone out there who has taken a moment to love us this holiday season. To our family and friends. To those of you who are a part of our story. We love you all so much and we are honored that you have chosen to be a part of our lives. We are grateful for who you all are to us.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

Until next time....

I only hope we never return to sleep.

Everyone everywhere is talking about the tragedy that occurred this weekend in Newtown, Connecticut. People are all speculating about how something this horrific could possibly happen. Gun control is the answer. Taking God out of schools is the reason. Sometimes bad things happen to good people is the logic. But for me, none of these speculations are good enough. None of them make this make anymore sense than it did before. Now, Im not writing about this particular topic because I want to weigh in my opinion, because honestly, the reason why died along with the shooter that day. I am writing because years from now when I look back on all the things that I have written, and I look at the life I was living over these years, I want to remember this event. Because whether or not we want to admit it, this event is now a part of our history. It is a part of who we are as people, and as a nation.

On Friday afternoon, I was creeping on Facebook, as is included in my daily routine at least once, I started seeing all of the Facebook updates about the tragic shooting at an elementary school. My heart sank at the thought of it, so I began googling the topic and the news was true. 20 babies and 6 teachers had been tragically killed at a primary school outside of Hartford, Connecticut. My eyes welled up with tears and I decided to get out of the house to wrap my head around it. I called my mom who hadnt heard about it yet and we cried together at the events that had occurred. My mom and I both work with children on a daily basis, her being a preschool teacher/daycare owner and my being a dance teacher. We both teach kids the same age as these precious children that lost their lives that day and I said to my mom, "Who shoots a kid? Who could find it inside of them to pull the trigger on a terrified, little kid?" I just cried. For the pain that those parents must have felt, for the shock that they have to live with, for the kids who saw their friends die that day, for the parent that has to explain to their 6 year old why someone did this. "All they did was send their kid to school that morning. They don't deserve that." My heart ached.

That night I went to dress rehearsal for my company's Christmas show and it just happened that the girls would be performing at an elementary school for their annual breakfast with Santa. Walking into that school that night was an erie feeling. It honestly made me a little claustrophobic. One of the other teachers arrived to numerous hugs and when I had the chance to talk to her, I learned that she is from a town just outside of Newtown and that this tragedy hit more than close to home for her. One of their family friends lost a child that day. My heart sank even more at that moment. All of my students came running up to me freaking out over slipping on the stage and their hair not being pinned just right and they had no idea what had happened that day. But I knew and I hugged all of them just a little bit tighter that night as I pinned their hair and hairsprayed their tap shoes to prevent them from slipping. Every little face is a memory for me. Every one of them is a piece of my story. Because I never know how many more tomorrow's I will have with those children.

This situation hit me harder than most do, but honestly I don't think any of us will ever be able to make sense of it. God didnt cause this to happen. He was there through all of it. He held each one of those baby's hands as he led them into eternity with him. He hugged those teachers and thanked them for protecting his children, and his hand was on every family that lost someone that day. My husband and I talked about it over dinner this weekend and he made an amazing point when he said that we are all born into sin. When Adam and Eve hid from God in the garden, they opened the door for tragedy to happen and bad things to happen to good people. We are all human, and by nature we fall short. That man was not in his right mind when he made those choices and killed those innocent people, and those people were not deserving of death, but because we are human, death is a part of life. It happens even when we dont deserve it to. God didnt cause it, its just in our nature.

Bad things happen. And they hurt all of us. No parent ever deserves to lose a child. So we as a nation mourn with those parents. But it is not our job to try and figure out why it happened. It is our job to be the nation that we were created to be and to stand up for those families. To help them through this time in their lives and to remember what we were founded on. This tragedy serves as a wake up call to America. One that is calling us to move forward as a nation and to be the land that we were created to be. One that stands together in the face of tragedy. One that has each other's backs. One that can depend on a neighbor or a stranger in a time of tragedy or need. 

In light of the Christmas season, I pray that on Christmas morning as we are surrounded by our loved ones and for many of us, our children, that we think of those families in Newtown, Connecticut whose family is a little smaller that morning. The ones who are mourning the loss of a child who was taken before their time. And I pray that as a nation, we see the need for a return to our roots. To the God that our nation was founded on. That we stop killing each other. That we stop tearing each other down. That we will truly wake up and see what we as a nation have created and turn the other way. And I can only hope, that as a nation, we never return to sleep. 

Until next time...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

So we are only two weeks away from Christmas and things have been busy to say the least. Between working, Christmas shopping, getting ready for the insanity that is traveling for the holidays this year, and attempting to see the people that we love here before we head out to spend Christmas and New Years with our families, there hasnt been much time to breathe let alone keep you all update about the goings on in the Morris house. So I figured I would take this semi-not busy hour I have before the showering and getting ready for work must begin, to catch the world up.

Since getting back from Thanksgiving in PA, we have been Christmasing it up hardcore. We decorated the tree before we left for Thanksgiving break so that we could come home to the festiveness of it. But since then, we have decorated the outside of the apartment, as well as adding quite a few nice, very us touches to the inside. I will post pictures of the festiveness later this week. I havent had a chance to take any yet, and our living room is currently an explosion of Christmas cards and address lists, so once those get cleaned up and in the mail, we will make it a point to take some pictures and show you all how awesome our first married Christmas looks. Aside from decorating, we have been having Christmas themed date nights. Pancakes and the Polar Express was my favorite by far. That movie is just so stinkin magical. We have also done dinner out and Christmas shopping. That was super cute. But two of my favorites have definitely been the make shift Pancake Feast and Christmas brunch with the Arends. The office that I used to work for at Regent hosted the Pancake Feast every year, and since that isnt under that offices list of responsibilities anymore, we decided to host our own at Nic and I's. We made pancakes, played with playdough, had a cocoa bar, and colored for about 4 hours straight haha. It was so much fun to see everyone and to catch up. It had been far too long since all of us were together and it can never be that long again. On Sunday afternoon we had Christmas brunch with the Arends. They came over and we made waffles and peppermint cookies and they brought some super festive cupcakes and we just talked and laughed for a good 4 hours as well. It was a very eventful weekend in the Morris house. Last weekend we had Nic's Marine Corps Christmas Party at Busch Gardens, and my work Christmas party and Lisa's. All in the same day. That was a marathon day, but I conquered. And it was an overall amazing day.

Aside from the business of the holiday season, we have been praying about some life decisions and trying to learn what it truly means to seek God as a married couple. Marriage is such a different way of living. I can't afford to be selfish and thats new. I know that you are never supposed to be selfish, but hey, Im human. And I can be just as selfish as the next person. But in marriage, you no longer have that option. Making sure that Nic is happy comes before my own happiness. And making sure that we are both content and in God's will is now a joint effort. Not one person making life choices and the other having the option whether or not to follow. Nic always says that we are a team. No one is for or against the other. We work together and thats how we are successful. We figure out the finances together. We talk about our future together. We decide what is best for us, together. And it makes for a very happy home. Granted, we are human, and we fight over stupid stuff from time to time, but even amongst that, our home is filled with more love than I could have ever imagined. Even when I am here by myself, I find myself hearing the laughter from the moments that we have together. Moments of just being best friends doing life together. Our life is full of colored moments. Moments that are shaping and preparing us for tomorrow and its more of an adventure than I could have ever hoped for.

In other news, our Christmas card pictures were beyond fantastic and I really am excited to send them out. And the fact that we only spent $13 on printing them makes me even more excited. Enjoy a few pictures that didnt make the card this year, but I still love regardless.

Ash took some pretty legit pictures for us this year. Im super excited about sending out our cards. Choosing just a few pictures was not an easy task, but thats the upside to having a blog. I still get to show you the ones I like :)

So next Friday we are heading up to PA to spend the weekend and Christmas with my family, and then driving back down early Wednesday morning, getting here sometime in the afternoon, spending thursday doing laundry and repacking, and leaving Friday to head to South Carolina to spend the weekend and New Years with the Morris side of the family. To say it will be a busy week is an understatement but I am genuinely looking forward to it. Getting to spend time with both families without the stress of planning a wedding or seeing them because of a show, or graduation or anything else busy and time consuming will be really nice. Just some free relaxing time with everyone to celebrate this time of year that is meant to be filled with love and joy means everything to me. I really can't wait. 

Well I must now get ready for work and be on my way to teach the munchkins how to point there toes, so I hope you have enjoyed this Morris Moment. Until next time...

A little bit of everything.

Yesterday marked 4 months of marriage. Oh geeze how things have changed in 4 months. We decorated for Christmas recently. Everything looks super festive. Our tree. Our stockings. We even have some lights outside which is really festive. I love Christmas time. There is just something so magical about this time of year. The lights seem to just kind of take over everything. Its kind of sorta amazing.

Aside from Christmas, we have just been figuring out life. Finances, marriage, how to keep track of it all. Its not an easy task. But we are getting there. The biggest thing Ive realized is that I don't know anything. Life can't really be figured out. Its not a game or some kind of logic. You live and you learn. Slowly and steadily. You learn that you never truly know what you are doing. Life is about learning to be who you are. Its about becoming who you are. Its about learning to be a better person that you are today. Its about living life to the fullest.

And today I leave you with a sneak peak of our Christmas card pictures taken by the lovely Ash Arends at Ash Arends Photography. Our cards are going to be amazing :)

I hope you have enjoyed this slightly random, kind of off the wall Morris Moment. Until next time. 

So much to be thankful for...

So the trend on Facebook yesterday was making lists of things that you are thankful for. And I have to admit that I kind of like the idea. So here is what I am thankful for this year, in no particular order.

1. The fact that I am alive to celebrate this holiday. I am breathing fresh air, I am sitting here surrounded by family and amazing food. It is truly a privilege to be alive.

2. My husband. I could not have asked for someone better to spend this life with.

3. My family. I wouldn't be who I am without them.

4. My education. Not just what I learned, but the experiences I had while I was there. I wouldn't trade those people or those memories for anything in the world.

5. Skype. And its amazing ability to keep me connected with the people that I love so dearly. Especially today.

6. Christmas Music. Enough said.

7. My grandpa's homemade cheesecake. There's nothing like it.

8. My artistic ability. Being able to express myself the way that I can truly helps me to be a better person and I will always be thankful for that.

9. My teachers. Past. Present. and Future. The way that you all have shaped my life is irreplaceable.

10. Fruit Snacks. Thats all.

11. Traditions. Old and New.

12. My wedding pictures. Those memories can never be replaced.

13. My sisters. I've always wanted a sister. Now I have three. How could I ask for more?

14. Friends. Each of their beautiful faces will forever stay in my mind.

15. Cold weather. Hats and scarves.

16. The first snow fall of the year. There's just something so magical about it.

17. The Gilmore Girls. My little piece of home while Im away.

18. Falling asleep to the sound of rain.

19. Sharing everything with Nic.

20. Music. And its ability to say the things that I can't.

21. History. All that it has taught us and all that it will repeat in the future.

22. Hearing I love you. My heart melts every time.

23. Christmas. All things Christmas.

24. The mall at Christmas time. There's nothing like shopping at Christmas.

25. Elf. Its not Christmas without it.

26. Hot Cocoa and all that comes with it.

27. A beautiful home to live in. Its more than I could have ever asked for.

28. Technology and its ability to keep me connected to everyone that I love so much.

29. Pictures. There are so many memories that I would never want to lose and pictures hold those memories close forever.

30. Rainbows and the promise they hold.

31. My job. Frustrating as it can be, Im thankful for it.

32. The sound the jelly jar makes when its opened for the first time.

33. Quality time with the people that I love.

34. Chapstick.

35. Overly soft pillows and the way they seem to hug your head.

36. Hearing Nic sing when he thinks no one is listening.

37. Finding Nemo.

38. Having faith to believe that better days are ahead.

39. Winter hats.

40. Laughter. Its freeing.

41. Baby feet. Weird as it sounds... they are the cutest thing in the world.

42. Butterflies. There is freedom in their movement.

43. Traveling. New places. Meeting new faces.

44. Long walks.

45. Talking about things that matter.

46. Lace. Its intricate beauty.

47. The way that water moves.

48. Watching the stars.

49. The sound of saying hello for the first time.

50. The fact that Jesus loved me enough to save me, when I don't deserve it.

Thats my top 50. There are so many more I could list. But this time of year always makes me think of what is important in life. Being close to the ones we love, because we aren't sure how many more tomorrow's we will have. This is truly the most wonderful time of the year.

I hope you have enjoyed this Morris Moment... until next time.

Let the Holidays Begin.

So the last few weeks have been eventful in the Morris house. Getting ready for the holidays. Celebrating fall. Marine Corps stuff. Its been eventful to say the least. So I shall now summarize the last few weeks in as few words as possible. But with me... there's no short version. So here goes...

To start off, we had a costume party at the Morris casa. The first of the parties to be thrown here. And it went splendidly... if I do say so myself. Games... good food... lots of talking. And our costumes were pretty freaking fantastic. Here's the story of how the nerds came to be. Nic and I are newly married. Therefore, there is not an over abundance of money at the end of the month. So we were searching for something cheap and reasonable to make. We went to Qdoba for dinner that night and searched pinterest on my phone for an idea. Lots of dumb ones led to this one. And it only cost us about $15 to make in its entirety. We spent all night working on it. And when I say all night... I mean all night. We went to bed around 4:45am. But it was so worth it. The final product is displayed below :)

Next big thing in the Morris household was shopping for Christmas decorations. We were super smart and we saved some of our gift cards from my bridal shower, so Christmas in its entirety only cost us $15 of our own money. Which was amazing. We bought tons of ornaments and we got the cutest stockings. Im so freaking excited. The pictures of the fantasticness of Christmas in the Morris house will appear post Thanksgiving when they take their place around the house. 

The Marine Corps Ball. Freaking fantastic this year. Which was a pleasant surprise. Last year, we left by 8:30, rented a movie and spent the night eating junk food in front of the tv. This year we got all dolled up, went on a mad dash to base to get one last uniform item that I am pretty sure the tailor failed to replace, an awkward non drinking cocktail hour haha, and then a pretty awesome presentation and dinner. The guest speaker spent quite a bit of time talking about the sacrifice that military families make and it was really interesting to think about. Everyone thinks about the sacrifices that the military men and woman make. But the sacrifice that the families make it is just as great. I teach so many little girls at work that their dads are gone for  a year or more at a time And they put on the prettiest little smiles but it is so obvious that it is killing them inside. A little piece of their heart is missing. After the presentation, we got to eat a dinner that was significantly better than last year and then I got to enjoy several drunk Marines doing the Gangum style dance for the whole world to see. Highlight of my night. Nic and I left out earlier than most, but significantly later than last year, avoiding the drunken Marines driving to their next location, and came home and enjoyed some of our shows on Netflix. Overall it was a pretty great night :)

So thats the latest happenings in the Morris house. Getting ready for the drive to PA next week for Thanksgiving with the Cyprowski/Meny clan. I cant wait to see everyone. This will be my first time home since our casual reception in August so to say that I am looking forward to it would be an understatement.

I hope you have enjoyed this Morris Moment. Until next time...