5 Years in the Making

If you had asked me five years ago where I would be today, I would tell you that I had no idea. Truth is, five years ago today, my life changed in a way I never saw coming.

At the age of 18, I was finding who I was outside of high school. I was searching for what I really wanted out of life…and I knew that included a bigger and happier future than the one I was heading toward at the time.

So that’s when it happened.

Henry came into my life like a sunny blue sky after a hurricane. Five years ago today, we went on our first date. I wasn’t even sure if it was a date at first. We had gone months without any contact after he left for university…was this a friendly hangout where we just catch up…was it a date??? I consider it a date looking back now (he did pay for dinner after all) but I wouldn’t realize the true scope of how my life was about to change until later.

I remember his face when he walked in to pick me up from work that night. It was bright red. He was nervous and excited and I had never seen him smile like that before. I remember laughing so hard the entire time at dinner that I had blisters on the inside of my cheeks from my braces. I remember him trying to make me laugh by driving me off-road in his little beat-up Subaru Legacy that would honk whenever he hit a bump in the dirt. I remember sheer happiness and excitement and a lot of feelings I hadn’t felt in quite some time.

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I haven’t stopped smiling when it comes to Henry since that night. In our half a decade together, we have fallen in love, gotten engaged, moved into our first apartment, adopted our dog Hannah, got married, moved into our second apartment, Henry graduated college, Henry started his career, bought a house, I graduated college, adopted our dog Maggie, and now I’m starting my career.

We have created a life that I would not change for anything. Even when things were tough, we got through it by holding onto one another and giving each other all the love and support we could offer.

So here’s to you, my amazing, wonderful, handsome, hard-working husband. I love you and I thank you for changing my life 5 years ago. You’re a pretty cool guy.

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Life Lately

It’s been awhile since I’ve written much about what is going on in my life. To be honest, I haven’t had much time to do much of anything extra lately. School is in full force, with two tests down and about nine to go for the rest of the semester. So far I’ve submitted about 20 assignments, and I’ve lost my mind only about three times. There’s a career fair coming up where I could potentially find a job for after graduation, there’s networking events, there’s clubs I’m participating in, there’s a whole lot. I hardly even have time to rock climb anymore, but you can bet I try my best to find some time and energy to go every now and then!

I recently became an officer for a club on campus called the Management and Human Resources Association, where I will be in charge of keeping records of attendance and helping out the other officers. I am excited to work alongside my friend Paulina, who is the MHRA president this semester. The club is a great opportunity to learn more about HR, and meet professionals who work in the field. Plus, who doesn’t love having something extra to add to their resume?

There have been so many exciting announcements that have happened in my family lately. Between new babies and new engagements, I am so excited for what next year will bring! I want to say congratulations to both my sister Kadie and my cousin Donna on their new bundles of joy. I can’t wait to do some shopping and buy some cute baby stuff for the new family members.

Also really exciting? My big brother is getting married! He has officially asked Henry and I to stand up there with him on his side as a couple of his Groomsmen. I am so excited to be a part of my brother’s big day, and I am excited to welcome his fiance Christin to our family!

Now I’m off to work after finishing my stats class and getting a new professional headshot done. I hope all of you are having a great week! Let me know what you’ve all been up to in the comments, and be sure to follow for future posts!

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A Day At The Beach!

It was some sort of miracle that we all had the day off today! I texted our friends about going to Tahoe for a beach day and everyone was able to go. I was so excited! Our schedules have been so busy we haven’t been able to go at all this summer.

We took a trip to the supermarket the night before to stock up on beer and snacks to bring with us. Standing in the beer aisle for 20 minutes as a couple of the guys debated on what type of beer to buy (and they say that women are indecisive…) we ended up buying a few different types to make everyone happy.  Our friends also wanted to purchase some floating tubes so we could float out on the lake.  Apparently, once the back to school section hits the store, it is very hard to find a floating tube. The choices consisted of one person tubes that were $40, and a rectangular floater that is meant to put your cooler on for $4. One friend opted for the fancy tube, and our other friend decided to buy the $4 one to float in and take his chances (honestly, it worked perfectly for $4!)

We left Reno about 9 a.m., thinking that getting to the beach around 10 would be perfect. As it turns out the early bird catches the worm when it comes to space on the beach, so we had to drive for an extra 45 minutes just trying to find a parking spot where we could hike down to the water! We found some space to park our cars near Kings Beach. When we got to the beach, we were able to find a patch of sand to set up camp for the day. We started with some lunch and snacks (Shout out to Andrew for being the real MVP of the day and bringing along some amazing Hershey’s products!!). After we were no longer hangry, we blew up all of our floating tubes and hit the water! We tied all of our tubes together and hung out on the lake until we started to get sunburn. It was so much fun.

I am so happy I was able to spend some great quality time together with some wonderful friends. I bid you farewell for the night, I hope you also had a wonderful Sunday!

Comment your favorite beach memory, and be sure to follow for future posts!

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Dear Long Lost Friend

Dear Long Lost Friend,

Hi, how are you? I know it’s been awhile and I’m sorry it’s been so long. To be honest…I really miss you. I miss hanging out with you and laughing at stupid things. I miss our inside jokes and our way of just understanding each other when no one else around us could. Most of all, I miss our friendship.

There wasn’t a specific reason we stopped talking, we just grew apart. Life happens, right? I am so busy all the time with work and school and everything that happens in this crazy life… and I know I put our friendship on hold to pursue those things. I am sorry that I did not make time for you.

I know I haven’t reached out, and I’m sure you have reasons why you haven’t either. Weeks of not catching up turned into months, which turned into years. At this point it is so much easier to just let each other be rather than reaching out and trying to find something in common again. But I want you to know I still care. I see you on social media living your best life, finding true love, finding your dream job, finding happiness. And even though I am no longer part of that equation for you, I am so happy you are thriving.

I really do wish you well. I hope you are following your dreams and doing the things that you’ve always wanted to do. I am watching from afar…cheering for you during your accomplishments and happy for you when you reach new achievements. You deserve the best life possible. And even if we never get the chance to catch up, I hope you know you are always in my heart and I will always consider you a friend.

Love,

Amber

 

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The Story of My White Pants

Today I tried on my white pants.

They are pants that I don’t normally wear because I am so worried that I will drop food on them and have a stain, or I’ll sit on something and have a stain…or worse…what if I were to fart and have a stain?? So, I never wear them. As I was going through my clothes, I saw them sitting there in the bottom of my drawer and thought “I’m a big girl, I should just try to wear them today.” I haven’t had any taco bell lately, no big deal.

I pulled them out, and looked at the size. “Well, hopefully they fit!” I thought to myself. So I put my leg in…a little tight. Second leg…and as I was jumping around like a maniac trying to get these darn white pants on, I was very glad that I was home alone so Henry didn’t have to be witness to this circus (how embarrassing). And guess what?

They didn’t fit.

You see, I bought these pants years ago when I was at a very different stage in my life. I was unhappy, way too thin, and not very confident in my skin. These stupid white jeans, while currently stain free…represent so many metaphorical stains on my life that I have bleached out. I removed the jeans (by way of force because I was slightly stuck) and the most beautiful thing happened to me. They didn’t fit…and I didn’t care.

I didn’t care that I’ve gained 20 pounds since buying them. I didn’t care that my stomach fat sprung out when I tried to button them. I just thought, “oh well!” I’ve become so comfortable with my body image that it didn’t matter how my body has changed since high school. I’ve learned to love myself the way I am. Of course I will continue to work toward a healthier and more muscular self…but for now, I will donate my white pants to someone who isn’t afraid to eat taco bell in them.

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The Struggle Was Real…

That time we played the Lottery and won $2!

Henry and I have both always been very like-minded individuals who strive for perfection with everything we do. I think that’s why our marriage has worked so well…because we refuse to give anything less than 100% to our relationship (okay…maybe like 90% on days we are a bit moody). But nonetheless we work hard for everything we have, and I try not to take any of it for granted.

Being a Computer-Science and Engineering major, Henry had to be very devoted to his studies. Sometimes our date nights would consist of eating dinner at McDonald’s, and then going home and studying. He would write out these study guides that were an average of 20 pages (front and back), and he would ask me to read the header of each section so he could then recite every single piece of information that he had written under it by memory…it was really quite impressive. It was really hard to be interested when I didn’t know what the heck most of it meant, but I participated anyway because he asked me to. We were always each other’s biggest support system when it came to getting through school.

Other times, after crying that my bank account was not attractive, we would cook chili mac together and watch Netflix and that was our date night. If you haven’t heard of chili mac, you take macaroni & cheese and you mix it with chili. We enjoy it with hot sauce and sour cream (it sounded gross to me too but don’t knock it until you try it, plus it’s only $2 to feed two people so very budget friendly). We both worked as much as we could handle while also going to school full-time in order to pay our bills, and sometimes we had to make sacrifices to keep ourselves afloat.

A scavenger hunt Henry set up for me on Valentine’s Day

Even though there were struggles and hard times, we always tried to go out of the way to make it not seem so bad. I remember surprising Henry with a sticky note scavenger hunt where the end prize was a candy bar. It wasn’t a huge thing, but the gesture made him happy (plus, scavenger hunts are super fun!) Sometimes Henry would make a nice candlelit dinner, clean the house, and put on some ambiance music so that we could have a date at home when I got off of work. The things we would do to get through weren’t big, but they meant everything. (Here’s some cheap date ideas)

We have entered into a new phase of life, with college ending and our careers beginning. There will be different struggles that will come up, and the struggles we have experienced in the past will become memories. Luckily, I know that no matter what life throws our way…Henry and I will always strive to give whatever it is 100%, and we will get through it together.

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The Skepticism of Marrying Young

Photo taken by Alex Knudson Photography

There seems to be a lot of skepticism that comes along with being married at a young age. When I got engaged at 19, I remember being so excited and telling everyone I knew about it. There were people who seemed genuinely excited for me, and people who said things like “you’re making a mistake, you should travel the world first”. That statement always makes me laugh because it is the one I hear the most often when people are judging me for being a 21 year old bride. But honestly, why can’t I travel the world with my best friend at my side? I don’t even like going to the grocery store without him, why would I want to go to another country without him?

You see, there’s not really a rule book for the exact age it is socially acceptable for an adult to get married. Have you ever read stories about people who married young and are now celebrating their 80th marriage? Well, I want that to be me and Henry, and I really believe it will be. Marrying Henry is one of the best choices I ever made in my life. He is my best friend for so many reasons. He always encourages me to reach my full potential, he always supports the decisions I make (even when they might seem crazy), he listens to my concerns, fears, long stories, and rants, and most of all…he tells me he loves me every single day, even when I’m not being very lovable.

When I married Henry, I knew there would be skepticism from people who don’t know us good enough. But at the end of the day, that doesn’t matter. When we went into this marriage, we knew it wouldn’t be sunshine and rainbows every day. Marriage is work, no matter how old you are. We are committed to one another, we never go to bed upset with each other, and we communicate constantly. Some days are really amazing, and some days are really hard. But how boring would life be if it was easy every single day?

Snorkeling in Hawaii

For the people who don’t believe in young marriages lasting, I understand that not everyone is ready to get married earlier in their life. People have different things they are ready for earlier and things they are ready for a little later. Like I have explained in my post First Comes Love, I was ready for marriage young, but I am not ready for children yet. Some people are opposite. And that is okay.

At the end of the day, Henry and I made the choice that was right for us. Being married has been the most wonderful experience of my life. We get to grow up together and experience all of life’s trials together, which is amazing. My advice for couples who are getting married young would be to be true to your heart. If you believe your marriage is the right choice, you have to follow what you want. No one else should make that decision for you.

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An Open Letter To My Little Sister

To my beautiful 16 year old sister,

As you’re reading this, I am sure you have locked yourself in your room away from the craziness of the house because our brother is being annoying and you “literally can’t even” with mom. I was there at your age too, believe me.

It seems so heartbreaking when your friend says something mean about you, or when that guy you thought liked you…actually likes your friend. I’ve been there, it sucks. You’re in a stage of finding yourself and figuring out who you want to be while also dealing with peer influences and drama. I can’t even tell you how many Sarah Dessen books I read while crying thinking “this is my life, right here”. That stage of life is not one I would go back to, that’s for sure.

I’m here to tell you that life gets better. After you push through the rest of high school and you are able to make your own choices about life…it gets better. The things that seem so important right now will be distant memories that you won’t believe you even cared about five years from now. That guy that was your boyfriend who lied to you will become only a memory. That girl that said something bad about you will become the girl you look at later in life and think “wow, I remember her being a [insert current slang word for horrible person here]”. And that will be all you think about her, because you will have so many other beautiful things in your life that drown out the memories of high school past.

You will come to realize that mom was right about a lot of things, your siblings are the most important to you, and that life is too short to not eat that ice cream. You will look back at the pictures of yourself from that stage and think “wow why did I wear that” and “dang, my legs looked fantastic in those shorts…why did I think they didn’t?” But I understand that right now you probably think this is all nonsense, and that is okay.

You are so smart and beautiful and I know you are going to do so many great things with your life. And even though I have moved out of the house and it may seem like I am a million miles away sometimes (at least to me), I want you to know I am always here. I love you sis.

Love,

Amber

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First Comes Love…

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes graduating college and gaining financial stability. Not what you were expecting? Apparently, most people expect that baby to come next…at least that’s how it seems since I am asked on a daily basis when Henry and I are going to start having kids. Let me start off by saying: Yes, we do want kids someday. No, we do not want them right now.

I love babies. I love holding babies, playing with babies, watching babies grow…I think people who are my age and have children are superheroes to be honest (speaking of superheroes, this mom is amazing!). My mom had both my brother and me when she was 23, and being 23 right now I don’t know how she did it! But I do not want to have children for at least a few more years.

Not only do I still have six months of school left, but I feel like I am still blossoming as a person. Henry and I have this amazing relationship where we are growing up, experiencing life, and growing our social circles together. We are so happy with the life we have right now, so I don’t think it’s a bad thing to put off having kids until we are ready to settle down a bit more.

Here’s our plan: I graduate college in December, I get a full-time job, we save up for a year or two, we buy a house, maybe travel a little bit, THEN maybe we will think about creating little babies. Don’t get me wrong, I would be overjoyed if we were to be blessed with a surprise before we decided we were ready. But holy cow…if I go to one more barbecue where someone implies that my biological clock is running out of time, I might just pull my hair out!

So, if you see me and I am missing a chunk of my hair…you know why!

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Change Can Be Challenging

I can’t remember the last time I have had so much change happening at one time. I had been struggling for a while about if I wanted to change jobs. I had been at my previous job for just under three years, and with graduation so close it didn’t seem like it would be the best time to switch to a different company. But to be completely honest, I knew I was at the point where it was what I had to do. So, I went ahead and applied to Loft. I got an interview, and was hired within a week or two.

My husband Henry ended up starting his new job the day after I started mine. It was so overwhelming and stressful having both of us switching companies. Luckily, we are both very happy so far in our new roles. I have been catching on very quickly to the daily responsibilities and I even won two gift cards for hitting and doubling my weekly goal this week! I am very thankful that both Henry and I are thriving in our new roles.

To add to the changes in my life, my car Ruby (my family has a fun tradition of naming all of our cars) decided to die. Henry and I had talked about getting a new car for me eventually…but we were hoping we would be a bit more settled in before having to do so. But that’s life, right? We went on a frantic hunt to try and find a new car that was in our price range and would last us for at least a few years. We went to three or four different car dealerships before we found the perfect one! A 2015 Subaru Impreza Sport. We took it for a test drive and Henry knew by the look on my face that it was the one I would be getting. I decided to name it Shania after the wonderful Shania Twain’s “That Don’t Impress Me Much” (That Don’t Impreza Me Much…get it?)

Though the changes are very positive, they can be stressful. I am so happy to have my husband by my side through all the different stages of our lives as we learn and grow together.