introduction: i'm new at this

Well this is my first attempt at a blog. I'm sure it will take me time to get it all figured out, but I thought it would be a great way to share what is going on in our new life. Also, as the years progress, I know these special memories will not be as vivid. This will be a great way for Clay and I to look back and remember this time (and other special times) in our life. This might be a long post, but I am going to give a brief recap of our 2012-2013 year.

The past year has been a whirlwind...I had to be thousands of miles away from my favorite person & best friend for most of the year. Clay moved to Virginia towards the end of June (2012) after graduating from Purdue in May. He got a job with Sumitomo and began training in sales. We had an eventful year full of many ups and downs. It was full of many joyful visits and tearful "see you laters." It is an experience I don't care to go through again, but am grateful for. I learned so much about the two of us, as well as myself.

One of the greatest things that happened through this time apart was a proposal! After 6.5 years together, Clay proposed on September 7, 2012 after a wonderful dinner at the Eagle's Nest in Indianapolis. He had a horse carriage ride planned, but the huge storm that rolled in that night changed our plans. We still walked to Monument Circle in the rain where Clay got down on one knee and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. I accepted and we went back to our beautiful hotel, the Marriott, to dry off. We spent the next day at the Indy Zoo and outlet malls. It was perfect. This engagement brought forth a wonderful distraction from our distance...wedding planning! :) I spent the next 9 months, along with my mom and (at the time) mother-in-law-to-be, planning every little detail. It was so much fun...a truly wonderful experience. I tried my best to take it all in and enjoy each moment and challenge, as I know it is a once-in-a-lifetime event.

Through the year we had some challenging times as well...tragedy and struggle within our families and lives. Another reason I was so very grateful to have wedding planning as a distraction. As the year went on, we found that at the end of the school year, I would have to leave my school I love so dearly, as Indiana was not an option as far as territories go for Clay's job. I have been so blessed to work at Western for the past two years. The kids are great and the staff is wonderful. I will always cherish the friendships I gained and memories I made. At the time, St. Louis looked like a good possibility for Clay's territory, but that did not pan out. We found out that Clay would be spending the summer in Chicago...a new adventure to begin our life together as husband and wife! Over Memorial Day weekend, Clay and I packed up the car (floor to ceiling), and drove from Virginia back to Indiana. Clay spent the next week in Ohio, then went on to our lovely (sarcasm) extended stay in Chicago. I wrapped up the school year, packed up my classroom, packed up my apartment (and moved away from my other best friend who has been my actual roommate for the past 4 years, but practically my roommate for the past 6 years...definitely bittersweet), and moved my clothes to Chicago the week of our wedding. Clay and I headed back to Indiana the Wednesday evening before our Wedding in a HUGE storm, and finished last minute details the rest of the week.

Friday, June 14th arrived and we had a great day full of manicures and pedicures (well the girls and I did...not Clay) and our rehearsal. Everything was great. As we left Friday night, I found myself feeling calm, but excited. Saturday morning came and I did not feel so good...I sent a good morning text to my husband-to-be and he was feeling the same way. Although I did not feel nervous, I think my body had a different opinion. After sprite and crackers at the hair salon, I was feeling much better and ready to have a wedding! Clay's nerves eventually calmed as well and we had a perfect, beautiful ceremony. Although we had some sprinkles of rain, the temperature was wonderful and the day was more than I could have ever asked for. We had a whirlwind of a reception full of dancing, laughter, and love. Clay and I were lucky enough to have a beautiful Honeymoon Suite that night. It was complete with a huge walk in shower, jacuzzi tub, fireplace that went from the living room to the bed room, chocolate covered strawberries, and champagne. It was lovely.

Unfortunately, we had to get up at 5:30 the next morning to get around and head to Chicago...we were exhausted! We thought we gave ourselves plenty of time, but when we came down the escalator at the airport and saw the security line, we soon had a different opinion...we were convinced we would miss our flight. Luckily, our year of distance meant a lot of flying on both of our parts...we had a airline credit card that earned points and got us to a preferred member status. This meant that we got to skip the big security line and hit the short line! We got through in five minutes and had plenty of time to get to our gate. Phew! We flew to Phoenix on a 3.5ish hour flight then flew into Maui on a 6.5 hour flight (yuck). We were so exhausted by the time we got there that we laid down at 7ish Maui time and went to bed...no supper or anything! The jet lag was a struggle the first couple days. It left me feeling so-so and our sleep habits were very off (as Maui is 5 hours behind Chicago time and 6 hours behind Indiana time). After a couple days of relaxation, we were feeling great and taking in the most breathtaking scenery. We spent our week at the beautiful beach and pool. We had a few adventures as well that included para-sailing, zip-lining, and attending a luau. Clay developed a love of tikis as well during our time there. In fact, we came back with 5 of them. :) Of course, some were gifts. We had a wonderful time and would love to go back someday. Hawaii was extremely expensive, but the most beautiful place I have ever been.

A little over a week ago marked one month of marriage. One month as officially being a Pearson! :) We have been in Chicago in the weeks following our honeymoon in Hawaii. In that time, we have gone to many museums, a Cubs game, a Jason Aldean /Kelly Clarkson/Jake Owen/Thomas Rhett concert, ate at many fun restaurants, gone to the outlets (among other malls), and had a visit from Kristen! There are many fun things to do here, but we are looking forward to having a bigger space and settling down somewhere that is a little slower paced. As of now, it looks like we will be here until July 30th (but plans have changed before...so we will see). After that, the plan so far is to head to the Cleveland area for Clay's territory. We are looking for houses to rent there. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that I will have my Ohio teaching license in time to get a teaching job for this next school year...the process to get my license there is proving to be long, difficult, and expensive. Maybe something will work out, but for now I am looking in to aide positions and trusting that God will provide us with the opportunities we are supposed to have right now. Clay and I are both firm believers that everything happens for a reason. We are getting to the point where we can now look back at some of our struggles and see the purpose. It isn't always visible while going through the challenging times, but there is always a reason for it...it most often leads to a better opportunity or experience. We have found that so far, we have been placed right where we were meant to be. We are trusting that this will continue to be the case. :)