Merry Christmas!
2013 has been a year filled with blessings for Nick and I.
We’ve enjoyed our first full year in our first home and are working on small
changes to suit our tastes. Scout loves all the space and fenced in back yard!
We celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary on March 1,
2013. We both agree that we have no idea where the time has gone! Nick
surprised me with a dinner at Charley’s Crab with a table overlooking the Grand
River in downtown Grand Rapids. He even had the restaurant personalize the menu
for us!
Nick and I both started new jobs in 2013. I started working
as a Human Resources Assistant in April and
Nick took his packaging skills to a new company in November. We both
enjoy our roles at competing office furniture manufacturers. On top of my HR role, I have started blogging at A
Cute Angle. You can read my blog by going to http://acutelifestyle.blogspot.com.
To
celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary, Nick and I traveled to Europe in May!
We visited Munich and Nuremberg, Germany, Prague, Czech Republic, Salzburg and
Vienna, Austria, and Budapest, Hungary. We had a blast navigating the cities
together, tasting the local fare, and taking in all the amazing architecture
and history. We met so many amazing people from all over the world in our tour
group! We learned that we both love wiener schnitzel! I was excited to visit
the Czech Republic to see where my ancestors came from, and really enjoyed The
Sound of Music Tour we went on while in Salzburg. Nick appreciated how friendly
the people were in Germany and said he would go back! Other highlights included
a nighttime dinner cruise down the Danube in Budapest, the Hofsburg section of
Vienna, and the abundance of gelato! While in Europe, Scout stayed with some
friends of ours and made a new friend himself – a little dog named Lily!
My dad and sister visited in July. Nick took my dad, his
dad, and his great uncle to an auto race in Ohio while my sister and I enjoyed
some girl time. I was excited to have my dad and sister see our house for the
first time! Also in July, we welcomed our newest niece, Demi Grace.
Nick and his cousins went on a five day four wheeling trip
in the “U.P.” (Upper Peninsula) in September. Nick took his new toy out every
chance he got during good weather. He often visited Atlanta, Michigan and
Silver Lake.
We spent Thanksgiving with my family in Pennsylvania this
year. It was the first holiday we’ve gone home for in two years! We enjoyed
time with the whole family (especially the time we got with my nieces and
nephew Emma, Halie, and Graham), visited with friends, and I went to New York
City with my sister, Courtney, and sister-in-law, Amber.
This year
we will be hosting our first Christmas! The Fleurys will be over to share in
some holiday cheer, and I will be making my first turkey!
Sending love and prayers for 2014,
Ashley
Nick says, “GO GREEN!”
