A Few New & BIG Happenings

Well, I took a little hiatus because the Lacey household got a little busy the past month or two. I know I still wrote a couple posts regarding food recipes but I never shared any of the exciting news! So here we go from March! (Told you I am behind.. I'll try to make it quick)

In March we went to Florida for a visit with family, a birthday party…. and to house hunt. Yes, you read that correctly. Matt decided he wants to retire from the military so we can start our lives together, build a family, and focus on what he wants to do in life outside of the military. While the military has provided us a great beginning to our future, it just felt like the right thing to do at the time (and still does even at times it is a little nerve-wracking).  Well, we quickly got ahold of an AWESOME  broker through the VA to help us along on our first-time home buyer experience. He set us up with a relator in the area of Florida where we were looking to buy. We looked at a total of 7 homes.  The 6th home we looked at, felt so right. It was close to both of our parents and other family members, in a good school district (thinking about that future, ha ha), good size house - not to mention MOVE-IN READY!! Scary, we took the plunge and told our relator we want to put an offer in. It was a foreclosure so we were hoping to get lower than asking price. Offer came back, they hardly budge. So, again - another offer. Hardly budge again.. we weighed our options and discussed what we could afford, and decided to say okay to their second offer. WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!  From there on, there were a lot of papers to be signed, documents to be read, papers to be faxed, money to be sent.. but about 30 days later, we were signing the official documents out in California (we flew back) on April 24, 2013. We were then new homeowners. It felt so great to have a house of our own that we could call a home. A home that will have our future pet and kids. A home where family can come over and celebrations can happen. A home where we will always be together! It seriously is still one of the best decisions I think we have made as a couple thus far.

Our last month, May, in the house on base felt like it dragged by. During that month: We ordered a fridge for the new house, I quit my job, I sorted out items for a yard sale, We both enrolled in school in Florida, and we started to prepare for our move by canceling services.
Yard sale day came the weekend prior to us moving.. it wasn't that huge of a success as I thought it would be, so I ended up packing it away for a yard sale in Florida.

and relaxed a bit

Moved out of base housing and began our move on Fri, May 31. Along the way we stopped and stayed with my sister, nieces/nephews 1 night. We arrived at our home on Mon, June 3. We made really good timing, and again - it was a nice road trip but we were so happy it was over too, haha.

Matt has not retired yet from the Marines, so he was on leave for a couple weeks to help with the moving process. During his time, he helped unpack boxes once the movers arrived, fixed the hose connection to the fridge, fixed the dryer connection to the wall, installed a garage door opener, fixed the  dishwasher and sink.  We went to get office furniture and set that up, as well as a few items for our home and set up all of our services. He really did help out a lot. I wanted him to stay because we just moved in but he had to go back to California for 3 more weeks (he will be back in 4 days now).

So, since my husband has been gone from June 10 until now June 28 I have been busy doing something every day. It has been exhausting but since he's left: Our fridge arrived, I bought and installed blinds, decorated the house, organized the bedrooms, bought a china hutch, changed the layout of the living room, sprayed the yard to start killing all the weeds for removal, and ordered curtains to hopefully have up before he comes home. I do have the picture frames laid out for him to hang when he returns! Haha, what a fun project (rolls eyes)

Not only the house stuff was accomplished. I managed to apply at 5 nursing facilities for a CNA position. I went on one interview, got hired on the spot but after further thought and research, I declined and decided I would rather take my chances to keep looking elsewhere.  Then just the other day, I got called in for an interview. I got hired on the spot, again. I accepted and so far I am happy with the decision I made. I will go in for orientation sometime soon and then start work.

2012 Recap + New Years Celebration

Wow, I apologize for the lack of writing the past month. With Matt and I being gone for a week in Florida, to us getting sick, and then NewYears right around the corner from all of that, it became a whirlwind. So, now that I have some down time in between working and doing every day stuff, I thought I would update you all on our trip to Florida, New Years,  our overall year of 2012 and our outlook for 2013.

On the 20th we flew to Florida to spend Christmas with all of our family. Our week went by fast! The 21st we went up to visit Matt's cousin, Michael, and his wife Jessica and their cute two boys! Matt and I met their littlest, Lucas (who is almost 2!) for our first time… and fell in love.

One of those days we went out shopping for Christmas gifts,

another day I went up to visit my grandparents while Matt went golfing with his dad and grandpa.

Then Christmas Eve, I got sick. Yay! It was horrible.. but I managed to just suck it up and take as much medicine I could throughout the rest of our stay(and even back home!) Matt and I attended church and went straight over to his grandparents house for Antipasto and opened gifts. It was such a GREAT time! All the gifts this year seemed to be very creative (Thanks to Pinterest Lol)

On Christmas Day, Matt and I spent the entire day with my family, opening gifts, playing cornhole, xbox, and monopoly (curse that game!). That too was another GREAT day.

 Dad, this picture of you cracks me up! LOL

 His first time ever baking and decorating a cake.. it was so delicious and awesome!

 Matt dancing to my nieces new xbox

 My lovely Molly

 Monopoly late into the morning

My grown up niece!!

The last full day, we hung out with his family during the day and then at night we went over to my parents house to spend time with them. My dad took us to the airport on his way to work bright and early! The flight was horrible due to me feeling like completely and utter crap. I couldn't wait to just be home in bed and fall asleep.

Once we got home, it was still early, so we took it easy and opened up our gifts and went grocery shopping. Then two days later, it was back to the grind and I went to work.

Few days passed, New Years came along. We hung out with our good friends and a lot of other people and had a big celebration! It is sad to think that all of us that were in that same room, are all moving to different states and some are getting out of the military.

So that is a very quick story and pictures of the past events.

2012 was a good year for us:

• Celebrated our 3rd year anniversary
• I got a wonderful job
• Matt came back from his deployment and turned 25
• We went on our belated honeymoon to St. Lucia
• We bought a kayak and took up snorkeling/spearfishing more
• I turned 24
• Celebrated Thanksgiving with close friends
• Went to see a Ravens football game
• Went home to Florida to be with family during Christmas
• Had a big New Years party
• Crossed many items off our baby bucket list: 14 things in total

Our predicted 2013 year for us:

• Celebrate our 4th year anniversary
• House hunting and buying a home in Florida
• Matt turning 26
• Matt getting out of the military and us moving to Florida
• I'm turning 25
• Matt starting college and getting a new job
• I'm returning back to college and hopefully getting an awesome job at the hospital
• Cross more items off our baby bucket list
• Planning the right time to have a baby

I think 2013 will be great!!

New Blog, First Post

Well, I had a blogger account but it was my own personal blog that I used for when I was taking a particular college course. I decided to forget about that old blog and start a new one; since technically, I  we do have a new life together. Not a really a full blown-out exciting life, ha ha- but a new life that we're happy with and at times can be exciting!

Where to start? I suppose an introduction of who we are.

 The Lacey's

• We're in our twenties.
• We have been married for 2 years; together for 6 years
• The Mr. is in the military(Marines), so we get that advantage of meeting new people and exploring new places.
• I am working on what I would like to do in life: starting up school for a CNA next month
• We live in California for now
• No pets or kids yet

 I would say that's a pretty good introduction of the two of us. We don't need any creepy stalkers.

I really wanted to start a blog awhile ago so our family and close friends are able to be apart of our lives as we move, travel, cook, re-decorate, make the cutest babies in the world (Ha ha.. only kidding for now) and whatever else we like to do.  It would be too long and too much for me to post if I went back from when we first started to date, moving away, and to where we are now. So I'll try to do a quick recap of it by photos.

Started dating October 2004

Left 9 months later July 2005 for boot camp

      

Came back 3 months later October 2005 as a Marine

Time went by, we continued a long distance relationship....

November 2008 he asked me to marry him

January 2009 we got married (small courthouse type wedding at the house)

He deployed in March 2009 to Iraq

6 months later he came back and we were so happy to be reunited

December 2009 we made a cross-country trip. We moved ourselves to California

We moved into our first house that month

We had a "real" wedding a year later in January 2010 in Florida

We purchased my first NEW car together in January 2010

We experienced Vegas for a few days in February 2010

Then he deployed again, this time to Afghanistan in March 2010

7 months later, he came back and once again, we were happy to be reunited

It's been 5 months since he's returned from his previous deployment. During the time he has been home, we went to Six Flags, picked out pumpkins at a pumpkin patch, hiking, celebrated Halloween in downtown San Diego, went to Vegas (again) in November for the Marine Corps Birthday Ball, made a delicious Thanksgiving dinner, flew to Florida to visit family for awhile in December, I was in my best friend's wedding in December, had a great Christmas, and celebrated our 2 year anniversary together. We have done other little things too but those were the major ones. 

Also, since he's been home: In November he went to Yuma for 3 weeks (work)

Currently, he's in 29 palms for 6 weeks (work)

Well, I believe I said all I need to say in this post. Sorry it was longer than I had originally thought, but it's only because this was the first one. I will try my best to continuously update that way the posts aren't lengthy.