Our first trip around the sun

Three. Six. Five.  That's how many days it has been since our magical wedding day last March (ok technically with the leap year it has been 366 days, but who's counting)!  I can't believe how fast this year has flown past us.

Eight years ago this is who we were.  Just a couple of kids, trying to get out of high school and small town life, trying to make sense of the world.

Nowadays, we don't know why we rushed growing up so much.

We had the life then...and we still do now.

So much has happened to us, so much has changed for us, and so much has changed us in these past eight years.  We aren't the same crazy, fly by the seat of our pants teenagers we were then.  We have turned into crazy, fly by the seat of our pants adults...with a little less crazy and a lot more responsibility. We have been with each other for what seems like everything, supported each other, cried with each other, and most importantly laughed at and with each other.

Time doesn't change people.  Time gives people opportunity to grow together more and form a stronger bond.  Time gives people more time to love and develop that love for one another.

Our engagement came in the middle of hunting season in January of 2010.  In the middle of the woods, outside of a box stand in Little Rock, Mississippi I answered one of the easiest questions I have ever been asked.  I still get butterflies thinking about that day.

Can't stop smiling the day after the proposal at Kyle and Krisha's house.

We have been together through it all.  Nursing school was definitely a test that God prepared for our relationship.  It was a stressful time, and we had to gain strength from one another to get through it.  If it weren't for Josh, I am not sure that I could have done it.  He was there with me every step of the way, supporting me, encouraging me, and quizzing me (and making up harder test questions than any teacher on this planet would have ever tried to do to a student).  He was my rock and helped pull me through.

We only thought life during nursing school was hectic.  Life after nursing school became chaotic.  I began a new job, and we had a wedding in the very near future.  Life was moving at a very fast pace.  Wedding parties and showers came and went.  We had a blast celebrating with all of our friends and family.  But the actual wedding day is one that we will never forget!

I remember the anticipation of waiting so long to finally see one another.  And then, after we said 'I do', this is what I get...

But then he did this and made up for it all!

We had the reception of our dreams.  Seriously that sounds corny, and I know everybody says that about their own weddings.  But this reception was everything that we hoped it would be and more.  We absolutely could not make ourselves leave.  We had the best time dancing and visiting with all of our friends and family that were there to share our special day with us that we didn't want to be anywhere else.

With a wedding like this (click HERE to view a short video clip of that day), who would want to leave?

After the wedding of our dreams, the most amazing honeymoon ever followed.  We still are able to go back and relive some of those days moment by moment.  It was a week that bonded us stronger than ever before while we were having the time of our lives together.  It was a trip that we cannot wait to take again!

It has been a year full of wonderful new opportunities, stress coming from more places than I ever thought possible, love that has grown more than I ever knew it could, sadness from the loss of loved ones, and strength that we have gained through one another.

Fishing trips were still abound.  And neither of us will ever forget that day in the woods when I killed my first deer...or my second one!  I have developed a love for the outdoors and a passion for things that I never imagined myself ever being interested in.  Now Josh and I buy our camo together, I know how to throw an open faced reel, and I can bait my own hook.  It is amazing the places that love will bring you!

This year has gone by faster than I ever imagined possible.  I am sad to see it go but excited at the same time to see what the future has in store for the two of us.  Almost exactly one year and seven days ago, Josh and I were driving home from our honeymoon.  I remember it like it was yesterday, turning onto our street and letting out a deep sigh.  All I could say was, "Well I guess the honeymoon is really over now, Boo."  And without missing a beat Josh said, "No.  It just started."

Happy anniversary, Joshie!  I cannot wait to spend many many more together with you.  You keep me grounded.  My world makes sense because you are in it.  I love you more than you could ever know, and I thank God everyday for giving me you.

We did it, Boo!  Our first trip around the sun!  Here's to many more!!

Great company and a crawfish boil

Another weekend gone in a flash, but what a great weekend it was!  A visitor for the weekend...mi madre, Stellar, the Lizard came to town!  It was busy and relaxing all at the same time; a perfect combination of just the right things to do.

She came in on Friday night, and we immediately took her to one of our favorite sushi places!  Saturday brought even more fun for us.  Sadly, Josh had to work all day Saturday but we managed just the girls.  We got up to donuts and milk and lounged until lunch.  Lunchtime came and we went to one of the best little burger joints in town...then the busy-ness started!  Wal-Mart (reinsert this three more times...yes three trips to Wal-Mart in a 24 hour span), dress shopping, and wandering around in and out of speciality shops.  I found the cutest dress for an upcoming wedding, and Madre and I got matching coral shirts...presh!

I created things with the Cricut for the rest of the afternoon...it's even more fun to create for a purpose!  Stella has an upcoming baby shower for a friend, and Josh and I are going to a wedding next week!

These initial on the paci's stand out better in person!

Getting ready for a wedding!

And of course we can't forget Lizard as we are making things!

Saturday night was a night that I have been looking forward to for a while.  Our dear friends came over, and we all visited and boiled crawfish in our new backyard!  So. Much. Fun!

A whirlwind weekend packed with fun, family, and lots of visiting.  I think we are all exhausted, but we wouldn't have it any other way!  Thanks for making the trip here, Stels!  We can't wait to do it again soon!

Weekends to Remember

For the past few weekends our home has been filled with the sound of laughter and chatter of dear friends. We have had a lot of visitors lately, and we have enjoyed every minute of it (even the cleaning that ensued before, after, and between each one)!  Now our house sounds strangely quiet and empty, kind of sad.  While our venture to Louisiana six years ago led us into a new life, a life full of happiness and new beginnings, it also forced us to leave behind dear friends and family who mean the world to us.

Thankfully with friends like ours "leaving behind" doesn't mean losing them forever.  It just means giving all of us the opportunity to have new places to visit and gather.  Kyle and Krisha came this past weekend.  Low key was our goal for the weekend.  We succeeded and enjoyed every minute of the relaxation and conversations.  No matter how often we talk or how often we see each other, we are still able to relive moments in the past that brings everything back to life.

We had different visitors the weekend before...Danny, Mallory, and Baby Noah (who is no longer a baby) came to visit us.  It was strange having them here again because the last time they were here Mallory had just found out she was pregnant with Noah.  Man, how time flies!  We enjoyed trips to the zoo, eating out, and having a very fast paced weekend.  Then Kay Kay came on Thursday night.  Kay Kay usually makes frequent trips to see us, but we have all been so busy lately that she hasn't had a chance to come down since our WEDDING!  We (mainly meaning Josh) have done so much around the house since then that it was fun watching her see all of our improvements!

This weekend with Kyle and Krisha, we all piled up in our bed and watched old home movies from our high school days.  We watched video footage from our old parties, we laughed until we cried, and we reminisced about each person we saw come across the screen.  In typical wonderful weekend fashion, it passed us by much too quickly.  Kyle and Krisha had to head back home early Sunday morning; Kyle had to work that night.  We cussed the adult world, the responsibilities that we know in the end bring us so much joy.  We know that's how it works though.  For the four of us, the time we get to spend together never seems like quiet enough.  It never quiet compares to all the time and endless hours we were able to spend growing up together in high school.  We know it's going to happen every time, but it never makes it any easier.

After Kyle and Krisha left, Josh and I lounged....ALL DAY!  Recovery mode.  That's what we decided to call it.  We watched (well pretty much I watched and Josh napped) more old movies.  This time it was NCA football season 2004-2005...Senior Year.  I watched countless pep rallies, Josh was "Bad 2 The Bone" complete with ripping off his shirt, we were all so young.  The senior pep rally was a tough one to watch, all the tears, all the uncertinities and excitement in our eyes...it seems sad now just looking back.  A bunch of small town kids about to embark on the rest of their lives.  Lucky for us, we have been able to start that journey together and stay close through it all.  Most of us from our graduating class all keep together in some way or another.  We are closer to some friends than others of course, but we all still have each others backs.  We were a small class, a tight knit group.  Six of us who graduated together married each other...what are the odds of that?  Six out of 29 is saying a lot.

I guess that's a small town for you.  Small towns breed closeness, they breed strength, they breed bonds that are tough to break.  Which means every time our small town visitors come to town, our hearts get pangs of homesickness when they leave.  In the end, we know that we are where we are meant to be...at least for the time being.  We know that Thibodaux is home for us for now, and we are happy here making new memories and new friends to mix in with our old friends.

We can't wait on our next Mississippi trip or for our next Mississippi visitors to come here.  Plans are always underway for us to go visit someone or for someone to come here to visit us!  It leaves us all with an underlying sense of excitement and anticipation that we love carrying around with us day to day.  So until the next trip, we will just relish in the memories this past few weeks of visitors has brought us!

Belated Birthday-Take One

Dads.  What would we do without them?  I can't imagine my life without my daddy.

This past year I tried to start a new tradition with blogging.  Every time a person close to me would have a birthday, I attempted to make a tribute blog post in honor of them.  Apparently I let a few slip through the cracks (I realized this as I was going back and re-reading my blog).  Good excuses abound for the three to four I missed, but that is beside the point.  So let's take a trip back in time and pretend as if we are in the end of November...Thanksgiving time or better known as Dad's Birthday! (I am working to catch up on my other birthday honor blogs that got skipped as well...one at a time though!)
Just for the record this blog got missed because I killed my first deer the day after Dad's birthday and was still running off of adrenaline when I blogged that entry.  If you want to relive it with me just click here!

Back to Dad...What would I do without this man...

He has always been there for me, lead me down the right road, and attempted to guide my financial decisions (although I must say I didn't always listen to some of those conversations).  He bought me my first car, and then my second car when I blew that one up, and then my third car when Josh wrecked that one, and then my fourth car when I wrecked that one.  Ok ok I know that's a little extreme, but hey it happened...maybe it was my fault that I didn't change the oil in my first car and the engine blew up, but I learned a very valuable lesson that day.  The lesson probably came in a little more clearly when my car that followed the big blow up I caused was an extreme demotion from my first ride.  LESSON LEARNED, Dad!  I will check my oil and check it often!

The lover of crawfish and all things Cajun, my dad is always looking for an excuse to make the trip south to come pass a good time in the boot with us!  And likewise we are always looking for an excuse to make the trip north to him!  The man can COOK.  That and the fact that he and Josh are almost joined at the hip.  "Padnas" as they call each other.  I feel so blessed to have my daddy and my husband to be such good friends!

A trip down memory lane, and oh look how things have changed!

From soaking up the sun on the beach...

To a father of two celebrating a big day...

To now having three (plus a son-in-law making four) and celebrating every event that we can possibly think to celebrate...hey any excuse for cake you know...

Guidance, friendship, and sometimes just an ear to listen or a person to bounce ideas off of...whatever it is I don't know what I would do without my daddy there by my side.

"Blessed indeed is the man who hears many gentle voices call him father"

Life these days

I resolved this new year to be a better blogger. One month in and I'm not succeeding. I promise to try harder from here on out!

The skinny on what's been keeping me away? This guy...

No really he's not to blame, and I don't have any excuses. Nope, no excuses. Other than the fact that I am happier than ever! I have been enjoying life so much and counting my blessings that I haven't had time to stop!

My new job has blessed me with a work schedule that is so wonderful it still seems unreal! Getting off at 3 o'clock every day still amazes me. It has turned me into a better wife and a happier person. I feel like I can get things accomplished every afternoon after work, and I get to see and spend time with my amazing husband. I feel blessed beyond words to have found this change of pace that my life needed. There are still some unknowns in the job realm, but I am doing my best to put it all in God's hands. He got me this far, I know I just have to trust Him to lead me the rest of the way!

I have been blessed, more importantly, with an absolutely amazing (and yes I know I have used that adjective to describe him already but sometimes there is just no other way to say it) husband. In the almost year we have been married we have grown closer together than I ever thought possible. I thought we would never be more in love than we were on our wedding day, but it's 11 months later and our bond has grown and strengthened in ways I never thought possible. Mushy and make you sick to your stomach I know because I hate to hear people talk like that, but really just to sit back and look at God's work almost brings me to tears.

We have been working hard around our house too! Pictures are coming soon, but someone in our subdivision's husband just built them a brand new cedar fence and I'm pretty sure it was mine!

Other exciting news around our household...dates have been set and come August I will have gained a new sister!  It will be an eventful year as Jef and Eighmey prepare for their nuptials.  I cannot wait to watch it all unfold!

So with that I guess it's off to bed.  The work day comes early, but we wouldn't have it any other way!

My year in review

Well, it has happened again.  Another year over and done.  Another year where we have loved, lossed, grown, and seen the world change.  For me it was year filled with new experiences and adventures...so hang on because this is my year in review 2011.

I can remember where I was when 2011 rang in...well sort of I can.  We had to change around our traditional New Year's plans of spending the night ringing in the New Year with Kyle and Krisha.  Work got in the way, so we changed around our weekends and had to do different things.  We were at the hunting camp for New Year's eve, but sadly we were all sleeping by the midnight hour.  So the new year was off to a slow start, but I'm pretty sure we made up for it!

That next weekend was our first big milestone...January 6th, 2011 Anne Claire's bachelorette party came to town and NOLA has never been the same since!!  It was an amazing night surrounded by my dearest friends who went way out of their way to ensure I would have the most fabulous time ever!  They even made a weekend out of it by spending the next night at my house for a kind of low key night around the fire.  Memories were made that night and our bonds formed a little stronger.

And as proved to be the theme of 2011, there was no rest for the weary because bright and early that Monday morning I started my brand new job.  I remember leaving there one day during the first week of work and heading straight over to the office where I used to work.  I opened the back door and found everyone and just burst out into tears.  I thought I would hate it, I thought I would never be able to get the hang of it, I didn't think I would have any friends.  Little did I know how much I would actually grow to love what I do.  I now cherish my time with my patients and I look back to those days when everything was so new and fast paced and still can't believe how far I have come.  It has been an amazing journey and now I know for sure that I made the absolute right career choice.

Between trying to grasp the flow of a new job and getting ready for a wedding, we were having wedding showers galore.  It was humbling to see how many of our friends and family surrounded us and embraced us as we were beginning to embark on a new adventure in life.  We enjoyed all the wedding showers to the absolute fullest and were ever so grateful for each guest and well wisher.

I even had several anonymous happies come in the mail just to get me in the wedding spirit...did I mention I have the best friends ever?

3.19.11  Our big day was here before we knew it.  I was the happiest girl on the planet, and our wedding was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.  The rehearsal dinner was a blast...it was everything we wanted it to be.  The wedding was more than I could have asked for.  Everything came together so beautifully.  The wedding was the special, intimate ceremony we wanted observed by our family and friends.  It was what we had been dreaming about for a really long time!

We became husband and wife.  Then we had the time of our lives at the reception.  Everything was perfect...better than I ever imagined.  We had the best time and couldn't bare to tear ourselves away from our party.  We left a couple hours behind schedule, but we were having such a great time surrounded by everyone we held close that we had no reason to rush out!  The entire experience was magnificent, humbling, and something that we love to relive time and time again.  It was truly the best night of our lives.

Josh had a little too much fun with the cake!

My dad made me a little teary-eyed with his toast.

I sang and danced the night away surrounded by friends.

Tossing the garter.

Throwing the bouquet...even Kay Kay joined in the action.

The ending of an amazing night.

The day after the wedding we set sail on our very first cruise.  And despite battling a few bumps in the road (sickness and Josh getting our debit card cut off in Mexico just to name a few), we had the most amazing honeymoon.

So excited to be on board our first cruise ship!

First stop Jamaica

Then it was off to the Cayman Islands

And finally Cozumel

It was an amazing seven day adventure...one that we cannot wait to have again and again!

After the wedding and honeymooning we tried to settled down in the regular life.  I was still transitioning into my new role at work, and as a new family of two we were working on slowly remodeling our house.  We settled into life well, learned our new routine, and began thriving as a family unit.

Summer found us before we knew it and we submersed ourselves in fishing trips, quality time out on the boat, one of our best friends beautiful coastal wedding, and learning important lessons like who should and shouldn't be allowed to cut the grass!

We love our time out on the water.

Baker/Smith's rocking their wedding coastal style.

Apparently there are some things that I just am not wired to do!

Camping quickly became one of our favorite past times this year.  We found ourselves loving the peace and quiet that we found while in our home away from home.  We realized how much we really loving being able to load up the camper and hit the road for a few days.  Over the past few months we have found some of the nicest camping resorts in the south Louisiana area, and it's a new love that we enjoy sharing with our friends!

Camping + hibachi grill = perfect combo

This year has brought us a tremendous amount of happiness and blessings. But with the happy it has also brought the sad.  We lost a few precious loved ones this year who were all very dear to our hearts.  One seemed to be taken from us all too soon and the other allowed to live and long and fruitful life and then taken in the blink of an eye.  There is no harder thing in this world to grasp than the will of God sometimes.  And I guess sometimes it's not meant for us to understand it all.  As hard as it seems to cope with some of things we are handed in life, we just have to remember that at the end of the day God is there with us.

Along with the sadness and heartache, we discovered a few miracles in 2011.  The miracle of new life happened time and time again throughout the year for several of my close friends, and I became favorite Aunt Claire several times over.  We experienced the heartbreak that comes with having a baby who may not really be as perfect as she seems.  And then, by the grace of God, we were able to experience the miraculous medical interventions that can sometimes give babies what seems like a second shot at life.  Like baby Charlotte Rae Lyon.  Once her hypoplastic left heart disease was discovered about two days after what seemed like any other birth, doctors told her parents there was no hope for her...all they could do was make her comfortable.  Through the prayers and a new doctor's eyes, Baby Charlotte's heart was operable.  And even though she has a long way to go, she is at home doing just fine right now.

Sweet Charlotte Lyon

The months started turning cooler which meant deer season 2011 would soon be in full swing.  Of course Josh was beyond excited.  I was beginning to get even a little excited myself.  I had decided that this was the year that I really wanted to become a hunter.  I craved the silence and solitude of the woods after crazy days at work.  So when hunting season finally came even I was chomping at the bit to get into the stands.  Four deer down so far, and I would say the Dugas' have had a pretty successful deer season as of yet.  The biggest news of the season is that I became a bonafide hunter by killing my first deer!  I have never seen Josh more proud.  It is a moment that really put our bond on another level.  I still can't help but smile every time I think of that day in the woods together!

Thanksgiving day 2011

Even excited to have the deer blood on my face!

The year started to slowly wind down, and I started to realize that while I absolutely love my job I feel like I can do something more.  I felt the need to do something a little more acute.  In early November I accepted a new job within the surgery department as a circulating nurse.  Because of holiday staffing they needed me to finish out the year on the floor, and I was happy to have a couple more months of spending time with the patients I love so much and my coworkers who have become a part of who I am.

Christmas came at lightening speed, and our plans had to change a little since I would be working on Christmas day.  Something thing I dreaded doing for almost an entire year, turned out to be one of the best experiences of my life.  Having to work on Christmas also allowed us to do Christmas early with all of our families.  Because of that we were able to have very low key and relaxed Christmas celebrations, and we really reflected on the true meaning of Christmas.  We felt amazingly blessed to be able to spend such quality time with our families.  And despite my concerns, Josh and I were still able to have the perfect family Christmas that Christmas night.

Our first Dugas family Christmas card

Christmas with Mom

Jeffie with his loot, and of course Priss peering over

Our new and improved stockings for Mimi's

Christmas with Dad at Kay Kay's

Sweet Joshie opening his presents from Santa

So 2011 officially came to an end. This year we were able to continue our New Year's tradition and spend it with Kyle and Krisha.  We enjoyed a long weekend at their brand new home and enjoyed ourselves to the absolute max.  It was one of the best and most relaxing weekends we have had in a while!  We rang in the New Year by making a quick trip to the coast.  We had a fabulous time.  It was the perfect way of saying farewell to a great year!

New Year's Eve 2011

Me and Krisha celebrating the end of the year and the new beginnings to come

Happy New Year!

So here's to you 2011.  Thank you for all the memories, the bonds we have formed, the joyful times, and all the ways you have allowed us to grow.  Here is to hoping for an amazing 2012.  With a new job on the horizon for me (starting Monday) and great friends and family by our side, we have nothing but high hopes for this new year.  I hope that we will all see a little more happiness than we ever thought possible, see the least amount of pain and heartache as necessary, grow stronger in our faith and in our friendships, and are able to live this year to it's absolute fullest.  I can't wait to see what all 2012 has in store for us all!