Our 1st Annivesary

Our anniversary was August 25, however, the great surprise came on August 23. This is the account of that wonderful surprise...

On August 23 Josh and I had planned to go out for dinner in celebration of our first anniversary. During the day Josh had softball and afterwards we relaxed at home watching TV, eating lunch and reading.

Around 2:00 I was reading a book and Josh had been in the other room on the computer (so I thought!) Josh came into the living room and told me that he had received a maintenance call to fix a toilet. He was on call that weekend and it was very normal for him to get a call like this. So he was off.

Around 2:25, while I continued to read, Josh called me and said that he was going to have to make a run to Home Depot to get a part for the broken toilet. This was also something that he might have to do for a maintenance call. So I didn't think much of it and expected him back in 20-30 minutes.

Around 3:00 I began getting ready to go out for dinner. I wanted to dress up a little bit for the occasion and our plan was to leave by 4:15. As I was getting ready I couldn't find my deodorant. I had used it earlier that morning and I sure thought that I had left it on the counter on my side of the sink.

Around 3:40 Josh was back home and we were both getting ready to go out to dinner. I asked Josh if he had seen my deodorant. He asked if I had put it in the closet, which was a weird questions because I never put it in the closet. He proceeded to shut the bathroom door (because you can't get into the closet otherwise) and he pulled my deodorant out of the closet. He told me that he had put it away earlier.

Around 4:15 we headed out to Carabba's for dinner. The food was delicious and we enjoyed out time there. Josh had been telling me that we were also going to an old fashioned ice cream shop similar to one that we had visited in Florida when I spring break one year. That ice cream shop was in a hotel, and apparently the shop were were heading to after dinner was in a hotel as well.

Around 5:30 we pulled into the McDonald's headquarters in Oakbrook. IT WAS BEAUTIFUL! There were ponds, bridges and lots of trees. It didn't feel like we were only a few miles from home (with hotels, office buildings, the mall, other stores and restaurants). As we parked and walked up the stairs to "The Lodge" we saw two weddings going on. It was then that I asked Josh when he found out where this property and the ice cream shop were located. I figured it out that he had stopped by earlier in the day when he was out for awhile picking up a part for the broken toilet...so I thought.

When we walked into the hotel we started down a hall of hotel rooms, which still didn't seem out of the ordinary because when we visited the ice cream shop in Florida we walked through some halls of rooms. Josh then stopped in front of one of the rooms and said, "we're here."

I was sort of taken back, and yet still wondering in my mind why an ice cream shop was behind a door that looked like it was to a hotel room. Josh pulled a key out of his pocket and opened the door. I saw a dozen roses on the dresser with some beverages, snacks and food for breakfast. I also saw his black duffel bag on the floor. However, it was still not sinking in. Until finally, as I stood with my mouth wide open, Josh had to say, "we are staying here."

I WAS SO SURPRISED! I had not idea that he was planning any of this. Apparently he had been planning it since the beginning of the month. I love that I had no clue because I love surprises. The whole day began to make since. While I was reading Josh was packing out clothes and bathroom items in his duffel bag. This was where my original container of deodorant was located. The one he took out of the closet was brand new. The so called maintenance call to fix the toilet was just a decoy so that Josh could go check into our room and pick up the food and flowers.

It was so nice to feel like we had gotten away. We walked around the headquarters property and I took some pictures. It was very beautiful and serene. Josh really made our 1st Anniversary something special and I will remember his hard work in planning for a very long time.

Nieces and Nephews

We are so blessed to have such great nieces and nephews! We wish we could see them all everyday.

May the Lord bless Alyssa in her first year of middle school. Her creative and kind heart will lead her to many opportunities to build friendships and get involved with youth group and extracurricular activities.

May the Lord bless Jacob at his new school as he makes new friends and utilize his skills and knowledge to learn new things. His laughter and fun personality is sure to bring a smile to many faces.

May the Lord bless Bailey as she starts kindergarten. Her outgoing and fun loving personality is so easy to love and will rub off on many. May the Lord be with her as she learns and grows in the classroom.

May the Lord bless Braden as he becomes a big boy and plays with other children. His playful and sweet personality always draws attention. May he spread his cheer to each child and adult he is with.

May the Lord bless Hannah as she investigates the world. Her keen interest in everything around her allows her to learn new things. May she continue to grow and learn as she begins the journey of mobility.

May the Lord bless Madeline as she laughs, plays and seeks the spotlight. Her big smile and exciting personality keeps us all laughing and playing with her. May she continue to have fun and grow as she also begins the journey of mobility.

We love and miss each niece and nephew when we can't see them. They are all in our thoughts and prayers.

Love,

Aunt Nean and Uncle Josh

The Moore's in Michigan

Josh and I enjoyed a much needed time away with his family in Covert, MI in early August. We stayed at an old farm house that they rented for the week. We came home with quite a few laughs about some of the arrangements. There were about 12 light switches in the kitchen ALONE, and it was trial and error every time one of us wanted to turn a light on or off. Typically, someone would turn the lights out on the rest of us in the living room. The house had some foundational problems leaving the guys leaning while using the restroom, Josh falling off our leaning bed while I rolled to his side and I think even the girls were crawling crooked (okay maybe that last one is pushing it, but the other two examples are not.) We joked about all the reasons we could be fined $100 and then we made up our own.

We were able to enjoy a lot of the outdoors. We went to the beach in South Haven with the whole family. The water was nice (well according to me it was nice, Chuck thought it was a bit cold and Hannah didn't really want to have anything to do with it). We walked out to the lighthouse and the guys played some Frisbee on the beach. One of the days Josh and I drove up to Holland State Park and met up with friends from college (Sam and Kristin;Ben, Katie and Eden; as well as Kym and Kaitlin). It was so good to see those friends again and the weather turned out perfect for us to have a picnic on the beach. One of our last days all of us "big kids" went on some trails that led us out to some bluffs on Lake Michigan. It was beautiful out there and made me miss living by the water. The guys went swimming and raced up one of the big bluffs. Josh found a big rock that we took back with us and it has now become our rotating trophy for March Madness bracket winners. We are calling it "Moore Madness: Pick for the Rock!" Marilyn is the current winner and keeper of the rock.

We enjoyed berry picking and walking through the woods. Josh and I tried to track down a deer, but it started to rain. I thought something growled at me, maybe it was one of those cougars that have been sighted in Michigan? The guys had some fun trying to jump in the pool and catch the football. We had some pretty good laughs when Josh tried to go from the longs side of the pool. Madeline and Hannah were on the move, crawling all over the place and in some cases crawling all over Josh:) We put together some puzzles while we were there and learned that when you move from your seat while working on the puzzle, someone else will fill it in a matter of seconds.
"Great Lakes, Great Times" (spoken by the little girl on the commercials that make Michigan sound like so much fun...and of course it is:)

There's a FIRST for everything

The FIRST day of the rest of our lives!

As we prepare to celebrate our FIRST year of marriage, I thought this was an appropriate time to start our FIRST blog. To carry on the inspiration, I give you the FIRST post on our blog. What a better way to start off then to share with you some of our FIRST experiences during our FIRST year of marriage. We thank God for the many blessings that He has given to us this past year.

Our FIRST cruise together

Our FIRST traditions to share together each year:

Steelers vs. Broncos and carving pumpkins

The making of a ginger bread house (with lots of candy)

Growing a garden

Some of MY FIRSTS have dealt with acclimating myself with the world of sports. We are part of a Moore family tradition to make a bracket during March Madness and see who wins. That has actually been going on for three years now, but this was my FIRST year as a member of the family. Josh found a cool big rock at the beach and it is now our trophy. We're calling it "Moore Madness: Pick for the Rock!" I have been able to go to my first NFL game and even though it's not a first, my second Pirates game. I played on my FIRST women's softball team and enjoyed many Saturday mornings and some Thursday nights watching Josh play softball as well.

Some of JOSH'S FIRSTS have been enjoying time with Hannah and Madeline (our twin nieces), seeing his first coyote in the wild, learning what it's like to live with a woman (that's me:) and experimenting with new recipes (Yes, Josh can cook!!!) Over this past year Josh has made is FIRST seamless table (that now presides in our entryway and looks great), as well as making some platforms for bean bag toss games (this is a big thing in the Chicago area).

We have had a wonderful FIRST year of marriage together. We continue to look forward to the FIRSTS we will share, but we also enjoy the many things that we experience on a regular basis. We hope that this blog will be a way for us to share our lives with you no matter where we the Lord takes us. Just as it is written under the title of our blog, we are taking it "a day at a time." We can't wait to see what the Lord will take us next. We are nearing the end of our FIRST year, but we can't wait for a lifetime more. As for the end of this first post, may it be the beginning of many more.