Blogtember Challege: The Last Day

I haven't been able to be as active in this challenge as I hoped, but I decided to choose a random prompt that I liked for the last day of the challenge. So here's my Day 27: What's on your wish list? :)

A Day Designer by Whitney English

A pair of Sperry's

A fall vest!

Some warm winter boots

A ton of yarn to start knitting!

I have another challenge to start tomorrow for the first day of October. I just started back up at school today and know that I won't be able to do all of the days in the challenge, but it's still fun to do what I can. Stay tuned!

Blogtember Challenge Day 13: Our Story

Has it really been 10 days since I've blogged? I swear the days are getting away from me so fast.

My story with Zach started back in 2010, and it still amazes me how much we've changed and grown together since then. 

Zach and I met in July of 2010 at Petco (romantic, I know), where we both started our new jobs. Zach asked for everyone's number that night during our first shift, but I was the only one that he contacted the next day. He asked if I wanted to go to the river with him and we ended up spending the whole afternoon on some rocks in the middle of the river, talking and getting to know each other, and after that day we didn't want to be away from each other. For the next month we were together all the time. We officially started dating in October 2010 and only kept growing together from there. We had a lot of ups and downs in our dating relationship, but we got through them and still knew we just wanted to be together. We both went through different schools, different jobs, different friends, different struggles, but were still each other's constant. Zach was also the person that brought me to God and helped me discover a relationship with Him. 

2010

2011

2012

2013

For most of our relationship Zach was trying to get into the military, and finally in May 2013 he enlisted into the Army. We are both SO thankful that God made him be patient, because we needed that time together before such a huge change. In July 2013 he left for basic training and I didn't see him again until September for family day. We wrote each other tons of letters and our relationship grew enormously during that time. God answered all of our prayers, questions, and worries and we knew during that time that we wanted to stay together forever. 

After the quick 3 day family weekend, I didn't see him again until his graduation in October. He was finally done with basic training and got to come home for a week! 

That week he proposed, and we did something crazy, and got married 3 days later! At the end of that week, Zach moved to Colorado, and I couldn't go with him until December. I wouldn't of been able to go with him at all if we hadn't decided to get married so soon. We decided to wait on a wedding and give up some of the traditional things most people do in order to be together. 

Stacey Dinch Photography

He came back in December for Christmas and to come get me and take me to Colorado! 

We moved to Fort Carson and lived on the base for a few months before we decided to buy our first house. We moved in April and have been working on making it a home ever since! We've almost been married a year now, and we can't believe how fast it's gone and how much we've learned about marriage and each other. I'm so thankful for all that God has done in our relationship and I know there's many more lessons, struggles, and joys to come, and I look forward to spending forever with my best friend :)

Blogtember Challenge Day Six: Currently

...reading At first Sight by Nicholas Sparks, and working through Devotions for Couples with Zach.

...watching Broncos vs. Colts. I've never been a big football fan, but living in CO has made me one!

...trying to get the motivation to study for my finals this week. 

...eating homemade cupcakes (see above :P)

...pinning fall recipes, fall fashion, and home decor. 

...tweeting I don't tweet very often, I usually just retweet funny things and cute animals.

...loving being only 2 days away from my break from school.

...discovering that decorating my home is taking a lot longer than I hoped and thought.

...enjoying having Zach home and not in training for the whole month like he was supposed to be! :)

...feeling happy that Zach's parents are planning on visiting next month.

...hoping for a 4.0 again this quarter.

...thanking Brave Love for this September Challenge, it's fun!

Colorado Balloon Classic

Last weekend Colorado Springs had their annual Colorado Balloon Classic. I was REALLY hoping to go to the Albuquerque Balloon Festival this year, but since that wasn't a possibility I figured this would still be really cool. I don't know why but at the top of my bucket list has always been "Ride in a hot air ballon." I'm saving that for Albuquerque, but am still fascinated by watching the balloons. It was so pretty watching the balloons go up with the mountains in the background!

Blogtember Challenge Day Five: Passion

Things I'm passionate about:

My marriage, my faith, art, creativity, making lists, organizing, animal medicine, exploring new places, trying new things.

Blogtember Challenge Day Three: When I Grow Up

 

When I was younger and thinking about when I would be grown up I never thought that I would get married at 23. In fact, I was totally against getting married so "young." But then.. life changed. And love changed. And God changed my thoughts and my desires and my dreams. 

Not too long ago I was on my path to being a veterinarian and settling with my thoughts about not getting married before 28 (Ha!). And then I realized that being a vet wasn't for me, but being a veterinary technician was. And that marrying the person I already knew I wanted to be with forever wasn't all that crazy. In fact, it was wonderful and exciting! So here I am now, in Colorado, 1300 miles away from my previous home, married to my husband at 24, and in the best veterinary technician school I could dream of. No way I could of planned all of that, but this is what God has planned for me right now. And I'm still not grown up.

So now when I think about what I want to be when I grow up (or grow older..) I want to be an awesome wife to my husband, have a Godly marriage, and be a fun mom. I want us to be that couple that opens their home up to anyone and everyone and knows how to have a good time with friends and family. I want to be the couple that is strong in their marriage because God is the center of it. I don't know where I'll be, but I know I want to be a woman that trust's where God wants me to be. 

Blogtember Challenge Day Two: Happiness

Things that make me happy right now:

My husband, fall fashion, Nicholas Sparks books, hot air balloon festivals, the Meant To Be series by Elevation Church, freshly painted nails, weekends, homemade sun sweet-tea, lists, printed photographs, new paint for the house, my puppies, straight A's, Dexter and country music. 

Blogtember Challenge Day One: About the Author

Today I found a really great blogging challenge for September called Blogtember! Even though it's already September 3rd, I'm starting a little late and will try my best to catch up. I just didn't want to miss out on this great challenge and the opportunity to blog more! I may not do every post, but I will certainly try. I encourage you to join along!

Julie Austine Dayton was born and raised in a small town in Long Island, NY before moving to Richmond, VA. After making several life long friends and a few years of college under her belt, she married her husband and favorite soldier, Zach, and moved with him to Colorado Springs, CO. She is currently a student working on her Veterinary Technician degree and has two fur babies of her own. She loves God, the ocean, the south, and hot air balloons. She is passionate about growing as a wife, anything artistic, adventures in new cities, and making her house a home. 

I'm super excited to continue on with this challenge and hope that you join me!