A Glance Back on the Year...

Wow! I cannot believe that this year is almost over and we are starting a new year! I am convinced that as you get older time actually goes by faster. Well, Andrew and I did not send out a Christmas card this year so I am just going to write a blog about this past year! It is crazy for me to think that just over a year ago (specifically as of Dec. 23rd) Andrew and I had just gotten engaged, and now here we are married for a little over 8 months! I hope you enjoy the recap of this past year!

The first part of the year basically consisted of us planning a wedding and of course finding somewhere to live! That was the first thing that really made me feel "grown up!" We were very blessed to find the apartment we did and we actually will be living here until August of 2011.


Ok, so here it goes...

                   First big thing was our wedding- April 17, 2010

Followed by and AmAzInG Honeymoon in Cancun, Mexico

It was the year of weddings for us...

Kaitlin & Seth

Sally & Eric

Alli & Allen

Skip & Stephanie 

( so crazy story...my sister-in-law got engaged right after Andrew and I and without knowing it she picked the exact same wedding dress I did! Our mother-in-law figured it out as we were both sending her pictures of our dressed we had bought! We just didn't tell Skip so he wouldn't know what her dress looked like when they got married in July! One day Stephanie we should have our girls both wear them too...that is if we even have a girl we know the odds for us of that happening :) )

There were other weddings as well but these were ones with my closest girlfriends and Andrew's oldest brother.

Andrew started his own company: Twigs Lawn Care, LLC

Went to Andrew's youngest brother Ben's football games at Coastal Carolina-It was his senior year :(

Andrew and I made T-shirts for every game we went to! They went to round two of the National Championships for their division and were Conference Champs!

Found out that we are going to an Aunt & Uncle for the third time in the Smith family in June 2011!

My cousin Joshua and dear friend Carla got engaged!

Baby Caleb Joshua was born to the Jonathan Erdman Family on December 9th.

My dearest friend Allie went through something hard and was so TOUGH through it all!! Love you both Allie and John!

We got our first Christmas tree as a Married Couple :)

We had our first Christmas together as Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Erdman

We continued our tradition of going to the Angus Barn with my family and making Gingerbread Houses (Carla and Allie joined us this year too for Gingerbread decorating)

Andrew got sick and had to leave so he didn't get to enjoy his dinner at the Angus Barn :( He was really sad.

We had Christmas with the Erdmans on Dec. 22! It was fun to have all of us together!

Ben made a video of our time together

Erdman Christmas

So, my dad decided to do something different and crazy for my mom this Christmas. Normally we all usually know what he is getting her and I usually help him with it...but not this year. He had this big plan that he wanted to surprise my mom with and wanted it to be a surprise for everyone. I could NOT stand this because I love to know what he's doing and he kept going places and spending hours on this "surprise" for about two weeks before Christmas. He needed help two different times and so since I was working he had my brothers help him, so of course they got to find out what this surprise was. We all had our ideas of what it could be, but really had no idea. Only thing we knew was he came back one day from working on it and had mud all over the car. Finally, on Christmas Eve he decided it was time to reveal the surprise, so my brothers left early to get the surprise ready and my dad, mom, Andrew and I left not long after them. At this point my mom was getting really nervous and was about to start hyperventilating because she was scared it was going to be something she didn't like and would be stuck with living with like a house or land she didn't get a say so in (they have been looking at land so that's why she was thinking this). On the way there my dad being the silly guy he is would act like he was pulling into different places that were of course NOT something my mom would like. Finally we got to where we were going which he tricked her even again because it was a HUGE home, a ton of land and horses everywhere....he kept saying "can you see yourself living here?" Then he finally drove down to a barn and to find this awaiting for my mom...

Meet Bella the newest addition to the Patterson Family! My mom was in shock at first and still was trying to soak everything in, but she loves Bella and is learning lots about how to take care of her and ride her! Andrew was really excited as well since he is the horse man of the family!

We spent Christmas Eve at our apartment and woke up and had our Christmas together!

After we did our Christmas together we went over to my parents to have Christmas with them and breakfast. We had lots of fun together! We all got nerf guns so we had fun shooting each other!

We were beginning to think we were not going to have a White Christmas like everyone else but it came a little later in the night and we woke up to this...

We had lots of fun being snowed in at my parents and playing in the snow!

Andrew was in a bible study for men at our church where he met a man that also works in the landscaping field..this lead to a new opportunity for Andrew. Starting Monday, January 3rd Andrew will be apart of the Senior Management team for Davenport Landscaping, where he will be starting a turf management program for this company! We are both really excited about this new opportunity for Andrew and are so blessed for how the Lord has continually provided for us! Please pray for Andrew as it will be a lot of work and adjustment going back to work for a company after having started his own company and working for himself!

These are just some of the things that were apart of our first year as a married couple there are more but these were just the majors ones!

I am daily amazed at how the Lord has orchestrated our lives and how He continues to! We are so blessed with such wonderful families and friends in our lives. I am so thankful that the Lord decided for Andrew and I to do life together! I could not ask for a better husband! This year has gone by so fast and I am so excited for another year with Andrew and all that the Lord has in store for us in 2011!

Some of our New Year Resolutions are:

Paying off Debt

Getting a House

And of course...Getting in Shape :) Haha I have fattened my husband up since we got married

Merry Christmas a little late and Happy New Year!!!

"Come and hear, all you who fear God;
   let me tell you what he has done for me." 

Psalm 66:16

 

Happy Birthday Andrew!

             HAPPY 27th BIRTHDAY ANDREW RYAN ERDMAN


Today is my precious husbands 27th Birthday! I am so excited to get to celebrate another year of his life with him. I guess I really should be writing a post to my sweet Mother-in-Law who had to go through labor 27 years ago to bring Andrew into this world...so Thank you MamaLou for the pain you went through to bring Andrew here!! I am beyond blessed to have Andrew as not only my husband but also as my best friend! 


I am so crazy madly in love with you Andrew it is crazy!! I still get so excited to come home to you every day. I can hardly wait to get get off work so I can be home and with you! I love getting to go to bed each night with you right beside me and then wake up each morning and get to snuggle with you! Sometimes ok actually alot of times I just want to hold you like a baby a squeeze you and kiss you cause I love you sooo much! You are so wonderful and I love you soooo much! Thank you for loving me and being the most perfect husband! Hope you have a fun and exciting day!




Here are some cute pictures of Andrew growing up...

Such a handsome man that's all mine :) 

It's Finally Feelin Life Fall!

Well it's my turn now after my husband decided to post a little something! Isn't he so cute?! Haha! I cannot believe that Thanksgiving is only 2 1/2 weeks away and Christmas just a month and a half away! Time goes by faster and faster every year it seems like. When I was a kid I remember a year seemed like eternity and now I don't know where a year goes. 


I am really bad at this whole bloggin thing, but I do have to say that Andrew and I have been gone ALOT really since like September. We will not really slow down until after Christmas! Haha it's ok though there is plenty of time later to sit at home and do nothing (haha I guess like right now).


Well, as of last week I am back to being a Pre-K teacher until the end of January and then who knows what. It is definitely a more challenging class then when I was in there before and I am by myself this time, but I am enjoying it so far! I am really excited about this week because we are talking about "The Gift of Giving." I am trying to teach them how rewarding it is to give and not just always receive. For their homework I have assigned them and well their parents to pack a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child or at least bring an item I can put in a shoebox. If you don't know what this is it is something an organization called Samaritans Purse started where they send millions of shoeboxes filled with items to children all over the world who probably have never been given a gift before or don't even own a toothbrush etc. Last year I think they sent out 8 million shoeboxes! The ultimate goal of the shoeboxes is to show Christ's love in a tangible way. My students are so excited to pack these shoeboxes. They were so shocked to hear that there are children who don't get presents. If you have never done one I encourage you to the deadline is in like 2 weeks. You can just google Operation Christmas Child and it will tell you everything you need to know!


Last weekend I got to go visit my sweet friend Kaitlin! I have missed her so much and have been wanting to see her awesome house on Lake Norman. My other sweet friends Alli and Molly were there too! I had so much fun getting to hangout with them. I got to go to Hobby Lobby and IKEA for the first time! I was completely overwhelmed by both of them! Andrew got to go with my dad, brother Chad, and his friend Corey to the NC State vs. Clemson game...I was happy but he wasn't so happy with the outcome. 


Haha here goes our busy life. This weekend I will be going with over 100 high school girls to Emerald Isle for something our church does called Daughters of the King. It is a weekend for these girls to be refreshed and challenged in their walks with their King! I am really excited and can't wait to see all the Lord has in store and just get to be a high school girl for the weekend hahah jk! Andrew will be going to MAN Camp! It's basically the same thing but just for guys. They are staying locally though and their dads come with them! We are both really enjoying working with the high schoolers at our church and look forward to see how the Lord will use us in their lives!


Then the next weekend is Andrew's younger brother Ben's last football game :( He is the kicker for Coastal Carolina in South Carolina. I am sure it will be an emotional day. 


Then it's Thanksgiving and family! Brooke, Cooper, Mercy, Shepard and baby Smith are all coming for the week and my wonderful Mother and Father-in-law will be in Wake Forest with maybe even more family! 


Then it's Andrew's Birthday and I really wanna go to Boone on a little getaway to cut down our first Christmas tree from my little old man friend! 


Haha ok Im exhausted now from just writing all that we have and we aren't even into Dec. yet! Haha gotta love it though!


I am so excited to decorate for Christmas. I have already been listening to Christmas music for a few weeks (thanks Daddy)! 


Ok, so I'm really going to stop talking after this, but just wanted to share my new favorite thing...Andrew and I have a wood burning fire place (which I don't really understand since we live in an apartment but I'm not complaining) and I love sitting with my amazing husband all snuggled up by the fire and watching tv or just talking! 


Happy Fall!

i'm hi-jacking the blog! mmuaahhahaha

Twigs Lawn Care, LLC is approaching the winter months and for us exterior people, that means "down time"! Lots of down time. I don't like down time. If i'm not going all day everyday, I go a little crazy. The past few weeks have been great for the company as I have completed some good projects. Projects including trimming shrubs and mulching landscape beds. These types of projects are the bread winners. Just one mulch job can produce more income than a weeks worth of mowing. You can imagine, I go hard after the mulching!

 I have been blessed to find extra work outside of Twigs Lawn Care. A few days a week, I help a guy from Charlotte install custom counter tops here in the Raleigh area. Nelse Hofert, owner of Carolina Custom Countertops has been gracious enough to allow me to be his helper when he has work in Raleigh. He has a shop in Charlotte, NC where he custom molds granite composite countertops. The finished product is tailored specific to the layout of kitchen and bathroom dimensions. It's amazing how new technology in countertops has evolved.

It's a fun new thing for me. I've spent most of my "work" life on the OUTside of peoples property enhancing landscapes. Now, I find myself on the INside enhancing the beauty of a kitchen or even bathrooms. The extra work and pay is greatly appreciated and it also keeps me busy! BUTTTT i'm not cut out for interior work. It seems the work space is confined to small areas. Some areas require me to bend and stretch in awkward positions. For example, when I'm ripping out the existing sink fixtures, I'm always crammed awkwardly in the cabinets below. Also, I'm a little messy when I work outside. It's real easy to clean up a mess outside when landscaping. On the inside, I have to be smart about working and not to make a huge mess. Don't want caulking all over the walls and floors! If i'm careless with scrap materials, I could knock a hole in a wall.  Not to mention the granite composite material has to be handle with extreme care before it is installed. Otherwise, it can warp and even snap into pieces. None of these things have happened to me, just wanted to note that. These are things I think about while standing in a complete stranger's kitchen. You see, interior work requires a degree of cleanliness and a steady hand. That's why I stay outside!

I do appreciate the work and enjoy the new challenge of installing custom countertops. The supplemental income is a huge blessing! Along with the countertop gig, I hope to find myself working a Christmas tree lot in Raleigh this winter. I love working with Christmas trees! Helping families find that perfect tree is such a joy.  

Despite the slowing down of the landscape industry for the season, I will continue to find whatever work is available. This keeps a steady flow of income for Sarah and I.

Stay tuned for another blog "hi-jacking" from me!

- Twigs

6 Months ago today...

I cannot believe that we have been married for 6 months today!! Sometimes it seems like we have known each other forever and been married forever and then other times it feels like just yesterday we were at Cookout drinking milkshakes. Friday I didn't have to work all day so I was home doing some housework (you know wives what we do best:) haha jk) and I was in the kitchen and was just like..."I am married." Haha I just thought uh am I even old enough to be married! It is crazy to think about that I am really married.

These past 6 months have been absolutely wonderful!! I know that some people have a rough start just getting use to living with someone...especially a guy, but we have really been blessed because it has been nothing but wonderful! Everyone always asks was it a hard change or what has been the weirdest/hardest thing. It is almost weird because it has been just so natural and never weird. Haha it was just like life went on and marriage was just the next step. I have never woken up and been freaked out that I was actually sleeping with a boy! Haha having brothers definitely helps with adjusting to living with a guy. The weirdest thing for Andrew since he only has brothers was that girls use a lot of toilet paper!

Today we were talking about what our favorite thing about being married was and basically we both said the same thing...the companionship! It is the most wonderful thing to get to come home to each other every day, go to sleep together, and then wake up together! I love it!! There are obviously tons of other reasons we love being married but these were our favorite.

It is so amazing to look at marriage and see how God designed it so beautifully! There is no other relationship like the intimacy and bond that a husband and wife share. I love seeing how God uses Andrew to help shape me and lead me to Christ daily. One thing we started when we first got married was to have devotions and pray together each morning before going to work...it doesn't always happen every day but it is something that really has been a blessing for us! I have been blessed with such a wonderful husband who truly seeks and desires to have Christ as the center of our home and our individual lives first. I cannot wait to see him lead our children one day too!

It is so exciting to think about getting to spend the rest of my life with Andrew and all that we still have to look forward to and even learn about one another. Andrew was just saying the other day how cool it is that we have the rest of our lives to figure out this whole marriage thing and each other!! Well, I won't go on and on about how much I love being married but I am truly thankful that the Lord brought Andrew and I together as one 6 months ago and look so forward to the years to come!

I love you Andrew Ryan the best husband ever!!!

Yummy Dinner

Last night for dinner my precious husband and I made a yummy pasta dish for dinner (he actually did most of the work). I thought I would share it because it's so easy to make and we thought it was really good. 

Stuffed Pasta Shells 

1 lb. shredded mozzarella cheese

15 oz. container ricotta cheese

10 oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

12 oz. pkg. jumbo pasta shells, cooked and drained ( I couldn't find the big shells so I used manicotti noodles)

28 oz. jar spaghetti sauce

1. Combine cheeses and spinach in a good-sized mixing bowl

2. Stuff noodles with cheese/spinach mix

3. Arrange filled noodles in a greased 9x13 baking dish

4. Pour spaghetti sauce over the noodles

5. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes

- Andrew and I were thinking you could even mix the stuffing up and do like mushrooms, shredded chicken, peppers or really whatever you want. You could even use different cheeses. 

Oh, it makes alot too. We had my brothers and Morgan (Blake's girlfriend) over for dinner and we still had a little leftover.

Hope you enjoy as much as we did! 

So...It's Been A While

I am really bad at this blogging thing, but I am really going to try harder. Sometimes I just don't have time and I feel like I don't really have anything exciting to write about haha! But I thought maybe I'd give an update/glance at the past year or so.

Ok so here we go...

Aug. 31, 2009-Andrew and I start dating (after going on 2 milkshake "dates")

Dec. 23.2009- Andrew proposed...I said YES of course :)

April 17, 2010- We got married! I will never forget that day!

Summer 2010-I am an infant teacher and no longer a Pre-K teacher...for the time being at least!

Aug 2010- Andrew resigned from his job with JT's Landscaping and started his own company called Twig's Lawn Care

Sept. 2010-We became youth leaders at our church. I work with the 11th grade girls and Andrew works with the 12th grade guys.

Oct. 1,2010- I turned 23!

- I cannot believe that all this has taken place in just over a years time since Andrew and I started dating!! God is so good and sure has a way of doing things! He has been so good to us and we could not be happier! We are enjoying every new day in our marriage and continue to praise the Lord for bringing us together. Just about everyday I look at Andrew and say, "I am married to you!" He thinks it's pretty funny that I say it all the time, but I am still just blown away that I am married...and to the most amazing man at that!

Well, I want go on and on cause I think I'll do some different posts so it looks like I actually am good at keeping up with this!

My SwEeT hUsBaNd!

What a week! I got strep the beginning of this week and felt absolutely terrible, but my sweet husband took such good care of me! He made me lunch and dinner and brought me stuff to drink or whatever I needed. He even went to the grocery store for us for the week! I am blessed with such a sweet thoughtful man! I ended up going into work for half a day my second day of strep and got home and felt like I was going to die and he just held me and played with my hair till I fell asleep. Due to my antibiotic I bounced back pretty quickly and still my husband continued to serve me so sweetly. Today was pretty crazy at work because we had licensing show up and chose the room I was in and chose me to interview so it was pretty chaotic and just a crazy day! After work  I was going to come home and cook dinner for Andrew and Blake, cause he was coming for dinner, and when I walked in the door Andrew had already cooked dinner, the table was set, and he had picked up the whole house!!!! He is so cute. I know you all wish you had such a wonderful husband ;) I thank the Lord everyday for blessing me with Andrew! Haha he isn’t perfect but he is perfect for me! I love you Andrew! Thank you for takin such good care of me. Isn't he cute :)