Fall in Love and Run Away: Back in Action

Hey Everyone, I was going to give up blogging, but decided I would put a post up after all this time! We have been back in America for 6 months now! Our trip to Europe last year seems like a distant memory! We talk about it all the time and hope to go back to Portugal sometime really soon.

Some of the things we have been up to since returning are getting back into the groove with working and planning our wedding! I returned to my job at UVa as a NICU nurse. Graham is starting his own landscaping business, The Great Outdoors. Our other business, Howe Properties is doing well. We spent this Fall and Winter trying to buy a 4th property. After much headache and stress, I closed on the property this past January. I am only back at work part time and yea, I don't really know what I do with my time off, haha. I have been exercising and crafting. I am taking a sewing class this month and looking forward to creating new things for our home and maybe for you one day! Oh yea, forgot to mention that Graham is making his own wine and beer. Stop by sometime and try some!

Graham has been doing lots of work for The Great Outdoors. He bought a trailer and a dump truck! He's trying to convince me that next he will need a tractor! He has done a few jobs and eager to land some more. I'm so proud of him for taking this risk and following his dream of starting his own business. If anyone needs help improving their outdoors, let us make it great!

On to wedding talk! I am feeling pretty good about everything we have gotten done so far. I have my beautiful dress and just took it in for alterations. I can't tell you how excited I am to wear it!!!!! Oh man, it's so pretty! It was also pretty great that my mom was there with me at the alterations place, since I was all alone when I bought the darn dress!! Our wedding will be on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland and we are hoping for warm weather. Maybe since this winter has been so warm we'll be in good shape (fingers crossed). We are so excited to have all of our wonderful friends and family in one place. It almost feels surreal to me. We have been talking about it for so long that it just seems so far off. But we literally have 2 months left!!!

We spent our fall and winter getting settled back in to C'ville. We spent Thanksgiving in snow-covered Vermont with Graham's Grandparents and extended family. Graham went to New Zealand with his father for 3 weeks this past January for a fly-fishing trip, while I went to sunny Florida to visit a good friend and her newborn baby boy! We have a couple road trips planned and are in the process of figuring out where to go for our honeymoon! Recommendations welcome!

Another thing that has been keeping us busy is the 5 additions to our little family....our chickens ( Big Cookie, LIttle Cookie, Portugal, France and Albania)! They are so much fun! I know that may sound crazy, but they are awesome. They all have their own personalities and have recently warmed up to us. They no longer run away when we come near them. They started laying eggs (finally!!!) and it is so great walking down to their coop to see what color eggs are there for us.

So I would say that life is good now! I can't wait to marry Graham and I hope he can't wait to marry me! We are both so excited about our future together. We love Charlottesville and are very settled here. I feel so blessed to have found a great town to live in, a great job, a great home and a wonderful man to share my life with.