5 Years Ago...

Dear Shell,

5 years ago tomorrow, May 21st, I did something very special, and in a unique way. I got married to a wonderful person, and we had the wedding ceremony on... a train! Yes that's right, J and I got married on a train. Not just any train, but the Michigan Star Clipper dinner train.

5 years. 5 years is not very long in the scheme of life overall, and it went by in a flash, but a lot happened in the last 5 years. I'll just touch on a few items here.

J had a few changes in the work end of things, finally ending up at a place where he seems to really like his job. He quickly moved up to being a team leader, proving to his team and his employer that he was highly knowledgeable in his work.

I quit working at one job to finish college, and saw my health improve drastically from what it was while I was working there. I went from having obstructions in my lungs and very poor breathing to having low-end of normal breathing with no obstructions. Finished college, with a bachelors in Management... a field I have no interest in anymore. Now I'm back working for a place that I worked at when I was 19. And I'm really liking the place. Different duties now than I had then, but it's a good job.

A year ago we lost a beloved pet. It was difficult getting to the point of being able to think about Junior without crying. Even now, I still miss him.

A few months ago, we bought our first "real" house. A 1700 sq foot ranch with a basement and garage, and 1 1/2 acres. We moved from a double-wide trailer in a park, which was a good home, but didn't fit what we really wanted. This house, while it needs work, is just what we wanted. We're learning a lot while we find things here that need to be fixed or updated, and it's been fun.

A few months ago we also acquired a new pet. A black and white kitten that we named Penelope. She's quickly become a very affectionate, very loved addition to the family. She loves to cuddle, especially with me.

What will the next 5 years bring? Hopefully a child or two. Our house becoming more of what we want with the updates. More knowledge of apple trees...(our house came with an apple orchard, we're hoping to not kill the trees off haha).

Whatever life brings, we'll face it together.

Looking forward to the next 5, 10, 50 years,
Shell

Decaying Flesh...

Dear Shell,

No, I'm not talking about a disease. I'm talking about the color, former color that is, of the spare bedroom in our house. It was a godawful orangy-peachy-salmon-icky color that wouldn't look good on anything, especially not bedroom walls. I'm not talking about the nice salmon color you see on shirts or other fabrics. This was.. horrible.

But, it is now a soft and pretty blue called Ocean Dream. We only have the first coat done so far but it is a huge improvement on the room. One wall, an accent wall, will end up a shade or two darker tomorrow when we put the second coat on. Then once everything dries, we put the curtain rod back up, put the bed back in and together, and get the decor set up.

I thought about going with a beach theme, with stenciled seashells and such. But there will be a very special quilt on the spare bed which my grandma made for J and I as a wedding gift. It is several shades of blue and has flowers scattered through the fabric. Since the quilt is very special and I chose the blue for the room based on the quilt, I will end up stenciling in some flowers and doing the decor along those lines.

The curtains that were in the room, Mom and I are going to see if we can maybe alter them slightly to make them fit. They have burgundy on them but also have flowers embroidered into the fabric. I think if we can figure out a good way to add some blue to the curtains, then they'll fit nicely into the room and I wont have to buy new curtains.

Well it's late and I have to work tomorrow so I better get to bed so I can get a good night's sleep.

Slightly high from paint fumes...
Shell