Bad blogger!!

Wow! It has been a really long time since I've posted! I think I just got so caught up with life that I completely forgot about this blog. Not to mention the fact that our lives haven't been all that interesting lately, since we've just been working now that we've both graduated from A&M! Unfortunately, we still haven't been able to find full-time jobs, but we're hoping that that will change very soon.

We have had some other VERY big news, though.....We're going to have a baby!!! As of right now, I'm due March 24, 2012, and we are beyond excited! My plan for right now is to start substitute teaching this fall so I can bring in some money but still have a very flexible schedule that will be absolutely vital when the baby gets here. Have any of you seen the price of daycare lately?? It's insane!

I'm hoping that I will update this more often as the pregnancy goes along, and especially once our little boy or girl gets here!

Welcome to the Real World, Mr. Hanson!

This Friday, I graduated from Texas A&M University. It really is weird to say those words. There were times when I honestly thought it would never happen, and most of those times centered around the bane of my existence.....German. For something that Lauren loves with all of her being, it gave me more trouble than you can possibly imagine. The conjugations and remembering the different genders of every single noun was an enormous undertaking. But it's done. I passed and I can officially say that I am now a Former Student of Texas A&M.

Growing up, I had never really planned on going to A&M. It simply wasn't on my radar, and quite honestly, I only really came to College Station because I loved Lauren so much and couldn't stand to be away from her any longer. A&M was just the school that happened to be here and the place Lauren has always loved more than any other. But along the way, I have come to realize that there's something special about this little town in Brazos county and the giant university that controls it. Maybe it's the sense of family that I feel. I know now that the saying is true, "Once an Aggie, always an Aggie." You simply can't deny that bond that Aggies feel with each other. It's something that I never expected to get from my college experience, but can't imagine not having now.

It is definitely strange to be in College Station and no longer be a student. But I will never be an ex-Aggie....even if I hadn't always wanted to be an Aggie at all!

Ryan

I'm a graduate!

It's been a long time since I've posted, and a lot has been going on, but one of the biggest things that has happened is that I have GRADUATED from Texas A&M University! WHOOP! It took me a year longer than I had planned, and even then I had to put up a fight to finally get my diploma, but I have it now and I can now officially say that I am a Former Student of Texas A&M. Former Student is key, though. I am not an ex-Aggie and I never will be. Once an Aggie, always an Aggie. I have to admit, it does feel strange to think about the fact that I'm not in school anymore. I'm sure it will really sink in in August when everyone is going back and all the new freshmen are here. But life is about change and moving on, and it really was a fun day: May 14, 2010. So, I'm going to share some pictures with you!

We've Moved!

Dog Walkin!

Yesterday we took the dogs for a walk around the apartment complex, and Lauren managed to snap some pictures. It wasn't quite as hot yesterday, so it was nice to get out for a little while!

My sweet Layla!



Samantha!



I love my Sam!



She's such a good "heeler"!



Our two beautiful girls!

Ryan

Early Anniversary Date

Last night, Ryan and I went out to dinner to celebrate, early, our first anniversary. We didn't really have any plans to go out, but then we got a card in the mail from Alan & Kathy with two $25 gift cards for either Red Lobster or Olive Garden. (Thanks!) Most of you who know me well, know that I LOVE Olive Garden, but Ryan really wanted Red Lobster and lobster sounded pretty good to me, so that's where we ended up going. I'm so glad that fish is healthy because I ate quite a bit of it. I had the Ultimate Feast, which included lobster tail, crab legs, shrimp scampi, and Walt's famous shrimp. However, I did not eat the scampi, and Ryan helped me with the crab legs. I had never had crab legs before, and it was definitely an experience. It was good, but so much work for the amount of meat that you get. I definitely preferred the lobster tail. I had lobster for the first time on our cruise, and I'm pretty sure I'm hooked. Unfortunately, however, lobster is too expensive to have very often and it's just not something I think I could cook at home. The thought of picking up a live lobster creeps me out. Ryan had "Shrimp Your Way", and he got shrimp scampi, Walt's famous shrimp, and coconut shrimp. I also enjoyed a delicious, refreshing frozen Margarita. Overall, it was a great dinner out to celebrate, and I'm glad we got to do it. Normally, it's just too expensive for us to do when I can make something nice at home....which is the plan for our actual anniversary. After dinner, we met up with my friend Anne to go see The Hangover at the movie theater in Bryan. Everyone had said how funny it was, and it really was funny. It's definitely a guy movie, but that's ok. You know you have a mature relationship when you go see a guy movie when celebrating your anniversary!

Gentlemen Only Ladies Forbidden (HA!)

Today, Ryan and I decided to go golfing. I used to be on the varsity golf team in high school, but I haven't played in probably four years or more. I loved it when I played, but as with most things in high school, the girls got very catty and started cheating, and I got sick of it, so I quit because I hated having to deal with it on a daily basis. I'm not sure why I quit playing completely, other than the fact that I didn't think I had room in the dorm to bring my clubs, and now I don't have any more since Michaela is now on the golf team. But we decided that this would be something fun to do together, and it would give us some exercise, so we headed out to the A&M golf course to hit some balls at the driving range and practice on the putting green. This was Ryan's first time ever, so there were definitely a lot of whiffs, duffs, etc. But he got a few good shots off and most of them were right on par with a beginner. Since we don't have our own clubs, we had to rent them from the Pro Shop, and I ended up playing with men's clubs. Somehow, despite the fact that the clubs were WAY too long for me, I still managed to hit really well considering that I haven't played in four years. When we get our own clubs, we will definitely be going more often!