one whole year of being mr & mrs..

and it's been amazing!

i've always heard people say that the first year of marriage is the hardest. i'm not quite sure if it was because we were just so ready, but it wasn't hard for us. it was wonderful and full of adventures!!

we decided we are going to take turns planning what we do to celebrate our anniversary's. it was Justin's turn first even though he planned the honeymoon :) .. i never knew where we were going and sunday night after he got off work.. we were on our way! i ended up falling asleep like I do on every road trip, and j made me close my eyes and when I opened them at 2 am, i was in the parking lot of CAFE RIO! our very favorite mexican place that is NOT in ohio! oh how excited i was to go the next day! it ended up being 20 minutes from j's brother and family, so we called and asked if they could meet us! then off we went, i still had no idea where we were going.. and then we arrived in virgina beach! it was so nice to see palm trees again and I love an ocean view!! it really was similiar to our honeymoon in california!

right outside our hotel, there was a HUGE display of christmas lights along the boardwalk! it was so much fun to see them, it went on for miles!! hardly anyone was staying in virgina beach..j says compared to cleveland, it felt like hawaii:)

we enjoyed drinking hot chocolate on our balcony and listening to the waves! oh how peaceful and romantic the ocean is!

we woke up early to see the sun rise, of course we went back to bed for a couple of hours after. :)

we went downtown virgina for lunch, it was such a cute town!! we wen't to hell's kitchen.. it was soooo good! i got the yummiest spicy black bean veggie burger with the best asparagus! 

then we went to jamestown, we had never been! it was really cool to see where the first permanent settlement was! it was such a beautiful day! i recognized the statue of pochohontas right away, thanks to disney!

oh how i love this man. 

our shadows:)

j found out that his meeting was cancelled, so we ended up having an extra day! we couldn't help but stay the night  with his family! oh how i love my nieces! while ella went to school, jane wanted her hair curled like her auntie and glitter on her eyes. so cute:) 

we went to lunch downtown dc with j's childhood best friend and his wife. yummiest eggplant panini i've ever had! it was so much fun to catch up with them!! then we went downtown and went site seeing! oh how lovely DC is!

it was so much fun seeing it decorated for christmas!!

 us at the white house!!

 yes, the nutcraker is huge, or maybe i'm just small..

  we went to the american history museum. i could stay there forever and look at all the museum's! maybe we can transfer residency programs? haha. 

my very favorite thing to do.

it was so much fun to talk about this past year, laugh, talk, see friends/family and spend a few days together without working and just simply celebrate us!

on our actual anniversary, we both worked the night shifts, so we had all morning/afternoon together. we stayed up late watching the show we are into right now (lost) and then slept in, had breakfast and watched more of our show and cuddled while it was snowing outside!! such a perfect, lazy day!! i made a book for j of our love story from the very begining. such wonderful memories and so many more to come!!