Sweet Symmetry

The last four days have gone by so quickly. Our apartment is empty and cleaned and the keys are no longer ours. My parents' garage is full of our belongings (although there are a handful of boxes that need to be gone through in order to consolidate). We were able to get some help yesterday that we would never have been able to survive without. With four days of bending, lifting, and carrying, my whole body is reminding me every five minutes of the work we were doing. All the same, the days flew by so quickly because I was spending them with Joshua.

We laughed and talked and fell in love again every day. I am still starry-eyed over this incredible man. It is entirely cliche, but I love him more now than I did then. We really cannot have enough time together; the more I hear him talk, or receive his understanding grace, or simply laugh and enjoy life with him, the more that I get the picture of the nobility and destiny he has. The anticipated days of traveling together become sweeter in my mind when I realize that hours on the open road are some of my favorite memories that we have, from Redding to Sacramento or San Francisco and then from Redding through Arizona to Texas. When there are minutes upon hours of driving, you get past routine conversation and into deep thoughts, belly laughs, and introspection. We first talked about getting married on a roadtrip and now we have been married a year. The symmetry to our life together communicates to me once again that the Lord's timing is on this move.

Please pray for us to find the employment that will both provide for and satisfy us, as well as a living situation that can be "home." Both Joshua and I are seeking somewhere that does not feel temporary, but is soft ground ready for some roots. (It looks like we want a break from moving again too soon!) Ultimately, though, pray for the release of His will and abundance in our lives and that we would be able to hear and follow.

Seven Months Married

Now that we're settled into the rhythm of the new year, it's about time for an update from the Dobler home, I suppose. A few quick notes:

• I still hesitate when someone asks my last name and it sounds something like "Ca-Dobler."
• I am blonde again, per husband's request and to my own satisfaction, thanks to the ever-magical hands of Katrina.
• We crossed our 6 month mark at the end of November! I can't believe we're on the shorter side of counting down to a year!
• Some of you may have heard of my frequent complaints of nausea and many smile in mocking disbelief when I demand that I am not pregnant. But I was right. The cause of my nausea is apparently that I have low blood sugar/low blood pressure. So eat that. :-p (No, really. I just have to increase the frequency of my meals and the protein I consume).
• (...ironically enough...) In November I started a job as office manager for Gentle Beginnings Birth Center in Hurst, TX and I LOVE it!
• I applied to Yale, Harvard, and Brown Universities. I have interviews with Brown and Yale this month. No word from Harvard yet. Ivy League is a long-time dream of mine and right now is the best time to make the grand gesture, so we are trying it out. If I had my first pick, it'd be Brown. Their course flexibility and English program are enchanting.

The last few months have been the best of our marriage, I think. Joshua and I have always been really honest with each other and that causes some tension in our relationship, but it keeps the air clear, too. Now that we have more of a rhythm with each other, I feel like we are handling uncertainties and challenges like more of a team than ever. I cannot even announce to the world how much I love this man! What a sweet Jesus I have to let him love me so.

Recently Joshua's OCD cleanness has become a contagion (I'm sure he's thinking, "Finally!" ...I'm a bit of a clutter-until-you-can't-see-the-floor-then-go-on-a-cleaning-binge kind of person) and we are going through this purging-the-unnecessary phase as far as dusty old corners and miscellaneous catch-alls go. Every so often we make trips to the magnificent Container Store for things like scarf hooks (for my infinite supply) and drawer trays (for my cosmetic plethora) and giant plastic boxes (for our newlywed Christmas collection).

Our recent save-up-and-splurge purchase was a Wii and my parents got us Wii Fit Plus for Christmas. I completely love it because the competitive creature in me loves to smear Joshua's scores into the dust (oh, yeah, and get a work-out). *As a side-note to those who own Wii Fit, have you noticed that you can input your pets' weights? I think it's a little creepy but I am just creepy enough to have my cats terrorizing my home and my Wii Fit Plaza.

Speaking of cats, our lovely 5 month old Argyle went into heat this month (joy of joys) which is when we were supposed to get her fixed. Trust me, as soon as she is done being a raging hairball of hormones, it's clippety-clop snippety-snap for both of our little felines. As much as my husband will hate me for publicly admitting this, it's true that pets take on their owners' personalities. Paisley is a cuddle-me-when-I-please and Argyle is a love-me-love-me. I'll leave it to you to figure out which is which.

Here Come The Newlyweds

So after a month of being married, I am going to peep my head back out into the blogging world. This is our "new" blog where I will be updating from now on.

I find myself in this oxymoronic position of feeling like so much has happened and still being shocked that a month has already passed. At the same time, I've found myself thinking that the last month has been so busy but I hardly feel like we've done anything! It isn't true, of course, and my husband is always the first to try and remind me of the things I accomplish that seem trivial. Sometimes at the end of a long day, just getting the dishes done before bed is a lot. However, we are completely moved in to our sweet little apartment. Every week or so something appears in it that makes it more "homey." We bought a chair and couch and hung some things on the wall. We have a TV now and then a few pieces of unfinished furniture in the process of being reborn (one of those being a table, which we've done without the last four weeks).

After a night or two out, one of us always turns to the other and says, "I miss you!" and then we proceed to stay home for the next couple of days. This may mean staying home playing Battleship or making dinner. We've gotten into watching "The Office" and have actually gulped all four seasons. However, the only actual television we watch is "Here Come The Newlyweds." The season began our first night in Galveston and the only way I've been able to keep up with it is online as our antenna is not hooked up. Joshua very graciously acquiesces to my once-a-week-one-hour indulgence.

This last weekend, we had several people over for a Lord of the Rings Extended Edition marathon. It had been much talked about in months previous so we finally pulled it off, complete with Middle-Earth fare. We have come to the full realization that we are a nerdy couple (in addition in our own rite). He likes Serenity, Firefly, sci-fi, comics, and things of that nature. I adore literature and Lord of the Rings. For the most part, we respect that line although every now and then I maintain that I get bumped up a rank for liking literature, but once you start actually trying to measure these things, you realize just how far gone you really are. :)

As soon as I figure out a way to get my silly camera hooked up to my computer (somehow in all the moving the cord went missing!) I will share pictures of our honeymoon and home. We've been able to browse our wedding photos but they're not quite ready for general viewing yet. Trust me, I'm anxious to share!

Our "Family" Blog

This is where you will be able to keep up with Joshua and I after we get married with all of our wanderings, wonderings, and events. We're joint bloggers so this should be very good fun. I will let you know when we get a photo link set up to snapfish or something.

See you on the other side,

-Us.