A & J Year 2013

2013 has officially come to a close, its a new year and 2014 has begun. Before I get started on how the past year has gone over for us I'd like to let you all in on our finale of 2013 and our BIG Christmas surprise.....SO EVERYONE....

Yes I said that correctly, Jason asked me to marry him on Christmas day and I of course said YES! We are very thrilled to announce this news and have kept it somewhat on low key only to share with our closest family members and friends first. For all of those who may ask it was not some big event where everyone was there. Instead it was low key, Jason waited until the Christmas festivities had come to a close and we were alone in our home having a heart to heart when he got on one knee and asked me to spend the rest of his life with him being his wife. We are now on our path to wedding planning and it will be a slow one but dont you worry, I will keep everyone updated on everything as it progresses. 

The gorgeous ring ;)

With 2013 at a close Jason and I have been through a lot over the past year as well as I myself. We have known each other for over a year now while dating for less than a year, and I find it amazing at how much a year can change your whole life. I have gone from going through a bad relationship and divorce in the beginning of 2013 to becoming the finance of someone that I truly love and support at the end. I have been through ups as well as downs and I have learned from each and every one of them whether it be good or bad. I have grown as a person 

Our Year In Review:

January through March were hard months for me, I was going through a divorce that I only wanted over. My parents and I were on a rough patch, they didn't know how to talk to me about it and I was only pushing them away more and more on a daily basis. I had Jason on my side there for me to lean on but no one understood that either, I felt alone and lost with no where to go. 

Come spring time things started to get better, Jason had asked me to be his girlfriend at the end of March, I started to gradually get closer with my parents and rebuild burnt bridges. I moved back to my parents and things were still very rough with them, I became close with Jason's family and the took me in as their own family without thinking twice. 

I met Bailey for the first time in April right before my birthday. She instantly stole my heart and I quickly became her "Audi" someone she can play with, laugh with, and cuddle with. From then on we became somewhat of a little family, I looked forward to planning things for us to do on her weekends. We went to the zoo, took Bentley to the park, played outside. 

Things got hard for a while in June, it was hard to watch a family being torn apart, and I found myself brokenhearted as well. We stuck through it as a family and came out on the other side only stronger. 

Jason and I also had quite the summer keeping our relationship growing, everything we do together we manage to have a blast. Some of our highlights for the summer were his birthday, a wedding we went to, three Detroit Tigers games, up north, 4th of July, Silver Lake, and our last trip to Chicago. We have grown closer as a couple as well as have made new lifelong friendships with people. 

Fall was a much smoother transition compared to earlier in the year, Jason changed jobs and I started back up at school. Making time for each other wasn't always easy but we managed to get the job done. We took Bailey Johnson Pumpkin Farm where she picked over all of the pumpkins and saw lots of animals. We also took her to the children's zoo for trick or treating twice. 

These past few months with the holidays have been hectic but they also have been monumental for us as well. Jason has been working non stop with all of the snow that we have gotten lately which makes me feel like a "winter widow" but we secretly love it. After Thanksgiving we moved into our own apartment, I got a big girl job at Morley and finished my fall semester of college. Christmas came and went and we were able to spend it with all of our family as well as seeing Christmas through Bailey's eyes. 

And our big news of the year....WE GOT ENGAGED!! 

It's amazing how one year can have so many up's and down's. 2013 had moments that I will learn from, moments I will not miss, and moments that I will always hold close to my heart. If it wasn't for the down's I may have never got to experience the many up's that we had. We have grown as a couple and as a family. I have grown to be a daughter to the Carlson's as well as Jason has grown to be like a son to my parents. I would not have changed anything over the past year for the world it has helped me develop as a person and I can not wait to see what 2014 has in store for us.