One Year Anniversary

It's hard to believe it's already been a year that Peter and I have been married. I loved our winter wedding - and the snow outside right now makes me extremely nostalgic of it. We had 250 guests attend our candlelit ceremony. Christmas trees, poinsettias, and beautiful bouquets decorated the alter. Walking down the isle was a terrifying thought to me beforehand...all those eyes on me! But, it ended up being one of the most magnificent moments of my life. To see my friends and family all around me - not to mention Peter at the end of the isle - was unforgettable and non-replicable. I am so thankful to God for my marriage and how fun the last year has been. Here are my top highlights:
1. Our honeymoon to Mexico in January
2. Our trip to Washington DC in May
3. Getting our kitty, Jojo
4. My sisters wedding in June
5. Many walks around Lake Harriet, along the Mississippi, and our neighborhood
6. Countless hours drinking coffee at Caribou
7. Spending Thanksgiving in Costa Rica
8. Decorating and updating our house (new front walkway and patio)
9. Getting to wake up next to Peter every day
10. Lot of shows at the Guthrie, Orpheum, and Ordway

Christmas Cards and Stationery

Many people have asked me recently where I got my Christmas Cards from...and where I get my gift tags:

Christmas Cards: http://www.vistaprint.com/
I have also ordered business cards & personalized post-its here for cheap!
Staionery: http://www.expressionery.com/
I love this site!

New Job

So - I started a new job this week.

It's an unbelievable answer to prayer. Not that I didn't like my old job - that's not it at all. But, my deep craving for something new and challenging needed to be satisfied. And that craving has been around for a few years now. I am with the same company and corresponding with a lot of the same people I did in my previous role - which is great. My new boss took me to a nice lunch today and it made me feel so good about where I am at and how God has expanded my knowledge about people, business, technology, etc. Somewhere in me, though, is an ache to do something....well, more....something. I don't believe that a 9-5 desk job is inherently evil or bad in any way. But, do any of you out there ever get sick of sending one more piece of inter-office mail? Or entering one more piece of data into the system? And your head may explode? But, many days as I am driving into work I thank the Lord that I have a job...an income..a great company. What He has blessed me with always astonishes me. I thank him that a 28 year old female can work alongside many men and not feel intimidated or like a second-class worker. I attached some stats that I came across and found interesting about working women. Thought I would share :)

# In 2004, women in the United States were paid 76 cents for every dollar men received for comparable work.
# African American women earn only 71 cents and Latinas 59 cents for every dollar men are paid. Asian Pacific American women earn 86 cents for every dollar men make.
# Nationwide, working families lose $200 billion in income annually due to the wage gap between men and women.
# If married women were paid the same as men in comparable jobs, their family incomes would rise by nearly 6 percent, and their families' poverty rates would fall from 2.1 percent to 0.8 percent.
# If single working mothers earned as much as men in comparable jobs, their family incomes would increase by nearly 17 percent and their poverty rates would be cut in half, from 25.3 percent to 12.6 percent.
# If single women earned as much as men in comparable jobs, their incomes would rise by 13.4 percent and their poverty rates would be reduced from 6.3 percent to 1 percent.
# Half of all women with income from a pension in 2002 received less than $5,600 per year, compared with $10,340 per year for men.
# The 25.6 million women who work in predominantly male jobs lose an average of $3,446 each per year; the 4 million men who work in predominately female occupations lose an average of $6,259 each per year—a total $114 billion loss for men and women in predominately female jobs.
# In the global economy, women account for 60 percent of the world’s 550 million working poor—even though they make up 40 percent of the world’s workforce.

source: http://www.aflcio.org/issues/factsstats/

Beaches of the Rich Coast

Costa Rica had some of the most amazing beaches I have been to. Surprisingly they were quite empty which gave us lots of room for swimming...boogie-boarding...and goofing around. My favorite beach was Sugar Beach (Playa Asugar). If anyone is thinking of a trip to Costa Rica, I would highly recommend the Guanecaste region (we stayed in Tamarindo). The beaches are amazing along the Pacific. We went to at least 8 beaches in one week!

Tromping through the rainforest

We are home safe and sound from our Costa Rican getaway! We enjoyed good weather, good food, and great friends. My favorite day was hiking in the forest. We saw hidden waterfalls, natural hot springs (boiling, I may add!), bright blue butterflies, and a host of amazing huge trees. We had an amazing time....however, I am STILL scratching my bug bites!