Welcome back Mrs. Smith!

It has been a whirlwind of a pandemic to say the least! The past few months seem like one month all rolled into one it went by so fast!

Not only being a healthcare worker in the middle of a pandemic but getting engaged, married, and on top of it all being a freak about distance, exposure and cleanliness. I know everyone is so sick of hearing about covid and trust me, I am included sometimes I wish I could just come home and be in a bubble without hearing about the pandemic or election *rolls eyes*. Not only have we all had to go through it in our own way but we have all been subjected to the emotional baggage that comes with all of it. Personally, I can say even though I saw the very ugly sides of it, I was able to focus a lot of my time and attention on other things such as the wedding and home renovations (which I planned to post about way more than I did during all the renovations but things never go as planned).

As the world rolls on and I begin to realize things wont get better anytime soon here in the states, I begin to think about how lucky I was to be able to get out and go to work everyday, even though what I see is hard and some nights I go home crying, I am able to interact with people outside of my home. I feel as if many people run themselves mad having to be at home with the same person/people unable to remove themselves from the small house that I’m sure feels like it is growing smaller by the day. Unfortunately, I cannot relate to these people and I know plenty of people would rather be at home than doing what I do daily but like many others in my field, I love being able to help in any way that I can.

In happier news, my new husband and I are both essential workers and have been working through this whole pandemic and thanks be to god have an income. We were able to put a new entryway addition on our house and update a few other necessary items and now FINALLY move onto our upstairs half bath that has been in desperate need of an overhaul. With the funds received from our very small intimate wedding we were able to pay for new windows in our house which were also extremely necessary, we can tell how bad they really are now that the weather is below freezing and the house feels just as cold as outside (not really but to me it does!). It has been so nice to be able to escape to our happy place every day and spend time outside, away from the madness of society and spend time with the chickens, the new puppy and our land.

In the midst of the pandemic, around August we got a new black lab puppy and chose to name her Allie Grace. She has been such an amazing addition to our lives and was the dog of honor in our wedding and honestly stole the show if I may say so myself. She was the cutest little bean ever! As many people know raising a puppy is a handful and many people who decide to take on the challenge are never prepared for quite a large commitment. Our selling point was that my husband and I work opposite shifts so there is always someone home with her, she is one spoiled puppy let me tell you, but she so deserves it!

The wedding was nice and quaint outside at my mothers friend’s house which is in the country, they have horses, chickens, and a few other animals on their small farm. The pictures we got were beyond what we could have ever imagined and we are so happy with them. Before the pandemic and restrictions of gatherings, Nick and I always knew we wanted to have a small wedding so this was the perfect opportunity to get what we wanted and have an excuse so people were not offended. The day was perfect, the weather, atmosphere and most of all the friends and family we shared it with. My mother has called up trend setters because everyone is now doing small gatherings for a wedding and a follow-up party in 2021, which we always planned on doing!

As many people have asked and I’m sure many of you will ask, “How is married life?” well honestly, it is the same as before because we lived together, shared everything before and now everything is still shared and we still live together! It is nice having the title of husband and wife and once I can maneuver my way around getting my documents safely to the social security office and getting myself a new identity with my new last name I will be golden! I can officially say goodbye to the last name GROSS! yes, you read that correctly, that will be my awful and happy to get rid of maiden name. I will be moving onto the much more ordinary Smith. I’ll take it!

As the holidays are approaching and many of us are scrambling to figure out how we are going to give and receive gifts, I was wondering what everyone is planning on doing this year. I need some ideas, maybe something from the new Mr and Mrs? Maybe it will be a year where we all give gifts that joke about how terrible this year has been? I am beginning to fret over the lost time this year and how fast the holidays are approaching. Since I have missed out on so much time is there anything any of my faithful followers want to share? I seriously miss interacting with all of you!

Until next time,

-L