It's been really good to be home although we miss our friends in Italy very much!! We are so thankful for the past 4 months and the opportunities that God so graciously gave us. We have seen a lot, done a lot, and met a ton of folks along the way. It was definitely the trip of a lifetime, and we will never forget the experiences that we were able to share together as newlyweds. We have made new, lifelong friends (Clemson classmates as well as our Italian buddies) that we will cherish for years to come. We are beyond blessed, and I hope that we never cease to give God thanks for this daily.
The only luggage we were allowed to take for 4 months worth of living!!
The only luggage we were allowed to take for 4 months worth of living!! 
Finally...SWEET TEA!!!
We are SO very happy and proud to announce that we have found a permanent home for the next year!!!! :) :) :) You have NO idea how ecstatic we are about this. The past year has been simply amazing, but let's face it, picking up and moving every 4 to 5 months is not fun. In case you weren't aware, here was the living situation for the first 9 months of our newlywed marriage:
July 19: Got married and left for honeymoon.
July 30: Returned from honeymoon.
July 30-August 9: Stayed between both sets of parents in Pelzer and Belton (living out of suitcases).
August 9-December 17: Packed EVERYTHING we had and either put it into storage or took it to our very little Charleston single for Jonathan's 1st semester of graduate school with Clemson.
December 17-January 6: Stayed in the basement room of Jonathan's parents' house in Belton while living out of storage bins and suitcases, and simultaneously making everything we owned fit back into storage (plus some because we acquired some furniture while in Charleston being that we had NONE when we moved down there) OR into 1 suitcase (for our trip to Italy).
January 6-May 3: Lived in a beautiful, huge, old villa in Italy for Jonathan's 2nd semester of graduate school. Although immaculate, we had 1 small bedroom to call our own. We only took clothes with us.
May 3-May 15: Again stayed between both sets of parents in Pelzer and Belton (living out of suitcases).
I have to say, that we have definitely not had the typical 1st year of marriage!! It's been WONDERFUL and I wouldn't change one, single thing about any of it, but definitely not typical. I also have to say that the hardest time was probably in between Charleston and Italy during Christmas break. We had NO clue what to pack and what to leave behind, and we just wanted to enjoy the break and spend time with family and friends. It was a GREAT Christmas, but definitely the most exhausting one that we have ever experienced. We worked more than we rested, and we were packing (whether that be in a suitcase or into storage) up until the morning we flew out for Italy. I can't wait until we have Christmas this year in our new, permanent home. :)
Mother's Day 2009...Stateside and back with the land of the livng!!
Now that brings us up to speed. We actually searched ALL last week for a 1 or 2 bedroom apartment in our price range (which wasn't a whole lot). We found something early in the week, but knew that we needed to keep on searching for the best deal. When it all came down to it, on Friday we had narrowed it down to 2 apartments, 1 of them being the favorite from earlier in the week. We put it down on paper, compared savings and prices, and in the end, our favorite was the one. God is SO good!!! :) :)
Now I am just waiting on my precious, amazing husband to get home from work so we can head on over to get our key and start moving things in. We'll be in the Clemson/Central area so that Jonathan is only minutes from campus. He has one more year of graduate school, which will all be spent in Clemson, and next May he will graduate with his MArch degree from Clemson University and be 1 step closer to fulfilling his life's dream of becoming a licensed architect. :)
Keep us in your prayers as we move this weekend and as I continue to wait on God's timing for not only a summer job, but an answer about this fall. I know that He will make a way and provide for us no matter what, but the need for summer work is immediate, and my heart truly desires to be back in the classroom at Calhoun this fall. I love what I do and I am truly passionate about it. Teaching is my calling and I miss it terribly.
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