1 new truck, 2 new jobs, 3 new outfits and 4 years of marriage.

In that order.

As many of those close to me know, I HATE change. HAte it...with a passion, for example (my mom loves this one): I grew up and lived in the same house, on the same street, up on the same hill for the majority of my life. I went to the same school, grocery store, library, and church for just as many years. I lived in the same bedroom, slept in the same bed, shared the same bathroom with my brother...for just as long. So this bathroom...it had the same wall paper for as long as I can remember. Honestly...it was pretty tacky. Who thinks that small, uniformed, ducks in a row make for good decoration? My mom, haha. ANYWAYS...the ducks were on the wall in my bathroom and that's how my bathroom was meant to be. One day, I came home to find the ducks had been RIPPED from the bathroom wall. In my 11 or 12 year old mind...that was just plain wrong, why would you change something? So...to try and fix my mothers crazy idea of change, I hand drew ducks back onto the wall, because I had a sense of humor (even though I was disturbed by the change) I drew angel wings and halos on the ducks. I don't remember if my mom smiled at my attempt to fix her mistake...or if she fussed b/c I had drawn on her walls...all I remember was the light green paint that replaced the rows of ducks and how I decided from then on I really did not like change!
I'm saying this..why? because who cries when they buy a new vehicle? Who actually sheds tears when they drive away from the old car they used to drive and pulls onto the street in a brand new, polished, only 7 miles on it car? Who? Me. The girl that cannot for the life of her get used to change. That's who. The day before my senior prom I sold my very first car. I was the proud owner of a new 2001 Ford Escape. Man was she pretty!! Of course...I cried when my 1996 silver, mustang drove off with some wild eyed, way too young, boy behind the wheel. However, I had always wanted to sit up high and SUV's were "cool" back then...not just some huge road hog that guzzles gas. So there I was with my new Escape, freshly graduated from High School and about to start a new journey in life. That little suv drove me all over the next 8 years of my life. If you know me...you know where those years took me...and my little escape was there all along the way :) So when it came time for the "we should think about selling the escape" talk...my heart was having no part of it, while my brain was saying "let it go linds". So...plans were made, offers were dealt, and tears were shed. Adios little suv, thanks for taking me down 8 years worth of roads. Hello new little Toyota Tacoma. Of course, it probably didn't make it easy for me...seeing as how Sev gets to drive the new truck and I'm just out an old 4 wheeled friend. The good news is we're now back down to 2 vehicles which has proven to be better on the wallets.

So...whether or not anyone besides my dad, mom and sev knew...I was MISERABLE in my career with University of Phoenix. So much so that I would come home daily with tears pouring from my eyes and every curse word known to man just begging to jump from my tongue when asked how my day was. I could go on and on about why and how I hated my job, but I will spare those reading. Finally, last Thursday I could not take it anymore. I walked away from UoP for the last time...for GOOD. I also walked away with out a back up plan and so much as an idea of where to go from there. The following day I had already set up an interview and by Tuesday of this week I had a new job. God is Good...that is all I can say. I am now and account executive for AppleOne. I already have good vibes about my co-workers and I'm excited about this change!! Imagine that. So that's my new job...but more exciting is Sevy's new job. My sweet, sweet husband came to me during the middle of the summer and said "I believe I want to change my degree." Ultimately...what he was saying ways "I want to change my degree, change schools all together, loose credits and no longer take up flying as a profession, like I've talked about wanting to do all my life." **sigh** Partly because the worlds "until death do you part" kept running through my mind and partly because I love him more than it seems possible at times...I said "okay, well honey, I'll support you in what ever decision you make" and under my breath I think I said "you just better hope its the right one!!!" hehehe. So...starting the middle of August, Sev was no longer a student at Embry-Riddle. He was no longer studying, professional Aeronautics. Sev is now a student at USC. Sev is now studying Civil Engineering. Good news....he is absolutely loving every minute of it!! It's weird being married to a college student...he now spends evenings reading literature and writing papers...but I couldn't be a bit prouder!! The bad news was...he was going to have to quit working. While his student life with Embry-Riddle allowed for him to work full-time and take his classes online. His college life with USC is a traditional as any college students life....classes in the morning, papers and reading at night. However, back to some good news...Sev was offered a part-time intern/job for a engineering company here in Columbia. It pays to have friends in high places ;) He was so cute when he came home from his interview. He said while they understood that he did not have much experience...who am I kidding, he has NO experience...in the engineering department. They expected him to be a quick learner and would love to offer him a job around his class schedule. All he said was "linds, its so cool, I have my own office and they gave me a hard hat." I have to say I was very impressed and proud of him to take on school and now an internship where he will gain experience but be forced to learn more than just school book materials. Again...God is Great.

So...my new dress code is business dress...not business casual but business dress...yikes!! Everyone knows I am such a tomboy when it comes to dressing up. I spent the better half of yesterday in a dressing room w/ a sales lady explaining how you fit the collar of a dress shirt under the collar of a suit jacket. Also...did you know that when you buy a jacket or a skirt that has a slit in it...that little piece of thread that holds the slit together is meant to be cut off...No WONDER I looked like a penguin waddling out of the dressing room, hahahahaha. 3 new outfits later, I'm a business woman!!

September 3rd 2004 was the best day of my life...okay, actually it was more like a scene from an sit com...but whatever. This was the day I got married. First...I decided I would get married in the court house, while Sev was home for r&r from Iraq and in the clothes we had on our back (for me that was white capri pants and hot pink polo shirt. Sev sported blue jeans and a CHAPS t-shirt). Secondly, we would invite Sev's sister to be our witness and last...we would go on a "honeymoon" with my new in laws :) Oh and not to mention we would do all of this without telling anyone (besides Jessie...our witness). We had just taken our seats in the waiting room of the JoP office, when sev realized he had forgotten my wedding band. He ran out of the building mumbling something like "forgot ring, oh gosh, I think its in the car, oh gosh, hold on, oh gosh." About this time the lady seated behind the sliding class window casually called out "Mullen" into the waiting room full of individuals looking just as lost and in love as Sev and I. Seeing as how Severyn had exited the building, this just left Jessie and I to stand up when called. The mouths that dropped open and the chuckles that escaped some mans throat are the only sounds I heard moments before Sev came sprinting back into the waiting room and some lady sighed and mumbled "good, I thought that was illegal in SC." All I remember about the lady that married us was that she had a gold ring, sometimes two, on each finger of both hands and she kept saying "you know, I paid like 45 dollars to get my notary license and it paid for itself after just one couple I married." The only thing I remember about my wedding was how Sev was sweating like I had never seen him sweat before, Jessie was snapping pictures of the two of us in front of a fake tree and I realized I had left my sunglasses on my head and couldnt believe those would be on my head in my pictures....never mind I had on a hot pink polo shirt!!! hahahaha. We left the court house to start the drive to the beach house where Sev's mom and dad were waiting on us and Jessie to have a quick family vacation before Sev returned to Iraq. The next morning, after waking up and stepping out into the living room was a moment I will never forget...Sevs dad looked at me and said "well good morning Mrs. Mullen"........4 years later and Honestly.....from the bottom of my heart.......I would NEVER for the life of me....Change one single thing. That is my wedding story and that is the story I will gladly share with anyone who looks adoringly at my left hand and says "oh, what a gorgeous ring, tell me about your wedding!!!"

Happy Anniversary Severyn...it might be a wild ride but I wouldn't ride this ride with anyone but you.