Our First Year

On November 11, Grant and I had our first wedding anniversary.

What. A. Year.

We were talking about it and realized that while it’s been an amazing year, we’ve had some real challenges that have led us to a closer, more intimate, relationship, however challenging us every step of the way. It’s also part of the reason it’s been a while for my posts to go up. All the things I thought I would want to share, just got lost in the abyss of busyness, stress, excitement and change.

Here’s a brief recap of our lives since 11-11-11:

1. 11/11/11 – The wedding of a lifetime!
2. December 2011 – We moved Grant out of his “bachelor pad” in West Hollywood and partially into a storage unit, remainder out to Arkansas where  Steph was still working/living. (move #1)
3. January 2012 – We found out we were expecting our first baby! (baby #1)
4. February 2012 – We miscarried said baby (Grant in California, Steph in Arkansas)
5. March 2012 – After realizing that marriage was so much better lived together than apart, and after enduring the miscarriage thousands of miles away from each other, Steph got a job back in California and we headed home with all of our stuff (move #2; job #1). We moved into Grant’s “bachelor pad” where he lived while Steph was away, but this time, there were 4 of us; Grant, Steph, Stella and Pino – all confined to one room in a beautiful duplex… with 2 roommates.
6. June 2012 – Steph accepted an offer with another company (more stability, less drama), and headed over to work on the Honda Powersports account for Dailey Advertising (job #2)
7. June 28, 2012 – While Grant was on the phone booking the tour of his life with Daughtry (15 dates over the summer), Steph was peeing on a stick, just to find out that we were pregnant again (baby #2)! All of this happened ON Steph’s birthday… what a great present for the both of us.
8. July 2012 – Let the morning sickness (lasting from 11AM – bedtime) begin! Grant left for tour for 5 weeks.
9. August 2012 – We safely ended our first trimester of pregnancy and Grant came home from tour.
10. September 2012 – We found out that we were having a BOY! This is after Steph fell down the stairs at our apartment, severely spraining an ankle, and rushing to the Dr.’s to make sure the baby was ok. The next few weeks were a challenge as Grant had all the responsibility of the pups, and Steph to take care of, while entering into a new chapter of his life. We also decided that it was time to move out of our bachelor pad, into our own home, where we could deepen our roots, expand our “territory”, close out our storage units, and get ready for our munchkin, due on March 8.
11. October 2012 – Grant (the smartest person in the world) entered into a course to prepare him for the LSAT test on December 1, 2012. Simultaneously, we moved into our own place, in the same old neighborhood we loved so very much, 5 minutes from Steph’s work, 15 from Grant’s and in the heart of Los Angeles (move #3).

That brings us to today; 3 moves, 3 jobs, 2 pregnancies, 1 big tour, and a whole year of marriage under our belts. There’s so much more I could say about each “thing” that we’ve gone through in the last year, but ultimately, we’re happy, healthy, and home. 🙂

I couldn’t be prouder to be the Mrs. Arnow to my Grant. He’s been a rock of stability through our unstable year, and has proven time and time again that he loves me more than anything, is committed to our marriage, and is going to be a great daddy.