2003 – a very special year.  The year of our wedding.  The year our marriage began.  Wow, there are times that it still doesn’t seem real; like floating along blissfully in the midst of a beautiful dream.  But fortunately it is real and we’re so happy together.  We were married in August and already I can’t imagine living any other way.  I can’t imagine how I ever got along without this wonderful man who asked me to be his wife forever.  It’s such a privilege.  I love him so much.

Well, I could write about our engagement, our wedding, and our marriage and life together until I filled up all my server space and then some, but don’t worry, I’ll hold myself back (at least for now).  So now on to other things.

The season for being nude outdoors started out very much like it has in previous years (I looked back at my previous year-in-review pages).  Just like before, it was March; it seemed like a nice day, I undressed; it was colder than I thought; I turned blue after about ten minutes; I got dressed and left.  I never seem to learn, do I?  It’s just that by then after a long, cold winter, I’m so desperate!  Can anybody else relate to that?

My outdoor nude activity this year was quite a bit less than usual due to wedding and marriage planning, but it was a worthwhile trade-off.  I did get out to the pasture a few times – a couple of times with Brian; a couple of times alone.  Julie, my best friend had us over to use her parent’s pool once during the summer while she was “home alone”.  I did a little bit of early, early morning nude running in a new housing development on those days when that was the only time I could run.  On our honeymoon, we had quite a bit of nude time on the beach even though it wasn’t really a nude beach (hey, we couldn’t let a little thing like that stop us!).  And our friends, Ann and Jim had a new home built out in the country this year and they had us out one day after we got back. 

Unfortunately, we didn’t get to go to the nude campground this year and I very much missed seeing all my friends from there although I keep in touch with a few of them via e-mail.  But we’re looking forward to next year on that. 

Work-wise, it was a good year for both of us.  Brian finished school right before our wedding and moved straight into his job full-time when we got back from our honeymoon.  He loves it.  He gets to work with some great people doing great things and he’s learning so much so fast.  The team he’s on was very successful last year and he feels very lucky to be part of it.  The ones I’ve met say they feel lucky to have him as part of their group.  I’m so proud of him.  He’s going to do big things; I just know it. 

I had a good year in my work-life, as well.  I’m getting more experience and able to really contribute to what we’re trying to accomplish.  I feel like I’m earning my keep now way more than I did at this time last year.  I, too, work with some really nice and really smart people.  Late in the year, I applied for another position within the company.  It was kind of a stretch to claim that I met the minimum requirements, but I tried to draw attention to my strengths and play down my weaknesses.  I made it past the initial screening and got an interview, but in the end, someone more qualified than me got the job.  That’s understandable.  But at least I went for it, and in so doing, made it known that I’m interested in taking on more responsibility.  My boss is now helping me find ways to gain some of the experience I was lacking. 

There were a lot of fun things happening throughout the year.  Some of them were related to work and included company Christmas parties and going to sports events other things like that – we attended those together and had a good time meeting each other’s co-workers.  There were lots of get-togethers with friends for various things.  Our circle of friends hasn’t changed very much since we were married and we live in the same town that I’ve lived in for quite awhile, so socializing-wise, things are pretty stable and always fun.

Brian is good about letting me drag him to things like my high school and college homecoming games.  He usually doesn’t know a soul, but he puts up with letting me introduce him (and show him off) to old friends and acquaintances.  He’s such a charmer.  It’s so fun to say, “And this is Brian, my husband.”  If it’s someone I haven’t seen recently, they’re usually surprised to find out that I’m married and my girl friends will sometimes pull me aside and say things like, “Girl, you did good!” or “Whoa, he’s a hottie!” or “Are there any more like that where he came from?”  Trying not to rub it in too much, I’ll just say something like, “Hey…I saw him first and he’s all mine.”  

One of the many nice things about being married is that we no longer have to be apart on holidays.  Unfortunately, because Brian’s family is so far away, we can’t be with both families, so we have to make choices.  But so far it’s working out OK and everyone seems to be understanding of our situation.

And speaking of family, Brian’s sister now lives in our town and goes to the same college I attended.  This all started to come about early in the year when she paid Brian an unexpected visit.  She wasn’t getting along well in her first year of college and she just left one night.  She wasn’t sure what she wanted to do, so she came to visit Brian’s school to see if she might want to transfer there.  She wound up staying with me while she was here and I suggested that she might as well visit my old school, too, since she was here and had some time on her hands.  She did, she liked it (to her surprise), and she transferred here in the fall.  She’s getting along much better now and is a lot happier.  She lives on campus, but we see her fairly frequently and she and I are growing closer.  I’m very glad for that. 

Brian’s parents have paid us a couple of visits since we were married.  It works out well for them now that both of their kids live in the same town.  They came over once to help Brian’s sister move here for school and then again for Parents’ Day.  I guess our hospitality is OK since they seem to be comfortable staying with us.  I’m glad they feel welcome.  We enjoy hosting. 

2003 was a fantastic year for us!  Here’s looking forward to all that 2004 will bring.  We wish you all the very, very best.