31,556,926 SECONDS

La Brea Tar Pits, September, 2011

On this day a year ago Jason and I were leaving sunny Los Angeles on a red-eye flight back to Indy.  We had just spent 12 days driving down the coast of California stopping in amazing places like Napa and Sonoma Valley, Yosemite, San Francisco, Monterrey, Moro Bay, Big Sur, Long Beach, Beverly Hills, Venice Beach and Hollywood.  We celebrated our one year anniversary on our last day in California (9/12) and it was a trip to remember.  And the perfect start to an incredible year to come.

A year is 31,556,926 seconds long.  We managed to make the most of every single one.

We got pregnant. 

I stopped selling hot dogs. 

I started an amazing new job with Wish For Our Heroes.

We decided to seriously start looking for a new home for our new family. 

We looked at one house and decided it was our dream home. 

We started sorting, packing, and donating our possessions in January and didn't stop until April. 

We saw Squiggy (aka Eliza) for the first time.  She was perfect. 

We sold our house to the perfect family - our neighbors, the Sevier's. 

While seven months pregnant we finally closed on our new house and moved in late April.  

We started renovating our new house one week later.

Our dream home's basement stays flooded for the majority of April and early May. 
We spend April through June wondering if buying and renovating a 100+ year old house while having our first child was such a good idea. 

We have a new bathroom and second floor laundry room, some new plumbing, a repaired kitchen ceiling, a new living room ceiling, a new roof over the living room, new drywall in the master bedroom, new paint downstairs and new paint upstairs, some new electrical and the whole exterior of the house is painted by June 16th, 2011. 

On June 17, 2011, Eliza Everlee McLane was born. 

In July Jason changes territories at work and is getting to know his new team at Monster. 

In July I attempt to go back to work. 

In August, I realize taking care of Eliza is the most important job I will ever have.  I become a stay-at-home mom. 

By September 12th, 2011, all of our Phase 1 renovations are complete and our precious and perfect Eliza turns three months old. 

We celebrate our two year anniversary and decide that a very quiet and uneventful October, November, and December sounds absolutely wonderful.