Honestly, life hasn't changed very dramatically for me, at least it doesn't feel like it. Chad graduated from BYU Hawaii in August of 2011; it was really neat getting engaged there and living our first year as a married couple in such a beautiful and different place. Chad graduated in Accounting, and I worked over there at State Farm Insurance - proof that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Once Chad graduated, we moved back to California, to a city called Upland, where Chad grew up (in San Bernadino County near Chino, Ontario, etc).
From September 2011-August 2012 we lived with my in-laws. This was NOT anticipated!! Chad's career path changed suddenly when a big business opportunity opened itself up to him right after graduation. We immediately started looking for homes to buy in the Upland/surrounding areas, but it was a long and terrible process. 1 full year and 4 escrows later, we FINALLY bought our first house in Chino!!
Chad and I both work in Upland, which is only 7 miles from where we live, so that's a huge blessing. I've continued on with the insurance field because I was hired immediately and given excellent benefits - which will come in useful when we start to grow our little family! Chad's work is literally less than 1/4mile away from my office, so we often meet up for lunch or just to say hi. Our house is older - buying in California is EXPENSIVE - but it's exactly what we were looking for.
Our house is 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, and just about 1800 sq ft. For the two of us, it seems HUGE! The prior owner had put a lot of work into it and upgraded different things, so there wasn't major work that needed to be done. But we did decide to remodel the kitchen and 1 bathroom. Our kitchen has been a work in progress; I just recently installed my stove and over the range microwave, and I'm hoping Chad finishes installing my garbage disposal tonight! My dad has been super awesome and has come up a few times to help with some of the renovations - he's actually here this week putting up new door casings and nice baseboards throughout the house. It's been a fun project, and Chad and I are learning SO much!
In our other ward in Upland, I worked with the Young Women, and Chad worked with the Young Men, so we used to go to mutual together and do baptisms for the dead - it was great! Leaving that ward was really hard, but we're excited for new things!
