3rd Quarterly Review

Ten months of marriage and counting. Can it be almost a year since the stress of planning a wedding and moving across the country? It feels like eons ago. So much has happened, so many things have changed, and yet I still get to wake up every morning to the most amazing man in the world.

We had our 3rd Quarterly Review this last weekend. We were on a tight budget, so Danny (the master of packing a weekend with free activities) put his creativity cap on.

Danny started the weekend early by surprising me with Gerbera Daisies when I came home from work on Wednesday.

On Friday we enjoyed a FREE outdoor movie at Finley Park in downtown Columbia. "Fabulous Four" was playing and we cuddled as the sun set and lightening played on the horizon. Dark rain clouds rolled in just as the movie was ending.

Saturday morning we slept in and enjoyed coffee, bagels, and a quiet time at Manhatten Bagel. Just as the sun was heating up we headed down to the Congaree River that flows through downtown Columbia. (You might recognize it as the one we canoed a few weeks ago.) While Danny jumped around hunting for snakes in the moss I snapped pictures, all of which can be seen at: thestillers.shutterfly.com. We floated and paddled and even enjoyed some swift current that bobbed us up an down for about an hour and a half.

The evening found us hungry and tired, so Danny marinaded (with a homemade concoction) chicken shish-kababs which we then grilled out by the apartment pool. They were delicious.

Saturday night found us at our all-time favorite bookstore, Barnes & Noble. We read and had great conversation.

Sunday morning we enjoyed church at Shandon Baptist, our young married Sunday School, and lunch out with some new friends. Can you believe we're making friends?

Third Quarterly Review Conclusion: In all our 10 months wisdom about marriage, it has been decided that Quarterly Reviews on a dime are just as fun as weekend getaways to the beach, grilling by the pool when you're hungry is tastier than a fancy restaurant, and ten months of marriage is a great prelude to the rest of our lives.

Some things we discussed:

- Recap from last Quarterly Review. What did we accomplish this quarter that we had set as goals last quarter?

- What's improved in our relationship this quarter?

- What's your spiritual life been like this quarter?

- What are some things you've prayed for this quarter?

- Goals for next Quarter!

Quarterly Review History
*1st - 12/16/05 - Raleigh, NC
*2nd - 03/25/06 - Charleston, SC
*3rd - 06/24/06 - Columbia, SC