Finally - the before and after photos!

I promised these a long, long time ago...and we're finally there!

Living room...

Living room: before

Living room: before

Living room: before

Living room: after 

Living room: after

I'm obsessed with this bookcase!
Ps. we're getting fish for the big empty vase (girl fish will be
named Margo and Rita, boy fish will be named Marty and Luther)

Living room (hallway): after

Kitchen and dining room:

Kitchen and dining room: before

Kitchen: after

Dining room: after (I love the country kitchen theme!)

Some other rooms that I didn't get before shots of (sorry), but here they are now:

Bedroom wardrobe (aka Kyle's closet)

Tropical themed bedroom (much needed during snomageddon 2012)

His and hers pillows (wasn't my intention but it does look like that!).
You can hardly see it in this photo, but the coral frame on the bedside table is
our wedding vows framed (he has mine framed, and I have his
framed), so we wont ever forget!

Kyle loves maps so we hung this in his bathroom. I've already caught him
staring longingly at it while he brushes his teeth...

And then I framed maps of our honeymoon and wedding
ceremony and reception sites to go with the map theme. The frame
on top of the unit is the vow Kyle took at church last Sunday, which you can watch here (I cried the entire time).

My "nod to University of Washington" bathroom - go Huskies!

The back wall of the combo room: my most significant
organizational accomplishment yet. This room also serves as our camping storage
room (in the closet) and my grad school thesis writing room
(on the wall not shown, because it's just too boring to show).

Giving it grace: Living together is difficult! This is a small space to live in and we both had to make compromises (I got rid of over half of my shoe collection; Kyle no longer knows where anything is in the kitchen). We're learning that it's "our space", not his space or my space. I'm learning that I'm a total control freak (just kidding, I already knew that), and Kyle is learning how much of a control freak I am (just kidding, he already knew that too). So basically, I'm struggling to find the right balance between taking pride in our home, and being prideful about our home. Kyle is learning how to pick his battles, and tell me lovingly that me "being fussy" more often than not actually really bums him out. God has poured out his blessings on us in the form of open communication, and we're actively talking through how to adjust to living together. It's been an exhausting, joyful, surprising process, and I can't wait to see what lies ahead!