Sean cleaning out his pumpkin.
11.10.2005
11.04.2005
Whoo-Hoo - 3 weeks and counting!
Yeah! Only 3 weeks to go until I get to marry the most awesome man in the world!
We had a great time at Katia's last weekend! We got in late Friday and spent some quality time playing with Ian and catching up with Katia while Sean went to the Waverly-Shellrock football game. On Saturday, we headed into Waterloo/Cedar Falls for some errands and shopping. We were able to meet my friend Tami and her husband Ryan for lunch. It's been over a year since I've seen Tami and it was awesome to see her, meet Ryan again and introduce them to Chris, not to mention Katia and the boys. We spent some time shopping and running our errands before heading back to Waverly. After a nice nap, we took a walk and soaked in all the fall colors. It was beautiful! Then it was a great steak dinner. Chris and Sean manned the grill and discussed serious guy stuff like meat tenderizer, flame height and cuts of meat, while Katia and I and Ian prepared the rest of the fixings. It was fun to have a "family" meal and relax.
After dinner is when all the excitement really began! It was time for pumpkin carving! Ian's ended up with a happy face, Chris' was funny/scary, and Sean - the die hard White Sox fan - put on his "Go Sox!" By the time we got done, we were all about ready for bed. The boys headed to bed while Katia, Chris and I tried to stay awake for a bit. We gave up pretty early and headed to bed.
On Sunday, we went to church with Katia and the boys. We got to hear Sean sing in the choir - and do sign language to several songs! Very impressive! We were all proud of him. After the service, we jetted down to Cedar Falls to meet our friends, Tim, Michelle, Mark & Josh Masters, for lunch at Carlos O'Kelly's. It was so fun to see the boys so grown up and great to catch up with Tim and Michelle and let Chris get to know them better, and vice versa. After lunch, it was time to head back home to western Iowa.
Since we've been back, it's been another crazy week. Monday we were super busy with getting Chris' stuff ready for him to leave yesterday. Tuesday was dance lessons and visiting our friend Milton in the hospital. Wednesday was heading down with our friend Cherie to see another friend Melanie after her surgery. We had dinner at a little Mexican/American restaurant called Senor Matia's. Great food! Yesterday, Chris headed out for Michigan after work and I went down with my friend's Sharon and Brian and their little guy Noah to visit Melanie again. We topped off the trip with dinner at Olive Garden. Yum! Even little Noah loved it! He is such a good eater and will try anything! We let him try a lemon and he LOVED it! I went out and spent the night with my friend Cherie. She is going to be handling all the kitchen stuff at our wedding so we're getting ready to practice on some stuff this weekend.
This weekend is already panning out to be busy. Chris is up in Michigan and will be home late Sunday night. Tonight, my friend Tara is coming up to visit and we're going to have a girl's evening. On Saturday morning, my friend Nancy Sorensen is throwing a Pampered Chef Bridal Shower for me and that should be a lot of fun. In the afternoon, a few of us girls are going to spend some time with a recuperating Melanie and then Cherie and I will be practicing on the salads and punch for the reception. Sunday is church, hopefully a movie (can't wait to see Chicken Little!) and then small group. Chris should be home shortly after I get home from small group. Yeah!
Hope you are all doing great. Will post more pictures soon.
We had a great time at Katia's last weekend! We got in late Friday and spent some quality time playing with Ian and catching up with Katia while Sean went to the Waverly-Shellrock football game. On Saturday, we headed into Waterloo/Cedar Falls for some errands and shopping. We were able to meet my friend Tami and her husband Ryan for lunch. It's been over a year since I've seen Tami and it was awesome to see her, meet Ryan again and introduce them to Chris, not to mention Katia and the boys. We spent some time shopping and running our errands before heading back to Waverly. After a nice nap, we took a walk and soaked in all the fall colors. It was beautiful! Then it was a great steak dinner. Chris and Sean manned the grill and discussed serious guy stuff like meat tenderizer, flame height and cuts of meat, while Katia and I and Ian prepared the rest of the fixings. It was fun to have a "family" meal and relax.
After dinner is when all the excitement really began! It was time for pumpkin carving! Ian's ended up with a happy face, Chris' was funny/scary, and Sean - the die hard White Sox fan - put on his "Go Sox!" By the time we got done, we were all about ready for bed. The boys headed to bed while Katia, Chris and I tried to stay awake for a bit. We gave up pretty early and headed to bed.
On Sunday, we went to church with Katia and the boys. We got to hear Sean sing in the choir - and do sign language to several songs! Very impressive! We were all proud of him. After the service, we jetted down to Cedar Falls to meet our friends, Tim, Michelle, Mark & Josh Masters, for lunch at Carlos O'Kelly's. It was so fun to see the boys so grown up and great to catch up with Tim and Michelle and let Chris get to know them better, and vice versa. After lunch, it was time to head back home to western Iowa.
Since we've been back, it's been another crazy week. Monday we were super busy with getting Chris' stuff ready for him to leave yesterday. Tuesday was dance lessons and visiting our friend Milton in the hospital. Wednesday was heading down with our friend Cherie to see another friend Melanie after her surgery. We had dinner at a little Mexican/American restaurant called Senor Matia's. Great food! Yesterday, Chris headed out for Michigan after work and I went down with my friend's Sharon and Brian and their little guy Noah to visit Melanie again. We topped off the trip with dinner at Olive Garden. Yum! Even little Noah loved it! He is such a good eater and will try anything! We let him try a lemon and he LOVED it! I went out and spent the night with my friend Cherie. She is going to be handling all the kitchen stuff at our wedding so we're getting ready to practice on some stuff this weekend.
This weekend is already panning out to be busy. Chris is up in Michigan and will be home late Sunday night. Tonight, my friend Tara is coming up to visit and we're going to have a girl's evening. On Saturday morning, my friend Nancy Sorensen is throwing a Pampered Chef Bridal Shower for me and that should be a lot of fun. In the afternoon, a few of us girls are going to spend some time with a recuperating Melanie and then Cherie and I will be practicing on the salads and punch for the reception. Sunday is church, hopefully a movie (can't wait to see Chicken Little!) and then small group. Chris should be home shortly after I get home from small group. Yeah!
Hope you are all doing great. Will post more pictures soon.
10.31.2005
Just a bit
Had a great weekend - will post more about that later.
But here's a fun item I found on another blog. Can you pass 8th grade math?
But here's a fun item I found on another blog. Can you pass 8th grade math?
| You Passed 8th Grade Math |
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Could You Pass 8th Grade Math?
10.28.2005
Off again
This weekend we are off for a relaxing (hopefully) trip to Waverly to see Katia, Sean and Ian. We are getting out of here a little late due to Chris' work schedule but will still get up there tonight. Then tomorrow, it's lots of little errands to run and some shopping to take care of. And then PUMPKIN CARVING with the boys! YEAH! Have a great weekend!
10.21.2005
Another busy weekend
Last weekend started out with date night on Friday night. Chris and I grabbed dinner at my house and relaxed for a bit before heading into town for some galaxy bowling (black lights, lots of fluorescent features, funky music, etc). Due to the out-of-town football game (Harlan at Denison) we pretty much had the bowling alley to ourselves. We had a great time, played a few games, went for a starlight walk in the park and went home and watched more LOTR (I think Chris thinks I need to see the whole thing again before the wedding!).
We got up early in the morning and headed to Sioux City to visit with my parents. We had so much fun! We all ate a great lunch at Applebee's, and then hit the Palmer Candy store to get some treats for Mom and Dad and some Twin Bings for my co-worker, Luke. We then headed out to the pumpkin patch. We found some adorable decorated gourds, lots of little pumpkins and a wagonload of big pumpkins. After visiting for a little while at Mom's house, Chris and I took Dad back to the nursing home and decorated his room with little pumpkins and replenished his chocolate stash. It was really a nice day with them.
We then took off for Brookings, SD. We got there and met my friend Mindy and her daughter Delilah at their house (husband Tony and older daughter Mariah were out elk hunting in the Black Hills) and headed straight for George's - my favorite Brookings restaurant! YUM!!! We spent the evening and most of the next day with Mindy and Delilah just hanging out, checking out the changes on the SDSU campus, and checking out new stuff in town. In the afternoon, we headed to the memorial service for Rosie Malo, the wife of my professor Doug. Doug and Rosie were so good to me all the while I was in Brookings and I really felt the need to be there. I am so sad for Doug and their kids, Denise and Rob. Despite the sad circumstance, I got to visit with quite a few of my former professors which was a lot of fun.
We left Brookings and made our way back to Sioux City where Mom had a fresh pan of pumpkin bars waiting for us! Yum! My mom is great! Not to mention, she also had hemmed a couple of pairs of jeans for me - AND finished our ring bearer pillow which we brought home. We then left and headed back to my house arriving just in time to head to bed.
This week has been a pretty full week with dance classes, BYF and finishing up wedding stuff. We really feel like we're ready to go. I think we have most everything taken care of that we can have taken care of at this point. Tonight and tomorrow we will be attending a marriage conference in Des Moines with some friends from our small group. We are pretty excited about it and are feeling it'll be a good tool for us as we are just a month away from the wedding.
Hope you've all had a great week!
We got up early in the morning and headed to Sioux City to visit with my parents. We had so much fun! We all ate a great lunch at Applebee's, and then hit the Palmer Candy store to get some treats for Mom and Dad and some Twin Bings for my co-worker, Luke. We then headed out to the pumpkin patch. We found some adorable decorated gourds, lots of little pumpkins and a wagonload of big pumpkins. After visiting for a little while at Mom's house, Chris and I took Dad back to the nursing home and decorated his room with little pumpkins and replenished his chocolate stash. It was really a nice day with them.
We then took off for Brookings, SD. We got there and met my friend Mindy and her daughter Delilah at their house (husband Tony and older daughter Mariah were out elk hunting in the Black Hills) and headed straight for George's - my favorite Brookings restaurant! YUM!!! We spent the evening and most of the next day with Mindy and Delilah just hanging out, checking out the changes on the SDSU campus, and checking out new stuff in town. In the afternoon, we headed to the memorial service for Rosie Malo, the wife of my professor Doug. Doug and Rosie were so good to me all the while I was in Brookings and I really felt the need to be there. I am so sad for Doug and their kids, Denise and Rob. Despite the sad circumstance, I got to visit with quite a few of my former professors which was a lot of fun.
We left Brookings and made our way back to Sioux City where Mom had a fresh pan of pumpkin bars waiting for us! Yum! My mom is great! Not to mention, she also had hemmed a couple of pairs of jeans for me - AND finished our ring bearer pillow which we brought home. We then left and headed back to my house arriving just in time to head to bed.
This week has been a pretty full week with dance classes, BYF and finishing up wedding stuff. We really feel like we're ready to go. I think we have most everything taken care of that we can have taken care of at this point. Tonight and tomorrow we will be attending a marriage conference in Des Moines with some friends from our small group. We are pretty excited about it and are feeling it'll be a good tool for us as we are just a month away from the wedding.
Hope you've all had a great week!
10.14.2005
More 80s
So, I have a confession to make. I loved the 80s! I did, they were awesome. I mean, I know that I was young and carefree and innocent and all that jazz, but there was something so cool about the 80s. I can't tell you how many 80s CDs I have! We even asked our DJ for our wedding to play a lot of 80s dance music. It's so nice that my honey loves the 80s too!
So, here are some of my favorite things about the 80s:
*Love Boat - what a great show! I could watch it for hours!
*Rick Springfield - I SO wanted to be Jesse's Girl!
*Family Ties - Alex P. Keaton was a stud. And I really wanted Mallory to give Skippy just a chance.
*Sit N Spin's - OK, so this may have come out earlier but the 80s is when I became acquainted with this projectile vomit-inducing toy.
*He-Man - I never really got into She-ra
*Pac Man - I still stink at this but I love to play it!
*Duran Duran - "Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand, Just like that river twisting through a dusty land!" Of course, think of this being sung at the top of your lungs!
*Pajama parties - sleeping all over the living room after passing out talking
*Saturday morning cartoons - today's cartoons are OK but they ROCKED when we were growing up!
*Conjunction Junction - what's your function?
Ah the memories! Makes me a little misty-eyed...
Have a great weekend!
So, here are some of my favorite things about the 80s:
*Love Boat - what a great show! I could watch it for hours!
*Rick Springfield - I SO wanted to be Jesse's Girl!
*Family Ties - Alex P. Keaton was a stud. And I really wanted Mallory to give Skippy just a chance.
*Sit N Spin's - OK, so this may have come out earlier but the 80s is when I became acquainted with this projectile vomit-inducing toy.
*He-Man - I never really got into She-ra
*Pac Man - I still stink at this but I love to play it!
*Duran Duran - "Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand, Just like that river twisting through a dusty land!" Of course, think of this being sung at the top of your lungs!
*Pajama parties - sleeping all over the living room after passing out talking
*Saturday morning cartoons - today's cartoons are OK but they ROCKED when we were growing up!
*Conjunction Junction - what's your function?
Ah the memories! Makes me a little misty-eyed...
Have a great weekend!
My 80s Heartthrob!
| Your 80s Heartthrob Is |
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Ok, so this is not a surprise. I thought Jason Bateman was adorable on The Hogan Family. And he's awesome now on Arrested Development. I think he was also the poor friend to Ricky Schroeder's Silver Spoons character. I was a total sucker for all the family-ish sitcoms. I had a great family life but all the sitcoms had brothers and all I had was five sisters. I so wanted a brother! Now a days, I'm pretty OK with the fact that I had no brother. My sisters were fun - and we didn't have cooties in our house!
10.12.2005
45 Days and Counting
So the lovely little countdown thing just told me that it is 45 days until our wedding. 45 days - where did the time go? I can't say I'm really panicking or anything. I just keep thinking "45 days!" Yeah! I'll be married to the most incredible man in the universe in 45 days! I like to focus on the positive!
So speaking of the most incredible man in the universe, Chris and I had dance class last night. We are really having a blast at these classes and all of the other women love him and really enjoy dancing with him (we have to rotate partners throughout the whole class). My observations after dancing with all the other men show conclusively that Chris is the best dance partner because #1 - he smells the best (no BO on my guy!), #2 - he compliments his partners and is a good leader, #3 - he doesn't step on toes, and #4 - he's the cutest guy there! When we were learning the waltz and the foxtrot I was really enjoying dancing with him and watching him dance with the other women - it was all about learning. Now that we're working on the tango though, I kind of want him all for myself. The tango (even the ballroom tango) is a very sensual dance - and I DO NOT like watching Chris dance a sensual dance with other women. The funny thing is though, we're all usually concentrating so hard on our moves that we don't notice anyone but the partner we're with. Thank Goodness!
We got a bit of sad news on Monday. Doug Malo was one of my professors at SDSU and was so much more than just a professor to me. He was my mentor, coach (soil judging), boss (soils lab), advisor, instructor and friend. He and his wife Rosie treated me so well and took good care of me during my time at SDSU. Doug's wife Rosie passed away late Sunday night after a long battle with lung cancer (never smoked a day in her life!). I just don't know what Doug will do without Rosie. I am so very sad for him and their kids, Denise and Rob. Doug and Rosie are/were strong Christians who believe(d) in the saving power of Jesus Christ. Doug and his family know that Rosie is celebrating with Jesus, but this is still going to be so hard on him. If you have a moment, could you please say a prayer for Doug and their family that they would be comforted in their sorrow? Chris and I are heading up to Brookings for the service this weekend.
So speaking of the most incredible man in the universe, Chris and I had dance class last night. We are really having a blast at these classes and all of the other women love him and really enjoy dancing with him (we have to rotate partners throughout the whole class). My observations after dancing with all the other men show conclusively that Chris is the best dance partner because #1 - he smells the best (no BO on my guy!), #2 - he compliments his partners and is a good leader, #3 - he doesn't step on toes, and #4 - he's the cutest guy there! When we were learning the waltz and the foxtrot I was really enjoying dancing with him and watching him dance with the other women - it was all about learning. Now that we're working on the tango though, I kind of want him all for myself. The tango (even the ballroom tango) is a very sensual dance - and I DO NOT like watching Chris dance a sensual dance with other women. The funny thing is though, we're all usually concentrating so hard on our moves that we don't notice anyone but the partner we're with. Thank Goodness!
We got a bit of sad news on Monday. Doug Malo was one of my professors at SDSU and was so much more than just a professor to me. He was my mentor, coach (soil judging), boss (soils lab), advisor, instructor and friend. He and his wife Rosie treated me so well and took good care of me during my time at SDSU. Doug's wife Rosie passed away late Sunday night after a long battle with lung cancer (never smoked a day in her life!). I just don't know what Doug will do without Rosie. I am so very sad for him and their kids, Denise and Rob. Doug and Rosie are/were strong Christians who believe(d) in the saving power of Jesus Christ. Doug and his family know that Rosie is celebrating with Jesus, but this is still going to be so hard on him. If you have a moment, could you please say a prayer for Doug and their family that they would be comforted in their sorrow? Chris and I are heading up to Brookings for the service this weekend.
10.06.2005
A little bit of fresh air
So terracing was fun! Seriously. I really enjoy getting out when the weather's not awful. And Luke is fun to go to the field with. He makes me laugh. And he is really good at praising! I love that about him. You don't realize how much a "good job" or "nice spacing" means until you hear it. I like that about Luke. He frequently tells me that I'm doing a good job, walking a great level line, putting in a nice hub - all simple stuff. But Luke knows that I don't do all of this regularly, and he knows something that everyone should know - treat others the way you would want to be treated. Luke knows that I'd hate going out in the field with him if he yelled at me or crabbed at me. But when he praises me, it makes me feel good and then I feel good about doing a good job, and want to do a good job for him. Simple really - but so many folks never figure it out.
I LOVE this weather! The sky is bright with some puffy white clouds here and there. The sun is shining and it's nice and cool - definitely good sweatshirt weather. I love the weather not only for it's beauty and the fact that it's no longer 90 degrees (PTL!!!!) but that allergy season could almost be over. I think one more hard freeze and we're done! YEAH!!! Plus with the cooling down, it reminds me that our wedding will be here in 7 short weeks. Yeah!
Last night was our first BYF Staff meal of the year. We also served the senior high students and staff so we had a good crowd. And we made it simple by ordering party subs from Subway. So I got everything set up to serve and Chris came after work and helped me get the rest of the stuff ready. One of the senior high staffer couples has twins who are almost 6 months (tomorrow!) and we watch them every BYF night in the nursery. So since my nursery cohort was gone, we had them bring the babies down to the fellowship hall where we were serving. Pretty soon, Trevor and Jennika decided they'd had enough of sitting in their seats. So there were Chris and I, each balancing a baby on our hips and trying to serve food and eat at the same time. It was pretty funny. But it was so awesome to watch Chris with the babies. I am so looking forward to starting our own family. Can't wait to see what God has in store for us!
I LOVE this weather! The sky is bright with some puffy white clouds here and there. The sun is shining and it's nice and cool - definitely good sweatshirt weather. I love the weather not only for it's beauty and the fact that it's no longer 90 degrees (PTL!!!!) but that allergy season could almost be over. I think one more hard freeze and we're done! YEAH!!! Plus with the cooling down, it reminds me that our wedding will be here in 7 short weeks. Yeah!
Last night was our first BYF Staff meal of the year. We also served the senior high students and staff so we had a good crowd. And we made it simple by ordering party subs from Subway. So I got everything set up to serve and Chris came after work and helped me get the rest of the stuff ready. One of the senior high staffer couples has twins who are almost 6 months (tomorrow!) and we watch them every BYF night in the nursery. So since my nursery cohort was gone, we had them bring the babies down to the fellowship hall where we were serving. Pretty soon, Trevor and Jennika decided they'd had enough of sitting in their seats. So there were Chris and I, each balancing a baby on our hips and trying to serve food and eat at the same time. It was pretty funny. But it was so awesome to watch Chris with the babies. I am so looking forward to starting our own family. Can't wait to see what God has in store for us!
Another Busy Week...
So we're almost done with another busy week. Chris returned late Sunday night from Michigan which was great! I really hadn't been dealing all that well with us being apart - until this weekend that is. I missed him like crazy but wasn't neurotic crazy like I'm sure I could have been. I think part of it was that I stayed at my friend Melanie's house and hung out with her and the kids all weekend. Plus we had all the mint making going on Saturday! So much fun, so very messy but so very yummy! It'll be a miracle if we have any mints left to actually put out at the wedding!
Dance class on Tuesday night kicked our tukus! We started working on the tango and it was not pretty at all. By the time the hour was almost up, our instructor was just shaking his head and said we would work on it next week. I think we'd all been feeling pretty confident up until this point. We were masters at the fox trot and waltz, but the lovely, exotic tango took us down. :(
So my highlight for this week was paying off our honeymoon and ordering our wedding rings. We're down to less than 2 months and are getting so excited. Chris is such a trooper. I am so lucky that he is enjoying the planning process too! Next week we have a few more milestones. While I am going to thoroughly enjoy the lovely federal holiday on Monday, I may not actually sleep in. I have my final dress fitting at 11:00 that morning! Yeah! I'm so excited to see the finished product.
So honestly, there's not a lot interesting going on in my life right now. Just lots of wedding stuff and keeping my head above water. I would kill for a nap today but instead will be heading out to the (chilly) field with Luke, my co-worker, to lay out terraces. Hmm, bet I could sleep on the way out and back!
Praying you are all well!
Dance class on Tuesday night kicked our tukus! We started working on the tango and it was not pretty at all. By the time the hour was almost up, our instructor was just shaking his head and said we would work on it next week. I think we'd all been feeling pretty confident up until this point. We were masters at the fox trot and waltz, but the lovely, exotic tango took us down. :(
So my highlight for this week was paying off our honeymoon and ordering our wedding rings. We're down to less than 2 months and are getting so excited. Chris is such a trooper. I am so lucky that he is enjoying the planning process too! Next week we have a few more milestones. While I am going to thoroughly enjoy the lovely federal holiday on Monday, I may not actually sleep in. I have my final dress fitting at 11:00 that morning! Yeah! I'm so excited to see the finished product.
So honestly, there's not a lot interesting going on in my life right now. Just lots of wedding stuff and keeping my head above water. I would kill for a nap today but instead will be heading out to the (chilly) field with Luke, my co-worker, to lay out terraces. Hmm, bet I could sleep on the way out and back!
Praying you are all well!
9.30.2005
9.21.2005
OK, so I've been worse than bad at getting my blog updated. Guess I've had a few other things going on this summer!
This summer has been, in a word, wonderful! I LOVE having Chris here.
Things we've done, or things that have happened, this summer:
- I spent a week in Louisiana (pre-Hurricane!) back at the end of June for the National Organization of Professional Hispanic NRCS Employees (NOPHNRCSE) annual training conference. Had a great time getting to meet new members and catching up with old friends.
- Flew from Lafayette, LA to Detroit, MI and met my baby there. We spent the 4th of July weekend in Michigan with Chris' family and getting to meet our new nephew, Marshall Ethan Nicholson. He is the cutest little guy!
- Spent a weekend in July with my family - all my sisters were home, along with my sister Suzi's husband and her two children. We all had a great time and got to catch up - plus they all got to meet Chris!
- When we were in Michigan over July 4th, I got to meet Chris' friend Bill Pemberton but didn't get to meet his wife, Amy, as she was up with friends for the weekend. Well, Bill and Amy were in Iowa visiting one of Amy's best friends and they gave us a call. So Chris and I drove in to West Des Moines and met them at the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. It was so great to meet another of Chris' friends. Amy is wonderful and I'm looking forward to spending more time with both Pembertons!
- While Chris headed back to Michigan towards the end of July for his Final Haven event, I drove up to Waverly to spend a long weekend with my friend, Katia and her boys. Chris and I both had a great time at our respective destinations. And it was wonderful to return home to his loving arms.
- Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Chris threw a surprise birthday party for me on the night of my birthday. Most of our small group and friends were there - it was great - and I was definitely surprised!
- In August, Chris' parents drove down for a weekend. We had a great time with them! On Saturday, we headed to the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha and then on to Lo Sole' Mio's for a fabulous dinner. On Sunday, we kept busy with disc golf, walking, exploring the countryside and playing Settlers of Catan. Peggy and Dave are wonderful - I think I definitely have the best future in-laws!
- Chris and I got to help plan a surprise 50th birthday party for our friend (and his landlord!) Cherie. Boy was she surprised!
- I got to fly out to Philadelphia at the end of August to visit my best friend Amy for a long weekend! Amy threw a little bridal shower/luncheon for me out in Philly. We had a great time enjoying a luxurious lunch and some fun shopping. Our friend Amy joined Amy and I and all of us had a wonderful time.
- Chris and I decided to head back to Michigan for the Labor Day weekend. It was SO good to see his family! We spent Saturday with the whole family - and got to see Marshall, now two months old, again. Mike and I were de-throned as the Crazy 8's champions since Chris decided to skunk the whole family and take the title for himself! We spent Sunday going to church, shopping for birthday gifts, and attending the birthday party of our friend Bill. Bill's wife, Amy, threw a party for him at the water park followed by a cook-out at their home. Chris got to see a lot of old friends and I got to meet a lot of his friends. We really enjoyed ourselves and are looking forward to visiting again at Christmas time. By then, Bill and Amy's little Peanut will have arrived and we'll get to meet him! When we got home Sunday night, Chris' parents surprised us with a shower gift - our own Settlers of Catan game! We were super excited and are looking forward to playing with some of our Iowa friends!
- The past couple of weekends we've spent a lot of time shopping for wedding stuff. Two weeks ago, we took our friend Sharon and her little guy, Noah, with us. We all had a great time! Chris spent most of his time pushing Noah around in the cart so Sharon and I had a great time shopping! This weekend we were in Des Moines and got quite a bit of stuff there. We came back on Saturday afternoon and went to the wedding reception of some friends.
This weekend we're heading up to Waverly to stay with Katia and the boys. Our friends, Deedra and Justin, are getting married on Saturday at Orchard Hill Church in Cedar Falls. We are so excited to witness the beginning of their life together! Deedra and Justin got engaged the same weekend Chris and I did so this is so exciting for us! Now our wedding is just 2 months away! I'm looking forward to seeing some old friends this weekend too.
Chris and I started dance classes last week, too! I have to say, if you have the chance, take dance lessons! We are having such a great time and have a really good teacher. We are even planning on continuing with lessons after the wedding.
Not much else going on here. Just lots of wedding planning.
Hope this finds you all well!
This summer has been, in a word, wonderful! I LOVE having Chris here.
Things we've done, or things that have happened, this summer:
- I spent a week in Louisiana (pre-Hurricane!) back at the end of June for the National Organization of Professional Hispanic NRCS Employees (NOPHNRCSE) annual training conference. Had a great time getting to meet new members and catching up with old friends.
- Flew from Lafayette, LA to Detroit, MI and met my baby there. We spent the 4th of July weekend in Michigan with Chris' family and getting to meet our new nephew, Marshall Ethan Nicholson. He is the cutest little guy!
- Spent a weekend in July with my family - all my sisters were home, along with my sister Suzi's husband and her two children. We all had a great time and got to catch up - plus they all got to meet Chris!
- When we were in Michigan over July 4th, I got to meet Chris' friend Bill Pemberton but didn't get to meet his wife, Amy, as she was up with friends for the weekend. Well, Bill and Amy were in Iowa visiting one of Amy's best friends and they gave us a call. So Chris and I drove in to West Des Moines and met them at the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. It was so great to meet another of Chris' friends. Amy is wonderful and I'm looking forward to spending more time with both Pembertons!
- While Chris headed back to Michigan towards the end of July for his Final Haven event, I drove up to Waverly to spend a long weekend with my friend, Katia and her boys. Chris and I both had a great time at our respective destinations. And it was wonderful to return home to his loving arms.
- Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Chris threw a surprise birthday party for me on the night of my birthday. Most of our small group and friends were there - it was great - and I was definitely surprised!
- In August, Chris' parents drove down for a weekend. We had a great time with them! On Saturday, we headed to the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha and then on to Lo Sole' Mio's for a fabulous dinner. On Sunday, we kept busy with disc golf, walking, exploring the countryside and playing Settlers of Catan. Peggy and Dave are wonderful - I think I definitely have the best future in-laws!
- Chris and I got to help plan a surprise 50th birthday party for our friend (and his landlord!) Cherie. Boy was she surprised!
- I got to fly out to Philadelphia at the end of August to visit my best friend Amy for a long weekend! Amy threw a little bridal shower/luncheon for me out in Philly. We had a great time enjoying a luxurious lunch and some fun shopping. Our friend Amy joined Amy and I and all of us had a wonderful time.
- Chris and I decided to head back to Michigan for the Labor Day weekend. It was SO good to see his family! We spent Saturday with the whole family - and got to see Marshall, now two months old, again. Mike and I were de-throned as the Crazy 8's champions since Chris decided to skunk the whole family and take the title for himself! We spent Sunday going to church, shopping for birthday gifts, and attending the birthday party of our friend Bill. Bill's wife, Amy, threw a party for him at the water park followed by a cook-out at their home. Chris got to see a lot of old friends and I got to meet a lot of his friends. We really enjoyed ourselves and are looking forward to visiting again at Christmas time. By then, Bill and Amy's little Peanut will have arrived and we'll get to meet him! When we got home Sunday night, Chris' parents surprised us with a shower gift - our own Settlers of Catan game! We were super excited and are looking forward to playing with some of our Iowa friends!
- The past couple of weekends we've spent a lot of time shopping for wedding stuff. Two weeks ago, we took our friend Sharon and her little guy, Noah, with us. We all had a great time! Chris spent most of his time pushing Noah around in the cart so Sharon and I had a great time shopping! This weekend we were in Des Moines and got quite a bit of stuff there. We came back on Saturday afternoon and went to the wedding reception of some friends.
This weekend we're heading up to Waverly to stay with Katia and the boys. Our friends, Deedra and Justin, are getting married on Saturday at Orchard Hill Church in Cedar Falls. We are so excited to witness the beginning of their life together! Deedra and Justin got engaged the same weekend Chris and I did so this is so exciting for us! Now our wedding is just 2 months away! I'm looking forward to seeing some old friends this weekend too.
Chris and I started dance classes last week, too! I have to say, if you have the chance, take dance lessons! We are having such a great time and have a really good teacher. We are even planning on continuing with lessons after the wedding.
Not much else going on here. Just lots of wedding planning.
Hope this finds you all well!
9.07.2005
7.10.2005
Our New Nephew
Yeah! Chris is an uncle and I'm an aunt again!
Well, almost.
Chris' brother and sister-in law, Mike and Carrie,
welcomed Marshall Ethan Nicholson on July 1st.
Marshall weighed in at 8 lbs. 12 oz. and is 23 inches long
and has a full head of dark hair.
Congratulations Mike and Carrie!
7.08.2005
6.22.2005
6.21.2005
There goes June...
I've been terrible about keeping up with posting lately. It just seems like things are so busy and they won't slow down!
It has been amazing and wonderful to have Chris here on a full time basis! Our relationship is growing and improving with each day we're together. I love being able to see him every evening after work and eat supper with him. We started going on a walk every evening after dinner and it has turned into very special time for us - probably our best talk time, just the 2 of us and our little stretch of country road. Usually we're lucky enough to catch a brilliant sunset and enjoy an evening breeze. I am so thankful for this time together.
Another thing I absolutely love is getting to be in church with him every Sunday. We like to go to the early, contemporary service, go to Sunday school and then head home and have dinner and relax. It's also so great going to our small group Bible study with him. It is just awesome to listen to him speak and hear how God is leading him. This past week, we helped with VBS and taught the preschool group. How fun to see Chris playing and working with the kids! The little boys really loved him! On Friday night, there was a little concert for all of the parents and I loved watching Chris help the kids as they sang! We had quite the couple of performers! Two of our little guys, Isaak and Jackson, LOVED singing (screaming) the words to "The Lord's Army" - YES, SIIIIIIRRRRRR!!!! So cute!
This week, Chris is up in Minneapolis at training. He is having a great time and learning a ton. He gets back late on Thursday. Then early Sunday morning, I fly out for my NOPHNRCSE conference in Lafayette, Louisiana. I get done on Friday but instead of flying back into Omaha, I'll be flying into Detroit. Chris is planning on picking me up there and then we'll head to Brighton to spend the weekend of the 4th with his family. Hopefully our new nephew will be born by then and we'll get to meet him too! By the time Chris and I are both back in Iowa, June will be gone and we'll be into the hot summer days of July! Time has sure been flying!
In the meantime, we're working on wedding plans and finalizing the guest list. Chris is so involved in the planning - it's so fun to work on all of that with him and know that he's interested in what we're doing. I am finally feeling like we have a lot planned! And we still have 5 months to go!
We've been busy doing a lot of fun stuff over the past few weeks. On Memorial Day, we spent the day with our friends Brian and Sharon and their little guy Noah at a service, eating lunch, and then taking engagement photos at the Botannical Gardens. I'll have to post a few of those soon. Chris spent the first weekend in June at Promise Keepers and really enjoyed that. Last weekend we hit the Renaissance Faire in Council Bluffs and had a great time watching the jousting and cheering on our guy. This past weekend we did a lot of relaxing and also caught "Batman Begins" at the theater in Council Bluffs. We've also started our pre-marital counseling with Pastor and continue to just spend time together. I feel so blessed! We're looking forward to seeing our friends in Michigan in the next couple of weeks and spending time with our friends around here. Life is so good!
We got some more big news too! My older sister Roma and her husband Rob are expecting and are due on December 25th! YEAH! Congratulations Roma and Rob! In the meantime, could you all send up prayers for all of our friends and family who are expecting and/or just had their babies:
~Kathi & Tony Beach had twins Trevor and Jennika on 4/7. The twins are home and doing
well but still pretty tiny.
~Jamie & Erik Anderson are due soon with #5.
~June & Mike Schleimer are expecting Jessalyn Micheale Schleimer in the next few weeks.
~Carrie & Mike Nicholson (Chris' brother and sister-in-law) are due on June 22nd -
tomorrow! and are expecting their little guy to make an entrance soon.
~Roma & Rob Haling (Renae's sister and brother-in-law) are due on Christmas Day with
their first little one.
~Tami & Ryan Buitenwerf are expecting their first little guy shortly.
We're praying for all of you!
It has been amazing and wonderful to have Chris here on a full time basis! Our relationship is growing and improving with each day we're together. I love being able to see him every evening after work and eat supper with him. We started going on a walk every evening after dinner and it has turned into very special time for us - probably our best talk time, just the 2 of us and our little stretch of country road. Usually we're lucky enough to catch a brilliant sunset and enjoy an evening breeze. I am so thankful for this time together.
Another thing I absolutely love is getting to be in church with him every Sunday. We like to go to the early, contemporary service, go to Sunday school and then head home and have dinner and relax. It's also so great going to our small group Bible study with him. It is just awesome to listen to him speak and hear how God is leading him. This past week, we helped with VBS and taught the preschool group. How fun to see Chris playing and working with the kids! The little boys really loved him! On Friday night, there was a little concert for all of the parents and I loved watching Chris help the kids as they sang! We had quite the couple of performers! Two of our little guys, Isaak and Jackson, LOVED singing (screaming) the words to "The Lord's Army" - YES, SIIIIIIRRRRRR!!!! So cute!
This week, Chris is up in Minneapolis at training. He is having a great time and learning a ton. He gets back late on Thursday. Then early Sunday morning, I fly out for my NOPHNRCSE conference in Lafayette, Louisiana. I get done on Friday but instead of flying back into Omaha, I'll be flying into Detroit. Chris is planning on picking me up there and then we'll head to Brighton to spend the weekend of the 4th with his family. Hopefully our new nephew will be born by then and we'll get to meet him too! By the time Chris and I are both back in Iowa, June will be gone and we'll be into the hot summer days of July! Time has sure been flying!
In the meantime, we're working on wedding plans and finalizing the guest list. Chris is so involved in the planning - it's so fun to work on all of that with him and know that he's interested in what we're doing. I am finally feeling like we have a lot planned! And we still have 5 months to go!
We've been busy doing a lot of fun stuff over the past few weeks. On Memorial Day, we spent the day with our friends Brian and Sharon and their little guy Noah at a service, eating lunch, and then taking engagement photos at the Botannical Gardens. I'll have to post a few of those soon. Chris spent the first weekend in June at Promise Keepers and really enjoyed that. Last weekend we hit the Renaissance Faire in Council Bluffs and had a great time watching the jousting and cheering on our guy. This past weekend we did a lot of relaxing and also caught "Batman Begins" at the theater in Council Bluffs. We've also started our pre-marital counseling with Pastor and continue to just spend time together. I feel so blessed! We're looking forward to seeing our friends in Michigan in the next couple of weeks and spending time with our friends around here. Life is so good!
We got some more big news too! My older sister Roma and her husband Rob are expecting and are due on December 25th! YEAH! Congratulations Roma and Rob! In the meantime, could you all send up prayers for all of our friends and family who are expecting and/or just had their babies:
~Kathi & Tony Beach had twins Trevor and Jennika on 4/7. The twins are home and doing
well but still pretty tiny.
~Jamie & Erik Anderson are due soon with #5.
~June & Mike Schleimer are expecting Jessalyn Micheale Schleimer in the next few weeks.
~Carrie & Mike Nicholson (Chris' brother and sister-in-law) are due on June 22nd -
tomorrow! and are expecting their little guy to make an entrance soon.
~Roma & Rob Haling (Renae's sister and brother-in-law) are due on Christmas Day with
their first little one.
~Tami & Ryan Buitenwerf are expecting their first little guy shortly.
We're praying for all of you!
5.23.2005
No AC means me not happy!
Despite what the heading of this post says, I am happy in general - just physically very uncomfortable right now. Last winter, our office was added on to and we were moved into the new part. Our landlord decided to see if he could get away with not putting in another blower or AC unit for the addition. Well, that didn't fly very well. We FINALLY got a new blower and AC unit last week and it was blessedly cool here in here last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday! Wonderful! But today, our new unit has taken a nose dive. It is HOT in here!!! And our landlord is trying to tell us it's not broken and it's cool enough!
Have I mentioned how incredibly awesome it is to have Chris here all the time??? I LOVE it! It's just so great being able to see him every day. He is loving his new job too which makes everything even better. We've had a lot of fun lately just spending time together. We are trying to get in the habit of walking at least a mile each day and so far, so good. On Saturday we headed down to Council Bluffs for a late lunch and to return some things to the mall. We ended up finding the router and computer stuff that Chris was needing. We found a little store that had everything marked off 50% due to a moving sale and we found an adorable, super soft little lamb for our soon-to-be-born new nephew, Marshall. We also found little Beanie Baby bride and groom bears that we plan on using for the wedding. I read an idea that instead of having the children participate in the bouquet and garter toss you toss a little bride and groom stuffed animal and these Beanie Babies will work great! We also wandered over to Target and registered for some things. It's been really hard for us to decide what to register for as we basically have everything we need for our home. So we registered for a lot of fun stuff and a few functional things. I definitely wanted to register for towels - can never have enough of them! We actually had a lot of fun winding through the store. And I didn't say "no" too often to Chris' requests. I think we're still trying to decide if we want to register at Home Depot or just hope for gift cards from there. We really just want our friends and family to come enjoy themselves at the wedding but we're already being asked what we want and we're not allowed to say nothing. We have such awesome friends and family!
We spent Saturday evening having dinner and watching movies with my friend Cherie. I finally saw Pirates of the Carribbean and loved it! On Sunday we headed to church and Sunday school and then back to Cherie's to work on my computer. (Chris is actually renting out Cherie's basement until he can move in with me when we get married.) Chris worked on it while Cherie and Dan worked on planting trees and I made Sunday dinner. We all sat down to and ate together and relaxed. Chris and I went for our walk and came back to relax. He watched a movie while I took a little nap and then we headed to small group at Arlin and Nancy's. We're discussing 1 Timothy right now and we're all struggling with the way our leadership board is set up at church - definitely not Biblically based - and we're trying to figure out what to do. We've also spent a lot of time talking about women's roles in leadership in the church and how we all feel about them. I've always advocated women's rights and equality but when it comes to church issues and my future marriage, I have to say I am incredibly conservative. I am so thankful for a strong Christian future husband in Christopher. He continues to amaze me with his depth and insight and love for God. I am so blessed!
I pray you are all having a great week!
Have I mentioned how incredibly awesome it is to have Chris here all the time??? I LOVE it! It's just so great being able to see him every day. He is loving his new job too which makes everything even better. We've had a lot of fun lately just spending time together. We are trying to get in the habit of walking at least a mile each day and so far, so good. On Saturday we headed down to Council Bluffs for a late lunch and to return some things to the mall. We ended up finding the router and computer stuff that Chris was needing. We found a little store that had everything marked off 50% due to a moving sale and we found an adorable, super soft little lamb for our soon-to-be-born new nephew, Marshall. We also found little Beanie Baby bride and groom bears that we plan on using for the wedding. I read an idea that instead of having the children participate in the bouquet and garter toss you toss a little bride and groom stuffed animal and these Beanie Babies will work great! We also wandered over to Target and registered for some things. It's been really hard for us to decide what to register for as we basically have everything we need for our home. So we registered for a lot of fun stuff and a few functional things. I definitely wanted to register for towels - can never have enough of them! We actually had a lot of fun winding through the store. And I didn't say "no" too often to Chris' requests. I think we're still trying to decide if we want to register at Home Depot or just hope for gift cards from there. We really just want our friends and family to come enjoy themselves at the wedding but we're already being asked what we want and we're not allowed to say nothing. We have such awesome friends and family!
We spent Saturday evening having dinner and watching movies with my friend Cherie. I finally saw Pirates of the Carribbean and loved it! On Sunday we headed to church and Sunday school and then back to Cherie's to work on my computer. (Chris is actually renting out Cherie's basement until he can move in with me when we get married.) Chris worked on it while Cherie and Dan worked on planting trees and I made Sunday dinner. We all sat down to and ate together and relaxed. Chris and I went for our walk and came back to relax. He watched a movie while I took a little nap and then we headed to small group at Arlin and Nancy's. We're discussing 1 Timothy right now and we're all struggling with the way our leadership board is set up at church - definitely not Biblically based - and we're trying to figure out what to do. We've also spent a lot of time talking about women's roles in leadership in the church and how we all feel about them. I've always advocated women's rights and equality but when it comes to church issues and my future marriage, I have to say I am incredibly conservative. I am so thankful for a strong Christian future husband in Christopher. He continues to amaze me with his depth and insight and love for God. I am so blessed!
I pray you are all having a great week!
5.16.2005
Happiness is...
YEAH!!! There are just so many good things happening in my life!
On May 2nd I headed up to Michigan for Chris and Mike's graduations. I rode up with a guy from my church who drives truck. Dean and I had a great time talking and I really enjoyed the bunk in the back. I think I slept all the way from the Mississippi River to the place we met Chris in Michigan. We arrived around 5:00 in the morning and then Chris and I headed back to Mt. Pleasant so he could finish up his finals. After he got done, we had a great lunch with his roommate Songhil (who is getting married on May 24th in Korea) and then spent the rest of the day packing up Chris' room and packing the majority of it in his car. After realizing we weren't going to get it all in, we shoved in what we could and headed to his parent's house in Brighton. We got to relax with his parents and watch the Pistons beat the 76er's to advance in the playoffs. Guess I now have to root for the Michigan based teams! On Wednesday and Thursday we were able to get a ton of last minute errands done, spend time with friends, eat lots of chocolate, enjoy the fantastic weather, and hang out with Chris' family. We had a fantastic time with his family - lots of eating, walking and game playing! On Friday, we headed back up to Mt. Pleasant to finish up some last minute tasks. We got Chris' apartment cleaned out and all packed in the car, had a great lunch with his friend Heather, visited with his work friends and picked up his cap and gown. The we headed back down to Lansing for dinner with his family followed by Mike's graduation from Michigan State University in Lansing with his PhD in School Psychology. We followed that up with dessert and fun with Mike and Carrie and other friends at Applebee's. Chris and I took off for our hotel and crashed. The next morning we headed back to Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant for Chris' graduation. There were so many graduates and the lighting was so bad that it took me forever to find him! Chris was highly amused that I couldn't spot him. :) After graduation, we met his family for lunch and celebrated. Chris and I spent the rest of the afternoon at our friend's Chris and Jean's. We got to see their new little guy, 3-month old Ethan, and his big sister, 6 year old Elise. We had a great time catching up with them and making plans. We left Chris and Jean's and to top off the day, we met some other friends at a pub in Brighton to celebrate. Sunday, Mother's Day, was spent with Chris' family. We worked on packing up the car (I cannot believe how much we fit into his little car! We are AWESOME packers!) and then played games with his family. On Monday we threw a few more things in the car, hugged his parent's goodbye and headed to Ann Arbor to see Mike and Carrie quick and then on to Iowa. We got in late Monday night and have been settling in since.
It has been so awesome to have Chris here. I think I'm still not fully aware that he's here to stay! We've had a great week - we've been able to relax and just be with each other and not worry about one of us having to go home 10 hours away. It's so nice that he's just 15-20 minutes away now. I love it!
Last night Chris was offered a job and he accepted. So he started earlier today and is already enjoying himself. He is very relieved to have a job and I am so proud of him.
So at this moment, from things that happened this week, happiness is (regarding the title of this post):
*Driving 10 hours with the love of my life at my side.
*Dancing to Frank Sinatra in Cherie's basement.
*Hearing Chris talk back to the TV when I'm in the other room.
*Dinner at Joe's and a movie at the Harlan 4 Theater on Friday night.
*Shopping at Walmart together.
*Hearing him speak up at small group and knowing he is working so hard to be the spiritual leader God wants him to be.
*Chris sneaking my chocolate chip cookie while I was talking to my sister and the look of glee and surprise on his face when he got caught.
*Hearing him answer my phone and talk to my friends and family.
*Praying with him.
*Just him.
Praying you all have a fantastic week!
On May 2nd I headed up to Michigan for Chris and Mike's graduations. I rode up with a guy from my church who drives truck. Dean and I had a great time talking and I really enjoyed the bunk in the back. I think I slept all the way from the Mississippi River to the place we met Chris in Michigan. We arrived around 5:00 in the morning and then Chris and I headed back to Mt. Pleasant so he could finish up his finals. After he got done, we had a great lunch with his roommate Songhil (who is getting married on May 24th in Korea) and then spent the rest of the day packing up Chris' room and packing the majority of it in his car. After realizing we weren't going to get it all in, we shoved in what we could and headed to his parent's house in Brighton. We got to relax with his parents and watch the Pistons beat the 76er's to advance in the playoffs. Guess I now have to root for the Michigan based teams! On Wednesday and Thursday we were able to get a ton of last minute errands done, spend time with friends, eat lots of chocolate, enjoy the fantastic weather, and hang out with Chris' family. We had a fantastic time with his family - lots of eating, walking and game playing! On Friday, we headed back up to Mt. Pleasant to finish up some last minute tasks. We got Chris' apartment cleaned out and all packed in the car, had a great lunch with his friend Heather, visited with his work friends and picked up his cap and gown. The we headed back down to Lansing for dinner with his family followed by Mike's graduation from Michigan State University in Lansing with his PhD in School Psychology. We followed that up with dessert and fun with Mike and Carrie and other friends at Applebee's. Chris and I took off for our hotel and crashed. The next morning we headed back to Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant for Chris' graduation. There were so many graduates and the lighting was so bad that it took me forever to find him! Chris was highly amused that I couldn't spot him. :) After graduation, we met his family for lunch and celebrated. Chris and I spent the rest of the afternoon at our friend's Chris and Jean's. We got to see their new little guy, 3-month old Ethan, and his big sister, 6 year old Elise. We had a great time catching up with them and making plans. We left Chris and Jean's and to top off the day, we met some other friends at a pub in Brighton to celebrate. Sunday, Mother's Day, was spent with Chris' family. We worked on packing up the car (I cannot believe how much we fit into his little car! We are AWESOME packers!) and then played games with his family. On Monday we threw a few more things in the car, hugged his parent's goodbye and headed to Ann Arbor to see Mike and Carrie quick and then on to Iowa. We got in late Monday night and have been settling in since.
It has been so awesome to have Chris here. I think I'm still not fully aware that he's here to stay! We've had a great week - we've been able to relax and just be with each other and not worry about one of us having to go home 10 hours away. It's so nice that he's just 15-20 minutes away now. I love it!
Last night Chris was offered a job and he accepted. So he started earlier today and is already enjoying himself. He is very relieved to have a job and I am so proud of him.
So at this moment, from things that happened this week, happiness is (regarding the title of this post):
*Driving 10 hours with the love of my life at my side.
*Dancing to Frank Sinatra in Cherie's basement.
*Hearing Chris talk back to the TV when I'm in the other room.
*Dinner at Joe's and a movie at the Harlan 4 Theater on Friday night.
*Shopping at Walmart together.
*Hearing him speak up at small group and knowing he is working so hard to be the spiritual leader God wants him to be.
*Chris sneaking my chocolate chip cookie while I was talking to my sister and the look of glee and surprise on his face when he got caught.
*Hearing him answer my phone and talk to my friends and family.
*Praying with him.
*Just him.
Praying you all have a fantastic week!
4.19.2005
Home again...
It's so good to be home again. After spending a week sleeping at my friend Cherie's house, I am home again and actually sleeping OK. It's been taking me a little while to get to sleep each night but once I'm out, I'm out. My friend Nancy reminded me of Psalm 4:8, "I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." What a load of comfort there is in that verse! I have been repeating it to myself over and over as I head to bed and try to get to sleep each night. God is good all the time!
Yeah! We're down to less than 3 weeks until Chris graduates! I head up to Michigan two weeks from today for his and Mike's (his brother) graduations. I am so happy and so relieved that these past few months have flown by so quickly.
I was looking back over the past 12 months and it is absolutely stunning to me how significantly things have changed in my life in such a very short time. At this time last year, I had no idea that Chris even existed. And now I'm going to marry him in just seven months! I feel like God has really blessed my decisions and all that I'm doing in my life.
A huge CONGRATULATIONS to my friends Tony and Kathi Beach on the birth of their twins, Trever and Jennika. They were born at 30 weeks and are both a little small. They're still over in the NICU at Methodist in Omaha. Would you all join me in praying for them as they fight to grow and overcome complications so they can join Mommy and Daddy and Big Brother Cameron at home? Thanks!
Hope you all have a Blessed week!
Yeah! We're down to less than 3 weeks until Chris graduates! I head up to Michigan two weeks from today for his and Mike's (his brother) graduations. I am so happy and so relieved that these past few months have flown by so quickly.
I was looking back over the past 12 months and it is absolutely stunning to me how significantly things have changed in my life in such a very short time. At this time last year, I had no idea that Chris even existed. And now I'm going to marry him in just seven months! I feel like God has really blessed my decisions and all that I'm doing in my life.
A huge CONGRATULATIONS to my friends Tony and Kathi Beach on the birth of their twins, Trever and Jennika. They were born at 30 weeks and are both a little small. They're still over in the NICU at Methodist in Omaha. Would you all join me in praying for them as they fight to grow and overcome complications so they can join Mommy and Daddy and Big Brother Cameron at home? Thanks!
Hope you all have a Blessed week!
4.11.2005
Nothing like a little excitement...
So at work I've been spending a ton of time writing my big grant. And I really didn't think it was going great. But on Friday, I sent what I had done off to one of the reviewers. He gave me a call in the afternoon and told me the grant looked FANTASTIC!!! YEAH! I was so excited! And that took a major load off too knowing that I've been doing a good job. I also had a great chat with my boss about some things and left work feeling better than I have in months about work stuff.
After picking up a few videos and a bridal magazine at the library, I headed home to spend what I thought was going to be a relaxing weekend. I spent most of Friday evening sorting through paperwork and getting my office all cleaned up. I was feeling pretty productive by the time I headed to bed!
Got up Saturday and started in on the cleaning again. Headed to town around noon to run a few errands and then headed down the road to the Lucas' door. Melanie and I spent some time visiting and talking about wedding details and church things. Mel showed me her pie for the pie auction which reminded me I had two pans of brownies I needed to get baked for the spaghetti feed which would happen prior to the pie auction on Sunday. So I headed back to town, grabbed groceries and went home. I spent the rest of the day baking brownies, doing laundry and cleaning up more of my house.
Chris called before he headed out with friends and we got to talk for a bit. I have to say, he is a great conversationalist on the phone. And I love to get to hear his voice so often. So he arrived at his destination and said he'd talk to me tomorrow unless I wanted him to call at 2:00 in the morning. For some reason I told him to go ahead and call at 2:00 on his way home.
I headed to bed around midnight and was enjoying a nice slumber. I had left a few windows open to let in the fresh air. Chris called around 1:30 to let me know he was almost back to his parent's house. We talked for a few minutes and hung up. And then all the excitement started!
After hanging up the phone, I thought I heard footsteps and weird creaking in my dining room. Thinking it was just the wind, I snuggled back into bed and closed my eyes. About a second later I heard the sound of a drawer being opened in my kitchen! And I knew that wasn't the wind! I grabbed the phone and called Chris back.
OK, just for your information - if you think someone is in your house, do not call your fiance' and assume that he is going to understand a cryptic phone call! I tried to get Chris to understand what was going on without saying it, considering my bedroom door was wide open and I didn't want this intruder to know that I knew he was in the house. After about 20 seconds of trying to get Chris to understand, our connection was severed. And I, finally thinking straight, dialled 911 as I jumped out of bed and shut and locked my bedroom door. The female dispatcher was AWESOME! She had a deputy on the way to my house in just seconds. She (you know, I never did catch her name!) kept me talking and semi-calm as the deputy drove like mad to get to my house. The deputy finally got to my place and came on in (silly me forgot to lock the front door when I came in with groceries earlier in the day!) and did a sweep of the house. I was beginning to think it has all just been my imagination but he sure thought someone had been in there too. The sheriff arrived a few minutes later and both of them continued to search the house and then one headed outside to take another look around. They never found anyone, but knowing I was not going to sleep (at least not in my house) the rest of the night, they did a quick sweep of the house with me and then let me go change and pack a bag. Just before we left the house, the deputy asked me about an inside door that was standing wide open - one I always keep shut. So they are sure that someone was in my house with me but whoever it was left without getting caught. I called my friends Edie and Ken and headed to their house for the rest of the night.
I'm not a total scaredy cat but I think it's going to be a few days before I can sleep in my house alone. The sheriff's office (and most of the rest of us) thinks it was some guy who was drunk or disoriented and just wandered into the wrong house. I really feel like whoever it was that they did not intend me any harm. I will definitely be double checking to make sure my doors are locked from now on! I sincerely hope that none of you has to go through such a terrifying experience.
At this moment I am so thankful for quite a few things!
I am thankful for a great dispatcher who kept me calm and did a great job!
I am thankful for a great law enforcement agency who answered quickly and didn't try to make light of my fears.
I am thankful for friends I can call at 3:00 in the morning.
I am thankful for all those who keep me in their prayers.
I am thankful for a supportive fiance' who loves me and wants to keep me safe.
And I am so very thankful for the protecting arms of my Father, holding me safely in the palm of his hand.
I thank God for all of you! Have a great week!
After picking up a few videos and a bridal magazine at the library, I headed home to spend what I thought was going to be a relaxing weekend. I spent most of Friday evening sorting through paperwork and getting my office all cleaned up. I was feeling pretty productive by the time I headed to bed!
Got up Saturday and started in on the cleaning again. Headed to town around noon to run a few errands and then headed down the road to the Lucas' door. Melanie and I spent some time visiting and talking about wedding details and church things. Mel showed me her pie for the pie auction which reminded me I had two pans of brownies I needed to get baked for the spaghetti feed which would happen prior to the pie auction on Sunday. So I headed back to town, grabbed groceries and went home. I spent the rest of the day baking brownies, doing laundry and cleaning up more of my house.
Chris called before he headed out with friends and we got to talk for a bit. I have to say, he is a great conversationalist on the phone. And I love to get to hear his voice so often. So he arrived at his destination and said he'd talk to me tomorrow unless I wanted him to call at 2:00 in the morning. For some reason I told him to go ahead and call at 2:00 on his way home.
I headed to bed around midnight and was enjoying a nice slumber. I had left a few windows open to let in the fresh air. Chris called around 1:30 to let me know he was almost back to his parent's house. We talked for a few minutes and hung up. And then all the excitement started!
After hanging up the phone, I thought I heard footsteps and weird creaking in my dining room. Thinking it was just the wind, I snuggled back into bed and closed my eyes. About a second later I heard the sound of a drawer being opened in my kitchen! And I knew that wasn't the wind! I grabbed the phone and called Chris back.
OK, just for your information - if you think someone is in your house, do not call your fiance' and assume that he is going to understand a cryptic phone call! I tried to get Chris to understand what was going on without saying it, considering my bedroom door was wide open and I didn't want this intruder to know that I knew he was in the house. After about 20 seconds of trying to get Chris to understand, our connection was severed. And I, finally thinking straight, dialled 911 as I jumped out of bed and shut and locked my bedroom door. The female dispatcher was AWESOME! She had a deputy on the way to my house in just seconds. She (you know, I never did catch her name!) kept me talking and semi-calm as the deputy drove like mad to get to my house. The deputy finally got to my place and came on in (silly me forgot to lock the front door when I came in with groceries earlier in the day!) and did a sweep of the house. I was beginning to think it has all just been my imagination but he sure thought someone had been in there too. The sheriff arrived a few minutes later and both of them continued to search the house and then one headed outside to take another look around. They never found anyone, but knowing I was not going to sleep (at least not in my house) the rest of the night, they did a quick sweep of the house with me and then let me go change and pack a bag. Just before we left the house, the deputy asked me about an inside door that was standing wide open - one I always keep shut. So they are sure that someone was in my house with me but whoever it was left without getting caught. I called my friends Edie and Ken and headed to their house for the rest of the night.
I'm not a total scaredy cat but I think it's going to be a few days before I can sleep in my house alone. The sheriff's office (and most of the rest of us) thinks it was some guy who was drunk or disoriented and just wandered into the wrong house. I really feel like whoever it was that they did not intend me any harm. I will definitely be double checking to make sure my doors are locked from now on! I sincerely hope that none of you has to go through such a terrifying experience.
At this moment I am so thankful for quite a few things!
I am thankful for a great dispatcher who kept me calm and did a great job!
I am thankful for a great law enforcement agency who answered quickly and didn't try to make light of my fears.
I am thankful for friends I can call at 3:00 in the morning.
I am thankful for all those who keep me in their prayers.
I am thankful for a supportive fiance' who loves me and wants to keep me safe.
And I am so very thankful for the protecting arms of my Father, holding me safely in the palm of his hand.
I thank God for all of you! Have a great week!
3.31.2005
Home again...
My trip to Michigan was great! It was so nice just to be there with him and his family. We spent a lot of time outside, hiking, walking and playing bocce ball. We also caught a movie with his dad and brother and sister-in-law. I really wasn't excited to see Hostage but it ended up being better than I thought with the exception of one nasty, gory scene and one very dumb play on the whole Virgin Mary thing. BAD! But the rest of the movie was actually good. We also got to celebrate Chris' birthday with his family. He was pretty excited to get The Incredibles (from me) and a great jump drive (from his parents). We met Kenny and Edie and the boys on Sunday morning and the five of us headed back to Iowa while Chris drove back to CMU.
The week at work has been good. I'm working on a grant proposal for the Mosquito Creek Watershed in Shelby, Harrison and West Pottawattamie counties. It's not officially due until April 15th but I'd like to get a good draft done tomorrow and get some comments from people higher up on the food chain and then have a chance to rewrite a time or two. So far, so good, but I might not have a full draft done tomorrow. And honestly, I am just not going to push myself too hard on this. It will get done. It will get done on time. And hopefully, it will be good enough to get funded.
So wedding plans are going well. Chris and I found 3 matching, adorable, white satin baskets for the flower girls over the weekend - and they had been clearanced so we didn't have to spend a ton! YEAH!!! It really feels like we have a lot of stuff planned. The next big thing to tackle is my dress and then the bridesmaid dresses. I can't believe it's less than 8 months until our wedding! I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with this man! Chris is the best gift God has ever given me.
The week at work has been good. I'm working on a grant proposal for the Mosquito Creek Watershed in Shelby, Harrison and West Pottawattamie counties. It's not officially due until April 15th but I'd like to get a good draft done tomorrow and get some comments from people higher up on the food chain and then have a chance to rewrite a time or two. So far, so good, but I might not have a full draft done tomorrow. And honestly, I am just not going to push myself too hard on this. It will get done. It will get done on time. And hopefully, it will be good enough to get funded.
So wedding plans are going well. Chris and I found 3 matching, adorable, white satin baskets for the flower girls over the weekend - and they had been clearanced so we didn't have to spend a ton! YEAH!!! It really feels like we have a lot of stuff planned. The next big thing to tackle is my dress and then the bridesmaid dresses. I can't believe it's less than 8 months until our wedding! I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with this man! Chris is the best gift God has ever given me.
3.23.2005
On the road again....
Yeah! I'm leaving for Michigan today!
My friend's Ken and Edie are heading up to the northeast part of the LP to visit Ken's family for Easter and they're taking me along! So we head out later today, Kenny and Edie and their two teenage boys, and me. So by late tonight, I get to see Christopher! YEAH!!!!
I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend with Chris and his family. We'll be staying at his parent's house for the long weekend. It'll be nice to have a chance to get to know my soon-to-be in-laws a little better. Chris and I are planning on having dinner with a few friends of his that I haven't got to meet yet. We're also going to be celebrating Chris' birthday with his family. I'm so excited to get to see him!
Ken and Edie have been so awesome! They really didn't have room for me to go along but traded vehicles with another of our friends so they would have room for me. How awesome is that?! I am so incredibly blessed to have such amazing friends!
So I'm off to get an allergy shot (Chris' parents have a cat), have a quick lunch with my friend Melanie and her little girl, Rebekah, and then I'll be heading out to Ken and Edie's so we can get on the road.
Hope you all have a wonderful Easter celebrating the resurrection of our Savior!
My friend's Ken and Edie are heading up to the northeast part of the LP to visit Ken's family for Easter and they're taking me along! So we head out later today, Kenny and Edie and their two teenage boys, and me. So by late tonight, I get to see Christopher! YEAH!!!!
I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend with Chris and his family. We'll be staying at his parent's house for the long weekend. It'll be nice to have a chance to get to know my soon-to-be in-laws a little better. Chris and I are planning on having dinner with a few friends of his that I haven't got to meet yet. We're also going to be celebrating Chris' birthday with his family. I'm so excited to get to see him!
Ken and Edie have been so awesome! They really didn't have room for me to go along but traded vehicles with another of our friends so they would have room for me. How awesome is that?! I am so incredibly blessed to have such amazing friends!
So I'm off to get an allergy shot (Chris' parents have a cat), have a quick lunch with my friend Melanie and her little girl, Rebekah, and then I'll be heading out to Ken and Edie's so we can get on the road.
Hope you all have a wonderful Easter celebrating the resurrection of our Savior!
3.15.2005
Double Oops!
Ok, so if I was bad about not posting before, now I'm terrible! But alas, I have found my way back to my blog! YEAH!
So if there's anyone out there who actually reads this, you may have thought that I'd fallen off the face of the earth. And while that is definitely not true, I have kind of fallen in a way. :) Back in November I met Chris, an amazing, wonderful, funny, kind man. After a bit of a whirlwind, albeit long distance, courtship, Chris proposed on February 11th and I (of course!) said yes!
So the last month has been a jumble of traveling, lots of overtime at work, studying for Spanish - and trying to plan a wedding! I had no idea that you could get so overwhelmed with wedding planning! Chris and I have decided that we want to keep it simple but fun. The wedding will in Harlan with the reception following at the Irwin Community Center. Oh, yeah, and the date is set for Friday, November 25th, 2005 at 6:00 p.m.
More good news is that soon things will no longer be long distance! Chris graduates from Central Michigan University (www.cmich.edu) on May 7th and will be moving down here that week. YEAH!!!! Can we say Happy Fiance'?!
Check out the ticker at the top of my blog that counts down the days until our wedding. Very fun!
Hope you are all doing well, my friends! I may not be in touch as often as you or I would like, but you are all on my heart!
So if there's anyone out there who actually reads this, you may have thought that I'd fallen off the face of the earth. And while that is definitely not true, I have kind of fallen in a way. :) Back in November I met Chris, an amazing, wonderful, funny, kind man. After a bit of a whirlwind, albeit long distance, courtship, Chris proposed on February 11th and I (of course!) said yes!
So the last month has been a jumble of traveling, lots of overtime at work, studying for Spanish - and trying to plan a wedding! I had no idea that you could get so overwhelmed with wedding planning! Chris and I have decided that we want to keep it simple but fun. The wedding will in Harlan with the reception following at the Irwin Community Center. Oh, yeah, and the date is set for Friday, November 25th, 2005 at 6:00 p.m.
More good news is that soon things will no longer be long distance! Chris graduates from Central Michigan University (www.cmich.edu) on May 7th and will be moving down here that week. YEAH!!!! Can we say Happy Fiance'?!
Check out the ticker at the top of my blog that counts down the days until our wedding. Very fun!
Hope you are all doing well, my friends! I may not be in touch as often as you or I would like, but you are all on my heart!
1.06.2005
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