a fair amount of fun

We have returned from the land of corn dogs and cotton candy. But to be honest, it is a bit bittersweet for me. As much as I love sleeping in my own bed and taking a shower with an excessive amount of hot water, I so miss the faces, conversations and laughter we shared. My favorite part of the whole fair is spending unplanned time with my family-- aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings. We rode rides and played skee ball. We watched a rodeo and a lawn mower derby. We shared stories and lots of laughs. We all tried stealing the baby from one another so we could hold her yet again. It's what family and tradition is about. I loved each moment of the weekend and am so thankful to have it. 

And since I'm so darn exhausted, I'll just leave you with a few pictures to tell the rest of the story. Yes, there were tigers at the fair. And yes there were many more animals than chickens but I failed to photograph most of them.

**Just a little FYI-- that is my baby cousin and my parents great niece. Just in case you were wondering.

lately

Not much beyond the ordinary has been going on around these parts, except for these major storm predictions for tonight. Summer has officially arrived here and I am definitely enjoying it. On my days off, I have been spending a majority of my days here--

 

 Our apartment complex has a pretty great pool, which I have been taking full advantage of. I am bound and determined to have a darker tan than the hubs this year. Who am I kidding-- that won't happen but it's a nice thought. Also, when we were poolside this weekend, the ducks decided that they wanted to hang out too. So they had themselves a nice little dip in the pool. They seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves.

And when we haven't been poolside, Winnie and I have been taking some extra naps. I guess the sun just makes us sleepy. However, I choose not to sleep with my head under the couch, unlike the Winster. She actually sleeps like this a lot. She has some of the strangest sleeping happens. But she's cute, so we usually just laugh and take pictures.

 

Also, the hubs and I spent some time this weekend exploring further into our "new" town. We tried a new pizza place, which ended up being very good. Family run, quaint and good food-- my favorite type of restaurant. Then we headed to Greek Fest. A festival dedicated to all things Greek. We had some baklava and another dessert, which I cannot spell. And enjoyed some authentic Greek dancing. Opa!

 

Anyway, happy hump day to you all! Hope your enjoying the sunshine on this summer day.

Until next time...

appy friday

Nowadays, there is an app for pretty much anything. All you favorite social media sites, major retailers, games, magazines, and on and on. I have tried really hard to limit the apps I put on my iPhone so I can put some sort of limit on how often and what I use my phone for. Technology is great, but I really don't want to be someone who can't function with out it. However, I have been on a recent search to find some apps that help me with budgeting. We are trying very hard to be conscious of how we spend our money so we are able to save more for things, like a house. Life is expensive, so I'm learning, and one of my biggest budget busters each month is groceries.

Ugh, I guess I just really love food and therefore think that I must have all of it. Then, I end up wasting produce that has gone bad from sitting in the fridge too long. Thankfully, there are only two of us right now so it makes it easier to manage. But someday there will be more of us and I know that I will be a sucker for wanting to constantly have some sort of baked goods or something sweet to feed to those who are at my house. I've learned that food is one of my love languages, pretty sure it is in my genetics, but I feel like a failure if you ever leave my house hungry. So if I can get this somewhat figured out now, we'll all be better off.

To combat my impulse grocery buying, I have found a few apps that have been very helpful. First, I start by planning out the weeks worth of meals before I go shopping. I try to take inventory of what we have and what we would need and being mindful of finding recipes that include items we already have in stock. This has been a HUGE money saver. Once I've made my list, I turn to my trusty iPhone for help.

Out of Milk

I love this app because you can use it for grocery lists, pantry lists and to-do lists. You can also create lists either on your phone or computer and it will sync up to both devices. Once you have created the lists, if you enter the price of the item it will automatically calculate how much you have spent, once you've checked it off your list. The only downfall is that you have to manually enter the price, but once you've entered it for a certain item, it will remember it for the next shopping trip. There are many other features within this app but it was really nice to know what my bill was going to be before I was at the cash register. And it even help me put a few items back that weren't necessities to our kitchen.

*There is another app called GroceryIQ that is very similar but I prefer OOM.

CardStar
This app is more helpful for keeping yourself organized, but it also keeps all your rewards cards in one location. It's super easy; just collect all your rewards/discount cards (mine were all annoyingly on my key ring) and you can either enter your account number or just scan the bar code. It keeps a database of all the cards that you have in one app. There are lots of stores that use this and the cashier can simply scan it from your phone when you check out. It can also really save the embarrassment of searching through your whole bag when you "know it's in there somewhere."

Mint
Ok, if you haven't discovered this site, you are seriously missing out. A financial genius created a site where you can link your bank account (now before you start freaking out about giving that information to a website just hear me out) and it will track all of your income and expenses. It's free and it's completely SAFE; it has the same protection that online banking has and you can read more about their safety measure on their site. You can set up budgets, track monthly spending, and even set goals for yourself. When I was first starting to pay my own bills, this site was one of the best things I could have done for myself. Its more like a game to me now, to see which budgets I can keep in the green and how much money I can not spend. I may have a problem. But seriously, it's is such a great tool to use and it helps you stay aware of where your money really is going. Because seriously, how do you think I realized that my monthly grocery budget was out of control. Oh, and there is an app for that, too!

Check out these great apps and they are all iPhone and Android friendly. Enjoy!

Happy Weekend!

resolutions

There is lots of talk these days of resolutions. Exercising, eating healthy, spending less money, getting organized. So many changes we want to make in ourselves in the fresh start of a new year. Truth be told, I am not much of a resolutions person. I figure if there is something that I want to change in my life that I should do it when it is necessary, especially since the new year only comes once a year. So I don't have any great new exciting resolutions to share with you. In fact, it's quite the opposite, I feel.

The past year has been a great one, no doubt. Yet, it has also been a bit exhausting. A whole lot happened in a matter of just 365 days. So many weekends traveled, friends and family visited, boxes packed and unpacked, and wedding activities galore. It was wonderful and I truly loved each and every moment that came with it. But now, I am ready for some rest. Days with nothing planned, evenings at home with my hubs, weekends where I don't have to get out of my pj's if I don't want to. This year I want to spend it being a twenty-something wife. That's it. That's all there is to it.

I am still in the process of finding a new job, but the search is  going very well. Two interviews in! However, I am a bit hesitant to jump back in to work just yet. As much as I enjoying having a career, the past few weeks have been so welcomed. Now, thankfully I have a husband who works very hard and is able to provide for us while I am in the job hunt, or this story might be a bit more panicked. Yet, there have been many days where I can simply rest and do those normal things that I enjoy. I have loved getting our new home set up and feelin' like us. Of course, it's not finished yet, but it's definitely getting there. I am finding new recipes and making yummy dinners. I've even started my second book and second puzzle. (Come to find out, I love puzzles)

So as this new year begins, I look forward to a year of just plain ole' married life. 

first Christmas as mr & mrs

Bittersweet

Someone very wise once told me that with every "yes' there is a corresponding "no." Today, my yes is moving on to a new adventure with my new husband. And no is leaving my first big kid job after two years and saying good bye to a town that has been home to me for the past seven years.

I'm not good at good byes. To be honest, I don't think anyone really is. We were not meant to be able to say good bye well. This is my day today. Cleaning out my office. Packing up the life I've built for the past two years at the university. It's harder than I thought it'd be. There were times when I wanted to just up and quit. I was frustrated and didn't feel like what I was doing was important. In those times, I couldn't want anything more than to pack up my office and be done. As I look back on the past two years, I can see how much I have learned and grown as I've become a young working professional. I have met some really great people and I am really going to miss them.

I've been around this town for seven year now. I can't even believe that. So it's a bit bittersweet to not be coming back here tomorrow. It's been good to me and I've have lots of wonderful memories. But this is what Jake and I have been waiting for and we are so excited for a whole new start as newlyweds. So here is to knowing where you've been but not letting it hold you back from where you are going.

My sad little empty office...

 

And our chaotic house...

 



But on another note, we're leaving for Vegas tomorrow!

single digits

If a man does not exercise his arm, he develops no bicep muscles, and if a man does not exercise his soul, he acquires no muscle in his soul...nor beauty of spiritual growth. Love is not a thing of enthusiastic emotion. It is a rich, strong, manly, vigorous express of the whole round Christian character-- the Christ --like nature in its fullest development.

~ Henry Drummond

today marks the first day of single digits. In just 9 days, I will pass off my old self and become joined with my love as husband and wife. It's a surreal thought but one of great anticipation. Even though I've failed at blogging recently, today I am officially stating that I will not be posting for the next two and a half weeks.

so the next time we meet, I will be a mrs.

ps - I want to give a quick shout out to sweet baby Olly who came into the world this week. congrats to one of my dearest friend, kristyn, you will be a beautiful momma.

lately, again

Apparently, I went completely MIA for about two weeks. Sorry about that...but I can show you what I've been up to.

 

1. My new DIY studio (aka my garage)

2. Road trip to the future in laws

3. Date night with the future hubs

4. Our new (to us) kitchen table

5. Back to Illinois

6. Got to hang out with this week girl for 5 days

7. I did this. Yep. Pretty proud of myself. 

8. Baby cow at the fair

9. Draft horse heaven

10. Draft horse heave part two

11. Gentle giant

The past two weeks have been packed full of events and it seemed to just fly by! With the wedding quickly approaching, I am finding that the days are slipping away so quickly, hence my lack of blog posts. I am also finding that the busier I am becoming the less my thoughts are flowing which also contributes to the lack of blog material. Hopefully I can conjure up a few more posts before the big day.

But I did manage to take sometime and venture back home to Illinois to the good ole' county fair. If you don't already know, it's probably my favorite time of the year, read this. This year I was reminded so much of how many good people there really are in our world. So often we're bombarded with bad news, but being back in the small town, county life style, life was slower and gentler. It was good to be in an environment where people have such passion for things such as family, 4-H, agriculture and a lot of the basic foundations of what our lives are built on. I think that's while my heart often aches for the simplicity of small town life. There is a certain type of wholeness and goodness that exists there. I'm so thankful I got to experience it again this year.

preparation

Do you think it's actually possible for time to speed up? Ok, maybe not but it sure does feel like it. I'm partially thankful that it has because that means its Friday, but also not so thrilled because I don't like wishing my time away. It's definitely a double edge sword. I can't believe that it's the last weekend in April. This month just flew by. It was so jam packed full of events and goodness, which I am so thankful for, but sometimes those things can make you tired.

As much as I CANNOT wait to be married and to begin a completely new stage of life, I don't want to waste away this season. I know that as soon as its over I'm going to miss this season. I've learned to call it the season of preparation. Preparing to be married. Preparing to live with a boy. Preparing to possibly make some career shifts. Preparing to building our home. There are a lot of firsts and a lot of lasts in this season. There are also a lot of changes.

I have this desire to change everything when I change just one thing. So since I'm getting married, obviously that means we should move and I should get a new job to go along with my new last name. And maybe even get a new style. Ok, not really a new style because I don't have that kind of budget. Regardless, I can get wrapped up in needing to start or change things right now. Once I get my mind on something, I want to do it right away. So this season of preparing should also be considered a season of patience.

My career is an area that I often struggle with being patient. Typically, if there is something that I don't enjoy I am ready to start something different immediately because, obviously that's the easiest answer, to run away, but I'll save that topic for another day. If you were to ask my mom she would probably tell you that I have a new career idea just about every other week. Literally. I always have something that I am wanting to do and it typically has nothing to do with what I am currently doing. I just struggle with the fact that I don't believe my career and my passion are aligned just yet. I so strongly desired to love my work. Don't get me wrong, there are days that I love my work but I want to have passion. I want to have desire.

There is this constant tension in my soul that tells me to do what I am passionate about but the other, more realistic side, tells me that I need to have a better attitude about what I'm doing and there I will find more passion. It's such a difficult place for me. Just like all things, career cannot be your life or where your value lies. Yet, I desire so deeply to leave my mark on this world and to do it with passion.

Most days I sit in this tension of a desire to do what I'm passionate about but face the reality of life, responsibility and what seems reasonable. Although, I am getting closer to taking a leap of faith and discovering that passion, for now I remain in this season of preparation.

Oh, ps...this is just a sneak peak of our engagement session from last weekend. I'm cannot wait to see the rest!

lately

Last night I had my first wedding panic dream. Nothing was ready. My hair wasn't done, my dress wasn't on, my veil wasn't even put together, and we started the wedding 30 minutes late! Ah. I hate those kinds of dreams, but I feel as though it was some semblance of what is going on in my head. It could just be this week but I am starting to feel slightly overwhelmed with everything on my plate right at the moment.

One of the ways that can help when I get overwhelmed is to make lists. I really enjoy making lists. It's a way that I can take my jumbled thoughts and put them on paper and make sense of what all is going on in my mind. Another way is to go for a run. It always manages to clear my head. (Probably because I'm just worried about not passing out).

And sometimes when I start getting overwhelmed, I am short on words. But there are a few things that I am excited about. this week.

1. Jake and I will be celebrating 2 years together.
2. Hunger Games comes out on Friday. Eek!
3. This weather...it feels like July.
4. No work on Friday.
5. Life cereal for dinner. It's the small things, right?!?
6. And I bought new sandals.
 
So hopefully after a few lists and a quick run, I can give you a little more substance to read about.

What helps you when you're feeling overwhelmed?

PS - Do you like our new wedding piece? We've been antiquing.

Things I cannot do

Today has been "one of those days." Between stress at work and general irritatibleness, today has not been one of my proudest moments. And I assume you could probably tell by the look on my face at any given point.

It was one of those days that reminds you of how human you are and how there really are a lot of things that we are not capable of doing. So after reading this, I was inspired to embrace my humanness and create my own list of things that I cannot do. So here it is.

A list of things I cannot do...

• play golf
• lay in the sun for hours. I get hot and tired of laying still
• talk and write (or text)
• eat just one of anything sweet
• run for more than 5 miles
• pet cats lovingly
• watch anything with zombies for more than 5 minutes
• hit a tennis ball straight
• sing soprano
• go to bed with dirty dishes in the sink
• not crack my toes
• watch rugby
• eat olives or anything with olives on it
• stop myself from rolling my eyes
• go by a piano without playing at least one note
• leave the house without coffee
• sleep with socks on
• get up early, just because
• not daydream
• go through a whole day without dropping my keys
• leave the bed unmade all day
• comprehend most poetry
• cry at other people's stories
• skip breakfast
• leave work with a messy desk

What can't you do?


PS- Only 6 more months

Welcome to 2012...a bit late

So maybe I am a few days late and maybe I have been a slightly bit absent for, oh, almost two weeks. However, I have managed to have five Christmas celebrations, one New Years Eve, three days of packing and moving, one week off from work and two weeks of crazy, greatness.

A lot has last happened since my previous blog. We celebrated five great Christmas' this year. We managed to have at least one meal with each family in two states over five days. I so wish we could have spent five days with each of them, but we will take what we can get. So many calories were consumed, presents opened, and laughs were shared. I will give you a full photo recap soon, I promise. But to give you a sneak peak...one side of my family has gone from this...

To this...

In just a few short years. (Thanks for the pictures, Laura!) There is never a dull moment when you get all of us in a room together for any amount of time. It's time that is so deeply treasured and something I always look forward to.

But as 2011 is now a time in the past, a new year approaches. This will be a big year. A year where there will be two weddings in my family. A year that will change my original family structure into something new, different, and exciting. It is a year of weddings and you know how much I love weddings. So, I am exciting for all that this year brings with it. There will be some adjusting and life changing moments, but also lots of love and joy shared.

My heart is hopeful for what is to come in 2012. I can't believe Jake and I will be husband and wife in just under eight months!

I am also not one to make new years resolutions. I never have and probably never really will. However, this year I have some changes in my life that I think should be in place. See...no resolutions.

It is time to get back on the healthy/exercise track. I've taken a vacation from it for awhile, but I am starting to notice some of the unwelcome guests it brings with it. And with two weddings coming up...it's time to get myself back in shape. Not just back in shape, to readopt my healthy lifestyle. I'm going to need some serious motivation and anyone who wants to join me, I will gladly accept the company. (Jake has even mentioned starting P90X again...eek). But I've also thought that maybe it's time to give up pop and drink more water and I want to try to make a new recipe every week. I need to broaden my recipes since I will soon be a wife.

So that is what I have planned for this year. Think I can manage it? We shall see.

Time to pack up...again

It's funny how quickly life changes sometimes. There are just some things that are out of our control. Ok, scratch that...most things are out of our control. And I like to have control, or at least that is how I've lived most of my life. But I feel as though I have taken a turn for the best. I have slowly started to let hold of my life and the desperately need/desire to keep it "in control" and am slowly learning to ride the waves.

For example, I have to move. Yep, that's right. I'm moving again. Where to you ask? Well, I don't know yet.

You see, I had a really great set up going. I was subleasing a house from a man who was serving overseas in the military. Good news...he came home...5 months early! I am extremely glad for him to be safe and home. But now, that makes me...home-less. The old me may have just about flipped a brick, but not this time. Did I mention that I need to move by the beginning of January? No, ok well I need to move by January 1.

There have been or could be some other slight changes in the picture, too. I'll let you know if any of those things change. But for now, I am in need of finding a place to store my stuff and lay my head for the next 8 months. This is my newest adventure. I am just assuming that God has something interesting in the works and I am just not let in on the secret yet.

But that got me thinking today, about how quickly life changes and just how you never really know how you or someone else's life may change in a simple phone call. So remember this today...

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

It's time again to pull out the dusty boxes. Hang the garland and lights. And of course, put the ornaments on the tree. This is what we did last night. Although, I didn't have a Christmas tree, so we picked one up this weekend as we did Christmas shopping (which was wildly successful!). So, we found a 4 ft. pre-light artificial little tree to suffice for this year. (I'm a real tree kind of girl).

This year as I pulled Christmas ornaments out of the box and slowly unwrapped them, anticipating what memories laid inside the tissue paper, the feeling was a bit different. Even though, I love Christmas and everything that comes with it, something felt a bit different...not quite as Christmasy as I remember. Then I realized, this year is different. This year I am unwrapping ornaments at my house; not the home I grew up in. This year, I was surrounded by my fiance and puppy; not my mom, dad and brothers. This year, I wasn't listening to Alabama Christmas playing loudly. Although the ornaments were the same, it's just wasn't the same.

This season of life is one of transition. As I am preparing to marry the man of my dreams and create a new life with him (which I am so excited about), it is a time of transition. This is the last year I sign my long last name on Christmas cards, and exchange it for a shorter, more historical one to share with my future hubby. This is a year of starting/thinking of some new traditions for my future family and remembering the traditions that hold such deep joy in my heart.

I am truly excited for the new stage of life, I will be entering. But as someone very wise once told me, "To every Yes, there is a corresponding No." And even though I am not married yet, it is a time of preparation and transition into that stage of life. There is great joy in what is to come and deep sadness of what used to be. It's one of the unspoken challenges of making this life altering decisions.

Yet, it is a blessing to have such great joy and people in my life no matter what season I am in.

Top left - One of my first Christmas ornaments

Top right - The reason we celebrate

Bottom left - Winnie's first Christmas ornament

Bottom right - Another first Christmas ornaments

Middle - The Angle at the top of my tree

The finished product

 And to end...always a picture of this precious pup.

25 & Engaged

This may have been the most exciting, exhilarating, emotional, tiring, wonderful, exhausting week of my life.

Engaged and 25. I still can't believe it, either one actually.

Friday was my 25th birthday. I spent the day with my mom and best friend...wedding dress shopping! Yep, one week in and we're already shopping. You see, normally my mom and I go shopping for my birthday. This year we got to do something a little extra....wedding dresses. It was awesome and kind of hard. I never realized how many different options, variations, alterations, styles, prices, and stores there really were. I'm pretty particular as to what I want so we're going to keep on shopping!

I finished the day with my gorgeous fiance at a wonderful restaurant and some time for us to just celebrate life!

Then Saturday morning, we headed off on our next journey to try to find the perfect reception site. I have one in mind (not sharing that detail yet). We're hoping to get a date set soon! We had some other side trips, such as the apple orchard. See our weekend in pictures...

 PS- My side of the engagement story coming soon...