The Wallers

Baby Waller!!

2012-02-11T13:40:00.000-08:00

Yes, you read that right...our little family of 3 will soon be a family of 4! This includes Belle obviously :) We found out almost two months ago now that we'll be expecting a little nugget on our around August 25th. What a blessing!

Basically the story goes like this...we'd been praying, we decided that we wanted to have a baby and then two weeks later, we were pregnant! Matt went for a run with Raleigh one night and while he was gone, I decided to take a test. I know that it had only been 2 weeks but I just had this feeling that it would be positive. The three minutes that you are supposed to wait felt like the longest three minutes of my life. Sure enough, that second pink line was there. It was faint, but it was definitely there! I just stood there in shock and then raced around the house trying to find my camera to take a picture of it (I wasn't sure if the 2nd line would go away)...I found the camera, took a picture, put the test into a sandwich bag and waited patiently for Matt to get home. As I was waiting, I started playing out all of these scenarios in my head about how I was going to tell him and started to get really nervous, I mean, we had only decided that we wanted a baby 2 weeks before this! I was so giddy and then when he walked in the door, I didn't know how to tell him! I actually finished making dinner, we ate dinner, and then I did the dishes without saying anything. His birthday was that coming Friday and this was Wednesday so after we got done eating, I told him I wanted to give him an early birthday present. Matt doesn't get too excited about his birthday so of course he wanted to wait. I finally convinced him and then he opened up the test that I had wrapped in a Christmas gift bag that had a dog on the front. Only thing I could find...don't judge.

Well, this was his reaction...

Here is the proof...yes...I took another test a couple of days later to see if it was still real...

And here is our tiny bean! This was at 6.5 weeks...I'm now 12!

So glad to finally be able to talk about this with you!

Miss Belle

2012-01-16T10:42:00.000-08:00

Before we ever brought Raleigh home, I had been wanting a puppy for a long time. I was fortunate to live with many roommates in college who had chosen to get puppies while I lived with them so I feel like I had a pretty realistic viewpoint of what it takes to raise a puppy. I did pick up a free puppy from Costco once, along with Maria, when I was a junior at MSU. I had Briley for about a month before I gave her up for adoption. I definitely was not ready to have a dog at that time. Ever since then, I have been gun shy about making the commitment. Once we decided to get Raleigh although, I knew it was just the right time to bring this bundle of joy (and energy) into our lives.

When we brought her home in October, I was lucky to be able to stay home with her for her first month as a Waller puppy. We walked on the beach everyday, snuggled, and bonded. She was potty trained in no time. When I was hired for my job in November, I had the hardest time leaving her at home. Yes, I cried on the first day. She had become my little sidekick and I felt like I just abandoned her.

That is when Kellie came into our lives. Kellie is RB's dog walker and they have lots of fun together during the day. Kellie is great and I feel blessed knowing that I don't need to worry about Belle when I'm at work. The best part is coming home from a stressful day at work to a puppy that couldn't be happier to see you.

Now 21 weeks (or 5 months) old, I can't believe how big our Raleigh is getting...I don't realize it until I look at photos from a few months ago. While we were gone in Europe, she spent two weeks with our good friends, Paul & Amy, and their puppy, Brewski. I definitely think she had fallen in love with her new life and therefore, was not too happy to come home. She missed Brew so much the first few days she was home and sometimes, she still cries for him. I'm convinced that she is crying for Brewski because she never randomly cried before or would pout around the house. Well, now she does. Her time with them was so special...you can read about it HERE.

Here are some photos of Belle throughout her 5 months... (thanks Paul for the last few :))

Thank you, daddy, for giving me so many baths.

RB & Boyfriend Brewski.

When she swims, she looks like a rat dog!


Belle & Brewski, her boyfriend!

I realized that I'm bad at taking recent photos...I need to have my camera out more. Anyways, we are so glad to have Raleigh....although frustrating at times, I can't imagine my life without this munchkin!

Days 7 & 8 in London

2012-01-01T13:29:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was New Years Eve so we slept in a bit and ate a later breakfast in hopes of being able to stay up until midnight. Yes, I realize this makes me sound old but when you are walking all day long, you are ready for bed early! Once we left the house, we went to visit the Churchill War Rooms which was incredible. These are the Cabinet War Rooms which lie beneath London that were used by Winston Churchill and his staff to protect themselves during World War II. At this time, Churchill was prime minister of Britain. Along with being able to view all of the war rooms, there is a Churchill Museum which taught us both so much. I learned a lot about that man. He led an extremely intriguing life that you should look into sometime!

We spent hours in these rooms so when we came back up to ground level, it was already dark! The daylight goes quick around these parts, sun up at about 8 and down at about 4:30. Short days. We found a pub to have a snack in and then walked around watching all of the people crowd into the areas at the River Thames to get ready for London's big NYE fireworks display. After we were hungry again, we decided to eat dinner at a local pizza place. It was alright, Matt ordered a pizza with anchovies on it and I thought he was going to barf as soon as he took a bite. I decided against trying them. After dinner, we went to see Wicked!! I've been wanting to see this musical forever. It was in Seattle last year and I just never got around to going which I later regretted. It was the perfect way to spend our NYE in London although. It was an amazing performance that I highly recommend! After the musical, we walked as close as we could to the London Eye (where the fireworks were) and stood for about an hour amazed at the amount of people showing up to watch. I never realized how big Greater London is...population of approximately 8 million...falling just short of New York City's population. Soon, it was midnight, and the fireworks were worth the wait. Great 2011 NYE...one that we will always remember.

Today was a rough morning only sleeping for a handful of hours before getting up for our 8:30am breakfast. We first went to do some more shopping at Zara, I can't get enough. Then, we took a river cruise to Greenwich, a northern part of London to see one of the 2012 summer olympic parks. Once we arrived, it was pouring rain and very cold so we first camped out in an Asian restaurant eating some noodle soup, then found a small cafe to sip on some coffee and wait out the rain. After it became apparent that it was not going to let up, we decided to just take the tube back into London and explore Oxford Circus which is another part of town known for their high end department stores. After window shopping, we wandered into China town and found a Vietnamese restaurant. For those of you who have had the privilege of enjoying PHO, you know why this made me oh so excited! Pho is a Vietnamese noodle soup that Matt discovered in Vietnam in college. He loved it and in Seattle, we lived down the sidewalk from an incredible Pho restaurant. I, too, grew to love it and now that we live in Charleston, I haven't had my weekly dosage in about 5 months. It was long overdue! We enjoyed some Pho and bubble tea and then came home. It has been a long day because we were still exhausted from last night.

Tomorrow is our last day in the UK. We will wake up early, eat breakfast, go back to Buckingham to watch the changing of the guards, visit the National Gallery, and hopefully spend the afternoon at Harrods. We leave bright and early on Tuesday morning. It's slightly bittersweet but I miss my students and most of all, Raleigh Belle. I can't wait to see her! Two weeks is too long to be without your puppy.

Day 5 on the train & 6 in London

2011-12-30T13:38:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was pretty uneventful. We decided to take a break and sleep in a bit as we are pretty exhausted. We ate a late breakfast at our Edinburgh B&B, packed up, said goodbye to Shaun (our host), and then took a bus to the train station. We were ready to go with plenty of time to make it to our train but then the credit card machine wasn't working properly which took some time to figure out which caused us to barely miss our bus so had to wait for a later one (which was also running late), then traffic was horrible, and we had to practically run off our bus into the station. We then went to a ticket kiosk to collect our pre-paid tickets but the card reader wasn't reading our card correctly EITHER...so we ran around trying to get our tickets. We finally got our tickets and made it to the train with about 5 minutes to spare. What we thought was going to be a relaxing morning turned out to be a bit stressful.

The train ride was about 4.5 hours so we watched "The Help" on the iPad...great movie!...and tried to snooze a little before arriving in London. We arrived around 6, ate at a nearby pizza place, and then took the tube to our bed and breakfast. Our hosts here seem very nice! The house is a bit older and we are sleeping in twin beds but can't complain!

This morning, we ate a full English breakfast which was different from the Scottish breakfast. For those of you who know Matt, you'll smile at the thought of him having to eat a stewed tomato as part of his meal. Ha...I enjoyed watching that. Along with the tomato, it consists of eggs, bacon, sausage, and apples.

After breakfast, we rode the tube into town, walked around trying to orient ourselves, and ended up finding Westminster Abbey first! We jumped in line to tour the Abbey right away. I told Matt this was like my Disneyland...seriously, I think I have a small obsession with royalty. I know that my Grandma White will smile while reading this because she understands my thoughts exactly! So Granny, I of course walked everywhere that Kate walked at her wedding and thought of you :) I could only take photos of the outside of the Abbey but being inside where so many kings and queens have been sworn in, had their funerals, and had been married was surreal. It's hard to grasp that you are standing amongst that much history. We then walked past Big Ben & the Parliament buildings, and the London eye. After lunch, we walked to Buckingham Palace which was also surreal. Again, Granny, I thought of you and how I was wishing you were here with me. I know you'd appreciate it as much as I did! I stalked Prince Harry at Clarence House and then we toured the Queen's Gallery in Buckingham Palace. The exhibit is an extraordinary display of two men's expeditions to the South Pole back in the early 1900's. The photos were presented to King Henry (I think) so they are part of the Royal Collection now. I was a little bummed that the Royal Mews (all of the Royal carriages and cars) is closed until the end of January as well as the State Rooms in the Palace...but oh well!

We ended the evening reading in Starbucks and warming ourselves up for about 2 hours and just got done eating some phad thai at a Thai restaurant near our home. That's about it for the past few days! Happy almost New Year's!

Day 3 in Edinburgh & Day 4 in St. Andrews

2011-12-28T13:18:00.000-08:00

Here MOM...I only skipped blogging for one day and she gets so demanding...

Well here we are on our last night in Edinburgh. We have fallen in love with this place! Yesterday, we woke up, had our usual Scottish breakfast courtesy of our host Shaun, which includes eggs, bacon, baked beans, toast, porridge, tea, orange juice, and sausage. And yes, I do eat it all. Don't judge. After breakfast, we hiked up to the Edinburgh Castle and spent the morning touring it. It was BEAUTIFUL! Seriously, such an amazing experience. After the castle, we ate at a little restaurant called Amber where we just had soup and sandwiches. Then we trotted down to Arthur's Seat and the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The Palace is Queen Elizabeth's official residence whenever she visits Scotland. She usually comes in July for a month and this is where she stays. Other members of the Royal family also use it frequently. Just outside the palace is Arthur's Seat which is an extinct volcano that you can hike up. Matt hiked to the top of Arthur's Seat while I sat in the palace's cafe, drank hot chocolate, and read. He snapped some incredible shots from the top!

After the hike, we walked to Cadenhead's Whiskey Shop, a recommendation of Rick Steves (don't even get me started on how much I love Rick Steves...I walk around with his book in my hands reading all the time...don't travel without his books, seriously!) This was the coolest little hole in the wall place. There are many gimmicky, touristy whiskey (scotch) stores around Edinburgh but this one was just the opposite. Matt bought some single malt scotch straight from the barrel. He is enjoying a glass as we speak. After scotch buying, we trotted down to Princes Street and ate dinner at 1780...a Scottish Pub. We enjoyed a DELICIOUS meat and ale pie with some toffee pudding...as well as a few brewskis. End of day 3.

Today, we woke up early and took the bus to St. Andrews. It is the coldest and windiest...most windy?...day yet. We bundled up and braved it to walk the Old Course although. This was an amazing experience. It was so green and beautiful with the waters of the North Sea just to our east. We toured the museum of the British Open beforehand and then enjoyed a rainbow over the course as we walked the 18th hole. Matt enjoyed pretending he was a famous golfer... we kept thinking about both of our dads wishing they were there to enjoy it with us.

For lunch, we ended up in some hotel restaurant that was owned by a Scottish woman and her Texan husband. They had photos all over the walls of their famous and not-so-famous guests that have visited their eatery over the years. It was fun to spend some time in there imagining the golfers coming in for a cold beer after a long day on the Links.

And now for my favorite part of this entire vacation...stalking Wills' and Kate's old stomping grounds at the University of St. Andrews. Yes, I'm that person...went to see their dorm rooms, etc. Quite enjoyable for me, not sure what Matt's thoughts were but I had no shame in doing this!

On the way home, the wind was so horrible that the bridge to get back into Edinburgh was closed to the buses so we got dropped at a random bus station and had to wait there for the next bus that was willing to brave the wind. We ended up getting home only about 1.5 hours later than expected so it wasn't too bad other than the fact that I thought we were going to tip over a few times.

We decided to spend the night in Edinburgh again instead of taking the overnight train to London. So, we are just about to hit the hay and we will travel south to London tomorrow! Exciting but slightly bittersweet to leave this new little place we have grown to love in just 4 days...goodnight!

Day 1 & 2 in Edinburgh

2011-12-26T13:08:00.000-08:00

It's now Tuesday evening and we've spent two whole days in Edinburgh. We love this place! The history, the architecture, the people, and the cleanliness of the city are all reasons to fall in love. Yesterday morning after our nap, we forced ourselves to get out of bed despite the lack of sleep to try to get on a normal sleep schedule. Our B&B is a quick 20 minute stroll away from the center of the city so we bundled up and walked in. The temperature is fairly moderate...somewhere around 40-45 degrees but the wind is horrendous! It is nice to feel the cool weather although, leaving Charleston when it's 75 degrees definitely makes it feel like any time of the year except Christmas. Beings it was Christmas day, everything in the town was shut down and most people were at home with their families. This made it very quiet but we kind of liked it. As a promise to Miss Julie Waller, we found a Scottish pub, Deacon Brodie's Tavern, to enjoy fish and chips and a cold beer as our Christmas dinner. She said that is what SHE wanted for Christmas but didn't exactly have to twist our arm. It was delicious Jules...thanks for dinner!

After we ate, we walked up and down the "Royal Mile" and came home...The Royal Mile actually consists of 4 different streets which once divided two settlements, Edinburgh & Canongate. At the beginning of the mile is the Edinburgh Castle (which we are touring tomorrow) that dates back to the 11th century. Hard to believe. We basically came back home after our self-guided walking tour but not before Matt stopped to grab a few brews from a local convenience store. He thought he was buying really manly, stout Scottish beer, but in fact it was hard apple cider. Fail. He drank about half of one.

We came back home around 6:00 as everything was shut down in the city, and by 7, we were both ready for bed. We went to sleep and woke up about 3 hours later wide awake, watched a movie on the iPad, and then attempted to go back to sleep for a few hours. Let's just say this morning was a little rough! Our host, Shaun, made us the most delicious, full Scottish breakfast complete with poached eggs, bacon, sausage, beans, toast, and unlimited OJ. We started the day off right.

We then headed into town for the day...touring the National Museum of Scotland, the Scotch Whiskey Experience (a.k.a. "Malt Disney"), tried for the 2nd time to attend mass at St. Giles Cathedral (closed...but open tomorrow), and went to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Today is "Boxing Day" in Scotland, a holiday that follows Christmas Day where people go out and SHOP! So...I ended my day at Zara (I thought of you Alicia...and Kari, I finally bought my blazer!) Everything was on sale...good thing we only have carry-ons! Tonight, we ate dinner at Zizzi which was an amazing pasta and pizza joint. Now, we are home and we actually made it to 9:00 so far so we are doing better than last night.

That's about all for today...hope you had a lovely day after Christmas:)

Merry Christmas from Edinburgh!

2011-12-25T01:00:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from Scotland! Matt and I have finally arrived and are ready to celebrate our Christmas day in Scottish fashion. We are thinking of our families and missing them dearly but are treasuring our time together, just the two of us. Next Christmas may look very different :)

We left Charleston at about noon yesterday with a quick flight to Newark, NJ. It was slightly eerie to get on this flight as it was mostly empty with only 10 passengers. Strange beings it was Christmas Eve. After a quick 1.5 hours, we touched down at Newark and I was fascinated by the view of lower Manhatten just out the window. I have never been to NYC but hope to cross that off our bucket list while we're over here on the east coast. For now although, my view from the airport will suffice. We spent the next 5 hours hanging out in the airport, trying to stay awake so that we could sleep on the plane. We were both really tired and wanted to take a nap but we read, watched football, and ate dinner in an Irish Pub instead.

At 7:00pm, we boarded our flight. We ended up sitting on the runway until about 8:30 as they fixed something but with the endless choice of movies and TV shows, we were easily entertained. As soon as the flight took off, they fed us dinner...some sort of chicken dish that was really good actually. I started watching a movie and Matt was reading but we quickly fell asleep. I kept waking up to turbulence but the entire flight was quiet and dark so it was easy to sleep. The flight went by VERY quickly. It was soon time to get up, eat some breakfast, and land.

We gathered our things, went through customs, and walked out to find a taxi. This cute old man drove us to our Bed & Breakfast telling us all kinds of neat information about what we have to do while we are here. Just about an hour ago, we arrived at our B&B. Shaun (our host) seems very lovely and made us feel right at home. I know he is married but we haven't met his wife yet...they both have great reviews though so I'm sure she is just as sweet. For now, we are going to take a nap (we are TIRED! It's only 4:00am SC time) and then head into town to enjoy our Christmas day by viewing the Norwegian Christmas tree & attending mass at St. Giles Cathedral. Who knows what else the day holds...

Merry Christmas everyone! We miss all our family and friends back in Montana today but are thinking of you. Eat some prime rib for me!

MIA

2011-12-12T16:44:00.000-08:00

Oh how I'm missing my blog. I long to wake up, drink some peppermint mocha infused coffee, turn on Christmas music, and sit down to blog. I'm looking forward to doing just that in about 5 mornings. This week is the last week of school before Christmas break. Let me preface this by saying that I LOVE my job. I really do...my heart melts every day because of these children and I could not imagine doing anything else in the world for a career. I have been so blessed to be hired where I am. Before I left Seattle, I was offered a job at what I thought was going to be my dream school. I know it would have been an amazing experience but God had other plans for me. In the following months, I became quite discouraged after 5 months of searching for a teaching job but tried to be faithful in knowing that just the right opportunity would pop up. It did. Never in a million years would I imagine that I would be in South Carolina with these oh-so-southern students but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I will be catching up with you next week...can't wait!

Joyful

2011-12-03T06:06:00.000-08:00

Loving all things Christmas...missing friends and family in Montana & Seattle during this holiday season. Grateful for a loving husband & the cutest puppy. Merry December!

Living in Kingdom Time

2011-11-16T17:18:00.000-08:00

By starting on Sunday, I obviously meant Wednesday :) Day 22 is about living in kingdom time. Last week, I received an answer to many prayers about finding a job in Charleston. I was offered a third grade teaching position at a school here...finally! It has been what feels like forever since I have been in the classroom and am so incredibly excited about this opportunity. After being a stay-at-home wife for the past 6 months, it is difficult to get back into the groove of spending 40 hours a week outside my house. I am used to getting up, drinking coffee, walking Raleigh on the beach, and then spending my day performing my wifely duties :) and having plenty of "me" time. I still felt busy keeping up with our tiny family that I wonder and fear how our lives will be different now. Welcome to the real world I guess.

Karen says it best "time...if only there were more of it. Or more energy to accomplish our goals in the time we do have. But wait! Do we want to keep falling prey to the tyranny of time management? Our culture is inundated with time management tools: date books, pocket calendars, wrist watches with built-in alarms, beepers for belt... and seminars on how to save, spend, invest, maximize, and catch time before it flies away!

What if time was not the fleeting, tyrannizing resource we are taught to believe it is? What if we chose instead to view time as an expression of God? God's speed. God's gift to us. A part of His very nature. Would we so anxiously live by deadlines, join the morning rat race, or grab a minute and run with it? Wouldn't we instead, be moved to rethink and perhaps reshape the way we use time? Perhaps our goal would be stewardship rather than management. Rather than accomplishing and accumulating according to some self-imposed deadline, we might share our time by serving others in Jesus' name."

Basically what I'm saying is that I feel I will now be challenged to invest my time not at work to eternal purposes. There will always be laundry to get done, a dishwasher to empty, closets to organize, a yard to tend to, but these things do not matter in the grand scheme of things. I fill a lot of my time with mindless chores like I just mentioned and what am I essentially gaining from that? Nothing other than a peace of mind and an impressed husband...if I'm lucky!:)

Let's respond to the call. Let's take the time and receive the grace to set our clocks and our calendars according to God's agenda and to reorder our lives around His values, His commandments, and His priorities. Let's learn his "timeless" management.

Today, I'm thankful for this sweet reminder to spend my time investing in eternal purposes. Makes me feel like I can breathe.

thankful

2011-11-10T04:54:00.000-08:00

I think we need to rewind this blog and finish the 31 Day of Thankfulness before Thanksgiving in just two weeks...beings that there are 31 days, we'll start with Day 20 on Sunday and finish by Thanksgiving...here's a little something to be thankful for in the meantime. I stole it from another blog that I read this morning...

to trust

2011-11-09T05:21:00.000-08:00

We have almost completed our 3rd month of living in Charleston and boy has it been an experience. We continue to be grateful for such an amazing city...the history, the beauty, & the friendly community. We do love this place. We both have always wanted to live in the south, experiencing the culture and taking in all of the differences that the north does not have to offer but I have to admit that this move has been harder on me(us) than we expected. Don't get me wrong, it has been an experience of a lifetime and I am glad that we took this chance. It has been exciting, fun, and sometimes a bit scary and lonely. I believe we are being challenged to trust in the Lord's plan for our lives because there is obviously a reason for our hearts to have been aligned to have the desire to move here. Our friend Lindsey from Seattle kept telling us "it's going to be so good for your marriage" and she is right. Matt and I are being forced to simply rely on prayer and one another...we have learned a lot about each other just in the last three months. Our first year of marriage was always so busy with Matt's job, my student teaching and wrapping up grad school, and our constant adventure. We had an amazing first year of marriage but when we landed in Charleston on Day 1 of Year 2, I felt like we were able to finally breathe and just enjoy one another.

Our times of loneliness are hard but a challenge that we will continue to grow through. It causes us to be even more grateful for the people that we love in Seattle and back home in Montana. I don't know what the next season in our lives will look like or how long we will live in South Carolina but I am content in knowing that His plan for us is perfect in every way.

Last night, we had the privilege of skyping with a couple that is being obedient to God's plan for their lives and they wanted to share with us what they are doing...if you are interested, read here. They are turning their lives upside down for what they are being called to and it was such a reassurance of God's grace and peace for us. Thank you Megan & Chris (and sweet baby Siena) for being an incredible witness and a great reminder that this life is not about us.

I know it has been forever since I have written about my days of thankfulness (I really need to finish) but today, I am thankful for loneliness. I know that sounds strange but it is in these times that I grow the most and am reminded of what's important in life...not material items, money, a house, the perfect life, etc. but the people that we love the most and following a calling that is not of ourselves.

we survived week 1!

2011-10-26T04:20:00.000-07:00

Week 1 with Miss Raleigh went surprisingly well. Goldendoodles are smart puppies but the thing that I failed to think about in this case is that they are so smart, you cannot let them get away with anything even once! They learn to trick you into things and then never forget the way you respond to their sneaky ways. Showing dominance has been key this week (and in the weeks to come). Once she learns we're boss, the better. The first few days at home, she was extra cuddly because she was probably nervous and just getting used to the new pad. Well, that didn't last too long and now she is a little TOO comfortable and thinking she owns the joint. We quickly figured this out and started limiting her space that she is allowed to roam on her own. If she comes in the back bedrooms, she has to stay by our side and sometimes even on her leash. At the beginning of the week, she had no idea how to walk on a leash and as of yesterday, she's a pro. This doesn't mean she always likes it but she's learning. Amy introduced us to the miracle of vinegar water. If she chews on anything or anyone (US!), a little vinegar water takes care of that right away. At first, she liked the vinegar so I had to spice it up with a little more vinegar and now she hates it. It seems to be a one or two time-thing because she hasn't had a repeat chew or bite on anything we've sprayed with the vinegar. Okay, enough about Raleigh!

This week, we attended two lowcountry boils. For those of your northerners :), this is basically just shrimp, sausage, potatoes, and corn all boiled together in a stockpot and dumped onto a table for everyone to go at it. It's amazing how many people it feeds, let alone how inexpensive & delicious it is. I can see why they're so popular. Along with the first lowcountry boil at the neighbors, we also steamed a huge pile of oysters and just cracked them open and ate them right off the table. I've never been a huge oyster fan but these were so naturally salty so the flavor was amazing. We are really liking the neighbors. They are so fun...Bucky (I believe his real name is something Bradley (or some B name) Goodson Dudley III)...true southerners, and his girlfriend Ashley. Ashley is from Illinois. Anyways, we had dinner with them at a restaurant down the road from us called Basil. Asian food is not a popular sight down here but this place was pretty delicious. Such a fun night with them. We also had the privilege of spending some time with one of Jeff's good friends from back home, Tanner Sutton. We first went to an Italian place with him downtown and then he cooked us dinner at his amazing townhouse right on the water. He has a beautiful home and some fun roommates. Melissa joined us with some delicious cream cheese brownies which topped the night off perfectly!

This weekend, we carved pumpkins with Blake & Erin which was really fun (photos below!). It was the first night we've had guests over with Raleigh and oh how the dynamics have changed. I know it'll get easier but I continually had to leave our conversations to take her potty and she is a bit distracting when just trying to chit chat. It's cute and fun but it was one of her crazy nights because she had been home for the previous hours before that while Matt and I were at the other lowcountry boil so you could tell she was a little anxious to get out and play with us. I figured it's okay & that they will soon be in the same situation with their BABY! Erin finally blogged about it so I feel like it's okay to also announce :) I think most of you Seattlites know B & E...and yep, Baby Rasmussen is due to show his/her face in April...so exciting to be able to have a little munchkin around to ooh & aww over!

Well, I think that's about as far as the excitement goes around here. We're just trying to enjoy this fall weather, it has been such a welcomed change...today's forecast, 74 & sunny. Can't complain about that.

Next on the agenda, visits from Paul & Amy, Mitch & Brenna, and Dad & Jenny! Going to be a FUN & much needed November!!
Some photos of what's been going on...

The Schindlers were in town for the week and we got to play with Caroline!

little diva!

RB's first day at the beach!

Dream Home

2011-10-17T06:23:00.000-07:00

Remember the house in Marley & Me? Well, it's for sale and I would like to offer any of you the opportunity to gift husband and I $1,250,000 to buy it. You could always come stay for free if you'd like to take advantage of such an opportunity! But really, I've always dreamed of living in a New England house. I know this house is in Pennsylvania and hence, not part of New England but I wouldn't complain about that. Can you imagine waking up to the changing colors of fall or winter snowfall & drinking coffee in this house? I sure can...it would be a dream.

http://hollygross.com/listingdetails.php?mls=5866627
Here are some photos & the actual listing if you're interested in dreaming with me:

Welcome home Raleigh Belle!

2011-10-16T06:38:00.000-07:00

Yes, I think I might be that person that doesn't stop talking about their dog. I'm sorry...I'll just apologize now for that. But seriously, if you could meet her, you would understand why! Yesterday, Matt & I, along with our friend Kyle visiting from Seattle, drove to just outside of Clemson, South Carolina to pick up our baby girl. She is the sweetest thing. She snuggled up to me right away and stayed by my side until we went to bed last night. She is soft, sweet, fluffy, and weighs just under 7 pounds. I think she'll grow to be somewhere between 50-75 lbs...her dad is large but her mom is medium sized.

After visiting our neighbors for a crawfish boil & some frogmore stew, we put her in her crate at around 10:30, she whined for just a tiny bit and then fell asleep. With just one middle of the night potty break, she woke up around 5:30 ready for the day. This schedule works great because it follows Matt and I's normal weekday routine. The weekends will be a little rough having to get up that early but hey, we're parents now, we better get used to it! I told Raleigh that she is going to have to learn what day it is so she knows to sleep in on Saturdays at least.

Here are a few photos that Kyle took (thank you, thank you!) from yesterday...

just meeting for the first time :)

meeting daddy

car ride home...felt like I was bringing a baby home from the hospital!


passed out in car...big day for Raleigh!

Well, stay tuned! I already emailed Amy asking like a thousand questions this morning :) Thank goodness for her...now I just need her to live here so she can take care of both Raleigh & I!!

fall in Charleston

2011-10-05T05:34:00.000-07:00

September 23rd officially marked the first day of fall and I promised myself that I wouldn't wish for fall weather until then. And I'm happy to report that we are definitely getting some fall weather! Right now, it's actually 3 degrees cooler in Charleston than in Billings and only 2 degrees warmer than Seattle. The best part is that it is chilly in the mornings and evenings and heats up just enough during the day to head to the beach. Yesterday, it was in the upper 70's so Melissa and I spent the afternoon at the Isle of Palms chatting about life and talking once again about how random it was that we are here together. Matt's season in Alabama seem like such a mystery to me because we weren't dating at that time in his life so it's fun to hear Melissa reminisce about their year there.

Last Thursday, we finally moved into our new house! We are renting a small, 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom house in Mount Pleasant that is approximately 5 minutes from the beach. It's perfect. It has a fenced yard for the puppy and a one car garage which will primarily be used for storage (such a blessing beings Matt has so many outdoor items that don't need to be inside). People have been asking to see photos of the house but for now, I'm just going to post one of the house from the outside. I will post photos of the inside this weekend but I need just a few more days to get it all put together!


This is the photo that was on the MLS listing...that's not our car in the driveway :)

I promise to give you the full tour this weekend! In other news, we picked our puppy from the litter we had put a deposit on! The breeder performed the temperament testing of the 11 puppies this past weekend and paired us up with 3 dogs that matched what we thought we wanted in a puppy...so here she is, meet Raleigh Belle :)

Raleigh Belle @ 6 weeks

Here is the lowdown on Raleigh according to the breeder:

Pink (the nickname the breeder gave her) is our “sweet puppy”. Abigail has adopted her as the mascot puppy from this litter. Whenever anyone new pops in for a visit that hasn’t met the litter, she brings Pink out immediately to meet them and says, “She’s sweet, cuddly and playful like a puppy should be.” She loves to be petted and especially loves sweet talking. When you scratch under her chin she will lift her head up and look in your eyes. Eye contact is a very important tool in training and this should help her learn quickly. She is also a people pleaser which goes a long way with basic obedience training. She really loves people and plays nicely with the kids and other dogs/puppies. She has soulful eyes.

This puppy’s temperament testing indicated that it will accept human leaders easily with regular training and exercise. She is a good prospect for the average owner and is a bit more submissive then some of its litter mates. She adapts well to new situations but will look to you for leadership at times. This puppy is generally good with children and the elderly. She usually has a common sense approach to life and trains well. This puppy scored well in the social attraction categories and may be more easily taught to come and is cuddly and friendly. Its interest in people can be a useful tool in training.

Pink has a curly coat. She is apricot in color. She has a boxy head and short muzzle and her build is small to medium. Currently the pull test for shedding was positive for possible mild shedding (1-2 hairs were removed when a small area above the base of the tail was pulled firmly.) Remember the pull test is a guide only and may not always be accurate we have seen dogs in the past go either way but we like to use it as a general guide.

I am SO excited to go pick her up next Saturday. In the meantime, we'll be finishing house projects and enjoying sleeping in on this last weekend without having to get up to let the dog out for potty time!

Lastly, I wanted to share this little project that Matt designed this weekend. We are trying to be creative with storage space in our kitchen. We have a lot more space than we did in Seattle but we still have SO much kitchen stuff that it's pretty ridiculous...we do use it all though so I don't want to get rid of anything. So...Matt came up with this! We went to this antique store just to look around and found this ladder. I wish I would've taken a picture of it before Matt broke it in half but I didn't...

still trying to be creative with the hooks...using wire hangers for now :)

This date is written on the underside of the top of the ladder...it's also the date that Raleigh was born, just in 2011


And using the other half as his night stand

Pretty creative, eh? So glad to have a handy husband.

Amy & Paul Are Hitched!

2011-09-28T05:07:00.000-07:00

We had the absolute BEST weekend with a group of the most amazing people I've ever met! Matt and I were chatting about how each person that attended the wedding is someone that Amy & Paul have drawn into their lives and therefore, is a reflection of the type of people that they are. There were about 70 guests at the wedding. We met a majority of them and each person was so genuinely nice and unique. Each person came from a different walk of life and a different part of the country but we all had one thing in common, we loved these two special people and were there to celebrate the beginning of their forever. Just a geographical idea of where we were...

We decided to drive because it only took approximately 8 hours to get there. We left late Wednesday afternoon after Matt worked in the morning and arrived around 11 on Wednesday night. While driving there, we ran into the WORST rainstorm I've ever been in. I've never experienced such torrential downpour and lightening. Matt was white-knuckling it as we could not even see where to pull over...he was just being guided by the whites of the lines. And yes, this also happened on the way home. Definitely a scary experience but we survived. Once we arrived on Weds, the house that we had rented exceeded our expectations by far! It was beautiful, right on the beach, and right next door to the wedding house. We were greeted by our friends, Chris & Kristi, whom we haven't seen in over a year so that was exciting! They used to live in Seattle but moved to Maryland for Boeing. Also staying in the house were more friends from Seattle & Maryland & Amy's childhood friend & bridesmaid, Emily, who I believe lives in the DC area. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect group of people. Here we are below with the bride & groom...but missing Chris & Kristi! I believe Kristi was sleeping and Chris was our photographer :)

Thursday night, we hosted a Mexican Fiesta in lieu of a traditional bachelor & bachelorette party. Friday, we woke up to dolphins swimming right outside our front window, and Saturday, we attended the most perfect wedding. Seriously, these two did an amazing job and have the most amazing friends and family. I have SO many photos to post and will do so in the next few days on Shutterfly & Facebook but here is a sneak peek of just how beautiful they were on their wedding day... Thank you for everything, Paul & Amy BRIEDE!

Photo Courtesy of Chris Music

Attitude Adjustment

2011-09-20T05:12:00.000-07:00

I'm sick of seeing the latest post's title about bugs and puppies so I thought I'd update. This week (Week 6) marks the first week that I finally am feeling "at home" in Charleston. It probably has to do with the cooler weather beings we are used to it but hopefully by the time it starts getting really hot next year, we'll really feel like this is home and it'll be different! I decided I needed an a quick attitude adjustment. If I was going to spend all my time dwelling on what I missed in Seattle, I was never going to be truly happy about being here!

Highlights of last post until now...

Post House

Last week was Restaurant Week so we joined Blake & Erin in Old Village Mount Pleasant for a wonderful dinner at the Post House. They treated us to a lovely dinner (so nice!) and a cheers to being in Charleston...who knew that we'd be living here together after Matt & Blake were roommates in Seattle? It was so fun...thanks guys for a fantastic evening! The dinner was delicious and the restaurant is adorable. It is located in the area of Mount Pleasant that was the fictional town of Seabrook from the Notebook which is just a fun little fact for you :)

The Notebook was filmed all over Charleston but what I'm dying to see the most is Boone Hall Plantation that acted as Allie's summer home...it's literally half of a mile down the street from us, we just haven't made it there yet. You can still tour the beautiful plantation...

Boone Hall Plantation

Anyways, enough about The Notebook. Out of excitement for the PGA Championship next August, we drove out to Kiawah Island in hopes of getting a view of the course. We were unaware that this island is entirely private and hence, were not allowed to enter. Fail. We did, however, park it in this tiny little village called Freshfields just long enough to look at fishing gear and eat some ice cream. We then made our way into downtown Charleston to have coffee and start planning our Christmas vacation...more about that later...
This coffee shop we stumbled upon was so cute! It specializes in not only coffee but craft beer. Who knew such a place existed?

handsome hubby...where's his wedding ring? Guess we'll be having a chat about that later!

delicious chai

Check it out if you're ever in Charleston! Well, tomorrow we are off to St. George Island, Florida to celebrate our friends Amy & Paul as they say "I do"! We're really looking forward to our weekend with some amazing people...

Bugs & Puppies

2011-09-12T04:50:00.000-07:00

I'm kind of a whimp when it comes to bugs...ok a big whimp. People always say that there are "big bugs" in the south but I failed to keep that in mind when making our decision to move here. Well, they weren't lying. Luckily for me, I've been able to ease into the bugs. Our corporate housing is a newer, one bedroom apartment on the 2nd floor which means that bugs can't really wander inside too easily. Although, I did meet a "Palmetto bug" in our kitchen a few weeks ago...aka a cockroach! Everyone refers to them as Palmetto bugs which doesn't sound too bad until you actually see one...

Well, this morning I'm heading out to a cute little house to hopefully sign a lease (don't want to jinx it yet) and honestly, one of my hesitations about moving into it is knowing that it is slightly older & that it's on ground level...which means more potential for insect visitors. Ridiculous right? It is pretty much necessary to perform quarterly pest control in any house you live in around here so I'm just going to rely on that! Don't worry Brenna Violett...hopefully the first frost will occur by the time you get here and they'll all be dead.

The other thing that bothers me is all the stupid toads sitting on the sidewalks. Matt and I have been waiting until it starts to get dark at night to go running. It's the coolest time of the day so it's most enjoyable then. But what I hate about that is that there are all these tiny toads laying around that blend into the sidewalk/street so I'm constantly thinking I'm going to step on one...they look like this...

Kind of cute but mostly disgusting. I better get a grip on this attitude...at least I know that I'll appreciate non-buggy areas whenever we do move again...

And now I better redeem myself with a reason to come visit us after the above comments...we're getting a puppy! We finally bit the bullet and put a deposit down on an English Goldendoodle. I think Matt is worried that his manhood might be compromised by owning a dog that has anything to do with the name "doodle" but I know he is just as excited as I am :) He/she (we haven't picked which one we want yet) was born 3 weeks ago and we can't take it home until it is 8 weeks old...that means you won't be hearing about it again for 5 more weeks but here is a photo of a puppy from their last litter so ours will look similar...

Pretty Cute eh?

Another Fave

2011-09-09T12:07:00.000-07:00

Our sweet friend, Melissa, came over for dinner on Tuesday night. She started using the computer and noticed our blog was up...then she asked "did you blog about me?!". I replied that I didn't think that I did and it made me realize that I was taking such a blessing for granted.

So...this post is about Melissa :) As you might know, Matt spent a year at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa as part of the National Student Exchange program back in his junior year of college. While he was there, he made many amazing friends and Melissa was one of those precious people. Well, after Matt & Melissa said goodbye in May 2007, little did they know they would be moving to the same place in the same week in August of 2011!

I had the privilege of meeting Melissa while Jeff was living in Tuscaloosa during the spring of 2009 right before I moved to Seattle. Over the past two years, Melissa and I would text back and forth randomly, I think we might've even shared a phone conversation at one point but that was about it. For some reason though, I always felt like she was someone that I have known for a long time. I feel like we click easily and it's always fun and carefree to be around her. She has a sarcastic, yet sweet sense of humor which I love and therefore, I enjoy her :)

Well, a few months ago, she announced on facebook that she was moving to Charleston to work at the Children's Hospital here. I remember being extremely envious of her in that moment and wishing that I could also experience Charleston! It was just a few weeks later that Matt was offered an interview so I secretly texted Melissa the news (even though Matt told me not to say anything...oops, sorry Matt!) because I had to tell someone! And well, the rest is history.

Melissa's friendship has been such a blessing to me (and Matt). It is so nice to have someone experiencing the same transition in life. I felt especially grateful for her on my birthday as she treated me to lunch...who knew I would have a friend to share a birthday lunch with just two weeks after moving here!

So anyways...yes, Melissa, I now blogged about you...are you happy?! Just kidding...so grateful that you're here with me!

Southern Living

2011-09-08T08:54:00.000-07:00

It's finally cooling off a bit here in Charleston...today's high is 84 with 66% humidity. Yes, that's still hot but much more enjoyable than the weather we've been having since we got here. People tell me it cools off towards the end of September and that we might be able to experience fall mid-October (we'll see about that!) Yesterday, I really felt like fall was approaching as I walked into Starbucks and saw that pumpkin spiced lattes were back in action!...one of my favorite parts of the season. I notice that people aren't big on coffee here...but I have to realize that I'm comparing it to Seattle where a Starbucks can be seen on every corner. I can see why though, who wants a hot latte when it's a sauna outside?!

Well, let's see...we had a really fun time with my dad last weekend. He flew into town on Friday morning so we headed downtown for some lunch at Groucho's and a walk down King Street. We enjoyed some shopping before picking Matt up after he got off work and heading to a Riverdogs game with Blake & Erin! The Charleston Riverdogs is a Minor League baseball team...they won 1-0 over the Asheville Tourists. It was a good time minus the fact that I bought a pizza only to have someone from above the bench where I was eating it spit into it...really...who does that?

Saturday, we went to Sullivan's Island beach... followed by some Home Team BBQ which was our first bbq experience since we've arrived in Charleston. It was amazing! Pulled pork, mac n' cheese, baked beans, cornbread muffin, beef brisket....mmm...

Sunday...we took a carriage ride through the historic district of Charleston...I loved this!

beautiful cobblestone road

I'm not exactly sure what was happening here but it's so southern!

This inn was an old house that was given to a daughter from a generous father as a wedding gift in 1890. It was voted by Southern Living as one of the most romantic getaway spots...complete with meals served from the Junior League Charleston Receipts cookbook :)

an old street that was used for "dueling" back in the day...many people died on this street and therefore, it's supposedly haunted.


Chief...our chauffeur...what a beauty!

Update from the Lowcountry...

2011-08-30T04:57:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's almost September. That means that we've been gone from Seattle for almost a month already! Doesn't seem possible. I miss it more than I thought I would. I knew I'd miss the people that we left but I didn't realize I'd miss the city so much. I know that we didn't want to live there forever...too big, too much traffic, and too much rain. But, there are many things that I do and will always miss about it that I took for granted.

First and foremost, I miss the variety of food. You could get any type of food that you could dream of...and there was always at least one restaurant per food variety that was amazing. Two...I miss having our windows open & fresh air. If we opened our windows here for even 5 minutes, our entire house would turn into a sauna. This makes me grateful for air conditioning although which is something we didn't have in Seattle. When our apartment was hot for a few weeks in the summer time, there was no escaping that! Third, I miss (call me crazy) the noise at night outside our bedroom window. This is funny because this is something that I often complained about (insatiable, I know) but it's almost too quiet here...I'll get used to it though! Fourth, good beer & wine. The south does not have good beer. Let me rephrase, they have good beer but it's not local. All good beer that we've had here comes from either Colorado, Oregon, or Washington. This observation could be premature although because we have yet to experience the breweries. My dad just sent me a link to all 5 of the breweries in the Charleston area so I'll have to report back on this! And wineries...aww...wineries...no need to expand.

This is a depressing post! Let me list my favorite things so far about Charleston to conclude:

the ocean. omg...amazing. warm water, the beach, boogie boards, laying out, awwwwww....
the history. there is an endless amount of history to be explored here...I have yet to even tap into it!
the cobblestone roads & sidewalks downtown.
the southern food.
the nice people.
the fact that people actually say "hi" and wave at you when they pass by...crazy concept i know.
the SUNSHINE! Where have you been for the past two years?
the fact that I don't have to drive on a major interstate when I want to go to Target.
that fact that I can shop at a grocery store that's named "Piggly Wiggly"
the southern drawl.
palm trees.
More to come I'm sure!

Quick detail update...Matt likes his job. I'm still job searching. Meanwhile, I'm substitute teaching. My dad is coming from DC this coming weekend. We already attended our first wedding this past weekend (congrats Chris & Court!). We are living in a corporate apartment until Sept 29th (we miss our stuff!). I saw my first cockroach this week (also known as a Palmetto bug...disgusting).

If anyone wants to come visit, you are welcome...not that you will probably want to after that last roach comment!

Hurricane Irene

2011-08-23T04:11:00.000-07:00

Hurricane Irene has formed just in time for a big ol' welcome to the Carolinas! I was just casually flipping through channels yesterday when I began to notice a pattern...a tiny little box in the corner of the screen with the hurricane radar being displayed. Awesome. Well, it's Tuesday and IF it hits, it will most likely hit on Friday night and early Saturday morning. The thing I like (glass half full perspective) about hurricanes is that you have time to prepare for them. As we drove through Tuscaloosa, Alabama last week, the damage from their tornado back in April took my breath away. I thought about how scary it would be to be in such a situation where you literally only have minutes of notice to protect yourself & family.

The really bad part about the possibility of Irene is that our friends Chris & Courtney have a wedding planned for Saturday evening. The Haagensons will be here visiting for that wedding as well...so let's all pray that Irene changes her course and stays away from Charleston! We'll keep you posted...or just watch the weather channel for updates :) IF we have to leave...we'll head up north to visit my padre I'm assuming so we'll be safe. Now...must go buy water and canned goods :)

Humidity

2011-08-20T19:17:00.000-07:00

Man...did I ever underestimate the humidity. It seemed as though every time I'd tell someone that we were moving here, they had to make a comment about the heat & humidity. It felt similar to the constant comments about the rain before I had moved to Seattle. But..they.are.right! It is so humid here. It is nice when you first walk out of your house after freezing your booty off inside with the AC up so high, but if you spend any amount of time outside, be prepared to be sticky. New things I learned this week...don't go running before 9pm, drink lots of water, clinical strength deodorant is worth the money, hair straighteners are a waste of money, & no matter how good you look when you leave your house, you'll look 1/2 as good after 5 minutes outside...

In other news, I'm attending my very first Junior League meeting tomorrow evening which is super exciting...maybe I'll meet some ladies who are in the market for a new friend :)

We made it!

2011-08-17T08:22:00.000-07:00

Well, on Sunday, August 14th, we finally landed in Charleston! We left Seattle on the 2nd, drove to Montana, and then left Montana for the long haul on August 7th. On the 7th, drove Brianne home to Denver which allowed us to spend some much needed time with the Haagensons! From there...Denver to Kansas City (big woop), Memphis, New Orleans, Tuscaloosa, Atlanta, and finally to our new home in South Carolina. It was such a fun road trip...one more thing to cross off my bucket list (drive across country)! Matt and I had been so busy before we left Seattle that we hadn't been spending very much time alone together so it was nice to just be with each other for a few weeks. We were able to get to Charleston just in time to celebrate our one year anniversary with sushi takeout and champagne...perfs!

I'm going to post some photos later but for now, they aren't on my computer and I don't really feel like uploading them! For the first two nights that we were here, we stayed in a hotel in downtown Charleston. It is so beautiful! I was overwhelmed by the culture & feel of my new home but in a good way. I have this overwhelming desire to learn everything about everything immediately. It drives me nuts to have to look up every address, enter it into my GPS, and not know where to go to find something I need. I remember feeling like this in Seattle but I also remember learning my way around fairly quickly so I just need to be patient. It's so weird to not know where the nearest Target is (essential) or where to drive to even get a latte! All in good time...

For the past 3 days, we've just been trying to get a tiny bit acquainted...we moved into our corporate housing which is a cute little apartment in Mount Pleasant. It's weird to not be using any of our own furnishings but they'll return to us soon :) It's very nice and clean and everything that we could possibly need so we are grateful for it. We went grocery shopping yesterday to stock an empty fridge and realized that we have a condiment/spice addiction...it's seriously a problem, no one needs as many condiments & spices as we owned in Seattle. We tried to keep it to the bare minimums as we'll be getting ours back in just over a month.

Today is Matt's first day at work...we drove by the plant last night and it looks great! It's surrounded by palm trees which is a refreshing sight and Matt was excited about all of the close parking spots. It was about a 10 minute walk from his car to the building in Seattle which isn't bad at all...but once again, the things we take for granted! Today is my first day on my own in this town which is a little scary to be honest. It's weird to be by myself again after having a sidekick for the past 3 weeks. It's ok though! I needed this time alone to piece our lives back together and take care of about a trillion details that need to be taken care of. I'm getting overwhelmed just thinking about it...yikes!

With that said, I better get going so I can be productive. Pray that I can find a job quickly and easily if you wouldn't mind! I need to start working...staying home by myself everyday is going to get old fast!

I'll leave you with this (awful picture off my phone...awful quality that is :) The man in the photo is pretty handsome if I do say so myself!)

Matt on his 1st day at Boeing Charleston!

one more thing...I'll see you when I see you!

2011-08-09T17:53:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJBKw1O1eM0

This is my theme song for the new season of our life :)

Seattle to Charleston

2011-08-09T17:40:00.000-07:00

We are in Memphis, Tennessee right now and I am absolutely falling in love with the south and everything about it. Details to come :)

Change

2011-07-27T05:56:00.000-07:00

"the only thing that'll ever be constant in life is change"

Very wise words...not sure who said them but very wise. My sweet friend, Brenna, and I were chatting last night about life and how sometimes we wish things would stay just as they are in that moment forever. Sometimes I feel like that about my life now...I've come to a place of comfort that causes me to be stagnant. Stagnant in my relationship with God, stagnant in my ambition to reach goals, stagnant in my relationship with Matt, friendships, etc. It's not necessarily a bad thing to be comfortable but it can be.

I woke up thinking about a blog that I read from time to time that continues to inspire me. I felt the nudge to read it as I was lying awake in bed so I grabbed my blackberry and started reading. I had read her latest post a while ago but read it again today...she talks about her husband changing jobs, moving to new homes, raising a munchkin, and doing it all by the grace of God. Her life is continually changing in unpredictable ways but her peace in His plan shines through her writing. She continues to grow in faith simply by trusting in the Lord's plan for her life even if she doesn't always know how something may work out in the end. It made me realize that moving to Charleston is only a baby step in this life that we're called to live.

A friend of mine from my summer project and the husband of the blogger mentioned above :) posted a quote by Francis Chan..."Why would we need the Comforter when we are so comfortable already"

Very true...let's not get too comfortable.

One Week

2011-07-12T08:28:00.000-07:00

One week...it's all the time I have left in Seattle :( I'm packing today to leave for Montana in the morning and when I return home, we'll say goodbye to this city we love just 7 days later...

It's all starting to sink in now. Every place that I pass by seems sentimental all the sudden. For instance, I actually caught myself tearing up over not being able to go to Zoe's Yogurt. I mean, really? Well, mostly I was thinking about not being able to get froyo with the people that we love getting froyo with but still, I'm a true fat kid at heart. Matt and I took my aunt who is visiting to Kerry Park the other night. It's a beautiful park that overlooks the entire city of Seattle as well as Elliot Bay. As the sun was setting over in the bright, cloudless sky, I couldn't quite remember why we have decided to leave. Yesterday was a great reminder although as it was cloudy and disgusting which is the norm for this rainy town. I don't mean to sound so negative about the weather but it really does get to me!

Although leaving Seattle tomorrow is a bit sad, a lot of my time in Montana next week will be spent with our Seattle friends as we celebrate the marriage of Mitch & Brenna in Bozeman! That's the good in the situation. But first and foremost, we get to kick off this coming weekend with the beautiful Cassidi's bachelorette party...I cannot even tell you how excited I am to have all my favorite Montana ladies in one spot! It has been a while (my wedding I guess) since we've all been together to spend quality time...it is much needed.

I guess that's all for now...basically our life consists of weddings, showers, and getting prepared to move. A whirlwind of emotions...

Wedding Photography

2011-07-06T12:18:00.000-07:00

Yikes! First wedding down, hopefully many more to go. Let's just say that shooting a wedding is a lot of work and I now have so much more respect for those that are wedding photographers by career. This past weekend, Matt and I drove to Bozeman to attend the wedding of Jared & Shonna Ridgeway. It was a beautiful weekend and a beautiful, Montana wedding. A few months ago, Jared asked Kim Blackford and I if we would be willing to take photos at their wedding. I was immediately excited but as soon as the thoughts of "what could go wrong" set in, I felt the pressure. I spent the next few months researching wedding photography tips, learning all that I could about my camera, and participating in photography workshops. I also have practice from shooting recent engagement sessions for friends but you don't really know what you're getting yourself into until you experience it. Well, the verdict is is that I had a blast! Although exhausting and a tad bit stressful, I'm so excited to go through these photos, learn from my mistakes (sorry J & S that you had to be the first ones!), and trudge on to make myself a better photographer.

I'm really looking forward to next summer already! Our dear and BRAVE friends, Duncan & Steph have already asked me to be their official wedding photographer! I am so honored by this and feel very confident that by next summer, I'll be able to give them amazing photos that they can cherish forever. Thank you for taking a chance on me guys! As people continue to get engaged, I hope that will provide me with even more photo/wedding opportunities but until doors open, I'll spend my time learning and investing in this new found passion of mine.

Be on the lookout for the Stephanie Waller Photography website! I'll keep you posted! It should be up and running soon...

And contact me if you're interested in some photos!

Shonna Ridgeway

Sweet Southern Comfort

2011-07-05T00:28:00.000-07:00

From Carolina down to Georgia,
Smell the jasmine and magnolia,
Sleepy Sweet home Alabama,
Roll tide roll,
Muddy water, Mississippi,
Blessed Graceland whispers to me,
Carry on, Carry on,
Sweet Southern Comfort carry on.

-Buddy Jewel

I've never lived in the south but there is something about the thought of sitting on a front porch, drinking sweet tea, and watching fireflies that intrigues me. It's the football in the fall, the country music, and the site of magnolias lining the streets. The sound of "y'all" in its southern drawl and the smell of fried chicken...mmm...

Why am I writing about this? Because we are moving to the south! That's right, Matt and I will be moving to Charleston, South Carolina in August. It has all happened very quickly but Matt has accepted a position within Boeing that will be moving us literally across the country in just a few short weeks. I write this feeling very bittersweet. We cherish the friendships and our community here in Seattle and it will not be easy to say goodbye. Not to mention, leaving Matt's brother, Jeff. I trust that the south lies deep in his heart as well though, and that he will one day make the same move.

We've lived in Seattle just over two years now and it finally feels like home. It has been sunny and warm which is the worst time to leave the area. It's beautiful here in the summer which makes you forget about the constant rain and dreariness in the winter. I just have to keep reminding myself about the sunshine and even better, the beach that awaits us!

As we sat on our deck and watched the fireworks over Lake Union tonight, I was reminded that God has the perfect plan for our lives and we can rest in that...so cheers to Charleston!

summer getaways

2011-06-21T08:34:00.000-07:00

Yikes! How time flies...is it mid-June already? It doesn't feel like summer here in Seattle, we have had mid 50's to 60's temps with clouds, rain, and now just this week, a bit of sunshine! Our families keep talking about mowing the lawn, turning the sprinklers, on, etc. and it's then that I remember it's summer. I was complaining about the weather until we went to Puerto Vallarta last week and it was a very humid, 95 degrees. Coming back to the chilly weather felt nice. Not that I'm complaining about Mexico, it was an amazing trip and SO good to spend a relaxing few days with my family at the beach. We travel to Mexico for relaxation purposes...reading on the beach, swimming in the pool, and never glancing at a watch. We have a few adventures here and there but for the most part, it's just nice to unplug and spend some time in the sun. I love being there with my family, we are VERY good at relaxing! :) Sometimes I worry that Matt is going to get bored but he has been so busy that it was nice for him too. I don't know if I could spend much more time there than the typical 5-6 days we usually go for but this Weds-Sun business was perfect.

The weekend before Puerto Vallarta, we went to beautiful Victoria, British Columbia. Our friend Riley is wondering if we hate the states... :) We were blessed to be able to stay at the beautiful home of Matt & Jeff's 2nd cousin, Kathy Fuller...and her husband Rod. They are some of the nicest, genuine, and interesting people I've met. I could've sat in their living room looking out onto the Juan De Fuca Straight (I think that's what it's called) for days! Everything was simple, relaxing, and accompanied by great conversation. Here are some photos...

Jeff & Vanessa

Butchart Gardens

View from Butchart Gardens

Piers @ The Inner Harbor

Inner Harbor

Now that we've been gone so often, we're looking forward to spending this weekend at home!

aww to travel

2011-05-24T08:02:00.000-07:00

I seriously have a case of the travel bug these days. Maps are starting to overtake our house. Matt's old roommate loved maps and I guess I never really realized how much I did until I was always staring at his! Matt & I (along with a few friends) have started planning a Europe trip for next year which is what I woke up thinking about this morning...these will do for now...


Italy


La Tour Eiffel


Greece

Paris

London

And the next DIY project that I definitely need to create this summer...

it's the people that matter

2011-05-23T08:16:00.000-07:00

Matt and I have lived in Seattle for over two years now which seems crazy to me. Time sure does fly by. For the entire first year that I lived here, my heart was still back in Montana. I missed my family, friends, and my comfort zone. I was having fun in Seattle but was in denial that it was my new "home". I would often talk to Matt about when we would move back, looking up jobs, etc. After a while, I realized that I was starting to make him feel bad about living and working here. Essentially, that was why I was here and he felt as though he was holding me back from being truly happy. I then decided that I needed an attitude change and quick!

Now, after two whole years in Seattle, I finally feel like this is my home. I think it mostly has to do with the amazing people that in are in our lives which makes me realize that I could be happy anywhere...it's the people that matter. We have such precious friends and an amazing community group through our church. If we were to pick up and leave now, it would be hard to do so...leaving people that we love and our first home that we've ever known together. I don't know if we'll be here forever but for now, I'm just grateful...extremely grateful.

I'm back and it's summer!

2011-05-19T10:08:00.000-07:00

Wow! It's been a while... 25 days to be exact. A lot has been going on in the past few weeks and I have a feeling it is just a glimpse into our summer. I'm gaining an appreciation for having a regular schedule and being able to come home to our little apartment every evening but being away is also refreshing!

Well, April 22nd was my last day of student teaching and on April 29th, I graduated...finally. It has been a long road but I am thankful that I followed through with the program and finished. After graduation in Montana, I drove to South Dakota and spent the week with my sweet granny. Growing up, my sister and I would always spend a week with her during the summer so we tried to re-live those same traditions while I was there...mostly just going to the famous Twist Cone every single night for ice cream. Not good for the belly, Granny!

We then celebrated my graduation by spending this last weekend in San Diego with our good friends, Brianne and Erik. Their friends were kind enough to host our entire weekend, taking us on many fun adventures throughout the city and we landed at the Hotel Del on Coronado island each evening which was sure a treat! It is a beautiful resort with a beautiful view of the ocean. The weather wasn't too hot although and the only time we went into the water, Matt unfortunately was stung by a stingray just hours before we hopped on our plane to come home. Perfect way to end a trip! Here are some photos:

in front of the Del

Mimosa brunch on our last day with the Miller's

haha!

just the girls

Beefcakes

Brianne's photography website photo

awww loves.

So yep, that was the last of our fun for now. On Monday morning, Matt and I started a 10-day cleanse (we're not starving ourselves, we get to eat 5 times a day!) to rejuvenate our bodies and start fresh with our eating habits for the summer. All this traveling causes us to eat horribly because we can't be at home to cook and everyone wants to feed us treats when they are hosting us! Today is day 4 and man, I am craving EVERYTHING unhealthy. This is exactly why we need to do this...to cut the crap! I actually had a dream about lemon sugar cookies last night...can you say fat kid? Seriously.

So wish us luck with that and I'll report back when we're done! Ok...back to more job hunting. Not a fun process but I'm trusting that the right opportunity will present itself in time. Prayers are appreciated :)

grateful

2011-04-24T20:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!!

Grateful to have my dad here to spend this holiday with...grateful to be able to talk to Matt for the first time in 4 days...grateful for an amazing service at Qwest field this morning, grateful for friends & family to eat Easter dinner with, grateful for sunshine and beautiful weather this weekend, and most importantly...Grateful for Jesus who died for our sins and rose from the grave!

Counting Down...

2011-04-19T21:35:00.000-07:00

...the hours until graduation that is!

Tomorrow is Wednesday which marks halfway through the LAST week of graduate school. I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am about this. As I sit and try to write my final paper, I cannot even think. I am confident to say that it is going to be one of the worst academic papers that I think I have ever written and the sad part is that I could not care less!

On Monday, Brianne asked me what was next in my life? I guess that was the first time I realized I was closing yet another life chapter and moving on to something new. I really felt the pressure of knowing where I was going after my undergraduate graduation but this time is different. I am completely content without a job and/or plan. This could be because I have a working husband but I also think it is much more than that...I don't feel pressured to have the right answer this time. I know that whatever happens next in my life is all part of a perfect plan and I can rest in just that.

So, for this weekend, I'm husband-less until Monday as Matt is spending the weekend fishing the Smith River in Montana with all his besties! I'm a little jealous but feel refreshed for him that he gets to do this. I'm so grateful to have a husband that has a love for the outdoors and adventure. You should've seen him packing, he was like a 5-year-old getting ready to go to Disneyland! He is cuddling up with the one and only Erik Haagenson all weekend so at least Brianne and I can text back and forth about how dumb it is that her and I aren't together. We totally got the shaft this time!

But the trade-off is pretty great...my dad will be arriving tomorrow night for work so we get to spend Easter together! That is nice...it's tough being literally across the country from him. He may have a stressful job but I'm grateful that it shoots him to the west coast from time to time. It'll be sad without Matt but I won't have to worry about him not having just as much fun!

K...better get to bed...as you can also see, I'm totally slacking on my book. We are far past the 31 day mark but I still want to blog about it when I get the chance... (post Friday probably :))

Goodnight!

just some advice

2011-04-11T20:30:00.001-07:00

Ya know... I think we all need a little reminder!

Day 24...giving thanks for having enough

2011-04-10T18:39:00.000-07:00

Do you ever confuse your needs with your wants? I know I do every single day. I often "need" a latte, extra sleep, a new shirt EVERY time I step into Target, a vacation, a new computer, new dishes, more photography equipment, the list goes on and on. In all honestly though, I could get rid of 95% of what I own and have everything that I actually need in life. We live surrounded by ads, TV commercials, magazine articles, and other people telling us that we need this and what we need that...which makes it really hard to ever feel satisfied. It also makes it extremely difficult to be grateful for what we do have.

I encourage you to take time to be grateful for our NEEDS that have been beyond fulfilled...as well as being grateful for the things we have in this lifetime that are purely wants. Simple as that...but easier said than done!

another Friday thought

2011-04-08T06:29:00.000-07:00

Goal for Summer 2011...learn how to sew. Future sewing desk/chair dream...

up too early

2011-04-08T05:42:00.000-07:00

I am loving spring break! I think I could seriously sit at home listening to Frank Sinatra & Marvin Gaye radio while I cook/blog/drink red wine/read Real Simple mags all day, every day. Next project added to my portfolio for future home...

Ain't that cute? Did I share this already? Can't remember...sorry if I did. Believe it or not, Matt does love our new kitchen table regardless of whether it's girly or not :) That's why I love him! I keep telling him if he continues to listen to my advice, he'll be in pretty good shape!

Unfortunately, this is my last day of vaca before I tackle one last paper and two more weeks of student teaching. The biggest disappointment thus far on this day is that I woke up at 4:45 and could NOT go back to sleep...maybe my body is preparing itself for next week. I mean, really though? I guess there is always nap time! So, I sit here blogging, reading Erin Rasmussen's cute new blog (which just makes me want to bake sugar cookies), and watching Eat Pray Love. Not a bad morning. I just remembered that a hot pot of coffee is waiting for me in the kitchen...

I'm really looking forward to being done and not ever touching a lick of homework again. Teachers always have homework I guess but not grown up homework. I will miss these little munchkins so much. I really do have a passion for education and am so grateful to find a profession that I love. Those of you who know me know that I am not truly career-oriented. I could love life as a wife and mother without ever pursuing a career but when I do work in this lifetime, I want to teach. I love teaching. So, here's to hoping that I get a job for the next school year!

This summer...hmm...summer? Whatever that means around here. Our summer really does not begin until July sadly. I need to (as I tell my students) lose the 'tude! It's time I starting embracing the fact that I live in Seattle where it rains a lot. I should start focusing on the constant green, flowers, and lack of snow.

Our summer in a nutshell: graduation in Montana, visiting Granny in South Dakota, Vanessa living with us, San Diego w/ the Haagensons, three bachelorette weekends, Ridgeway wedding, Violett wedding, Ithurbure wedding, Costello wedding, & Briede wedding, Mexico in June, and well...that's about it? Tis the wedding season!

Now...I'm going to finish my movie and drink my coffee. Happy Friday!

Love

2011-04-04T08:13:00.000-07:00

Karen says it better...

Nowhere is the giving and receiving of love more evident than in our closest relationships. Those who truly love us stand by us. They teach us that love is patient. They don't blow up if we're late for a dinner date or if we have to work overtime once in a while. And they continue to love us even when we disagree or disappoint them. 

They show by example that love is kind. They remember we're human, still learning and growing, and that we make mistakes sometimes. And they seem to know that criticizing us doesn't help us change for the better.

They teach us that love is not jealous. They give us room to develop at our own pace. They don't object if we want to take a class or take a nap. We sense that they respect us and trust our decisions.

We learn by their example that love does not take into account a wrong suffered. They don't blame us or burden us with their hurts. They don't wear their pain like a badge of honor or get stuck in criticism or complaint. They show by their own lives that it's healthier to live in the present than to linger in the past.

These special people show us that love never fails. They don't withhold their love until we shape up, measure up, or live up to their standards. We've learned through them that love is faithful and honest and loyal, no matter what. 

"Without love, as Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians, we become

"a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal". Nothing else matters if we don't

have love. Even gratitude is a clanging cymbal if love is not

driving its force. Love is much more than a feeling

that comes and goes like a morning breeze.

Love is a decision.

Love requires discipline. We know from our own experience

that healing power of God's love. Without His love

we wouldn't be able to put the past to rest, start fresh

in the present, and hope for what is yet to come. No lasting

transformation can occur in our lives without God's love.

The decision to love also challenges us to express love according

to God's will, not our whims. And when we love with His guidance and counsel,

He will give us the means to remain faithful as spouses, parents,

and friends. He will free us to see and experience the love others have for us."

_______________________________________

Day 18:

How has being love affected your gratitude?

Write out a list of ways you give and receive love and then add it to your Jar of Blessings.

in love with the shabby chic

2011-03-27T15:08:00.000-07:00

For months, I've been building my electronic design portfolio of how I want to decorate my house...it's all dreams on the computer for now beings that we live in a tiny little rented apartment. But one can dream, right? Anyways...I've started doing my craigslist research to start building my collection of rare finds for when we move in July. It's approaching quickly and I want to get rid of the stuff that I know we don't want to bring to our new home. Yesterday, I found the first piece to my future design approach and am so happy about it! You can't beat cheap, used furniture! Here is a pic of our new shabby chic beauty of a table that I'm so excited about!

Welp, and that's about all the excitement in my weekend thus far...back to paper writing :) I'll post about my gratitude for the past week tonight!


Super Cute!

Forgiving Everything

2011-03-20T14:24:00.000-07:00

As you can see, my posting is becoming fewer and far between but that will end soon! I have two more weeks of full time teaching before I am a free woman! April 2nd is the beginning of a week long break because it is spring break for my class...then I go back for two weeks just for observation purposes. That means, no lesson planning, no staying late after school or arriving 2 hours early, and no Sunday grading! I am so excited to be back in my home with time to make dinner and...blog! I know that having a job will bring these time constraints but at least I will be working on lessons for my own classroom in the way that I want to implement my curriculum. I also will not have the pressure of grad school write-ups, thesis papers, and discussion entries. Praise Jesus! Graduation on April 30th cannot come soon enough. Are you tired of me complaining about how busy I am? Probs :)

With that said...I'll stop!

Once again...a week filled with so many things to be grateful for. Today is day 17 of 31 days of gratitude and instead of back filling my week, I want to just blog about today...Forgiving Everything.

"Many people have had a time in their life when the

thought of forgiveness was so overwhelming they couldn't

even consider it. But because God knows how the root of bitterness

can poison and strangle, he sometimes uses an unexpected

episode to teach us how to forgive and then to give thanks.

This process can occur in an instant of realization

or it can evolve over time...

It was suddenly clear to me that as long as I separate myself

from even one person, I separate myself from God. How self-righteous I

had been. How arrogant!...

No one can take my good away. My life is a gift from God,

and every experience, no matter how painful

or confusing or hurtful, can draw me closer

to him if I allow it to. He has taught me to forgive-and then to give

thanks- in everything."

The above words are bits of pieces of Karen's story that she tells of not being able to forgive the woman in which her husband left her for. She explains that she eventually was able to forgive this woman but after many years of hurt, anger, bitterness, and the inability to let go. I cannot imagine being in Karen's situation but I do know that it doesn't always make sense to forgive those who hurt you. Society tells us that if someone hurts you in any way, shape, or form that we should give them what they deserve...take away friendship, hurt them back, and that they do not deserve forgiveness. This is actually the opposite of what Jesus calls us to as Christians. We are to love as He loved and that means practicing forgiveness always in every situation. He forgave us by dying on the cross so why do we feel that it is okay to hold on to every wrong-doing that another has committed against us? It isn't.

Now, I am not saying that this is easy to do. Forgiveness is difficult and oftentimes takes a lot of time to truly forgive someone. And once we eventually forgive them, are we able to love them again? Seems impossible at times I'm sure but it is possible!

As I reflect on forgiveness and how it impacts my experience and expression of gratitude, I realize that I oftentimes have a lack of forgiveness. I might say with my mouth that I forgive someone but then continue to hold bitterness and hurt in my heart.

Today, I am grateful for the constant forgiveness I receive from my sweet husband. I continue to fail him over and over yet he loves me and forgives me even in times when this is hard to do. We both realize that we are not perfect people and we know that a life without forgiveness for one another would be miserable and full of bitterness...so thank you Matt!

Today, I want to challenge you to think of one person that you need to forgive...start praying for a changed heart towards that person so that you are able to truly forgive them and love them again.

Grieving with Gratitude & Hidden Blessings

2011-03-13T21:42:00.000-07:00

Day 10... grieving with gratitude. Grateful for a loss? Sounds so foreign. That's because it is to our society. This is one of the hardest things for a human to do, to be grateful amongst heartache and loss. We often become mad at God and think that He does not love us because of a hardship that we endure. We think He may be punishing us when in fact, He is not. I recently endured a hard situation in my life surrounding my wedding. I won't go into great detail but at the time, it was really hard on me emotionally. I look back now and realize that I am grateful for the chance to be able to recognize my hard heart and bitterness. Forgiveness and grace does not come easy for anyone and I was really being challenged in these areas at this time. I made a mistake handling a particular situation and dealing with the repercussions of that situation was not easy for me. Admitting my wrongdoing and asking for forgiveness was also not easy. But once again, looking back, it makes me grateful for the opportunity to be able to love as Christ would love regardless of my human instincts and societal pressures. It doesn't always make sense to us to love as Christ does but we do it because we are to obey. And I trust that through prayer and over time, God will continue to heal this situation!

Day 11...embracing hidden blessings.

"Sometimes it takes seeing others suffer to awaken us to how blessed we are. It's as though God catches us by the sleeve and says, "Look across the street, down the road, over the hill. You can learn from those folks: They know what pain is...they know what it means to be disappointed...and yet they praise me."

I'll leave you with that quote. Think about it :)

_____________________________________________

Day 12: something you're grateful for that you do not yet see.

Day 13: ways in which God has strengthened you.

Involving Yourself

2011-03-11T20:30:00.000-08:00

Day five was Monday...noticing God's presence. I'm going to cheat here and not talk about what I put in my jar on Monday because I want to share what I noticed yesterday. Before I came home for the day, I went to school for an hour for a meeting. It was a meeting regarding one of my students whose parents basically abandoned him and his home life is awful. Each day is a challenge to manage his behavior and he longs for anyone to pay any kind of attention to him. Breaks my heart everyday. I didn't feel well and my heart was hurting. On my drive to a doctor's appointment, it stopped raining long enough for a rainbow to appear. This was my reminder that God is in control of any situation...hard or easy. In His presence, I was able to take refuge and breathe and hopefully this student will find this peace one day too. Waking up to hear about what is going on in Japan this morning makes me realize that my hardships in life seem so small...I feel this way compared to this students' hardships as well. Just so sad.

Because it has been almost an entire week of falling behind in blogging, I'll skip to today's. I have read and added to my jar for days 6-8 which allowed me to focus on giving and receiving gifts of the heart, hoping in Christ, and "being there". Actually, I want to share one quick quote before skipping to today.

Today some people are disinterested in the suffering

and celebrations of neighbors and friends.

To ignore these experiences, however, is to diminish

one of the fundamental needs of society:

to support each other individually and collectively,

in times of victory and in times of defeat.

Is it critical to make time to express gratitude together.

So what if we're tired or busy?

We have only this moment to act before it slips

away forever.

Sometimes we have to go out of our way.

These few sentences made me step back and think about how I have responded to others during momentous occasions in their lives. Sure, it is easy to be happy or sad for someone that you are close to but what about a neighbor, co-worker, or acquaintance? Am I so consumed in my own life that I fail to celebrate others' big moments in their lives or grieve with someone who is suffering? Living in Seattle can feel lonely at times. We are surrounded by people all of the time but for the most part, people like to do their own thing and keep to themselves. I want to make it my goal to get to know my neighbors in this next month. Also...it is important to really be there for those we love. Not just by gesture...but by action and emotion.

Now to today...day 9..."Involving Yourself"

1 Peter 4:10: Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.

"List three ways people have been kind to you. How has their kindness made you more grateful?"

1. My dear friend Cassidi sent me the sweetest card in the mail today just to say hi. What a thoughtful gesture which reminded me of how grateful I am to have such an amazing woman like her in my life. I truly do have the best friends a girl could ask for.

2. Matt's Auntie Jantie sent me her favorite lip gloss in the mail today. Such a blessing!

3. My sweet husband has been taking care of me as I've been sick, making dinners while I'm doing homework, and even scrubbing our bathrooms in his free weekend time. He is so supportive of me in my last few weeks of grad school...beyond grateful.

_______________________________________________________
Day 10: Write down some things you are grateful for as a result of a loss you've suffered.
Day 11: Write down one of the blessings God has revealed to you through a painful trial in your life.

friendship

2011-03-10T12:22:00.000-08:00

Woops! Let's just say it's been a loooong week. So many attitudes of gratitude to share with you...

Day four...celebrating friendships. I loved this day. The gift of true friendship from someone is such a blessing. I have the most amazing friends and as I reflected upon who they were, I started to realize what a unique treasure each of them was. When we are in school or still living at home next to those we grew up with, it is easy to stay in contact with those that you love. For Matt and I, it's so hard to keep in touch with everyone as much as we'd like to but when we do talk to our friends, we are constantly being reminded of the blessing that they are.

I am grateful for all of my friends each and every day, but day four was Sunday and I wrote down that day that I was especially grateful for a precious gem named Brianne Haagenson! She is a constant light in my life, speaking words of wisdom to me, making me laugh, and letting me bounce the hard stuff off of her. I told her about a hard situation that had happened in my week and she was immediately there for me to first validate my feelings and then simply to have empathy for me. She does a great job of listening and doesn't necessarily always tell me everything will be ok...she is just honest, truthful, and can always identify. Her and her husband, Erik, are two of the most genuine people I know and a solid rock in our lives!

Today is Day 8 so I'll catch up later hopefully!

Simple Gifts & The Gift of Life

2011-03-05T10:04:00.000-08:00

Day 2 & 3...see? I need grace!

Day two was yesterday. The simple gifts of life are abundant yet often overlooked. We get so wrapped up in our daily routine, housework, and trying to accomplish "life" that we miss out on the simple gifts. Have you ever noticed how a tragedy can turn this perspective upside down? One day, we're angry that our significant other was late to dinner...then you hear about a car accident that killed someone's husband...and now you're beyond grateful that your husband is simply alive. It's a shame that we often cannot find this gratitude without something tragic happening to us or another. I encourage you to take a moment to find 5 simple gifts in life that you are grateful for.

5 Simple Reasons for Gratitude:

a coffee maker that brews the most delicious coffee which makes most mornings very enjoyable
a guest bedroom where our friends and family can sleep if they want to come visit us
a husband that strives to eat healthy (I do not so it is huge encouragement to me!)
my 2nd graders that continue to give me perspective about my very fortunate life
a computer that allows me to be able to blog

Day three is today and the chapter couldn't have been read at a better time. The author writes about how she and her husband spent a weekend fixing up a cabin that they own. She was in the shower after a long day of raking leaves and pine needles and was exhausted. While in the shower, her mind was racing as she thought about her long "to do" list to fix the cabin in such a way that it felt "together". At that moment, her husband tapped on the bathroom window and wanted her to come outside to watch the sunset with him. She then realized that the gift of being able to watch the sunset with her husband was enough. The gift of life. To be alive, healthy, and with her husband in the mountains was enough blessing to forget about everything else that mattered just 5 seconds ago.

I woke up this morning feeling the exact same way as she did when she entered the shower. How am I supposed to write two papers, lesson plan for next week, grade papers, clean our house, make dinner, grocery shop...the list goes on and on? And on top of all of that...be a good wife?! It seems impossible. Ya know what? There is a good chance that I won't accomplish everything that I want to before Monday morning but right now, I am grateful for my cup of coffee in my hand and my husband, who is sitting beside me reading his Bible. We are off to Top Pot donuts (the best place ever) and the sun is shining and I am grateful for THAT this morning! Our house may be messy and papers may need to be written but life goes on regardless of whether I accomplish anything today. Thank you Jesus.

________________________________________________

Day 4: Make a list of friends that you are grateful for and why.

Day 5: Consider God's creation and write down a creation that you are grateful for (flowers, trees, water, etc.).

Day 1

2011-03-04T05:49:00.000-08:00

"Gratitude is not only the memory, but the homage of the heart-

rendered to God for his goodness"

Yesterday was actually Day 1 but like I said, I need grace because I don't always have the energy or time to sit down and blog. So, I'll blog about yesterday this morning and hopefully blog about Day 2 tonight. Yesterday (and everyday), I was grateful for my sweet husband. Being a teacher means being sick approximately ever other week. It has been exhausting to constantly be getting colds which takes away from the limited amount of energy that I have left at the end of each day/week. As Matt brought me cold medicine and a heated rice bag, I realized what a blessing it is to have someone to take care of you.

I am also thankful for our amazing community group! We meet on Thursdays so although I have a cold, I came home feeling refreshed and grateful for the chance to reflect on what's really important in the midst of a worldly week.

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Day 3: one thing that you are most grateful for regarding the gift of life

Jar of Blessings- Intro

2011-03-02T18:43:00.000-08:00

Today was a long day. On my drive home, I usually sing to the music, talk to my family & friends on the phone, or just relax for 20 minutes of "me" time. Today was different. I had a headache, my bluetooth was cutting out while talking to my mama so I felt frustrated, my feet hurt, and I was hungry. All I could do was feel sorry for myself because I was so tired and exhausted.

As I approached my door, I saw a package waiting and knew immediately, it was just what I needed...my Basket of Blessings book! Before I even opened to the first chapter, I began thinking about how I was definitely not focusing on what I had to be grateful for today. I started realizing that today was actually a really great day. I woke up feeling rested, my morning at school consisted of Dr. Seuss movies and cookies, the sun was shining throughout the day, and I have no homework tonight. Yes, I was a little tired and hungry but really? This book could not have come at a better time. For the next 4.5 weeks, my days will be crazy. I find myself not having a single day to simply forget about homework. There is always a paper to be written, research articles to read, observation write-ups, papers to grade, lessons to plan, the list goes on and on. April 1st will be the end of most of that but it seems so far away. Despite my workload, I still have so much to be grateful for. In fact, I should be grateful for everything in my life because truly, it's all a blessing!

I read only the introduction to the book to better understand the story behind the author's blessing basket and how she wants her readers to be involved in this project. Just a few favorite parts from what I read...

Most of us go through life so eager to make things happen, to accumulate something for the future, to make our mark on the world that we nearly-and often completely- overlook or underestimate the blessings that are part of our lives.

How different our lives would be if we turned our hearts toward gratitude- not just occasionally, as on Thanksgiving Day or Mother's Day. Not just a greeting card kind of thanks but a genuine gratefulness that expresses itself in a hymn of heartfelt praise to God. What would happen if we cultivated a daily habit of expressing gratitude, one that helped us count all of life good, regardless of the circumstances?

My mason jar is ready... tomorrow, March 3rd, will be the start of my 31 days of thankfulness. Each day, I will take a slip of paper and write down one thing that I have to be grateful for. I will try to do this for 31 days (possibly with a few grace days). At the end of my 31 days of gratitude, I hope that I'll have the motivation to continue to do this as I pray that it will be more natural to have a heart of gratitude. Just as Megan does, I will try to blog each day to share my gratitude and to encourage anyone who may be struggling to find things that they are grateful for in their lives.

If you choose to do this too, please let me know!

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Day One: Reflect on your relationships, and identify one person who has made a significant impact on your life. Express gratitude to him or her, either in person or in a letter. Write down the thing you are most grateful for about that person and drop it in your jar.

Day Two: Write down five simple gifts that you are thankful for.

check it out!

2011-02-27T15:21:00.000-08:00

One more thing for today...

"Fearlessly Feminine" by Jani Ortlund. I have only ordered this book but it looks amazing and SHE is amazing so I'm sure it is amazing :) ha!

A Life of Gratitude...thank you Megan!

2011-02-27T14:46:00.000-08:00

This weekend has been such a refreshing, restful weekend for both Matt and I. On Friday, we attended the Seattle Symphony for the first time which was wonderful. Yesterday, we spent the day at Mars Hill listening to Ray and Jani Ortlund talk about marriage and family. Ray Ortlund is a pastor at Emmanuel Baptist in Nashville. He and his wife, Jani, are the most amazing couple. They are in their 60's with four children and so in love with one another. We spent four hours listening to their advice about what it means to be a Godly wife, husband, mother, and father. We have been married for about 6.5 months now and sometimes, it is easy to think you've got it all figured out. Other times, we feel as though we have nothing figured out and wonder what business we have being married. Thank goodness for a loving God that distributes endless and abundant amounts of grace. I realize that my life should be a life of repentance and my marriage should be full of grace everyday. Grace and forgiveness are two qualities that one cannot live without. And if you do, your life would just be miserable. The reality of it is is that everyone will fail you at one time or another. Those that you love the most will have the most opportunities to let you down, and they will. This isn't because they don't love you or want to hurt you, it is because we are a fallen world full of broken people. Forgiving, having grace, and loving those who hurt you is a must.

Another thing that I am grateful for today is Megan's blog. Megan is a friend of Matt's from his Lake Tahoe summer project. I haven't actually ever met her but I do like to read her blog because she is a Jesus-loving, inspiring woman who continues to encourage and provide wisdom even to those who do not know her. She actually ended up marrying one of my Lake Tahoe summer project friends so I do know her husband! Anyways, she has started a project with her little family that I am absolutely loving reading about. As soon as I receive the book that goes along with the project, I am going to start it and blog about it each day as well. Basically, it will be a 31 day challenge that will begin to turn my heart towards living a life of gratitude. We have so many things to be grateful for and I believe we oversee or forget about a majority of those blessings in our day-to-day lives. I know I do anyways!

I should be receiving this book on Wednesday and cannot wait to share this little adventure with you. Just as Megan is doing, I will challenge you to begin this project with me as well. Let me know if you are interested in the book!

don't blink

2011-02-24T05:56:00.000-08:00

I feel like I'm living in the song "don't blink" by Kenny Chesney. Have you heard it?

Don't blink
Just like that you're six years old and you take a nap and you
Wake up and you're twenty-five and your high school sweetheart becomes your wife
Don't blink
You just might miss your babies growing like mine did
Turning into moms and dads next thing you know your "better half"
Of fifty years is there in bed
And you're praying God takes you instead
Trust me friend a hundred years goes faster than you think
So don't blink

Just like that I was six years old, taking a nap...and then I woke up and I was 25 and my high school sweetheart became my husband. My point being...I feel like my minutes, days, months, and years are beginning to speed up. I can only imagine how much faster it will go when I have children. Each day is so precious...yet it seems hard to simply live for today. This is such a unique time in my life. Just Matt and I living in Seattle having endless amounts of fun and adventure. I know that we'll look back at these days and miss them. How can I slow down and take a look around? I feel like this blog is kind of like that...I can look back and read how we've felt, what we've done, and remember the blessings. For once in my life, I don't feel like I'm living for the future which is refreshing...I just want to make sure that I don't miss out on each 24 hour day.

With that said, today is my very first SNOW DAY ever!! What to do? When I logged onto the district's website this morning to see that "all schools closed" message, I immediately thought of that Nickelodean movie "Snow Day". When I was little, I used to watch it all the time and then grieve the fact that that would never happen to me. Growing up in Montana meant no sympathy for any amount of snow or low temperatures. So...yep...I'm now living out my childhood dream of having a snow day...I feel like the opportunities are endless! It is 5:45 a.m. and I don't even want to go back to bed...I just want to snuggle up in a blanket, drink good coffee, and watch hulu all day. I know that I didn't work for the first 5 months of our marriage but I never felt like I could indulge like this because Matt was hard at work. Now...I don't even have the option of going to work so whatever!

Here are a few photos from the Wallers coming to visit this past weekend! We had such a great time with them...

Before I go pour my coffee...I have to say one thing. Remember that Julia Child quote canvas that I liked and wanted to make? Well...my sweet husband made it for me for Valentine's Day! Did I mention how much I love this man? Here is a picture...kind of a bad photo but you get the jist :)

my love

2011-02-12T21:37:00.000-08:00

Sweet husband, ham & bean soup on the stove, wine, and a clean house at 9:20 on a Saturday night. Have I started writing my paper due at noon tomorrow? No. But life is short. I anticipate waking up early in the morning and enjoying a cup of coffee while Matt is snuggled warm in bed as I write my paper in silence and sunrise.

Well, today, I found my dream wedding gown. I know that sounds weird because I'm already married but for serious...it was my dream gown. Maybe Matt will let me buy it and just hang it in the closet until we renew our vows one day? Pssh...ya right. Sometimes a certain someone and I (you know who you are) talk about how we want a wedding redo....with the same husband of course! But let's just face it, your decorations, colors, and wedding dress all turn into old news at one point. Styles change, new ideas emerge, and well...you only get married once! I do LOVE everything about my wedding day though, so I need to treasure the sweet, precious memories that I have. I look back and realize that all of the people that we love the most were in one place. Every single person that has loved both Matt and I and been such a blessing in our lives were there to celebrate the beginning of our forever. I love that. I want to relive that moment forever and ever. Unfortunately, it's a one time event. I'm just grateful and feel beyond blessed to get such an amazing husband out of the deal :)

Matt has been such an amazing help over this last month. I am so busy with school and work that it's hard for me to plan meals, do the laundry, clean, etc. I am so used to having time to do this all and I miss having that ability but Matt has made it an easy transition for me. I sometimes have to step back and realize that he isn't doing these things because he enjoys them (like I do) but because he loves me and wants to bless me! I love that man.

will you be mine?

2011-02-11T07:04:00.000-08:00

We made valentines at school yesterday and as I was passing them out to the "mailboxes" after the kiddos left, I was proofreading them to make sure they were all appropriate. I just had to laugh at the difference between boys and girls when I read these:

Girl Valentine:

"Happy Valentine's Day, 'E'! I'm so glad we are friends. Wait, I think we are friends. Will you be my friend? Love your friend, 'R'"

Boy Valentine:

"'B', thanks for the lego. -'I'"

Haha! I can't post their real names but you get the jist...hilar right? And we expect what from our husbands and boyfriends on V-day?!

it's the simple things

2011-02-09T20:53:00.000-08:00

8:50 p.m. on a Wednesday night... grateful for...

* a sleeping husband (I just want to spend time with him when he is awake so homework is much more enjoyable when I don't have a choice)

*new pens...7 different colors

*a fabulous new legal pad with flowers at the top

*Piano music on Pandora

*one glass of red wine

*an "email hug" from a dear friend...love you K!

The above combo makes for a lovely evening of paper writing!

paved beauty

2011-02-09T05:41:00.000-08:00

Man, I am on overload lately! I'm really awful at keeping this updated in recent weeks, not to mention...awful at every other thing I try to accomplish as well :) For the past four weeks, married life as we knew it ended. I went from not working at all to working about 40 hours a week at school and then occupying another 5-10 hours of my time writing a thesis. Matt is a trooper though and is great at helping with everything. He loves to cook (and is great at it...thank you Julie Waller!)

I love all 29 of my little 2nd grade munchkins...they bring so much joy to my life and are constantly making me laugh. It is a definite challenge but I leave the classroom everyday feeling refreshed and like I said before, that they have taught me more than I have taught them. Each student comes from a different family life; many of them not having a great home life which makes me want to take every one of them home with me at the end of the day. Be praying for them even though you don't know them!

Also, I am beyond grateful for new friendships amongst my co-workers and community group. I'm finally finding my niche in this big city...very refreshing and exciting! Let's see, what else? Well, I'm not sure what I was thinking but Matt has talked me into riding in the STP! The STP is a bike race that begins in Seattle and ends in Portland. What am I thinking? Not exactly sure...but it does give me a reason to ride my bike a lot and with the temperatures being in the 50's with the sunshine, I won't complain about that. Our friends, Duncan & Steph, are riding with us too! Let the training begin...the race isn't until July so let's keep our fingers crossed that I can be ready to ride at least halfway and that my adrenaline keeps me going for the last half :) So today, I am grateful that I can leave my garage, ride two blocks to a paved, 27 mile bike trail that lets me ride alongside Lake Union, Lake Washington, Husky Stadium, and the Ballard Locks. One more thing to love about Seattle.

Thankful

2011-02-01T07:47:00.000-08:00

Thankful for a job that I am excited to go to each morning...that I miss when I'm away on the weekends...and that continually reminds me to be grateful for what I have.

we just had a good time.

2011-01-28T06:59:00.000-08:00

I LOVE this...and I love Julia Child. I think I should make one.

Walk in Faith...thank you Sara.

2011-01-24T22:04:00.000-08:00

Inspired to write...

Sometimes life hands you what seems to be unbearable hardship. You aren't quite sure how you'll make it through the day or take another step. But just when it seems to be too much, you find that you do, indeed, have the strength to take just one more step...and another...and another. Walking by faith is the only way to do this...we just have to continue to trust that Jesus has the perfect plan for our lives. And even though it seems messy and hard to understand, that is okay. I don't think we are supposed to...that's the whole reason for faith. I challenge you to simply trust and keep on truckin' knowing that we have a faithful God that loves us more than we can imagine.

grateful

2011-01-22T14:32:00.000-08:00

I just feel so joyful on this beautiful Saturday and have so much to be grateful for. My first week of teaching was amazing. I love all 29 of my energetic 2nd graders and cannot wait to see what the weeks and months ahead have in store for me. I anticipate learning as much from these little 7 and 8 year olds as they learn from me. With the jitters of starting a new job behind me, I can now push forward. Week 1 complete, 13 more to go. It's gunna fly...

Guess what? It's a miracle, the SUN is shining in Seattle today! My wonderful husband bought me a new beautiful hybrid Specialized bike last week and today, I was able to introduce it to the pavement of Seattle. The sun was shining, the air was warm, and the outdoor activity felt beyond refreshing. When the sun peeks it's little rays out, anyone and everyone comes out of hibernation. The people here are so active and motivated...very non-American, right? I recently realized that you rarely see someone who is extremely out of shape. It probably has to do with the fact that the traffic is maddening and riding bikes and walking is so much more convenient...if do-able. Let's just say that the Burke-Gilman was full of people loving life today...along the water of Lake Washington, it was a great way to begin the weekend.

January is a time for new beginnings and I feel like we have had lots. We decided to finally go through with the membership process of our church, Mars Hill. We began class this week on Wednesday evenings and on Thursdays, we joined a new community group. It is so refreshing to meet other believers walking the same road as you. The leaders of the group are actually from Billings and I went to high school with one of them which is really exciting. A little piece of home once again. I swear, these Montana people are EVERYWHERE in Seattle. I won't complain! So needless to say, we are busy, busy throughout the weekdays but we love our little life. Such a unique time with just the two of us figuring out marriage and our very own way of doing everything beings our families aren't nearby. We do miss them all of the time but it is nice to have our own little gig out here :)

Well, Matt is at the driving range with Jeff and I'm supposed to be working on lesson plans so I guess I better get on that! Just wanted to share my joy and gratitude for today.

just.another.wednesday.morning

2011-01-12T06:59:00.000-08:00

During my last week of freedom, I planned on sleeping in, drinking coffee, watching movies, and well...that's about it. I'm really sad to say that I'm just not enjoying the down time. I can't sleep in and I don't feel like being lazy. I know that when Tuesday morning rolls around at approximately 6:00 a.m., I'm going to want to do nothing but stay in bed. Funny how that works, eh?

Well, let's see. We had so much fun with Chad & Cassidi here this last weekend! They are easy to please so we spent the weekend eating (lots) and just bumming around Seattle. A few pit stops here and there at Columbia Winery, Redhook Brewery, Greenlake, Umi, and Matador were just a few of the highlights...thanks for coming guys!

And now there is SNOW on the ground! It never snows in Seattle and has already snowed twice this year. It's so funny because it paralyzes the entire city but it's sometimes fun to feel trapped...the people in this busy city should take a few moments to breathe every now and again anyways. Believe it or not...one can actually survive without going to work and Starbucks. Weird concept, I know.

I don't even know why I'm blogging because I don't have too much to say...so I'll let you stop reading :)

onto.a.new.year

2011-01-06T08:56:00.000-08:00

We're back from Montana! Two weeks sure fly by when you're having fun! It was so much fun being back and seeing so many of our favorite people. Not to mention, it was constantly sunny, lots of snow, and no traffic. Can't really ask for too much more. But...as refreshing as it was, it's always good to be "home", right? This is just the beginning of an exciting year for our little family of two. 2010 was full of blessings and we are so grateful for that...but we are also ready for normal life...whatever that means.

On January 18th, I begin my first day of teaching the 2nd grade! I am so excited, I can barely stand it. Until then, Matt and I are enjoying the company of the lovely Vanessa, Chad, and Cassidi! We love having visitors...please come visit :) Little pieces of home brought to us out here in rainy Seattle. It's always fun to have Vanessa here...it means we get to eat lots of sushi and drink wine! Chad and Cassidi fly in tomorrow morning and I cannot wait. Such a great way to end my season of playing stay-at-home wife :)

Other than that, I'm happy to report that nothing new is coming our way. Matt is still hard at work at Boeing, ceasing every opportunity for growth and learning. It'll be interesting to see where he will choose to go with his career...I watched fly fishing on the Big Horn pull at his heart strings last week which makes me smile. No matter where we're at, I continue to be grateful for a husband that will always willingly support our little family and incorporate as much fun into our lives as possible.

Montana.for.the.holidays

2010-12-15T09:02:00.000-08:00

Coffee in hand...check. Completion of ALL graduate classes as of yesterday...check. Christmas shopping done...check. Plane ticket that will take me to God's country...Montana...on Sunday...CHECK! Staying in Montana for two whole weeks...check!

Let's be honest here, it does not get much better. I am continually grateful for my loving, selfless husband. He has to work through the 23rd and then Jeff and Matt will be making a 12+ hour drive to Montana, not arriving until the afternoon of Christmas Eve. Matt knows how anxious I am to be at home and bought me a plane ticket to fly home Sunday to spend the next week with my family doing nothing but enjoying the holidays and precious time with them! The last time my entire family was together was for the wedding and we had other things to focus on at that time :) Now, I can just relax and enjoy their company. Could not be more blessed!

On another note, I am done with graduate classes! I begin student teaching on January 17th at Lynnwood Elementary in a 2nd grade classroom and will graduate April 30th. The job search is already underway even with a few leads this time...I bet Matt is sure excited for the months to come that will involve a dual income :) Once again, he has been so supportive, encouraging, and willing to work hard for the both of us over these past four months...another true blessing to be able to focus solely on school. It has helped me learn so much more from my classes and I could not be more grateful.

Well, Matt and I are definitely in need for some sunshine. I'm relying on Montana for that even though it may be cold. We have had nothing but rain, rain, rain, and more rain. I'm not talking about the glooms and drizzle that Seattle is known for...I am talking about downpours, side swiping rains that has continued to knock the power out multiple times over the last week. Not to mention flooding and landslides...awesome Western Washington! We are learning to love Seattle and its mild temperatures though. Don't get me wrong, it's no Montana but we never run out of things to do and we don't have to worry about mild frostbite every time we step outside our front door.

Well, that's it for now, I'm off to pack and clean my house! Also getting ready for yet another engagement party for our sweet friends this Friday...tis the (engagement) season!

Thankful.in.D.C.

2010-12-09T11:34:00.000-08:00

1 final down, 2 to go. Did I mention I will be DONE with classes as of December 16th?! I still have January-April to student teach (I was placed in the 2nd grade!) but at least I won't be logging on to MSUB's distance learning website 5 times a day. I can't wait! Well, let's see...December 9th...really, where does the time go?

We were fortunate to be able to spend Thanksgiving in Washington D.C. visiting my dad which was SO fun. The time went quickly as usual, but we managed to squeeze lots of fun in including: Holocaust Museum (not fun, but VERY interesting and sad), Capitol Building tour (personal tour courtesy of Senator Dorgen's intern), Washington Monument, American History Museum, Thanksgiving dinner :), a piano bar, sushi, etc...this list goes on and on! But those of you who know my dad can believe that we also did our fair share of sleeping in which was much needed! Here are some fun photos of that trip...

We got back from DC on the Sunday following Thanksgiving and then we took off Friday for Denver to visit the Haagensons! You may be thinking we see each other too often...which is probably true beings plane tickets are involved each time! But, it's totally worth it...good friends are few and far between :)

We leave two weeks from today to drive back to Montana for Christmas and cannot wait! Pray that the roads will cooperate for us...blah. I'm just going to drug myself and fall asleep in the back seat...leave the driving up to the boys! Before we leave, we have Matthew's 25th birthday to celebrate, classes to complete, and Christmas shopping to do...busy....busy...busy.

missing.our.blog

2010-12-06T21:49:00.000-08:00

I know it's been a while but with Thanksgiving, Denver, and finals in my classes, I've been a busy girl...I'll post photos and stories of our recent fun travels soon!

Only TEN more days of school!

a.new.found.love.

2010-11-17T11:27:00.000-08:00

So, this is totally new and kind of unexpected even to me but I'm really starting to love photography! My sweet friend, Brianne, totes her beauty of a Canon around with her wherever she goes and shoots absolutely amazing photos that capture some of life's greatest moments. And since we always seem to be visiting each other and creating such fabulous memories, I can thank her for documenting all our adventure! Then, I got to thinking...beings I don't always have Brianne attached to my hip, I should probably stop relying on her to capture all the memories! I could learn to do the same, right?

Our wedding photographer, Holly Gannett (www.hollygannettphotography.com :)), also takes such amazing photos of not only babies, weddings, engagements, and families, but her very own everyday life events as well. When she looks back at her photos over the years, she will be able to not only reflect on the blessings but actually love the documentation as well.

So, with that said, voila! Matt and I purchased our very own Canon 50D and a fabulous lens to accompany it. I'm just diving in head first and really have absolutely no idea what I'm doing with the camera, but I'm learning the basics slowly but surely. I need to start attending some workshops and classes to really learn how to create this photographic art but I'm just having fun right now. Our sweet friends, Mitch and Brenna, even let me shoot some engagement pictures for them on Saturday! They were totally doing me a favor being my guinea pigs but I hope they love the results! I am having so much fun editing the photos this week and can't wait for them to see how photogenic and beautiful they both are!

Anyways, here's a sneakpeek at a cute little vintage one of these two:

Just gorgeous I tell you!

holidays.on.the.mind

2010-11-09T10:13:00.001-08:00

Yes, I only have a husband and tiny little apartment (and not to mention, no job) but sometimes, I still get a bit overwhelmed. I mean, a girl's job is never done, am I right? Sometimes when I'm feeling overwhelmed or just need a bit of creative inspiration to keep going, I like to visit www.howdoesshe.com. Check it out! This girl is fabulous and I want to share my find for the day...

Looking for a gift for a neighbor or co-worker? This is PERFECT. Just attach a cute little card that gives a recipe for a steamer or a yummy addition to their java. Check the website for 29 other fabulous ideas to give as small, yet fabulous Christmas treats!

More holiday ideas for your viewing pleasure...

So easy to make and will make your gifts just that much more special!

For the month of December, remind yourself each day of 1 thing you are grateful for.

Have fun and make your own stockings for Santa to fill.

Christmas does not have to be about how much you spend on your gifts or how nice they are, it's the thought that counts. Show your friends and family how grateful you are for them by gifting them with the simple pleasures in life...it's a good reminder as to what's really important...like coffee creamer :)

Rain.Coffee.Blogging.Blanket.

2010-11-01T09:57:00.000-07:00

November 1st. Really, where does this time go? My darling sister-in-law reminded me that I need to update this bad boy so your wish is my command girlfriend :)

There's just something about a rainy morning when the buildings of downtown Seattle are hidden behind the fog and rain and it's too cold to feel guilty about staying inside all day. Normally I might complain about this weather but I'm a fan today. No complaints about being snuggled in a blanket, drinking coffee, and blogging. Honestly, I'm relieved Halloween is over. I had to admit, it's my least favorite holiday and I celebrate it because I have to. We've been lucky to escape Halloween by heading back to South Dakota to hunt these past couple of years but now that my pops is out in D.C., we were forced to put on our costumes and drink spiced cider. Ok, it's not the worst thing ever, and we did have fun...as Kelly Kapowski & Zack Morris! "It's alright cuz I'm...Saved By the Bell!" Can you tell?

Well, maybe if you could see my white keds and teal skirt?! Still fun!

Let me see if I can update you on a few other things while I've got you on the line. Matt is still hard at work bringing in all our income and I'm pretty sure he doesn't mind me being at home to do his laundry, cook, and clean :) Although, it's hard for me to be home everyday! I keep myself quite busy, don't usually sleep past 7 a.m. and am working hard in my last 4 grad school classes but this girl is ready to get to work. With that said, I'm waiting to hear back from Edmonds School District this week to see where I will start teaching in January to finish my program! I cannot wait. I am dying to be in the classroom.

We drove to MT last weekend for an extremely quick trip to celebrate the nuptials of (now) Mark & Kim Blackford! It was so much fun. Trip summary: Me.Matt.Jeff.26 hours of driving.in a minivan.hauled back rest of wedding presents. ran into snow outside of Seattle.family dinner.Mom's house full of YUMMY fall scents.Peanuts.friends.Back home. And yep, that about sums it up!

Coming up:

Vanessa visiting.
Casey & Arieanna Ramage visiting.
A Christmas Story Musical.
Picasso at the Seattle Art Museum.
Thanksgiving in Washington D.C.
Friday after Thanksgiving shopping in NYC with my best, Brianne Haagenson!!

And a few pictures for your viewing pleasure:

My delicious Pickle Barrel Sandwich that I ate in Bozeman.

Our Family Dinner while in Montana. Mom, you make everything look so beautiful!

Us at the Ramage/Blackford Wedding!

K, off to watch Family Stone for the first of SEVERAL times that it will played in this house until Christmas is over. :)

Beauty Weekend!

2010-10-18T10:56:00.001-07:00

What a wonderful, beautiful, weekend we had here in Seattle! Matt and Jeff got a line wet on the river all day Saturday in the fall sunshine while I went on a date with Starbucks, Gas Works Park, and Bellevue Square Mall :) The boys' Saturday ended with an Alabama football game while I went out with the ladies for a fun night out on the town!

Sunday was yet another gorgeous day so we decided to not waste it (as these are minimal in Seattle :)) and went hiking! Jeff and Luke came with us and I'm proud to say we hiked to the top of Mt. Pilchuck (shown in picture below). Before you get too impressed, the trail started about halfway up the mountain and I'm not joking, there were 10 year olds climbing to the top...which wasn't easy, let me tell you!

Mt. Pilchuck

So, yes...we climbed up to that tiny little viewroom and saw this:

Fabulous view!

Amazing, isn't it? God's creation is so beautiful and we are so blessed to have this available for us to enjoy!

On another note, we get to go to MONTANA this week!!! We are so excited to see our friends and family for Kim & Mark's big day! It is going to be an extremely quick trip but better than nothing at all :) We also get to pick up the rest of our wedding presents which is super exciting. It's been too long...I think I forgot what we even got!

Life, Slow Down.

2010-10-09T09:32:00.000-07:00

Matt and I have been thinking a lot about how we want to live our lives this week and what we want for our little family in the here and now as well as the future. It's hard to plan a future because it is ultimately not our plan we need to be following. I think it's okay to set goals although and pray about feeling led to one place or another. It's funny how life speeds up and a year will go by without notice. Last year at this time, we were recently engaged and living apart. Now we are 2 months into our marriage and I'm not even sure where the time went. My Granny Black always tells me to slow down and enjoy every minute because ultimately, it all goes so fast. She would obviously know!

I love our life and am content in the present but it's hard not to look toward the future. And I guess I'm wondering why that is? Yes, life is full of surprises and many great things (Lord willing) will come our way but I can't even begin to count our blessings in this stage of life we are in now. I just don't want to wish my life away, always looking toward the next big thing. It wasn't until age 24, just last year, that I really stood back and realized how fast life was flying by. I can only imagine it will pass by at a quicker pace from here on out.

With that said, we decided to make sure to always pursue our passions, take time out of busy life to visit friends and family, and make sure we enjoy each day independent of what tomorrow brings. There will never be more money, a more convenient time, or an easier way to do what you put off for next year so let's just make sure we're living our life to its full potential each day.

Have a great week!

Little Guy Football

2010-10-02T09:36:00.000-07:00

Matt and I don't have children on our radar quite yet (unless the Lord has other plans for us of course), but we came upon something this week that I know Matt at least, can't help but be excited about.

Matt had offered to babysit one of his co-worker's precious little girls, Kaci Jean. This, of course, required my assistance ;) so we both spent Wednesday evening in Edmonds playing Mom & Dad. We took Kaci on a walk around the neighborhood in her awesome BOB stroller. For those of you parents that don't have a BOB, please do yourself a favor and buy one! They are pretty much amazing. While we were on our walk, we stumbled across Little Guy Football Practice.

Can you say hilarious? These kids couldn't have been older than 5 and/or any larger than 4.5ft. tall. The coach was yelling things like "you're going to lose the game and then have to run laps!" and "get your head in the game!" as the majority of the team was pushing, chasing each other, and sitting down on the field because they were tired. Matt then started telling me stories about how monumental his little guy experiences were for him which led us to be excited about the day where we can watch our own kids practice! Or better yet, coach them. Just another thing to love about this time of year!

The Key to Fall

2010-09-24T08:26:00.000-07:00

It's the 2nd day of fall...my favorite season! There are so many great things about fall but I thought I'd share a few of my favorites. First and foremost, football! It wouldn't be my favorite season without football. There's just something about it...whether you are attending a game or watching it on T.V., it has to be present. You need a reason to make chili, cornbread, chips n' dip, pulled pork, and cinnamon rolls for breakfast, right? What better reason than a football game?! Our team is Alabama in this household. I know that Matt only went there for a year but he (and Jeff both) held on tight to their Crimson Tide Pride upon their return. How could you not cheer for them?! As for me, I love the SEC because of THEIR love for the game. It's a way of life down south. Matt likes to tell a story about leaving church in Tuscaloosa one Sunday as he overheard two elderly ladies arguing about yesterday's game! I just think that passion is so amazing. Not to mention, National Champions, Nick Saban, and Mark Ingram. Roll Tide Roll! As for the NFL, Matt is a Broncos fan (blah) and well, Go Bears!

Onto the next best...apple/cinnamon ANYTHING, crunchy colorful leaves and trees, cool weather (such a great feeling to walk around with a scarf and Uggs on), back-to-school supplies, Starbucks' Pumpkin Spiced lattes, the list goes on and on.

Three ways that I've started celebrating the season:

This is Yankee's Autumn Harvest candle. It is my FAVORITE! If you love fall as much as I do, please do yourself a favor and go buy one of these!

If you love Pumpkin Spice lattes but want to save money and time, this is the way to go! It makes your morning delightful :)

We always have a bowl of candy lying around the house. I think I got this from my Mama. Anyways, fall candy...duh.

Quality Time

2010-09-20T16:50:00.001-07:00

(Sorry! I wrote this Monday and never published it for some reason so here it is :))

All our visitors are gone :( I just dropped daddy off at the airport this morning and now I feel like our little apartment is so empty and quiet. Matt is at work and everyone is gone! I'm really looking forward to these last two weeks in September and the entire month of October! It's finally fall here in Seattle. The leaves are changing colors, football is on every Sunday, and the temperatures are cool even when it's sunny. I love this time of year! I can't wait to spend quality time with my husband and enjoy this time as newlyweds. We can still be classified as newlyweds, right? ;)

This weekend with my dad and sister was so fun! We went to the Nebraska/Washington game to cheer on the Huskers!! They kicked some butt and of course won the game. Go Big Red! Being at the UW game for the second weekend in a row really made me realize how much I love the passion people have for football. I grew up in a house where there were constantly games being played on TV every Saturday, Sunday, and Monday night during football season but I never paid that much attention. I really love it now! My dad was instilling that passion in me without me even knowing it! Now...how to get Matt to the south to cheer on the Crimson Tide? Tailgates, southern bbq, and season tickets? Roll tide! I wish. Maybe someday, right?

Tonight, we are having a date night at the Steelhead Diner. One of our favorite restaurants here in Seattle. If you ever come to visit and want somewhere to eat, that's your place. The chef is from New Orleans and his food is a combination of southern bbq/west coast seafood mix? And the view is amazing of Puget Sound and Pike Place Market helps too!

Go Bobcats?

2010-09-16T10:05:00.000-07:00

Did anyone watch the Cat game last Saturday? What a sad day!! Matt and I went to the UW Husky/USC game so we weren't able to watch the entire game but as the Husky game ended, we ran to ESPN's The Zone (within Husky Stadium) and found the Cat game in some random suite that was absolutely abandened. We are in Washington, people. You'd think people would want to watch the WSU game! This just shows the hate that Husky fans have for the Cougs. We enjoyed the moments when the MSU/WSU score would flash on the Husky jumbotron and everyone would cheer because MSU was ahead! Until....THEY LOST! Sad...sad day.

Anyways, we spent our last weekend with our friends Riley and Bret as they had driven out here from MT to visit! It was so fun! Now, my dad and sister are here this weekend and we are preparing to cheer on the HUSKERS this weekend as they dominate over the Huskies. GO BIG RED!! I am a little scared due to the fact that our seats are in the middle of a Husky section but whatever, we'll wear our red proudly and Nebraska will win anyways ;)

Pictures to come!

Visitors!

2010-09-08T19:42:00.000-07:00

It must be that time of year in Seattle where there are a string of just a few guaranteed "nice" weeks. A few weeks where the sun in shining the majority of the time, it's not raining, the temperature is in the low 70's and the leaves are starting to change colors. I've learned to love this time of year in the short amount of time I've actually lived in Seattle...for three reasons. Reason #1) football season! Roll tide. Reason #2)sunshine. Reason #3) VISITORS!

Last year, we had visitors for five weeks/weekends in a row. We absolutely loved seeing our friends and family because it feels like we have many of the people that we love and miss right here in Seattle with us. It gives us the opportunity to enjoy the tourist attractions of Seattle as well as challenging us to find new adventures for those that have already seen the Space Needle and shopped at Pike Place Market :) This past weekend (Labor Day), we hosted our first house guests. The Haagensons!! We love our dear friends Erik and Brianne and treasure our time with them. It is always full of laughter and funny, unforgettable moments that we will never forget. We are all so much alike that it is scary! Anyways, they left just yesterday and in approximately one hour, our second set of guests are arriving...Riley Paris and Bret Hubber! Well, technically, they are Jeff's guests but they are sleeping in the guest room because we are so much cooler than Jeff ;) On Tuesday, my daddy comes...and Jennifer on Thursday! Our good friend Luke got us tickets to the Washington/Nebraska game on Saturday the 18th, so we had to bring the pops out for that!

So, I guess that is all that is going on in the Waller household for now! When we're not hosting and entertaining, we are busy writing thank you notes (sorry people, we are slow!), figuring out the husband/wife thing :), and Matt is playing football for a city league. I'm getting antsy being at home all the time so am attending orientation tomorrow to volunteer for an organization called Treehouse For Kids. This is such an amazing program that offers tutoring, Educational Advocacy, College Planning, and Little Wishes for foster children. I am so excited to be involved!

first birthday as a married woman.

2010-09-01T11:20:00.001-07:00

Turning 25 is a little surreal, I must admit. I feel like I can begin the countdown to 30 now! Isn't that weird? When I was 16, I thought I'd be married and have at least 2 children by the time I was 25. Married...check. Children...? Maybe sometime in the future but for now, I am loving being married with just a husband at home to take care of. I have no job and let me tell you, being a wife is still demanding! I love my new role though. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I love nesting in our new home, doing laundry, making dinners (and lunches), and waiting for my husband to come home each and every day.

I have given myself two weeks to get settled and run about a bazillion errands but starting Tuesday, substitute teaching and volunteering will begin! My internship to finish my graduate program begins in January and lasts until April, so I can't have a full time job quite yet. This is a little sad because I would LOVE to begin a full time job again this fall but I'll have to settle for being in the schools just here and there for the time being. God has the perfect plan although and I believe this is His way of letting my adjust to married life. It is such a blessing and I'm so grateful for this gift we have been given.

Today is another gloomy day in Seattle but one of my favorite things to do when it is rainy is to trot down to the local coffee shop and journal. It is so refreshing to be able to have some "me" time after the past few months and I'm trying to enjoy the last few days of "summer" before my classes start next week...I am not ready for school to start again but I know I will be once I get into the groove of things. I love what I'm learning about and always get so much from my classes. I am ready for the challenge!

Well, I'm off to enjoy my 25th birthday with my friends and hubby at a yummy sushi restaurant on South Lake Union. How perfect!

Finally a Waller!

2010-08-26T14:31:00.000-07:00

Hi long lost blogging friends!

Guess what? We are finally married!! Thank goodness. Wedding planning/wedding related events are all fun but I am so thankful for the marriage to finally start! Matt and I are back in Seattle after a blissful honeymoon in beautiful Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and couldn't be more grateful to be here. Matt is back at work and I am just getting us settled into our cute little apartment. Pray for me as I begin the job search for this fall until I begin student teaching in January. For now although, I'm enjoying the "stay-at-home wife" job role. It's a fulltime job trying to unpack and set up a new home!

We are getting excited for our dear friends, Erik and Brianne Haagenson, to come visit us for Labor Day weekend. We are planning on many fun things and cannot wait to spend time with them doing something that does not involve a wedding!! We wish they could bring their doggie, Ralph, but unfortunately, they do not allow 130 lb. dogs on airplanes :(.

I can't wait to keep you all updated on what life has in store for us! I'll get up some pictures of our home as soon as it comes together.

Thank you all for making our wedding so special and memorable...we are looking forward to the many wonderful years to come!

1 Month!

2010-07-14T22:24:00.001-07:00

Can you believe the "month" countdown comes to an end today and now the "day" countdown finally begins?! Let me tell you what, it has been a long 9 months leading up to this time! Tomorrow is the last day of summer school for me and then I can spend the next 4 weeks focusing on the wedding, nesting into our new apartment, and absolutely nothing else. I am so blessed to be able to have this free time ahead of me to make a few more memories with family and friends here in MT. And also to prepare the last of the wedding in a stress-free (fingers crossed!) manner. One of my friends once told me that being engaged was so fun for her and that she could've been engaged forever...but let's be honest, I am just ready to be married!!

My sister and I will head out early Saturday morning to make the long, 12 hour trek to Seattle with load #1 of gifts. We will have one packed car with just presents from my bridal shower! The question remains as to how in the world we will get our wedding presents from Billings to Seattle. Time will tell I guess ;) On Sunday morning, we'll pick up the Uhaul at 10a.m. to unload my storage unit! Yay, I'll have my life back! Thank goodness for Matt's brother and amazing friends because we couldn't move all our stuff without them. I will then spend about a week unpacking and setting up our home the best that I can in such a short time...I'll then come back to Montana for the wedding. Matt will move in when I leave and we'll wait to stay in the apartment together until we are HUSBAND & WIFE! Bout time.

Now that school is finally ending tomorrow, I can finally start blogging regularly and in one month, I promise I'll have more to talk about besides the wedding ;)

Sorry.

2010-07-07T13:09:00.000-07:00

Wow, I stink at blogging apparently! I promise that once Matt and I are married, I'll keep anyone who is following us way more up to date but for now, my days are swamped! This is the scoop...

-6 weeks of school done tomorrow, 1 more to go after that!
-approximately 5.5 weeks until our wedding ;)
-we found an apartment in Seattle in the Fremont neighborhood! If anyone wants to come visit, we have an extra bathroom and bedroom waiting for you so just let us know.
-Matt's brother, Jeff, moved in next door to Matt and is working at Boeing so they've been having brother bonding time.
-And...well...that pretty much sums up our life at this point...more to come later, promise (again)!

Week 2

2010-06-08T10:32:00.000-07:00

1 week of school down, 5 to go. Time is actually flying by already. I left Seattle on the 26th and will be back before I know it! I am so grateful to have this time with my family and friends that are here in Billings. I have a lot of homework so it's hard to get together with friends in the evening but the weekends are great.

Here are some pictures from Brianne & Erik's wedding over Memorial Day weekend in Denver...we had such a great time!

Greetings from Montana

2010-06-01T20:48:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm here! My first day of school was today and I am anxiously awaiting July 16 as I realized today how much I hate having homework hanging over my head. It is such a blessing to be able to spend this time with my family though. I know that these next six weeks may be a little challenging from time to time as I have been living on my own for the last year but I need to take each moment in and count my blessings. I am able to be at home to watch my little brother walk through the last few weeks of his 7th grade year and my darling sister is now 21 and this will be the last time that we ever get to live in the same household.

I left Seattle early on Wednesday morning after many hours and days of cleaning, packing, and packing my stuff away into storage. On Friday morning, however, I drove to Denver only to meet Matt for one of the most precious weddings ever. Erik & Brianne finally tied the knot and they are now Erik & Brianne Haagenson! I couldn't be more happy for them and we couldn't ask for a better couple to lead the way in this path that we walk as we prepare our hearts for marriage. It was the most beautiful, sentimental, wedding that I've ever attended and I do not doubt for one second that the Lord has a perfect plan for their lives together. They have been so faithful throughout their relationship, constantly seeking guidance and setting aside their own wills for their lives. What an amazing couple! Love them so much...

As I write from 800 miles away, I am missing Matt with all my heart but could not be more excited to marry the man of my dreams. I know our time apart will make the wedding that much more special...starting our forever and knowing that we will never have to be apart again (well, maybe not NEVER but ya know ;)).

a chapter coming to an end

2010-05-18T09:19:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the 2 week time lapse!! There has just been so much going on and I keep avoiding writing because I want to download all our pictures we have taken to accompany this but I have yet to do that....so sorry, no pictures yet!

Let's see...last weekend, we went to Bozeman to watch Maria and Jeff graduate! It was so good being back in the Big Sky country and seeing many of our friends and Matt's family. It was no surprise that it was a chilly 40 degrees but I still loved the wide open sky! I sometimes feel very claustrophobic here in WA because of all of the trees. I guess that's why they call it the Evergreen State right? We spent our weekend getting very little sleep so last week drug on just a bit. Matt gets up for work at about 3:45 a.m. these days so he is used to going to bed really early...with me not too far behind him. It's funny how 10:00 feels so late now when you wouldn't even think about going to bed prior to 11:30 in college. We're getting old already!

We spent this past weekend enjoying the beautiful Seattle weather. Matt's grandma, Maemae, and his aunt and cousin (Lora & Cassie) were here Friday night and Saturday morning as they prepared to jump on a cruise ship to Alaska! We were just slightly jealous but excited for them and their vacation. We spent time with them on Friday night and met them for breakfast Saturday morning. On Saturday afternoon, we enjoyed one last :( bbq on my rooftop of my apartment building. I have definitely taken my rooftop deck for granted and can't believe I'm moving out of our wonderful apartment in just one week. I would maybe consider renting it if they weren't advertising it for 500.00 MORE than what Lindsay and I pay now. Isn't that crazy?! Anyways, Sunday was spent at Barnes & Noble, Iron Man 2, and Golden Gardens (a beach where you can have bonfires). All-in-all, it was a great last fun-filled weekend as we will this coming weekend packing and moving.

We have so much coming up to look forward to! I leave Wednesday but am meeting Matt in Denver Friday morning for BRIANNE & ERIK's wedding!!! We often make visits to Denver to hang with our besties there but I can't believe we are visiting to attend their wedding this time. We are so blessed to be walking this road with such amazing friends right by our side in this season of life. They are such an encouragement and I can't wait to be there to celebrate this special time.

In other news, Matt's brother, Jeff, will be joining us in Seattle!!! He was recently hired at Boeing and will most likely settle in sometime this summer. I was just telling Matt last night that although, I've grown to love Seattle, I feel as though we don't have any "real" connection to the city. I think that will change when Jeff gets out here. It will be such a blessing to have a family member here with us. It gets a little lonely from time to time!

Well this is my last week of work :( I finish Thursday and will pack all of my stuff this weekend and head back to Billings next Wednesday, the 26th. Pray for us as we continue to search for a place to call home and as Matt and I spend these next few months apart.

I promise to post pictures soon!

Great Weekend

2010-05-03T13:44:00.000-07:00

Matt and I had so much fun this weekend! I am constantly being reminded to treasure our time in Seattle for we don't know how long we'll live here but know that it won't be forever. I oftentimes miss Montana because of our friends and family...and for the fact that it is the greatest state ever! But, I'm learning that Seattle is just one big fun adventure and I'm loving it here as well.

Friday night consisted of absolutely nothing. I babysat princess Caroline and Matt went to bed at 8:30. Wow, aren't we cool?

Saturday morning, we caught up with some friends in Montana, made a little breakfast, and just enjoyed the morning sun. That afternoon, we met up with our friends, Amy & Paul, to tour the Red Hook brewery in Woodinville. Woodinville is just east of Seattle and it is often referred to as "wine country". We skipped the wine and went for the beer though! We bought our tickets for the 5:00 tour and then went to the driving range to hit some balls until it was time for our tour. Matt and I have been spending a lot of time on the driving range but we need to get out and actually play! Anyways, this tour was $1.00 per person and we figured out that you end up drinking about 2 beers. Not too shabby...

After that, we drove to downtown Seattle to attend a Seattle Sounders (soccer) game. We sat dead center of the field, 12 rows up! Thanks Luke and Lindsay!! The game ended in a tie which I have yet to understand how that is possible. After the game, we went to Belltown for dancing and drinks with our "wolfpack". Don't ask questions...just a bunch of great people that we have so much fun with!

Sunday, we were pretty exhausted but kept on truckin' on to enjoy yet another beautiful day. We went BACK to Woodinville to spend more time with Paul & Amy (we just can't get enough of them...not to mention they are "puppy raisers" to a golden retriever/yellow lab mix that they get to bring everywhere with them! His name is Norbert ;)). We started with lunch at the Barking Frog (amazing lodge-like restaurant), crept next door to the Columbia Winery for a tasting, then across the street to the Chateau Ste. Michelle for another tasting! Then, we sped back to the west side for our LAST pre-marriage counseling appointment, stayed for church at the 5:00 service, grocery shopped, and went home to make chile dogs and watch a movie.

This makes me exhausted just writing about it but needless to say, it was a great way to celebrate the end of the semester!

This week is short because we leave Thursday to drive to BOZEMAN!! Yippee!!! We are going to the MSU graduation to watch Jeff become an Industrial Engineer and Maria become a nurse. So proud of them both! We are so excited to be able to sneak back for a few days to enjoy the little town we miss so much. Even though it may be rainy, windy, and cold there...I still love it and can't wait to be back.

Fried Pickles!

2010-04-22T10:07:00.001-07:00

Ok, look at this amazing goodness. The first time I ever had fried pickles was at a meat n' three in Podunk, Mississippi. They were the most amazing thing ever and I haven't had them since! After dance lessons last night, Matt and I went to Wing Dome to have some wings and guess what was on the menu? Yep...I ate all of these at approximately 10:00 p.m. last night. Good for my wedding figure, don't you think?

Summer in Montana

2010-04-21T12:10:00.001-07:00

Well, it's official, I will be moving back to Billings for 6 weeks to take summer classes...don't know whether to end that statement with an exclamation point or not ;) I'm just kidding. I'm excited to be able to spend some time with my family and be in Billings to plan the rest of the wedding but a little sad to leave beautiful Seattle just as it's starting to get nice, my amazing roommate, and of course the love of my life! Not to mention, the two most precious little babies, Caroline and Isabelle! I'm going to miss them so much when I don't see them everyday but I trust that everything is working out the way it is for a reason.

Lindsay and I's lease comes to an end on May 31st but I will be leaving shortly before that in order to make it back to Billings just in time to turn around and drive to Denver for the Haagenson wedding! I'm looking forward to this next chapter in my life but it is bittersweet. When I leave, I will be leaving my very last roommate, full time job for a while, my life on my own as a single lady, and the joy that is long-distance education...not! I will miss Lindsay and my job though ;)

But summertime in Montana? What more could you want? I look forward to being with the friends and family I miss so dearly!

4 months!

2010-04-14T11:13:00.000-07:00

4 months and counting! Sometimes it seems like a lifetime away but I know that it will flash before my eyes. We have finally started looking for a place that we will call home. We will sign a new lease at the beginning of July and Matt will move in first. We will get the place all set up and ready for us to come home to together in August...finally! We never wanted to live together until we were married but oftentimes, I could've just given that up because I'm impatient! I am so grateful for the fact that we have waited and that we can start this journey together as husband and wife. It makes getting married that much more exciting!

We are blessed with a lot to look forward to in our last few months of engagement. Here's a little preview of our summer...

a weekend in Bozeman for MSU graduation (yay Jeff & Maria!)
Memorial Day weekend in Boulder, CO for our dear friends, Erik & Brianne's, bachelor/bachelorette parties, showers, and most importantly, their WEDDING!
Cassidi & Chad's engagement party
another weekend in Bozeman for Casey & Arieanna's wedding...and related festivities ;)
Pebble Beach, CA for the U.S. Open
4th of July Lake Union Fireworks

Those are the main events that we're looking forward to but here's to hoping our summer is filled with many more, sunny memories!

Dance Lessons

2010-04-09T10:04:00.001-07:00

Well, my mama informed me that I haven't blogged in almost a week! I honestly don't know where my time goes. In high school, I felt like the hours on the clocked passed by at a snail-like rate. In college, time crept by a tiny bit faster. In the "real world", time flashes before my eyes. I fear that as I grow older, and especially when we have little munchkins, I won't know where my years will have gone. I guess that's why you always hear parents say "oh, they just grow up so fast!".

Well, I am proud to tell you that I was able to talk Matt into taking dance lessons for the wedding! One big difference between Matt and I is our love for dance. I love to dance...Matt, not so much. He loves music though so I couldn't figure out why he didn't like to dance. We finally came to the conclusion that maybe he doesn't like to because he doesn't know how to? Anyways, Wednesday was our first lesson and we learned how to waltz. It was really fun and don't tell him I said this, but Matt really enjoyed it. The instructor even told us that we looked the most comfortable and natural out of all the couples! haha... It's amazing how once you find out that you're good at something, you like it ;)

I have no idea what the weekend holds as I woke up with a major cold this morning but hopefully, I can report back with fun stories!

He is Risen!

2010-04-04T23:12:00.000-07:00

I really should be sleeping right now but in true fashion, I will stay up until midnight and then hate myself when I hear my alarm in the morning!

Happy Easter for 45 more minutes! Today I am thankful for a steady Lord and Savior that died for our sins and rose from the grave so that we may be forever forgiven. Thank you Jesus!

Matt & I had such a great weekend! We both had empty houses as our roommates were out of town...mine in NYC & Matt's in Thailand (rough lives). Friday night, we attended Good Friday service and had a quiet night watching a movie. Saturday was spent at the grocery store, preparing dishes for Easter dinner, and enjoying dinner with friends celebrating Becky Heyward's birthday! And today, we went to church which ended with "Amazing Grace" and bagpipes only to be followed by Easter brunch with about 9 good friends. Matt and I were really encouraged this weekend by how much fun we had simply just being which each other. We laughed (a lot), had good conversation, spent lots of time cooking in the kitchen, and just enjoyed being in each other's presence. It's rare that we are alone...our lives are often filled with the hustle and bustle of life and being constantly surrounded by other people. Don't get me wrong, we love our roommates, we were just excited to be able to have some alone time! We can't wait to finally build a home together in just four short months ;)

Well, I better get to bed. We start dance lessons this week so I'll report back on that!

Good Friday

2010-04-02T15:57:00.001-07:00

"If the cross is anything to the mind, it is surely everything - the most profound reality and the sublimest mystery. One comes to realize that literally all the wealth and glory of the gospel centers here. The cross is the pivot as well as center of New Testament thought. It is the exclusive mark of the Christian faith, the symbol of Christianity and its cynosure." - Samuel M. Zwemer -

Let us remember today that He died so that we may have life!

Hutch School

2010-03-25T10:05:00.000-07:00

I think I found my dream job! Hutch School is an accredited K-12 school sponsored by both Seattle Children's Hospital as well as Fred Hutchinson's Cancer Research Center. I can't imagine a more rewarding job than to be able to be involved with the lives of these children. To teach in this setting would be such an amazing opportunity. Check it out and support them if possible!

http://www.hutchschool.org/index.html

Love & Infatuation

2010-03-24T23:39:00.000-07:00

Finally! This past Saturday, our dear friends, Cassidi & Chad got engaged! We are so happy for them. It is just another thing to celebrate in this exciting season of life. We all knew it would be coming eventually but it still seems so surreal when it actually happens.

Today, I logged into an old email account that I have to search for an email that my grandma had accidentally sent there. I came across a folder labeled "Matthew" and began to read through what had to be about 100 emails from when we were just 16 & 17 years old. I was laughing at how incredibly infatuated we were with each other. We spent time away from each other during a summer at football camps, mission trips, family vacations and probably wrote back and forth at least 3 times a day. I can't quite remember why we didn't just talk on the cell phone. Did we even have them back then? I don't remember. Texting obviously had not swept the nation at this point. Anyways, it brought back some really great memories of how our relationship and life in general was just so simple. Our time spent together consisted of going to Softies (ice cream), watching TV in each other's basements, emailing back and forth, and hanging out with friends on Friday and Saturday nights watching movies and making midnight Taco Bell runs. It reminded me to always remember to laugh with Matt and to be silly with each other. These big times in life can get in the way of what is simple and filling. Weddings, houses, work, and real life can be real fun suckers sometimes so take a second to breathe!

It Never Stops

2010-03-16T13:27:00.000-07:00

Our adventures never stop. We continually have plans for our weeknights and weekends and friends and family that visit. I think this is both great and necessary because life can get pretty sedentary with a full-time job and grad school schedule if you don't plan for fun.

This past weekend, Matt and I drove south to visit Jason (or Panch...whichever you prefer). I know, he was just in Seattle but we haven't been to his new home yet so we had to check out his life! We arrived Friday early evening and spent the rest of the night at this little pub smoking cigars and drinking a beer (well wine for me). Classy, right? Ha, I just loved it. There were giant doors that opened up the entire place to filter the smoke and we were sitting directly below a heat lamp. Pretty perfect...

Saturday, we ate breakfast at Pine State Biscuits for a Southern feel. Let me paint you a picture... buttermilk biscuits, gravy, cheese, fried chicken, and bacon all on one plate. Talk about instant heart attack but it was SO good. We spent the rest of the day exploring his favorite parks, coffee shops, and downtown areas. We had to make a stop at Voodoo Donuts. Food network anyone? Sunday morning, we left early because Matt's sister, Jenny, and our friend, Machi, are in town doing work with Campus Crusade. We ate dinner with them at Red Robin on the pier and then went home to watch a movie. Needless to say, it was a GREAT weekend! I'll post some pictures of Panch's world later...

Matt and I have really been challenged by learning how to balance our real-world responsibilities with a little bit of fun. Okay, a lot of fun. It's easy to want to sit on the couch watching TV all night after a ten hour day or sleep until 11 on the weekends but we are slowly learning that we feel much more energized and rejuvenated after spending time outdoors or being in fellowship with others. It's hard to always want to be outside when it's rainy (and it rains a lot here!) but it also makes for some memorable times as well. I think we've done a pretty good job so far with our time here in Seattle and I think it'll only get easier trying to tackle this thing we call "life" as a team. I'm really grateful for Matt's encouragement to always pursue adventure and memories rather than TV and laziness!

March 1st, 2010

2010-03-11T11:16:00.000-08:00

Well, on March 1st, I turned 24 1/2. That's right, it was my half birthday. Now, normally it's just a huge joke that all started when my friend, Maria, started making a big deal out of her 1/2 birthday when we were in high school. From then on, we always will wish each other a "happy half birthday" and sometimes, birthday cakes are even involved. Well, I only sarcastically joke about my 1/2 birthday...teasing Matt by telling him we need to celebrate or that he has to buy me a present!

This picture below shows you why I'm marrying this man (well not the only reason but 1 of the millions). I was just sitting in my living room watching TV and he comes trotting in my front door with cherry pie topped with lit candles singing "happy half birthday to you..."

Notice the princess plates ;)

So happy for our friends!

2010-03-07T19:22:00.000-08:00

I'm already a slacker when it comes to this blogging business...this isn't good. I just got done reading our dear friend's, Erik & Brianne, blog and I am just in awe of all of the amazing blessings that have been showered down upon not only us but those that mean so much to us.

My sweet friend, Brianne, came into my life just two years ago when she moved to Bozeman and was needing a place to live. She moved in with me and a few of my roommates after only meeting her a handful of times. We quickly became the best of friends as well as our "man-friends" too! We always would joke about being engaged at the same time and we knew that once one of our men pulled the trigger, the other would eventually come around ;) Sure enough, they are engaged to be married on May 30th!! And, to top things off, they are now buying a house...what an exciting time in our lives. And to be able to share this time with some of the most dear people to me is amazing.

Also, our friends Steve & Cassie got engaged this weekend! Such a fun time for so many people that we love! Congrats you two.

Let's see...where did our week even go? I would be lying if I said I had entertaining words for you to read. We really did not have an eventful week at all. We did, however, get to go to a sneak peek of "Alice in Wonderland" on Thursday night (thanks to Luke!) which was really fun. The 3D effects were almost too great, they left me feeling a little sick to my stomach. After the movie, we (along with Luke & Lindsay) ate at "Five Guys" which is amazing, Southern, burger joint. We had been hearing really great things about it and had to try it because...well...it was Southern!

Speaking of Southern, I bought the the "Southern Living" annual recipe cookbook today and can't wait to try it out.

Ok, well this post is pointless! I'll try to encourage Matt to write to you now...he is much more intriguing than I.

John Piper

2010-03-01T14:12:00.000-08:00

Matt and I had the privilege of going to listen to John Piper at Mars Hill this weekend! He flew into Seattle from Ethiopia on Friday night and spoke...along with preaching at church yesterday. He is so amazing. It's funny because he is this incredibly talented, dynamic speaker yet he has a little bit of a lisp which made him extra cute. (side note: cute as in old man, grandpa cute) Also, our friend Jason Pancheau joined us for the weekend which made it extra special. I won't go into great detail as to what Piper's entire talk was about but I will share my favorite quote... "If you are engaged, look your fiance in the eye and tell him/her that they will always be #2. If that isn't sweet to their ears, don't marry them!" Isn't that great? I'm so grateful that I know Matt takes joy in me putting Jesus first in my life before him.

Let's see, what else? We took Jason to this great place called Ray's Boathouse. It is close to where we live but neither Matt nor I had ever been there. My roommate originally had told me about it and I'm always hearing great things so we decided to give it a try. It was so beautiful. When we first got there, there were no tables in the bar area (we went specifically for happy hour which is only in the bar) so we decided to grab a beer and sit out on the deck. It was a little chilly but the restaurant is directly over the water and it was sunset. Right after I took the picture below, we watched Matt's baby, the 787 Dreamliner, fly directly over our heads! What a perfect time to be outside.

One more great thing about this weekend was croissant french toast! I know that's silly to be so excited over breakfast...but Matt and I have this recipe from an amazing little bed and breakfast in Ft. Pierre, SD that took us years to steal from them. It's croissant french toast with an ice cream/berry sauce drizzled over it. We usually only make it on Valentine's Day or for special occasions but I guess Panch coming to town was special enough.

One last thing...Matt and I are officially Mars Hill "Preparing for Marriage" graduates!! We have been going through this 8 week course for our pre-marital counseling. We learned so much but it will be nice to have our Sundays free again.

Can you believe it's March 1st? Halfway done with engagement!! Just over 5 months left...

One More Thing...

2010-02-19T18:09:00.000-08:00

Matt and I got to see Tobin and Holly last night! For those of you who don't know Holly, she designed this blog that you're reading as well as our entire wedding website, invites, programs, save-the-dates...oh wait...she's also our photographer! Seriously, she should've just planned my entire wedding right? She pretty much rocks!

Anyways, they were making their way back home to Delaware after spending time up in Whistler for the Olympics! Lucky, right? We got to meet Ella, their cute little peanut, and she is Tobin's twin (with girl features obviously). Sorry Holly! ;)

Here's a picture of them with their matching shirts AND fish tacos. How cute!

Sweet Savory Southern

2010-02-19T17:58:00.001-08:00

So, I was looking up recipes for banana bread online today and came across this blog titled "Sweet Savory Southern". I read through it for at least an hour and then decided that I want to cook everything southern style. I then realized that this would probably require the intake of way too much butter, oils, and grease than any one person could ever stand. Well maybe one could stand it, but I would definitely not be doing Matt or I any favors, let's all be honest here! Anyways, do yourself a favor and check out this blog. Maybe make some chicken pot pie?

With that said, did I ever mention how badly I want to move south? Yes, I want to sit on my front porch drinking sweet tea and wearing pearls in the humidity. I want to say "yall" and make fried chicken and collard greens for dinner. I also want to dress in houndstooth and yell ROLL TIDE! every Saturday in the fall from Bryant-Denny Stadium. Please Matt? I don't think he would object except for when he sees his fly rod starting to collect dust.

I do LOVE Montana but a girl can dream about being a Southern Belle for a little while, right?

Finally!

2010-02-15T18:21:00.000-08:00

Finally, the guest list for the wedding is finalized! This is such an intricate and difficult process surprisingly. All along, I've had the mentality that we want everyone that we love to be invited (and hopefully at the wedding). This mentality still holds true but I am SO scared to leave someone out! Your mind starts to twirl in circles after looking at the list for too long...so let's hope that I didn't forget anyone!!

We had a great weekend with lots of company. On Friday night, my sister and dad flew into Seattle to celebrate Jen's 21st birthday! We had a great weekend full of lots of good food and drinks! What's new? ;) We went to the Hard Rock Cafe on Sunday for her birthday dinner... and they flew out early this afternoon...sad. Here's a few pictures!

Our good friends, Casey and Arieanna, also came to town! They were only here for a short time but it was so good to see them...we miss our Montana friends so much. Someday, we'll make it back but for now, I love that people come to visit us so often. So if you're reading this and you want to come visit, please do! Before they left today, we took a walk with Isabelle...isn't she cute?!

What Season Is It Again?

2010-02-10T13:35:00.000-08:00

I feel like ever since we moved here, we have lost track of time. Matt has lived here for almost an entire year now and nine months and counting for me. I was just telling him that I never remember time going by so quickly. I moved here in the summer and can't really remember fall passing by, or winter approaching for that matter. Then it occurred to me that I have not seen even a flake of snow this year! Ok, I take that back...we did see snow in Montana at Christmas but that is it. After living in Bozeman for the past five winters, I am only used to two seasons.

1) Summer (late June-late August)
2) Winter (every other month of the year!)

I thought that I would miss it but I cannot tell you how nice it has been to take a break from the zero degree weather, snow shoveling, getting stuck while driving, windburn, window scraping, and not to mention, the ridiculous heat bills. Lindsay and I have been watching the news reports about the storms on the East coast and she is just green with envy. I just don't get it? If we want to see snow, we simply get in the car and drive north, south, east, or west for approximately 30 minutes, and we'll have it!

Matt might disagree with this opinion but for now, I'm thankful for green grass and temperatures bottoming out at 50 degrees! I wouldn't mind seeing the sun a little more though.