a chapter coming to an end

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

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!

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

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!

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

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!

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!