Fall before Winter

Fall still comes before Winter even in the blogging world so alas I thought I should get that covered before Christmas comes:) This fall we kept up with our pumpkin carving tradition although I was hesitant at first. Or maybe the more accurate word is "lazy". For some reason pumpkin carving makes my arms so tired from sawing through the tough pumpkin skin with a little carving knife. I'm thinking an electric knife may be the way to go next year:) Tired arm or not I still love having a lit up pumpkin on my front porch even if no one can figure out what it is that I carved;)

Derek carved a coffee mug with steam coming out the top.

I carved a Nurse. Can you see the nurse hat, eyes mouth and stethoscope?

 Derek and I headed to Matthiessen state park on a beautiful October day. We went there this past spring and decided to go back this fall for some pretty autumn hiking.

Another fall necessity....fire roasted doughnuts!

Now that I've got a bit of our fall blogged, winter can officially commence.....ha! I do believe it's already been winter for a few weeks or so now.....so I suppose I should stop making pumpkin bars and pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread and move on to Christmas baking :)

My 24th and a case of Poison Ivy

On October 4th I turned 24 and it didn't really feel much different than the year before or the year before that? Could this mean I'm getting old...I don't like to think so;) Derek once again spoiled me. He is always going out of his way to make me feel special and loved and my birthday was no exception. Since my birthday is in October it can range in a variety of temperatures. I've had the rainy/misty birthday....the Indian summer hot birthday....the "I think it might snow" birthday. This year it was a "chilly winds" birthday. Derek and I wanted to take bikes out on the constitution trail, but even the thought of that made me want to burrow in a heating blanket. So we changed plans and went to Barnes and Noble for some cozy book reading. I'm not sure if it was Derek's favorite thing, but I can get lost in a book in 1.5 seconds no problem. After that we did some shopping and then went out to eat at Medici's in Normal. I loved the atmosphere at the restaurant and the food was good too. Then we found a little cupcake shop where I picked out a snicker's cupcake. Overall it was a good day and we took our bikes out a different day :) A few days after my birthday I started noticing that I had a lot of bumps on my feet and legs that looked suspiciously like poison ivy. We had recently been out in the timber, but I remembered showering right after so I was sure this wasn't it. Was I ever wrong. Within a few days it had spread over my body making me want to crawl out of my skin. It was the worst in the night by far. Sleep wasn't an option unless medicated with benadryl...which really only made me groggy. I remember looking at all these mom's with newborns posting pics on instagram of late night feedings and I'm thinking, "hey I'll get up with your baby and you can go back to sleep since I'm up anyway". Granted I'm sure said moms would not like someone with poison ivy holding their child. Anyway I finally called the Doctor and got a prescription for a steroid cream that seems to be working good. Needless to say I've been extra cautious since then when we are at wiener roasts or anywhere near the woods for that matter. Gotta love the country ;)

J&K Married!

                            

Wedding days always appear to go somewhat in the same fashion. You have the getting ready, the pictures, the bride looking gorgeous and the ceremony. I would argue though that there is always a few little things that set every wedding apart and this wedding was no exception. We got ready that morning and I was introduced to fake eye lashes....for the first time ever. I was somewhat hesitant when the makeup ladies whipped out the glue....I was wondering if it was a permanent thing there for a minute. After much reassuring and many a layer of I don't know what I had new eyelashes. I may or may not have texted Derek to let him know that he should not be alarmed if I look Egyptian. Anywho after all the fluff and getting into our dresses in walks one of the groomsmen with wet hair....wet shoulder length hair that is. He was wondering what to do with it for pictures since pictures were starting in about 15 minutes. Let's just say about 5 women descended on him with blow driers, straighteners, gel and hairspray. It was a funny sight, but we got the job done and I am now further convinced men should have short hair ;) Pictures commenced and it was an absolutely gorgeous September day.
                                     
Before we knew it it was time for the ceremony to start. Katy looked beautiful and I was so happy to be able to be apart of her day. From there we went to 5-points in Washington for the reception. We were all hungry and couldn't wait to eat;) It almost felt like a highschool reunion and was so fun to reconnect with people we hadn't seen for awhile.
                                           
Katy and I have been friends since middle school and have been through thick and thin together. I am especially grateful for her friendship and that she is always willing to lend a listening ear and that no time is too late or early to text her. We wish both of you the best in your marriage!

Canada Vacation {a favorite}

Originally this vacation was going to be an all guys trip, just my dad, brothers and brother in laws. You know the kind of trips where the guys run around in camo, burp a lot and eat all things unhealthy because there wives aren't there. Wellll then they said that there would be enough room for husbands to bring their wives if we were interested. I for one am not in the habit of turning down vacations, but I wasn't sure if this was my type of vacation. After all someone said that if you don't like fishing or eating fish you have no business in Canada ;). That posed a slight problem for me since I could count the number of times I've been fishing on one hand and fish isn't my favorite food (by a long shot) unless deeply fried, seasoned and disguised to not be so...uh...fishy. Anyway I thought about it and figured I could read or work on my tan if all else failed so off to Canada I went with the guys, my two sisters and niece.
And I'm so glad I did..

The guys are off for an evening of fishing

Evie liked her "pet" minnows

Lakeside nap

Just him and I getting ready to leave the dock to go to crab claw lake.

Hiking at nearby national park

It shouldn't have been a surprise that I liked it so well since I love being in the outdoors and here we got to experience it everyday. There were bald eagles, snapping turtles, beavers and more. Hopping on a boat whenever you wanted and taking off across miles of lakes was so fun and refreshing. There were a couple days were my luck at fishing seemed all  but non existent, but after I started catching fish and lots of them I started to think fishing wasn't all bad after all;) The days that it did require my patience I was often found with a magazine lounging in the boat. Other days we went tubing, swimming, shopping at a farmers market, blueberry picking, hiking and listening to fishing stories. The fishing stories were some of the best times. Everyone anticipated hearing them at supper time, everyone hopeful that everyone caught something and excited to share their stories.....even if a couple stories involved running boats into rocks (opps), getting caught in a rainstorm or thinking you had a GReat catch when in reality you'd caught someone else's lure (Little Rascal's anyone?).

Fishing with the pro Walleye catcher

Fishing at dawn

I think it's safe to say I know more fishing "lingo" than I'll ever need to know and I have an admiration and awe of the Canadian land we were in. We had a great time in the beauty of Canada!

Red, White & Boom

Not only is the fourth of July a fun filled holiday, but also a holiday full of meaning as I think of our freedoms and the people who so courageously serve our country. It really makes me stop and thank the Lord. It wasn't my holiday to work so I got up and went running with a friend. I opted to skip the parade because someday in the future when we have kids I can imagine spending too many July's in the hot sun getting melted candy tossed at me and listening to blaring fire sirens;).

That afternoon Derek and I were getting ready to leave for Peoria when I realized we had a little extra time so I decided it was time for an impromptu photo shoot. Why is it that those always work out better than the planned ones? I called up my sister and she snapped a few quick pictures of Derek and I with his nice camera.

Attempting to reenact one of our wedding poses....flop

From there we hung out at my moms before going shopping in Peoria. We went to Ross in search of some new shirts for Derek, but somehow came away with a ceramic frying pan and a spatula. Yes we are odd and easily distracted, but in our defense we didn't get a new frying pan as a wedding gift so we'd been using an old peeling one.

We went to Logan's for supper since it was buy one entree get one free. It's a great deal if don't mind waiting 45+ minutes to be seated, but we went for a walk and scouted out a good place to sit for the fireworks while we waited. Peoria fireworks were pretty to watch and since we stayed on the East Peoria side of the river I felt like we got back onto the interstate fairly quickly. It was a great day spent with my hubby:)

One Year Married!

It's surreal to think that Derek and I have been married for one year. Just one year ago we were watching the grey skies outside praying the rain would hold off until after 5'oclock so we could be married {without getting drenched that is}. And it did hold off thank the Lord. Now here we are one year into our marriage journey and I couldn't imagine life without my hubby. Just the other day he brought me breakfast in bed just because, filled up my car with gas and dusted our house. He makes my heart smile with all the ways he loves Jesus and then as a result loves me.

On a less sappy note...here are some random thoughts from our first year together:

In one year I haven't had to buy any laundry detergent...I don't know why, but it seems we got an over abundance of laundry detergent at our wedding showers....which is fine by me. In a year we've learned the art of admitting when we're wrong and asking for forgiveness. In a year I've learned to always buy 2 cans of pringles...one for me and one for him (some things you just don't share;). In a year we've grown quite attached to our home in town....we love walking out the door and hopping on our bikes in the evening. In a year Derek has been a nurse to me often....he must have the immunity of a horse because he has yet to be sick (no complaining here lol).

The day before our anniversary (celebrating Andrew and Emily's big day)

 

 

On our anniversary my brother Max got baptized so we got to spend some quality time with family before taking off for a quick getaway to Michigan City. We drove up Sunday night ate at a Pizzeria and walked along Lake Michigan. The next day we enjoyed breakfast together, went back to the lake where I learned Derek is a pro at skipping rocks and then went to an outlet mall (not Derek's favorite place to be, but he was sweet about it). Then it was back home we went:)

Road trip:)

Awww isn't he sweet!?

Road down to lake Michigan

A+E Wedding

On the sunny day of June 21st my sweet friend Emily got married and what an exciting weekend it was! On Friday we decorated the church in all things burlap-y and rustic, it looked great! Then we got pedicures together which I was thrilled about since my poor runners feet needed some pampering. That evening we rehearsed and then had supper together at Rosie's.

Rehearsing

Rehearsal dinner fun with these two:)

 The morning of the wedding my uncle passed away so it was a bittersweet day of many emotions. Just thinking of him in Heaven brought us such joy, but thinking of his family broke my heart. He will be deeply missed.
My brothers girlfriend, Francie did my hair that morning- I am so thankful for people who know what they're doing with hair:). Then I met up with the rest of the bridal party at the church to get ready and then it was picture time. The photographers were nice and kept it short so we didn't sweat too much:)
                                            
The wedding ceremony went great, no one tripped, fainted etc and they both said I do! From there we went to the reception where I suffered a minor case of anxiety due to the fact that I had the honor of giving a speech though I am not much of a public speaker. Thankfully it went good (or so they tell me) so then I was able to relax and enjoy the rest of the evening.

Beautiful bride in lace:)

Maid and Matron of Honor... and I just have to say I'm so excited for her upcoming wedding!

And they're off to a tropical week in St. Martin! (I am just slightly jealous)

Thank you Emily for your friendship and how you Love the Lord in a way that makes me want to seek after Him more and more. Can't wait for many more years of being friends- now both as married couples!

Canoing down the Mackinaw

Last Sunday we went canoeing in the afternoon down the 'ole mackinaw. The water was high enough, the sun was shining, but the water was still icey cold so no tipping on this trip;)
I've never been a master at the canoe, but I did canoe in the Boundary Waters of Minnesota for about a week and barely lived to tell about it so I must be decent enough at it. I ride in the front of the canoe, Derek rides in the back and things go quite swell (we've tried it with him in the front and me in back, and it does Not work- shocker right?).  Then I work on getting a tan and throw a few strokes in here and there so I don't look completely worthless. Truth is though that Derek enjoys canoeing, is good at the whole steering thing so I just kinda get to relax and put my feet in the water (aka not mess up his grove;). It was a beautiful day with family and makes me love summertime all the more...

Ross and his sweet girlfriend

Derek keeping us from running into the bank:)

Corrine and I ready to do some serious canoeing

It's Wedding Season!

When Spring and Summer arrive it seems they bring in the unofficial "Wedding Season" right along with them. This is evidenced by the myriad of wedding invitations and wedding shower invites that cover our refrigerator and threaten to take over our bulletin board as well. That's ok though we like weddings (perhaps I shouldn't say "we", but I like them anyway;) This weekend we were able to celebrate my good friend Emily by throwing her a wedding shower. She is getting married June 21 and we are sooo super excited for her and Andrew! For her shower we headed to Madison's in Washington to celebrate Emily and they did a phenomenal job! The food was great and the atmosphere was really fun.

Right before everyone arrived at Madison's

Opening gifts

Cute cookies to match the occasion

Hostesses and bride to be

The next day was John and Kandace's wedding. It was a beautiful day and we were excited to be a part of their big day.

Derek and I all ready for the wedding

 

 

 

 

 

                                  

 John and Kandace

Then on May 4th (I know this is backtracking a little, but I couldn't forget about these two) we got to go to Rex and Rachel's wedding! Rachel and I were study buddies throughout nursing school and share the same passion for nursing.
And that's all the wedding stuff that's been going on for now!:)