Confessional Friday: Travel Edition

It's Friday...I'm done with finals...my sister is back for break...and we took a weekend trip to Detroit to visit Emily & Mo last weekend! This makes me an extremely happy person. EXTREMELY. To celebrate my happiness and our recent trip, I thought I'd make this Confessional Friday all about travel!

I love traveling, but I am by no means an expert. I just know what works for us and maybe you'll find something helpful in here as well.

1) I confess I take my sweet time when researching/planning a trip. 

When I booked our honeymoon, I was on the computer the day plane tickets were available to purchase. I scoured over TripAdvisor and Oyster searching for the best all-inclusive hotel. considered becoming a travel agent for a time based on the amount of hours I was putting in planning this trip. I don't know what it is, but there is something to be said for hunting and hunting and finally finding the best deal that makes me happy. Take your time, do your research, and I can assure you will get a better deal than if you just hop on an book the first thing you see.

This is what happens when you do your research =)

2) I confess I've had to learn to roll with the punches. 

Not everything goes right when you're traveling. Whether it is a delay, a broken luggage wheel, or your flight gets cancelled, there is a good chance your trip will not go off without a hitch. In the past, my obsession with being organized and prepared would have probably had me crying at the thought of things not going right. Now, I've learned to let go a bit and I'm SO much happier for it. When our honeymoon flight ft cancelled, instead of freaking out we went to the counter and rebooked...no trouble! I realized that my attitude wasn't going to change the circumstances, so why waste my energy? It's great! 

3) I confess it's helpful to travel with someone you get along with. 

Kacie and I went to Ireland together and obviously Justin and I traveled to the Dominican Republic. Both trips had ups and downs and bumps in the road. So long as you're with someone that you enjoy being around and who can tolerate any potential mental meltdowns...you should be good to go! 

Guinness Storehouse in Ireland

4) I confess I've been "that person" when booking a trip. 

By that person I mean the one who calls the company hotline in an attempt to get a better deal. When booking our honeymoon, we wanted to book using two different credit cards. However, there was no option for this on the website. I called the hotline, and even though we weren't able to use two cards without a fee, the representative gave us $400 off for our troubles. How cool! It's a tip I'm definitely going to remember to use in the future!

Because we saved so much money, we were able to add a Zipline adventure to our package!

5) I confess that I love coming home to a clean house.

We always take time to pick up the house before leaving. Even though we have a live-in housekeeper right now (thanks, Kacie), we try to take a few minutes to pick up, make the beds, and organize the house a bit before we take off. It is such a nice feeling to get home from a trip and not have to worry about any chores waiting for us. 

6) I confess waiting is the hardest part!

I honestly think the worst part of traveling is waiting! We are planning a trip to Las Vegas in May and I can hardly wait...only 5 months to go!

Downtown Detroit

Skyline

I've been a little MIA from the blog (which my mom reminded me of :) ) because I've been busy with law school finals. Hopefully, I'll be able to get back in the routine of things now that I'm settled down. I've got a few posts in the works that I'm really excited about...so be on the lookout! 

So how about you?! What are your favorite travel tips? Have any trips coming up? I want to hear about them!

Linking up with...

Continue Reading...

Confessional Friday: Part IV

Another week has come and gone. Can you BELIVE next week is Thanksgiving? You guys, it's INSANE how fast this year has gone. It's probably because we packed soooo many things into it.

This week I'm linking up with the FAB blogs below.

Here we go!

1) I confess that we're taking another road trip this weekend.
We're headed up to Omaha after Justin gets off work to visit our friends Eric and Ashley. We haven't seen them in awhile, and we haven't seen their new house since they moved in this summer! We've been trying to visit each other at least once each month, but with Justin's work schedule it's just so hard to get time off over a weekend. I'm so excited! Tonight we'll be grilling out and catching up. Tomorrow we'll be making some gameday goodies while we watch the Huskers take on Minnesota, then hitting the town!

2) I confess I should be editing my seminar paper.
It's due in three short weeks. But after putting in sooo much time into it, I think I need to give it a break for awhile. Maybe I'll have a little time this weekend to work on it.

3) I confess Archie enjoys watching TV...I think. 
I always thought Peyton (and dogs in general) couldn't see what was happening on the TV because there would be dogs, cats, everything on there making noise and he would never bat an eye. But Archie...he can see (and barks at) everything. Also, he'll just stare at it like he's watching it. Earlier, I was catching up on How to Get Away With Murder (OMG!) and had it paused. He must not have liked what was on there because he started barking like crazy. Either that or he wanted me to start it so he could see what happened. ;)

3) I confess I went a little crazy in the Christmas department on Wednesday.
I ordered some wrapping paper off walmart.com and had it shipped to the store. I walked in there with the full intention of going straight to the back to pick it up....then I saw the Christmas aisles and the rest was history. I got bows, ribbon, boxes, cookie tins, and a few decorations! Oh yeah, and my wrapping paper. Now let the gift shopping begin!

4) I confess I'm excited for Thanksgiving next week.
We'll be heading home at some point, going to wings Wednesday, and spending some quality time with family. Oh yeah...and food. So. Much. Food. I couldn't be happier. This is one of my favorite times of the year, one of the reasons for that is being able to spend so much time with our families.

That's all for this Friday! Talk to ya'll soon!

-Emily

Continue Reading...

A Baby Shower!

In lieu of Confessional Friday this week (and any other post...I've been a little MIA lately), I thought I would catch up on last weekends happenings! As many of you know, and I've talked a little about before (here and here), this weekend I helped host my sister-in-law's baby shower this weekend. It was an amazing time, filled with laughter, great food, awesome gifts for Baby Calvert, and even a few tears I think (happy ones of course!)

When Mallory's sister first asked for my help, I said yes right away. For some reason I've been gravitating toward baby items on Pinterest (...baby fever anyone??) and planning a baby shower gave a real reason to start pinning. =)

We started out by choosing a date and time. Several factors went into deciding which day it would be held on:

1) What did Mallory want?
2) What day would most people be likely to come?
3) What time would be most convenient for people?
4) Which date and time made the most sense for us host-ies?

First thing's first, it's always a good idea to make sure the guest of honor/mommy-to-be is going to be available on the chosen date! Otherwise, what's the point of having the party?! Also, we thought it would be important for the shower to be on a Sunday, given that Saturdays in the fall always seem to be super busy with football games, children's activities, what have you. Given that, we chose a 2 PM time on Sunday, November 9. Some thought went in to the 2 PM time as we wanted to give people enough time to go to church and eat lunch but not cut it too close to dinner time. Plus, having an early afternoon shower allowed us to cut back on the food amounts some since we figured most people would have eaten by that time.

We also had to find some place to have this shin-dig! A couple of options that came up were the party room at the Dakota City Fire Hall and the fireside room at Mallory's church. After talking with Mallory, she told me she thought the fire room would work well (she meant the room at the church). LESSON #1: Clarify, clarify, clarify. Upon learning this from Mallory, I told her sister to book the fire HALL room for the party, which meant the Dakota City Fire Hall. Big miscommunication. We got the fire hall, but Mallory didn't know this until she got the invite. Big fail. But, it turned out great so it could have been worse.

Once we settled on the place, next came the invitation and decoration selection. I was in charge of invitations, and after consulting with Mallory, I selected ones Mallory's sister had found on Pinterest sold by a shop on Etsy. (Man, I love that place.) We got them in grey and yellow to match the gender neutral theme! So cute!

Then we started talking about decorations! Pinterest had the cutest diaper bouquets and salt water taffy bouquets inspirations ever. Mal's sister decided to do the diaper bouquets and I made the taffy ones. Here's how they turned out...pretty good I have to say! (Side note: Yellow salt water taffy is EXTREMELY hard to find!).

The diaper bouquets

Taffy bouquets

Mal had also sent me a picture of a streamer and balloon backdrop she saw...so I thought it seemed do-able. I got all the supplies, got the picture, and got Justin and his dad Dave to work on making it happened. HUGE thank you to them because it looked amazing! LESSON #2: Don't be afraid to bring men to help get up. 

Inspiration Photo

In progress...

Final result...so great!

She also sent me a photo of some sucker favors with a little label on them thanking everyone for coming and the saying "Look who's ready to POP!". Below is the inspiration picture, and then my final result picture!

Inspiration Photo

My version

I used shipping labels and designed them using two columns on Word

We also knew we wanted to have some games. I had seen a Pin about a "The Price is Right" game where you have guests guess about the price of common baby items. Mallory's sister say one about putting several baby items into a diaper bag and then have guests feel around for 30 seconds and try to write down all the items they felt. We decided to do both of those as well as a "Guess the Baby Bump Size" game where guests cut a piece of measuring tape as big as they think the momma-to-be's baby bump is around. They were all super fun!

Guess the bump!

We used something similar to this found on Etsy...but Mallory's sister made ours!

One thing we did forget however, was a prize for each of the game winners. LESSON #3: Don't forget the party prizes! That was too bad, but since the gifts normally end up with the momma anyway, we'll just have to make it up to her later. ;)

Next, we had to figure out what we were doing for food. Since it was an afternoon shower, appetizers and finger foods seemed like a good choice. I wanted something easy to whip together so I chose little BBQ smokies, spinach dip, and glazed meatballs. Mal's sister said she would do the sandwiches (egg salad, chicken salad, and tuna) as well as a veggie pizza, fruit, and a cold salad. It turned out amazing and I think everything was a really good balance for people to choose from. She also got the cake. It was from HyVee, tasted and looked amazing, but she said it was a little pricey. LESSON #4: Ask about cake prices to reduce sticker shock. 

Part of the food set up

Adorable cake and dessert table Mal's sister put together

After that, everything was pretty much set! We showed up two hours before the party, got everything set up, and the shower went great! Baby Calvert got lots of cute items and should be ready to make his or her debut any time now!

Final set up!

Myself, the beautiful momma-to-be Mallory, and her sister Lacy

Words can't explain how excited I am to become an Aunt for the first time! My heart is so happy!

I've created a Baby Shower Planning Guide in case I ever throw another baby shower...maybe that way we won't forget the prizes! =)

You can download it by clicking here! 

Thanks for reading and Happy Sunday!

-Emily

Continue Reading...

Confessional Friday: Part III

Good morning! I'm really liking this confessional thing! However, I've noticed I am less inclined to blog more substantial posts when I'm doing this. I'm going to try to keep up with a "long" post and a confessional post per week type of schedule...but we will see how that goes with the holidays and finals coming up.

Here are my confessions!

1) I confess that this weekend is the big baby shower!!
Sunday is the day! It should be a great time with family and friends getting together to celebrate Baby C.  Mallory's sister and I have been working hard to make sure we have everything accounted for. I know this is one topic I'm planning to post about later, not necessary every detail about the shower itself, but more about what we did to prepare and how everything came together. Now I just have to remember to take pictures... =)

2) I confess I'm excited to be spending the weekend back in South Sioux. 
Because of the shower, Justin and I as well as the dogs, are heading back to South Sioux for the weekend. We haven't been back since September, and that was for less than 24 hours. It'll be nice to have a relaxing weekend and catch up with family. Also, I'm super excited because on Saturday I'll be grabbing a drink with Molly and Alexa. It'll be great to have a little time to hang out, so I can't wait.

3) I confess my class schedule for next semester is leaving me frustrated. 
Basically, I got in to all the classes I signed up for in the lottery (which were clinics, so I'm working on real cases for low income individuals), but if I take all of them I won't be able to take Estate Planning and Business Associations. It's hard because I think Family Law Practice (working on divorce cases) would be super interesting, but the Estate Planning and Business Association  might be more useful when I get out into the "real world". I have the weekend to think about it, but it won't be an easy decision. Do I take the course that provides hands on interaction with clients, but in the specialized field of family law? Or do I go with two lecture courses in more broad topics, but with no hands on experiences? So hard!

4) I confess that I have a busy day today.
Archie woke me up early this morning (shocker), but I suppose it's okay being that I have a lot to get done before we leave town. I have to gather up all the last minute details for the baby shower, wrap gifts, head to school for a lunch time meeting, possibly mow, pack, and pick up the house a bit. I should also figure out something to fix the hole underneath my backyard fence. Peyton has learned to escape under it and go off on little adventures. In fact, I just spent 5 minutes looking for him before looked in the front yard and there he was! When he saw me he ran back under the fence to the backyard to come in the backdoor like nothing happened. Sneaky, sneaky. I'm lucky because he doesn't wander too far, but I'm afraid that one of these days he will! Anyway, lots to do so I'd better run!

Happy Friday,
-Emily

I'm linking up with A Blonde Ambition blog!

Continue Reading...

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread

So like most others out there...I'm guilty of falling victim to the fall pumpkin obsession. Last year, I made some pumpkin cream cheese bread. A couple of weekends ago it sounded pretty delicious so I went to look up the recipe. Well, do you think I could find it? No chance.

After scouring Pinterest, I found this recipe. It's not the same, but it seemed close enough. Here it is:

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread

*Cream Cheese Filling*
1 package cream cheese (8oz)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 egg

*Bread*
1 2/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar

Preheat oven to 325. Grease one large loaf pan or two small loaf pans. 

In a mixing bowl combine cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, and 1 egg. Beat until smooth.

In another bowl sift together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. 

In a third bowl, mix together pumpkin, vegetable oil, eggs and sugar. Blend well. 

Mix the pumpkin mixture into the flour until combined. 

Pour half the batter in the bottom of the pan then add the cream cheese mixture and pour the rest of the batter on top. 

Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes then remove from pan and cook on rack.

I forgot to take a finished picture...so this is from the original source!

Review
Overall, this recipe was pretty good, but I think I like the old one better (which makes me even more mad that I can't find it). The old one had some orange zest in it and I threw in some chocolate chips as well so I could probably make those additions to this recipe.

One change I think I would definitely make is this: I used one large loaf pan and it took FOREVER to get done in the middle. I'm talking like 2 hours. And then by the time the middle got done, the edges were a little dry. The flavor wasn't affected, but I think the texture could have been better. I would definitely use the two smaller pans next time.

That's all I've got! What are your favorite pumpkin recipes?

-Emily

Continue Reading...

Confessional Friday: Part II

It's that time of the week again! I can't believe it's already Friday. Not that I'm complaining, I just don't know where the week went! Here are my confessions for this week!

1) I confess I'm stressing about Saturday. 
I'm taking the MPRE (Multi-State Professional Responsibility Exam) on Saturday morning in Omaha. Basically, I have to pass this exam, along with the Bar, to practice law after graduation. It's based on the Model Rules lawyers have to abide by for ethics, duties, and other items. I can take it again if I don't pass the first time with out repercussions, which is a good thing, but I'd much rather not have to worry about it again. Today and tonight are going to be filled with studying, so hopefully I'll still be able to wake up on time to make it to Omaha!

2) I confess that Archie's training is going well. 
As I mentioned awhile back (here), we've been taking Archie to obedience classes once a week now for the past month. We've worked on sit, lay down, sit-stay, down-stay, leave it, loose leash walking, and "come"! He's been doing much better at listening and I can tell he remembers most of the commands when we practice at home. However, sometimes I think his stubborn-ness gets the best of him and he doesn't want to listen if he knows there's no treat coming. Now if we can just get that barking fixed...

3) I confess my new love of crocheting. 
If crocheting my heart out like an 80 year old woman is wrong, I don't want to be right. I've been going crazy learning new stitches, trying new patterns, and searching out patterns I want to try in the future. Having something to sit down and do at the end of the night that's pretty mindless is super relaxing. I have a few projects that I'm pretty proud of that I will probably blog about later! Here is the project I am planning next!

Quick and Easy Chunky Winter Headband

4) I confess my sister's visit last weekend was awesome!
Kacie came into town last weekend and we had a great time. We went to the Husker game on Saturday and it was a blast! The Huskers won and I got a little color from being in the sun all afternoon. What more can you ask for!? After the game we headed down to the Railyard for a few drinks and met up with my friend Molly. It was great to see her and her family and catch up about what's been going on in our lives! We ended the night with some sushi at Dozo which was delicious. After BisonWitches on Sunday, she started the drive back to Oklahoma. I can't wait to see her at Thanksgiving...only a month away!

5) I confess I'm starting to think about Christmas waaaaaaay too soon this year.
Speaking of holidays, I usually try not to even think about Christmas until after Thanksgiving, but there is something about this year that I can't help it. While Kacie was here we had her take some family pictures of Justin, myself, and the dogs, so I've been looking at Christmas card options using those pictures. I also already have my wrapping paper and theme picked out for this year (inspiration below). I also can't stop myself from pinning holiday drinks and goodies. Every year, I try to make a Christmas cookie platter for my family, Justin's mom and dad, and his brother and sister. This year I think I'm also going to include one for our neighbors! Because of that, I've been planning which cookies and treats I'll be making this year. Pinterest is so terrible great for this...so many ideas! As you can tell, I'm really excited and it's still two months away!

6) I confess I've been pretty adventurous in the kitchen lately. 
I pin so many recipe ideas, but it seems like I never get around to trying any of them. This past weekend, I made some pumpkin cream cheese bread. Yes, it was as good as it sounds. I've got a post in the works with the recipe and my review! Also, on Wednesday Justin requested a casserole-type dish for dinner. After looking on my boards, I came up with a taco bake. Noodles, meat, cheese...it was pretty good. I'm also planning a post with a review of this recipe later! I enjoy actually making something that requires a little work instead of resorting to Hamburger Helper or boxed cake mix. It gives me a sense of accomplishment! =)

That's all for now. I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend and please pray for me as I take this test tomorrow! =)

Thanks for reading,
-Emily

Linking up with...

Continue Reading...

Confessional Friday

I've been lacking ideas for posts lately; we haven't had much going on, which is actually a pretty nice change. Anyway, I've been thinking about doing something like this post for awhile now after seeing it on a few other blogs. Basically, every Friday I will post a few "confessions". It will be a way to get those random things off my chest that have been on my mind, but that don't warrant an entire post by themselves. In doing this, I will be linking up with other blogs participating in this activity, and will have the option on my post for others to link up on mine. So, if you read my blog and have a blog of your own, feel free to link up! So, here we go...

1) I confess that I'm super happy that my sister is visiting from Oklahoma this weekend!
Kacie is on Fall Break this weekend from her graduate program at Oklahoma State University. I haven't seen her since I went down for a visit in mid-September. I know, it doesn't seem like that long ago, but after living in the same city for all but two years of our lives, not seeing her for a month is very strange.

We're planning to go to the Husker football game tomorrow and hopefully grab some sushi tomorrow night! I know she'll have to leave early Sunday to make that 6 hour drive back to Stillwater, but hopefully we'll be able to do something fun before she has to leave. I won't be seeing her for another month (Thanksgiving) so I need to get in as much sister time as possible!

2) I confess that I just got my hair revamped for fall...and I LOVE it.
Cate, one of my friend's since middle school, is an amazing hairstylist and always knows what will look the best. She did my hair for my wedding and it was perfect. Kacie had planned on getting her hair done while she was back in town, so I thought it was time for a change for me as well.

I considered cutting it super short, but chickened out after thinking about it for awhile. I did chop a good six inches off however, and it just feels so much healthier. For the color, I wanted to go a little darker and red-ish for fall and I think it turned out perfectly!

It looks so different in outdoor light vs. indoor...so perfect!

3) I confess that Justin and I just booked a trip to Detroit!
I'm so so so excited because Justin and I just booked a trip to go visit my best friend Emily in Detroit. She recently moved there with her boyfriend and I haven't seen her since Molly's wedding back in September. We're leaving right after I get done with finals for the semester, so it will be a much needed get away that I'm really looking forward to. I'm excited to see all of her favorite parts of her new city and it will be so good to catch up in person!

4) I confess that I really love party planning. 
You would think that after planning a wedding I would be party-planned-out for awhile. But I couldn't stay away! When Mallory's (my sister-in-law) sister asked me to help throw Mallory's baby shower, I said yes right away. Since then, we've been busy coming up with fun game ideas, getting the invites made, and working on decorations. There's a lot to think about, but with the two of us, I think we are getting it done in a timely matter. My next task is to get some suckers for party favors and put some sort of label on them that says, "Look who's ready to pop...Thanks for coming!" Here are those, as well as some other elements we are working on. Click on the captions to find the original sources!

Cute backdrop...yellow and grey of course!

One game option

Party favors!

5) I confess that I realized today how much the morning can make or break your day. 
The past couple of mornings have been pretty rough. It seems like no matter what time we put Archie in "bed" for the night, he wakes up at 7AM barking like his life depends on it. Justin and I have been pretty good about taking turns going to let him out, feeding him, and playing with him a bit before he gets tired again. But this morning was one of those mornings when nothing would go right. It started with the barking, then he had an accident on the floor, then I couldn't find the match to my shoe, then my contacts were scratching my eyes, and I felt like I was running late to my hair appointment.

Looking back, I realize if I would have taken the time to play with Archie, maybe taken him on a walk, I could have "reset" my day and probably avoided all the other things that irritated me. Guess I'll know for next time!


There you have it, my "confessions"! I'm happy I was able to get a post together finally. I'm off to enjoy the rest of my Friday evening, cleaning the house, studying, and maybe enjoying a glass of wine. I hope you enjoy yours!

Link up if you would like!

-Emily

An InLinkz Link-up

Continue Reading...

Our Nine Year Anniversary: A Look Back

I'm sure most people reading this have a pretty good idea of Justin's and my story, but I think it's a pretty amazing one! In honor of our nine year dating anniversary today, I've decided to take a look back and write down some of our milestones, favorite memories, and anything else that comes to mind.

The Dating Years
We started dating on October 12, 2005. Having only hung out together a couple of times, and never alone, it all happened really fast. I had been talking to our friend Drew online and he thought Justin and I would be a good match, but I kind of told him I wanted to get to know Justin a little better before we started dating. Well, before you know it I get a phone call from Drew while I was at Alexa's house before Youth Leadership Council. I talked to Drew a bit before he said Justin wanted to talk to me. Before you knew it, he was asking me out, and I was saying yes (I think because I was too nice to say "no"). I hung up and said to Alexa "I think I have a boyfriend." She was super surprised (as was I) and that was that.

The prom that saved our relationship =)

The first year of our relationship was a little rough. We didn't really know each other so we barely talked...especially at school. We would see each other in the halls and only say "hi". I think we were both really shy as well so that didn't help. I thought about breaking up with him because I didn't know if it would work, but he was a senior and I wanted to go to prom (yes, that was so shallow of me). Obviously, I'm glad my shallowness got the better of me and we stayed together. =)

The next two years had challenges of their own. Justin graduated high school and went off to college. We had talked a lot about whether we were going to try and make the long distance relationship work and we decided that we cared enough about each other to give it a shot. (Also, both of us were probably too nice to end it.)

We spent the time talking on the phone a lot, texting, and driving back and forth to Lincoln to visit each other. Justin was a good sport and would accompany me to homecomings and proms, even though he was usually one of the oldest people there.

One of my favorite memories from this time period was surprising Justin with a visit to Lincoln. It was Halloween weekend during his freshman year. Matt, his brother, and Drew, our friend, had planned to go down and visit him. Somehow we came up with the plan that I would ride along with them, and not tell Justin that I was coming. (Looking back, this could have been dangerous and on the ride down we joked about how I would show up and Justin would have another girl in his room. Thankfully, this didn't happen.) They showed up, knocked at his door, and said there was a surprise waiting for him in the hallway. It was me! The look on his face was priceless, and we spent the weekend dressing up in costumes and having a great time!

Halloween surprise visit

Prom 2008

Homecoming 2007

After what seemed like an eternity, I graduated high school and joined Justin down in Lincoln for college. It was definitely an adjustment living in the same town again. We got on each other's nerves more than once, but for the most part it was amazing just to be able to do the small things together like grabbing lunch or having Sunday $.25 tacos.

We got to experience more Halloween parties together, take some classes together, and go on trips together. We visited Florida twice (once with my family and once for a spring break trip), Kansas City a few times, Colorado, and Okoboji every year with Justin's family. I fell in love with Colorado during our trip there and have been dying to go back ever since. Hopefully it will happen soon! Our Okoboji trips are always fun. You can't go wrong with getting to spend a week on the water every summer boating, tubing, wakeboarding, swimming, and (now that we're old enough) exploring the local drinking establishments.

The Engagement Years

In March 2012, we decided we wanted to take a road trip for Justin's birthday and over my spring break. We chose to go to Minneapolis because it was within driving distance, I had never been there before, and Justin hadn't gone since he was little. So off we went!

We had moved in together in August of 2011, so I knew things were getting pretty serious. Plus, we had talked a lot about our future and getting married, so the proposal itself didn't come as a huge surprise. However, I totally didn't expect it on this trip. From what Justin tells me, the timing wasn't something he thought a lot about. He decided it was time to pull the trigger the week before the trip, bought the ring in Sioux City before we left, and waited until the last possible moment to ask me before we left Minneapolis. But, I wouldn't have had it any other way because that's so Justin and I love it. 

Engagement day...so happy!

We set the wedding date, I graduated from UNL in May 2012, and I went full on into planning mode. It was a crazy two years after that. I started law school, Justin started a part-time job to help us pay for the wedding, and we were both crazy busy. It could have been a divisive time for any couple, but it seemed to bring Justin and I closer together. We bonded when there were challenges to face, and because of our busy schedules, we cherished the time we did have together that much more. Little things like going to dinner and a movie became that much more rare, so when they did happen we truly enjoyed them. Our trips to Okoboji during those two years were even more special as well because we were able to spend an entire week together uninterrupted by work, school, or anything else that tended to get in the way.

UNL Graduation

Okoboji 2013

Okoboji 2012

In October of 2013, we had our engagement session. Again, this was one of those special occasions where we were able to have a "date night" while getting some great pictures in the mean time. We went to James Arthur Vineyard near Lincoln for the first half of the pictures. We've been there a few times and really enjoy it. It's in the country and is always a peaceful, fun experience. 

To be honest, I didn't know how the pictures would turn out. Before we left, Justin was in a bad mood, I was stressed out, and we had a pretty big fight. Let's just say we weren't feeling the happiest with each other at that time and we definitely didn't feel like cuddling or kissing. But just taking a few hours to ourselves and thinking about our upcoming wedding and the love we have for each other even during our worst moments really solidified our bond and commitment to one another.

Engagement pictures @ James Arthur Vineyard

In January 2014, we were fortunate enough to purchase our first home. It's a 2 bedroom/1 bathroom and it just works perfectly for us right now. There's enough room for guests, ourselves, and our two dogs. Also, we've already tested out its house party ability, and it works pretty good for that as well! I love thinking of new decorating ideas and ways we can improve our home. This summer the major project has been the back yard. In July, with the help of Matt and Mallory, we were able to get the rest of the yard fenced, the back fence line cleaned out, and my garden a bit more organized. There is still a lot of work to do, and next summer hopefully we will be able to finish cleaning up the back fence line, put up a retaining wall, and install a better fence. 

The Married Years
On May 31, 2014, the day I had been waiting for for YEARS finally happened. It was such a special day where we finally made our relationship "official". Looking back, our long relationship was really a training that enabled us to make our commitments with full hearts, having already tested most of the vows.

"...I give my all to you.

My support for your achievements, 

my counsel for your problems, my remedies for your ills, 

my prosperity for yours, my shoulder for your tears, 

my ear for your voice, my hand for companionship 

and my embrace to simply feel our love..."

Wedding day

Okoboji 2014

I must be one of the luckiest people in the world. I've gotten to spend the last eight years with one of the most selfless, hard-working, and loving people on this planet. Looking back and seeing how our relationship has grown and evolved over the years truly is amazing. It hasn't been perfect; we've had our fair share of good and bad, ups and down, but I wouldn't trade what we have for anything in the world.

I'm so looking forward to what is in store for us in year nine. Love you Justbabe, and happy "anniversary". =)

Continue Reading...