It's a good day!

Today is a very, very happy day. First of all, it's our two-year anniversary! Second of all...I have finished my last final as of this morning and am officially D-O-N-E with undergrad!

Oh my...I can't even believe it yet. I'm sure when it sinks in and all the remnants of stress melt away, I'll be even happier. For now I am going to enjoy hanging out with Bryan for the day (he took off work) and then spend the next month doing nothing but enjoying the holiday festivities, vacationing in Florida, and sitting around doing absolutely nothing until my job starts the third week of January. Oh...so very nice.

I wish everyone else out there the joy that I am experiencing right now!

Fall Break 08

I know it's December now, but I finally had time to go back and look at the pictures from Bryan's surprise birthday trip during my fall break in October. It was the first trip that we had taken alone since our honeymoon (which is kind of sad), and I had so much fun planning it. Looking at the pictures brought back a lot of happy memories. Sorry I'm posting so many of them.:)

Our first stop was Madison, WI, to vist Nick. Neither of us had ever checked out Madison and it turns out that it's a really cool city. We saw the university campus, walked around the lake and State Street (the main drag with all the fun shops), ate at a cafe overlooking the street and then spent time around the impressive capital building. You can see a little bit of it there at the end of State St. in the picture.:) We also found a park in the area and enjoyed the fall colors. The weather was absolutely perfect while we were there, which always makes everything that much better.

Nick and Bryan in front of the Lake in Madison. I like the sailboats in this picture. I kind of want one...they are just so happy looking.:)

Next stop was a little historic town in WI named Cedarburg. There was a really cool old winery there and we got to do a tour and a wine tasting. (You can see the main building of the winery behind us) For lunch, we ate at a wood-floored French creperie overlooking the creek next to the winery. We also found a really great local coffee shop (named Fiddlerheads) and did morning devotions with our latte and chai. mmm. I wish I had taken a picture there.

After Cedarburg, we headed down along Lake Michigan. We stopped just after crossing the Illinois border at a state beach park. We didn't have long, but we got to walk the beach and enjoy the sand and water.

The last part of our 4-day trip was spent in Chicago. We had a great time there. We stayed at an amazing bed and breakfast in Oak Park and spent the next day shopping on Michigan Avenue, checking out museums, and hanging out at Millenium Park.

Bryan took this picture through the window while we were eating lunch at the Corner Bakery...very nice.
This is the garden courtyard of that amazing church on MI Avenue. It' s so beautiful there, like a little oasis in the middle of the city. And of course we had to take some pictures at the crazy giant "bean" in Millenium Park. Bryan hadn't ever seen it before...it was fun seeing his reaction.:)

So that's about it. It was a short trip, but we packed a lot into our four days and had a wonderful time together!

Christmas in November

Jen and Luke were home last week and we simply had to do Christmas while they were here. It felt a little strange since Thanksgiving is still two weeks away, but Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without everybody. I kind of forgot about my camera for most of the night and did a pretty sad job of taking pictures, but here's what I have. The first picture on top is of my luxuriously soft slippers from Kait. I'm wearing them right now and will continue to do so until the sun comes out in the spring. Thank you Kait for keeping my toes warm through the winter.:)
Ann and Kait getting us into the Christmas spirit with some carols before opening gifts. :)Us, getting into the Christmas spirit while listening to aforementioned carols...Ann's pretty tank top...from Jen I think. You can see Ann's cute little pregnant belly in this picture.:) Yay for babies!
I wanted to get a picture of Kurt with his gifts...but I got this nice shot of his Frappuccino instead.We love you Jen and Luke...thanks for coming, it was great being with you last week!

Time for Change?

So, it looks like we have a new president. I've been a little worried about what America's future holds throughout this presidential race (and with the economy tanking like it did), but I read some amazing verses earlier this week that really challenged, convicted, and encouraged me. I'll share them here for you guys.

Romans 13

1. Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. 6. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. 7. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

This is even more powerful when you think that Paul was writing this in response to the anti-Christian Roman authority during a difficult political period. I think respect and honor for our leaders is something that America has been missing for a while. Regardless of who is president, as Christians we need to trust that God is in control and be that example.

And remember to keep praying for our country through all of this change!

Brett and Liv!

One of my best friends got married this past weekend! Most of you reading this were probably there, but I thought it was still blog-worthy.:)

It was a great weekend. One of the best parts was that I got to spend a lot of it with Mom. (we went out early together to make bouquets and set up for the reception, etc.) We really had a ton of fun working together, even with all of the stress and craziness.

Brett and Liv are of course adorable...but with the last name Steffen, how could you NOT be a perfect couple?:) It's actually pretty weird that Liv and I ended up with the same last name. I mean, what are the odds?

Besides the fun with the last name, I'm also very excited to have someone else to talk to about the joys and challenges of marriage. (It kind of stinks being the first of your friends to get married) So, congrats and God's blessings Brett and Liv...and let's keep these weddings coming guys!:)

Uh Oh...

So, my right eye has been bugging me lately and I found out today that it has an ulcer! (as in an open sore...eww) I didn't even know people could get ulcers on their eyes. Apparently it can happen if you wear your contacts for too many hours a day or don't change them as often as you're supposed to (oops). Yeah, and they leave a scar. The good news is that it's on the lower part of my eye...my eye doctor told me that the scar can actually end up blinding you if it's up near your cornea and all that important stuff! Lasik surgery is sounding better all the time.

Well, that's my exciting drama for the day.:) And may it be a warning to you all to remember to CHANGE THOSE CONTACTS!

Tagged

I think a couple of people have tagged me by now, so here are my "seven things":

1. My favorite colors are green, orange and cream...which incidentally happen to be the paint colors in our house. I just realized the connection for the first time the other day.:) Those colors also seem to end up dominating in my closet if I'm not careful.

2. After four years of having my hair cut short, I have finally relented to growing it out. (Bryan has been hinting at it for a while now) So here I go. Wish me luck...and patience because I'm not sure I will be able to make it.

3. I am pretty much obsessed with traveling. I'll go anywhere and everywhere. The weird thing is that I am extremely frugal but for some reason have no qualms with splurging on traveling. We all have our vices I suppose.

4. Ooh, here's a good one. I have precisely 65 days until I'm done with school. More specifically, I have 1,564 hours or 93,849 minutes until the end of my last final exam. I just figured that out on this customizable countdown thing I found online.:)

5. I love Polaroid cameras. They are so much fun...it's like every picture is instantly vintage.:) You can imagine how happy I was when my amazing husband surprised me with a camera of my very own this past summer after I had been going on about how great they are.

6. I'm also crazy about books. I love the way they look, feel and even smell. I usually buy them on trips as souvenirs. Bryan's a big fan too and we dream of someday having a house big enough to hold more than our one bookcase.:) That one is already overflowing and I'm sure we're not done with our library.

7. My new favorite sport to play is tennis (It used to be ultimate frisbee). This might have something to do with the fact that I'm married to someone who is very good...and patient enough to give me private lessons. He SAYS I'm getting much better though.:)

Fall Break

Hey everyone, it's my FALL BREAK!

That means that we're half-way through the semester. (MY LAST SEMESTER EVER!) That also means that I don't have class until next Thursday! Yep, that's right...a whole week off. I'm in heaven. Or will be once I get a couple of homework assignments done tonight and tomorrow.

Then, tomorrow afternoon, Bryan and I are leaving for a mini 4-day vacation. We're going up to see Nick in Madison and are planning on spending a day in Chicago on the way back. We're very excited.

Plus, the leaves are starting to change and the air is getting all crisp...which always seems to give everyone that happy "fall feeling." Yes, the time for hoodies and apple cider is back. :)

So...I wish each and every one of you a beautiful fall!

Happy Birthday!

Bryan turned 25 yesterday!

Instead of trying to find the words to express how amazing this guy is, I picked out a little "birthday" song from our favorites to commemorate his "sweetness." :)

Mass Ave and Beyond

I was looking through pictures from this summer and found the ones from the day trip that Bryan and I took around town. We dubbed it our "Explore I. Day." Everything was absolutely perfect, and that day is probably one of the best memories I have with Bryan so far. Who knew that exploring your own city could be so fun?
After breakfast at an outside cafe in Broadripple, we headed to Mass Ave. These few blocks are one of the city's fun "cultural districts" and are filled with unique shops and restaurants.
Here's the vintage silk poppy hair pin that Bryan let me buy from one of the cute boutiques. Do you like my hot model pose here? Sorry about that, completely unintended. :)
And here are our other purchases. Bryan had been dying to buy a french press, so we finally splurged. I also splurged on a fun water bottle for campus. :)
Next was lunch at an incredibly good Greek restaurant named Aesop's Tables. If I remember correctly, we got a tabbouleh wheat salad and the gyros...both were impressive.
Another fun restaurant that we want to try is the Rathskeller with its outdoor concert courtyard, The Beirgarten (featured above). If you couldn't tell by the name, it is an authentic German restaurant.:)

We also found this amazing cathedral and wanted to check out the inside. Turns out that we were just in time for Saturday mass, so we sat and listened to a very pretty song by the organist and soloist for a bit.
The best part about days like this is that there is time for lazying around and reading...one of our favorite things to do.
After trying hard to get a good picture together to commemorate the day, we finally gave up and headed to the Symphony on the Prairie. This is a summertime series of outdoor weekend concerts in Indy. The theme for that evening was music from the James Bond movies...which was fun. We met Clint and Alesa there and enjoyed the time together, the music, and the sunset.
I found out later that we are prohibited from taking videos like this, so don't tell anyone...or try to sell it.:)

My Brown Thumb

I want to be posting about my trip to CA with Kait or vacation in AR with Bry's family. However, I'm still working my way through the hundreds of pictures, so that will have to wait. In the meantime, I'd like to share my frustration with you concerning plants...

I'm coming to the realization that, although I love them, I do not have a gift with plants. In fact, I should probably just give up now, because it seems that everything I touch ends up wilting and dying. For example...

Here is the sad and patchy grass in our back yard that we worked so hard on. (you have to look hard to see it through all of the weeds)
And here is one of the front-yard transplants from my aunt that was supposed grow nice and big and shield our house from the road. I don't think it will be much help. In fact...it's quite dead and quite pathetic looking.
And last but not least, here is one of our evergreen trees that I planted last fall. I've somehow managed to transform it into an everBROWN tree...not cool. (and not cheap either)
Oh but wait...maybe there is hope. There has been green life spotted somewhere!

Yeah, too bad it's along the wall in our BASEMENT! We spilled grass seed down there at some point, and apparently the basement is the perfect ecosystem for flourishing grass. And all this time we had been trying to grow things in the yard...if only we had known!

Sigh...that's cruel irony for you.

Oh yeah, and I'm in a horticulture lab this semester. I think I will be expected to keep some plants alive. I'm a little worried...:) And what if nurturing capabilities with plants corresponds to nurturing capabilities with children?? That does not bode well for our family...

Taylor, MO

I have a lot of pictures from our weekend "experience" in Taylor, and they pretty much speak for themselves...so instead of boring you with a lengthy dialogue about our time there, I'll just let the pictures show you what kind of crazy Taylor stuff we were up to.

First of all, here's the Heimer"cabin." Due to the fact that it's more of a mansion than a cabin, it is more commonly referred to as the "cansion" by those who have had the pleasure of enjoying the Heimer hospitality there. And enjoy it we did, from late-night hot-tubbing upon our arrival Friday, to a Saturday night campfire and s'mores.
Because of the cherry trees that grow on the property, the land had been called Cherry Valley by those in the area. When the Heimers found this out, they engraved the name on the mantle...unfortunately, you can't really see it in this picture, but you do get a nice shot of the stuffed turkey in the corner. That is just one of MANY, MANY animals that were no match for the mighty Heimer hunters and are now on display in the cabin.
Here's Bryan, starting the day off right with devotions on the pond.

This is us AFTER our trek through the woods on 4-wheelers. (Notice the mud and Bryan's fun new hair style due to lots of wind in the face) It was crazy...who knew that ramping over fallen trees and getting covered in mud could be so fun. At times I just had to hit the gas, grit my teeth and hang on for dear life to keep up. Jake Heimer was our faithful leader and gave us a great tour of the land.

The morning 4-wheeling adventure was followed by a breakfast of champions (eggs and pancakes) under the fallow deer antler chandelier.:)
Here's us at HIS Ranch on the horses. Lots of fun, though it was about 100 degrees and very humid at this point in the day.
Javon and one of the two adorable new foals on the ranch.

Notice the sweat...we were all pretty much drenched by the time we'd ridden and lugged all of the 500 lb. saddles back into the saddle room.

Once back at the cabin, we had time for a little bit of evening fishing to complete our memorable visit. The sunset was beautiful on the pond and a good time was had by all, though Bryan and Lori were the only two who were lucky enough to catch anything.
Thank you Heimers and Steffen family for a great time!