Aubrey Marie

Here's the little pumpkin I nanny for. Isn't she funny? I thought since she fills up 3 days of my week, then I should show her off a little. We have a pretty good time. Especially now that she's able to move around and stay busy. She definitely knows what she wants and seems to get bored rather quickly. When that happens she's not a very happy camper...probably not a good sign for her poor mom and dad.:)

Five of My (currently) Favorite Things

1. Fall flavors--Pumpkin, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, apple cider, gingerbread cookies...

2. Rocking the Roles by Robert Lewis and William Hendricks--This was recommended at the Weekend to Remember conference and though we've only read the first three chapters, I'm really liking it so far.

3. the Canon Rebel that I so desperately want to finally own. (maybe for Christmas?)

4. Ingrid Michaelson and her cd Be OK.

5. My new We The Free dress that Bryan surprised me by secretly buying after I had been admiring it.

Hip-hip-hooray for Marriage

Bryan and I did in fact attend the "Weekend to Remember" Marriage Conference last weekend as Bryan's birthday gift. And I think BOTH of us ended up being very happy that I went out on a limb for his present. It was awesome!

The content was so good, the speakers were so talented and passionate, the things we learned (or re-learned) were so important, and we had so much fun. Probably the most helpful thing is that the sessions get you to start thinking and talking about things that you should have been working through or communicating better but have been ignoring for too long. That led to some discussions between Bryan and I that weren't always fun, but they were essential and ended well.:)

The conference organizers also do a great job making it feel like a getaway for the couples, so there's plenty of time for you to talk one-on-one about the sessions, do a leisurely lunch and Saturday night date, and enjoy the hotel. It really felt like a refreshing retreat for us, both spiritually and relationally.

We talked all the way home about things we have been trying to figure out for a while now, and it was so exciting to see how much clearer it all seemed after taking the time to slow down and get everything back in perspective. I love that.

We would whole-heartedly recommend this conference to anyone. They do them all over the country so check out the Family Life Web site for locations near you. (am I sounding like a commercial yet? No, they did not pay me to say this.):)