looking out my bedroom window

I wake to see snow falling outside my window,
it's waiting for us as we enter the cold abyss,
bundle up with you favorite scarf and mittens,
and enjoy the picture perfect moments that await.

a historic day in Eau Claire

It is a historic day here in Eau Claire, and even in Wisconsin. The Governor has declared the state of Wisconsin in a state of EMERGENCY! With almost 2 feet of snow and winds up to 40 miles an hour, we are in the midst of a blizzard.

This morning I bundled up in a hat, 4 layers, 2 pairs of sicks and my snow boots, trudged through 2 feet of unplowed snow to get to ILC {thinking it was still open} only to discover that it was CLOSED!! Speaking to the neighbors along the way shoveling and trying to displace the feet of snow, they made comments like this, "I have never seen a blizzard like this since I've lived here!" or "Anybody's crazy to try to drive in this weather." They are all right! Our Governor has declared it unsafe to travel in the snow, and to stay home unless of an emergency! For the first time in about 30 years, both ILC and UWEC are closed!! I'm not sure that the kids at ILC really know what to do, but the excitement in the air is tangible! Josh told my this morning, "Snow day snow day snow day!!!! The whole dorm was yelling and screaming when we found out school was canceled!!!!!" This will be a day to be remembered in our history books!! And for those who have no choice but to drive, please be carful and drive with causion! Happy Snow Day!!!

a very special tree

Our house is now full decorated with the new addition of a very special tree in our family room. On Sunday my parents, Josh and I cut down our own tree for the best price in town. It has a few holes and gaps, but in my opinion the imperfections only add character. Last year one of my wonderful cousins discovered a local place to cut down your own Christmas trees without paying the larger amounts that so many places charge. There is a family with an extended piece of land filled with what will be Christmas trees. They tend to be on the tall side, maybe 30 feet or so, so we just cut down the one of our choosing and take however much of the top we would like. Only in the Midwest would there be a sign that says:

"Cut down which one you like, and please leave your $10 in the box. Have a Merry Christmas!"

We are prepared and awaiting Christmas with nothing but joy and excitement. As the days decrease toward Christmas, the excitement only increases!

Not really sure what it is about this well, but for one reason or another, it captured my attention and the attention of my camera.

Thanksgiving gone with a blink

It seemed like weeks that we were all waiting for the Thanksgiving break, but in a few days it was gone along with all the leftovers. I know it's been a few weeks, but I haven't even shared anything since then! I got to spend Thanksgiving break with Josh and my family. It wasn't the most leisurely extended weekend with working 3 out of the 5 days, but a break from school and spending time with family and Josh is leisure enough for me. Here were just a few of our endeavours:

: walking the turkey trot on brisk Thanksgiving morning
: trying new recipes and experimenting around the kitchen
: watching Josh stuff the turkey while I stood back trying not to be sick {I don't do too well with raw meet, especially with a 24 pound turkey, yes 24 pounds!}

: watching the Macy's Parade while cooking in the fragrant kitchen
: teaching Josh a few of our Ryan Thanksgiving traditions
: venturing out early on Black Friday {for the 1st time} with caution for the enthusiastic shoppers
: watching movies and relaxing with full tummies and sleepy eyes
: being thankful for the many gifts that God has blessed us with

The Twilight Trap

So yes, I have fallen into the Twilight trap! It all started with the books by Stephanie Meyer. The backbone of the now ever popular Twilight Saga. The books take you on a journey and I was glad to follow. Some have expressed their dislike in rather colorful ways, but as Prof Sullivan would say, I believe that you can not speak intelligently on the subject unless you have done the reading. New Moon hit the theaters last week and has already been a better hit that anticipated! I am not as passionate as some others fans, but I did enjoy the movie's accuracy to the books! What did the you guys think?

A Book Of Inspiration

You know those recipes you find in magazines or on the backs of cereal boxes that look so good, but you never have a place to put them? Do jumbles of cluttersom recipes build up in random places over time, and you just don't know what to do? I have that problem {if you couldn't tell} so decided to turn that clutter into an accessible book. I got these blissful idea from a friend, and went from there. I titled it, 'A Book of Inspiration.'
First I found a journal with lined paper, that's larger that the average size. I numbered all the pages and made a table of contents. Each page has a title in the table on contents so I can access the recipes faster and more efficiently. It's a great way to store those miscellaneous recipes, and you can add your own little notes and suggestions once you experiment with them. It's a personalized cook book that's filled with only recipes that you would enjoy, and it's a way to stay organized! Has anyone done something similar?

Watching Him in the Kitchen

Today was the perfect day for baking, and Josh had a craving for chocolate cake. As I sat back and watched him, I couldn't help by smile as he made his way around our kitchen like it was his own. He knows his way around after volunteering to help clean it up on so many occasions. He is a pretty good cook and likes to experiment.

He added his own twist to the traditional chocolate cake, with chocolate pudding. Apparently it's an Ohlmann tradition to flood the cake with milk, so that's what we did. Even though it was good, Josh told me that nothing can live up to his mom's Butterfinger cake, {which we got to enjoy last weekend}

A Weekend Filled With....

This past weekend Josh, Randy, and I made a trip to St. Louis. This priceless weekend was filled with many things:

>drinking more caffeine in a few days that I've had in the past few months

>spending time with the Ohlmann family

>hearing the word 'Joshy' being yelled through out the house

>laughing so hard my stomach hurt

>being treated like a 'celebrity' as Mrs. Ohlmann would say

>spending more that 30 priceless hours in the car with Josh and Randy

>watching Josh play football with his lil brothers {Noah and Caleb}

>watching a few soccer games and remembering what it's like to be a kid

>cuddling with 2 cute lil girls {Hannah and Lydia}

>going to the crazy book sale with all it's amazing deals

>seeing Josh in his own element: at home with his family

>having supper with the fam

>watching the boys {big and small} play video games

>than later being beat by the smaller boys {which sadly didn't surprise me}

>having a weekend that I'll never forget

Belated Halloween

Even though Halloween was a few weeks ago, here are a few pictures from how I spent my Halloween. A few friends came over and we spent the after noon with yummy food, scary movies on, our arms covered in pumpkin guts (which every year I seem to forget that I'm allergic to until I'm up to my elbows in orange slime). For me, Halloween is one of the best holidays. It's not about the candy or the freaky decorations. I love seeing the creative costumes and the cute little kids. There is nothing cuter that seeing a 20 month old little girl that I take care of at kids club, come in dressed as a chubby little pumpkin with a smile from ear to ear!

P.S. I would highly recommend the movie Taken. We watched it Halloween night, and while it's a little disturbing, for all the girls out there that are a little too trusting, watch this movie. It'll make you think twice about who you trust and what not to do when traveling!

from Roehl to Tiefel....

On October 24, one of my best friends got married. Emily Roehl and Paul Tiefel were married, and forever changed. It was a fun wedding with many friends in town. Joey Reim came for the weekend and we had a blast. Sometimes there can be nothing better that catching up with friends and chatting about memories.

Even though the weekend was filled with bittersweet tears and hard moments, happiness also blossomed out through the difficult moments, even when we had to let go of pieces of our childhood.