featured on The Wedding Notebook

On Monday morning I woke to my Bridesmaid Boxes featured on The Wedding Notebook. What a perfect start to the week to see a piece of our wedding featured on the lovely wedding website. Check out the Be My Bridesmaids Ideas post and you can find my boxes along with 4 other wonderful ideas.

In February my DIY Coloring Mason Jar tutorial was also featured on the Wedding Notebook. I literally squealed with joy at seeing my mason jars up on a website devoted to tying the knot. So hop on over and take a peak. 

on my mind

{photo credit}

About 1 month into our marriage I awoke from a vividly terrifying dream with tears streaming down my face. I think it was the worst dream I have ever experienced and it will be one of those dreams that I never forget.

Let me start by giving you a little back ground on the subject.

Anyone who knew me as a child knows that I have always been the motherly type. Half of the pictures from my childhood involved my holding a baby, stuffed animal, doll, or caring for some sort of animal. Even when I was too young to stay home by myself, I enjoyed helping others care for babies. Once I was able I started babysitting on my own, I enjoyed watching countless children. I got a job at a Day Care and loved every day of it. Even though I had to quit when I moved here, I still miss those kids along with the special little ones that I babysat.

I have always known without a shadow of a doubt that I was meant to be a mom. You know when you are in grade school and everyone writes a paper on what you want to be when you grow up? Some say a teacher, some say a police man, some say an athlete.... well I wanted to be a mom. Others may have giggled at my grown up answer, but I never doubted that that was exactly what I wanted.

My husband and I have been married for just over 3 months now {yey!!} and {while as a kid I planned on already having a baby by now}, we are not planning on having one quite yet. We would love to enjoy our time together as a married couple and not to mention save up our pennies, cuz my goodness they are pricey little bundles of joy.

So anyway, 1 month into our marriage I awoke from a vivid, terrifying, tragic dream. Everything was as real as I have ever felt and there was no one that could have convinced me in that moment that this life was not my own. So here was my dream:

I just stated a new job and was happily learning all there was to my new position {not unlike where I am now in my real life}. I am keeping track of my "monthly cycle"  by a method that allows me to not be on any sort of birth control medication. I will not go into details, but if you want them just send me an e-mail or ask, I am so open about that sort of thing.

One really nice thing about this method of keeping track of my monthly cycle is how when we do get pregnant I will be able to know even before I take a pregnancy test. Well, it turns out an unexpected little peanut started growing and I was shocked. Totally totally shocked! It was not in our plans and I didn't really know how to tell my hubby. We had talked about waiting, but this was not planned. Of course I was excited, but for a short moment I was sort of sad that this wasn't a part of my plans. We live in a 1-bedroom apartment and there is no space for a baby. Contrary to what my husband thinks, we can't just put the bassinet in the closet and call it good.

After the shock wore off, we began to get more & more excited. Of course the Lord was opening doors and things were working out perfectly. Once we told our families there was nothing but excitement along with million of hugs as they expressed how wonderful being a parent is. My dad cried, my sister expressed how she was going to rock at being a godmother.

Brian and I couldn't have been more excited as we counted down the days till our little girl would grace us with her presence. And all in one day our happiness came crashing down.

I think you can imagine what happened next, and it's amazing how even though it was a dream, it's still hard for me to think about. It was even harder as tears streamed down my face when I had to tell Brian why I couldn't stop sobbing in the middle of the night.

Back to reality. Monday morning rolled around and I pulled myself out of bed not wanting to go to work. I had a little pity-party in my head about waking up so early, but headed off to work. As we were all chatting about our weekends, little did we know that one of our co-workers had one of the worst weekends ever.

She was about 13 weeks into her pregnancy when she lost her baby and had to share the tragic news with the whole department, over and over again. We felt so helpless as tears rolled down her {normally so positive} face.

Recently my husband and I were blessed with the privilege of becoming Godparents. We were yet again reminded just how precious a baby's physical & spiritual life is.

Life is so precious whether they are weeks old, or not even born yet. I will never be able to take life for granted because you never know how long you will be blessed with it.

strawberries & cream Valentine cupcakes

Our work week around here is crazy. We get up long before the sun peeks out and by the time we get home it's time for supper, a little cleaning and then we relax on the couch with a tv show or 2. Then it's off to bed early since we have to start the day all over again in about 7 hours.

So This year I wasn't able to do any valentine's day cooking/baking till the weekend. That didn't stop my amazing husband though from cooking an amazing romantic supper for us on Valentine's Day. I still melt when I think just how amazing it was.

This morning I woke with a need to do some creative baking. My husband and I love watching cupcake wars, and that is where I got the inspiration for these Strawberries & Cream Valentine cupcakes. So here is what I did this morning:

I combined 2 cups of strawberries + 1/4 cup sugar + 1 tablespoon lemon juice. On to the vanilla cupcakes with red sprinkles inside. After letting them cool, I cut a hole in the tops and added the cooled strawberry compote. 

After letting them cool, I cut a hole in the tops and added the cooled strawberry compote. Now onto the frosting. For those of you who don't have a frosting piping bag, don't fret. I don't have one either and I still made them look somewhat professional. My trick is to transfer the frosting, what ever type you choose {I so happen to like cream cheese frosting the best} into a plastic bag and pop it into the fridge for about 10 minutes. This way it will hold it's form a little better when you pipe it on. I snip a small hole and spiral it on, starting from the outside and working inward.

My husband and I couldn't keep our fingers off of them. We try to stay away from too many sweet treats but around the holidays, that tends to go out the window.

What will I make next? Any cupcake suggestions?

St. Patrick's day is coming up next, and trying a tart lime cream cupcake seems like a great way to kick off spring.

happy happy Heart-Day

What an wonderful Valentine's Day to celebrate. Last year we were newly engaged and this year we are newly married. I'm so excited that I get to show you a few pictures from our wedded day of bliss. What better day to share them then on the Heart-Day.

I am still amazed at how blessed we are as a newlywed couple.

Hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

1 year ago

It's been 1 year. One year since my fiance surprised me under the Golden Gate bridge with an engagement ring and a question to follow. I can remember the numbing feeling wash over me as I stared at the sparkling ring.

It still gives me the chills thinking back to our California vacation. I remember my mind instantly turning into 'wedding mode' as I thought about when we would tie the knot, what our colors would be, who would stand up with us.... I guess others had the similar thoughts because we instantly got showered with questions, and I was all to eager to bounce ideas off of anyone who would listen.

I can never tell my now huband enough how special it was that he asked me to spend the rest of our lives together in such a special place. San Francisco has always been one of my favorite cities, but now I love it as the city where Brian became my fiance.

After we got engaged we celebrated with a trip on the famous cable cars and a visit to the Ghirardelli factory for a ice cream sunday.

This morning Brian ran a few errands including taking my car to get the oil changed, {what a good husband he is} grabbing a few groceries, and he also surprised me with the ingredients for our own Ghirardelli sundays. It felt like our engagement celebration all over again.

If you know my husband well, you know that he is not the best at keeping secrets. He kept this surprise {the presents pictured below} from me for a full 30 minutes before caving in and giving me my valentine's gift early. He truly does spoil me.

It's nights like this where I can't believe just how blessed we are. I sit here in bed with my hubby cuddled up sleeping beside me and I catch myself thinking back to a year ago. We had only been dating for 8 months, and while some may say that's no time at all, we knew where our forever's were going. We knew that our forever's would be with each other.

marriage update: 3 months

What I have learned in our first 3 months of marriage:

#1 Meshing our lives as a married couple can be challenging but rewarding.
Brian and I have each been independent on how we go about our normal routine, for example, making tasty dishes, doing laundry, or grocery shopping. We are still learning on how to not sweat the small stuff or accidentally push each others buttons.

After all, we have both been living separate lives for years and have gotten on just fine. It's not that either of our ways is superior, we just have to meld our ways into one that works best for the both of us.

#2 Even when you are upset/angry/frustrated hug it out.
How can you be upset when you have your best friend's arms around you. When you have the love of your life's arms around, you can't help but melt into their arms and forget whatever it was you were pointlessly arguing about.

#3 Men & women refer to the same things in 2 very different ways.
The other day I was crossing things off my grocery list and light bulbs was the next item to find. I didn't even make it into the isle {that's how intimidated I was by the sheer mass of choices} and I just thought to myself, that will be a task for my hubby.

We were at target yesterday and heading over to the light bulb isle and was explaining how I was previously intimidated by the amount of choices. I described the types not by the voltage or color but by the two options in my head: the circle one or the spinney twirly one.

#4 Life now involves 2 people.
That may involve B waiting just a few extra minutes longer for me to get ready, or me planning out the meals for the week so we don't have to run to the store every day. Our lives don't just exist together, now our lives revolve around each other.

#5 Honesty is the best policy.
We tend to be very honest with each other. It took a few weeks, but we realized that there is no reason to keep anything from each other, no matter what it is. Whether is't something as small as how your day really was {not just the sugar coated version} to keeping our bank accounts in check, honesty is really the only way in a marriage.

1st week

{as you can tell, they didn't include my last name partially because its safer that way,

and secondly I don't think it would have fit on my new name badge}

On Monday I not only woke up with my husband at 5:30 and made his lunch, but also made a lunch for me and my day.

I slipped into my all-to-familiar scrubs and headed off on my 1st day of my new job. I am now the newest CMA {Certified Medical Assistant} in the Surgical Consultants Department. It's about a 40 minute drive, which would seem like a lifetime where I used to live, but here in the cities, that is a normal commute.

I think if you would have asked me at the end of each day, how my day went, I would have given you a different answer every night. It's been a roller coaster of a week between welling up with tears as a rude lady over the phone basically told me I was a bother, to feeling like I was truly part of a team that needed me, to laughing so hard as one of my coworkers said something so funny and I almost pee my pants.

While starting new jobs is totally intimidating, challenging, daunting, tiring {and another 10 adjectives}  I couldn't be working with nicer people!

our apartment: before & after

I still can't believe that I am showing you our messy place, but this was how it really was. Yes sad to admit it, but it was. Our place was totally disaster with me still moving in, boxes piled higher than the couch, organization got awry, wedding gifts everywhere....

With a little elbow greasy and many hours organizing, I got this place in shape and finally made it the 1st home I have always wished for. Instead of cluttered, disorganized, and overwhelming we now have orderly, decorated with our wedding gifts, styled with a few new decor additions, and a relaxing place to unwind and relax.

I was able to organize my desk into a work place for me to accomplish my creative-type tasks. We hung our wedding guest book picture frame along with embroidery hoops filled with fabric that matches our bed quilt {graciously made by B's mom}. We got a few cozy decorations to make our place feel more cozy. Holiday decorations filled our apartment during our 1st holidays as a married couple.

Every day married life feels better & better, our relations grows stronger with each struggle & celebration, and the love for my husband grows more & more.

2012 rewind {part 2}

In the month of July we took a family trip to Door County, and Brian & I spent some quality time with my parents, sister, and cousin. Also something started that I had been waiting 4 years for. The summer Olympics started off with a bang {on B's birthday, of all the crazy things} and I made Brian a traditional British meal with bangers & mash and even a red velvet British Union Jack flag cake.

In August my computer was struck by lightning {we think} and I lost it. It was a sad day to say the least. It was a sad period of no blogging, and while I probably could have found a way to post it was such a crazy month and there really wasn't time. We packed lost into August including a trip to the Minnesota Fair, a surprise Birthday party for B, and some quality time with the boat.

September was filled with everything wedding. I'm still disappointing in myself that I didn't put up more Bridal DIY posts, but when I had free time, I was pretty much always working on our wedding decorations, music, ceremony bulletins, menus, DIY projects, ceremony decor, and all those little details that make a a wedding day possible.

I was back to blogging at last. October had finally come and I was done with my job at Marshfield Clinic, the wedding was less than 3 weeks away, our family was coming to town in 2 weeks, and my days were filled with all day wedding projects. And I mean all day. When Brian and I would talk at the end of the day and he would ask me what I did that day, it was pretty much the same answer of 12-14 hours of wedding projects. I really did underestimate that planning a wedding really was such a labor of love.

The 19th day of October came and we were married on a crisp fall day. The colors were perfect, our family & friends were there, and we couldn't have asked for a better day. We jetted off to our Mexico honeymoon {courtesy of our Grandparents} a few days later and de-stressed from all of the commotion.

I look back on November and think of me as a busy house wife. I moved in the remainder of my belongings and spent days finding a place for and organizing all of our wedding gifts. Our place was a mess for days on end, but it finally got to a place where it feels like home. We also picked out our 1st Christmas tree, and while our decorations are still limited, I had a splendid time decorating our 700 square feet of apartment.

Finally we had some snow in December, and it came all at once. All 11+ inches of it! We had a lovely Christmas season with our families and finished out the year celebrating with friends.

And that about sums up my year of 2012. I'm so excited to see what is in store for us in the new 2013 year!

2012 rewind {part 1}

2012 was certainly a spectacular years. It's amazing how much has really changed in just 1 year.

January started off in a much better way than last year. Brian & I had been dating for 7 months now and our relationship was growing deeper. We enjoyed the mild weather of winter with record high temperature. I took one of the most dreaded tests and became a Certified Medical Assistant. 

In February we took our long planned trip to California {where I grew up, and where much of my family is from}. Brian surprised me with the ring of my dreams and turned our vacation into the trip that changed our lives forever.

March kicked off our wedding plans as we decided on what we wanted our special day to be like. We had a engagement photo shoot, I worked on a few wedding projects, found my wedding dress, and asked 5 of my girlfriends to be my bridesmaids. We also set the date of October 19, as the date that we would join together in marriage. We really did get a good jump start on our wedding plans.

The weather also sprang into action with some spiking temps and we all got an early taste of spring. Even though it was short lived, we got a little preview of summer and it seemed to recharge our batteries to power through the last cold months.

In April, we moved Brian into a new apartment, that would later become our apartment after we got married. It was such surreal experience to start planning on where we would spend the first few years of our married lives. 

May started the drought here on my blog. I really never thought that planning a wedding would be so time consuming, but I really should have known. After all who is the one who has been planning weddings in her head since she was a little girl, likes to be very organized, and has lots of determination when it comes to making our wedding a magical day...oh yeah that's me.

I did accomplish a few tasks including some DIY projects for our wedding and new apartment. With summer around the corner we also put the boat in the water and were able to once again enjoy the vastness of our lake. Amazing weather always brings out the creative side in me.

June set the summer in motion with being a counselor at a camp for under privileged kids, spending more time out in the sun, and revisiting the place where Brian & I met. Our relationship grew even more as we spent that weekend focusing on the relationship that the Lord has blessed us with.