Just Us Christmas

Christmas: a time to celebrate Jesus' birth, reflect on his love for us, give to others, and.......mesh together traditions??? For those of you who are married, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. You grow up with certain traditions and just assume that the person who you marry will have the exact same traditions :) haha! Yeah right :) However, what we have both loved doing is making up our own traditions. Some are traditions of our families, others are our own. This Christmas was heavenly to say the least. It was just one of those times that I will not forget easily. A new tradition we made: Monkey Bread on Christmas Eve morning :)

After eating Monkey Bread, we enjoyed time together taking pics by the tree, playing Yahtzee, and watching Elf.

Haha...we definitely have alot of fun together :)

Even though it was fun just to relax and hang out, the highlight of my day was our church's annual Christmas in the Barn reenactment of Jesus' birth. It hit me perhaps like it has never hit me before as I sat in a freezing cold barn, watching as Mary and Joseph sat with the baby Jesus. As we sang Silent Night, I had one of the most special times reflecting on Christ. Silent Night, Holy Night, All is calm... It was an incredibly holy and amazing experience that I wish I could put into words, however no words would be able to describe it to the depth it was.

After our incredibly special afternoon, we went home and had a tradition ham and corn (hey, we live in the Midwest! We have to have corn!), bread and cheesecake supper. We then expressed our love by giving gifts to each other. Materialistic-wise, my husband did amazing with the gifts he gave me...however, what I appreciated more was his thoughtfulness :) And, what was even better than giving and receiving gifts was the tradition that both of our families do...reading Luke 2 and talking about what God has done in our lives. I always love that part because it helps us keep the focus on the reason for Christmas :)

We finished up the night with watching White Christmas....makes me cry every time :) Even though it's a week late...We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas~we sure did :)

Christmas Update

Merry Christmas from us!!! :) We have had such a great Christmas so far!! Because of the days Christmas and New Years were on this year, we have been able to spend so much time with friends and family! :) This won't be much of an update since we are still spending time with Aaron's family, but just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!! :) More updates to come soon! :)

Relaxing is an Understatement

So, our last few days have been.....relaxing. Okay, I have to admit...we have not stepped out of our house except to take our dog outside, go sledding, and get the mail in the last 2 days. We saw "blizzard warning" and we stayed inside. Pathetic? Maybe. Smart? Maybe. Relaxing?....very. :) When everything gets cancelled, what else can you do though?? Here's a little sledding fun...I wonder how well Sadie would do as a dog in a dog sled?

Maybe we should try that one today :) Note to Self: Remove all makeup before sledding to reduce "raccoon eye" effect :)

(My husband lovingly came up with the nickname :)

Mailbox??

I don't think we'll have any Christmas cards come today :)

I wonder how much more we'll get?? :) I'm so ready for a blizzard tomorrow!

The Start of Snow

I forgot to post these pics a few weeks back when we got our first snow fall. :) Since we're snowed in today and have a blizzard on the way, I thought "what else is there to do?" :) Maybe tomorrow I'll take pictures of what it looks like NOW....I don't even know how much snow we have! I know a city nearby had 10 inches so maybe we have that much?? haha...all I know is that we're very snowed in :)

Caroling

We wish you a Merry Christmas

We wish you a Merry Christmas

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Glad tidings we bring to you and your kin

Glad tidings for Christmas and a Happy New Year

Pretty Snow=Mixed Up Week

I love snow. I mean, I really really love snow. I look forward to it every year, watch the forecast once it hits December and marvel once it snows...especially when it snows alot. Our house is so beautiful all covered in snow. This morning on my way to work the song "It's Beginning to Look Alot Like Christmas" started playing :) Yes, it IS beginning to look like Christmas at least in this snow lover's eyes :) The only downside is that we have been getting so much snow that we have had things cancelled left and right it seems like and it is a very messed up week! And, although an occasional snow day is wonderful as a teacher, I've been sad that so many of my students have been gone due to the weather. I'm very much ready for a normal week...or at least a normal day :) BUT, I won't let that get me down....maybe tomorrow would be a good day for a little snowman or sledding action?? :) hmmm... :) But, for right now, we're being lazy...even our dog just wants to chill (ha!...pun not intended :)

For those of you in this winter weather, stay warm and enjoy :)

New Revelation

I had a new revelation today. But, before you think you're going to read something really deep and thought-provoking....my new revelation is this: I despise doing laundry!!

I always thought it was maybe because I had to have a "certain amount of quarters" my freshmen year of college. Then, in my later years of college, they went to a credit card system which made my life even more difficult because I had to go to a different building to put money on my card.

I thought everything would be perfect after I got married. The washer and dryer was just down the hall and it was back to quarters. WRONG! :) I was awful at it there too. So, when we moved into our house almost two years ago, I thought everything would be perfect....I had my OWN washer and dryer, didn't have to pay quarters, and could do it whenever. hahahahahahahaha

NOW, my big thing is...."if only I didn't have to go out to my garage to get to my basement" and "if only I had a laundry shoot!" :) So, my revelation is that no matter what my laundry circumstances are, I really hate the chore :) Anyone else share my despise of it? :)

First Impressions

Have you ever remembered what your first impression of someone was?? When I was in college, my RA staff played a game called "First Impressions". We went around, telling each other what our first impressions of each other were. Some us liked each other at first and some of us despised each other :) It was absolutely hilarious to hear what the impressions were! My first impression of Aaron was a very good looking man who was very taken :) haha :) Now he's taken by me :) ANYWAYS,

I had a first impression of someone last night at a 5th Quarter event at the local high school. This high school girl was beautiful and was one of the more popular girls. I was a "leader" so it was my job to socialize and make sure everyone was having a good time. Not hard when I feel comfortable around the kids I'm supposed to talk to. But, my first impression of this girl was "What do I have to offer to her? She probably doesn't want to talk to an adult!" But, slowly, I bit my tongue and said, "Hi! What's your name?" We were the only ones not playing a game, so there was quite a bit of time to kill. I tried to think of all the normal questions I usually ask high schoolers when I first meet them when all of a sudden, my "first impression" of this girl changed. She was so incredibly deep, intelligent, and transparent. We started talking about our faiths, Europe, concentration camps (which I've found is a HUGE thing to talk about with high schoolers! They like hearing that I've visited a concentration camp! Go figure), hopes, dreams, and the future. I am so glad I didn't let my "first impression" get in the way of getting to know this girl. So, the lesson I learned last night and I'm passing along...

Never go by your first impressions of someone!!!

In the Christmas Spirit

Yesterday was a snowy, fun-filled, beautiful wintry day! I was definitely in the Christmas spirit! We went to the annual Christmas parade down main street...it was FREEZING but very fun to see all the lighted floats :) And, they gave out candy but by the time they threw it, it was frozen! I learned that one the hard way :)

All bundled up for the parade

Then, after the parade, we were really feeling the Christmas spirit! We drove around, looking at the houses lit, listening to Christmas music, and rating neighborhoods. Although I'm a little biased, our neighborhood did a pretty good job of decorating their houses this year. We definitely decided it was the best out of all the neighborhoods in town :)

We came home, put on our Christmas lights, made cheese popcorn, and watched a movie. How Christmasy!! :)

Our shimmering Christmas tree and entertainment center :)

*sigh* Lately I've just been overwhelmed with God's goodness, provision, and grace. Especially God's grace. I've been meditating on how God sent his Son to earth as a little innocent baby, then He died on the cross for our sins, even when we have absolutely not deserved it, and then loves us though we are a fallen nation, a fallen human, have a fallen nature. Sometimes we think we're "entitled" to things. Entitled to a Christmas present, entitled to a perfect life, entitled to no struggles, so on and so forth. We are not entitled to anything....what we (I'm talking mostly to myself) should be focusing on is God. Alright, that's my little musings for the day. It's just really been on my mind lately and I really need to work on getting my mind off myself and onto God. :)

Thanksgiving Update: Part 3~Wedding Fun

I won't talk too long on Part 3~Wedding Fun. On Saturday we rushed back home to make it to a camp friend's wedding! He and I have been friends since we were 15 and were camp counselors and area directors together. Although I was excited for him and his special day, I was even more excited to see my old college roommate and friends from college! I was expecting to see more camp people but I guess the older you get, the more you lose touch with camp friends :) However, I was so excited that I got to reconnect with college people :)

I wish this picture turned out better but the lighting was really bad. Oh well :)

That night I was feeling so energetic that I tried to convince Aaron to help me put up the Christmas tree. He thought I was crazy for even thinking about decorating at 10:15 at night. But, alas, I put up the tree with Christmas music blasting and decorated my living room only to be absolutely exhausted for church the next morning :)

As you can see, we had a fabulous weekend :) It went way too fast though! I am very much looking forward to Christmas when we can see all our family! :)

Well, off to finish up the decorating and wrapping of presents. Have I mentioned yet that I LOVE Christmas??? :)

Thanksgiving Update: Part 2~Black Friday

Part 2 covers what our day looked like last Friday....the Friday some affectionately call "Black Friday". First, background info. We live an hour from the closest mall. SO, when we want to get something, we have to be very strategic and really plan ahead. Since Aaron's family lives right by a mall, we decided that we would hit up the Black Friday deals. Last year we tried but failed when we got there too late (I think we started shopping at 1:00 in the afternoon!) So, this year was different and we were on a mission!

We weren't quite as hardcore as some, but getting up at 5:30 was hard enough! Slowly but surely we got ourselves ready and headed to Target first. At 6:30, we walked into absolute chaos! The line was all the way to the back of the store and it was a 45 minute wait just to check out! Umm, no thank you. We headed out of there and went to some other stores and what we found were....DEALS, DEALS, and more DEALS!! I know I shouldn't be surprised because I've shopped on Black Friday before but this year was especially good! My patient husband stuck with me every step of the way as we shopped for our families and each other. We took a little break to say goodbye to Aaron's brother and then headed back to the stores.

6:00 that evening, we were finally done. And now, we are all done Christmas shopping :) Like I said before, though, we have to be when we live so far away from the nearest mall! And that was our shopping excursion....wow :)

*My poor, poor husband :) (I'm in the background ordering a few online purchases during our afternoon break! :)

Thanksgiving Update: Part 1~Thankfulness

I have alot of things to say so I need to split up my posts just a bit! So, here is our Thanksgiving update: Part 1~Thankfulness

We had a really great Thanksgiving. It felt a little surreal as I was sitting at my in-laws eating turkey and all the other "Thanksgiving" traditional foods. I didn't reflect, didn't even really think about what I was thankful and who I was thankful to. Maybe it was because I was just enjoying their company so much or maybe I was too full...but for whatever reason, I want to reflect now...even though it is 4 days after Thanksgiving.

I am thankful for:

*My heavenly Father. Words cannot express how much I am thankful for His love and redemption in my life.

*My dear husband. I am so blessed by this man :)

*My parents who patiently raised me.

*My brother

*My inlaws who have accepted me into their family
*My "in-law" siblings

*My dog who just sits and cuddles up to me when I need it the most

*A shelter over my head

*A Christian heritage

*My dear friends and family...each one of you has influenced my life greatly

*My job

*Aaron's job and the students that have been such an encouragement to me

*Our church

Those are the big ones...we all could probably have a long list of things. If I forgot someone/something really important, I apologize :)

Lord, I pray that we would not just be thankful on Thanksgiving. Give us thankful hearts and let us always remember what YOU have done for us and how you have given us more than we deserve.

Happy Birthday to My Husband!!

To my dear husband on his 26th birthday......I LOVE YOU! :)

Oh, Sadie...our little "child" who helped open gifts :)

*Don't look too close at the cake..it's pretty pathetic! I got him the "Blue Planet" DVD collection so I wanted to make a cake that had an "ocean" theme..... let's just say that at least it tasted good! haha...oh the memories :) Just goes to show my husband makes anything look good! :)

Hair

Of course this would happen! I struggle to write stuff for two weeks and finally write a post about how I don't have anything to talk about. The next day, I think of 5 things I could and want to blog about! Honestly...I thought about deleting that last post and just writing again, but it just makes it funnier :)

SO....about our hair. We have it all wrong! Aaron is growing out his hair and I chopped mine off today. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around? Perhaps...except Aaron is growing out his facial hair....ahhh! I convinced him to shave off his full beard at least but his gotee remains. I think it makes him look older which is what he'll be tomorrow so I guess it fits him well :)

Our Hair!

Soon and Very Soon.....

I will hopefully have something to blog about again! I've been having quite the time trying to blog and facebook lately. Although I love keeping in touch with friends, the idea that my stuff is so...online...has been a little frustrating as I feel trapped in the things I can talk about. I'm at a stand still and until I can figure it out or until something exciting happens in our life, you may not be hearing much from me :) Thanks for your patience and I'll hopefully be back soon :)

*Sitting and pondering what to blog about next

Lock-In

I love lock ins. I mean, really, what other time would you play spoons at 4:00 in the morning and be laughing so hard you start crying? Or, what other time would pictionary be an all out war at 2:00 in the morning? I cannot even begin to tell you what an incredible night we had last night. It is kind of a blur since I have my day mixed up now, but we had such a great group of high schoolers and had a blast! We played dodgeball with strobe lights and a fog machine, played ultimate pictionary, did a "polar run" (NWC people, we don't quite have a hole in the ice that we can do a "polar plunge" but we made them run outside in the freezing cold :) Somewhat similiar!)
It was a hilariously fun night!

So, I had a thought. Why can't adults have lock-ins anymore? I mean, how fun would that be? I think we're all just a little too comfortable in our beds...oh, yeah, and most of you have kids. :) Any married without children, we definitely need to have a lock in...or at least stay up until 1:00 playing spoons :) Until that happens, I'm pretty content having fun with the high schoolers :)

*I finally downloaded some pics from the lock-in

Randomness....

Have you ever had one of those days?? You know, those days when everthing seems to go wrong and you go crazy by the end of the day? Wednesday was one of those days... Here's just a little snippet:

7:30~Woke up late and had pin curls in my hair that I had to try to work with. It didn't turn out as well as it used to and I had ridiculously frizzy hair all day.

8:00-1:00~Teaching preschool is always crazy although there wasn't anything besides normal preschool things

1:00~The bathrooms at the preschool backed up. Awful smells emerged

2:00~While trying to do my work, a truck came in and pumped the toilets out. Our room was a mess!

4:00~Took my dog outside, hooked her up to her chain and forgot about her.

5:00~Hadn't heard my dog bark for a while. Went to check on her and she was nowhere to be found.

5:00-5:45~Searched for my missing dog. Finally found her and she smelled like death!

5:45~Drove to church for youth group night

6:05~Late for cantata practice and had to practice our duet we hadn't even practiced. Yikes!

6:30-10:30~Youth Group. Again, randomness always occurs

10:30~Gave Sadie a bath since she smelled like death

10:45~Decided we needed to do something ultimately random. Drove to Walmart and walked around at 11:00 at night

12:00~Waited in line at GameStop for the Warcraft expansion to come out (my husband's idea)

1:00~Tried to sleep

We have some more random things coming up. Senior high lock in tonight, high school play tomorrow, high school play on Sunday, and a harvest festival on Sunday night. I'm just a little peopled out right now but I'm praying an afternoon at home today and extensive time in the Word will bring me the refreshing that I need.

Oh The Weather Outside is Frightful!

We joined the club this morning. We have snow on the ground...eek! On Sunday, our yard looked like this:

Today, we woke up to this:

Sadie is pondering whether she likes snow or not. She found out quickly that she doesn't. :) Fortunately, I didn't have to work today since it is Veteran's Day so it feels like a good ole snow day! I'm going to finish painting my guest bedroom and catch up on cleaning projects. And, maybe throw a few snowballs at my husband :) Whatever I do, I'm staying inside today....it's WAY too cold out there :)

Opportunities

"Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." Colossians 4:5-6

Tonight this verse laid heavily on my heart. Funny that it takes "awkward" situations to help us remember what God's purpose for us is, but I'm grateful for them. Today I was asked to drive a total stranger 30 minutes away to a meeting. I knew the girl had very different ideas than me and had a completely different lifestyle. To say the least, I was reluctant and not willing. About an hour before I was supposed to leave, the Holy Spirit reminded me of this verse. Still reluctant, I decided to try to have a good attitude about it. However, there's nothing more awkward than driving a long distance with someone you have never met :)

I was blown away as I usually am by God's ideal plan for this meeting. Why am I reluctant when I know that God always has reasons for things :) We had SO much in common, except spiritual-wise, and really had a great talk about marriage, how we got to where we are today, and her future goals in life. And, I talked about my church and Aaron's job as a youth pastor. Perhaps a small seed was sown.....I can only hope and pray.

Speaking of awkward and uncomfortable situations, I'm up for another one tomorrow as I have an in-service. *Sigh* I think I need to meditate on this verse tonight and again give up MY will. I'm pretty reluctant...why can't I learn? :)

Election Day

Today has been such a fun day. I love voting! There's just something about the dignity of it that makes me excited to vote. I am so thankful we still have a say in our government and are not under a dictatorship.

In preschool today, we taught our kids how to vote for something by having a pretend voting poll! It was absolutely hysterical to see the kids coming over and secretly marking their vote between an apple or an orange. Then, we kept telling them to tell their parents to vote tonight. As one little boy was leaving, he said, "Mom, the apple won. Don't forget to vote tonight!" Ahhh...training little citizens...that's what I like to see :)

Aaron and I had fun voting...I don't know if you're really supposed to talk while voting but we talked through almost all of it, asking "Did you vote for this? What does this mean? I've never even HEARD of these people!" The most important one was for president and we strongly support McCain/Palin (well, we strongly support Palin at least) so I suppose the rest of them don't matter quite as much! I pray that God would put the right people in and that His justice would be done. I cringe as I think of some of the things that could become law again if Obama is president, however, I put it in God's hands and trust that He has a plan. Let's gather together tonight and bathe this night in prayer!!!

Halloween

Ahh...what a hilariously funny day we had at work today! It was a work day so no kids were there and we piled on the fun and laughter! I dressed up as Sarah Palin and my coworkers were: a clown, a 50's chic, a gangster, and a farmer :) We had such a blast! It was all fun and no work! Just kidding :) The only part that I really like about Halloween is dressing up. So, I've had my share of fun over the past few years. Other notable Halloween costumes:Freshman Year of College: Nuns

(we wore our stoles around our heads)

Last Year's Senior High Costume Party

Princess Leia

Senior Year of College

RA Staff-Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz was probably my favorite along with Sarah Palin today. She might have to be my yearly costume, especially since she's hopefully going to be our next vp!

On an entirely different and extremely sad note, this day is not all fun and games. Today is the one year anniversay of my grandpa being killed in a pedestrian/auto accident. I still cannot believe he has been gone for a year and I miss him dearly. It has been a hard week as I've been processing it all over again. I know he is rejoicing with the angels right now and is in a place so much better than earth, but I still miss him and cannot wait to see him again.

Sadie's Coat

Lately, I've been into sewing. However, I needed a guinea pig...someone who wouldn't care what it looked like if I messed up but would look adorably cute in something that turned out good. Well, since it is only Aaron, me, and our dog, Sadie, in our household, I decided Sadie would be my guinea pig! After a few attempts, I finally made her a coat for winter...I know, I know, pathetic, but I'm justifying it by saying that it's all because I want to improve my sewing skills, not because I love to spoil my dog :)

100th Post = 10 Random Facts

I was tagged by my friend Cassie!! So, here is what I must do:)
1) I need to link her blog: Here is her blog!

2) I need to give 10 random facts about myself and since it's my 100th post, I was going to do it anyway :) Perfect Timing!

3) I need to tag 2 other bloggers...so, I tag...Michelle and Amber? Anyone else who wants to do it, go for it!! :)

Erika's 10 Random Facts in no particular order:

1) I want to work in an orphanage someday

2) I have swallowed a live goldfish.

Just about to swallow the goldfish

3)In fifth grade, I wrote a play for my class and we performed it at the Thanksgiving program. I played the snobby girl. It was.....hilarious and very embarrassing :)

4) I want to have twins someday...one boy and one girl

Our twins could look like this someday? Ummm...yikes!!

5) When I was a camp counselor, I once had 19 campers all to myself. It was horse wilderness camp!

Camp Counselor Days

6) I absolutely love old movies (Bob Hope/Bing Crosby movies, musicals, the Anne movies...)

7) In third grade, I fell onto the merry go round while it was going and chipped my two front teeth. They are sensitive in the cold now because of the filling they had to replace them with.

8) My first job was for a seed company. I labeled and counted beans. It was awesome!

9) I am terrified of balloons and will NEVER decorate my future children's birthdays with balloons! (okay...maybe I'll change my mind or get Aaron to decorate :)

10) I used to count how many hot dogs I ate every year after I heard that eating too many hot dogs in one year caused leukemia.

There you have it...10 completely random facts about me.... :) Happy 100th post :)

October 21, 2005

3 years ago today....Aaron and I got engaged! I thought I would tell our engagement story for anyone who doesn't know it:

Aaron is quite the romantic and blew me away on our first date by taking me to a really nice Italian restaurant and then surprised me by having a limo waiting for us after our meal! We drove around Minneapolis for a good 2 hours, talking and getting to know each other better. It was the absolute perfect first date and he blew me away! :) So, with that background knowledge....

When we arrived at the Loring Pasta Bar on October 21, 2005, I had a hunch "this was the day I would get engaged" but I didn't want to get my hopes up. I even took this picture out front, "just in case" so I would have a good engagement night picture :) ha! We ate an incredible meal while live jazz was playing in the background and everything was perfect! After the meal, we walked outside and I was almost certain I would see a black limo like the one we had on our first date. I looked around...no black limo. Hmmm...I thought. Don't get your hopes up! A minute later, a black stretch limo pulled up and Aaron with a huge smile on his face, escorted me to the limo.

The limo took us to the Stone Arch Bridge, which is my absolute favorite spot in Minneapolis. I "hinted" that I adore bridges and Aaron took that hint and made our proposal so special by walking along the bridge. After walking for what seemed like hours, Aaron looked at me and said, "My neck is really hurting! Can you take my necklace off? (We used to wear each other's rings around our necks) As I helped him take his necklace off, he put it in my hand and I felt a different, bigger ring in my hand. Before I knew what was happening, he was down on one knee and said, "I love you" for the first time, followed by an incredible speech and ending with "Erika, will you marry me?" :) I can still remember the feeling....the overwhelming love and joy I had at that moment. God had revealed my future husband to me and had blessed me beyond what I could have EVER expected :)

It didn't end there though...of course I said "yes" followed by asking him to ask me a few more times because I didn't believe it! We walked back to the limo and had a red carpet out when we came back as well as the first red rose Aaron had given me. Up to this point, he gave me only white roses as a symbol of purity and now, a red one as a symbol of his love for me. :)

We drove back to NWC and I thought the evening was over. Perfect proposal by a perfect future husband....however, it wasn't quite over :) Aaron said, "I have one more surprise for you" He drove into Perkins. What are we doing at Perkins? I want to tell everyone, not spend time at Perkins! I thought. But, he said, "I thought we could go plan our wedding right now!" I almost laughed out loud because I was so confused, but I followed him into Perkins and saw countless number of friends hiding at a table, waiting for us and a loud chorus of "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" when we walked in! A surprise engagement party!!! :) *sigh* What an incredibly special proposal. :) The night ended with the rock being painted on campus (a tradition at NWC when a couple gets engaged), a decorated dorm room, and a slumber party with my roommates :) It was so beautiful and so perfect :)

Thank you Lord for blessing me beyond blessing that night! Thank you for helping me wait for the right one who you sent in your perfect timing :)