Z and I have spent the month of July so far by moving, traveling, attending showers, weddings, camping, and undergoing surgery. (Z had his wisdom teeth pulled out a little over a week ago and thankfully is almost back to 100%!) Our move into Z’s grandparents’ house went smoothly, and we are thoroughly enjoying being here. At first, I was a little apprehensive that we would feel like we were either intruding on their time or neglecting them if we didn’t “hang out” with them all the time. But it couldn’t be more comfortable! They are a couple of very involved, very busy people and while it is obvious that they like having us around, they don’t go out of their way to include us (aka- they let us do our own thing!) and they are extremely respectful of “our” space. (Not that I thought they wouldn’t be, it’s just that they have gone above and beyond what I would expect to make us feel like we have our own space and privacy.) Plus, having a comfortable, beautiful home, yard, basketball court, and delicious home cooked meals doesn’t hurt either! I think we could get used to this…

We’ve also been really busy every weekend. For the 4th, we traveled to be with my parents, see fireworks, and go to the Taste of Chicago. The following weekend, I had a bridal shower to attend for the bride who is getting married at the end of this week and we ended up skipping yet ANOTHER wedding due to Z’s painful, puffy mouth and slow surgical recovery.

And last weekend, we went camping. My dad grew up along the southern shore of Lake Michigan and less than a mile from his boyhood home is the campground that I first remember camping at. And we’ve been back many many times since then. This most recent time was with our newly married friends, Dan and Rachel, seen here singing while fixing us some lunch.

We played board games, made s’mores, roasted hot dogs, rode our bikes, visited the nearby outlet mall, and went to the beach.

Where we skipped rocks…

Played catch…

And SOME of us, even got wet! (Even though the temperature was in the low seventies and the water was COLD)

Not to be outdone, Dan joined in. Afterall, he has done a “Polar Bear Swim,” in the lake, in the middle of December. The middle of July? No problem.

See? He’s laughing at how easy it was… or was that an exclamation over how cold it was?… I can’t remember now.

It was a great weekend and it was wonderful to be able to spend some quality time with my best friend- and her new husband. Since moving away from our college town, Z and I have felt a little isolated and friendless. We know that this will change once we’ve had a chance to make friends at church, work, our new apartment (whenever we find one that is!), but it was nice to see some old friends to tide us over.

Speaking of work, Z has been working very hard on preparing for his first year of teaching and is growing more and more excited as the date comes nearer. And me? I’m still looking for a job. I’ve applied to a couple places and am looking for more and have my fingers crossed that I can find something by the time he starts teaching- even if it’s only part time for now.

That’s pretty much what’s up with us right now. I’ve been thinking a lot about a “story” that I want to start recording here and I think I’m about ready to start on that. Plus, I’ll have more wedding pictures to share after my stint as a bridesmaid this weekend!

For now, I’m off to help Grandma finish getting dinner ready. Z’s sisters are joining us tonight which should be a lot of fun.

Have a wonderful evening and Choose Joy!

E

A weekend with our families at Grandma and Grandpa’s lake house!

Once we had the date selected (which took several weeks of phone tag, emails, and re-scheduling) and the menu planned (which seemed to take even longer with all the debating between the women involved!), we just had to show up and enjoy ourselves.

The guys (Z, my dad, and my sister’s boyfriend, Eric) played some catch before we went out on the boats…

Z’s paternal grandfather gave my parents a tour of the lake on the pontoon boat while the rest of went out to waterski.

Z is really good at it.

Show off.

His dad is really good at it too. He only needs ONE ski!

And so is Z’s youngest sister.

THIS guy on the other hand…

Try as he might, couldn’t get up on the water. That’s my sister’s boyfriend again. And boy, he was persistent. This was on Sunday afternoon, even after he was tired and sore from all the trying that he did on Saturday morning and afternoon! But don’t feel bad for him. He was good at other stuff…

Like making my sister laugh while they were tubing. At least until they conked heads while going over some really rough water and were both thrown from the tube! Apparently his head is harder than hers because she was the one who ended up with a bump and bad headache. (Some ice and excedrin later and she felt better! No concussion thankfully!) And, they’re still dating so it didn’t do too much damage.

He was also the only one able to accomplish THIS all weekend…

Z has been trying and trying to land a fish or two every time we’ve been out at the lake. And Eric, who was extremely dubious about venturing out into the mosquito infested inky blackness that descends on areas with no light pollution to throw a line in the dark lake, came triumphantly back up to the house with this catfish on his line. He was very proud. (And let the poor fish go back into the lake… he was too small to be eaten!)

But back to the boating adventures…

Z’s sisters had fun on the jet ski… and later, Z, Eric and Kaitlin managed to tip it over- twice! Thankfully, no one was hurt and we all just laughed at them.

Jill even learned how to drive it!

Another perk to the weekend was getting to spend Father’s Day with my dad. My brother is away at scout camp as a counselor all summer and my sister is living at school to take classes and work so my dad would’ve been “childless” for the holiday. It was fun that we got to double the celebrations and be with him for the weekend too.

We had a wonderful weekend topped off with some great food (all of the planning was worth it!), a rousing game of “Pit,” and lots of quality time with our families. My sister is graduating NEXT spring… maybe we’ll do it again.

Next up, some updates on our move and crazy busy life!

Choose Joy,

E

See you from the “new” E-town!

E

Just tonight, we rode our bikes over to our favorite local custard place, past the run down building where I took my freshman and sophomore year architecture studio classes. And I can still vividly remember the graffiti walls, late nights, line dancing to “Footloose,” and even the smell of the building.

We know where we’re going for the coming year. Sort of. And after that, we have no idea where life might take us. We talk about the possibility of coming back here but there is no way to know if that will ever happen. Sure, we’ll be back to visit some friends and my sister who are still in classes but that’s not the same as living here. Part of me thinks that if we had moved right after I graduated, it would have been easier. But now, we know a little what it’s like to live in TOWN, not just on campus. And we like it. A lot. And now, we have one week left and last five seem to have disappeared all too quickly.

The coming year promises to hold many adventures… a new apartment (which we have yet to find), Z’s first year of teaching, and hopefully a new job for me! We’ll find a new church and hopefully some new friends. But we’ll also be far away from our “old” friends and I’m anticipating needing to get mapquest directions in order to find the grocery stores in our new, significantly larger, town (Actually, it’s a small city) as I am completely unfamiliar with the area.

We’ll also be much closer to Z’s family. Which will be a blessing in many ways but also a challenge for me as I learn how be a part of their family on a more regular basis. (Not that I’m not ALWAYS a part of their family but we’re going to be seeing a LOT more of them and that’ll be a new experience for me!)

But, we’ll be together and going through a bigger move like this will be another first for our marriage. And all of our other “firsts” turned out really well so far!

So, anyway… one week left and then we’re off!

In the meantime, I’ll work on filling you in on Z’s graduation celebration and his upcoming concert this weekend. (Did I mentioned that we’ve filled every spare moment between now and moving day? Or that we’ve also filled every weekend between now and the end of July with plans? No boring summer for us!)

Off to bed… only 4 more days of work!

E

So, my best friend got married on the 6th- and I had my first gig as a bridesmaid. And I must say, it was a blast. Rachel, the bride, had everything planned to perfection, the church was beautiful, and the reception hall people took care of everything. PLUS, the food was delicious and the DJ and dancing was awesome. Can’t ask for much more than that!

After our girls’ slumber party, we woke up at 6:30- too excited to sleep for much longer! Rachel’s new sister-in-law, made us breakfast (yum!) and then Alison, the hair dresser, came to us at 9.

No, this isn’t QUITE how she looked… Alison just wasn’t finished yet.

Much better!

Now for the veil…

Michelle was a great Maid of Honor- she was so excited for her big sister to be getting married!

These guys are Rachel’s adopted brothers. I met them when they were 11 and 23 months old- and it was love at first sight. It’s amazing how fast they’ve grown…

And these two goon birds are 2 of the reasons that I can’t wait to adopt our own kids.

And here is my second family.

And the beautiful bride!

And these little girls?  They stole the hearts of every man in the room.

At the rehearsal the night before the big day, as I walked down the aisle after them, Z looked at me and mouthed, “I want some DAUGHTERS!”  They even had my bachelor friend, Joe, ready to settle down and have some little girls.

They were totally darling as they practiced their stately march up the aisle and the day of the wedding, they did their job perfectly.

Dan’s face as he saw his beautiful bride for the first time.

The priest made the couple laugh all through the homily- even the part where he told them about the old Catholic “superstition”- that the number of people in your bridal party will equal the number of children you have! Apparently, these 2 can expect 13 little ones! Rachel was excited… Dan looked a little terrified…

Although, if they had 13 of these little dolls, I don’t think he’d mind too much. Little Claire had Dan wrapped around her finger- even getting him to order her and the other kids chocolate cake for dessert at the rehearsal dinner. He’s a sucker for a little girl in a sweet dress.

After the ceremony- and only a FEW tears, we took pictures and headed to the reception which was on the edge of a small lake. The hall was decorated beautifully…

And Rachel made her guest book very similar to mine. So, I loved it!

Here’s their rather unique cake! All of  the layers were on individual stands, rather than stacked on top of one another.

And their table numbers and flowers. (One of my favorite parts of a being a bridesmaid. Seriously, I was so excited to take home such beautiful fresh flowers!)

The first dance…

Dan and Rachel danced to Tim McGraw’s “My Best Friend” and followed that with the traditional “Daddy-daughter” and “Mother-Son” dances. Then everyone joined in and the floor was rather crowded for the next several hours.

I don’t know if I’ve confessed this before but, Z and I love to dance. We’ve taken some swing lessons and basically try to adapt those moves to all situations… unless we’re line dancing. I’m terrible at “making it up” but now that we can at least pretend to know what we’re doing, Z doesn’t let me OFF the dance floor! Let’s just say that by the end of the night, I felt like this guy!

It was a wonderful, fun day and one of the best weddings that we’ve been to together. Now, we’re waiting for them to get back from their long honeymoon so that we can go camping with them later in July.

Speaking of other summer plans, we’re off to Z’s grandparents’ lake house this weekend to celebrate Z’s graduation from college. (It’s official now!) Good thing it’s going to be in the 80’s and 90’s all weekend!- I’ll post about it next week.

Have a great weekend- Choose joy,

E

Ok, so I’m taking a break from talking about weddings/anniversarys/showers/etc. for a post. And instead, introducing another pretty significant aspect of our lives…

Can You Hear Us?

So, Can You Hear Us? is a band- made up of Z and his sisters. In April they released their first, self-titled cd which they recorded over the past year with several other very talented “guest” musicians. (Friends of Z’s and some studio musicians really helped flesh out some of the songs!)

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before but my husband is a very musically talented. And I say that with as little bias as possible for someone who is married to him! He plays electric and acoustic guitar, mandolin and piano. And he’s been teaching himself to play the banjo lately and a few months ago had some success teaching himself the basics on the cello.  He tells me that playing an instrument for him is like singing. You just need to teach your fingers how to sing. (I WISH it was that easy!)

Anyway, he put his singing fingers to work to write most of the musical parts that support his sister, Kaitlin’s, lyrics. She started writing songs a few years ago when she witnessed a group of Albanian teens picking on/mocking a mentally retarded man who was selling roses on the street in the Albanian city they were living in at the time. “Old Man with the Roses” tells this story on the cd.

Since then, she’s told the stories of child soldiers, children sold into slavery and forced prostitution, extreme poverty in the slums of the third world, and Christians who have died to bring the gospel to the forgotten people of the world. She’s also sung about some of the families that have fallen through the cracks in their small, rural, American town. The songs are heart-wrenching and often tear- inducing (and not really for little kids!).

But they are also full of hope. The song “Kenya” speaks about the incredible power of prayer. “Come Now, Let Us Go” is about salvation through Christ’s blood. And “The Kingdom” is a beautiful testament to all of the “little things” that people do to bring about God’s Kingdom here on earth. And then there is “Glory” which is my favorite. It’s more like a hymn- and we had Z’s three sisters sing it for us at our wedding.

And I can’t really even begin to describe how beautiful their voices are. You’ll just have to check out the sample tracks here. And while you’re there, you should also read some of the stories behind the songs. Because those are some pretty incredible stories. (Warning: it is not easy to forget what you hear/read!)

Oh, and they’ve made a family decision that all of the profits from any cd sales/concerts/whatever will be donated directly to organizations like International Justice Mission or Shared Hope International which fight trafficking and injustice all over the world.

Basically, I love that Z has a way to share his passion and talent for music along with his passion for social justice- WITH his sisters. And they’re using their incredible talent to actually make a difference for God’s Kingdom… which is at least part of why He gifts us with talents, isn’t it? It’s a pretty cool thing to watch and in my own little ways, participate. Plus, it’ll be fun to see where they go from here!

Have a beautiful day and Choose Joy!

E

As we sat at dinner on Sunday, we commented on how remarkable it is to be unable to imagine daily life without the constant presence of each other after only one year of living together and 20+ years with our respective families. We were told by several people shortly before our wedding that the first year of marriage is the hardest. I sure hope that’s the case because this first year was a breeze and we decided we’d like at least 75 more like it!

Anyway, to celebrate, we enjoyed some strawberry pancakes for breakfast (we had pancakes the morning after our wedding a year ago), and for lunch, enjoyed a picnic at the Arboretum where we started dating and Z proposed.

It was a perfect day to spend some time outside,

and to enjoy some of the Wild Blueberry Wine that we purchased in Maine on our honeymoon last year- and saved to enjoy on our first anniversary!

After lunch, we played some catch.

And because it was a beautiful day, and we were worn out from the catch, we caught a nap in the shade.

For dinner, we dressed up and headed “downtown” for a very nice outdoor dinner- complete with wine, steak, scallops, and desserts. Definitely a once a year kind of meal…

And I made sure to wear my new pearl earrings which, along with a matching necklace, were a total surprise anniversary gift from my dear husband. And here I thought that you weren’t “supposed to” get pearls until the 30th anniversary! Lucky for me, Z has no idea that “traditional” anniversary gifts even exist. I doubt he’d follow them even if he knew.

Thanks for a very romantic day, honey! I can’t wait to see what year 2 has in store for us.

~E

Maybe I’ll just blame it on the fact that for the last few weeks, Z and I have spent every spare moment packing boxes, carrying boxes, moving furniture, and searching for the inevitably “lost” item of clothing amidst the mountains of cardboard filling our apartment.  We are in the middle of a multi-stepped moving process. Our lease on our apartment ended on the 31st (also, our first anniversary!) but we need to be in town until the end of June for Z to finish his last college course and for me to wrap up my time at my current job. So, we are subleasing for a friend for the month of June.

In July, we will move into the basement apartment at Z’s grandparents’ house where most of our stuff is currently being stored while we search for a NEW apartment in that area. Z’s teaching job for the fall is official and out of a desire to avoid a two hour commute every day, we will be leaving our college home and moving closer to his new school. Which means that I too will get to seek new employment. We are hopeful that i can find a job and a new apartment by August- and having the time to look in July while enjoying a rent free, air conditioned, basement apartment is truly a blessing.

And in the midst of all the searching, we of course have many plans for summer fun and adventure. We attended the first wedding of the season last weekend- of a couple of our college friends (they are dropping like flies!) where Z played piano for the ceremony…

… and the reception had a great view of the city skyline! (not that you can actually see it in the above photo!)

And this COMING weekend, we will be celebrating with Rachel and Dan (see previous post!) at their wedding on Saturday. Throw in a few more weddings, a weekend at a lake house to celebrate Z’s graduation with our families, a camping weekend, a weekend in Cincinnati to visit our other married cousins, horseback riding lessons from Z’s aunt (which I am SO excited about!), and a list of projects that is 2 miles long a growing, and our summer promises to be a very busy- yet fun!- one.

And hopefully I’ll be better at recording it here- especially since I might actually have some fun things to talk about.

Another post coming soon- I promise!

E-town

The day of the shower was beautiful. Sunny, breezy, warm.  And the morning of the shower, my parents and I ran around finishing all of the last minute details for the shower. Starting with these:

Inspired in part by Pioneer Woman’s “Springy Flower Pot Desserts” and by Bakerella’s infamous “Cake Pops,” I combined the two into these adorable little desserts. I spent the evening before the shower making the bumblebee cake pops.

I simply followed Bakerella’s instructions to make cake pops… and then dipped them in yellow melting candy, added chocolate chips to one end for their stingers, brown candy coated sprinkle chips for the eyes and painted on their stripes and smiles with a toothpick dipped in melted chocolate candy.

Aren’t they cute??

Then my mom and I made these:

Using the smallest sized terra cotta pots we found at Hobby Lobby, we made this ice cream desserts.  We placed a vanilla wafer in the bottom, spooned some softened vanilla ice cream into the dish around a plastic straw and covered the top with crumbled oreos (which, with the filling left in the mix, really looks like potting soil!). We froze them like this overnight and the morning of the shower, we wrapped them in bright red and green napkins and tied with a black ribbon. (the wedding colors!)

The napkins kept everyone’s fingers from freezing and made the flower pots look like they were wrapped as gifts from the floral department!

We placed cut, artificial flowers and the bumblebee cake pops into the straw immediately before serving.

And the bride (and everyone else!) loved them.

The bumblebees were pretty time consuming, so I used the rest of my cake balls to make these:

Again, I used wedding colors… and had one of the bridesmaids ask if I sold desserts as a business! I answered, no, but Bakerella should! (have to give credit for genius ideas where credit is due)

We even sent everyone home with a cupcake bite…

…in their own mini-cake boxes!

Mom’s digital craft cutter was responsible for these wedge shaped boxes-

And the adorable decoration they created when arranged into a layer cake! (Notice that one layer is “vanilla” and the other is “chocolate”!)

As if we didn’t already have enough sweets, we also served some lime bars, heart-shaped elephant ears, and HAMBURGER cookies (vanilla wafers, thin mints, red and yellow icing and green dyed coconut layered together- yum!) which fit our “outdoor”/”summer camp” theme.

We did serve lunch too…

Salads and sandwiches!

And for good measure…

Champagne punch! Hey- we were all 21! Well, except for this little sweetie…

But she didn’t get to have any.

It was a beautiful, tasty afternoon. And the leftovers made the next day pretty sweet too!

Choose joy,

E

I love autumn. The colors, the cool, crisp air, the smells. But it’s more than that. The feeling of fall prompts me to feel the excitement of new beginnings (living on a school calendar for about 20 years will do that to you!), the joy of celebration of mine and my sisters’ birthdays, the anticipation for the coming holidays, and brings back the memories of apple picking, the last campfires of the season, and attending the Feast of the Hunter’s Moon. (google it- it’s awesome!)

And the warm, humid air, greening leaves and grass, and budding flowers of spring have always brought celebratory feelings of nearing an “end.” Summer vacation, a new softball season, family vacations, and in short, freedom, awaited at the end of spring- the end of the school year. And the months preceding the end of school were always soooo long.

Last spring, I was nearing the end of my college career, the end of my life as a student (at least for the time being!), the end of four years of way too little sleep, often too much stress, and the convenience of living with some of my best friends. I was nearing the end of my wedding planning, my engagement, my life as a single woman. And I was nearing the end of my time of living with my parents. As independent and grown-up as they treated me already, every school break and holiday was spent at home with them and I knew that things would change once I moved out for good.

However, last spring, I was also quickly approaching a time of new beginnings. Of drastic life changes that would affect my life forever. More so than any softball team or summer vacation ever had. I was approaching life as a college graduate. Life as a full-time employee of a company. And most importantly, life as Z’s wife.  And that was exciting enough to make me all but forget the “endings” of last spring.

Now, this spring, as we are enjoying more numerous warm, sunny days with blooming lilacs and breezy green trees, I am again experiencing much of the anxiety and excitement, the nostalgia and anticipation of last year. And I know that much of it is linked to my memories of Spring 2008. It is the anniversary of my college graduation, of saying goodbye to so many friends and to a way of life, of saying goodbye to my old bedroom and my parents’ house. And we are 16 days away from my first wedding anniversary. A year ago, we were putting the finishing touches on our wedding and honeymoon plans and preparing to move into our first apartment.

And yet, not all of my feelings are triggered solely by the memories of last year. Z has just received a job offer for a teaching position out of town that we have decided to accept. While we are thrilled that God has provided him with employment for next year, I am feeling a little nostaligic. This job will mean moving… out of our very first apartment, our first home together- out of the town where we met and fell in love and dated and kissed for the first time and got engaged. Moving will mean the end of my first “real job.” And while it hasn’t been wonderful every day, it’s been a blessing to have an income and I’ve a learned a ton. Moving will mean being further away from many of our friends. And our first anniversary will mean the end of our first year of marriage. A year full of learning how much fun we have living together, of much we love being married.

And our first anniversary will also mark the beginning of our second year of marriage. Which will probably be even more wonderful than the first! This new job will mean the opportunity to go on an adventure together, to learn more about each other, to set up a new home, to make new friends, for me to find a new job. And I can’t help but be excited about all of those things. After all, we’ll be doing them together. And that’s what I signed up for when I made my vows last May!

Choosing Joy,

E