Resolution Update

With the start of a new year, comes the opportunity to reflect.  One year ago, Josh and I made some goals or resolutions.  I thought it would be fun to see how they went.

• Find our first "home" where we will stay for more than a year

We did find a great place to live, but with cutting a few corners and saving extra money, it looks like we might be able to purchase a home shortly.  We are planning to speak with a realtor and get pre-approved for a mortgage as soon as possible.

• Manage to move in the least stressful way possible

We did a pretty good job of this, but I do have some advice for myself for the next move.  Just wait and do everything in one day.  We made many trips over the course of a few weeks (using our cars) which made the process seem so much worse.  I think it would have been better to just load everything in the moving truck instead of making it such a drawn-out process.

• Get a puppy

Done.  Avery is a full-fledged part of our family!

• Start saving to buy a house

As I said before, we are well on our way to this.

• Start saving for a "big" trip

We are also doing this.  We are planning to go to Hawaii this fall and hoping to go to Europe the year after.

• Go to Florida, Duluth, and Chicago

Made it to Florida, but not to Duluth or Chicago.

• Go to "the lake" at least 5 times this summer

Unfortunately, we did not make it up this many times.  I would say there's always next year, but with another move coming, I'm not sure it will work!

• Graduate and get a job!

Woohoo! Made it :)

• Run a 10k in the end of April

To date, I have just not been able to get into running.  Josh and I joined the YMCA recently, so I'm hoping that will help.  So far, I have tried fitness yoga and zumba.  And it sounds like I might be attempting a 5k again in April...

• Continue to grow my hair out

I did cut my hair back in August.  It was super cute, but I have noticed that I am not very creative when my hair is shorter so I tend to get bored.  Combined with the weddings I have coming up, I decided to start growing it out again.

Overall, not super great results, but everything worked out great for us!  Can't wait for another exciting year!

Christmas

Family photo time

Celebrating makes Avery tired

The whole gang

Chase teaching Avery about Santa

Making waffles on our new Norwegian waffle maker

Second annual cake pop making

Josh and I also exchanged gifts yesterday, but we didn't take any pictures.  We are looking forward to his cousin's wedding today and a special New Year's Eve celebration next week.

I am brainstorming all the things I should work on during my last few days off.  So far, I have created our family yearbook and I am thinking of going through my clothes.  Any suggestions?

Festivities Are Officially Underway

We have been in full-swing holiday spirit over here for quite a while now.  We had our first (hopefully annual) Christmas party on December 6th.  Followed by a family Christmas gathering on December 7th.  Josh's parents were in town the next weekend, so we had fun trekking all over with them.  Now we are headed back to SW Minnesota for another Christmas celebration this weekend.  We will be going to Moorhead for Christmas and then heading back to SW Minnesota for a cousin's wedding on the 28th.  We will definitely be making our rounds of the state.  I feel like we should throw a trip to Duluth in for good measure!

Our Christmas party was a hit! It was so fun to see everyone and I was shocked that we were able to fit everyone in our tiny little duplex.  For food, we had a few kinds of Christmas cookies (chocolate covered cherry, cherry shortbread, gingerbread, cranberry pistachio, and peppermint meltaways), spinach dip, caprese skewers, and strawberries (these were supposed to be Santa hats, but it was a pinterest fail).  For the first time ever at a party I have hosted, we ran out of food!  Everything was a huge hit.

Crammed in the kitchen

Cookies

Caprese and Strawberries

Note to anyone thinking of making the strawberries, the whipped cream melts almost instantly.  You might want to try piping cool whip, but that might melt too.

The Gehl family Christmas party in Marshall was a good time.  It was Hawaiian themed this year.

On the way down, we stopped at the Dairy Queen in Olivia and they gave Avery a doggie sundae.  She liked it so much, she could hardly contain herself.

Almost all of our gifts are wrapped, and even though I am not looking forward to spending so much time in the car, I am looking forward to time with family.

Holiday Spirit

Guess what?!? I am posting from our new computer! We got a new computer last weekend and could not be happier.  We even got a better deal on it than all the Black Friday sales.  And we didn't even have to shop on Thanksgiving.

Cherry Shortbread and Chocolate Covered Cherry cookies

We have been slowly working up to Christmas around here.  Gradual decorating, baking, shopping.  I can't believe that our Christmas party and Christmas with Josh's family is already almost here.  We are almost done getting everything we need.

Our major Black Friday deal!

We were so looking forward to our first long weekend at home in so long.  It has been pretty amazing so far.  On Wednesday, we stayed at home cleaning and making cookies.  Yesterday we spent the day at my aunt and uncle's house with family.  Avery had so much fun and she has been sleeping all day to make up for how tired she got playing non-stop.

Avery with Grandma and Grandpa

We did get up at 4am this morning to do some Black Friday shopping.  I have to say, it was one of my best experiences yet.  We started at the Home Depot by our house.  They let us inside to wait for the store to open and they gave us breakfast and hot cocoa (coffee for the coffee drinkers).  The customers and employees were so pleasant!  After getting everything we wanted there (even though the list wasn't long), we took off for Menards.  This time we had to wait outside in the cold for 40 minutes.  There were so many more people and they were not nearly as friendly.  I have never had good luck at Menards on Black Friday, but we got everything on our list (and a bit more).  Plus, we got this gem.  I have always been against these fake fireplaces, but we neededa space heater and this was cheaper or the same price and any we found.  A little ambiance?

Don't mind the laundry basket, or when I'm trying to roast mallows in the future...

Tomorrow, we will be going to Feed My Starving Children with our new church and then watching my brother's game.  Hopefully we will be able to get a little prep for our party in as well.  On Sunday, the Vikings play the Bears, so we will definitely be watching that game.

I am getting out of control exciting for the Christmas festivities!  Can't wait :)

Vacation and Surgery Recovery

Can't believe it has almost been a month again!  That month was mostly spent prepping for vacation, being on vacation, and recovering from vacation.

Before vacation, we had the chance to see the Cirque du Soleil show in town.  It was good, but not as acrobatic as the first show I saw.  Overall, a little disappointing, but still cool.  

We also had the chance to head north for Concordia's homecoming. It was nice to see friends and family.

When we got back, Avery had her first haircut.  We were a little nervous because my parents have had so many problems with Montana, and they have a similar look.  It turned out great though and we will definitely be special requesting the same person.

On the 19th of October, we took off for Tampa for the week.  We had a good time checking out the beaches and ocean and relaxing.  It was our first vacation since starting our "new" jobs.

For Halloween, we were the justice league (minus a few).  Josh was Superman, I was Bat Girl and Avery was Wonder Woman.

Today, Avery got spayed.  She made it through like a champ, but she is very out of it.  We will be taking it easy this weekend to help her recover.

Also, GOOD NEWS!  We should be getting our new computer soon, so hopefully I will get back to posting more!

Bucket List Progress

Here is the progress we have made on our bucket list so far:

1. Have a bonfire (just got a fire bowl on craigslist, score!)

2. Carve a pumpkin (hoping to get a carving worthy pumpkin in our farm share)
3. Have a fall photoshoot (we are having a friend from grad school do this for us.  Ashley Christine photography, check her out!)

4. Go on a leaf walk (hopefully somewhere pretty, like Stillwater or Duluth)
5. Make caramel apples (one of my favorite things that I somehow miss making/having most years)
6. Go on a hay ride (I am obsessed with hay rides and haven't been on one in SO long)

7. Watch Hocus Pocus (I can't remember the last time I watched this movie. It's time to see it again)

Our Life in Pictures

Here is a picture update of what we have been up to lately!

Enjoying our sweet puppy (and watching football)

Homemade Pad Thai date with my Dad

Loving when this sweet girl curls up into a ball

Josh got involved in a 4 mile run to support Bullying Prevention through work

At the very end

Seriously... Can't resist taking a picture

Avery can't help but to stand on me at every opportunity

We put Avery into an outfit my parents bought for her when she was very young.  It is way too small, and she can't walk while wearing it.  Poor girl!

Josh and I won tickets in the Wicked lottery! Highlight of the month (maybe life?)!

Proudly wearing out buttons!

I made a pie after we went to the apple orchard.  Since we were already in the Stillwater area for the apples, we decided to check out a State Park in the area.  We now have an annual pass to the state parks if anyone wants to hit them up with us.  We are going to try camping next summer, yikes!

After chasing flies one day, Avery discovered that she liked to lay on top of the couch like a cat.  She doesn't lay like this much, but she still goes up there to look out the window.

We made some new shelves for the bathroom.  Our bathroom is TINY and has no vanity, so no storage.  This was our solution.  I am still working on "styling" the selves.  Josh suggested a reed diffuser... ha!

We did some dog-sitting.  This is about as close as they got to each other, just long enough to take a picture.  Avery LOVES Montana.  He is not quite as sure about her.  Although, the more time he spends around her, he seems to be getting used to her energy... or he just gave up.

Apple orchard!  Crossed "hay ride" off the bucket list.

Avery supporting her Uncle Chase.  As my mom and I like to say, Go 'Boys!

Avery starts puppy school tonight and we are going to the Cirque show tomorrow.  This weekend is Concordia's homecoming.  It will be the first time I am back and the first time Josh will get to see the new Business School.  Next weekend we are heading to Florida.  Big things coming up!

Friday Fun Time

TGIF!  I had a super busy day at work today (not!), so I got a little creative over my lunch time.  I saw a sign like this in Portland when I was there for work, but it said "he" instead of "she," so I didn't get it.  I decided to make my own.

I'm not even sure where I would/will put this, but I just couldn't resist.  I made it in the colors of our living room.  Maybe on one of the windows facing outside or above her toy basket....

Tough decisions after a really tough week (this time no sarcasm).

Fall Decor

Inspired by Pinterest, I made us a new wreath.  It has flowers attached with Velcro so we can change them out for the seasons.  It was very simple to make with hot glue.

I also made a fall bunting. It says Happy Fall with leaves in between.  I know its hard to see, but you get the idea.

We have been on a fall role here.  We made pumpkin pancakes for dinner and pumpkin bread is currently in the oven.  Big plans this weekend for the fall bucket list, stay tuned!

Grocery Shopping and Fall Bucket List

Ever since my mom's bad experience with SuperValu, I have been a little anti- Cub Foods.  To be honest, there wasn't much reason to be pro-Cub at the time any way.  However, they have really been bringing it lately!

We went last night and scored some major deals.  We did a little stocking up on chilli supplies (tomatoes and beans), got our regular groceries, and some treats.  Our bill came to $125.  After all the weekly ad store coupons (and one manufacturer coupon) we got our total down to $85. Not too shabby!  If you are looking for the basics and are willing to be flexible with what is on sale, I highly recommend checking Cub out.

We also made a final call on the Fall Bucket List
1. Have a bonfire (just got a fire bowl on craigslist, score!)
2. Carve a pumpkin (hoping to get a carving worthy pumpkin in our farm share)
3. Have a fall photoshoot (we are having a friend from grad school do this for us.  Ashley Christine photography, check her out!)
4. Go on a leaf walk (hopefully somewhere pretty, like Stillwater or Duluth)
5. Make caramel apples (one of my favorite things that I somehow miss making/having most years)
6. Go on a hay ride (I am obsessed with hay rides and haven't been on one in SO long)
7. Watch Hocus Pocus (I can't remember the last time I watched this movie. It's time to see it again)

We are hoping to get all of these things done and have already made a bit of progress on some of them since we decided on our list.

p.s. I did end up cutting my hair. I got about 6 inches cut off the back and about 4 or so off the front (it is slightly inverted).  I am also back to brunette.

Long Overdue Update

We have had a fun last few weeks.  The Thursday before labor day, we got to go to the state fair.  Josh was able to get free tickets from work, so he met me at the Hamline Back to School Bash and then we went over to the fair.  Unfortunately, traffic was out of control, so it took him over 2 hours to drive home and then over to Hamline.  This cut into our fair time a bit, but that's ok.  Josh got his annual pronto pup and I had my dole whip.

Over labor day weekend, we made the drive to Lincoln, Nebraska for Chase's college football debut.  It was a very fun game!  It was also 100000000 degrees out, so we were very sweaty.

When we got back on Sunday, we experienced a 30 degree temperature drop.  This made me feel SO cold, so I decided to make chilli.  We used the veggies from our farm share to jazz it up.

I also decided to take advantage of the awesome Michael's coupon last week to get some crafting supplies.  I made us a new wreath and a "bunting" of sorts.  If we ever get a computer again, I will do a tutorial.  It was super easy.

YUCK ALERT: Another thing I never thought I would be into is dog poop.  Avery was sick right after the 4th of July with a parasite (I.e. explosive diarrhea).  Ever since this, I have been watching her poop like a hawk.  On Wednesday night after work, I noticed that she had diarrhea again, but I didn't think much of it.  On Thursday when I got home, she pooped 3 times in 10 minutes, all liquid.  When I went to explore, they all had blood at the end of them.  Josh got home a few minutes later, and we ran her to the vet.  This is honestly the worst experience we have ever had at our vet.  We called before we left, so they were expecting us and knew what was wrong with her.  Right behind the check in counter, there is a sign that says "sick or injured patients will be seen first."  Well, we waited for over 40 minutes, watching others come in and leave for basic checkups.  I was so mad.  Turns out she had an over growth of bacteria in her intestine (which can be caused by anything).  Who knew that could make a dog poop blood.  Here's to hoping these two illnesses mean she will be healthy the rest of her life.  She has her last round of shots this week and we are going to talk to the vet about getting her spayed.  She also has her first grooming appointment this week.  She is getting to be such a big girl!

After getting to see my grandparents on Thursday night, we took my parent's dog home with us because they were all going to Laramie to see my brother (he got to play this week, no fair!) On Friday night, we got to spend some time with friends and catch up.  I get to be a bridesmaid next summer for one of my oldest friends, so I'm pumped for that!

On Saturday morning, we set off for Marshall to visit Josh's family.  We hadn't seen them for about 6 months, so it was good to see our nephews and catch up.  Avery did SO well with the boys.  Josh and I were both thrilled, because you never know how a dog, let alone a puppy will react to kids.

Avery had her last puppy shot today and we scheduled her spaying appointment.  She is growing up so fast!