valentines day

inspired by a dear friend's blog, i decided to post a picture of nic and i's "first date". thinking back on this day, i find myself in an uncontrollable smile and remnants of butterflies linger in the pit of my stomach. oh how i love this man and all the crazy things he does.

it was a fall evening on k-state's campus in manhattan, ks, and my RA (whom i later married) needed to "borrow" hay bales for an event he was putting together for our dorm floor. i somehow manipulated my way into getting him to ask me to go with him.

we pulled up to the well staked out site, grabbed a photo and a few hay bails and went back to the dorms. before you think this man isn't a romantic, i should note that this definitely wasn't our first "official" date. i suppose it was the first time it was just us. doing something only us has a memory of. :)

happy valentines day! ok, i'd better get back to work now.

the internets offerings

two absolutely amazing tools that i use daily.
1. google reader. it's awesome. if you haven't tried it yet, you should. if you have a gmail account, at the top of the page there is a link called "Reader", click it, and start adding subscriptions! if you don't have a gmail account, you should get one.

if you are a skilled blog stalker like me google reader can save you hours of time in a day! all your blog reading delights are in one convenient place! click here to check out a dear friend's photography blog that i subscribe to! (and while you're there wish her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!).

2. equally awesome is www.mint.com. this is an absolutely great (and FREE!) tool to help keep track of daily expenses, budgets, investments, and financial goals. trust me, i'm an accountant. :)

loose animal

Around 1pm today, my husband emails, "Well, we will unexpectedly be testing Neosho's [our dog] freedom in our own house this afternoon. I accidentally failed to latch one of the gates on his kennel after lunch. I just happened to check his video camera [yes, we have a video camera set up to watch our dog when we are at work] and saw he was nowhere to be found. I watched for a few minutes and he actually came back to his kennel and is currently sleeping within... but I don't know how long that will last."


Around 6:15pm today, I received another email, "Upon arriving home today I discovered that genius-dog Neosho has a healthy appetite for literature, quite literally. Not to mention shower loofahs, cardboard, and as always, our dirty clothing."

Fabulous.

coffee table moment

I glanced down at our coffee table this week and realized how much it defines our lives right now. Well, actually just my thought processes these days.

Sir Nicolas has accumulated these bad boys. Yep, magazines we own do define us.

Not to complain, but really probably to complain, work is draining. I come home just in time to catch some sleep before jumping back into where I left off the night before. My apathy about everything, life, work, Christ, friends, it's sickening. I am living life for the project to end, rather than to embrace the opportunity to actually engage and live at work (though I have on many occasions considered bringing a pillow and blanket to curl up under my desk, does that count?). I have justified my behaviors and demanded relaxation. I need grace. Though how can I receive grace if I won't give it?

january 2011

2011 started off for me with exhausted muscles and bruised knees. My husband and I, along with friends and family, went to Keystone, CO during the last few days of 2010. I've concluded that my body is not built for the wear and tear that comes from snowboarding. Don't get me wrong, I love the sport, and I'm decent at getting down a mountain on a board, or "riding" as I learned it was called, but goodness. My husband and I learned to ride together during my sophomore year of college. I admit, he has definitely surpassed me in skill and speed. I can live with that. Here is a group shot just before our first ride up and down. :)

Lots of great memories in Keystone, the trip was filled with board fiascos, a friend conquering her first bunny slope, and sits by the well tended fire. Glorious.

2011 has come out of the gate at a rapid pace. Being an accountant, we pride ourselves on working a lot this time of the year. Amongst all the working, we have managed to fit in some wonderful january 2011 times.

Dinner with dear friends.

Ready?

And Smile.

Nic released his first app for the iphone! It's in the app store. We have a handful of promo codes, so if you're interested let us know! First come, first serve!

January 15th, marked my niece's birthday, she is now 10, big year ahead for that one. We also celebrated the birthday of a sweet friend who I see far too rarely.

Our puppy, Neosho (who is currently 5 months old) has continued onto puppy class II, here in january. We meet every Saturday to learn how to make our dog a robot. It's pretty fun! ;)

An Epiphany feast celebration with family.

There have also been some unexpected events here in january 2011. Last Friday, January 14th, we found out a good family friend passed away, unexpectedly. It will be a daily battle for all of us who knew him, but most of all for the family. The grief is deep.

christmas card in the making

Woops, camera set too high...

"I think this could work!" 

"Do you think he is looking?"

"hurry, hurry!"

"how about now?"

"Maybe if we hold his head?"

What if we just did this?

After countless "failure" shots, we decided to take a video picture (Harry Potter style). Click here for our 2010 Christmas Card Video. :)

For old times sake...
2009 family Christmas photo:

and 2008: