Play Ball!

Whoa...many apologies for our extended absence! We're trying not to fall off the blogging bandwagon again, we promise! April and May have been quite busy...so here's to playing catch-up!

At the beginning of April, Jeromy and I were lucky enough to snag some last minute tickets to the Twins season opener. Thanks to our friend, Greg Davis, for selling us three tickets - two for us, and one for our pal Rachel! This season opener was a bigger deal than your average season opener because this year is the last year the Twins will be playing in the iconic Metrodome. Although it's sad to bid farewell (I have grown-up going to the Dome), there is much excitement for the new, outdoor stadium that will open next Spring. Three cheers for Target Field! Woo hoo!!

The Dome was packed and the excitement level in the place was high. We had a great time hanging out with Greg, Rachel, Nick, and Erin as we watched the Twins battle it out with the Mariners. Although we had a fun time cheering and spectating, our hometown team couldn't quite pull it out...and lost. :-( Oh well...the rest of the season lies ahead.

Bands, BBQ, and Blarney

Wow. Now it really IS April. Like Jeromy eluded to, March sure flew by! As you've read, the beginning of March was filled with birthday celebrations for Jeromy's 26th. But we also had other fun things going on! March was a great month for the Carlsons!

After hearing A LOT of good things about the band Shoeless Revolution (a band that has some of Rachel and Sarah's high school friends in it), we FINALLY got the opportunity to hear them live...and in the perfect venue. Shoeless played Famous Dave's in Uptown, which allowed for a nice dinner with friends followed by an early show (which has become quite a necessity for us...we are so NOT out late at the bar type of people) with a table right next to the stage. I didn't doubt that the band would be good...but they exceeded my expectations! I was blown away! Reed, the lead singer and one of Rachel and Sarah's friends, has an incredible voice. AND he's also the drummer...something that I've never seen before. Incredible. The night was filled with good friends, good food, good drinks, good dancing, and good music!

Below are some favorite shots from the night.

A few nights after the Shoeless show it was St. Patrick's Day! The crew (minus Jeromy, who was feeling a bit run down) headed to the Happy Gnome in St. Paul for some more great live music (this time by the Celtic-inspired band Sweet Colleens). It was another night filled with good company and good music and dancing. Unfortunately, it had to be a bit of an early night since St. Patty's Day fell on a Tuesday this year...and Wednesday means work for all of us...but a good night all the same.

In addition to the fun nights described above, we had several other opportunities for friend get-togethers - highlighted by a fun game night with the crew at the Chatterbox Pub in St. Paul, a wonderful three-hour coffee/chat with Jackie (while Jeromy and Tom played Mario Kart) :-), and a fun day wine tasting and celebrating another birthday (Tom's). I leave you with a few more pictures from March. Jeromy and I are so blessed with a fabulous group of close-knit friends. We are so thankful for such great people to call our friends! Happy April everyone!

April? Already?

Not quite, but very very close..

March has absolutely flown by - it seems like my birthday (March 4th) was just yesterday. Becky went above and beyond for my big 2-6, giving me a chest freezer, taking me out for sushi, and throwing a dessert and wine party all in the same week.

We did the sushi thing at Tiger Sushi on my actual birthday, which happened to fall on a Wednesday. What makes this extra awesome is that Becky is definitely not a sushi person. Nonetheless she soldiered on and allowed me to indulge in my love of all things seafood. B managed to find a few items on the menu to suit her palate and we were pleasantly surprised when our waitress brought out not one but TWO free dessert plates after B mentioned it was my birthday. Fried bananas, fresh fruit and a yummy berry cream/yogurt sauce.

The wine and dessert party was Saturday evening after a delicious dinner at Big Bowl. Unfortunately we didn't get any good pictures of the party itself (the provided pic found below is post eat/drink) but it was a great time. Every attendee brought either a bottle of wine or dessert to share with the group, which made for a perfect sampling of tasty treats. Chocolate was the most popular choice for the dessert providers but I definitely have to give a shout-out to our friend Sarah who provided "Irish Car Bomb" cupcakes...TO DIE FOR!!!

The remainder of the month has been filled with good times with friends and family, enjoying the beginnings of spring, and, as always, enjoying all the entertainment our furry four-legged beast child has to offer. That said, I leave you with a could of choice pictures of spring from Luther's point of view.

Happy Birthday, Jeromy Steven!!

Today is Jeromy's 26th birthday!! We've had a great time celebrating thus far...and still have some more celebrations to come!

On Friday night, my parents took us to the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre to see Altar Boyz, a hilarious satire on religious bands/boy bands. All of us laughed and smiled so much that our faces hurt at the end of it! Neither Jeromy or I had ever been to the Chanhassen...and it had been years since my parents' last visit. What fun!

Over the weekend I went on a "secret mission" with my dad to get 1 of 2 of Jeromy's birthday gifts - a chest freezer. We had been talking for a while about investing in one so that we can take advantage of sales (particularly with meat prices so high). I feel a bit like an old married couple, being that we are apparently already to the "appliance gifting stage," but I think Jeromy genuinely appreciated it. Oh! And we already started filling it up...we stocked up on some meat at Cub last night.

Tonight we are going to Tiger Sushi at Mall of America for dinner. We won't be out late though...because we have a LOST party at 8:00 with good friends Rachel and Beth. (LOST as in the TV show, for those who don't know).

Saturday will be the big party with friends. At the request of the birthday boy we are having a wine and dessert party. Yum! I'm sure we'll have a separate post about the party, so stay tuned for more. :-)

As with C.J. birthday (see post from a few weeks back), I'm finding myself very nostalgic on Jeromy's birthday. Not for quite the same reasons, obviously (I was not there the day Jeromy was born). I get nostalgic thinking that this is the 6th birthday of Jeromy's that we are celebrating together. Time flies...

I am so thankful that the world has been blessed with 26 years of Jeromy Steven Carlson. Truly the world is a better place because he's in it! I am thankful for a loving, supportive, funny, handsome, patient, thoughtful man with whom to spend my life with. It is my honor to be able to celebrate with him as he turns 26! I love you, Jeromy!

Taking Advantage of the Disadvantaged, a venting session by Becky W. Carlson

Okay... so I'm sorry that my (our) triumphant return to blogging has to include a couple venting sessions (see Jeromy's vent about labs' Westminster snub), but a situation the other day really got me going. Perhaps blogging will be a good way to vent it all out...

The other night Jeromy and I were headed into the Y for one of our regular workouts. As we were walking in we saw a nice looking gentlemen walking out towards his car. Fine. No big deal. However, the car he was walking towards was identified as handicapped. Now perhaps there was something that we didn't see, but this man looked, at least to Jeromy and I, quite able-bodied.

Perhaps his wife is handicapped in some way. Maybe he was on the tail end of fighting off some sort of injury. Maybe he was borrowing a car from a less able-bodied friend. But what it looked like was that he's taking advantage of something that's meant to help those at a disadvantage.

I understand. More often than not as you are driving through a parking lot most, if not all of the handicapped parking spots are vacant. I understand. At the end of a long day it's hard to want to walk through a cold, wet, snowy parking lot after a workout. I understand.

But here's what I don't understand. What on earth would make you feel so high and mighty to the point that you felt like you were some how entitled to take advantage of something that is simply not meant for you?! There are people, whether they are utilizing them at that moment or not, who greatly benefit from such things. Suck it up, dude. Walk the extra 20 feet and thank God that you have the ability to do so. Honestly.

A related vent has to do with the door opener buttons, which are also meant for individuals who are handicapped. I can't tell you how many times I've walked into Target...the Y...through the skyway and seen people who are completely able-bodied (mostly kids, although sometimes adults), push those buttons for no apparent reason.

Again, I understand extenuating circumstances. Perhaps you are pushing a stroller, are carrying a big bag of groceries or similar bulky items, have a hurt shoulder/hand/arm that prevents you from opening said door. We've all done it. But what if you have no reason? What if you are pressing the button for laziness' sake (or in kids' case...for fun's sake). In those cases, it's a waste of energy and abuse of something that's not there for you.

I'm not a parent yet...but when I am I hope that when my kid goes to press such a button (which I'm sure he or she will), I will take the time to explain its purpose. I will tell my child that God has blessed him or her with a body that can do things like open doors, go down stairs, etc. I will tell them that to abuse such a thing is a waste and quite frankly...lazy.

Perhaps they won't understand. Perhaps when it comes down to it when I actually have kids it won't be a battle I choose to fight. But every time I see situations as described in this vent, it makes me sad. Although it's "just a small thing," I feel like it represents a lot of what's wrong with America... taking things that aren't yours (or taking more than your share), laziness, and not appreciating what one has.

Okay...I'm done. Thanks for reading. Sometimes you just have to vent...

Feel the Love...

...of the CRAVE! That's right, folks - WHITE CASTLE!

Becky, once again, proved to the world that she is the greatest wife ever by making Valentine's Day dinner plans at White Castle. I'll give you a moment for that to really sink in...Valentine's dinner at White Castle. It's true. Every year White Castle restaurants deck out their dining rooms to celebrate V-day. Table cloths, candle light, soft music, printed menus, balloons and, of course, sliders.

That last one isn't so much romantic but that's the real fun of it all. That and the fact that B had to make reservations weeks in advance in order to get in. So, at 6pm Valentine's Day, Becky and I dressed up nice (we really did) and made our way to the White Castle on E. Lake St.

We started our meal with a couple fizzy cocktails (Sprite & Cherry Coke) then dove right in and ordered cheese sticks, sliders, chicken ring sandwiches, and fries. YUM!!! It really made me think that some of those snooty restaurants downtown might have something to learn from White Castle. We were promptly seated at our reservation time, the service was speedy and friendly, the food was prepared to perfection and the ambiance was unbeatable. If they can do it, why can't everyone else? Right?

It was the perfect date for Becky and me because neither of us is a fan of the holiday. There really doesn't seem to be any good reason to get stressed out finding the right card/gift while breaking the bank on an expensive date. Low key, low budget, original, a little bit humorous and fun...just how we like it. Besides, why do we need a "special" day to tell our significant other how much we love them? I sure don't. LOVE YOU, B!

My beef with Westminster Kennel Club

I know, the dog show came and went a week ago...but this article in the Trib fueled my fire to vent a little on this topic.

Labrador Retrievers get no respect.

Ok, so I'm a little biased. But REALLY - look at the facts (as pointed out in the article linked to above). 1) A Labrador has NEVER won best in show. 2) A Labrador has NEVER won the sporting group. 3) The year the Labrador was introduced as a breed at Westminster (1923), the "best in show" title wasn't even awarded. Pshaw!

The article goes on to explain that the purpose of the show is to expose the public to new or lesser-known breeds but why, oh why, can't the country's most beloved best friend win just once? It's a fact; according to the American Kennel Club, the lab has been the most popular breed in the nation for 18 straight years. They arguably make the best helping dogs, the best hunters, and the best family dogs - all while displaying amazing loyalty and patience (especially with kids) with a happy-to-a-fault demeanor. Seriously how can you say no to this face?

Seriously...the Sussex Spaniel ain't got nothin' on Luther (or any other lab for that matter).

Ok, time for me to get off my ranting soap-box. Don't get me wrong, I'm a lover of almost any dog out there but enough is enough. Let's get over the snooty foo-foo designer breeds and see a REAL dog get a chance at the spotlight. The end.

A Whole Hand!

Today is the 5th birthday of Charles Weston Hommen II aka C.J. (Jeromy's brother/my brother-in-law). Jeromy is the oldest of four at nearly 26, C.J., the youngest at 5.
Having a brother/brother-in-law so much younger (nearly 21 years to be precise) is an interesting situation. Jeromy and I are, very feasibly, old enough to be C.J.'s parents. In fact, that assumption has been made by strangers on more than one occasion. You become more of a parent, an aunt/uncle, etc. than a brother/sister... but loving him so much all the same.
Particularly because I don't have younger brothers or sisters, I'm finding myself very nostalgic today. Jeromy and I have been together long enough (about 6 1/2 years), that we were dating when C.J. was born.
I remember quite distinctly February 12, 2004. Jeromy and I left Luther College, and picked up a very excited big sister Gracia from school. The three of us trekked up to St. Mary's hospital in Rochester to visit Mary, Chuck, and newborn C.J.
I remember when they wheeled him into the room in his little bassinet. He wailed and cried and waved his little hands jazz-hand style (this is a story I will frequently tell him now).
Since Jeromy and I went to college (Luther College) in the same town his parents live (Decorah, IA), we were able to watch C.J. grow throughout the first year or so of his life. We remember his first words, his first steps, etc. It's been a blessing to watch him grow.
So here's to you, little bro! We love you very much. We are so happy to have watched you grow these last 5 years, and cannot wait to see what the next 5...10...15...20 and beyond years will bring. Here's to being 5...a whole hand!

New Job & Evening of Hilarity

FINALLY! I'm working again...and oh, it feels so good. For the most part.

I started my new job last Monday and am pleased to report that everything is going quite swimmingly. The tough part is making the physical, and somewhat mental, adjustment to getting up at 5:30 in order to make it to Chanhassen for work by 7:00. Scheduling is flexible and I chose to start early because I'm just not willing to give up those couple of hours in the afternoon to unwind before needing to worry about dinner, going to the Y, church, etc., etc.

Aside from feeling like a zombie when I wake up, there haven't been any difficulties jumping back into full-time work and it's been great getting to know my new co-workers while taking on new responsibilities and learning the nuances of a new job in a new industry (to me). I guess the only thing left for me to say regarding the job is thanks to the good Lord for impeccable timing.

Oh, I shouldn't forget to mention how the new job and schedule having affected Becky. Since I leave so early in the morning and have a longer commute, B has started picking up the bus a couple blocks from home to get her to the train. Believe it or not, this new system is getting her to work up to an hour earlier than when I dropped her off directly at the train station in the morning. She says it helps her motivation when I'm not around in the morning while she's getting ready...At least I was a good distraction, right, B?

Yesterday (Saturday) Becky and I had a great day away in Red Wing after dropping off Luther for a play date with Marty at the Getchius' (see photo). Thanks again, Jackie! We did a little bumming around downtown Red Wing for while, poked around a few stores, grabbed a DQ treat, then headed up to Treasure Island for the evening. We're not big gamblers so we split $20 and, to make a long story short, ended up losing a total of $0.18 by the end of the evening. I know - Big spenders. Anyway, after spending a little time at the slots, we ate dinner at the buffet then headed to the event center for the real reason we were in Red Wing for the day: Frank Caliendo!

In case you're not familiar, Frank Caliendo is an amazing stand-up comedian and impressionist who spent some time as part of the MadTV cast, appears each week on the Fox NFL Sunday pregame show, and has his own sketch comedy show, Frank TV, on TBS. If you know anything about the football world, check out his John Madden impression. It's something you've definitely got to see. We had a great time and lots of laughs at the show and even got a picture & autographs afterward.

So, in summary: Yay for starting the new job, yay for great entertainment, be sure to check out Frank Caliendo some time, and DEFINITELY be sure to continue reading out blog posts because (woot woot!) we're on a roll!!!

A Year in Review

So, it's been exactly a year since our last blog post. Jeromy and I, quite admittedly, fell off the blogging wagon. But we want to get back on! We debated for a while whether we should start a new blog, or delete all the old posts here. But after some thought we decided that we like our blog and wanted to keep it. We also liked our old posts, so we wanted to leave them.

Which leaves us with...A Year in Review....to catch you up on what's been going on as we've been off the blogging wagon. Ready? Here we go...

FEBRUARY

Our big house accomplishment in February was completing our bedroom. Thus far we had been sleeping in one of the downstairs bedrooms. It was kind of cramped, and not very cozy, so we had our sights set on moving upstairs. To do so, we had to pull up old carpet, put new carpet down (it was "church basement" tile), buy a new bed frame, and paint. It was hard work, but totally worth it.

Above is the finished product (since then, we have added a desk in the far corner)

February also brought our first major party at the 'new' house.... our 1st annual Super Bowl Party (we can say that now because we do, in fact, have the 2nd annual party on the calendar). We put aside our (mostly Jeromy's) bitterness over the Packers' loss in the NFC Championship game and invited over a bunch of friends to share in the excitement of the game (although it would have been more exciting had the Packers been playing). The party went really smoothly. We had around 20-25 people filling the upstairs and the basement. The upstairs crowd enjoyed our new HD, big screen TV...while the downstairs crew enjoyed our newly installed theatre seats, as well as fooze ball and air hockey games. Here are some photos from the festivities...

In February I started training for Team in Training (see previous post). It truly was a life-changing experience in which I met wonderful people, trained hard, and had a lot of fun in the process (more on that in 'July')

MARCH

March 4th was Jeromy's 25th birthday...which we celebrated with not 1...but 2 parties!! The first was on his actual birthday at Dick's Bar in Hudson. Growing up in Somerset, Dick's was a place that Jeromy frequented regularly with his friends. Tuesdays are "dollar burger" nights at Dick's. Jeromy's birthday happened to fall on a Tuesday...so it was a perfect opportunity to head over to Dick's! (See picture at left of Jeromy and his birthday burgers.) His second party was the following weekend. When asked what he wanted to do, Jeromy said he wanted to go to an arcade-type place, so a big crew went to Grand Slam, a local place with arcade games, batting cages, mini-golf, and laser tag! Sweet! We were in the company of mostly teenagers, but we had a blast! Here are some pictures...

Also in March I was able to meet my all-time favorite author, Jodi Picoult. She had a book reading/signing at a local Barnes and Noble. I went, along with friends Jackie and Pam (see photo). We loved hearing her read from her new book and getting our books signed! She's not only a great writer, but a really nice person as well.

APRIL

We are certain that we had good times in April, but nothing seems to be note-worthy for our blog.

MAY

May brought two family weddings (both on Jeromy's side). At the beginning of the month was cousin Sarah's wedding...and at the end was cousin Lisa's. It was really great to be able to spend time with family that we don't get to see very often.

At the beginning of May, I FINALLY was able to cut my hair short and donate 10 inches of it to Locks of Love. It's been a life-long dream of mine and it was such a special thing to be able to donate in honor of my dear sister Beth. The 'before' shot is at left...the 'after' shot is at right.

On Mother's Day of last year I had the honor of becoming a first time godmother to my wonderful cousin Claudia (cousin T.J. and wife Sarah's second little girl). T.J., Sarah, and the girls are members at Prince of Peace, our former congregation, so Claudia was baptized there. It was really cool to be in the same church that I was baptized in, holding little Claudia. What an honor!

On May 17th, Kirstyn, Lindsay, and I (along with some other Luther pals) participated in the Root River triathlon in Houston, MN. The race started off with a 6.5 mile canoe, then an 8 mile bike, and a 5K run. It was a good way to test out some of my triathlon skills...and have fun with friends in the process!

At the end of the month was a birthday WOWZA weekend. Jackie and my birthdays fall just 4 days apart, so we often celebrate together. We had a birthday bash, which continued throughout the weekend with the WOWZAs. Highlights (aside from the party) included a trip downtown (dressed up, of course) to see Sex and the City the Movie and a trip to the Minneapolis Farmers' Market.

JUNE
Same as April...

JULY

July was a very up and down month for the Carlsons. Following the death of our dear friend Rachel's mom on June 30th, Jeromy lost his job on July 1st. That week was filled with mourning with our friend and worrying about our own financial and career future. Thankfully following that tough week, we spent a much needed weekend away at the Grosvold family cottage celebrating 4th of July. I really enjoyed getting to know Jeromy's family better, and we loved going on boat rides, relaxing, and spending time with the family. Luther enjoyed his first off-leash swimming experience (he LOVED it), and learned (quite quickly) how to jump off the end of the dock. See Jeromy's YouTube site for great videos (and many more goofy ones of Luther).

July 12th was the culmination of my months of training and fundraising. When all was said and done, I was able to fund raise a bit over $6,000 for Team in Training. That was 3 times my fundraising minimum and was enough to earn me the 2nd best fundraiser spot (on a team of over 100). It was a long 5 months of training... as a team, we trained 3 days a week, in addition to the training that we did on our own throughout the week. As our training went on, practices got more and more grueling. Some of the tougher practices were: long swim workouts in Lake Nokomis (before the water warmed up!), “brick” workouts (which combine biking and running) of 20+ miles, and a bike ride through the steep hills in Afton, MN (which I accidentally did with my front brake on!). I originally planned on doing the sprint race(the shorter of the two distances), but about halfway through the season I decided to tackle the Olympic distance. On race day, I successfully finished the Life Time Fitness triathlon – 1.5K (.93 mile) swim, 40K (24.8 mile) bike, and 10K (6.2 mile) run in a time of 3:46. I had the BEST cheering squad...which helped me TONS!! I am planning on training with the team again this summer for the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco in fall. I can't wait! I miss the training, the team, and racing!

The weekend following the tri, Jeromy and I had a weekend getaway to Grand Marais. Leaving our honeymoon, Jeromy had (quite brilliantly) convinced me that we should book another trip (we got a discount if we booked when we checked out). It was really a blessing to have the trip paid for, so that we could have a getaway just the two of us in a emotionally and physically trying month. We stayed in the same suite as we did for our honeymoon...and this time brought Luther along for the ride!

AUGUST

August started with a Broste family reunion in Hanska, MN and ended with another WOWZA weekend...this time in Decorah to have Bethany's bachelorette party and bridal shower. In between...time spent with friends and enjoying summer in the city!!

SEPTEMBER

September brought 2 more weddings for us...this time of Luther friends. Aaron and Annie's wedding was on September 6th (Jeromy proudly served as usher) and Jeff and Elise got married 2 weeks later on the 20th. We had a great time at both weddings, celebrating the love of these great couples, and enjoying time with great friends.

At the end of the month we got to meet John Green, award-winning young adult novelist and half of the vlogbrothers (formally Brotherhood 2.0). He is really a brilliant guy...interesting to listen to, nice, and a supporter of all things awesome. This appearance was the first one on a tour for his new book Paper Towns. The books were available at the appearance (even though they hadn't been released yet) and I was the first in line...which leads me to believe that I was the first person to buy the book. Awesome! It was great...and so was meeting John.

OCTOBER

October 6th was our first wedding anniversary (can you believe it??!). To celebrate, we spent a long weekend up in Bayfield, WI for Applefest. It was great mix of time with family (the Carlson side), alone time (we toured a bunch of orchards and wineries), time by the lake (with Luther of course), and relaxation. We are so blessed to be married. And the weekend was a great celebration of our love. Pictured below: Us enjoying a beautiful walk through town, me enjoying one of our many orchard stops, Jeromy eating whitefish from his favorite fest stand.

We were home for our actual anniversary...we started a 4-week Massage for Couples class through Minneapolis Community Ed. It was a great way to spend time together and pamper each other a bit. :-)

October 11th was Bethany and Matt's wedding in Decorah (I was a hostess along with the other WOWZA ladies). It was great time...and very fun to be back in Decorah (the recpetion was at Luther). Beautiful wedding. Great friends. Happy times.

A few days before Halloween we hosted a pumpkin carving party for friends and neighbors at our house. Good times. Not that I'm biased, but my favorite was my Obama-lantern (Obama's "logo" carved carefully into the pumpkin).

Oh...and Luther turned 3 on Halloween.

NOVEMBER

On November 4th, Jeromy and I voted (of course) and then watched along with the rest of the world as Barack Obama won the 44th presidency. We have been HUGE Obama supporters from the very beginning, and couldn't have been happier to see him win. I cried like a little girl throughout most of the night.

On the 15th we had two highlights...lefse making with the Brostes and a beer-tasting party at friends' Bethany and Brent's house. Both were so fun. The lefse making was Jeromy's first time (he did a great job). I love the picture of him at right preparing the lefse board. The beer-tasting was great as well...meeting lots of new people and sampling many different beers (some better than others).

The end of the month brought two more birthday celebrations (Kirstyn's and Rachel's) which meant more fun with friends (YAY!!).

Jeromy and I volunteered for the "Day of Giving" at church the day before Thanksgiving, working with 4th-6th graders at Feed My Starving Children and helping with other service projects around the church.

Thanksgiving Day was a highlight for both of us. Preparations started the night before (brining our first turkey and other food prep). The day itself started for me with my traditional running of the Turkey Day 5K (formally Arena 5K) downtown. Kirstyn and I loved running the race together. It was chilly...but fun! Jeromy and I hosted our first Thanksgiving, which we lovingly referred to as "Stretchy Pants Thanksgiving." We had Mom and Dad Weaver, and Kirstyn and Dave over, with the strict dress code of sweatpants and sweatshirts. It was a very relaxing, fun holiday. We watched the parade, Miracle on 34th Street, and the girls colored the Star Tribune turkey. We had a delicious dinner (turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, etc.) thanks to Jeromy (who did almost all of the prep...did I pick a good one or what??!!). We don't know yet if it'll be an annual tradition, but we really loved our Stretchy Pants Thanksgiving.

Throughout the late summer/early fall we also had a few more house projects going. We finished the kitchen, the bathroom, and the office with our sights set on the guest room and half-story stair case next!

DECEMBER

December was a month filled with Christmas fun (which we LOVE). Highlights included: cutting down our Christmas tree with Mom and Dad Weaver, seeing niece McKenzy's daycare Christmas program with the Hommens, a cookie bake/exchange at Ethan and Rachell's, seeing the Christmas Carol at the new Guthrie (thanks, Mom and Dad!), going to see A Christmas Story at the Riverview with Aaron and Annie, Christmas Eve dinner at church, time in Decorah with the whole Hommen clan, and a New Years' celebration with wonderful friends at Jackie and Tom's house.

Oh, Kirstyn and Dave also got engaged in December. YAY! I was asked to be Matron of Honor (which I proudly accepted), which meant December was busy with wedding prep as well! :-)

JANUARY

Which brings us (FINALLY!) to January. Despite the dark and cold, January has been a month of fun times with family and friends. On the 12th, Jeromy and I battled a blizzard to get to the Mall of America. Jeromy won tickets through a radio contest to go to an advanced screening of Kevin James' new movie, Paul Blart: Mall Cop. The movie was okay...but we loved seeing Kevin James in person (who was there promoting the movie). On the 22nd, I went to the Red Balloon Bookshop with Bethany and Rachel to see children's book author Mo Willems (who writes the Pigeon books, among others). He was really delightful...we had great fun listening to him read his new book and hearing the laughter of kids.

The BIGGEST highlight of January is that Jeromy got a job!! After months of applying for well over 100 jobs, Jeromy was hired through ProStaff to work at a company called Analytics. They deal with class-action lawsuits...and Jeromy will be working as an Associate Claims Analyst. The job offer came, quite frankly, just in the nick of time. Obviously, this is a huge weight off of our shoulders. We look forward to Jeromy starting his job a week from yesterday (February 2nd).

Whew! So that's our year in review. It's been a wonderful year...filled with ups and downs...but mostly ups. Throughout it all, we have really appreciated our love, our family and friends, and the blessings that we are given each and every day.

Hopefully this marks the beginning of staying on the blogging bandwagon for us. Please read and comment, as that will keep us going. Thanks for stopping by...