It's the holiday season

December 2nd... Where did November go?! This fall sure seemed to fly by, but I am a big fan of Christmas and December means it's finally here :) I can't skip over Thanksgiving though. We had a great Thanksgiving with family and were able to see a few friends in our brief trips back home. We have so much to be thankful for and it was a great time to remind ourselves of all we have.

My mom and dad came up a few weekends ago and brought my mom's Christmas tree, which we are so thankful for! There are memories with that tree and it also meant we didn't have to buy one this year. We put it up and got it all decorated and we love it. Too bad it can't be a permanent fixture in our living room, we're getting used to it! We also put up our Christmas decorations we have from our parents and put up our special ornaments. It was fun to share this with Nick for the first time. Below is our tree.
Last time I posted, I was still looking for a job. In the middle of October, I got a temp job doing data entry. It is helping provide for us, gets me out of the apartment, and something to do. I don't think I was made to do data entry, but I'm catching on quick and am thankful to have the job I do. I'm still looking on the side for another job, as I am not sure when this one will be ending.

Here are some photos from the past few months for your enjoyment...
Here's a photo I took a few months ago of the beautiful buildings in downtown Minneapolis.



Here's a beautiful lake not far from where we live. The fall colors were great.



This guy is one of our pet snails. We have 2 snails and 6 fish. The snails are so entertaining! This is what they look like when they eat- that's his open mouth. Our aquarium provides us with entertainment and we enjoy watching them.

Until next time, happy December!

Two Months After the Bells

Well we have not written in quite a while now, but we're back! We want to use this method to be able to keep in touch with friends and family. We will really try to write more regularly to keep everyone up to date.

We've been married for two months already! We've gotten settled into our apartment and are feeling much more at home now. We also enjoy exploring the Twin Cities and learning more about our surroundings. It is tough for both of us to be a distance from most of our friends and family, yet we also know we will learn and grow through this. Nick has been through the "hometown withdrawals" before as he lived far from us all, but this is the first time I've lived away from my friends and family (for more than 10 weeks I suppose). I'm confident this will be a growing time for us all and we will become stronger because of it. We just may have to work a little bit harder at maintaining our relationships.

Weather has been changing around here! We've had two snowfalls now. One just today, which I'm pretty sure will melt quickly. The pictures below are taken outside of our bedroom window. One was taken Friday when it looked like fall, one was taken today, when it looks like winter- just 3 days makes a big difference! :) To me, the snow means Christmas is getting closer. Christmas is my favorite time of year- so cozy, family oriented, with hot chocolate by the fire place. I love the idea of being wrapped up and cozy with a tasty warm beverage and the people you love by your side. Today's snowfall led to me playing Christmas music for the first time of the year :) it was fun!



In other news, I'm job searching up here. It's been a hard time finding something, but I'm confident something will come along and it will be perfect. Nick has been so supportive through this process and I am so thankful to have such an amazing and understanding husband.

That's all I have for now, but we will write again soon!

26 Days!

Just a quick note to say hello. Life has been insane with my move, traveling, and planning for the wedding. This past weekend Marissa and I got our engagement pictures taken. That was a lot of fun and I'm excited to see how they turn out. It was a perfect day for them and we really like the photographer. I've been really busy at work as well, getting acclimated to my new job. But life is great. I'm excited to check out my new surroundings here in Minnesota and even more excited to spend time with Marissa once she moves up here after the wedding. We're getting close!

*Here's an update with a some engagement photos!

Making progress

Nick has done a great job posting to the site, now it's my turn! We have been making a lot of progress with wedding stuff each week and I have found great relief in checking things off my to-do list. Nick is a great help to make my load feel lighter and to help me make an action plan when I don't know where to start. With everything going on in the next 50 days, I needed an organized action plan :) thank you for that, babe!

Nick is moving up to our new home next week and I couldn't be more excited. We have learned a lot in this past year with Nick in Texas and we are stronger because of it. With that said, I am so excited to have him closer and to be able to spend each day together very soon. I am also excited to unpack our wedding shower gifts (thank you everyone!) and make our apartment our home. It will be fun to decorate our new space.

I am trying to be mindful of spending time with friends and family while I am still living here. I will not be too far after the wedding, but I want to spend quality time with everyone here as I can. It will be bittersweet leaving DSM. I am so very excited to start life with Nick in MN, but DSM is my stomping grounds where most of my friends and family are, so it will be an adjustment to leave. I know everything is well laid out for us though and thank you to phones, webcams and I-35, we can all stay close!

Completing My Lasts Before Doing All My Firsts

Tonight as I walked off the softball field after our final spring game (we won, by the way), I couldn't help but reminisce about all the great memories I have had here. I took it all in as I walked- the humidity, the gentle breeze, the big, dark Texas sky. It really has been a great year for me to grow and develop as an individual. But it is so bittersweet at the same time as I know the life that awaits me in Minnesota will be full of change, excitement, and adventure. Despite all that, I can't help but feel like I just got here either. It feels like there are so many things to do here, so many people to meet, so many stones to turn up, that I simply haven't had the time to do. I am saying goodbyes and wrapping up things without even fully getting a chance to experience them. But I've made the most of what I have done here, and that's life. I am moving on. I have learned a lot here, and the one thing I hope to never have to do again is complete my lasts before doing all my firsts.

Our New Home

This weekend Marissa and I took a trip to the Twin Cities to pick out a new apartment for when I get transferred there next month. It was a great, fun weekend and we got a lot accomplished. We did a lot of searching and ended up selecting an apartment in a suburban community just south of the Cities. It is only about 8 miles from my work and there will be a lot for us to do. It is exciting deciding on our first pad as a married couple...lots involved! We are so excited!

Texas Rangers Game

This Friday I went to the Rangers-White Sox game. Some guy thought this was a good idea. Enough said.

99 days

As of today, we will be getting married in 99 days! I have been awaiting seeing numbers under 100 on our wedding countdown and here we are. As Nick already said, time is flying!

This coming weekend is our first wedding shower and will be mostly my mom and dad's families along with the bridesmaids and of course our mothers. I am very excited for the shower! It will be great to see everyone. There will be others in the upcoming months and we're excited for them all.

Unfortunately I was sick one way or another for most of April. I've been seeing doctors and trying different medications trying to crack the case. Last weekend, a medication that was supposed to help ended up making things much worse and had pretty bad side effects that kept me in bed for a few days. I'll try other methods and hope to find one that helps.

Another very exciting thing coming up in the next few weeks will be our trip to MN to find our apartment! It will be fun to see the town we'll be living in and to find the place we'll start our married lives together. We are looking forward to this trip! It will also be great to spend the weekend with Nick. We haven't seen each other for a little while now, which always makes me anxious to see him and be together again. The telephone and even webcams just don't beat being together in person.

I hope you all had a great April as we move on to May. May seems to be a busy month for many and my schedule is pretty packed too. It will be a fun month though, we have to enjoy it as we know it will go quickly. Talk to you soon!

Time is Flying

It's been awhile since I last wrote. The time is just flying. This month I did some traveling to Washington for business. It was a nice time and I got a lot of work done. I can't believe April is almost already over! It will be a couple months now before I move up to Minnesota. It doesn't even feel like I've completely settled in down here yet and I'm already relocating! But that's the life that I live and I enjoy it (for the most part). Marissa and I are planning a trip to San Antonio for next month and are really excited to check out the Alamo. It will be nice to finally see her again too, it feels like it has been longer than it has been. May is the rainy month down here in DFW, I just hope it's not too dreary. Don't get me wrong, I love the rain and storms, but sometimes it's nice to have a sunny day in the mix. This week is set to be another busy one. I hope to write again soon.

Wedding Party Updated on Website

Check out our updated wedding website! More members of the wedding party have been added in.

Mavs vs. Suns

I went to my first NBA game today at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. The Mavericks took on Shaq, Steve Nash, and the Phoenix Suns. The first half had enough excitement to last the entire game. All the Mavs were on- Kidd, Nowitzki, Howard, Barea, Terry, the whole gang. You just couldn't stop 'em. Kidd had an amazing game, getting a season high 20 assists in regulation, and passing Magic Johnson for No. 3 on the career assists list. At the end of the first half, the game was over. With the score 78-59, Josh Howard hit an incredible 71 foot buzzer beater to end the first half at 81-59; the icing on the cake. Even with Shaq playing like a man among boys, Phoenix couldn't seem to get anything going the second half either. The second half was much less entertaining. I mainly spent it determining how much of a lead the Mavs would have at the end (20 pts...30 pts...40 pts). With the second and third strings in, the game finally ended at 140-116, the Mavs virtually taking away the Suns' shot in the playoffs. Overall a great time, a great win, and a great day.

Life in Texas

Life in Texas is great. The weather is amazing (although I did find myself missing the snow this winter), the people are laid back, and the culture is similar to the Midwest. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely differences between Texans and Midwesterners, but they don't need to be pointed out here.

These past 9 months have taught me a lot about life. Living away from home and all that was comfortable while at Iowa State prepared me for this giant step in my life. When I moved down here, I knew nobody or anything. Heck, I hadn't even driven through Texas but maybe once or twice before. But oftentimes the lessons we learn are on the journey, not the destination. I've learned a lot about myself and others while having more time to reflect on the things I was too busy to back at school. I've learned just how valuable friends and family are and that you shouldn't take them for granted. More importantly, I learned how much I really love Marissa and that I couldn't stand living away from her any longer. You see, the journey has defined my future. I am now engaged to the most amazing girl I've ever known, and I can't wait until the moment we say those vows and commit ourselves together forever. I have no idea what that will be like, but I anxiously await the moment. There is such a great light at the end of the tunnel for those that don't compromise their standards and values in their journey of finding the one. I've found my true love and I couldn't be happier. Life in Texas is great, but life with Marissa will be the best.

Iowa State WBB Team Advances to Elite 8

Now I'm no fan of women's basketball, but when it comes to our Cyclone WBB Team, I am nothing but excited to see them play. Bill Fennelly and his crew always bring a lot of energy and determination into every game they play. I actually had a chance to meet Coach Fennelly a few years ago, and he is truly an upstanding man, both on and off the court. Last night our women took on Michigan State in Berkeley for advancement to the Elite 8. The whole game our girls fought hard, sticking with the mighty Spartans. With 1:10 on the clock, the score was 68-61, Spartans up. I sat on the couch preparing for another ISU letdown. But then something ignited our girls and all the vigor they had been playing with began to explode onto the court. These girls really wanted it! Defensively they started the full court press and began to dash Michigan State's hopes by nailing every shot, taking an 8-0 run to defeat the Spartans. The final 7 seconds were nail biting, as Michigan State scrambled to get a shot up. They never did due to the toughness of our WBB and their will to win. Congrats Bill and crew, I will be watching you tomorrow night when you take on Stanford in the Elite 8. Go State!

Marissa's FIRST post!

Hello friends and family!

Bear with me, this is my first blogging experience! It has been fun for Nick and I to experiment with this blog and also with our wedding site. Please leave us feedback and let us know what you think! This first month of wedding planning was busy but very productive. It's been great to make progress and see our day come together. It will be a beautiful day.

There will be a lot of change happening this summer with Nick moving, my mom and dad moving, finishing up wedding details, along with working full time. It will be a unique summer but overall I am looking forward to all that will come! Luckily wedding planning has gone well so we'll have time to prepare for all this summer holds. Thank you for sharing in this exciting journey with us!

Suggestions?

Feel free to comment on any post if you'd like. We want to know what you're thinking.

Cubs 2009 Debut

Only 15 days until the Cubs start the 2009 regular season at Houston on April 6. It's shaping up to be an interesting club this year and I can't wait to see how we kick off the new year after last year's disappointing finish. One game at a time...go Cubs!

Wedding Planning

Well, wedding planning is well underway! The big day will be Sat, Aug 8, 2009. Marissa and I have been working our tails off getting all the initial details figured out. We have made tremendous progress over the last few weeks and are very excited to share more details with you as they become available. Visit our wedding website for more information.

Wedding Website

For those of you here to access our wedding website, please click here.

Engaged...

We were engaged today!