weekend fun

What a weekend!! Friday night was fun catching up with Whitney over dinner & having the night to myself. I got a lot of reading done & got to sleep in so that was nice. Saturday's wedding went awesome & it was a gorgeous day. I was glad we got to spend a lot of it outside...I sure was tired afterwards though & got home late. Since I was home alone I was able to get some editing done (yay!) without any distractions. This morning I made some long over due calls to some friends I hadn't talked to in awhile. I feel like I've been neglecting some of my friends because I've been so busy this summer...sorry guys! I need to remember this & not over book myself for next year. I met Jenni for lunch & then headed to my Mom's for a family party. Jay got home & came over just in time to grill for us all & it was so awesome to catch up with my family & Bunny and Papa came too! My brother brought his new puppy Marley & he was so cute. It was really nice to spend the day with my family. I made some hot fudge & we enjoyed sundays for dessert. My Mom makes this really yummy buffalo chicken dip that is a great appetizer, especially for fall (football season!!) It's so good & has a little kick to it. If you like buffalo wings you'll love this recipe:

buffalo chicken dip

1 package softened cream cheese

1/2 cup of ranch or blue cheese dressing

1/2 cup of hot sauce (we use Frank's hot sauce)

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 cans of chunk chicken breast in water.

Serve with veggies, crackers, or taco chips.

Jay & I are having a movie night & getting ready to cuddle up in bed. I can't wait. goodnight!

Have a happy weekend!

I'm off to get dinner & chat with Whitney & then relax before a wedding shoot tomorrow. Jay is off to the cabin with his friends & won't be back until Sunday which is good, because I'll be very busy this weekend. Tonight I'll be watching the game of course! I'm really disappointed in our team for picking up Brett Farve. Yes he may be a decent player, but it still bothers me. I've never really liked him (sorry Packer fans) because he's never been role model material for me...from his addictions to drugs & alcohol & rehab to his laziness of knowing he was going to sign with the Vikings, but purposely waiting until training camp & the grueling pre-season practices were over. He's always been so hungry for media attention. Oh well, maybe he'll be able to take us to the superbowl & all is forgiven =)

Have a happy Friday everyone!

Random Fact Friday

We're back! hope you like the new design & template =)

RFF: my favorite kind of ice cream is mackinac island fudge from Nelson's in Stillwater. Mr. Man's is cookie dough.

Under construction

Around 1 pm today I'll be shutting down our blog for an hour or two so I can get our new template up & running. It's a little bit more complicated than usual so I'll be taking our blog offline for a bit...just in case you stop by & we're not here, we'll be back! Happy Friday!!

Thoughts on Thursdays...

I don't know why but Thursdays have typically been a "reflection" kind of day for me. I think because it's a day of stillness. The bulk of the work week is over & the weekend craziness/business has not begun yet. I always know the weekend is within reach. So, on Thursdays I've decided to share thoughts on the biggest challenge, journey & joyride we experience: marriage. We still have SO much to learn about marriage & my hope is that by sharing thoughts we will be able to grow & learn together. If you want to participate place a link to your post in the comment section so everyone can read your thoughts, challenges, heartaches & inspirations on marriage. Because I believe marriage is the holiest union created by God, most of these will most likely be biblical (but yours doesn't have to be!).

Jay is called to love me & die for me as Christ died for the church. He is called to love me as he loves himself & how he wants to be loved. To care for me first, to love me first. He is called to leave his family to unite only and totally to me. To me. That's a pretty big calling if you ask me. sometimes I don't even want to be united to myself.

I am called to respect him. Sometimes I really struggle with this. Not totally, just little instances. Why? because I've lived a pretty independent life even through the years of dating him. We dated from age 15 to 23 & then married. I've always done what I wanted or what I thought was right & made my own decisions. Living 4.5 hours apart from each other for 4 years of college didn't help either. I got used to being the boss & depending on myself. Plus, anyone who knows me knows that I am a pretty strong-willed woman =) So when issues arrise, I jump to make the decision & decides what is best, (and sometimes judge his opinion or ideas) thinking I am always right. I need to make a daily effort to let him lead our life (with my input of course ;) and to trust that his decisions are sound & valuable. I just need to respect him more. Bless his precious heart for letting me take the reins of our relationship when I feel the need & for quietly holding his tongue in the process. There'a a bible verse that refers to removing the plank from your own eye before removing the speck from your neighbors. This one hits me up the side of the head all. the. time. Instead of focusing on what he should do better, or what he should fix-I need to worry about what I should work on.

One of the biggest things I've learned about marriage is that I can't change my husband-and-he's not just like me. Just as God accepts me with all of my flaws, scars, & problems-I have to accept him for who he is and let him be the man God intended him to be. He's also not a reflection of myself. He doesn't like to read every day & he's not addicted to reality tv shows & he doesn't like fried pickles (!!). But that's ok. Just because I like those things doesn't mean he naturally does too (without my influence or his patience). and it's ok.

Marriage takes a lot of selflessness, acceptance & respect.

Happy Birthdays!!

To my Mama & Louise! they share today as their special day. I love them both dearly. Last night we had a great time celebrating.

We are patiently trying to rip our wedding dvd into a file that is uploadable so we can post it here to share. Catching glimpses of it still gives me nervous butterflies, like I felt before I walked down the aisle. I hope that we will be able to share it with you soon (if it ever works!!) So that's what we've been working on tonight.

......and we also booked a little getaway for the two of us...my (photography) schedule has been crazy this summer. I've had over 20 sessions so far & weddings galore. I'm booked every weekend in september with weddings (one weekend I have two!!) so, we thought it would be great to get away in October once everything settles down & breathe for a long weekend. You have no idea how excited I am about this little plan of ours. We are super excited to be staying at the St. Croix River Inn in Osceola, Wisconsin. This bed & breakfast has gotten amazing reviews & it looks so relaxing. Our room has a porch overlooking the St. Croix river! They serve a full gourmet breakfast in the privacy of our own room, have a nightly wine, champaign & hors d'ouerves reception, hydromassage tubs, complimentary morning newspaper delivered, room service, aveda tolietries.....you get the picture. Pure relaxation if you ask me.

The best part is that we will be there during peak fall color season so it will be beautiful. We definetly plan on hiking the trails along the St. Croix & going to nearby Taylor's Falls & Chateau St. Croix winery. We're taking Friday off work & heading down that morning....October please come fast!!

Had coffee with a girlfriend last night that I don't see nearly enough. It was so great catching up with her & hearing all the great news about her life. Can't wait to see her again soon! I catch myself complaining that I am so busy all the time, but how lucky I am to be so busy-because it means I am blessed with an abundance of friends. lucky me. Did I stress that enough? lucky me.

Simple Woman's Daybook.

August 17, 2009 from the Simple Woman's Daybook . A good friend of mine reminded me to do this today...thanks Carrie! This time I added one of my own to the list that I think I'll include from now on..."I am learning."

Outside my window...

haziness.

I am thinking...

i want to watch (disney's) beauty & the beast.
I am thankful for...

a good haircut.
From the kitchen...

chicken enchiladas tonight!
I am wearing...

a purple shirt & black blazer, jeans, heels.

I am creating...

a new blog template...coming soon!!
I am going...

crazy at work. literally.

I am reading...

dragonfly in amber...it's like 800 pages!

I am hoping...

I get more sleep tonight.

I am learning...

to let go.

I am hearing...

clicking of the keyboard keys. I need to refresh pandora.

Around the house...

big changes coming! we're saving money for a reason!

One of my favorite things...

morning walks with jay & nemo.

A few plans for the rest of the week...

coffee date/meeting tonight, celebrating mama's birthday with a mexican fiesta!!

lots of photography sessions & a wedding this weekend.
Here is picture thought I am sharing...a relaxing bath with green tea.