A Reason for Nine Months

Life has been filled with many adventures...both the seemingly small and significant. I have found that life has brought many "milestones" in this stage of life filled with lots of joy, fear of the unknown, laughter, tears, and excitement. It's a bit overwhelming at times, but then again, what adventure is not, right?

Our future home site!!

We will be closing on a new home in Cottage Grove in December (hopefully!!) and are looking forward to starting this next journey in a new place. I'm really hoping the home is finished before the baby comes (fingers are crossed). It's bittersweet for me. It will be hard to move out of the town home. It's really been my only other home besides the one that I grew up in. There have been so many wonderful memories here. However, I know that there will be many wonderful times in this new home and we look forward to having a bit more space to grow our family in and have all of you over for great food and conversation.

Noah and I are doing what we can to "prepare" for all that lies ahead, but it really makes me laugh out loud because...well, "preparing" seems like a bit of a joke. It's difficult to comprehend how much our lives are going to change when baby comes. I know it. I'm not naive. One can only "prepare" for the chaos that lies ahead and then once the chaos gets here, well, I have no clue what we'll do then.

A few weeks ago we found out that the baby coming in January will be a boy! To hear the words, "It's definitely a boy" was a little strange to me. A boy? Uff-da. I didn't grow up around boys. My cousin Chris was the only one of the male species that I had much interaction with as a kid (besides my dad of course). I loved playing with him, but he would do all the "icky" and "gross" things that I as a girl didn't do (at that time anyway). It's safe to say that since then I have learned how to bait my own hook, and I don't mind getting my hands dirty, but that took me a little while to learn and find the joy in that. LOL...I think God is playing a joke on me because I really don't know much about boys except for the fact that I married one. They have a tendency to be messy and they are really active. I hope that I can keep up with him.

We've also experienced baby's first kick and I have no doubt that this boy will be an great dancer (hopefully taking on more of his mother's sense of rhythm than his father's) and an awesome snowboarder!! :) I'm noticing that in the womb he's already very active. Ha! Oh dear.

As for the two of us? I'm continuing to learn what unconditional love looks like. I am humbled by the grace I receive from Noah each day. Pregnancy does not have it's most graceful moments and yet I'm seen in a light filled with love and grace. I've had to learn how to reciprocate this grace through Noah's example. Just as I am growing and learning how to adapt to this new life, I know that Noah has to also. It's not something that happens overnight, but he's trying and in those moments where I wish that he would just, "get it", I have had to learn to be understanding that there is a reason that we have 9 months of pregnancy before a baby arrives.

We now have 16 weeks left. Oh gosh!! Only 16 weeks! I feel like we have so much learning, growing, and preparing to do in those 4 months. Keep us in your prayers. Your love and support means so much to us.

Oh, and If you have any insight on marriage after babies start entering the picture, we'd love to hear it.

An Attempt at Putting a Crazy Event Into Words

We've all had those moments I'm sure. Those moments that you will remember for a lifetime. Those moments when you realize life will never ever be what it has been. Those moments when you can't believe, understand, or even get a grip on what is happening. Moments when you cry tears for the loss of how your life has been with tears of joy for all that is to come.

Our lives forever changed on April 26th, 2012, when we unexpectedly found out that we were "expecting". SURPRISE!!!!!

Words could not explain what a surprise it was. When Noah and I together looked at that pregnancy test that exclaimed in giant letters "Pregnant" a flood of shock ran through our bodies. "WHAT? No way! This can not be?!?"

And then the flood of tears filled with fear, happiness, fear, joy, more fear, and every other emotion that one could feel, flowed for what seemed hours as I sat there on the tub and Noah stood near me with the "deer caught in the headlights" look.

We had been thinking that we may begin trying to get pregnant in August. Knowing us however, that would have been pushed to months later since that was exactly what we did when we originally said we'd start trying last February. God just must have known what we would do and thought, "Enough you two...it's time for you two to 'getter done' and have a baby already!"

Now, a few months later, we are coming to terms with the adventure that lies ahead of us. What an adventure it will be!

Today marks the beginning of week fourteen and the end of the first trimester! Whahooo! The nausea has passed and I'm looking forward to having some energy again here in a few weeks. We are really looking forward to week twenty when we will find out if it's a girl or boy. Whatever our lil' peanut is, we are excited to meet them and to invite them on this adventure that Noah and I have started.

There has been another blessing among all of this. We found out we were pregnant two days after my sister Emily found out her and Dustin are pregnant! Our due dates sit two days apart; her's December 30th and mine's January 1st! How cool is that! We are so excited to be able to do this together and it's comforting to have my sister pregnant with me. Oh what fun we will have!!!

So look forward to hearing all that Noah and I will be experiencing together in this thing called pregnancy. I have no doubt there will great stuff to write and read ahead!

When You Can't Help Falling in Love

I have heard people that have been married for fifty plus years say it quite often, "I fell more in love with him/her every day that we were together". I'd think to myself, "Yea right." How could I ever be more in love with him than on the day that we share our wedding vows. How can you fall more in love with someone?

Well, I once again have been proven wrong. I am more in love with Noah today than I was the day that we got married. They were right.

To say that there have been times that I didn’t feel so in love with Noah would be an understatement. I’m sure that he would have the same to say about me. We all have our “not so loveable” moments. I’ve started to understand however, what these wise couples have meant all this time. As you start sharing your lives together, the good, the bad, the ugly, the very humble moments, you start seeing how unconditionally you are loved. When you notice the simple, little things that your spouse does to make you smile, ahhhh….my heart melts all over again.

The other night, it was nothing special. I was turning onto our street and there was Noah in the Subaru on the corner. He had a grin from ear to ear and he waved, rolled down his window and said, “I am going to go double couponing now. See you soon. Love you.”

My heart skipped a beat. Not because he was going double couponing (although that was wonderful too), but it was just his smile. When Noah smiles, it’s like looking into the kindest of souls. I fell in love even more.

As I turned the corner and pulled into the driveway, I realized that they were right. You really can fall more in love with someone. I can only imagine the love I will have for him fifty years from now.

Just Another Year?

As I reflect on the year 2011 and our first year of marriage, I have to say that this past year was not just another year. There have been years that I've looked back and have noticed that not much had changed in a year. In previous years I had been working the same job, living in the same place, etc. Two-thousand eleven however, is a year that I will always remember. It was a year packed with challenges, adventures, and great lessons learned.

In January I married my best friend; someone that I will share the wonderful and not so wonderful moments with, but will love all the same. I learned what it means to love and to truly be loved.

In February I learned to NEVER use spreadable butter to make frosting for cupcakes, but also that I can not control everything and not everything can always be perfect. Life is meant to be lived freely and when we try to control every situation, life isn't fun anymore. There are things that we can control and things that we can’t. It’s important to know the difference, allow space for change, and try not to get bent out of shape when something happens that was outside of your original plan.








In March I started learning what's it's like to share space with someone. My townhome went from being "my" house to "our" house overnight. It took me a few months to get used to things (and I'm still working on it today) but sharing space became a bit easier three months in. I even learned how to stay on my side of the bed!!!

In April I once again learned that not all things go as planned after I lost my job due to a restructuring of staff. I learned how to hold my head up high and be graceful even when I didn't necessarily feel it all the time. Noah and I learned that support and encouragement are two pieces that hold a marriage together.

In May I learned to "dance" when things are not going right and to live in the simple and joyful moments.
I also learned how to budget well and even though we were only taking in one paycheck, we were able to make things happen and not fall behind on our financial goals.

In June I loved the show Extreme Couponing and learned how to get great deals on items when they are on sale!!! No, I didn't become crazy like some of the people on the show (I don't buy 47 bottles of mustard) but I did learn how to use my coupons at the right time. Since then, Noah and I have saved nearly a hundred dollars a month on groceries!!

In July hiked to the top of Mt. Elbert at 14,447 feet. I learned how to keep going when you really just want to quit and how to encourage someone else to the top of a mountain. July was also the month that we had to say goodbye (for now) to Noah's amazing grandpa Dewey.

In August I started a new job at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church in Apple Valley and I've loved every minute of being there. It's a wonderful fit for Noah and I. As I look back on my first six months there, I am surprised that it has only been that long. The friendships that we have built and the encouragement that we have received makes us feel like we have been there for much, much, longer.

In September I started classes again at Luther Seminary and took on one of my heaviest loads as a graduate student working full time in ministry. It was a challenge, but I got through it. The classes stretched me on so many levels and it has been exciting learning so many new things and thinking in new ways.

In October I learned that weekend get-aways really can rejuvenate your soul and help you reconnect with your husband. We didn't have to go far...all we needed was a little wine and eachothers company. Our get-away to Red Wing was a blast and we would highly recommend the Hungry Point Inn to anyone looking for a quick romantic getaway.

In Novemeber we started brewing our own beer!!! We picked up a kit at Midwest Brewing supplies and made our first batch of Irish Red!!! It was a great thing for us to do together and being able to enjoy the beer together a month later (that is how long the entire process takes) was also a huge plus.

In December we celebrated Christmas and the New Year for the first time as husband and wife. We look back on 2011 as one of the greatest years filled with so much joy, celebrations, laughter, and tears. We both have grown so much and in ways I don't think we would ever dream of. It' been exciting though and I am so looking forward to many more adventures.

Will He Still Love Me Tomorrow?

I've learned that there is a totally new sense of humility when one shares their entire life with someone. The things that you were able to "get away" with before, no longer can you get away with. For guys this may be leaving the toilet seat up or leaving the dishes in the sink. For me, well lets just say I didn't think I would EVER do this and when it did happen, I was beyond embarrassed with myself. It's taking a lot for me to put this out there and I know some may think it's crude and wonder why I'm writing about it, but I've learned a lot through this experience and because of that, I feel that I should share. I've also come to terms with the fact that it really does happen to everyone at least once in their life and if they say that it never has, they are lying to themselves. So please promise that you will not judge me or look at me differently after this post because I am really putting myself out there. Promise?

I don't know if this is something that happens after you turn 30 or if it is something that just magically happens after you are married. It's like all of a sudden your body turns against you and desires to place you in the most embarrassing moments ever. So....here it is....

I woke up last night......
                      My lower body vibrating.....
                                                    and I finally realize....
                                                                            I've just farted in my sleep...
                                                                                                                 and it's just woken me up!!

I laid there in sheer terror, wondering if this unfortunate event has also woken up my husband. Oh, the horror! He'd never look at me the same way again. I would never be considered attractive again. I now have the title "Gross and Loud Farting Wife" written on my forehead. I was relieved to find that this incident had not disturbed Noah. I fretted over this experience for quite a while, but I finally fell asleep knowing that my secret was safe. Noah would never have to know that his wife farts to the point that it wakes her from her sleep.

The next morning I was over the humiliation and realizing the humor in what had happened. It's so funny how you can hear of this happening to other people, but feel that you are so far removed from it and that it would never happen to you. When it does happen, and you find yourself in that moment of humiliation, it's priceless.

Noah could see that something was up. He has a great way of knowing when the wheels are turning inside my head. He of course asks me what I'm thinking about and I of course say, "nothing". I didn't know if I could tell him. The thought that he would for sure find me unattractive and want to leave me flashed through my mind. Finally, I mustered up the courage and shared this awful event with him. After hearing the story, the expression on his face was...a mix of joy, relief, wonder, and like he had just heard the funniest joke on the planet. He looked at me and in his expression, I knew, that he thought I was something special. Every hesitation and fear in my body that I would some how disappoint Noah by not being perfect had disappeared. I was amazed at his love for me.

Humility continues to be one of the key words in this relationship and it seems to come in the funniest of packages. As we continue to get to know one another and how this marriage thing works, we are surprised by all of the great things we are learning about one another and ourselves as a couple.

I thank God for moments like these.

Oh, and I should mention that Noah has also experienced an event much like this one, only instead of being terrified of what I may think, he has this sense of pride, as if he has accomplished something great. I have been woken up in the middle of the night, not by my own flatulence, but by the stench wafting from underneath the covers from Noah's side of the bed. I'm not kidding. It literally woke me up!

It seems we may just be the perfect couple. ;)

The Most Important Year of Our Lives

So, supposedly this whole being married thing is a big deal...or so we've heard...many, many times.

I would totally agree.

I've learned a lot in the last nine months. I have a feeling however, that there is a whole lot more to learn; about Noah, about myself, about marriage, and life in general. From the very beginning, Noah and I have known that it wasn't going to be a cake walk and we've wanted to prepare ourselves (as best as we can) for the journey that lies ahead. So....we bought a book that would tell us everything (don't we wish)!

Although this book could never fully prepare us for all that lies ahead as Noah and I travel through life together, we have found it to be insightful and challenging at times and it has brought us some great topics to discuss.

What book is it you ask?

The Most Important Year of Any Man's/Woman's Life by Susan and Mark DeVries and Bobbie and Robert Wolgemuth. It's two books in one- there's a book from the female perspective and a book from the male perspective. The two books meet in the middle with reading and an "activity" for the couple to do together once they have each read their portion. It's a book that could be read at any stage of marriage. I usually run away from any reading that may potentially tell a woman how she should be a wife and how man should be a husband however, that is not what this book is about at all. Their ideas are very open, untraditional (which is what I like), and yet still honest.

So far, it's been great and both Noah and I would highly recommend it for any couple.
It's a fun read, not boring, it gets you laughing at yourself, your significant other, and sparks some great conversation.

The Sacred Moments!

It's been a while, I know, but a lot has happened since my last post and I'm excited to share how God has been showing up in these newlyweds lives. Some of you may know that Noah and I had to go through a tough spot in life that showed up LITERALLY right after we got back from the honeymoon. I got word that there was going to a restructuring of staff at my job which may lead to the loss of my job. In April, this turned out to be the case and one of my worst nightmares. I'm not going to sugar coat anything. It sucked. I felt completely deflated and I couldn't understand why me and why now. I just got married for crying out loud! I am supposed to be enjoying life, not worrying about my future. For me, it was a total blow. It made me wonder if God was really calling me to do youth ministry or if it was time to venture off and do something else. I was frustrated with God because I felt that God really wasn’t speaking. God felt really distant. I will say however, that although God felt distant, I felt aware of God's love for me through my unbelievably supportive husband, family, and friends. One always can see how much they are loved in the way that people surround them in need.  Despite how low I felt, I was very aware of people around me that believed in me even when I didn't believe in myself.

And so the story continues....sorry....this is going to end up being a long post.

In July, Noah and I decided to spend a week out in Colorado. The two of us love spending time in the mountains. There is something built inside each of us that longs to be surrounded by them. I think it was one of the initial attractions each of us had towards the other. 

It has always been a goal of ours to climb to the top of a mountain, so Noah felt that we should take this task on while we were in Colorado. As we researched the area that we were going to be in, we found that the tallest peak in Colorado, second tallest peak in the nation, was Mt. Elbert (14,443 ft) and we were going to be camping right at the base of it. Noah firmly believed that, “This was the one!” and I firmly believed Noah had spent too much time in front of a computer screen and in the process had killed way too many brain cells (for those of you that do not know, Noah works for IBM and spends every hour of the work day in front of a computer screen. It has to be doing something unnatural to his brain, right?). My goal was to climb a mountain, not the mountain. 

The trail to the top of Mt. Elbert consisted of 4.7 miles with an elevation climb of 5,700 ft. Some previous hikers had written about their experience; many of them having to turn back at about 11,500 ft because of the altitude. This was not going to be an easy or enjoyable task for me. I was thinking there was no way of making it to the top. I’m not in the shape that I need to be in to do this. I don’t have it in me.  Some how, Noah talked me into it. A few days later, I was at the trailhead at 6:30 in the morning starting one of the most mentally and physically challenging endeavors I had ever done. Hiking up a steep slope was tough enough, but having to stop every 7 steps to catch our breath because of the elevation made it almost unbearable. There were a few times during the hike where either Noah or I was ready to give up and turn around, but we continued to encourage one another to keep going. 

It took us six tough hours to get to the top. The emotion that filled me as we reached the summit and I looked out over the peak is something that I have a difficult time putting into words. We did it! I had just completed something that I had never believed I would have been able to do. Everything about the experience was truly breathtaking.

As we were at the top of Elbert, God was really starting to say something as I reflected on the experience. Lyrics to one of my favorite songs came to mind.

“I had to walk the rocks to see the mountain view. Looking back I see the lead of love.”

I was reminded that our journey through life’s experiences can be much like climbing Mt. Elbert. It can be brutal. It can get to a point where we don’t feel like we can go on. We’d rather just turn around and give up. The reality is that God is there with us and surrounding us with the people that we need to keep us going; to make it to the breath taking view that awaits us at the top. God’s love is leading us all the way.

Sitting at the top of that mountain with Noah was a truly sacred moment. I'm so glad that I get to journey through life and experience those sacred moments with him. 

Sleepwalking

I do weird things in my sleep. I have since I was about 10 years old. Please don't laugh, but I am a 32 year-old sleepwalker. When I was twelve, I woke up in the middle of the street with my bedspread wrapped around me. I was dreaming that my bedspread was actually my neighbor's across the street and I had to run over and return it...in the middle of the night. I can't imagine my neighbor's faces if I hadn't woken up. There I would have been, at 3am, in my pajamas, trying to give them my bedspread. Other nights, my mom would hear someone walking around the house, panic a bit at the thought of an intruder, only to find out that it was me. I'd wake up a bit startled to mom yelling, "Erin, get back to bed." I had no idea what was going on. LOL...I don't blame her though. I'd be a little freaked out too.

So, for most of my life, it has only been my parents and sister that have been able to experience this, beyond weird, night time phenomenon of mine; that is, until I got married. Oh, poor Noah. He didn't know when he married me that he was going to have to experience some of the craziest nights he could imagine. It's something that most people grow out of, but not me. Being a sleepwalker is a bit embarrassing to admit, but Noah and I always have a good laugh about it. It's really nothing I can help, I just need to go with it and hope that I may still grow out of it before I really do go and knock on my neighbors door at 3am.

Last night, Noah got to, once again, experience one of these sleepwalking experiences. He had almost thought that the episodes were done since I had not had one in a few months, but no such luck. Noah was awoken to me in a bit of a panic because a "spark" from a neighbors' campfire (at 3am) had made its way into our bedroom and was now floating into the bathroom. In my state of mind, I somehow thought that the spark was going to set fire to the house, so I asked if Noah would go stomp it out. Noah, being frustrated about being awoken and knowing that I was dreaming, simply said, "No, it will be fine." I remember getting pissed that he was going to make me go and do it. Note: From my experience of sleepwalking, I am in a state of dreaming and yet still conscious. It's really weird. I think this is why I am often able to remember what's going on and how I am feeling. Anyway, I get frustrated with Noah, let out a big sigh as I get out of bed, go to our closet, proceed to find a sturdy shoe, and go back to the bathroom to stomp out the spark that some how had found its way into our house. Low and behold, when I make it to the bathroom, no spark is to be found. I turn on the light and see absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. It is at that moment that I start to think about what is going on and the actual possibility of it, and realize that I am in fact sleepwalking. I get back into bed, my heart racing (it always does that when I wake up from one of these episodes) and relax enough after a few minutes to fall back asleep.

This morning, as I get out of bed, I stumble on one of my winter shoes, wonder what it's doing there, and then go to Noah and ask, "Did I sleepwalk last night?" Noah bursts out laughing and proceeds to tell me what happened. As soon as he sparks my memory, I'm able to remember everything. We just sat and laughed at my silliness. If nothings else, it provides some great entertainment.

Wow, dreams are funny things. Please tell me that I am not the only 32 year-old sleepwalker out there.

Dreams

You will find that today's blog post is a bit short, but not lacking in the entertainment. I should give you a brief background on this post. I LOVE Harry Potter! I love reading the books and I love the movies. I am pretty pumped to see Deathly Hallows part two. I can't wait actually. Noah on the other hand...well, he has chosen to accept Harry Potter, but only because his wife loves it so much. When we first started dating, I tried to get a feel on where Noah stood with Harry Potter. It was my dream to have a spouse that appreciated Harry as much as I did. One evening,  I finally asked him the big question, "What is your favorite Harry Potter book and do you think you are more like Harry or Ron?" His response was, "Harry Pooper?" and was far from the proclamation of admiration that I was hoping for, but I let it slide. I wasn't going to let a division on Harry Potter influence how I really felt about him. I did come close to breaking up with him a few times when he would make a gross comment on only one of the greatest stories every written, but here we are today and...well....he can learn to love Harry Potter, right?

Anyway, I wake up this morning and find Noah in the kitchen making our usual morning cup of coffee.
Noah turns to me and says,

"I have something to tell you, but I don't know if I should admit it or not. You will never let me live it down."

At hearing this statement, I immediately get excited!! What juicy bit of information does Noah possibly have that I will be able to use against him in the future? The anticipation was killing me.

Noah replies with a big smile, "I had a dream about Harry Potter last night."

That response quite possible made my day. To that I started, in my most goofy manner, to tease him a bit and whip out my imaginary wand and force him to have magical dual with me. Unfortunately, he wasn't having it. His next comment however was priceless.

"I didn't really dream ABOUT Harry Potter. I WAS Harry Potter... fighting off evil."

At that, we were laughing hysterically in the kitchen. Noah tried to cover it up his embarrassment with, "I think it's because I've had to wear my glasses the last few days."

I do believe my husband is a closet Harry Potter fan!!!

Date Night at the Drive-In

First, let me say how important I think date nights are. Whether you are a newlywed or you've been married for over 60 years, date nights are something that I think every couple needs. Some people may ask, "Why do you two need a date night? You spend every night of the week together?" To that I say that there is just something different about setting aside and evening to focus on nothing else but your significant other. Most nights that Noah and I are both home, we end up with a few hours after work to take care of dinner, cleaning, and whatever other projects need to get done around the house. When we get together with friends and family,  I want to pour my energy into them when we get together. A date allows us to just focus on each other and in the end helps us continue to grow as a couple. I can see that it will be especially important once we have kids, so we figure it's good to get into the habit right away.

Last Friday, Noah and I had our first date night in a while. It was a blast! It was our first beautiful weekend here in Minnesota. Summer is finally here. We grilled chicken, opened a cheap bottle of wine, and sat down to have dinner together. We then went for a walk down by the river and headed out to the Cottage-Grove drive-in. I LOVE THE DRIVE IN!! I always find it funny when talking to people that have never been to the drive in or have even seen a drive in. To me, that seems crazy since I live within 5 miles of two drive in theaters.

Here's a fun fact- There are only 372 drive in theaters left in the United States. Minnesota has 6 drive in theaters. Only two are in the Twin Cities metro area; one in Cottage Grove and the other in Lake Elmo.

Anyway, if you've never been to the drive in I highly recommended it. Pack up your cooler with your favorite snacks and beverages, sit back, put your feet up on the dash, and enjoy. We got to see two movies for less than what we would pay to see one of those movies at the local indoor theater complex. Plus, we got to enjoy the great summer evening  and sunset.

The drive in experience has been endangered with competition from the indoor super screen complexes. There has been talk about tearing the Cottage Grove drive in down so that the city could build...what else....another shopping complex. It's sad to see a great and fun piece of history on the verge of being extinct for yet another shopping center. I'd say, be sure to go out and enjoy it while it lasts. It's great fun for all ages.

Oh No!!!! Could I Be The Next Coupon Queen?!?

I've been inspired!!!! The new show Extreme Couponing has me hooked! If you haven't seen an episode yet, it's a must watch! The show follows people that save BIG TIME at their local stores by using coupons. When I say that they save BIG TIME, I am not exaggerating. On most episodes you see them bringing a food purchase of over $1,300 down to $50.00. The first time I watched the show I was left speechless! How on earth did they do that?!?!?  I had to figure it out.

After watching a few more episodes, I started catching on to the method behind this madness. The whole idea is to basically collect coupons from the internet (coupons.com) and from the Sunday paper. You then watch the local store ads and see what's on sale that week. They say that using your coupons during store sales is the best way to cash in on the savings. For example: Buy one get one free sales are a great time to use the coupons because you can use 2 manufacture coupons even though one of the items is free, doubling your savings. Some stores also offer double coupon day or they will match your coupons up to a certain price, usually $1.00.


It seems that this show came on at the perfect time!! Noah and I are on a pretty tight budget right now, so saving money is important. I figured that I had to try this couponing thing out. I decided to focus on just a few items on this first grocery trip. I don't want to buy anything that we are not going to use just because it's on sale. In one of the episodes, a woman bought 67 bottles of mustard and no one even eats mustard in her family! REALLY?!? Who needs 67 bottles of mustard in the first place? It goes bad in a year!!! Crazy woman!! Anyway, I noticed that Rainbow Foods had pretty good deal on Kelloggs cereal, buy 8 for $13.00. I went into my coupon stash and I found three coupons for Kelloggs cereal each worth $1.00. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, Rainbow will double your coupon value if your coupon is $1.00 or under, so each of those coupons were actually worth $2.00. In the end, I got 8 boxes of cereal for $7.00!!! HUGE SAVINGS!!! I was so proud of myself! I took advantage of a few other items as well. In the end, my grand total was $57 but with coupons and the in-store savings, I only had to pay $26!! I saved $31!! I saved more than I spent! I was so excited!


I never thought I would get this excited over something like couponing, but saving money is big for everyone these days. How are you and your family trying to save money this summer? Noah and I are looking for some ideas. 

Living in the Simple but Joyful Moments

This last weekend, there was a definite need to get away. I'm at a very...how do I say it...unsure point in my life right now, and as I've expressed in earlier blogs, I do not do well with uncertainty. So, in the midst of all of this uncertainty, Noah and I decided that it was time to take a weekend and head up to his family cabin in Deerwood, MN. It turns out that we were the only two up there, and the weather last weekend was far from being beautiful weather for us to enjoy the outdoors. Instead, we nestled up together inside, hit up a few antique shops, read a few books, stopped for happy hour at a local bar, and did a puzzle together. That's right everyone....this young couple did the craziest of things together!!! We did a puzzle. Ha!



When I say it out loud to myself, it sounds pretty lame, but I really enjoyed that opportunity. It wasn't necessarily that we talked much while doing the puzzle, I mean don't get me wrong, we did talk. For me, it was the small accomplishment of completing something together, even though it was really small, that made me enjoy the moment. It may seem really childish, or insignificant, but I felt a lot of joy in completing that puzzle together.

I don't think that happens enough in our lives today. How often do we find happiness in the completion of such a small task with our significant other? I think sometimes we get so bogged down with the huge and often times overwhelming tasks before us, that we forget to celebrate the simple completed tasks along the way. It took a lot of undivided attention for us (the two of us can barely sit still for a half hour) to sit in one place for hours upon hours and complete that 500 piece puzzle. There were plenty of other things that "needed" to get done, but we were blessed with this opportunity to sit with each other, focus on this one thing TOGETHER, and see the completed project. As I write this, it sounds silly to me, but I think there is something significant about it.

The weekend at the cabin also gave us the opportunity to, of all things, dance. I LOVE dancing with Noah. We may look like the biggest goofballs out on the dance floor, but dancing with him is always...well let's just say it is quite the experience.

As we were taking on the challenging puzzle, we were playing some of our favorite music. The ipod was on shuffle and the great tunes continued to play on through the evening. At one point, the song from our wedding dance, "You are the Best Thing" by Ray LaMontagne started playing. We looked at each other, smiled, and before you knew it, there we were dancing to our song in the living room. Sounds cliche, but it was another perfect moment.

I know some people may read this and say, "All of that is really easy when you are newlyweds," and I am not going to disagree with you. I'm sure it gets harder to find the simple joys as life and marriage continue on. I can only imagine, but I also believe that these small moments are meant to be cherished whether we've been married for four months, or forty years. These moments mean something. Granted, they are not HUGE moments, like your wedding day, or the birth of your child, but they mean something and they too often get over looked. My hope is that throughout my life, I will remind myself to not overlook these small, but significant moments and instead, see them as a blessing and and opportunity to live in a simple, joyful moment.

What have been some of your simple, joyful moments lately? I'd love to hear about them. 

Oh, and if you would like a glimpse of Noah's wonderfully, creative dancing skills, you can check out the video of our first dance at the wedding by clicking here.

Note: Feel free to ignore the commentary between my mom and sister in the background, although it is also quite funny.

Easter Family Moments

He has risen!!! He has risen indeed! I hope you all had a wonderful Easter filled with great family moments. In the last few years, I have really learned to cherish those family moments...and well, I LOVE MY FAMILY so it comes pretty easy for me. :) I must say that I have one of the most wonderful families around. You could try to argue with me, but I think I'd win. (Just kidding).

For Easter celebrations, Noah and loaded up in the vehicle and traveled to Eau Claire along with my sister, brother-in-law and niece Elaina. My aunt, uncle and cousins were hosting this year and it was a gathering that included 40+ family members. We had not had an Easter like that for many, many years. It was great having the opportunity to see everyone. We all had a lot of fun that day!

I love taking pictures of kids...especially my niece. Here a just some of the pictures from the day.

First, some from the egg hunts.

	VICTORY!!!!







Checking out the loot after the hunt!!

Finally, here are a few from the play that happened during the day.

Love the hair!!

At this point, I think it had been a long day. Elaina started spacing out a bit, but I was able to take advantage of the moment and got a great photo.











There was also an egg hunt for the adults. So fun!!! Eggs were filled with lottery tickets and chocolate. I went running when we were told we could go....but even with all of that effort, I still was awful at finding eggs. I was better when I was a kid. Something happened as I got older. I lost the "gift" or something. Oh well, I am in good company. Noah didn't do very well either. We still had fun though. It was great to feel like a kid again.

All in all, our first Easter weekend together as a married couple was a lot of fun. My birthday was also a part of the weekend so we had fun celebrating with friends. I was so excited when I opened my birthday gift from Noah!!! He signed us up for dance lessons!!! Yay! I have a blast whenever I dance with him....if you have ever seen Noah dance, you know why. Let's just say that Noah has a very "free spirit" when it comes to dancing. One of our friends says it best, "You can't put Noahs' dance moves in a box." He needs to move wherever the Spirit takes him. :) I think our dance classes are going to be a ton of fun!!! Stay tuned!!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend as well and were able to enjoy some great family moments. How did your family celebrate Easter?

Mon-ay, Mon-ay, Mon-ay, Mon-ay...Mon-ay...

First, I know, it has been a few weeks and I am sorry for that. Life just got a little complicated and chaotic. It continues to be, but I have found my way through dealing with most of it. More on that later.

I've been told that one of the main causes for frustration, arguments, and marital destruction is caused by issues of money. Yikes! That does not sound like fun, especially when two people are coming into marriage with a substantial amount of credit card debt, student loans, car loans, a mortgage, and you still have wedding expenses to pay off. Yes, finances have been a hot topic of discussion in our household over the past few months, but so far we've been doing an alright job of paying our bills and paying down our debt. It hasn't been easy though and there is still quite a bit of room for improvement.

Through the help of the money that we received as gifts from our wedding (thank you, thank you, thank you everyone!) and what I have received from my tax return, we've been able to pay off almost half of our credit card debt. Whahoo! We had a big celebration this month when we paid off one of our high interest cards! It was very exciting. We still have whatever money we receive from Noah's tax refund coming our way, so that will bring us down to having about half of our debt paid off.

The next few months are going to be tough, but my hope is that together we can accept the challenge and use it as a great opportunity for growth. What makes is especially difficult is that Noah and I love eating out and going out with friends. We have figured out how we can save money doing that (restaurants.com, groupon.com, livingsocial.com, etc.), but even then, I feel like we need to do more if we are going to reach our goal of getting our credit card debt paid off in a year.

We have found that mint.com has been great at helping us set budgets and track where all of our money is being spent. It has kept us accountable, and for the most part, we haven't been spending too much more than what we have budgeted for ourselves, but we are still working on that. It doesn't help that the price of gas is going up A LOT and that groceries are also becoming more expensive, but I've been watching the show Extreme Couponing and I have picked up on a few things that will help us save some money on groceries. It still amazes me though how one woman spent over $800 in the grocery store and walked away only paying $10.00! That is CRAZY extreme couponing!!

So, we are one card down and three to go. We can do it, right? I'm wondering what has helped you and your family in situations like this? What tools have you used to help budget and/or pay off debt? Would you have any advice for us?

Our goal is to get this paid off in a year and save up enough for a vacation as a little incentive. This will be quite the challenge, but I'm really hoping we can pull it off. Send some prayers our way. :)

April Fools!!!!

I have to admit, I have NEVER been good at playing practical jokes on April Fools Day. I tried A LOT as a kid, but it never worked out. The one time it did, I got in a heap of trouble with my dad when he ended up being the victim of the joke. I even have one memory of my mom sitting me down in the living room trying to teach me how to play a joke on someone on April Fools day. I think she even realized that I was a hopeless case. I'm not a very good liar, so when I giggled while playing out my own joke, someone would always know that something was up. 

This year, my first April Fools day with my husband, I thought I’d give it one more try. If it didn’t prove to be a successful practical joke, I would never again try to live up to the meaning of the first day of April.  

I thought I’d try one of the simplest of jokes for my return to this fun holiday. It’s one of the oldest tricks in the book I hear.

That morning, I found one of my clear hair binders and went down to the kitchen sink. I place the binder around the spray nozzle that sits to the right of the faucet so that the button on the nozzle was being held down. I then sat on the couch and pretended to be checking email (hehehehe…I’m so sneaky).

Noah came downstairs in his usual morning grogginess…not very alert or very talkative. It’s best not to bother him too much until he has his first cup of coffee...which is precisely what he begins to get started on; making his morning cup of joe. He grinds the beans, spoons some coffee into the filter and then goes to the sink to fill up the water pitcher.

Oh…if only I would have had the video camera out!!!!!

As he turned on the faucet, imagine his surprised face as water from the sprayer begins spraying all over him. His shrieks were by far the best I’ve heard in a long time.

APRIL FOOLS!!!!!!

It worked!!!!!! My April Fools joke actually worked!!

It was a priceless moment. As we laughed hysterically for a few minutes, I was fully embracing that beautiful moment and was so thankful that, not only did a practical joke work for the first time in my life, but that I had this wonderful, fun guy to share it with.

I’m finding that those moments of playfulness in a relationship can do wonders to our lives. When the pressures of life are getting you down, those moments can do a lot to lift up your spirits and a good laugh together can do a lot for a relationship too. Sometimes we don’t play enough. Our busy schedules keep us constantly moving on to the next thing. It’s important that we don’t take ourselves so seriously all the time and allow for moments of goofiness.

So, what April Fools day jokes have worked for you over the years? I need to start planning for next year!!

Lessons Learned from a Cupcake

One of my intentions for this blog is to share some of the stories of what this newlywed couple encounters in the day to day as we grow and learn together. There will no doubt be times of joy and laughter, but also times of frustration and humility. My hope is that this is a place where others can share their insights and experiences so that we can gain new ideas or perspectives together.

 I knew from the start that marriage was not going to be a cakewalk and I also knew that life was going to be very different. I’ve heard over the years, “You have to work at marriage every day”. Marriage was not something that I’ve had a false idea about.  It's funny however, when you know these things, but then once you are actually living it out…well…it’s just funny. It’s a lot like when I was a kid and all of the adults would say, “Time sure does fly as you get older.” I NEVER believed that as a kid. It seemed like the time between Christmas each year was FOREVER. Now, as someone that is going to be 32 in less than a month (I know…I can’t believe it either) I understand what all the adults were talking about back when I was a kid! Well, the same is true with sharing your life with another…I’m beginning to see it now. It’s been an absolute joy, but it requires humility.

Humility is the key word for this entry. Noah learned a little something about me recently through an experience I am sure he never thought he’d see from me. I’m a little embarrassed to admit it, but I’m sure we all have our moments, right?

I was planning to have people over for Noah’s birthday. It was also our first time “entertaining” since we had been married. I was excited to have people over for the “first time”. I planned on making our favorite White Chicken Chili and some cupcakes for dessert.  I wasn’t going to make just any cupcakes though. These were going to be the most perfect and creative cupcakes ever!!! If you know me at all I am not Suzie Homemaker. There may beonly a fraction of a percent of her in me.

The most perfect and creative cupcakes ever were going to have a dollop of homemade white frosting and then sticking out of the frosting were going to be two homemade candy skis. I had very high expectations for these cupcakes and they were going to be a hit at the party!

So I made the cupcakes and let them cool for the afternoon. A few hours before people were expected to arrive; I started making the homemade frosting. The recipe called for butter, powdered sugar, a little milk and vanilla. Seems easy enough, right? I go to the refrigerator and get out my spreadable butter, find the powdered sugar and vanilla and I get started. As I am whipping the ingredients together I’m noticing that my frosting is pretty runny. I add some extra powdered sugar (and a little flour- thinking that may help), but it didn’t do the trick. I’m starting to think that maybe my kitchen is too warm. So, I put the frosting outside for a little while thinking that the freezing temps may stiffen it up a bit. Twenty minutes later, the frosting is the perfect consistency and I start frosting the cupcakes with my handy new frosting decorating thingy (it’s sort of like a pastry bag). I’m excited because it looks like the cupcakes are going to turn out.

Until….

I look over at the cupcakes that I have frosted just minutes ago and….(enter a deflating sound here)…

my perfect dollops of frostings have melted into sad, oozing pools of sticky, slimy goo. It was a very sad mess. A horror of all horrors when one has such high hopes. They were the saddest frosted cupcakes that I have ever seen. The white slime dripped down the side o f the cupcake, down onto the cooling rack, and all over the counter. It was an utter mess.

I only had an hour before people were going to be coming, I had not taken a shower yet, and now I had this mess…on top of figuring out what I was going to do for dessert.

It took all of a second for all hell to break loose. I whip the bowl of frosting into the sink, threw the utensils into the dishwasher…dishes are clanking and I am uttering vile words under my breath. Noah comes down the stairs just as I begin throwing cupcakes one by one into the garbage with such force, one would think I was trying out to be the next great pitcher for the Twins or something.
As each cupcake turns towards it death, the most ugly of words I think I have spoken are escaping my mouth. “*&$%@& cupcakes! Why the *&$%! *&^! &%*! *#@!

As I reach to grab the next victim, I get a glance of Noah’s face. He has a look of a combination of sheer horror and not being able to control himself from laughing. Can one have such a face? His expression forces me to pause for one second and he asks, “Honey? What’s wrong?”

My cupcake rant continues as another two victims get thrown into the trash. “&$% cupcakes! They’ve melted all over the place and made a mess of the *#$ kitchen! People are going to be  here in an hour and now I don't have any *^# cupcakes!!”

Noah attempts to save the situation with, “Honey, they’re fine” and he begins to dig a few out of the garbage. “We can still use them. Don’t waste them. We’ll just wipe them off.”

I take the cupcake from his hand and throw it into the garbage, “We’re not going to wipe them off and serve them at the party. I will be the laughing stock of the night!

One by one the rest of the cupcakes are thrown into the garbage with brute force and a mumbling of sheer hate. Noah attempts to take a few more out of the garbage, cheer me up and make light of the situation, but I am beyond help. They all are thrown into the trash and the night is ruined as far as I am concerned.

I run up the stairs to quickly take a shower before people arrive. Within minutes I am so embarrassed with my behavior and that Noah has just seen this utterly ugly side of his brand new wife. We had been married for only a month and he has already seen my wrath. He for sure must be regretting marrying such a psycho.

I get dressed and quietly walk down the stairs. Noah is in the kitchen getting things ready for the night. He looks at me and sheepishly smiles. We start laughing hysterically and he opens his arms for a hug. Wow! I have a great husband.

We laughed for a few minutes. I apologized for my scary and awful behavior and he just says, “It’s okay…we all have our moments.”

I realized that it wasn’t necessarily the cupcakes that set me off. It was a whole heap of things that had been building up over the weeks; mainly stress towering up over the need to control every situation. When Noah and I started sharing a house and a life together, I very quickly realized that I cannot control everything… neither can he. What’s the point of being married if one person is going to control everything? Marriage allows for two people to figure out life together. There are things that we can control and things that we can’t. It’s important to know the difference, allow space for change, and try not to get bent out of shape when something happens that was outside of your original plan.

Bare with me everyone; I’m a work in progress.

So what happened with the cupcakes? Where did I go wrong? I figured out that it was the spreadable butter that I had used. Note to self: Use regular unsalted butter when making homemade frosting. It will save A LOT of trouble.

White Chicken Chili, YUM!!

In Minnesota, you get the best of every season. White, snowy winters, lush green springs, hot humid summers, and bright colorful falls. One of our favorite winter recipes is this White Chicken Chili!!! Really it's good for any season. You will not want to miss it!!

What you will need:

• 1 can of white beans (rinsed)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 2 cups milk (for a rich tasting chili, use half and half. Skim milk works great if you are trying for fewer calories)
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco, or to taste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
• two 4-ounce cans whole mild green chilies, drained and chopped
• 2 pounds of cooked shredded chicken
• 1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack (about 6 ounces)
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Preparation

In a skillet cook onion in 2 tablespoons butter over moderate heat until softened.

In a 6- to 8-quart heavy kettle melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter over moderately low heat and whisk in flour. Cook roux, whisking constantly, 3 minutes. Stir in onion and gradually add broth and half-and-half, whisking constantly. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes, or until thickened. Stir in Tabasco, chili powder, cumin, salt, and white pepper. Add beans, chilies, chicken, and Monterey Jack and cook mixture over moderately low heat, stirring, 20 minutes. Stir sour cream into chili.

Enjoy!!!.

So...here we are

Noah and Erin here. We've been married for a few months now and it has already been quite a journey. We've been loving this time getting to know each other on a deeper level as we start sharing our lives together. This blog is an opportunity to share with you some of the things that we are learning as we go through the journey. You'll find a little of everything here. You may end up finding recipes for our favorite meals, funny stories from our journey, lessons that we have learned, our favorite Minnesotan things, and we'll share some of the things that we love along the way.

First, I thought that I would begin by giving you a glimpse of who we are and recommend a GREAT photographer in the wonderful state of Minnesota.

Tara Bjerke Photography!! Tara is my cousin and we had the opportunity of having her shoot our engagement photos about five months ago. Here is some of her work from our shoot.

 

We had a blast that day and feel like Tara truly captured who we are as a couple.