At the end of the day. . .

As most of you know, Jeff and I were married on October 2nd. I, of course, feel that the wedding was perfect. Well, except for the florist forgetting to decorate our wedding cake or how it was 20 degrees below average and drizzling most of the morning. Those are the little things that every bride fears the weeks before her wedding. I was one of those brides. I cannot tell you how many times I checked the weather the week before the wedding. It looked great until the night before. We prayed it would be okay. I honestly didn't think of it until I woke up on the day of the wedding. I, of course, decided to check the weather (stupid iPhone app). The panic began to sit in, but I quickly forgot because I was having fun with my parents, sister, and bridesmaids getting ready. Then it came time for outdoor pictures before the ceremony. I was absolutely frozen. Jeff and I decided to do "first look" pictures. When I was first standing in the wind on a bridge, I was covered in goose bumps and absolutely irritated about the weather. Then the photographer told me Jeff, my soon-to-be-husband was walking up behind me. The goosebumps were no longer from the cold, they were of excitement knowing today I would marry this wonderful man. That is when all of the small stuff that went "wrong" melted away. I no longer cared about the weather or getting the millions of pictures planned out in my head. I just wanted to be with Jeff, forever. All of the planning for the wedding was tons of fun and I wouldn't change it for the world, but that was just a wedding. What I was excited for was the marriage. It became clear when Jeff tapped me on the shoulder and I turned to see his sweet smile the morning of our wedding.

Marriage, I am learning, has snaffoos too! Like when your husband thinks that rinsing the dishes before they go into the dishwasher is a waste or when one of you is irritated about a change in plans for dinner or one of you is having bad day and is a little more snippy than usual (me last week- sorry babe). Just like with the wedding, it is the small stuff. It is a minor infraction of marriage, but at the end of the day I have this amazing man to share my life with. Who, even when I am snippy after a "bad" day at work, makes me dinner and pours me a glass of wine. That is marriage. Give and take, overcoming the small stuff, so when the "big" stuff is taking over, you can stand together as a team.

Everyone says that a wedding is just that, a wedding. I agree, but I think how you spend that day is a glimpse into your future. My focus was on Jeff. Once he was there, all I wanted to do was marry him and spend the day with our friends and family. After I saw Jeff, I no longer cared about pictures, how the candy bar was set up, or if my cake was decorated with flowers. That was the small stuff.

I am writing this because it is the time of year where the small stuff can get to a lot of couples (or "singles"). Just remember the important things in life. Your husband (or wife), your kids, your siblings, your family, and your friends. Most of all Jesus. If he had sweat the small stuff, he would have gotten no where.

Where will your focus be this season? The presents that aren't wrapped or your loved ones?

Colorado

......or how Jeff became "OutdoorJeff."

One of the town's we visited.

Hiking an alpine

Jeff and I went to Colorado for quite a few days this month. We first visited his dad in Greely. We just relaxed the first day, my asthma and I began to adjust to the higher altitude. :) We had dinner, played cards, I read a book on my kindle (which I am obsessed with by the way). It was nice and relaxing. Then we spent time watching barrel racing (it is a western horseback riding competition). We also played games at a fair. Jeff "won" three stuffed animals for a mere $35. Ha! Jackson, Avery, and Bailey now have souvenirs. . . that could have been purchased at Dollar Tree, I am sure. 

Jeff's Dad and I

Newest thing . . float around in a bubble. I didn't know that being the "boy in the bubble" could be so much fun.

The stuffed animals Jeff spent a small fair fortune on. :)

What do you think this is? You are right! It is a bunny. I want it!

After spending time in Greely, it was time for our road trip! We had to stay awake, so we chose something super health. . .

 

We started off our trip in Denver, exploring the shops and restaurants downtown, and of course went to the capital building. Jeff's favorite part of Denver: the REI store (it is like a small state). 

 

We then decided to go to Garden of the Gods. It really was gorgeous. After exploring and hiking for a few hours, it was time to get a hotel in Colorado Springs and rest, so that we could go to Pike's Peak the next day. We would take the Cog train all the way up-more than 14,000 feet high. It was breathtaking and FREEZING! The train took over an hour each way. We got out at the top, walked around, and ate donuts. Random? Yes- they make cake donuts. They were delicious. They had chocolate fudge on them (not icing, real fudge). We then explored Manitou Springs.  

 

Top of Pike's Peak

Pike's Peak View

The train

The donut 

Later we explored several cities, stopped multiple times on the way, and found hotels or camped when depending on where we were (I prefer the hotel to the camping, but "marriage" -or soon to be- is all about compromise, so that is what we did). :) 

My favorite place was the Sand Dunes. They are so random and definitely in the middle of no where. The sand was fine and soft. They were several hundred feet high. It was a great work out, to climb and so fun to run or slide down. Jeff's inner child definitely came out (it was cute). We camped there that night. There were no bugs or humidity. It was perfect weather. We popped Jiffy Pop and made smore's. A delicious dinner!

Then it was off to the alligator farm. Odd place to have in Colorado? I thought so too. So, the farm raised tilapia and needed/ wanted a way to discard the fish that could not be consumed without creating waste. Enter the alligators. The first two were just imported for this purpose, but soon they were rescuing alligators and other reptiles from individuals who thought they might make good pets (yes, who doesn't want to cuddle with an alligator, anaconda, or rattlesnake at night). Now they have over 400 alligators and other reptiles. It was actually pretty cool. 

Later we explored some cute little towns and had to experience the Arkansas river. Then we climbed an alpine and hiked in Rocky Mountain park. We visited a ghost town too, it was pretty neat. Overall, we traveled over 800 miles in Colorado. It was a great experience. I am glad that Jeff showed me where he grew up when he was little and it is definitely fun to see him in his element. He truly is "OutdoorJeff."

A cabin we stayed in

Flower Girl Basket & Ring Bearer "Pillow"

A few things I learned while on the hunt for wedding accessories. . . (not really new info). .

1. Flower girl baskets and ring bearer pillows are a lot of money if you get them custom made
2. All of the craft stores have the same exact items (JoAnn's Fabrics, Michael's Crafts, and ACMoore)
3. Even if you look for the custom made ones, they don't always have unique ideas

THEREFORE. .


I made my own. :) I have made flower girl baskets and ring bearer pillows (and guest books) for several of my friends weddings, so I don't know why I just didn't do this from the get go! :) I am sure Jackson will love it!

I decided to make Jeff a ring bearer "pillow" out of a soft soccer ball, since he used to play soccer and it is his favorite sport. Then I decided to add his college (UVA) colors. It is just something fun! :)

The flower girl basket matches the wedding colors and pearl theme. Avery will look adorable carrying it. :)

Trying something new . . .

Beginning stages of chocolate mousse concoctions. :)

Left - Butterscotch and Milk Chocolate Mousse

Top - popcorn mousse 

Bottom right - peanut and cashew mousse

Left - Blueberry Mousse 

Right Coconut Mousse

One of my adorable fifth
graders (and her mom) bought a gift off my registry for the end of the year. It was a mini dessert set. Now, some people may say this is a silly gift, but if you know me - you would disagree! Since there was a string of thunderstorms this afternoon, I decided to experiment. . .it went pretty well! Jeff's favorite was the Smore' and mine was the peanut and cashew! :)

Left - the desserts chilling in the fridge

Right - All ready to eat!

Strawberry and Lemon Summer Cake

It is time for a yummy summer treat! 

The cake: Strawberry - you can either use the boxed stuff (which is actually pretty fluffy if you only bake it for about 22 minutes at 350). Or you can use the below strawberry recipe . . .  

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Strawberry-Cake-from-Scratch/Detail.aspx

The icing: Lemon Cool Whip (you cannot buy it, you have to make it)


Ingredients: Lemon Jello Pudding Mix, Cool Whip, Cold Milk
Directions: Fold together 1 package of lemon jello pudding mix, 1 container Cool Whip, and 1 cup of cold milk. Make sure all "chunks" are completely immersed in lemon mix. Let chill in refrigerator for about 15 minutes.

After the cake has cooled, use the cool whip icing you have created and add some fresh strawberries. Make sure you use a bread or cake knife to even the top of the cake before icing.

Use the chilled icing to finish off your cake!

Settling In

Main part of the basement - cozy :)

Jeff's favorite part of the house with his leather chair

Our wood-burning fireplace. We are going to make it a stone fireplace this fall.

This is just a quick post documenting the house progress. It is starting to feel like home. I absolutely love the house, the area, and the friendly neighbors. Thanks to my parents, sister, and Jeff's "old" roommate for helping us move in! And to both our families for some very thoughtful 

 

 

 

 

 

housewarming gifts. SO blessed!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dining room and living room . . almost done!

I love our new coffee table! It has storage and serving trays. Jeff and I are using it for storing board and card games.

Repainting the kitchen pantry!

First "real" meal in the house. Rice, biscuits, and creamy chicken casserole (one of Jeff's faves).

New chairs for the deck. . .the table is still on back order

My sister helping to put the kitchen table back together. . refusing to look at the camera

boxes and a lot of "stuff"

Jeff and Chris moving us in! Dad helped also!

Putting wood blinds up in the kitchen (they are already in the rest of the house)

I am thinking of a round decorators table for this corner?

New dining room table and china hutch (love them - love Broyhill)

Notice the hardware . . .Jeff put it all on :) Yay!

The HUGE plant Jeff's mom got us! Our deck needed a little color.