Josh and I attended a beautiful candelight church service on Sunday morning. The service was quite special and I'm so glad I had this opportunity. Also, I could have spent the whole morning singing the beautiful Christmas songs. The song service is always my favorite part of church services, but Christmas songs have a special place in my heart and I could sing along for a while.
Then, I spent some time Sunday evening wrapping gifts. I love taking care to wrap gifts beautifully, and it was quite a luxury to have enough time to do this. I also like it when my gifts under the tree coordinate, so I get metallic wrapping paper on sale at Target every year, and then spice up things with ribbon. Since I had quite a lot of ribbon leftover from Cassie's wedding programs back in August, I used the ribbon to adorn the gifts. I'm a little partial, but I think it turned out quite lovely.
Last week, we had a blizzard...which makes everything feel like Christmas (I posted about the storm as it was happening here). I love how beautiful the icicles and fluffy snow looks in frozen tundra.
On Christmas, we were up in Minneapolis with the Huntley side of the family (see our Thanksgiving festivities here). To spice things up, I challenged all the cousins to wear ugly sweaters (I had my awesome shirt from this holiday party earlier in December). I think we should do this every year.
We're one good-looking bunch
Yummy desserts
Awkward family photos
Josh rocks this sweater.
A toast to our Kappa legacy!
We ended the night at Josh's parents' farm with a game of Monopoly. It's kind of a tradition to play as a family during the holidays. I'm not competitive, yet I won this year. Score! $20 for me!
Winning.
We still have two Christmas celebrations this week. Sophie can't wait to wear her Mrs. Claus outfit for them.
Carrie Underwood performed in Des Moines last Friday night. Since Jessica's husband was out of town, she offered to take me instead. I obliged, of course. Who wouldn't? The concert started off pretty great. Newcomer Hunter Hayes opened for her and sang one of my favorite songs, Wanted. Watch his official video here. He was adorable.
While we were waiting for the big show to start, we were upgraded from section 205, to section 101. Basically, we could see Carrie's facial expressions up close (no need for those big screens). We were happy girls! The concert was wonderful even though I'm pretty sure Carrie lip-synched a couple songs in there (I don't blame her; she had a cough and rough voice). However, we were lucky we saw her when we did because she canceled her show on Saturday night in Kansas City. Thanks for a good time, Jessica! Our seats were WAY better this time than our tickets to see Rascal Flatts at Iowa State Fair were this summer...
Winter is officially in full force here in Iowa (and the Midwest, really). Starting at 6 last night (the precipitation started falling at 4), the area was under a blizzard warning. It was supposedly to last until 6 PM today, but was extended to 9 PM. The wind is still blowing like crazy, it's pretty chilly, and there is quite a bit of snow out there. We got about 13 inches of snow. Here are some shots from last night and today. It really is like a winter wonderland out there. I like it a lot.
Sophie's first steps in the snow this year.
We can buy her all the toys we want, but she loves plastic bottles best.
Pretty sure this is Sophie's way of letting us know she likes the snow.
It's bright white out there! Now I remember why I have blackout curtains in my bedroom.
A perfect day for a big pot of chili.
My dear friend, Michaun, and her husband (and sweet puppy Ted) planned to stay the night at our house last night on their way from Chicago to Lincoln, Nebraska. Due to the poor driving conditions from the blizzard, they had to stop last night and stay at a hotel in the Quad Cities. Today, they've been stuck on Interstate 80 after this nasty pileup. A trip that should have taken them a little more than five hours (to get to our house from Chicago), has taken more than 24 hours. Winter sure did come in fast and furious this year!
I love eggs. Growing up, my mom always made big homemade breakfasts...and almost always they involved eggs.
Yesterday, on my way home from visiting Josh, I stopped by Jessica and Craig's farm. Sweet Baby J had a bit of a cold, but was still as happy and smiley as ever! On my way out the door, Jessica offered me some farm-fresh eggs from her chickens. Of course I obliged! Who wouldn't? I can't believe her chickens from my visit earlier this summer are already popping out eggs! I'm feeling very lucky to have these eggs in my possession and look forward to sharing with my mom (when she makes breakfast for me on Wednesday!).
I love the weekends. I love staying home. And I love being at home with Josh and Sophie. Last weekend, I was thrilled to have Josh home. He made an amazing dinner on Sunday - grilled Iowa pork chops with grilled acorn squash and steamed peas. He and I enjoyed our meal; Sophie enjoyed the pork chop bones.
And I love it when Sophie cuddles...especially when she cuddles with Josh (because it doesn't happen all that often). It just makes my heart smile.
On Saturday, I participated in The Color Run in Des Moines. There were two waves of races - one at 1 PM, and another at 4 PM - with a total of approximately 27,000 participants (and 600 volunteers) according to the Des Moines Register. Gena and Luke drove down from Minneapolis, and Kari drove down from Ames, and we all ran together (well, we walked and talked a lot, too). We arrived around noon for the 1 PM race, and ended up being in the first wave of the race (there were about 13 waves). I had a blast. I would love to do it again.
Check number13 off my 30 before 30 list! And then Gena found this other fun run, The Glo Run. I think it sounds super fun to run at night with a glow-in-the-dark shirt and three other pieces of glow swag. Sign me up!
I just saw this on Facebook, and now I really want to go. The 2012 Iowa Celiac Conference is in Ames on September 22 (that's this Saturday). Josh is going on some all-day golf tournament/day-drinking event, so I'm free to go...if I can find someone to go with me. Any takers? I'm a really fun person and promise to have really stimulating conversation!
This past weekend was a legendary Iowa weekend: the Iowa v. Iowa State football game (read more about the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series here). The state of Iowa is divided between the two universities. Obviously, Josh and I always side with Iowa State (all the smart kids do, really). Since Josh is a student at Iowa, he purchased season football tickets, and we managed (read: Josh negotiated like crazy) to purchase a ticket for me to attend the game with him. During undergrad, I never went to Iowa City because I was afraid I'd get arrested or something crazy (I've heard lots of horror stories about Iowa City). This was my first home Iowa football game, and it ended up pretty well.
We started the morning off at a law school fraternity tailgate. Then, we wandered over to the tailgates near the stadium to meet up with some of Josh's high school friends. It was fun catching up with them, playing flippy cup, and snapping a few pictures.
The football game was a lot of fun. Kinnick Stadium was quite impressive. The Iowa State win (9-6) was more impressive. It's a Cyclone State for the next year.
Have you ever heard Ordinary Day by Vanessa Carlton? I got the CD in high school, and this was probably one of my favorite songs. Maybe it's the piano. Maybe it's because I always wish I knew how to play the piano. Maybe it's her soothing voice. Anyway, I feel like every day is ordinary, but it's what you make of it that makes it special...or not.
Today was a pretty nice day. I started the day remembering an admired professor after a sudden death. Maybe that's what made today special...appreciating today for what it is and not dreading it. Today was what I would consider to be an ordinary office day, if there is such a thing. I had nearly three straight hours of meetings this afternoon, and during them, I couldn't help taking a picture of how we made it through the meeting: Laffy Taffy.
This week, I spent the whole week in the office. I think this is a summer record. I don't think I've been at my desk for this long in about three months....maybe four. It was a nice change of pace. Anyway, earlier this week, I went to a meeting, and came back to find my co-worker's office looking like this. It's pretty typical to do little projects at our desks. I've polyurathaned projects, stained wood, and used a hand saw at my desk. It's just what we do, but I couldn't help but capture the moment.
While I was at work today, my mom called and asked if she could go over to my house and make me an apple pie. Um, yes? I actually forgot about it during my marathon meetings this afternoon, so walking in my door and being greeted by the aroma of fresh apple pie was quite a treat. I ate two pieces for dinner. It was amazing. Honestly, I'll probably eat a piece of it for every meal until it's gone. It's that good.
The crust she used was one I had on hand from Gluten Free Pantry. It was delicious - flaky and buttery - unlike any other gluten-free pie crust I've tried.
Then, I took Sophie on a walk. I love my neighborhood. I love walking around the little lake. Sophie loves it, too. There are lots of smells for her to explore. I hope to live in our neighborhood forever. Once they build the HyVee a couple of blocks from the house, it'll be even more amazing.
This past weekend, Josh and I had originally planned to go to the drive-in movie theater in Newton. However, after he asked if I would come to a party in Iowa City after the movie, I opted to skip the movie and just drive over to Iowa City for Saturday night (I hate driving at night and like to avoid it if possible). It was a nice Saturday evening. We went grocery shopping together (apparently Josh thinks I can shop well - mom, you'd be proud!), and then made dinner together. After dinner, I took a little nap, and then we went out to a law school house party with his roommate, Alec. While walking over to the party, it felt a bit (read: A LOT) like going to an undergrad party at Iowa State (except we had to bring our own alcohol). I met a lot of Josh's classmates, and then randomly ran in to a cousin of Heather's husband. I love finding crazy connections with people! Anyway, it was wonderful to spend a low-key evening with Josh. On Sunday, I got on the road by noon, cleaned the house, cleaned out my car, and did a few loads of laundry before Jessica and I went to the fair. It was a great weekend.
I miss having a personal cook...
Newton, we'll be there at some point for a drive-in movie experience. I've got to get at least one under my belt!
On Sunday, Jessica and I went to the fair. I love the fair. I've gone every year since I moved to Iowa (except for last year). When I moved here, I didn't realize the fair was such a big deal to the state, as well as to everyone who lives in the Des Moines area. I grew up in North Dakota...with a population of 600,000...and I never attended a state fair there. Did anyone?
Anyway, since I was too busy to go to the fair last year, I was determined to go this year (I needed to do research for my 30 before 30 goals - hopefully 6 and 29 I can cross of next year!). A few months back, I bought Rascal Flatts tickets for Jessica and I. The concert was at the grandstand at the fair on the last day of the fair, so I knew I'd be able to attend this year's fair at least once. Sure enough, I attended once. It was both our first experiences at the grandstand. We had terrible tickets (section YZ, row 19, seats 5 &6). It was about as far away from the stage as it could have been. Before the concert started, Jessica and I walked around, taking in the sights, sounds, and smells (all good and bad). They are below. Also, I should note that finding g-free food at the fair wan't too bad. Since Jessica knows where every vendor is (I'm pretty sure going to the fair multiple times every year for the past 27 years has helped her with that skill), I just suggested foods I wanted, and she took me there. I had lemonade, porkchop on a stick, and we shared her cup of watermelon. It was all delicious!
The view of the grandstand and Midway from our seats
When Jessica and I were sitting in the wrong seats...
Turns out, we were 15 seats closer to the stage than we originally thought!
Rascal Flatts performing live!
Next weekend, I'm going up to Minnesota for Cassie's wedding (I can't believe it's already here!), and I plan to hit up the Minnesota State Fair while I'm there. We'll see how it compares...
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