I'm Back and Have Good News to Share!

I've been dying to blog for the last 3 months but the problem is I had a big secret that I wasn't ready to share.  And frankly it was consuming my life and I couldn't think of anything else to write about.    We are Pregnant!!!

Since we are entering our 2^nd trimester we finally got to tell my family this weekend that we are pregnant.  This is how we did it. 

It’s an egg that they had to break open to get the message inside.  Of course when both grandmothers saw the egg they refused to break it and wanted to hang it on the tree!  We had to convince them that the “gift” was inside the egg.

I’ll be telling my work this week since I’m pretty much going to have to move over to my maternity clothes in the next week and this “hiding the bump” thing isn’t going to work anymore.

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Mom was there...

The morning we were to catch a flight to Las Vegas I finally got the courage to pull my mother's wedding dress out of the box it was so carefully packed in after her own wedding.  I wanted to cut a piece of the dress to sew into my own wedding dress.  My husband-to-be stood beside me as we unpackaged the dress and opened the contents. I decided I wanted a piece of lace over her heart and gently we cut out a square and packed it away for the trip. I didn't realize how much that little act would impact me but of course I couldn't keep from crying. I assume the two times in life that are the most difficult without your mother is your wedding and the day you give birth to your children. She was definately missing.

The day of the wedding I had some amazing women that wanted to be with me that day, they helped me with decorating the room, getting ready and being an emotional support. They even helped me pin that square of lace in my dress. 

Of course I wish my mother could have been there on my wedding day... but God is so amazing. He gave me a mother for the next journey of my life, one that will be there for the children to come, for guidance when I need it, for a laugh or a cry.  He picked two amazing mothers for me in my lifetime. I am so blessed.

Introducing Mr and Mrs Homer

We got married last weekend. I’m still emotional over how blessed we are to have the family and friends that we do in our lives. I wish I could tell them how very much they mean to me, how their help (Sister Jaime keeping me calm in the morning, Marissa, Jaime and Shayla not letting me hyperventilate while getting ready) meant so much… but the words I could say to express the love in my heart… it doesn’t work, it’s not even close, it doesn’t exist. 

And to marry into such an amazing family… You know it’s awesome when every single person no matter their age, came up and talked about how wonderful both families are, how funny, comfortable, loving each was. How we’ve been asked by friends that this be an annual trip that we all make together to reconnect. It’s not just us they want to see! But our families too! I call that a confirmation of divine intervention. Gods plan and timing for our lives is incredible. When you let go and let him be the author of your life, it doesn’t get any more perfect than that. I now have a really big family to prove it!

What I Learned From the Dog

I think every married couple should have a dog.  Most people think that its great for teaching you to be a parent.  You know... the first step or trial run. 

Not me.  I think you should have a dog to teach you how to love each other. Unconditionally.  Without hesitation.  My pup is a constant reminder of how I should treat my spouse.  I watch her run to the door to greet him when he comes home from work. Oh how she has MISSED him! Wanting nothing more then to crawl in his lap and give him kisses.  She seems to say "You're home! I've missed you!  I'll kiss away anything bad that happened today and make you forget it all!"  No matter how tired or grumpy you are, even if you've scolded her, she keeps coming back to love you.  She doesn't take bad days personally.  Her love is the same; consistant, forgiving, forever.

Busy? That's an Understatement!

It's been hard to blog since everything is pertaining to the wedding and some things I want as a surprise.  It's been a very busy summer, we have had events every weekend for about 9 weeks straight! Next weekend is an out of town wedding but I'm really looking forward to it. (Mainly I'm looking forward to seeing my dear husband-to-be in a tuxedo!)

This week we decided to move EVERYTHING out of his house to get it ready to put on the market.  We will be praying that it sells quickly so that we can sell mine and find something together.  I told him yesterday its so nice to see our things mixed together. (It's the small things). 

Between the wedding dress and his ring we've had nothing but drama... I suppose it just gives a good story to tell later.  I'm really not that concerned about any of it.  I don't care if I end up wearing sweats to this shin-dig the thing is I'm marrying my best friend... in 17 days!

Taking the Plunge!

Well, over the last year my sweet fiance has managed to throw me off the back of a jetski and then a snowmobile... so I figured it was payback time... I threw him out of an airplane!

We headed over to Snohomish Skydive on Saturday and took the first plunge of our new life together! (The next one will be a lil' more permanent).

Getting ready to get on the plane!

What the heck was I thinking?

Too late now!

Falling to earth.

Doing good!

I'm flying! (Vlad is pointing out Mount Rainier)

I got to steer!

While doing so, Vlad noticed my ring! He was impressed!

Feet up for landing.

Boy am I happy to see him!

So what was it like?  Amazing. 60 seconds of freefall at 140 miles per hour. It's a little strange, I'm not sure if its being older or just doing so many of these new things... but I'm not afraid like I used to be. Of course when your best friend is there every step of the way... well it makes things so much better. 

Easy BBQ Ribs

I like to do my ribs in the slow cooker but if you are on vacation and want to BBQ some ribs for guests, here is the easiest way that I do it.

Take your ribs and pull off the membrane on the back.  You can grab it with a paper towel and it should pull right off.  This helps the meat not to be tough.

RUB WITH LOVE!

• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 -2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons lime juice
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Spread this paste on the meat thinly and rub it in good with your hands. Let sit for a few hours or refrigerate overnight.  The flavors will get stronger the longer they sit.  You can use any rub even just salt and pepper, it still turns out great.

Wrap tightly in foil. I lay the racks vertically on long vertical sheets. I fold over the top and bottom, then bring the sides up so they are even and fold over and crease, then roll down until the seam is flush against the meat. Be careful not to allow the bones to puncture the foil (I usually use two sheets to prevent this) all your good juices will leak out!

Put in the oven at 300 for 2.5 hours. 

At this point, remove a rack and careful unroll the foil to check if they are done, the bones should be loose in the meat (you should be able to remove a bone just by pulling it with your fingers). If they are still tight, put it back in for another half an hour or so, keep checking.

Put them on the grill and baste them with a mesquite bbq sauce (I like Sweet Baby Rays), turn and baste with sauce every 5 minutes for 20 minutes until crispy!

Camping Trip - Bang Bang

Had a fun weekend with friends at Rimrock lake.  The setting was absolutely beautiful from each direction.

The evening was gorgeous, we made Mike’s spaghetti for dinner and smores by the campfire.

Awoke Saturday morning and made breakfast while some went fishing off the bank and boat.  We went up to the cliffs and the guys did some repelling and cliff jumping. 

The sun came out just long enough and hot enough for us to jump in our swimsuits and paddle out in the lake…. Then we saw the STORM coming!  Huge black clouds filled the sky fast and we scurried into shore, made a quick lunch and began covering and protecting all of our belongings just in time for the storm to hit.  We all crammed into one tent and played card games. 

It was the perfect day rain or shine.  I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard in my life.  That is definitely a sign of being with the right people.  No matter what happens they can always find a way to have fun. 

The storm eventually passed and it was a beautiful evening so we took our chairs up to the cliff and laughed some more while we watched the boats trying to get to their destination before the sunset. 

Crazy Busy!

It’s been a hectic few weeks!  The invitations for the wedding are finished and have been sent out.  I’m pretty proud of them, especially the little poker chips.

We had a 2-day garage sale where we mostly played “words with friends” and “draw something” while sipping Margaritas and shopping through the stuff that we were selling.  Of COURSE I found things to bring back in the house… what kind of girl do you think I am?!   The best part of the garage sale was when the Schwan man wanted to barter… Mike agrees we ended up on the winning side with a case of rootbeer float ice cream bars.  We really did it just for the story! 

We had a mini photo shoot and here's a couple of pictures from that.

We spent the afternoons in the pool to keep cool and this weekend I’m looking forward to another camping trip with the gang!

Be Still and Know That I am God

Sometimes you can be tested to the extreme.  Your faith is put to the fire and no one, no matter who you are, is exempt.  The one question that always comes out of it is, “Are you willing to stand and believe in spite of all that is happening?”  My answer is always yes.

This week my struggle came with a miracle.  It showed me what an amazing man I’m going to marry.  It gave me a solid foundation to our relationship, unlike anything else could have.  And for that I am eternally grateful.

Let the restorations begin!

How appropriate that the new pool liner is being installed on the first day of Summer! Doesn’t it look AMAZING?!

This weekend we'll be working our little behinds off making our wedding invitations (could someone please explain why I didn’t think I had enough to do) painting the downstairs, picking out new carpet and even some demolishing? I can’t wait to get started!

Off to the Races

A great weekend even if some plans fell through...

We’ve never been to the “horse races” before and have always wanted to go… so after work on Friday we headed to Auburn to visit Emerald Downs!  It was such a great night!  The weather was gorgeous for Seattle and it was such a fun thing to do.

We figured out that the peppy ponies were definately the ones to bet on... in the end I was really getting the hang of it!

What’s better than naked people on bikes?  How about 1000 naked people on bikes? The Summer Solstice Parade in Fremont is one of the most eye opening (or eye covering – depending on who you are) things to do in the summer.  After a big breakfast the weather was so balmy we decided to walk the 3 miles to Fremont from our hotel. We found a bar called the Ballroom and had a great seat to watch the parade.  Ran into an old high school classmate that I hadn't seen in 20 years and we ended up having a wonderful day.

Sunday we woke to find out our sky diving trip was canceled due to rain.  That was kind of disappointing but we set out to make the most of our day.  We stopped at Suncadia for a Father's Day brunch and to enjoy the scenery.  It was absolutely beautiful and a nice way to end a great weekend.

Wedding, Babies and Home Improvements

2012… Playing like it’s the last year on earth.

That’s definitely the plan… along with getting married, getting pregnant and renovating a house. Taking on too much?  Nah. My best friend (aka the soon to be husband) is coming along for the ride… so it will DEFINITELY be an adventure, and one that will have us laughing all the way through.