Before I say anything else, I want to thank all of you for your kindness and support during this bittersweet time for our family. Although I knew the community found though blogging was supportive, I can’t begin to describe how supported I felt by the community created on this site. Through Tweets, Facebook messages, e-mails and blog comments, you made your support known. Thank you! Funerals and visitations aren’t really picture-taking affairs, so I only have a couple photos from … Read More

On Monday morning after almost 91 years of life, my Grandma Dorothy passed away after suffering a stroke the week before. To say she was an amazing woman would be an understatement. An educated woman and teacher by trade, my grandma devoted much of her life to being a wife, raising her five children and managing life on the farm – which from what I’ve been told was packed with hard, physical work. Dorothy’s greatest joy was, without a doubt, … Read More

{The day I felt the most beautiful I ever have in my entire life. Although I must confess, I had one flair up where secretly I was grateful wedding dresses are traditionally long. Doh!} I have been looking forward to sharing Laura’s story with you ever since she offered be a part of No Fat Talk Tuesday. Laura was a dear friend of mine in college, and when I first met her I was blown away by her joyful spirit … Read More

Sometimes I hesitate to give you a recipe for a sandwich. I mean, who really needs a recipe for two slices of bread filled with whatever you have on hand in your pantry, right? Then again, everyone loves  Joey and I were eating lunch yesterday after cleaning the house for two hours(!!) (that man is a master at cleaning bathrooms) and the sandwich I was eating had Joe scratching his head. Broccoli? On a sandwich? I say why not! The … Read More

This morning I caught myself walking down memory lane by sifting through old pictures on Facebook. Man, there’s really no better way to feel like time is flying by than to look at old pictures, is there? I feel like just yesterday I was beginning sorority recruitment at Iowa State. Time sure does fly! Here are a few (very old) pictures for a little Friday fun.  {Senior year school play. I don’t remember much about the plot, other than I … Read More

Many of you will remember that a couple months ago I posted about my hesitancy to change my name after getting married. This post really stirred up quite a bit of feedback, and I thought it was time to share a little update on what I decided to do with my name. After that post went up, plenty of friends and family members were eager to share their advice on what they thought I should do. Some thought it was … Read More

This morning I was planning on posting a few photos of our life over the past couple days: time spent with Nutter, a spontaneous date-night at home with homemade calzones, pictures of magazines I’ve been loving lately. But then earlier this week I started feeling the pressure. The pressure to do everything perfectly: to perform well at my job, to keep the house clean, the laundry done, to put good meals on the table, to be a happy, joyful spouse … Read More

Chances are if you met me and we got to talking about kitchen appliances, I would tell you something about my waffle maker. Not about how much I love it, but about how little I use the thing. It’s not that I don’t love my waffle maker, since I most certainly do, it’s just that I never think to take it out on the weekends. Pancakes rule the roost in our little apartment. In fact, late on Friday night, you … Read More

Joe and I took full advantage of the long weekend and met my family out in Salt Lake City for a little ski weekend. Here are a few shots from our trip! {Our view on the way up to the slopes.} {Mandatory airplane/travel shot!} {We stayed at The Little America Hotel in Salt Lake City. It was beautiful! The staff was helpful and attentive and the prices were reasonable. I would highly recommend it for anyone visiting SLC.} {We skied … Read More

Hey, everyone! Joey and I are back from skiing with my family in Salt Lake City over the long President’s Day weekend. While we settle back into a schedule and routine (and I catch up on laundry) I will leave you with today’s No Fat Talk Tuesday post. This week’s post comes to us from Justine who blogs over at Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One. Justine actually shared her story of how she learned to love her body … Read More

Anyone who knows me well knows that I have an almost obsessive love for all things J. Crew. Walking into a J. Crew store is like a burst of sunshine, sort of like a grown-up version of Disneyland. So while this may not be a fashion blog, spring is just around the corner, and I thought one of you might be able to find a few uses for a gift card from my favorite store. One lucky reader will win … Read More