Our 1st Anniversary

by Erica

One Year Ago Today
I married the love of my life

Our Story

by Erica

1 year ago Monday, I married the love of my life. I thought that it would be fitting to tell the story of how we met.
I just love telling the story b/c God was so apparently guiding us together. A week after I graduated from Cedarville, I moved to Colorado to be a nanny. I went there to try something new and really only thought that I would be there for the summer months. I remember my dad saying, "Now don’t go off meeting some guy there." Well... I went to church with the family (the Ludwig's) I lived with and they made sure to introduce me to Jason right away. Jason called me a couple of weeks later, but it was the night before he was leaving for Europe. I was a little disappointed because the conversation seemed to go well.

It didn't take long until I heard from Jason. He called me a few times and we emailed daily while Jason was overseas. When Jason came home he asked if I would be "his girl". That was June 30, 2003. I had to return to Cedarville to complete my student teaching that fall. Before I even left, the family I nannyed for asked when I would be back and told me that I was welcome to stay at their home for as long as I wanted. While I was living in Ohio, the Ludwigs would fly me back to Colorado to watch their kids for a couple of weekends. Really, they wanted to make sure I got to see Jason every couple of weeks. I had no doubt that Jason and I should be together and had no hesitation to uproot and move to Colorado permanently. Fast forward 6 months. The Ludwig's told me that they had to move to Wisconsin for a year for work purposes and asked if I would live in their home while they were gone. This was an incredible blessing because I wasn't teaching nor did I know if I would be in the fall. Jason's and my relationship continued growing. I never had a doubt that we would get married, it was just when. We ended up getting engaged in November of '04. Our wedding was June 26, 2005. We had a beautiful outdoor wedding here in Colorado. The day couldn't have been more perfect.

Kraftfoods.com

by Erica

Kraftfoods.com is where I spend much of my internet surfing time. In March, my friend Amy, showed me her free Food and Family magazine that she receives 4 time a year. I was hooked instantly. I have tried many of these recipes. Not only are they easy, but I have received many compliments on my cooking. I have copied almost all of the recipes from their last two magazines into my online recipe book. Please feel free to browse it and use any of these recipes. If not my recipe book, be sure to check out the Kraft Foods website.

Penny Farthing

by Erica

Tonight I saw a man riding a Penny Farthing down the streets of downtown Erie. I did a double-take. It was a great sight to see.

Dave the Horn Guy

by Erica

Did anyone see Dave the Horn Guy on America's Got Talent? He frequents Boulder's Pearl Street and last year for my bachelorette party he played Here Comes the Bride for me.

Bulleted Thoughts

by Erica

• NyQuil did not agree with my stomach last night
• I was up most the night because of this
  
• Jason got up at 4:00 am to leave for California
• He left me the sweetest card
• I cried when I read it
  
• 1 year ago the festivities of our wedding started to begin
• I am finally feeling better so I went to the mall today
• I spent too much money at the mall
  
• I am so tired of the couch and the tv
• I love the smell of rain
• I do not like the smell of wet dogs
• Oakley, our tabby cat, did not like the vet today
  
• I learned that there are not many female tabby cats. 90% of them are males.

Not a Fun Day

by Erica

I am a miserable person to be around when I am not feeling well. At least I can admit this. I have been complaining to Jason about every sniffle and cough all weekend. Since he is busy at work, I thought that I would try to find some sympathy from someone out there in blogger land. Anyone, anyone?

BTW: It took NyQuil last night and it kept me awake instead of knocking me out. Has this happened to anyone else?

Poor Rylie

by Erica

We took Rylie to the vet to get him declawed and he had a reaction to some pain medication. Poor thing is not eating and has no energy. I am going to take him back to the vet so they can keep a better eye on him today. It breaks my heart to see an animal in pain.

**update** I took Rylie to the vet and I lost it! I started crying! It is so hard to see him in pain and not acting like his usual self. They are going to keep him there for the day to hydrate him and to help him feel better.

Hiking

by Erica

I found a hiking buddy. My friend, Andrea, and I went on a two-hour hike this morning. Unfortunately it ended with me getting sick from heat-exhaustion. I should have taken some pictures. The views of the flat irons were incredible. I think next week we will get more into the moutains where it isn't so hot.

On a side note, I met my 'internet friend' yesterday:) Karen, it was great to meet you yesterday. For those of you who think that I need a life, Karen is the wife of Jason's co-worker, Casey. She is not just some random person I met in blogger land.

Summer Weekends

by Erica

Yesterday I took in Ellie to the vet to get her declawed. I started tearing up when I had to leave her there overnight. Today we picked her up and she is doing just fine. Rylie is next-he is going in next week.

Summer weekends are the best. We woke up late this morning and didn't have to rush to get our day started. The dogs got washed, the lawn was mowed and we had an afternoon bbq with some friends. Jason is out with Steve right now listening to live music at a local restaurant and here I am enjoying the quietness of home.

Jason and I are realizing that our house probably won't sell in the next 3 weeks. We are thinking that we are going to have to back out of our other house which means that the house hunt will have to start again. The normal time for a house to sell in our area is 6-8 months and we were trying to have it sold in 3. There is still a little time left.

The other house is going up so fast. The windows are in and the siding is going up.

It is a very odd feeling knowing that I do not have to prepare lesson plans for next week or go into work. I am so thankful for having a summer off.

Winding Down and Gearing Up

by Erica

I have finally reached the end of my 2nd year teaching. 1 1/2 more days and then a wonderful summer break will begin. What will I do all summer? I will probably be posting a lot more...not that I will have much to say. I will be teaching summer school for 3 weeks. I have plans to find fabric and start making curtains for our new house. I have started a photo archiving project. I am in the process of scanning hundreds of pictures and then putting them into albums. I also have a 'secret' project that should keep me busy. Oh, and the goal is to either take the dogs for a walk or ride my exercise bike first thing in the morning everyday!

I Do Speak English

by Erica

My husband likes to tease me for the way that I pronouce certain words. For example, I substitute the short /e/ vowel for the short vowel /a/. Words like bag, flag, and tag are hard for me to pronouce correctly. I attribute my language skills to my upbringing in MN which this online test seems to state.

Your Linguistic Profile::

75% General American English

15% Upper Midwestern

5% Midwestern

0% Dixie

0% Yankee

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?