Date Night.

Yesterday was a practically perfect afternoon with a perfectly delightful evening to follow.

The day consisted of...

two naps, respectively.

laundry (clean towels!)

a hike in the woods on our favorite trail.

a matinee movie ("away we go" - two thumbs up!)

dinner at Tommy's.

a stop in at Truffles...

which led to two coffees and an enormous macaroon.

t.v. & a game of crossword.

an edifying conversation to end the night.

i am now...

thinking about cameras, photography,

and looking for a new web host (free!)

and also about to pee my pants.

i've had about 8 cups of coffee today, and feeling it.

Day at the Lake.

Tim took the day off in hopes of seeing an academic advisor at Tri-C today - he got August 6th, which was the next available appointment.

Never to waste a free day together... we spent part of the afternoon on Hinkley Lake in a pedal boat. For $15 we got an hour's leg work out.... pedaling our way across the lake and against the current :) It was a beautiful sunny afternoon as we a) pursued a duck

b) took a much needed picture of the two of us (woo! finally!)

c) tried on the really gross life jackets (just for show)

It seemed like a pretty simple way to spend the afternoon, but special because it was something different and we were out in nature enjoying the beautiful weather! Although, I'm pretty sure our legs will be stiff tomorrow. Pedal boats offer quite the work out!

4th of July.

I guess this post is a little late - considering its now the 8th of July. But it's the only topic I could think of to comment on. So here goes...

This past weekend Allie & Eden came down for a visit and it was lovely, lovely, lovely. It was kind of a last minute thing so Tim and I were scrambling around trying to clean and get the apt ready in time. It forced me to do a lot of those odd jobs I had been putting off, like putting the last coat of paint on the tree "mural" in the spare room.

Most of our weekend was pretty uneventful - we never had any concrete plans for the day so we ended up just relaxing a lot... or shopping. The best purchase of the weekend was definitely the hibachi grill Tim got from Marcs for (drumroll)... $10! And it was a nice one too! He cooked hamburgers and shrimp on it for Independence Day which was exciting (even if the shrimp tasted a bit like lighter fluid). Unfortunately he had to go downstairs and squat out on the driveway to use it (for safety reasons) but it was still neat to have our own little grill.

I wish now I'd snapped a picture of him using it.... in fact, I was thinking today how few pictures we've taken since being married. Since meeting, come to think of it. Most of the pictures that exist of the two of us were taken by someone else without our prompting.

So, I'm determined to be more proactive with the photo cataloguing of

our life - despite my hatred for having my picture taken. I vow that the next post will be a picture post only.

For now, here is a hand drawn picture of the two of us.... by yours truly. It'll have to do for now.

Cake.

Lately Tim has been getting out of work a few hours early. Things always seem to slow down at TRC during the summer, and it gives Tim a little spare time to do the things the things he loves, like...... bake?

Below is the text conversation between us, which I must admit left me both amused & delighted:

Tim: I baked a cake to bring. [to our friend's house later in the day]

Lauren: What! Are you kidding? You are so cute.

T: Well... It might not be edible. I just kind of made it up. We'll see.

L: Lol. I'm so excited! What did you make it with.... ? [keeping in mind the lack of ingredients in our kitchen]

T: Eggs, flour, sugar, butter. I put a little coffee in to try and flavor it, but I don't think it worked. Then I mashed up the left over raspberries and peaches and put them in the middle. Then I melted some chocolate and poured it on top.

L: You're amazing!

T: Well...we'll see.

L: What sugar do we have? Those little individual packets for coffee?

T: :)

L: Wow. I'm seriously impressed.

T: Well... Again, let's wait and see. I'm debating eating a little piece before I even bother bringing it.

L: How many sugar packets did it take?

T: I dunno...why?

L: Cuz I'm trying to picture you opening them all. And the number makes it funny. Was it around 30?

T: Yeah, probably.

And the final result: pretty terrible. My description was that it tasted like "turkey" or "a fart" - the latter most likely due to the fact he used eight eggs. That's right, eight. And the coffee he mentioned using to add a "bit of flavor"? Well.... it was actually coffee grounds (bless his heart, he didn't know to use it in liquid form) which I first mistook for pepper. The thing was SOLID and probably weighed about ten pounds.

While I managed about 5 bites, Tim and Audrey could barely swallow one. Nevertheless, I'm proud of his effort - its the thought that counts! Here's a picture of the infamous concoction:

Summer.

Summer is by far my least favorite season. I know this is an unfavorable opinion - most people I know can't wait to get their shorts out and bake in the heat. They're almost always appalled when I say I could do without summer. I definitely prefer a fresh spring morning, or a crisp autumn afternoon. I don't mind a warm summer evening... but when temperatures start going over 75, I start to get worried.

That said, there is one particular week of the summer I don't mind; when I actually hope for hot temperatures and hope for the opportunity to use my bathing suit. And it doesn't come around every year. In fact... I haven't had the pleasure of looking forward to it in more years than I care to count. But this year... well this year a family tradition is finally brought back from the dead: cottage life on the shores of Lake Huron.

Goderich, Ontario is one of those sleepy little towns tucked away into Canadian countryside and has always felt like a little slice of heaven for me. It is after all "Canada's Prettiest Town." I can't say that's completely true - I'm almost positive the Goderich Tourism Board came up with that themselves, rather than it being based on a nationwide vote. But nevertheless, after all my worldly travels, it is still one of my most favorite places to visit. This year is sure to be one of the most memorable, as it will be Tim's first time, which means I'll get to introduce him to all of Goderich's unique attractions... the museum (which houses a stuffed two headed calf), the old jail (or gaol, according to their sign), the town square, the harbor, the lighthouse, point farms mini golf, but most importantly the beach with its beautiful sunsets!

Can't wait!

UPDATE: So Wikipedia informed me that it was Queen Elizabeth II who once commented that Goderich was the "Prettiest Town in Canada." If the Queen said it, it must be true.

Benjamin Theodore.

We welcomed a new nephew into our family this past Saturday - Benjamin Theodore! He is very adorable and we can't wait to see him grow up. It also got both of us excited about the prospect of having our own little one some day..... in a few years. God willing of course.

Well, we made it back safely from Florida. The memorial service for Tim's dad was last Tuesday and it seemed like it was just nice for the family to all be together and to remember the special role Rick played in each of their lives. I know in the future it will be hard not to be able to share life's important moments with Rick, but we pray that he is in heaven and that we will get to see him again some day. 

It was also nice, especially for Tim, to have a few days at home before going back to work and returning to the usual routine. Although it's looking close to certain that he'll be starting school in the fall which is very very exciting!!! 

I think he's going to make an excellent teacher :)

Cavs.

So in the past few days I've really developed a personal investment in the game of basketball, and particularly this last series.

But come on Cavs! Get your act together! Everyone is saying that if they lose the championship, LeBron will leave Cleveland when his contract is up. And just when I started to really enjoy myself...

Look at me, talking sports! Who wudda thunk.

I ended up editing my post from yesterday. In the heat of the moment, I said some unfair things about the whole Jon and Kate thing. Things which I'm sure God will hold me accountable to in light of my own wifely shortcomings.

Sooo....we'll know tomorrow, for sure we think, what the outcome will be with Tim's dad. 

We're hoping he chooses life. In Jesus' name!

Waiting.

I can't believe its been almost 10 days since my last post.....it definitely feels as though Tim's been gone that long.

Most of you know by now the status of his condition; he is relatively stable, though still in critical condition and we're praying for a miracle. We're praying for life. For whatever reason I feel strange talking about it on here....so I'm not going to.

Instead, I'll pass the time by reporting on everything else, which isn't much since most of what I've been doing has involved waiting for phone calls and then calling other people to tell them what I know.

But in my spare time... 

• washed my car (onto which a bird promptly pooped)
  
• watched 3 Cavs games (2 of which we lost, and Tim and I felt sad)
  
• went to see Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (entertaining, but nothing to rave about)
  
• slept over Ashley and Jason's for the first time :)
• watched endless episodes of Jon & Kate Plus 8 (I'll get to that later...)
• cleaned the apartment, though not thoroughly
• started running again - I've yet to rediscover a passion for it
• worked, paid bills and did all those grown-up sorts of things.

So as I mentioned, I've been watching Jon & Kate Plus 8. In the past, I've always 'liked' though show, although I can only claim watching about two episodes. I admit that with all the controversy going on about them, my interest was peaked. And I have to say that after watching a good two or three seasons over the course of the weekend, the thing I kept saying to myself was "Kate is so mean to Jon!" 

I guess I'm just disappointed that all the hype about the show in past years didn't really live up to my expectations and that I found myself more upset for Jon and feeling sorry for him.

Let's just say I learned a lot about what NOT to do in my marriage.

Rick.

I'm going to keep this brief, but just wanted to put a big prayer request out for Rick, Tim's dad, who was in a car accident early yesterday morning.

His condition is life threatening. We're also not sure about the condition of the driver/passengers in the other car, and we're praying for them and their family as well.

Tim is down in Florida now with his brother and sister waiting to hear more news on the outcome of his surgeries and continued treatment.

Will post again soon when I know more...

Done.

Today is a day when I can't wait for the Final Day.

When everyone knows Who is Who, and what is what. 

When all lips are silenced. When all souls are put in their eternal place.

When all issues, debates and dilemmas over the correct interpretation of Scripture are over.

When no one is "right" or "wrong" - but all are made fools in the light of His Truth.

I can't wait until its all...

Done. Undeniable. Undisputed.

For GOD ALONE to FINALLY have the last Word. 

I can't wait for this war to be finished. 

Sunny Day.

Sunny days often equal sunny dispositions.

When I got home from work the apartment didn't smell quite so much like a dog which pretty much made my month.

There's a bag of Doritos on the coffee table which also makes me feel happy. Even if they do thwart my attempts to be healthy and all-natural/organic/fancy free. The list of ingredients is insanely long and offensive, but I'm choosing to happily ignore it while I lick the delicious cheese powder from my fingers. Mmmmm.

In all things television: sorely disappointed with The Office finale. Very few laughs, too many long-term plot lines getting in the way of short-term hilarious scenarios. Also - definitely rooting for Chris (last name escapes me) on American Idol. We all know my feelings (and Tim's) on Adam. Go Chris go! Or is it Kris?

We were with friends' of ours last night, who live in Berea, and as we were driving to their house,  I saw what I think was a foreclosure house going for $10,000. Ten thousand dollars for a whole house! That's a mere one thousand more than the price of my used car. INSANE.

So now our interest is peaked in finding one of these gems even though we swore off getting a house until decades from now. 

Hmmmm.....

Restless.

Sometimes I hallucinate sounds. Like the 'ding' my email inbox makes when I get new mail. Or the 'chime' of my phone saying I got a text.  Those are exciting sounds, so maybe that's why I think I hear them when I don't. Sort of like a 'sound mirage'.

So I'm starting my second week at CTK and loving it so far. Challenging but fun. Great creative outlet. Awesome. Here is a sample of my redesign of the bulletin. 

I'm missing England today. I think its just because I get restless every now and then. For something new. New sights... new places to visit.... fresh smells and more exciting sounds. Of course I always put those restless thoughts away because its not time for them right now. But they are always there.... trying to steal my sense of contentment for today. 

Trying to find my contentment in the quiet stillness of God. This can prove to be challenging. Also trying to get back into running. And being artful in my spare time. Also proving to be a challenge. 

Here's to overcoming those challenges in record time.

Burnt Toast.

This morning I made Tim some English Muffins before he went to work. There must have been some crumbs in the toaster because, while the muffins weren't burnt, the whole apartment filled with the smell of burning bread. An hour later and the smell still lingers.

Well, life continues on.... slowly but surely. Painfully at times, but mostly pleasantly. I started a new job that I'm really enjoying so far. I think it will grow and stretch me in a lot of important ways and its also helping to better provide for us. Thank you Jesus for giving Tim and I good jobs in such a tough economy. 

Tim celebrated his 25th birthday on Saturday. The day was mostly spent relaxing which was nice - it is rare we have a day where nothing is planned or scheduled. I was so tired that day I ended up passing out almost as soon as we got home from dinner, although that was probably nice for Tim since it meant he could watch the Cavs game in peace. 

And so, 48 hours later we begin another week. Although, now that I have Mondays off, I have the joy of spending them however I please :)

Carpet Cleaner.

Who knew that a carpet cleaner from Home Depot would be the key to unlocking my happiness?

I can't begin to describe the joy I received from meticulously rinsing, scrubbing, de-odorizing every patch of visible carpet in the apartment last night. AMAZING. 

I realized I have an OCD for bad smells and dirty carpet. Of course, now Tim and I feel like our lungs are full of the heavy chemicals we've been breathing in. But hopefully it will have aired out by the time we get home today. 

It's sad, but every time I look at the picture of the carpet cleaner, I think "You are such a beautiful piece of equipment" and warm feelings rise up inside me. Perhaps its the effect of those chemicals. All I know is, I thanked Jesus about five times yesterday for helping the human race invent this machine, and for Home Depot renting one to me.

Dog Hater.

Yes, I'll admit it... today, I HATE having a dog. 

I think its partly because Tim's gone and looking after her feels more of a burden. But mostly because Olive chewed more of the baby gate and she just seems to be a pestering, obnoxious little fart that lies around or makes the apartment her personal toilet .....

...and the worst of it is - yes, this truly is the worst for me - the wonderful smell our apartment used to have has now become on a GOOD day a mildly ok smell, but mostly a horrible doggish odor.

Please remember I have an incredibly sensitive nose (ex. Tim's beard's scents) and I'm therefore that much more bothered by unpleasant smells.

So thanks Olive. Thanks for making the apartment stink and for RUINING MY LIFE.

Haha, just kidding on the latter. No joke on the stink.

I have a feeling my hate will dissolve to mild appreciation once she's as trained as a circus animal. Until then, Olive and I are totally in a fight.

Last Day!!!

It was my last day at RR today.  As much as I am going to miss the people there, I don't think I will miss Power Points! I think I've done enough of those for a good long while.

I am pumped for my first day at CtK. I think its going to be a pretty light day, so I'm hoping to get out early and watch movies and make crafts with Audge and Tegan. Whoop!

Timmy left for the men's retreat today. I know I'm gonna miss him, but I'm hoping to make the most out of my alone time. Crafts and Cleaning and Movies oh my!

Twitter.

What's the big deal with Twitter?

How is it any different than updating your status on Facebook?

I don't get it. I think my favorite thing, if any, is the bird graphics.

Yes, ok, I am on it now. This is true. But it doesn't mean I have to like it.

Tim and I are into eating shrimp and rice for dinner. Often. Last night we swapped rice for soba noodles. It was just as good. If not better. Even if soba noodles look like cardboard noodles.

Today Timmy leaves for his mens retreat.

I've got BIG plans for the coming days. If only Audrey would get better - than they'd be HUGE plans.

Health care.

The health care in this country stinks.

And its expensive.

Tim and I are NOT fans of doctors, or their bills. Or their stupid diagnoses and lack thereof.

NEVER again will we go to the doctor unless we are deathly ill.

Fact.

Today is our 2 month anniversary. Feels like 2 years. In a very good way :)

Baking Soda.

So one more anecdote before the day is out.

The other day, I sprinkled baking soda all over the carpet in the living room/dining room because the apartment was starting to stink like dog, and I've always prided myself on how good the apartment smelled before.

So anyways, later that night Tim went to vacuum it up. However, he hadn't noticed that I'd removed the filter and dust guard and the compartment that collects everything you suck up off the floor from the vacuum so that I could rinse it off (as the instructions suggested).

After seeing these rather critical parts sitting on the side of the sink, the pieces all started coming together as to why when he went to vacuum, the baking soda was going in one end of the vacuum and then flying out another all over the place. 

He said he just simply thought the vacuum wasn't a very good one....

Hahahaha, I don't know why I find that so funny.  But it is.

Training.

"Olive is as cute as a button. But she's not exactly the brightest crayon in the box" - Tim, on training Olive.

Last night we were trying to teach Olive some new commands.

And by teach, I mean making completely uneducated attempts at making her listen to us, to the point where she just ran away from me looking worried. Tim then spent the rest of the night trying to reassure me that Olive doesn't hate me. 

I realize now I'd gone about it in the wrong way, so I'm looking forward to starting afresh. 

I was telling Tim that many books say to use "Hurry up" as a command when they're going to the bathroom. "I think its good to tell her that because then she knows to be quick about it and not to take her time"

Tim then had to explain that the words "Hurry up" mean nothing to a dog, since they don't understand English.

Oh. I thought maybe they'd know to go faster.... 

Ah well, before long Tim will be on skates with a thousand well-behaved dogs at his side just like Cesar Milan.

Hot Friday. No Spring.

Don't get me wrong - I do enjoy a nice sunny day.

What I don't enjoy is when winter temperatures turn into summer temperatures without the freshness of spring to break it up. So no...no I am not an advocate for the temperature being 80+ this weekend, because it stole my second favorite season away. 

Tim's beard smelled like angel food cake the other day - though he hadn't eaten any. So I'll add that to the list. I think I should keep a little black book of all these smells so I can show my grandkids.

"Look children! On May 3 of 2010 Grandpa's beard smelled like cheese! Can you guess what it will smell like today?"

Lovely. 

Olive.

So I know I said we were going to wait on a dog. But then we watched Ares for a day, and couldn't help ourselves.... and now we have Olive....

She is precious and lovely, and completely cuddly and just a little ray of sunshine in our lives. 

As you can see, Tim is just thrilled with the Cavs jersey we bought her. The irony is that is Tim was wanting to get a jersey for himself, but we decided it was a bit too expensive. So of course, Olive had to get one instead - only saving us about $10.

The shop where we got it is right down the street from us, called Pet-Tique, and I have a feeling she'll have a number of fun things from there before too long.

Changes are on the horizon for us. Good changes. Much needed changes. God-focused changes.

Changes that are long overdue.

Reconnecting.

About a year ago I was at a church conference in Orlando, listening to a lot of debate about the attractional church model vs. the organic (or home church) model. 

While I find the attractional model exciting, I tend to get more out of the organic model since its based around intimate conversation, group discussion and community based interaction. 

I bring all this up because the same conference is going on now - though I'm not in attendance - and it just brought my mind back to everything I learned, and all the things I wanted to do with my knowledge.

I'm hoping that with this new job I start next week, I'll have a better motivation to put into practice all those values I tend to hold but rarely act on. That is, to reconnect with what my Spirit longs for and the community around me needs. 

Sometimes it can be disheartening to see how little I follow through on important matters, and so much time ends up wasted on trivial things that are certainly not eternal.

Eternity is here and now, and every minute counts when our days are numbered.

Ares.

Meet one of our new friends, Ares (pronounced air-ees)

He's a little Pomeranian that lives upstairs with our friend Kimberley. He's staying with us for the day while she's out and there's never a dull moment when he's around! 

This little guy can run and leap and bound like there's no tomorrow. He's just so cute that even when he misbehaves its hard to stay mad - look at that sweet face!

Ray!!!

Tonight we went to see one of my very favorite artists perform down at the State Theater. Ray LaMontagne is an incredible musician, lyricist...man, myth and truly a living legend (in my opinion anyways). I can't say enough good things about his music and about last nights show.

The theater was packed out and it was one of those concerts where the majority of the people there were hardcore fans (like yours truly) so that a huge roar of applause would go up before almost every song. If you ever get to see this man perform, go! You won't be disappointed. Supposedly, he is an extremely shy, introverted guy who occasionally performs in the dark due to his self-consciousness.  This hermit like nature peeped out every now and then - he shared no anecdotal stories between songs and only uttered a few thank yous and offered a very timid wave and a "thanks for coming out" at the end. It's pretty incredible coming from a guy with a throaty, soulful powerhouse voice that gets standing ovations throughout his entire encore. You can tell he's one artist who hasn't let the fame effect his character.

Whhoo. Ok, I just had to let that all out...the experience was so memorable and I needed to put it down somewhere.

Tim.

Yesterday I learned that Tim can do a really good Arnold Schwarzenegger  impression - at least with lines from Kindergarten Cop. 

I've also learned that Tim's beard takes on the scent of whatever he's eating as well as other interesting smells. Off the top of my head, here is a list of said odors:

Soy Sauce - oddly enough, it was in the morning and he hadn't eaten any soy sauce.

PlayDo

Hay

Gasoline, or some type of industrial lubricant (probably from work)

Antiseptic - most recently...

Butter - this is what it smells like 90% of the time.

Tim - yep, there's even a distinct "Tim" scent. Definitely my favorite.

That's all I can think of for now. Is this weird? I feel like this is creepy...

I don't know, it fascinates me. It's magical facial hair. And my husband has a whole beard of it.

Five days later.....

The past 5 days have been interesting ones... to say the least.

Walter truly is a very sweet natured dog who just needs some love and attention. He's had a hard life - from what we can imagine - and right now he is not happy when left alone for the day. We learned he probably suffers from some anxiety issues and would therefore be happier in a home where he can have constant companionship, at least for the first few months.

Unfortunately.... we can't offer him this, as we both have jobs that cause us to be gone for most of the morning/afternoon. When he is by himself, Walter becomes so stressed out that he can't help but lose control of his bodily functions and barks and barks till the cows (or we) come home. Our neighbors downstairs had had quite enough of that today and were banging on the door - as told to us by our upstairs neighbor, who also diagnosed him with anxiety. So Walter is going back to his foster mom tonight. We feel its best for him, as he will live with other dogs and a stay-at-home mom for a little while until he is re-homed. We are really hoping they find him a good family where he can live out his days feeling happy, safe, and loved.

For now, we are holding off resuming the dog search. It's probably best that we take some more time to just be the two of us, and get accustomed to married life. But we'll hold on to some of the doggie things we bought for Walter just in case that changes in the future....

Walter.

So, we did it. We got our addition to the family. His name is Walter and he is the man. Walter is a one year old wire-haired terrier. The best thing about him though is how insanely calm and relaxed he is. He definitely has an "old soul". We picked him up early this morning and at the lady's house that we got him from, there was three other dogs and they were all barking and going nuts and Walter was just standing there... chillin. We've had him almost all day and I still haven't heard him bark once. The woman we got him from said she had never heard him bark. He just kind of follows us around and LOVES to cuddle up with us and just have us scratch his head and give him hugs. He's a little unsure about walking on the leash, he's a little timid. He likes to walk right behind us. I'm sure he'll get more confident as time goes on. Anyways, he's just a sweet old man in a little dogs body and we are very happy to welcome him to our family :)

-tim

Dogs!

There may be a new addition to the Myers household very soon! Here are the candidates so far (we'll only pick one of course):

Scruffy : Glen of Imaan Terrier 

(he looks a little mean here; we're hoping he's not!)

Sugar : Boston Terrier

Rosebud : Chihuahua/Terrier

Kel : Cairn Terrier

Yesh.

I am typing this on our two week old MacBook. Our very own MacBook. Special.

The other Mac has been on loan from the Plant and it was finally time to turn it over to someone else. It was a sad day, but also a great one because it means we're freed up to use this one whenever, wherever. 

Last night, in early celebration of my mom's birthday, we were invited along to see the United tour with Stephen Curtis Chapman & Michael W. Smith. Tim and I don't listen to them very often, but we enjoyed the great time of worship with hundreds of people from Cleveland. At 3 hours, I think its one of the longest concerts either of us have ever gone to! It was a good night :)

The other day, Tim felt inspired to set up a hair appointment for me at a salon in Lakewood with the master stylist. We both feel its time for my hair to get a make over. I'm a little nervous about it as new hair cuts are a thing of extremes...you either love them or you hate them.

Here's hoping I love it :)

Footwear.

The warm weather we've been having has resurrected my 'sexy army' (as inscribed on the shoe) Rocket Dog flats from their winter solstice. The soles are paper thin and falling off, and I've lost most of the Rocket Dog label on the back - I found one of the O's in my car today and now all that's left is the "R-O" in Rocket. But I'm wearing them down to the last step because of their sentimental value; they were a favorite purchase from London's Camden Market....and a special reminder of my year in England.

Speaking of shoes, for a while now I've been wanting moccasins. They seem like the kind of thing you can wear anywhere at anytime. So I indulged and ordered a pair the other day online. Although, looking at them now, I may have buyer's remorse...

Happy St. Patricks Day!

So I don't really get the whole hoopla surrounding St. Patricks Day.....

Whatever St. Patrick did somehow translates to......getting drunk on green beer? Hmmmm.  St. Patrick's day parades always make me think of that scene in The Fugitive where Harrison Ford grabs a green hat from a garbage can to try and blend in with a crowd which always leads me to think "How very convenient for him..."

Anyways, Tim and I find ourselves celebrating this holiday with my parents by eating baked potatoes (its the best vegetarian replacement to corned beef I could think of) and watching Darby O'Gill and the Little People, arguably one of the greatest leprechaun movies of all time.

Here we see Darby getting King Bryan drunk so that he can kidnap him and hold him prisoner until he makes his three wishes. Classic. 

Just Married.

In the past 16 days we....

Road tripped it up to Niagara Falls w/ our British BFFs!

Tied the knot!

Went on our honeymoon in Amish country....

Where we ate and bought a lot of cheese!

Moved into our cozy apt. in Lakewood.

Our Photographers

I am very excited about our wedding photographers: my aunt Marie and my very good friend Emily.  They both have an eye for beautiful shots and I am so excited to see the stunning work they'll produce! 

Here is a great picture of Tim that Emily took a week or so ago. Gorgeous!

January, February and Beyond.

The month of our wedding is here! The big celebration is a mere 24 days away.  3 weeks! And there is still so much to do! I'm just getting over a terrible stomach virus that both my mom and my sister had - so hopefully all illnesses are now out of the way for February 28.

We still need rings, Tim's suit, lots of songs for our playlists. BUT we did accomplish other pressing things like.... booking our honeymoon and getting my dress alterations. 

Last month we also celebrated my 25th birthday as well as our one year anniversary. Very exciting. Here is a picture from the day's festivities (with Reese doing the wave? and Tim sporting the look of the Amish):

We've also got a good head start on setting up the apartment before the big move-in day, and have even planned a trip to IKEA with some friends this weekend to pick up a few odds and ends :) 

Today is a HUGE day for Tim and I - Ray LaMontagne, the apple of my musical eye, is finally coming to Cleveland and thanks to Tim's new found love for NPR, we got in on the presale and have awesome seats to his show in April!!!! I can't even begin to describe how thrilled I am!! If you haven't heard this guy, you're missing out. 'Empty' is by far our favorite song.

Woo! We're even dancing to one of his songs for our 'first dance' as a married couple :)

lauren.

Hair.

As some of you may or may not know, a (strangely) significant thing leading up to the wedding has been the growing out of my bangs and whether Tim will trim his ever growing beard. 

Truth be told, Tim loves his beard (I like it too, but I also like the close-shaven look) and would let it grow into a full blown Civil-war looking thing if allowed. Here's what it currently looks like:

I on the other do not love being without my bangs (and I can't wait to get them back!) but I vowed not to cut them until after the wedding. Tim would love it if I let them grow forever, but ..... mmm not sure about that. Here is a picture of me and my beloved bangs in all their glory:

Our First (Real) Shower.

Yesterday we spent a wonderful afternoon with the women on Tim's mom's side of the family.  

I love those ladies! They are so fun! I was so touched last month when I was invited to their annual cards night, and they all made me feel so welcomed and comfortable and a part of the family. So it was lovely to see them all again, and to grow in my anticipation of getting to know everyone better in the years to come. I was also glad to have some of our close friends there, as well as my mom and oldest sister. I was especially excited that Tim's sister Katie made the trip down - in very cold driving conditions nonetheless - from college to be there.  

While Tim spent most of his time upstairs (no guys allowed) he did come down when it was time to open gifts (as well as when it was time to eat :D ) which was a lot of fun. It was very exciting to see all the various things people had picked out from our registry to bless our home with. We can't wait to decorate and use all of our lovely things! 

I feel like there aren't enough ways to say thank you. Being at the receiving end of such endless giving is .... well, its a humbling experience. We are continually blessed and beyond grateful for the outpouring of love and generosity from those around us in support of our marriage. Thanks and appreciation especially goes to Tim's Aunt Kim and Aunt Pam who hosted the shower, and to both of our mothers who have given of themselves in the most incredible way to make our wedding day a special one.

Only 40 days left until its official!

Can't wait,

lauren.

Nesting.

Ever since getting engaged (maybe even a little before that) Tim and I have been collecting odds and ends for our future home. The first few pieces we found were from the huge church garage sale my mom helps put on every year. My favorite is a tiny little cupboard that we keep some games in. 

We recently went to an antique mall about 30 minutes from where we are and picked up some more vintage christmas balls as well as a pair of salt and pepper shakers (a nick-nack with character I've been wanting to find for a while). I'll try to post some pictures for added interest next chance I get. 

Yesterday I had my first experience as a craigslist.com buyer: we've been wondering what to do about a dining table as we can't afford anything brand new. We've both had our eye on the counter-height/pub style tables but again, they all seem to be quite pricey. Well praise be to God, I found one (with all four chairs included!) that we'd seen at Target of all places that a couple in east-Cleveland were selling for half the price of what we found in stores. It was an interesting interaction - to just go into a strangers home and take their table (after paying of course). I guess it's the same as a garage sale, but anyways - it was a blessing to find something so affordable. Here is a picture of what it looks like:

Tim and I have been good about keeping our heads on and not going nuts trying to buy all new stuff, especially since we know that material things are not what makes a happy home. But we do enjoy adding our personal touches to the space we live in - and its been a lot of fun so far getting things started :)

Happy New Year!

The year of our wedding is finally here!!!

We are so excited that in just under 8 weeks we will be a married couple :) Plans are all coming together nicely, though I'm only just beginning to realize that time is of the essence and that things like dress alternations and floral arrangements need to start happening SOON! 

My mom and I went out last week to look at a few options for flowers and it was a pretty successful mission. As much as we both love fresh flowers, the cost can get a bit out of hand so we are keeping things fairly simple and aside from the hand held bouquet(s) we are going to do two silk arrangements that will (hopefully) look very similar to the arrangement above, though not quite as extravagant. We also got a quote on what my bouquet would cost and it was very reasonable which was exciting. I'm going for a classic, "1940's" feel to the wedding and staying with the traditional rose arrangements - although we'll see if that theme truly translates the day of!

We also had dinner with Tim's family last night to go over wedding invitation designs and layouts. Susan tweaked her original idea just a tad and they are even more stunning than before. I'm very excited for everyone to start receiving them!

Tonight Tim and I are having a bit of a date night which we're both very excited about. We'll be ordering in from Aladdin's - our favorite restaurant - and watching a movie. Nothing fancy - but definitely one of my favorite ways to spend time with my amazing guy :)

54 more days to go!!!

lauren.