The Bohlens

New Zealand Sneak Peak

2011-05-23T20:27:00.008-05:00

Yes, we've been home for more than 7 weeks. No, I'm not taking the time to write out any of our stories. Yes, I hope to be back soon.

Without further ado, and in no particular order, a sneak peak of our 2 week New Zealand adventure...

LOVE.

Happy Birthday, Quinton!

2011-03-24T02:59:00.003-05:00

Happy 3rd Birthday, Quinn!

Love, Aunt Kelly, Uncle Ry-Ry and Aunt Dana

Happy Birthday, Kel!

2011-03-07T08:00:00.001-06:00

Happy, happy 30th birthday, KT! Looking forward to a two week celebration in New Zealand! XO!

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Happy Birthday, Dad!

2011-03-01T06:30:00.002-06:00

Happy 60th Birthday, Daddy-O! XXOO

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Happy Birthday, Megamania!

2011-02-26T20:45:00.001-06:00

Happy Golden Birthday to my beautiful baby sister! She's a wonderful example of a godly wife, mama and friend!

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Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T16:19:00.003-06:00

Just Because

2011-01-27T18:12:00.001-06:00

I’m posting this because maybe you need a laugh as much as I did this afternoon…

Subject: Adult Truths

1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again..

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.

17. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

18. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

19. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?

20. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

21. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

22. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

23. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.

What We Do In Iowa

2011-01-18T10:00:00.003-06:00

Shooting guns at Grandma's farm has become a favorite activity when we're back in Burlington. This time we broke out the big guns - literally! The AR-15.

You can laugh, I did. We also attempted a serious face shot but I'm banning it from the blog.

Yep, you can also laugh at the sweet leather driving gloves. Or, as our friend Steve called them, sweet assassin gloves! :)
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Mobile Memories

2011-01-17T14:00:00.011-06:00

A random smattering of shots I've been snapping on my phone:

Our Christmas tree. Though we weren't home to celebrate, I insisted we put one up to set the mood for the season. I really pushed the limit and put it up a week before Thanksgiving.

Pretty sunrise. It's hard to be too upset about being up early to head to work when this is the view on the way.

This Friday our plans fell through and Ryan headed off to poker night with the guys. All day long I'd been looking forward to having the house to myself - some sweet potato fries, a movie, a little blogging, finishing my book for bookclub. Sounds ideal, right? After an hour bus ride (more snow!) and braving the roads to get home, NO POWER! Thankful for the flashlight app on my phone, I got inside and lit some candles. After finishing my book by candlelight I was bored and decided to brave the snow once again for some dinner. Most of the traffic lights were out along the way but Target has a generator - hooray! A popcorn and cherry coke and LIGHTS made me a happier girl. I cruised every clearance rack, scored some good finds and 2 hours later, got home to power. Just in time to go to bed :)

A typical evening at our house - sweats, slippers, computer, couch, cuddling.

Early in December we met up with some friends for live music. An aquaintance was playing and we enjoyed him but we've also since gotten hooked on his opening act. Dan Rodriguez - check him out here. Love him!

We made quite a few trips to/from Iowa this fall. Snow made for a slow trip but it sure was pretty!

Too pretty not to take a picture.

On a beautiful night in late summer we had a farewell party for some friends at Pracna in NE Mpls. Sidewalk tables, shot size ice cream sundaes, yummy cherry soda, local beer. Plus, it's where Ryan and I met for the very first time! We'll both tell different versions of the story but can agree that it was at Pracna on Ryan's 24th birthday.

The view from Pracna looking towards downtown.

A snohawk.

The first snow of the year. I really should take a picture of our deck now - it's almost waist high.

Do any of you remember Wikki Sticks? Wax covered string that you can mold and shape and play with. At a restaurant in Ames they give them to the kids instead of crayons. Ryan and Brenna took turns modeling the mustache!

Another sky shot.

The first big snow of the year was so wet and heavy that it took down a ton a limbs in our yard. We spent a couple hours wielding rakes and shovels, whacking the branches trying to save the rest of the limbs and our lilac bushes.

One word - YUM! Someone at work gave these to me after seeing them at the grocery store. I'd never heard of this brand but I'm now a big fan!

During our fall roadtrip to Red Wing (which I have 100 pictures of and never posted about...ugggg!)

Sighted on a drive home from Iowa.

Cool clouds!

A Sunday afternoon spent watching Harry Potter - texted to my sister Kelly as I knew she'd appreciate it!

More sky.

My car turned 39,000 miles over the summer (and has since turned 40,000 without such exciting documentation)

Ryan and I won a beanbag championship at a summer BBQ and got a WWF-esque belt.

As Ryan was at worship team pracice this morning I spent time blogging at 'Bou!

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Christmas 2010: Oh, the FUN!

2011-01-16T17:55:00.006-06:00

Here's everything else I didn't cover in my other Christmas posts in no particular order.

Christmas morning - jammies and Kix!

My mom split up the couples and paired us off to take turns prepping, cooking and cleaning up one night. Chris and I were in charge of Mom's baked beans and burgers.

The kiddos LOVE books and will sit by anyone willing to read. Plus, Nana and Papa had lots of new reading material. I happily sat and read all the books from growing up - No Elephants, Hiram's Red Shirt, Snow Lion, The Man Who Cooked for Himself.

The FAMOUS Christmas Eve Fettuccini - Ryan will tell you all about it! FAMOUS! And DELICIOUS!

New camera case - getting ready for our New Zealand adventure.

Meg and Ryan in charge of lasagna.

Modeling her new hat

Nana and Papa got a photobook of all their adventures with their grandbabies.

Papa and the twins. They've changed a bit since May, dontcha think?!

A huge portion of our time was spent playing in the basement with all our old toys. We may have had more fun than the babies!

Mr. Music got a drum pad and real drumsticks from his mom and dad. He was pretty thrilled!

Uncle Ry-ry picked out Quinn's new hat - we're training him early - GO TWINS!

Quinn got a guitar from Nana and Papa - he always persuaded one of us to play whichever instrument he wasn't using at the time.

Buds

Goofballs

Laying on the floor opens you up as fair game for the babies. They love to "get you" - climbing, tickling, giggling!

Merry Christmas!

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Christmas 2010: Outside Adventures

2011-01-16T17:47:00.004-06:00

I'm just not sure they could be any cuter together!

Best buds

Gorgeous golf weather

Sisters kayaking

Do you see us out there? We're racing!

Working in the shop with Papa. They built a birdhouse.

He put the pencil behind his ear all by himself - "jus' like Papa!" - he's pretty observant.

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Christmas 2010: Trains!

2011-01-16T17:35:00.004-06:00

I'm not sure Quinn could pick just one highlight from Christmas but this would be up there on the list. Trains! A room-sized track, a WALL of extra trains, real smoke, horns, lights.

My dad has spent endless hours with his friend Terry working on this train set. He has helped Terry to computerize and write programs for navigating the tracks. He thought Quinn would like to see it all.

Terry and Kathy were kind enough to welcome 10 (!) of us into their house one evening to check out the trains. The entire set-up was so impressive!

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Christmas 2010: Boatride

2011-01-16T17:19:00.006-06:00

On one of the early days of our visit the temperature hit 70 so we did what any normal Minnesotans would do - boatride! We were the only people on the lake and the wind made it a little chilly but what's not to like about boating in December?!

Captain Quinn made sure to remind us all to stay seated. As you can see, it was a very stressful vacation.

It's a rough life.

Is it mean that we thought this was funny? Purple is so his color!

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Christmas 2010: Going for a Hike

2011-01-16T17:07:00.006-06:00

Daily adventures were part of the agenda in Arkansas. Particularly those that required Nana's hiking sticks. I'm not used to so much activity (or so many children!) in my daily life so I may have taken a nap on the driveway in the sun.

But, seriously, who wouldn't want to go on adventures with this crew!?

"I got my sticks!"

LOVE this picture!

Meg and Mini-Meg!

Throwing rocks into the lake.

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Merry, Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T13:59:00.002-06:00

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and on his shoulders dominion rests.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6

For this gift we are eternally grateful!

We feel blessed to have all of you in our lives! Merry Christmas!

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These are for you, Karly!

2010-12-07T21:25:00.003-06:00

I've been a burp cloth making machine! These 30 (!) are headed to Thailand to a high school classmate, Karly. International business??!

I'd like to say that the sewing is the cause of my blogging hiatus. But I did all the sewing in the last 3 days. And I haven't blogged since October - somehow that just doesn't compute. Let's hope the new year brings with it a renewed dedication to updating the blog (for the few readers that remain).

Happy Birthday, Brenna!

2010-10-19T20:40:00.013-05:00

We spent the past weekend in Ames, IA to celebrate our niece Brenna's third birthday! It's hard to believe she's already three! It doesn't seem so long ago that she looked like this!

We had a great weekend with Ryan's family - his parents and Grandma also came for the celebration. Lots of time for meals together, a few garage sales, baking, football, presents and cake! Jared and I spent a couple hours baking the 4 layers for the cake and then he spent a few more hours decorating and perfecting Brenna's requested princess cake! Sadly, I don't have a single picture.

Brenna seemed to enjoy the extra attention - we sang to her a few times throughout the day and she had a party on Saturday evening. 15 kids 4 and under - it was CRAZY! We gave her a toy microphone for her birthday (thanks for the suggestion, Steph!) and she put on a couple performances for us.

Ryan's parents and grandma headed home on Sunday afternoon and the rest of us ventured to campus to enjoy the gorgeous afternoon. Strolling around made me wish I was back in school. It had the total opposite effect on Ryan!

The Birthday Girl

Cute

Opening from Great Grandma Bohlen

Reading her cards

Thanks Great Grandma!

Really fun doll and an entire wardrobe from Grandma and Grandpa Bohlen

Uncle Ryan and the girls

Performing!

Aunt Dana and baby Lauren

Feeding the geese on campus

Under the campanile

The microphone even made it on to campus for an outdoor performance!

Pretty baby

The Campanile

Who is that good looking guy!?

Just look at those eyelashes!

Totally relaxed

Happy Birthday, beautiful Brenna Joy! We love you!

The Iowa Rudes

2010-10-12T16:02:00.014-05:00

I spent the first weekend of October visiting the Rudes in Des Moines. We had a fabulous time! Gorgeous weather lended itself to a visit to the pumpkin patch. We also spent time playing at home bouncing around on my bed, "playing guitar", hanging out in Quinn's fort with glow-sticks, eating yummy soup, sharing sour worms, reading, splashing in the tub and listening to fireworks!

Quinn and his guitar (anything he can strum along to the music on becomes a guitar)

Chillin' in the highchair

Unbelievable blue eyes!

Goofball

Using the glowsticks for some drumming! He's a musical kid - dancing, singing, drumming, guitar - he loves it all!

Getting ready to head to the pumpkin patch

Sweet girl

Q and Mom check out the go-carts

The twinlets playing

Cool dude!

Look at the cute pumpkins we picked!

So cute!

What a smile!

Q's first pony ride

Meg said even though he looks so serious he was having a good time

Ooooooo!

Playing in the big corn pit - diggers, shovels - Q was in heaven!

Q-man picked his pumpkin

More family cuteness!

Aunt D and the kidlets

All of us

Tub time - bubble beards

Smirk!

Happy Q

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Stillwater, MN: A Spiker-Bohlen Adventure

2010-09-08T20:20:00.001-05:00

We spent Labor Day in Stillwater, MN with our friends Harmony and Adam. Though the day was overcast and a bit windy, we spent most of it outside!

We walked along the St. Croix, wandered in and out of little shops, had lunch by the water, went wine tasting and took a slew of silly pictures. (as always, click to enlarge all the pictures - some of them are definitely worth it!)

Gotta love the camera timer!

Dana and Harmony.

The Bohlens.

Girls.

And again.

Reminiscent of engagement pictures.

The Spikers.

Goofball!

Lunch by the water.

Ryan claims I've got a wingspan like Scottie Pippen - what do you think?

$0.50 provided entertainment for all of us!

A mini version of the much beloved candy shop that we frequented during my childhood in Hayward, WI!

Cool buildings.

Another angle.

For some reason this just cracks me up!

St. Croix Winery.

Cheers!

1...2...3...JUMP!

Aaaaand he sticks the landing!

A less adventurous jump!

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Home Make-over: Shutter Edition

2010-09-07T21:19:00.010-05:00

This has been the year of outside home improvements. You've seen the landscaping and here's the most recent addition - shutters!

My parents visited for 6 days and we always utilize my dad's handyman skills when they come. I took a day off work and played assistant to my dad.

We're really happy with the end result. The house looks more finished and I think we're done with projects for a while.

Before. (Before everything actually - no shutters, no landscaping, no potted plants!)

After.

Love it!

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Bye Bye Birdies!

2010-09-07T21:19:00.009-05:00

In a previous post I mentioned I was working to revamp and old lamp. It's done and has already been used by our most recents guests (my parents)!

Note the stunning design before. And lovely pleated lamp shade. A little all-purpose spray paint and a new lamp shade = much improved! It was more expensive than I had originally anticipated (lamp shades aren't cheap!) but it was still less than an entirely new lamp. Plus it kept me busy and out of trouble...

Before.

Just so you don't miss the true fabulousness of the birds.

Much better!

In the guest room.

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Twins Game with the Schmidts

2010-09-07T21:19:00.006-05:00

We headed back to Target Field last week with our friends Ben and Katie. We planned this outing back in April or May and the day finally arrived! We had fabulous seats and a dry (albeit chilly) night! Unfortunately, the Twins lost in the 13th inning! They'd been ahead for most of the game and they blew it in the late innings. So frustrating! We did not stick it out until the end but it lasted long enough to catch it on tv when we got home.

Despite a sad ending, the Twins are still leading the AL Central. YAY!

(all the pictures are from my phone and aren't great quality)

Go Twins!

It gets cold when the sun goes down!

Sitting in the front row!

The view.

Our fellow fans.

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VCBC: Past Staff Edition

2010-09-07T21:17:00.010-05:00

We spent the last weekend of August at Village Creek Bible Camp for the Past Staff Retreat. Ryan grew up going there and then was on staff in high school. I've come to love camp in the few trips we've made there. You may remember we were there in February for a retreat with our church - no crazy horse adventures this time!

We headed up Thursday after work and stayed through Sunday around lunch. It's a gorgeous drive once you hit southern MN - unfortunately, it was dark by that point on the way down. I did get some great views on the ride home (before falling soundly asleep for the rest of the ride - I'm terrible company in the car!)

While at camp we hiked up to Pulpit Rock and some of us did the multi-vine course. It's a cable strung between a cliff and a tree, about 60 feet above the ground. There's another cable about 10 feet higher with ropes dangling about 8 feet apart. We worked our way across, moving from one "vine" to another. They had recently loosened the cable to make the course the course the most difficult it had been. There was one point in the middle where I thought for sure I'd fall - it felt like ages that I was swaying back and forth unable to get my balance. The view from the tree at the other side was gorgeous (I may have been able to appreciate it a bit more had I had a little less adrenaline coursing through me!) Once we made it across we were eased down to the ground. When I got back to Ryan my hands were shaking so bad I couldn't get out of my harness. Totally worth it - a fun adventure! Ryan wasn't up for it but he did snap a lot of pictures!

Enjoying the new swings!

Heather and I all helmeted up and ready to go.

A few steps into my journey across.

Working my way across.

Made it!

Heading down.

Ryan enjoyed the bungies on the trampoline.

I enjoyed playing with beautiful baby Caris. (she's Ryan's second cousin once removed if we want to get all technical!)

Ryan and Eli.

Iowa countryside.

My chauffeur (and a filthy car!)

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Overnight Oats

2010-09-07T20:27:00.001-05:00

I'm completely hooked on a couple food blogs. Here's one of the results:

Overnight oats.

1/2 cup uncooked oatmeal, a container of yogurt (peach Chobani in this instance), a splash of milk. Mix together, let sit in fridge overnight. Top with fruit and almonds, ENJOY! (the blog I read suggests half a banana mushed up with the oats and yogurt the night before but I'm anti-banana!)

YUM!

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Recent Reading

2010-08-19T19:59:00.003-05:00

Between book club choices, friend recommendations and random garage sale purchases I've been reading a lot lately. A wide variety keeps it exciting!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - fabulous! Composed completely of letters between the characters it's a new twist on storytelling. Set after WWII in Europe, fun characters! We're discussing next week at book club.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played with Fire - intriguing, good plot twists! And I always love series because I hate leaving characters behind when a book ends. Hope to read the 3rd book soon!

And right now I'm reading The Pillars of the Earth. Not a new book but popular (perhaps accredited to Oprah adding it to her book club list). It's just shy of 1000 pages - a big undertaking! Set in 12th century England, winding through 20 years of intertwined characters and stories. It's my dad's favorite book of all time and has been recommended by a couple friends so when I saw it at a garage sale for $1, it seemed like a good time to take on the beast. 240 pages in and I'm enjoying it! It's very reminiscent of The Mists of Avalon, a 900+ page book about King Arthur that we had to read for freshman english. Who knows, maybe I'll be equally inspired to take on its sequel!

New Favorite Breakfast

2010-08-19T19:34:00.004-05:00

Another food post...what can I say, I'm an eater!

I started buying Chobani yogurt about a month or so ago. It's more than twice the price of my old yogurt but by far the best yogurt ever! It took a little getting used to - it's a bit like eating a bowl of sour cream with fruit in it - super rich and thick! A lot less sweet than Yoplait or some of the others. It's got a lot of protein - more than twice a regular yogurt.

My all-time favorite is the pineapple. Also love the peach and plain. My breakfast every day for the last few weeks has been a Chobani, cut up strawberries or nectarine, a little shredded coconut and a handful of sliced almonds. YUM! My mouth is watering just thinking of it.

Today, for a little more sweetness in my plain yogurt bowl I tossed in a sprinkling of semi-sweet chocolate chips. Nothing like dessert for breakfast.

Last week, as a change of pace and to use up my farmer's market bounty it was vanilla yogurt (way too rich to eat alone - it's like frosting in a bowl), blueberries and gluten free graham crackers. (The crackers are another newish discovery!)

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Is This Heaven?

2010-08-08T18:43:00.002-05:00

No, it's Iowa! Iowa sweet corn that is!

A couple ears a piece makes for a great summer dinner!

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Flying Solo

2010-08-01T20:36:00.001-05:00

Ryan's been out of town for work the past few days. I've enjoyed a three day weekend relaxing!

Freshly painted toes and a book on the deck...doesn't get much better than that!

GORGEOUS afternoon!

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Nine New Posts!

2010-08-01T20:30:00.000-05:00

Be sure to click over to the next page to see them all!

We'll see if I can keep up instead of dumping them all on you at once.

Enjoy!

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Farmers' Market Bounty

2010-07-30T23:13:00.001-05:00

Every Thursday there's a farmers' market downtown right near my office. I often stroll but rarely buy. Last week, some multi-colored carrots caught my eye and I got on a roll. Carrots, yellow peppers, red peppers, cherries, zucchini!

The zucchini has since been made into muffins, the carrots eaten with hummus and the peppers sauteed with onions and potatoes for dinner. The cherries never even made it home!

The strange thing was that the purple carrots are orange once you peel them.

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The Van Cleaves Visit

2010-07-30T21:14:00.010-05:00

Ryan's sister Stephanie and her family visited a couple weeks ago. We had a gorgeous HOT weekend!

A few garage sales, a trip to the Arboretum, some ice cream by the lake, church, lunch out, and some good naps!

Bubbles!

Sticky!

Cool baby.

Ice cream - mmmm, blue!

Amazing sculpture/building at the Arboretum

Uncle Ryan

Brenna and Daddy

Splashing in the fountain - watching the tadpoles.

Brenna and Daddy take II

Gorgeous flowers - these pictures are for you, Val!

Roses

A backyard visitor.

Ready....

JUMP!!!

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Still For Sale!

2010-07-30T21:13:00.002-05:00

For anyone looking for baby gifts, I'm still selling burp cloths. Lots of fun new fabrics!

I've had a recent influx of orders for burp cloths - 14 sets in the last 6 weeks!

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Landscaping

2010-07-30T21:12:00.012-05:00

Our landscaping is finally done! With all the rain we had, it took longer than expected. We're really happy with the end result!

Do you remember my potted flowers?

They've filled in! BEAUTIFUL!

Before.

Before.

After.

After.

After.

After.

Hydrangea, hostas, day lilies. HAPPY!
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Before and After - Nightstand

2010-07-30T21:12:00.006-05:00

An ugly, worn nightstand has gotten a new life - inspired by some of the blogs I read. It took me almost an hour to choose a paint color. I was going to replace the hardware but ended up liking the original pulls with the new color.

Before.

During.

After.

A picture of it placed in the guest room coming eventually. I'm in the midst of repainting the lamp for that room and will take a photo of the final set up.

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Eerie Sky

2010-07-30T21:01:00.002-05:00

We had a storm a few weeks back and the sky turned that eerie yellow-green of MN summer storms. I couldn't resist a few pictures.

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Old Friends

2010-07-30T20:48:00.004-05:00

The second weekend in July I headed south to see my friend Marshall. He is one of my closest friends from college - we spent many an hour at Cocost (best Chinese ever!), drawing on napkins, doing crossword puzzles, watching Love Actually, spending Sunday evenings at Panera, and IM-ing endlessly. He's great! His wife Sarah is great (you may remember them from here - we got engaged the morning of their wedding)! And his daughter Norah is fabulous!

I hadn't seen Marshall since our wedding. And had never met Norah. They were in Ames for a wedding so I headed down. In typical Marshall-Dana style, we ran errands, grabbed lunch and spent the remainder of the afternoon talking like old times. There's nothing like great conversation with an old friend that flows like no time has passed. Despite making the 3+ hour drive both ways in one day, it was a wonderful day! The only thing better would have been having Sarah there too!

Here's Norah - what a doll!

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ZBB - DMB - BBQ

2010-07-30T20:35:00.001-05:00

We spent the 4th of July in Madison - a long weekend with my sister, Kelly!

Six of us went to the Dave Matthews concert at Alpine Valley. To tell the truth, I only went for the opening act - Zac Brown Band - my fav! ZBB did not disappoint - a fabulous show! For all the Dave I've heard since meeting Ryan, I was shocked to not know a single song he played. A little disappointing but still a gorgeous night and great people watching.

We tailgated, ate Ryan's birthday cake out of cups (a slight plate shortage!), played bean bags, grilled some tasty Costco dogs and thoroughly enjoyed the HOT July weather!

The following night we had a BBQ at Kel's house. Some of her friends came as well as our friends Nate and Sara with their son Jonah. And Ryan's cousin Rachael, her husband Ben and their three girls. The best part was that we spent all afternoon in Kel's GARAGE! Her grill is down there (condo rules) and it was the best place for that size crowd. We felt a bit silly but had a great time!

Driving to Alpine.

CRAZY amount of people packed on the hillside for the show

Dave

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Birthday Ball Game

2010-07-30T20:27:00.003-05:00

For Ryan's birthday we bought tickets to a Twins game. Ry bought them from some work friends who have season tickets so we got to sit near the other couples. Great seats! Great food - dollar dog night for Ryan, I got tacos. Not so good ball game.

A great first experience at Target field for me and Ryan's third game.

Beautiful night!

Go Twins!

Happy Birthday, babe!

The view from our seats.

Not such a happy game to watch. We got creamed!

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New toy!

2010-06-29T21:00:00.000-05:00

Just a test to see if I can update the blog from my new iPhone!

Technology!

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A Golden Birthday!

2010-06-27T15:44:00.004-05:00

It's Ryan's golden birthday today! And we met five years ago today! We have lots to celebrate!

In no particular order, here's 29 reasons why I love him:

1. He’s incredibly funny.

2. He empties the dishwasher because I hate doing it!

3. He plays guitar and sings on the worship team at church (and looks darn good while he plays!)

4. He’s got great legs!

5. He still likes me even when I’m grumpy.

6. He tries to fix all my problems (even if I don’t always appreciate it at the time, I know it’s his way of taking care of me)

7. He is a do-er – constantly getting projects done around the house.

8. He secretly likes country music (or at least tolerates it when I choose the radio station!)

9. He’s a fabulous uncle (which gives me a glimpse into the amazing dad he’ll be someday)

10. He warms up my side of the bed for me in the winter.

11. He inspires me and challenges me in my faith.

12. He’s the best deal hunter I know – researching, bargaining, and finagling his way to save us money!

13. He surprises me because he knows that’s important to me.

14. He’s got dazzling blue eyes.

15. He adores his family (and mine too!). What other man do you know that regularly calls his parents, sister, grandma and niece just to chat?!

16. He makes me feel special – who else do you think could make “bucksnort” sound like a term of endearment?!

17. He doesn’t take things too seriously.

18. He has made the last five years of my life amazing, just by being in it!

19. He puts my happiness above his own.

20. He helps me clean the house (even though he hates doing it!)

21. He’s endlessly goofy!

22. He makes a mean batch of french toast, tacos, and jambalaya. And he grills a delicious pork tenderloin.

23. He kisses the tip of my nose.

24. He’s an excellent dancer.

25. He happily holds my hand.

26. He makes the phone calls I hate making (Comcast, AT&T, etc…)

27. His neck always smells amazing!

28. I can be myself around him (and he only laughs at me occasionally!)

29. He’s mine! And I couldn’t be luckier!

Happy Birthday, Ryan, love of my life!

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This is for you, Mom!

2010-06-23T21:46:00.002-05:00

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Happy Anniversary, Rudes!

2010-06-22T19:23:00.002-05:00

Three years ago at this time we were dancing around celebrating a fabulous day! Meg became a Rude. And Dan became part of our family. Hard to believe it's three years (and three babies!) later!

Happy Anniversary, Meg and Dan!

XOXO!

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Wedding Road Trip...

2010-06-21T20:22:00.009-05:00

We recently roadtripped to the Chicago suburbs. We got to spend the weekend with all the Abells to celebrate my cousin TJ's wedding and my Uncle Tim's birthday.

We used Hotel Kelly on the way down and back. We stayed Friday night - Meg and the kiddos were there too. We all caravanned the rest of the way down on Saturday morning. Ryan got to experience Portillo's and I'm pretty sure he's hooked!

All in all, a fabulous, family-filled, fun weekend!

Decked out in wedding attire.

Kel and Ry

Sisters!

Doods and Dad

My favorite cousin/friend/maid-of-honor!

Aunt D and Miss Myla

Beth and Bryan

Cousin Katie

Look at all those BLUE eyes!

Want some roll with your butter, Quinn? (by the way, could his hair be any more amazing?!)

Nana and Myla

The candy bar at the wedding - all matched to the color theme of the wedding. YUM!

Curly Q

Mama Meg and Rexter

So serious!

The Abell 8

Aunt Kel and Q-ster - CUTE!

Beanbags!

Chalk and bubbles with mom.

Uncles and baby...

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A Long Time Coming....

2010-06-06T19:37:00.008-05:00

Multiple blog posts in one day - I guess that's the way it goes when it's been 6 weeks since I last posted and I'm trying to fill you in on everything that's happened. Here's a summary in pictures.

We have watched as many Twins games as possible! Ryan has been fortunate enough to see them at the new Target Field TWICE! I haven't been yet but have been watching from home and am hoping to go soon. Ryan got home from his first game there and asked if I wanted to see the pictures he'd taken - all 176 of them!!!

The skyline from the stadium.

Cool colors as the night goes on.

Bundled up - chilly after the sun goes down!

Ryan's parents came up over Memorial Day weekend and we had a great time and even got a lot done - tree trimming, gutter cleaning, garage saleing, picking out plants and just enjoying each other's company.

We celebrated our friends Neal and Kim's wedding - a gorgeous, HOT day!

Ryan's grandma came up with his parents.

Who is that good looking guy?!

Ryan parked in the wrong place at the wrong time. He's pretty sure it was all one bird!

I planted pots for our front steps. Pretty happy with my first attempt!

Here's a sneak peak at our landscaping in progress. The edging, rocks and plants are done along the house. We're still waiting for our grass to grow in and a new circle and some plants around the big tree in front. More photos once it's done!

New edging and rock in the back. The best part is that I found some peonies at a garage sale and we planted them this afternoon. They may or may not look like giant weeds right now. Hopefully they'l have flowers next summer.

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Arkansas

2010-06-06T19:20:00.005-05:00

We visited my parents at the beginning of May. As always, we had a fabulous, relaxing, well-fed, don't-want-to-go-home kind of time! Our friends Steve and Sarah joined us and seemed to enjoy themselves as well.

The boys golfed 3 times, girls went to the spa, lots of time was spent fishing (or more accurately, casting and reeling in an empty fishing line), bocce, walking, and a boat cruise or two.

Ryan's endless attempt to catch ~~the big one~~ anything!

My usual perch along the sea wall, soaking up the sun, watching my fisherman.

Cruising on the pontoon.

Our fun travel companions. You may recognize them from our trip to Chicago last June.

A night fishing trip results in VICTORY!

Happy fisherman!

The catch!

Steve caught a catfish the day we left...

Meg, Dan and babies arrived the day we left. We got to enjoy a little time with our favorite Wee Rudes.

Mmmm...rubber ice cream cone!

Sweet baby!

Look at the color of these eyes!

Papa kisses!

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Birthday, Better Late Than Never!

2010-06-06T19:11:00.002-05:00

We celebrated my birthday with a BBQ...didn't get many pictures but had a great time!

Us

Heather and I

Harmony and I

Yep, New Moon napkins completed the celebration!

The Spikers

Lots of laughing that night...

Gorgeous flowers from my gorgeous husband!

Ryan even made me homemade french toast on my real birthday. What a guy!

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What a difference a year makes...

2010-04-15T20:28:00.002-05:00

When I was working on my last blog post from Iowa, I was reminded of a picture from last summer. The blue sky and blurry greenery in the background sparked my memory of a picture we took when Van Cleaves were visiting last July.

What a difference a year makes...

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Trampoline Fun!

2010-04-13T20:23:00.005-05:00

While in Ames we spent a long time on the neighbor's trampoline - lots of laughing ensued! (as always, click to enlarge!)

Check out their faces!

Rolling on a trampoline = static issues! :)

JUMPING!

Grandma and Brenna

Resting

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Sweet Little Girls

2010-04-13T20:13:00.004-05:00

We had a great time in Ames over the weekend! Pretty low key - garage sales, good food, playing outside, celebrating Val's birthday, and enjoying sweet little girls.

Brenna out in the sunshine

Baby Lauren

Another outside shot

Yup, that's floss....she pulled it right out of her pocket. She loves floss!

Aunt D and B

Enjoying baby snuggles

Watching the cupcake frosting

Helping with sprinkles

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Iowa Bound...

2010-04-06T20:28:00.004-05:00

We're heading to Ames on Friday - can't wait!!

We'll celebrate birthdays, hang out and hope for garage sales!

Expect pictures of beautiful little girls when we get back...

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Sewing!

2010-04-06T20:26:00.000-05:00

I've been a busy little seamstress lately...

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Dana B. Designs

2010-03-16T19:44:00.002-05:00

These came in the mail today...

Totally cute, right!?!?

I'm SO excited to have professional looking business cards/labels to attach to my burp cloths! Yup, still selling 'em! Let me know if you are interested...

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Target Spring Meeting

2010-03-16T19:38:00.001-05:00

We had our all company spring meeting today.

Imagine thousands of people (literally!) walking around downtown in red and khaki and then filing into the Target Center! It's laugh-worthy...

We heard from all the head honchos, had a fashion show (showing ALL items that I had worked on!!!!!) and then had performances by...

Michael Buble
Nick Jonas
Lady Antebellum
Norah Jones
Pearl Jam

stand up comedy from Tim Allen and an appearance from Shawn White (with his gold medal!) Plus, Wally the Beer Man was there handing out cracker jacks! He's basically a MN legend from the Metrodome!

I got to sit on the floor RIGHT next to the stage. I was maybe 6 feet from Michael Buble!!!

Here's a picture a friend took of the red and khaki mob...

Certainly a fun way to spend the afternoon!

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New Recipe

2010-03-16T19:34:00.001-05:00

We tried a new recipe today.

4 frozen chicken breasts
1 can of corn
1 can of black beans
1 jar salsa

Dump it all in the crockpot. Cook on low for 8-9 hours. The chicken shreads with the touch of a fork!

The best part is the chicken doesn't have to be thawed. I'm not very good at planning ahead so this is a huge win for me!

We wrapped in tortillas with a little cheese and sour cream. YUM! (Ryan votes that it needs a little more seasoning. And we both vote that corn tortillas are icky).

All in all - gotta love anything that is all cooked and ready when we get home from work!

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It's a boy!

2010-03-16T19:13:00.003-05:00

I'm excited to announce the newest member of our family!

Maurenn Kadesa

He'll be 6 on our anniversary.

No, we aren't adopting him (though I did ask Ryan if we could!). But we are sponsoring him through Compassion. We were very excited to get our packet and his picture in the mail this week!

Just look at this face...

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Little Nieces

2010-03-08T12:10:00.007-06:00

Ryan's parents and his grandma were in Ames this past weekend visiting our nieces (and their parents!) They sent these pictures from their visit. I can't believe how much the girls have changed - Lauren is so much bigger and Brenna looks like a little person instead of a baby. I guess that's a sign that we're long overdue for a visit.

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A New Look!

2010-03-07T20:59:00.000-06:00

Before:

After:

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Grass!

2010-03-07T20:53:00.002-06:00

We can see grass in our front yard!!!! I know it's only March but it feels like the end is in sight!

PS. Softball starts next month!

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Katie's Baby Shower

2010-03-07T20:44:00.003-06:00

Our good friends Ben and Katie are expecting their first baby in April. I hosted a baby shower a couple weeks ago. It was great to have all our girlfriends together to celebrate this exciting new stage for Ben and Katie!

YUM!

Yum, too!

Katie and cute gifts

Playing games...the winning team!

Trying to match celebrities with their given names.

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Sister-Baby Weekend

2010-03-07T20:13:00.002-06:00

Both my sisters made the trek to MN a couple weeks ago. Meg was brave enough to drive up with the three babies alone. Everyone was great in the car!

We had a great time together - hanging out, holding babies, baking, Target, pizza at a favorite restaurant, and throwing plastic balls down our stairs for hours!

Uncle Ry-ry has always been a favorite but the guitar playing really sealed the deal! Quinn wasn't content to play his so he jammed out on Ryan's.

Intent on his coloring

Frosting cupcakes for our birthday party. We celebrated Meg, Kel and Quinn!

The sprinkles were really hard to pick up but they sure were tasty!

Enjoying his handiwork.

Quinn spent hours on the stairs. Throwing balls to the bottom, going to get them, asking "Uncle Ry-ry downstairs, too?!"

More treats!

Cute...

Aunt Kelly and the twinlets.

The Rude girls.

Big smiles!

Sweet Rex!

Look at all those blue eyes!

The Wee Rudes.

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Terrible Blogger

2010-03-07T20:12:00.000-06:00

I'm a terrible blogger. I see that the last time I posted anything was 2/16. Yikes.

I'm going to try to get better. I can't promise they'll be long or interesting. Just hopefully more frequent.

VCBC

2010-02-16T20:05:00.004-06:00

We spent the first weekend of February at Village Creek Bible Camp. Ryan went there growing up and I've been once before. It was our all church retreat. We had a great time - worship, good conversation, big base, horseback riding, and hanging out!

The girls!

Playing Big Base - like a giant game of kickball.

Big Base

Ry kicking

Kelly and I before our trailride.

Danny

Meeting Danny

Heading out on the trail.

The trail ride didn't last long! Our horses decided not to behave and both went a little nuts and took off running in the wrong direction.

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Iowa (for longer than expected!)

2010-01-30T16:53:00.004-06:00

We spent last weekend in Iowa with Ryan's family. We hadn't been back to Burlington since July and were due for a visit. It was a relaxing weekend - Steph was there too with the girls (Jared's been in Africa!). Unfortunately, we had a funeral to go to while we were there (Ryan's great Aunt). Fortunately, we were able to see lots of extended family - always fun! Brenna is talking non-stop and impressing us with everything she remembers. Lauren is full of smiles and so mellow.

We had planned to stop in Des Moines on the way home for a quick visit to the Rudes. When we woke up Monday morning for our trek north, it had been snowing and was quite windy and gross. The drive to Des Moines took longer than normal (at times we could only go 35!) but we made it. When we got there Ryan checked the road conditions for the rest of our trip - "dangerous". We were debating whether to try to make the drive or to wait it out. Our decision was made for us when they closed I-35. You didn't hear me complaining about spending an extra day with all the babies! Thanks, Meg and Dan, for letting us stay - we enjoyed it! And thanks, Quinn, for sharing your big boy bed with Uncle Ryry!

Bathtime for Brenna

Baby Lauren

Smiles

We gave Quinn a shaving set since he loves to shave with Dan - he really enjoyed shaving cream during his bath.

Rex and Q in the tub

Not very often that the twins are in the tub together!

Too sweet not to take a picture.

Q-ster

They had even pulled the snow plows off the highway for a while - this one looked like it was out in the worst of it! BRRR!

We saw so many cars and trucks in the ditches! In the 30 miles between Des Moines and Ames we saw 51 cars in the ditch! (yep, we counted! usually we write down license plate states but I tallied up cars instead. At least until I fell asleep as usual.)

Totaled truck

This guy went right into the snowbank.

Quinn put a Handy Manny bandaid on Uncle Ry-ry - it was his good luck charm.

My fearless driver!

Just watching out the window.

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Wordless Wednesday!

2010-01-20T15:32:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year!

2010-01-04T22:12:00.004-06:00

Happy New Year!

We had a great time at Joel's - good food, good friends and Guitar Hero!

Thanks for the pictures, Heather!

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FOR SALE!

2010-01-04T21:49:00.010-06:00

Just a reminder that I'm still selling burp cloths. I have many, many cute prints and color options. Boy, girl, neutral, combo!!

Pricing is 3 for $20. And a small shipping fee if I have to mail them.

I'm working on getting a website up for them and have a new email address to contact me for orders. I also just put together some fun labels with my contact info to attach to each set.

DanaBDesigns@gmail.com

Completed sets

A tiny representation of girl colors

Brights!

FUN new labels

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Christmas in Pictures

2009-12-28T20:44:00.013-06:00

We had a fabulous week in Arkansas with my family! Everyone was there and we really enjoyed having an entire week together - we haven't all been together since last Christmas.

Here's a recap in pictures! (as always, click to enlarge)

We...

...played by the lake,

talked to the babies,

admired them,

passed them around,

snuggled them,

went for walks,

watched Quinn's dance moves,

laughed with babies,

admired these curls,

hung out on the golf course,

golfed in shorts (they knew we were from out of town!),

lost golf balls in the mud,

enjoyed the beautiful day,

loved being outside in December,

took hundreds of pictures of these babies,

watched them nap under blankies from Aunt Kelly,

cracked up at this boy in his jewelry,

appreciated his sense of style,

loved that he wanted to wear earrings,

got puked on multiple times,

almost floated away with 4" of rain! (you can see the red line where the edge of the sea wall is!),

were charmed by this sweet face,

watched Myla go from smiles to tears in a matter of seconds,

worked on the babies' neck strength,

opened presents,

sat by a cozy "fire",

got a PS3!!!,

cleaned up a big post-present mess,

oogled these blue eyes,

taught Quinn how to play foosball,

smiled at how cute this Nana and Papa are,

dressed up and went to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

and had an overall relaxing, food-, fun- and family-filled week!

Want to Win?!?!

2009-12-09T21:57:00.003-06:00

Anyone want an HP TouchSmart 600? I DO!

So, I entered this contest. You should too! :)

PS. I've been reading MckMama's blog for a year and a half - it's great! She is a hilarious, honest, warm and witty writer...enjoy!

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CHRobinson Holiday Party

2009-12-07T09:51:00.004-06:00

We had Ryan's company party on Saturday night. It was downtown at the Radisson (don't get Ryan started on the parking situation - let's just say it was a cold few blocks with my bare legs!!) There was a great buffet, desserts and then sliders and fries around 11. Ryan played a lot of blackjack but, despite winning lots of tickets for the raffle, didn't win any prizes. He was really hoping to win the PS3!

I wore one of the dresses I worked on this year!

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NEW NIECE!!

2009-12-03T17:46:00.002-06:00

We have a new niece! Lauren Marie Van Cleave was born at 12:28 today.

8lb 3oz
19.5"

She's beautiful!! I'm not sure I can wait until next Friday to meet her!

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Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T21:05:00.005-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

We celebrated with a quiet day at home. After sleeping in we had a late breakfast of egg sandwiches and relaxed.

Then [my favorite part], we put up our Christmas tree! I've been waiting all year to do this! We didn't put one up last year so this was the first year I've ever put up my own tree. It took a long time to fluff all the branches out. Luckily we have a pre-lit tree so I just had to decorate. Ryan made a good supervisor (and he put hooks on all the ornaments for me). I reminisced about each of my ornaments (not sure Ry really appreciated all the stories!)

I started writing Christmas cards while Ryan relaxed and watched football. Then we tried out a new recipe for stuff chicken. It was a success!! Next up was Angels and Demons, then smoothies, and now we're basking in the Christmas lights and watching Elf on tv.

Thanks to all of you for being such a blessing in our lives!

Val - this is for you! Ryan's ornament was the first one on the tree!

Chicken with spinach, cheese, sundried tomatoes. Thanks for the recipe, Mom!

LOVE our newly festive living room!! AMA, do you recognize the tapestry above the front door?

The chair is already my new favorite seat!

I have been reading about adding spinach to smoothies so I gave it a shot. Looks pretty disgusting but couldn't even taste the spinach. A new way to eat my veggies!!

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A Day with the Rudes!

2009-11-22T18:46:00.016-06:00

We spent the weekend in Iowa. We celebrated an early Thanksgiving with Ryan's family in Ames, Ryan went to Iowa City for the Hawkeye game and I spent all of yesterday in Des Moines with the Rudes.

Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures in Ames but did go a little camera crazy at the Rudes'. (Meg also grabbed our camera and had a little fun getting shots of her babies) Not a lot of pictures of Myla and only a couple of Rex - Quinn stole the spotlight! (And I spent my baby time cuddling instead of snapping pictures...)

They're growing like crazy!! ENJOY!

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Asia Part II - Shanghai

2009-11-17T21:27:00.017-06:00

We had a great time in Shanghai! We arrived later than planned due to our delay in Vietnam. We were busy with work but I did get Saturday off to tour around the city. Two of the ladies from the Target office were nice enough to be my tour guides for the day.

LOTS of pictures to share...

Shanghai airport

Big temple in the middle of the city

People throw money into this huge thing for luck

A turtle-dragon? Outside the Yu Gardens

Part of the Bazaar at Yu Gardens

The Pearl Tower

That's the financial tower on the right - tallest building in Shanghai

Looking across the river at The Bund

Pearl Tower

A shot from the other side of the financial tower (now on the left)

The arrow is pointing to the 100th floor observation deck where we went to check out the views of the city

Me, Lucy, Brandy looking up into the ceiling of the financial tower observation deck.

Looking down through the glass floor of the 100th floor observatory!

We're looking DOWN on the giant building next door!

Looking out over the river (hard to get a good shot with the glare on the glass)

Looking down at a park - the cars are teeny!

Working with a vendor at the Target office

Yep, I ate a big bowl of RAW fish for lunch one day!

We had dinner on the river one night - it was beautiful! The restaurant had a beautiful patio overlooking the water.

Cool buildings along the water

Looking out across the river.

China countyside as we were driving to factories

The view out my hotel window.

Asia Part I - Vietnam

2009-11-03T12:03:00.013-06:00

Well - here I am in Vietnam! We left Mpls at 12:45 Sunday afternoon. We flew for 13 hours to Tokyo, walked to our next gate and flew 7 more hours to Vietnam. We arrived at the hotel 12:30am Tuesday morning local time.

First class was fun! I didn't get any pictures but thoroughly enjoyed my fully reclining seat, snacks, watching 2 movies, 3 tv shows, and napping. But, by the second flight I was ready to be on the ground!

I called Ryan and checked email for a bit, showered and went to bed for a few hours. We met for breakfast and then got picked up at 8am.

We toured two factories and I got to work with people that I email back and forth with quite a bit. We accomplished so much more in person - it was great!

We had an amazing lunch at one of the factories - spring rolls, soup, tofu, beef, rice, veggies.

We also spent a lot of time in the car! Probably about 3.5 hours total. The traffic is insane! EVERYONE rides scooters and the weave in and out of cars, in the wrong lane, with as many as four people on a bike! We saw an entire family - mom, dad and two kids - on one scooter!

We were supposed to leave Vietname at 1am Wednesday time. We got to the airport and were told it was 2 hours delayed when we checked in. After various updates, our current estimated departure time is 6:40am. We're sitting in the business lounge at the airport - all on our laptops. All exhausted! I think I've slept a total of <8 hrs since leaving Mpls. YIKES!

The pictures below are not in order but here's a glimpse of Vietnam!

Me, Lynne, Patrick, Kate by the sign with our names at one of the factories.

Look at all the balloons on the back of this bikes!

Production lines at the factory.

After dinner.

I had just followed this dress that I worked on all the way through the production line!

View out the hotel window.

Motorbikes!

Really nice bathroom at our hotel!

Visit to Iowa

2009-10-14T20:26:00.017-05:00

We spent the past weekend in Iowa and were lucky enough to see my sister Meg and her family and Ryan's family. We spent one day in Des Moines enjoying Rex and Myla now that they are home from the hospital. It was so great to actually hold them and snuggle. And Quinn kept us entertained - he's a ham! We spent the rest of the weekend at Ryan's sister Steph's. His parents, grandma and Aunt Debra visited too. Brenna talks a TON - can't believe she'll be two on Friday!

Lots of pictures - enjoy!

Cuddle time with all three!

Uncle Ryan doing double duty

Miss Myla before her bath

Time to eat

Peace and quiet

Fluffy hair from his bath

Quinn size pumpkin

Q-ster

Uncle Ry and Myla

Quinn's BIG boy bed! The duvet cover was my most recent sewing project.

Happy Aunt D

Sweet baby

Grandma and Brenna

New coat and snowpants! (just in time for snow in OCTOBER!)

Reading with B

Babies Wanted!

2009-09-20T21:18:00.005-05:00

I've been sewing a lot lately - mostly burp cloths. They've made great baby gifts and I'd love to start selling them. If you know of anyone having a baby and you need a small gift - here's your opportunity! I have boy, girl and neutral patterns. Shoot me an email! Tell your friends!

September News

2009-09-20T21:00:00.009-05:00

The last two weekends I've gone to the library used book sales. Between the two sales I got 28 books for $14! That's less than the price of one new book at Target - gotta love it! I think I'll be set for a while...

We sold our entertainment center from the basement! We had it posted on Craigslist and it didn't take long to find a taker. After she picked it up Ryan moved the old tv down and rearranged the basement. It looks so much cozier and hopefully will get some use now that there's a nice tv down there. Now I've just got to hem the curtains and find some art for the newly empty wall!

I also hit up a garage sale yesterday and got some great clothes for the twins and books for Quinn. I'm turning into quite the bargain hunter - Ryan must be rubbing off on me!

New Job!??

2009-09-20T20:48:00.005-05:00

Lately I've had the opportunity to coordinate a lot of volunteer events.

My team at work put together lunches for a local homeless shelter back in June. We recently decided to do it again. I was lucky enough to be able to coordinate the shopping, lunch-making, and then I got to go do the delivery. It's pretty humbling to see the shelter and to learn that if volunteers don't deliever lunches, the residents go without. (They are served breakfast and supper but aren't provided lunches unless they are donated). And for less than $1.50/lunch we provided a sandwich, chips, fruit and cookies. I think of all the small things we take for granted - coffee date with friends, an afternoon snack, lunch out - and how just a portion of that money can make such a difference to someone else.

I've also been able to coordinate a silent auction at work with all proceeds going to the United Way. We have some very talented and creative team members so we'll have some really neat things to auction. The auction is on Friday and I'm hoping we make a lot of money for such a good cause.

Ryan and I also recently decided that we'd like to give back in other ways. I've previously volunteered at Feed My Starving Children and really enjoyed it. I sent an email to a bunch of our friends and, amazingly, despite everyone's busy schedules, there will be 20 of us going there on Ocotber 6th. We'll be packaging nutritious meals to be sent all over the world. I'm really excited to be able to bless others while enjoying the company of our friends.

Now if only I could quit my job and do this all this coordinating full time!!

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Wedding Festivities!

2009-09-20T20:44:00.003-05:00

Ryan's good friend Aaron got married last night. Ryan was an usher so we had wedding festivities on Friday and Saturday nights. It was an outdoor wedding and the weather was beautiful! There were lots of people from Ryan's office and we got to hang out with our good friends Ben and Katie.

No pictures of the two of us. Ryan looked great in his tux and I looked like this (I wore the same thing as I wore to our last wedding in August.)

Here's Ryan and Aaron - snazzy!

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Iowa Continued

2009-09-20T20:32:00.006-05:00

When I last posted about the twins I didn't mention anything else about our visit to Iowa. We had a great time and got to see both of our families.

In Ames we spent time at Ryan's sister's. His parents and grandma were there too. We went garage sale-ing, ate out and just relaxed. Brenna kept us all entertained with her dancing, dressing up and funny comments.

In Des Moines we got to see my parents (who were there to help Meg), meet the babies and play with Quinton. It's fun to see all the new things he's learning.

A weekend is never enough time!

Brenna put on her apron when Great Grandma Bohlen was baking!

Chatting away on her phone.

Cuddling with Quinn.

My favorite part of the drive - the wind farms.

The Twins Have Arrived!!

2009-09-08T10:08:00.010-05:00

My sister Meg had a c-section on Thursday, September 3 at 32 weeks!

Myla Jane Rude
3lbs 8oz, 17.75”

Rex Michael Rude
5lbs 9oz, 18”

Both babies are breathing on their own and are digesting well after being fed via feeding tube.

We got a chance to go down and meet them this past weekend. We didn’t get to hold or touch them but it was so great to see them! Meg and Dan have been able to change their diapers and have held them both. At this point, we’re not sure how long they’ll be in the NICU. They’ll have to be able to coordinate their breathing while nursing and gain enough weight. (In some of the pictures they’ve got eye covers on. They were under the lamps for their jaundice.)

Hooray for healthy babies!

Welcome to the world, Myla and Rex!

Myla

Rex

Rex

Myla

Look how small she is compared to Meg's hand!

Beautiful boy!

Dan taking Rex's temperature

Little Miss Myla

Myla doesn't like getting her diaper changed!

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Family Fun!

2009-08-25T20:31:00.009-05:00

Lots of family happenings since I last posted.

My parents were up to visit for a few days. While they were here we saw a lot of the Millers at a surprise celebration for my aunt's 60th birhtday. We also celebrated my mom's birthday with out close family friends, the McMullens.

When my parents left for Madison last Thursday I joined them. We spent a couple days at Kelly's place. We toured the governor's mansion, saw Julie & Julia, toured the state capitol, had a great salmon dinner and went to the Silly Yak gluten free bakery.

Saturday we got back in the car to head to Chicago for my grandma's 91st birthday. Almost all of the Abells were together for a fabulous celebration. Sunday we took my grandma to lunch and hung out at her place. I flew home Sunday evening.

Ryan missed me terribly (or not!) but was able to fill his time with poker, watching the Vikings, golfing and shopping at Mall of America.

7 of the 12 Miller kids

Bored in the car...do you see me!?

Kel and I - Chicago bound!

Almost all the Abells!

It's a BOY [toy]!!

2009-08-25T20:26:00.003-05:00

Please help us welcome the newest addition to our family!!

We just upgraded our 42" plasma to a 52" LCD. Ryan is a happy camper! As always, Ryan found a great deal! If you want to hear the details let him know...he loves to tell the story!

The plasma is being moved to the basement and the basement TV and entertainment center have to find a new home. Any takers!?

Brian and Kristin's Wedding

2009-08-25T20:20:00.006-05:00

Our friends Brian and Kristin got married on August 15th. It was a beautiful ceremony and fun to spend the evening with all of our friends. We even had the fun surprise of seeing my old neighbors - it's a small world!

Pre-ceremony

Exchanging vows

This is what happens when Ryan is in charge of the camera

Congrats, Schellings!

PGA Championship

2009-08-25T20:05:00.011-05:00

The PGA Championship came to MN this year! It was at Hazeltine National Golf Course which is about 10 miles from our house. Ryan got tickets for the entire week. He sold a few of the days and traded with our family friend for a few others. Tuesday he and his friend Aaron went to the practice round (that's where all the pictures are from; no cameras during the actual tournament). Thursday we both took the day off and went to watch. Luckily I had an alternate ride home - Ryan stayed for 12 hours!! He also went with a family friend on Sunday to watch the exciting last day. I think Ryan is still waiting for Tiger to make that big shot.........(FYI, he lost)

WELCOME!

Tiger coming down the fairway

Tiger

Tiger II

Tiger III (he's kind of a big deal!)

Peeking through the huge crowd of Tiger followers

Grandstands at 18th hole

The course was in great shape!

Ryan IV (he's a REALLY big deal!)

Actually, Ryan just shot an 81 at Edinburgh and a 78 at Chaska Town Course. I'm thinking he should go pro and I can tour around to beautiful places with him!

An Update...in Pictures!

2009-08-02T17:46:00.016-05:00

In lieu of a long post about the happenings of late, here's an update in pictures! (That's the only thing people want to see anyway, right!?)

We were in Burlington for Ryan's 10 year class reunion. Here's what transpired...

Brenna got a new 4-wheeler. She was a pro at the driving part, still working on the steering!

We shot guns at the farm. Ryan and his dad used the clay pigeon thrower.

I stuck to stationary targets.

But did go 3 for 3 right here! And only ended up with a small bruise from the shotgun this time!

After the reunion (we forgot to get a picture before and everyone was sleeping when we got back)

And since returning to MN, here's what we've been up to:

Ryan brought me beautiful flowers this week!

They're my favorite...gladiolas!

Yup, he's romantic like that!

I've been hitting up garage sales for the Rude babies - kinda fun to be able to choose boy AND girl stuff! Keep them all in your prayers...Meg is on bedrest to hold off premature labor.

Found a delicious GF cornbread recipe. I've been eating it all day. A little butter and some syrup...yum!

And just in case you were wondering what I've been reading...here it is! Next up...A Thousand Splendid Suns. And for bookclub, The Time Traveler's Wife.

Happy Anniversary (of multiple sorts!)

2009-07-14T09:06:00.006-05:00

July 14th is an important day for us!

Two years ago today we got engaged! It was a pretty perfect day!

Click here to read the story of how it happened...

And its also our 4 year anniversary of when we started dating.

And it's our good friends Marshall and Sarah's 2 year wedding anniversary. We're so glad we could be part of your day 2 years ago! It was a perfectly sunny, gorgeous day and it was so wonderful to watch you guys commit your lives to each other. Have fun celebrating today - a lot has happened in two years!

I think we'll go to softball tonight to celebrate! :) haha...

The Van Cleaves Visit - 4th of July

2009-07-07T19:20:00.016-05:00

We had a great weekend with Ryan's sister and her family.

They arrived Friday afternoon just in time for some hanging out on the deck and dinner outside. After dinner we headed to Excelsior to get ice cream at Lick's and walk by the lake. It was a gorgeous night!

Saturday we got a Jamba Juice (YUM!) and then wandered around some furniture and home stores. After lunch at home Brenna and I napped and the boys golfed. That night was burgers followed by a fire out front. We had never used our firepit so we set it up in the driveway. We were out there for a few hours and enjoyed s'mores and could even see some fireworks (from the middle of the road!).

Sunday we had a late breakfast at a little diner near our house. Before Van Cleaves left Ryan tried to convince Brenna to run through the sprinkler with him. She thought the "waber" was really fun the day before when she helped him water the lawn. Once he got the sprinkler all set up this time she wanted nothing to do with it! She went through a couple times in Ryan's arms but it didn't last long. Ryan, however, kept us entertained as he ran through trying to show Brenna how fun it was.

A good weekend!

The pictures are not in order (and as always, click to enlarge).

Enjoying our Jamba Juice

Watching the sprinkler from a safe distance!

Brenna liked my mint-chip ice cream

I always tilt my head in pictures...Ryan likes to mock me!

Sunny Sunday

"I'm not sure about this sprinkler business!"

Touching the water

The many faces of Brenna

Roasting 'mallows

Watching the fire

Driveway fire

Ryan trying to convince Brenna that the sprinkler is lots of fun!

Hayward '09

2009-07-07T19:10:00.008-05:00

We spent the last weekend in June up in Hayward, WI. Our friends Nate and Sara's parents have a cabin up there. They are nice enough to invite us up once or twice each summer.

We had Friday off so we headed up Thursday night for a long weekend.

Friday was the one really nice day so we spent it out on the new boat. Nate and Ryan turn into little kids the minute they hit the water. They spent 3 hours walking around the sandbar playing catch and other games with tennis balls and a stick. Sara and I spent most of the time on the boat with baby Jonah and our books. That night we had a great dinner at the cabin and played some bocce.

Saturday was overcast and drizzly. We went into town and it turned out to be "Musky Fest" so we wandered around the booths, ate fair food and hung out. Saturday night we went out for dinner and then watched a movie.

We had planned to stay and hang out on Sunday but WINDY weather meant no lake time so we headed home. It was nice to get back and have time to do our usual weekend chores - laundry, grocery shopping, etc.

Jonah and Ryan comparing hand size

Ryan and Nate (writing on Ryan's face)

Jonah

Me on baby duty on the boat while Nate skied.

Jonah's lifejacket was a little big. It didn't seem to stop him from napping!

The Johnsons.

Happy Birthday, Babe!

2009-06-29T12:06:00.002-05:00

Happy 28th Birthday, Ryan!

I'm so blessed to have you in my life (and to have met you 4 years ago TODAY!)

I can't wait to celebrate many, many more birthdays together!

XXXOOO

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Holy Babies, Batman!

2009-06-18T20:25:00.002-05:00

It was a baby-rific day!

Today my sister, Meg, was going to the doctor for her 20 week ultrasound to find out the sex of the baby. They were talking to the ultrasound technician and said "we'd like to find out the sex of the baby this time". The technician then said "which one?" YUP, that's right...they're having TWINS! A boy and a girl, both perfectly healthy! I think we're all still in shock! I can't believe she's almost 21 weeks and they had no idea...

AND, 10 minutes after the twin news, we found out that Ryan's sister, Steph, is having another baby girl! She's perfectly healthy too and arriving in December.

Blessings all around!

Needless to say (and much to Ryan's dismay), I've got babies on my mind! :)

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Quinton Dancing

2009-06-16T20:40:00.004-05:00

My parents were in Iowa last week on their way to a funeral. They got to babysit Quinton and took this hilarious video of him dancing. I may be biased but I think it's pretty funny. I love his sweet dance move at 1:14. All in all, he's pretty on beat! And even knows where airplanes are.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7uJYeo5tWY

If the link doesn't work and you still want to see it, just go to youtube.com and search for "Quinton doing hand dancing"

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CHICAGO!

2009-06-16T19:47:00.019-05:00

Despite raining weather and both of us being sick, we had a great time in Chicago!

We flew down after work on Wednesday with our friends Steve and Sarah. After a CRAZY cab ride to the hotel (averaging about 85mph, running red lights, crazy merging, etc!) we went out for some late appetizers.

Thursday was a soggy day so we donned our rain coats and headed to the Shedd Aquarium. We waited outside for almost an hour and then fought the crowds inside. But there were lots of cool things to see and we got to see the little water show (dolphins, sea lions, whales). All in all, a good way to stay out of the rain. That afternoon we rested up for late dinner reservations. We ate at Frontera and it was delicious!

Friday was BASEBALL DAY! We had tickets to see the Twins play the Cubs at Wrigley. This doesn't happen every year and we were able to get great seats! The weather was perfect! We went early to walk around Wrigleyville. Steve and Sarah's friends came to meet us too. We had a nice lunch outside on a patio and then headed in to the game. Ryan was able to get right down near the field to get some pictures. AND, after an exciting game with lots of hits, THE TWINS WON! We weren't alone in our celebrating - there were lots of MN fans there! That night was deep dish Chicago style pizza at Gino's East.

Saturday was another rainy day. We weren't planning on doing any museums but needed an inside activity. We got a late start and headed to the Museum of Science and Industry. That night the rain finally stopped and Steve and Sarah met up with some friends but we opted to do our own thing. After a nap Ryan and I walked from our hotel down to Navy Pier, ate outside, walked back up Michigan Ave and past our hotel to the beach. A good evening!

Sunday was a PERFECT weather day! We headed a few blocks south and got an a boat for the architecture cruise down the river. We got a totally different perspective of the city and enjoyed the sunshine and cruising. After our cruise we walked further south to Millenium Park. We saw the famous "Bean", walked through Grant Park, ate outside, walked through Blues Fest and then headed to the lakeshore where we walked all along the shore back towards our hotel. I had been craving a sno-cone all day and, lo and behold, the ice cream man showed up! It was tasty! We all rested for a bit before having to head to the airport.

A fabulous trip! Thanks for the great weekend, Darrs! :)

Below are some pictures from our adventures. I noticed that all of the pictures I chose are from the two sunny days; I ruled out all of the soggy hair pictures! And the aquarium was "no flash photography" so we didn't get any good shots. As always, click to enlarge.

ENJOY!

Wrigley! If you look closely, you'll see that all the other people in the picture are Twins fans too!

My favorite!

Ryan took this when he was down at the edge of the field. Kubel, Punto, Morneau (my boyfriend), Tolbert.

Yep, that's Kenny Chesney! He sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame". You can also see Bert Blyleven and Dick Bremer, the Twins announcers.

Celebrating their win

Skyline from our boat cruise on Chicago River

Trump Tower in the middle

On the boat

Our reflection in the bean

In front of the bean in Millenium Park

Steve and Sarah

The Bohlens

Steve, Sarah and me walking along the lakeshore.

Iowa Adventures

2009-06-08T11:11:00.016-05:00

We had a fabulous weekend in Iowa visiting our sisters and their families. And because I know you were wondering, we saw license plates from 25 states, 4 Canadian provinces and 44 of the 99 counties in Iowa. Gotta do something to entertain ourselves, right!?

Unfortunately, our drive took almost 2 hours longer than it should have (traffic and road construction) so Brenna was asleep when we arrived in Ames. But we had a great time catching up with Steph and Jared. They even baked gluten free pumpkin muffins - YUM! We spent a little more time with them (and Brenna!) Saturday morning before heading to Des Moines.

After arriving in Des Moines Meg cut my hair (thanks, I love it!) while Quinton napped. Once he woke up we played outside, went out for lunch, shopped for fun t-shirts at SMASH, took a little nap and then Steph, Jared and Brenna came to meet us for dinner. Dan spoke at church on Saturday night and we all really enjoyed his talk.

Sunday was playtime with Quinn (he loved our giant airmattress), a trip to Caribou and then back to Ames for lunch.

Despite the quick trip we got lots of quality time with everyone. And thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the new things Quinton and Brenna can do. They're so smart and funny! (though we may be slightly biased!) :)

And here are some pictures of our adventures in no particular order...enjoy!

Ryan at the park. That lion (?) is just his size!

Swinging in her cute pigtails.

A little help from Uncle Ryan

Upside down fun!

Brenna and Quinn playing

Little toothpick legs. CUTE!

Sniffing flowers

Fun outside

Walking with his cart

His signature smile - all scrunched up!

Brenna in her dinosaur boots - LOVE IT!

She thinks her Uncle "Ry-nee" is pretty fun!

Garage Sale Goodness!

2009-06-02T19:28:00.009-05:00

We had a great weekend with Ryan's parents. They got here Friday afternoon and we did a lot with them in two days!

Friday night we had dinner and planned our garage sale route for Saturday. We left at 7:30 on Saturday and stopped at a ton of sales. I think I was the big winner! I got 9 books, two cute appetizer plates, a quilt rack AND a Pottery Barn "phone table" that matches our bed perfectly and is now Ryan's new nightstand. We also found a wheelbarrow which Ryan has been wanting since last summer. HOORAY for garage sales!

We also mulched around our new bushes in the backyard. And made a trip to Mall of America and had ribs for dinner. Sounds like a good weekend to me!

Thanks for such a great weekend, Steve and Val!

The garage sale haul!

Books and plates

Marbles from a garage sale a few weeks ago. Love them!

Newly mulched yard.

Memorial Day

2009-05-26T12:06:00.001-05:00

I just pulled this link from someone else's blog. The pictures are so moving, I couldn't help but share!

Click here.

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Anniversary and Marriage Year II, Day 1

2009-05-17T15:16:00.006-05:00

We had a fabulous evening last night!

We checked into the hotel at 3 and they upgraded our room to a king suite! We got ready and went to dinner at Manhattan's downtown. It was delicious - we shared a caprese salad and each had a steak. My filet just melted in my mouth...

Phantom of the Opera was good!

We got back to the hotel around 11 and were awoken at 3:30 by the fire alarm. Ryan would have kept sleeping but I didn't want to die in a burning building. I finally convinced him to head to the lobby. Halfway down the hall, the alarm stopped. It took us a while to get back to sleep but we slept til 9 this morning - that's a record for us!

Not a great shot, we didn't have our good camera and the hostess didn't really know what she was doing. Either way, proof of that we clean up ok!

This is the sewing project I've been working on - custom burp cloths! I bought a bunch of cute flannel and attach it down the center of a cloth diaper. I can post the pictures now since our friends Marshall and Sarah received theirs in the mail. Their new baby, Norah, is pretty perfect - wish they lived closer so we could meet her.

I found this picture when I loaded the ones from last night. It's my gluten-free cake from my birthday in San Francisco - yum!

Today, the first day of Marriage, Year II, has been filled with gutter cleaning, Twins watching and reading on the deck! My arms and face got lots of color! YAY! It must be almost summer!

We're off to grocery shop and then dinner and walking with friends.

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Happy Anniversary to US!

2009-05-16T09:00:00.010-05:00

I can't believe we've been married a year!

It has been a WONDERFUL, adventure-filled year!

I love Ryan for:

- his ability to make me laugh

- emptying the dishwasher, usually before I even ask

- tolerating my crabiness, even when he doesn't understand what caused it

- his deal hunting skills

- holding my hand whenever I want

- the way he warms up my side of the bed before I get in

- buying mushy cards because he knows I love them

- his go-with-the flow mindset

- chauffeuring me to and from the bus stop

- making me laugh

- the way his neck smells

- his beautiful blue eyes

- loving me despite my lack of singing and dancing skills, and laughing with me when I do either

- making me laugh (did I already mention that?)

Thanks for an amazing year, babe! XOXO

No More Lake Bohlen

2009-05-03T20:25:00.010-05:00

It's been a productive and fun weekend here!

Friday night we went to the Twins game. There were 6 of us (me and the guys). It was our first live game of the season - it was great!

Saturday Ryan worked and I cleaned the house and then worked on a fun crafty sewing project. I may post pictures later (its a gift for someone who reads this!)

Early Saturday afternoon the [small] crew came to work on our backyard. They worked for a few hours yesterday and came back to finish today. The yard has been re-graded to slope away from the house. We've got a swale leading around to the side where things can drain off into the street. We also had them remove a ton of rock that was along our driveway and sod everything. It looks great! Plus, we got to use the leftover sod and it was the perfect amount to cover our "garden". Now we just need a few bushes to plant at the edge of the garden for some privacy.

The pictures aren't that exciting (if you want exciting, scroll down to look at San Francisco if you haven't already)...but we think it looks great and are glad to have it done! We're especially glad it doesn't look like this anymore. Our next project is cleaning up the front yard.

The first stage

During

The area that used to be all rocks along the driveway

All done!

Behind the garage (it's hard to see the new swale in the pictures - it's nice and gradual)

The newly sodded garden. We have a lot more square footage of lawn to mow with the garden sodded and the replacement of the rocks along the side of the house.

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On a side note, I baked some yummy GF bread today! I used a different mix than usual and I liked it even more. (Dad, its Whole Foods own brand - 365 Sandwich Bread Mix). I snacked on buttered bread all afternoon and had a turkey, guac, cheese and mayo sandwich for dinner - YUM!

San Francisco!

2009-04-28T20:16:00.030-05:00

We had a fabulous time in San Francisco! Lea and Brian were such great hosts - they chauffeured us around and showed us some of their favorite places.

Day 1 - Thursday. Lea dropped us in the city. We picked up our GO Cards (one flat price got us into a lot of attactions). We saw the sea lions at the pier, took a trolley bus tour, wax museum, went to the aquarium, went to the Exploratorium (hands on science museum), walked all over Fisherman's Wharf, saw Ghirardelli Square. For dinner we went back to Lea and Brian's and cooked fish tacos - California style (cabbage, avocado, pico de gallo). It was our first experience with fish tacos - delicious!

Day 2 - Friday. We got dropped in the city again and took a ferry out to Alcatraz. We walked around the island and took the audio tour of the prison. After that we had lunch and took another trolley bus tour. I may or may not have fallen asleep onboard! After a quick stop through the Ferry Building (way cool!) we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing/napping in a park. We met Lea and Brian for happy hour near their office and then did some shopping at the Gap (with Lea's discount!). Dinner at PF Changs and back to their house for a low key night.

Day 3 - Saturday - my birthday!!!! We had a slow start to the morning and then went to the San Mateo farmer's market (fresh kettlecorn - yum!), hiked a couple miles at a beautiful state park (huge redwoods!), visited a really cool beach and then stopped along the water for a late lunch. After that we headed back into the city. Brian and Ryan hung some shelves while Lea and I relaxed. For my birthday dinner we went to Kingfish - one of their favorites. We shared some sushi rolls as an appetizer and all had great entrees - jambalaya, steak, shortribs, sea bass. Lea had even called ahead to arrange a special gluten free cake! A perfect day!

Day 4 - Sunday. We started the day with a visit to the Golden Gate Bridge. We walked partway across and got some great pictures. Then we headed through Sausalito and had brunch in Tiburon. After bruch we headed north to wine country. We visited a few vineyards in Sonoma - beautiful! On our way back through the city we drove down Lombard Street - the curviest street in the world (followed by Snake Alley in Burlington, IA!!) Then Lea and Brian dropped us at our hotel for our last night. We grabbed dinner at Uncle Vito's and had a low key night at the hotel.

Day 5 - Monday. We had breakfast at the hotel and then went out exploring Union Square. We did some real shopping and some window shopping (Tiffany, Gucci, Prada). We checked out of our hotel at noon and then went for lunch at a 50's diner. Our shuttle picked us up at 1:30 and we were headed back to reality.

A WONDERFUL trip!

The pictures are in approximate order. And, as always, click to enlarge.

ENJOY!

Fisherman's Wharf

Sea lions at Pier 39

Soaking up the sun as we waited for the bus

Jellyfish at the aquarium (Ryan is a talented photographer!)

More jellyfish

On the trolley bus

Chinatown

The Exploratorium

At the Exploratorium

Boats in the bay

Alcatraz from the ferry

On Alcatraz with the city in the background

Full House (just kidding...typical SF street - hilly and the houses are so close together)

Our fabulous hosts

Hiking through the forest

Do you see me!? The tree was HUGE!

L & D

The blustery beach

Trying to hide from the wind

Golden Gate Bridge

This is for you, Val.

At B.R. Cohn Vineyard

Our hotel.