Let it SNOW!!

Today I heard on the radio that North Dakota reached a record high for snowfall in December which was 33+ inches. We got 12 inches alone from last night until about 2:00 PM this afternoon. It was so fun watching it come down!! Snow is definitely not taken lightly out here!! Having our F-150 with four-wheel drive is AWESOME in this type of weather, given that we can drive through about anything!! The snow banks are SO tall! Although, one of the downfalls about all the snow out here is that there will be some amount of flooding in the spring. I captured a picture after work today to let you see our collection of snow....

 

Long Time NO Blog!!

Surprise, surprise!! I'm so not dedicated to blogging consistently, but hey I found time now and wanted to update some..... 

On Christmas Eve, Daniel spoke at our annual Christmas Eve service at church and he did a great job as usual!! Then afterwards Daniel and I had dinner at our dear friends/neighbors' house (the Dockter's) The night was filled with a few games of Yahtzee and just chatting for hours. It was so great to have that fellowship with them. They have been such a God send since we have been out here. This year was our first Christmas as a married couple and it was definitely different than what we each are used to for Christmas. Since we were away from family, we were both out of our norm. We missed family!! Yeah, Christmas still means so much with celebrating Christ's birth, but family is so important, too!! We made the most of it and enjoyed each other's company. And we did watch the Lutz clan open their gifts which was fun, too!! 

 I had work off Thursday and Friday, so that was AWESOME!!  We are hooked on NCIS and we watched a lot of those together. It felt good just relaxing!! I got a lot of organizing, cooking, and baking done with being home!! It felt so GOOD! I especially enjoyed the time spent with Daniel. We went to a movie and went out to dinner one night. It was definitely hard going back to work today!! Ugh! WE SURE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO COMING TO MICHIGAN THIS WEEKEND TO CELEBRATE A BELATED CHRISTMAS WITH FAMILY!! We fly out 3:30 in the morning New Year's Day and stay until Sunday at 3:30 PM. We are going to have to savor every moment because we won't be coming back for a while....

I have been meaning to post some pictures of our place that we have been renting!! Let me just say that it has been such a blessing having this place to live. We have a dishwasher, washer/dryer, a fenced in back yard, two-car garage, and most of all we have our OWN place instead of sharing an apartment with others. It's amazing what a difference those things I listed make, especially since we went so long without them!! I also have to mention that we have the BEST neighbors, the Dockters!!  Its been a nice change. So here is a picture of our place....I tried to download others but it took way too long and I really didn't feel like waiting for them to download....so this will have to do for now.

Christmas MeMe!!

Yeah, so it's been quite a while since I have last blogged and I have had it in my mind to do one but just haven't taken the time to do it. So, my lovely mother-in-law has tagged me and has given me some motivation to finally make the time and effort to answer these fun Christmas questions. So ENJOY!! 

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate!

HOT CHOCOLATE by far!!!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?

They are definitely wrapped AND under the tree.

3. Colored lights or white?

White! Daniel likes colored so we made a deal that we would switch between the two every other year.

4. Do you hang mistletoe?

No, we don't need it!!

5. When do you put up decorations?

Growing up my family put up decorations right after Thanksgiving. This year Daniel and I put the tree and stockings up the first snow which was Nov. 9. It was SOOO fun!

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?

I don't have one. I like about any food!!

7. What is your favorite holiday memory as a child?

Sleeping on the floor in my brothers room every Christmas Eve and waking up real early and waking my parents up to open presents.

8. Do you send Christmas cards/E-cards or both?

I will be sending a few Christmas cards this year.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?

Nope. We wait until Christmas morning.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?

I put the lights on and Daniel and I both put each of our Christmas ornaments on while listening to Christmas music. It's so special this year being Daniel and my first Christmas as a married couple.

11. Snow! love it or dread it?

I would say I like it. Growing up I loved playing in it and making snowmen and all of that fun. I still like watching it come down and I especially love having a white Christmas. But once Spring gets closer I am ready for the snow to be done.

12. Can you ice skate?

Yes, I can and I love to. But I will say when Daniel and I were dating we went ice skating and I definitely fell straight on my face. We started to laugh so hard!! But I am thankful I didn't get hurt! That ice was pretty hard.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?

No, nothing really comes to mind.

14. What is the most important thing about the holidays to you?

Being with Daniel and my family!!

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert?

Sugar cookies with frosting on them!! Mmmmm!!

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?

Watching a Christmas movie on Christmas Eve and reading about Christ's birth on Christmas morning.

17. What tops your Christmas tree?

Daniel and I don't have a topper yet but we plan on putting up a star soon.

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving?

Both. But I especially LOVE to give!!

19. What is your favorite Christmas song?

O Holy Night

20. Candy canes?

You bet!! Yum.

21. What do you want for Christmas?

A have a list of a few things I want but most of all I want to enjoy the time with Daniel and family!!

22. Do you attend a Christmas party?

Actually I attended one this year with my work. We had a great time!! We had dinner at a local restaurant and hung out and talked for hours. 

23. Do you dress-up for Christmas Eve or Pj's.

Yes for Christmas Eve service!! I don't mind dressing up!

24. Do you own a Santa hat?

I used to but I don't have one anymore.

25. Who do you normally spend Christmas with?

Before I was married I would spend Christmas day with my immediate family and then go to my grandparents house in the afternoon to spend it with my aunt, uncle, and cousins. Then we would travel to Ohio the following weekend to spend it with my mom's side of the family. This year being married, we will probably be spending Christmas just us two and then fly home the next weekend to visit our family!!

Our Silly Puppy!!!

Lately, Takota has really been into chasing his tail! It is so funny to watch. It's as though he thinks there is a way to tear it off his body! He is so determined to get that tail! He goes in circles upon cirlces until he about drops. He is such a blessing and he makes Daniel and I laugh so much.

Get it Takota, get it!

He had to pause for a picture!

After he started to calm down I captured this shot! Isn't he handsome!

Our big guy is all tuckered out and wants a nap!!

A Cherished Weekend!!

Well, on Thursday night I got a phone call from my dear Grandma Wright and she was just letting us know that they were only about two hours away from Wahpeton and that they would be coming over on Friday afternoon sometime!! Yippee!

Both grandma and grandpa took a three week trip out west and they made a point to stop by our place before returning home! When they finish their trip on Tuesday in Ohio, where they live, they will have visited about 20 states! I tell you, it amazes me and I commend them for their adventurous spirits and wanting to take such a big trip! They even brought their sleeping bags and tent because they camped out quite a few times during their journey! They saw Mt. Rushmore, Garden of the gods, the Badlands, Colorado Springs, Yellowstone National Park, and much more. Grandma says that she is glad that she took this trip, but she would never want to live out west due to wanting to stay around where she grew up and be with family!

I am so thankful that God has blessed me and Daniel with great godly grandparents! And I was just thinking of what great examples they are to have been married for 51 years now and still serving the Lord so evidently! Wow, so cool! Thank you God for placing them in my life! I am to be forever grateful for all their love and support all these years!! 

We have loved their company so much. Since Friday when they arrived we have spent time chatting about their trip and their stories, looking at pictures, watching movies, watching college football (mainly g-pa and Daniel), playing cornhole (grandpa's favorite!), shopping downtown Wahpeton (g-ma and I went and had such fun), playing with Takota, and just enjoying time with each other. And tomorrow all this has to come to an end and they are going to go and finish their trek home. Daniel and I tried to persuade them to stay longer but they need to get back.....BUMMER! It's so nice to have FAMILY out here with us! There is nothing like it! I just HATE goodbyes! They are so stinkin hard for me...but that's life. I am just thankful we were able to spend this time with them and we will have these memories to remember. 

  

I Got Tagged...

So my lovely mother-in-law tagged me and I have to tell seven facts about myself. So here they are. Hope you enjoy!

1. After a family trip, when I was 9 yrs old, I was just so annoyed of my brothers that I decided to write a list of "why girls were better than boys." We sent it in to Focus on the Family and believe it or not....James Dobson published it in his monthly newsletter and in a couple of his parenting books. 

2. My favorite sport to play, by far, is softball. I have played ball since I was about 5 years old and man do I love it! And it's kind of  funny....the first team I ever played on when I was 5 was an all boys team, but that didn't make a difference to me. I was out there to play some ball!!

3. Until a year ago, I had a fear of swallowing pills. When I was 13 or 14 I got one of those long vitamins stuck in my throat and it really scared me! And speaking of vitamins...I never liked taking them...my mom would have us eat one with breakfast every morning and being the rebellious child, I hid mine in a drawer in the kitchen table when she wasn't looking. A few months later....she was looking in that drawer and there was about 100 vitamins in there....oops! 

4. I love to ride bike (when I have the time to!) It is so peaceful and at the same time I am able to go fast and it's a good work out! Also, I love to ride my grandpa's tandem bike with him when I visit them! And before moving out to North Dakota, mom and I would enjoy getting out and riding! Good memories!

5. I love anything crafty, artsy, or creative! Art was one of my favorite classes in high school....I have kept a few of my art pieces and hope to frame them someday. I hope to getting back to doing some art in my spare time in the near future, too. Okay funny story about being "crafty"...when I was little I would use my mom's left over wrapping paper and I would wrap random things around the house and give my parents "gifts" to open.

6. I am a very antsy and anxious type of person...for example when I take tests I have to be doing some type of movement like tapping my pencil, tapping my feet on the floor, cracking knuckles, tapping fingers on table, etc...so this past semester in college that I was in, the lady that sat at my table next to me informed me that when it came to taking tests she couldn't concentrate due to my jitteriness. So whenever we would have a test she would work her way to an open table in the back of the room. Ha, ha...I thought it was quite funny. 

7. For those who know me this is obvious but....I love to EAT! And I am not a picky eater! I will eat about anything except asparagus, cabbage, or coleslaw. So when it comes to eating out at a restaurant don't ask me because if it's food....just about anything sounds good.

Date in Fargo....

So my wonderful husband took us both to Fargo from Friday to Saturday morning for a nice date. Let me just tell you it was such a blessing! We so enjoyed our time together talking, shopping, relaxing, laughing, and being together. Don't get me wrong, we are together all the time at home....but something about getting away and having a date is so extravagant and healthy as a married couple! It keeps things hoppin! 

The main reason we were actually in Fargo was because Brad, my brother-in-law, so graciously bought us tickets to see "Fireproof" the movie.  And Dan decided to make it a date night. Dan is so thoughtful and romantic! God is so good to have given him to me! 

The Best Western that we stayed at was absolutely BEAUTIFUL! If the Lutz clan comes out sometime again....this is the place to go! It has an indoor water park with cool water slides and other water accessories!  I so wish that I would've brought the camera to take pictures! The whole motel inside and out was decorated as a wood cabin and the inside was gorgeous with rustic furniture, carpet, and just EVERYTHING else! It was sweet. Our room was huge and there was a jacuzzi tub! I told Dan it was the best motel that I have every stayed in! 

We enjoyed a dinner at Red Lobster and Dan managed to down 110 shrimp. Yum! We relaxed some in the motel and then did a little shopping and then headed to the movie theater. We truly enjoyed the movie and it had a great message of how God specifically commands spouses to be faithful to Him and one another for a lifetime. It really showed how the power of Christ can transform a marriage and beautifully change individual hearts to love Him and from that love each other so much deeper. Thank you Brad for allowing us to see the movie! We really enjoyed it! It was an eye opener! All in all, Daniel and I enjoyed our date in Fargo!