Well, here goes my attempt to blog about our lives. To start, here are our top ten happenings from last month:
1. We survived the drive and move to Michigan. It was long (26 hours), it was sort of fun, and it is over! We only got pulled over once (in a "55" zone where no one was going 55) but didn't get a ticket, so we'll call the trip a success.
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| When we got here Aunt Annette and Sammi greeted us in the road with this awesome sign! |
Special thanks to my mom and dad who toughed out the drive with us. And we are so grateful for the many people who helped us move and came to say good-bye. We really miss all of our friends and family in Utah!
2. We fell in love with our new apartment! Two bedrooms, a living room, a dishwasher, a disposal, a washer and dryer, a back porch, a garage, a cute neighborhood--what more could we ask for.
3. Lance and Liesel both went blueberry picking for the first time. They loved it (and the blueberries) so much that we went back again a week later. Of the 15 lbs. we picked, only about 7 made it into our freezer. The rest we ate. :)
4. Lake Michigan was another first for Lance and Liesel. Sitting on a warm, sandy beach, playing in the water and hiking sand dunes has got to be one of the most relaxing ways to spend an afternoon. Pictures won't do it justice, so just come visit us.
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| The ferry ride to the island. |
5. On our way back from Lake Michigan we realized that if we wanted to go to Mackinaw Island, before school started, the next day was the day to do it. So, as soon as we got back from the lake, we grabbed some dinner, packed our bags and headed to my parents. From there we all left early the next morning and made the three and a half hour drive up to the island. If you've never been to or heard of Mackinaw Island, it can pretty much be summed up in two words: bicycles and fudge. There are a lot of other great things about it too though. Needless to say, Lance and Liesel both loved it.
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| My parents and Parker came along on the trip, which made it really fun. |
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| The Grand Hotel (nope, we didn't stay there) |
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| The street lined with fudge shops. |
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| About to bike around the island! |
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| You will see views like this if you come visit us. |
6. On August 18 our lives changed forever. Lance started med school.
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| Doesn't he look great! He'll be an amazing doctor. |
As much as I was dreading the start of school, it really hasn't been that bad. Yes, Lance is gone most of the day, and yes, when he's home he spends most of his time studying, but we've still been able to do a lot of fun things.
One thing we both really love is having a daily routine. The alarm goes off at 6:00 am, Lance is at school by 8, and by 5:30 when he gets home, dinner is usually done and Liesel and I have had a busy day playing, singing, reading, running errands, walking or jogging, and making dinner. Having a basic routine makes me so much more motivated to exercise, cook, clean, and conquer my to-do lists. While the transition to med school hasn't exactly been easy, we are definitely making the most of this stage of life.
7. Liesel is 5 months and can now sit up on her own! Our sweet little girl is growing up way too fast. My heart grows bigger every time she smiles, laughs, squeals, or falls asleep in my arms. It's so hard to pick which pictures of her to post. They're all my favorite.
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| Her first time in a swing. She would never have gotten out if she'd had a say. |
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| Sucking on her bottom lip is a new favorite activity for her. |
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| I love her expressions! |
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| Liesel's world. |
8. Dinner is my new outlet for creativity. I'm on a quest to master the art of from-scratch.
I wouldn't say I'm a master at any of these yet, but lately my attempts have included, salad dressing, granola bars, naan, whole wheat tortillas, whole wheat bread, kale chips, gnocchi, chocolate ganache, chocolate cupcakes, and raspberry buttercream frosting (imagine those last three all together. So amazingly good! That's what I will make if anyone comes to visit!)
These are my three favorite recipe sources at the moment:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/
http://www.ourbestbites.com
http://www.melskitchencafe.com
9. I completed my first paid photography gig! I stressed about it a lot beforehand, but I think it went really well.
10. Lance received his first of many free hair-cuts (in other words, He let me cut it). His hair might be a bit too short just above his ears, and maybe a tad too long on top, but really those things are hardly noticeable. Thanks to my mom's expertise it turned out all right.
