San Antonio

This past weekend we went to San Antonio to watch my brother graduate from dental school. I am so proud of him and his great accomplishment! While we were in San Antonio we we able to go out and explore some of the sights. Wow, that heat combined with the humidity really drains the energy right out of you! I guess people who live there are used to it, but we certainly are not! We took many naps while we were there, and relaxed by the pool at the hotel.

Brandon received his hood and graduated Magna Cum Laude of his dental class. Way to go!

After graduation we went to dinner at Pappasito's to celebrate! This is one of my favorite restaurants in San Antonio!



Thanks for the bunny ears, Brooke!



We went to see some of the missions of San Antonio. They were actually pretty cool! They were built in the 1700s as a safe place for people to go to. They were largely occupied by Native Americans who were converted to the Catholic church by Spaniards. The natives were given food and refuge in exchange for conversion and labor. The natives are the ones who actually constructed the buildings for the Spaniards. The missions today are still used as active churches where people can attend worship services.

On our last day there we went downtown to the Alamo and the Riverwalk. I love the riverwalk! It is so beautiful. It was so great to share it with Lucas. We went on a boat tour along the river and ended up having the same tour guide that my family and I had when we were there 4 years ago.



Girls' Night Out

I guess it is time to write in our blog, when I signed in to write this, the whole format of blogger has changed from the last time. I think I am figuring it out, so here we go!

A few weeks ago I was invited to go out for a girls' night with my mother in law and sisters in law. We started our night by going to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. After lots of yummy food (and cheesecake!) we headed over to the Buell Theater to see "Wicked". I had never seen it before and was pretty excited. We got there 4 minutes before the curtain time and rushed to our excellent seats. The show was great! The storyline went a little different than I had expected, but I liked it! A BIG thank you to Cynthia Knobel for the awesome tickets!

After the show we had the opportunity to take a backstage tour! It was really cool to see everything that goes into putting on the show. We got to see (and hold) the blue "bubble dress" that Glinda wears at the opening of the show. Wow, that dress is heavy!! We were not allowed to take pictures backstage except for one thing.... they let us take a picture in front of the Oz head.

At the end of the tour they gave us each a program booklet that had been signed by both of the witches.

Spring in Colorado

This spring has been unusually warm. March is usually our snowiest month, but this year we had the driest, warmest march ever on record for Colorado! As much as I love snow, it has made things fun!

Lucas bought a bike and I fixed up my old bike from when I was about 10 (yes, I can use the same bike because I haven't grown!) We have had a lot of fun riding our bikes around the neighborhood and exploring. We also like to ride to the tennis courts and play a little. We are not very good at tennis, but we have fun with it!

We are attempting a vegetable garden this year. We got the indoor garden starter and are surprised by how fast they are growing. We need to get them into the ground, but you never know if you will get another freeze when you live in Colorado. Gardening is a learn as we go experience for us. This year we are attempting to grow tomatoes, carrots, cucumber, broccoli, snap peas, butternut squash, bell pepper, and jalapeno pepper. We will see how they turn out!

Easter was fun this year, especially because we didn't have to do a holiday marathon like we did on Christmas... my parents came to Lucas's parents' house and we all did Easter together! It was fun to visit with everyone, have a feast of yummy food, and watch the kids hunt for eggs.

I have been having fun with new sewing projects. I never knew how much I would like to sew. I think it is because I love to create! That is why I love to paint, take pictures, cook, and make things. There is just something about creating that I love. It is an accomplishment and you get to put your own touch on it to make it one of a kind.

Lucas has begun "project: remove the massive bushes that take over our back yard." It will be a long process, but we are anxious to have them gone and have more space back there.

Our Home

A couple people have requested that I post some pictures of our home, so here they are!
The pictures were all taken with my phone, which has no flash, so they aren't the best quality. You get the idea though!

DINING ROOM


 KITCHEN

 OFFICE



I love the window bench!

FAMILY ROOM

 POWDER ROOM

 UPSTAIRS BATHROOM

GUEST ROOM

There is a 3rd bedroom, but it is currently just being used for storage and will be our future baby room (when the time comes).


MASTER BEDROOM

MASTER BATH



Our Coffee Table

Lucas and I have been wanting a coffee table for our family room. We have searched the stores and online. The problem with the tables in the stores: we don't like any of them! The problem with the tables online: super expensive!! We decided to solve this little problem by building our own!

We started out by sketching out a design that we both liked. We went to Home Depot and got all the wood then took it over to Lucas's shop to put it all together.

I got to learn how to use some fun tools!

We stained it a dark chocolate brown and added some steel strips to the top.

We also added 2 drawers to store things like remotes.

On a side note...... I got these beautiful flowers from Lucas on my birthday! Daisies are my favorite, but the store didn't have any, so he decided sunflowers were kind of similar.

Valentines and Other Events

Wow, January was over before I knew it! Time has been going so fast and we have been keeping very busy!

A couple weeks ago we had a huge snow storm! It wasn't the biggest, but it was enough to close school which meant a day off for me! :) Lucas still had to work, but came home early. I think we ended up getting about 16 inches. In our new home we never have to shovel. We have a neighbor who has a snow blower and clears our driveway every time it snows. He is an old Vet., but says he grew up in Minnesota so he loves doing it because it reminds him of his childhood. As the snow was melting over the next several days we got some pretty sweet icicles on our house!

Last week we went to Cirque Du Soleil: Dralion. It was amazing! I had never been to a Cirque Du Soleil show before (Lucas has been to several) so Lucas decided to get tickets as part of Valentines Day. I loved it!

For Valentines Day  we went out to Texas Roadhouse for dinner (we stuffed ourselves for sure). Lucas gave me 2 roses since it is our 2nd Valentines together. He also gave me peach rings (one of my favorite candies) and, of course, the Cirque Du Soleil tickets. I got him a new ring. I know, I know, we have only been married 4 months and he should not need a new ring already, but let me explain. For our wedding I got him a white gold ring to match the white gold band on my ring. White gold is very soft and Lucas works with construction, which means his ring gets scratched up all the time. For Valentines I decided to get him a Titanium ring that was a similar design as his wedding ring to be his "work ring". He wears that one while he is at work, and wears his actual wedding ring all other times.

Of course I also have done a couple new projects. (what can I say? I love having projects to work on!) Last Christmas I was looking for a tree skirt and didn't like any of the ones in the stores. I decided I would make my own. I bought fabric, but did not have a sewing machine to actually make it. I just swaddled the fabric under the tree and imagined what it would look like when I finally was able to make it. In January I bought a sewing machine and I now have a finished product!

I also made my first attempt at making a blanket. Lucas's beautiful sister is battling cancer for the 2nd time. I wanted to do something for her, so I made her a blanket for her birthday. Purple is her favorite color. Though it has many imperfections (I am learning as I go) it is definitely full of love!

Projects



We have been working on a few projects around the house lately. I just love DIY things You save money by doing it yourself and also give it your own special touch.  Here are a few of the projects we have done lately:

I saw this on Pinterest.  They had used vinyl lettering to make it.  Since I am cheap :) I had Lucas cut me a board, got out my paints, and went to work!

I found a great deal on a sewing machine!! Even better, I love this machine! It can do so much and it is so easy to use! I am excited to start making things!

These were my first sewing project. They are rice bags to use as hot packs.

Lucas is quite the handy man! He built these shelves in our garage for storage.

And the never-ending project: CLEANING!!!  I am amazed at how many things you can do with baking soda! You can get this huge bag at Costco for just $6.
~I read online a tip for cleaning my flat cook top stove. I decided to try it out and it worked great! First, sprinkle the burnt spots with baking soda.  Then, put a rag in a bowl of HOT soapy water and ring it out.  Lay it flat over the stove. Set your timer for 15 min. When you come back, just scrub the whole thing with the rag and the burned food spots come right off! After it drys, use a dry cloth (or paper towel) to buff away any baking soda residue that gets left behind.
~Another tip I put to the test was soaking my kitchen faucet in a mixture of baking soda and vinegar.  After it had soaked for a couple hours, a little scrub brush took the hard water deposits right off!
~Another cleaning tip I want to share doesn't use baking soda, but it is awesome! Use a used dryer sheet to take the soap scum off your glass shower doors.  make sure it is dry and just wipe the sheet across. The scum is gone with hardly any elbow grease!

One last thing while I am on the topic of cleaning.  For our wedding my Dad's siblings and my grandma got us an awesome vacuum! It is seriously the best vacuum I have ever used!! If anyone is in the market for a new vacuum, get the Shark Navigator and you will not be disappointed!