Books 2016

Here are my books choices for 2016.  I will attach a link to the book summary and reviews!  I will continue to update it as I finish books.  Let me know what you liked!

"Station Eleven" by Emily St. John Mandel
This story's central character is an actor who actually dies within the first few pages of the book, but the plot shares his history and keeps him connected to the future.  Very compelling and a must read. 

"The Language of Flowers" by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
This is the story of a girl in the foster system and how flowers healed her.  I enjoyed this book as it gave some insight into the challenges of the foster care system and the importance of family and people who love us.

"100 Days of Happiness" by Fausto Brizzi
This story is about a man in his 40s who is diagnosed with terminal cancer.  It chronicles how he spends his last 100 days trying to be happy and live.  This was a compelling read and I got through it pretty quickly, but the end had me questioning everything.  I'd love to know what you think!

"Summerland" by Elin Hildebrand
A story that starts out with a car accident, and chronicles the story of teenager twins, their life on Nantucket and the events that led up to the accident.  I thought this book was just OK and it took me a while to get through.

"The Racketeer" by Josh Grisham
This book tells the story of a man who is falsely accused of Racketeering and his story of redemption.  I read this book in two days.  It was very well- written and easy to read with a compelling story.

"Bread and Wine" by Shauna Niequest
This books is a collections of stories that share how the author has embraced "life around the table" and how she has grown closer to people by eating with them and sharing life with them.  This is my favorite book of the year so far.

Why Our Summer Rocked...

If it were up to me, everyone would have a summer break!  I am so blessed to be able to be both a working mom and a stay-at-home mom during the year.  I get the best of both worlds!  This summer was truly a treat.  The girls are at a really fun age, and we were able to do almost everything on our bucket list!  We didn't do anything extravagant or take any big vacations, but it was our first summer in our new house, and we kept busy!

Here are some pictures of our summer!

 We picked strawberries.

 We celebrated Fathers Day with some ice cream at the union!

 The girls took ballet at Storybook Ballet.

 We had our first "real" dentist appointments.

 Brett and I split the girls up a few times to spend more time with them one on one.

 We went to Green Bay to visit gpa and went to Bay Beach!

 We saw the new exhibit at Henry Vilas Zoo!

 We went to a 4th of July parade at Aunt Vals house in IL!

 We went to Emily and Damien's wedding in Iowa!

 We swam at the hotel and spent time with gma!

We went to the Middleton splash pad!

 We had a picnic.

 We played on our new play set.

 We went to a Mallards game.

 We colored A LOT.

 Brett and I went out for our 6th anniversary.

 I read 7 books.

 When the girls were both fully potty-trained, we got them a jeep (their favorite toy!)

 They had a dance recital.

 They officially started swim lessons at the Middleton HS pool.

 We went to Concert on the Square with nana!

 We went up north and had ice cream.

 We saw the sunflowers at Pope Farm.

We spent a lot of time with this lovely lady!

 Brett and I went to Door County (alone!) and besides getting stung by a wasp, it was awesome!

 We hung out with cousins!

We got a riding mower (finally!!)  3 hours was too long to push mow.. :)

And that my friends is why everyone deserves a summer break.  Every year, I think that summer will go by more slowly, but it doesn't.  I blink and it's gone.  Looking back at these pictures though, makes me really happy and thankful that I had the time I did with my family.  I hope you all had a wonderful summer as well and cheers to the cooler weather and a beautiful fall!

Door County 2015

If you live in Wisconsin (or close) and haven't been to Door County, you need to bump it to the top of your list.  It's one of my favorite places.  Brett and I have been lucky enough to go to Door County the last three years as a couple, kid free.  It's been a team effort.  My dad has gotten us a gift certificate the past few years to stay at different bed and breakfasts, and both my mom and Brett's mom have taken care of the girls while we were away.

We always look forward to this trip, and this time was no different.  We stayed at the Whistling Swan in Fish Creek.  It was a cute, charming bed and breakfast, that also had a nice restaurant.  We ate there our first night.  

The first morning we were there, we rented a tandem bike and did a 13 mile loop through Peninsula State Park.  I would highly recommend doing it, and if you haven't tried a tandem, it's a fun thing to do as a couple.  We rented our bike from a place across the street from the entrance and paid half of what they were asking at the shop right near the park.  

On our way to lunch, I got stung by a wasp on my toe, which really put a damper on the rest of our time there.  I cannot believe how badly the sting hurt, and I ended up needing to put ice on it for the rest of our time there.  Even a week later, it is still sore.  We tried to make the most of our trip though, and did what we could to enjoy time together and apart from the kids.  

We visited the marina that Brett designed in Egg Harbor.

We relaxed and read.

We drove through the different towns, this is in Ephraim.

We had amazing food.  (GF pizza and sangria from Wild Tomato in Fish Creek)

We shared ice cream from Wilsons and listened to live music at a park.

Saw beautiful sunsets.

And visited a winery and little shop on our way out of town.

There are so many awesome things to do in Door County.  It almost doesn't feel like you are in Wisconsin when you are up there.  All of the little towns have so much to offer.  I'll leave you with a list of my favorites.

Favorite restaurants:
Wild Tomato - great pizza (GF options),  Fish Creek

The Cookery - they offer a great variety for all meals (GF options), Fish Creek
Chop - awesome steak , Sister Bay

Best place to get ice cream:

Wilsons in Ephraim 

Best shopping:
Fish Creek

Favorite activities:
Anything in Peninsula State Park (biking, hiking, driving a loop)
Going to the beach (Sister Bay has a great new beach area)
Visiting a winery

Cherry picking

Favorite place to stock up on salsa, fudge, jam, etc.:
Wood Orchard Market, just outside of Egg Harbor

Favorite Bed & Breakfast (so far):

Blacksmith Inn - It is on the other side of Door County in Bailey's Harbor, but the accommodations were great, breakfast was good, and they offered free bikes, paddle boards, and kayaks.  It is only a 15 - 20 minute drive to the other towns, and is nice if you are looking for quiet.

Books 2015

If you know me, you know I love to read.  Each year, I will compile a list of the books I've read, with a link to the description and reviews!

"Firefly Lane" by Kristin Hannah

"The Invention of Wings" by Sue Monk Kidd

"The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins

"Grain Brain" by Dr. David Perlmutter

"Big Little Lies" by Liane Moriarty

"Still Alice" by Lisa Genova

"Fly Away" by Kristin Hannah

"The Secret Keeper" by Kate Morton

"Magic Hour" by Kristin Hannah

"The Lucky One" by Nicholas Sparks

6 years - The Story of Us

Can I just say, I had intended to keep up with this blog more frequently, but life kind of gets in the way.  Anyways, one of my goals this summer was to get back into it, not necessarily for you (although I love to share), but for us, for our family.  This place is kind of where our family started, and someday, I hope we can look back at the blog and remember all of the happy times and all of the really hard times, because Lord knows, we have been through and have been blessed by them all.

Today, I want to dedicate this to my sweet husband.  Today is our 6 year anniversary.  When I look back on the past six years, I see smiles, overwhelming joy, frustration and anger, and I see deep sadness.  We have been through so much in the past six years and I can't imagine doing it with anyone else.  We've been through the scary pregnancy and birth of our girls, we've experienced divorce, sickness, major surgeries and nothing compares to the loss of Brett's dad.  But we've also shared so many happy times, like getting to see our babies grow into beautiful toddlers, building a new home and being blessed with my mom living five minutes away.  We've grown in relationship with many new friends and have restored some broken relationships.  We've been blessed with good jobs and our health.  We have much to be thankful for.

I always enjoy hearing how couples met so I thought I would share our story.  In the spring (April) of 2008, I was only a month away from graduating from college and starting to look for teaching jobs.  I had been volunteering with the high school ministry at our church and co-led a mentoring program with a guy named Tony.  I can't remember if Tony asked me in person or messaged me on Facebook, but he told me about his roommate and asked if I'd be interested in meeting him.  The first time he asked, I said "NO"! Ha!  At the time, I just wasn't interested or looking for a relationship, and didn't see the point in meeting him.

Well, thankfully Tony kept asking.. and finally, I said "sure".  Tony agreed to introduce as after church some Sunday.  That Sunday eventually came, and Tony was there with his girlfriend, Lindsey (maybe finance at the time?) and Brett.  I remember walking up, and feeling awkward.  Well, the conversation wasn't any less awkward.  I basically said hi to Brett, talked to Tony, and then walked away.  It didn't go well.  Tony, being somewhat persistent, saw me later that night at our HS group gathering, and asked if Brett could call me and set up a date for coffee or dinner.  Again, I said "sure".  About a week or two later, Brett picked me up on a rainy April night for dinner.  We went to Paisans.  The rest is history, right?  :)

We dated and had an amazing summer!  That August, I moved to Milwaukee for a teaching job, and Brett stayed in Madison.  We decided to continue dating and see how it went with the distance.  We saw each other nearly every weekend, and in December of 2008, Brett proposed.  After school was done that year, I moved back to Madison, we bought a house, and we were married on July 24, 2009 (only 15 months after having met).

One of our first dates in Madison

In Door County (how am I so short?!)

Up at Brett's parents' house

The cold night right after he proposed

After six years, our love has changed.  I no longer get the butterflies that I used to or feel as giddy with excitement when he's around, but our love is is deep and profound.  I can only imagine what it will look like in six more years.  It has been through a lot, and I feel comfortable because I know that he will love me through anything.  Our love will last because we choose daily, to love one another.  We sometimes struggle to make our relationship the most important relationship with have (yes, even more important than our children), but it's something that we continue to work on.  Brett is consistently one of the most patient, hard-working, and best guys I've ever know.  I'm SO thankful he's mine.

6 years later

The Twins Turn TWO!

On November 20 of this year, Abriella and Eva turned two.  It's hard to believe that two years has passed since I was in the operating room waiting to meet my sweet little girls.  So much has changed since then.  They are walking, running, climbing and getting into EVERYTHING!  They are talking and putting short sentences together.  They repeat everything we say, and they (mainly Eva) wants to do everything "myself... me do it".  Here is a little information on each of the girls at 2:

Ella-  "takes charge"

• approximately 24 pounds
• loves grandma's and grandpa's cats (Pete & Sammy) and talks about them all the time
• has a creative imagination and likes to pretend (especially with her kitchen and play food)
• LOVES to be outside and throws a fit when we come in
• tries to dip her finger in mom's coffee every morning as she says, "try, try.."
• is stubborn as a mule :) would rather stay in time out than say sorry
• can look at books for 30 minutes at a time
• likes to treat Roxy, our dog, like a horse
• LOVES jumping (couches, beds, crib, trampolines, you name it..)
• very adventurous in trying new things, she is always the first to try something new
• is more clingy to mom and dad around new people
• can be very sweet and very animated when she gets excited
• MUCH prefers mom to put her to sleep
• LOVES playing hide and seek 
• obsessed with phones and watching videos like "Itsy Bitsy Spider, The Wheels on the Bus"

Eva- "the gatherer"

• approximately 23 pounds
• wants to do everything by herself
• like her sister, loves the cats
• enjoys peeling her own oranges "cuties" and would eat 5 at a time if we let her
• wants to watch "Thomas" every time we get in the car
• is very particular about EVERYTHING
• loves to pretend
• can look at books for 30 minutes at a time
• prefers daddy
• LOVES jumping (couches, beds, crib, trampolines, you name it..)
• likes to "cuddle"
• every time she gets an "owie", she has to have an ice pack that she puts on her owie for about 2 seconds and then says, "all betta" 
• LOVES to be outside and throws a fit when we come in
• is a natural hoarder and carries as much with her as possible
• she wears and walks around in our shoes all the time, she's getting pretty good at heels
• loves to be upside down
• quick to say "sorry" or "sowy", as she says it
• obsessed with phones and watching videos like "Itsy Bitsy Spider, The Wheels on the Bus"

This year for their birthday, we were fortunate to have two birthday parties with family and friends to celebrate the lives of two, sweet little girls.  It was so fun catching up and spending time with everyone.

Here are some pictures from their birthday parties.

PARTY 1:

                                  

the birthday girls

with great grandma

a house full

jump house from mommy & daddy

cupcakes!

PARTY 2:

 carrot cake

excited for cake!