Wedding is near

We had our first wedding shower this past weekend. Hart and I both talked about how real it really made the wedding process and how quickly things are approaching. We are reminded daily to enjoy this process and breath through the process of sorting all the details because we will soon have just memories! We are 38 days away from our wedding day. I found myself trying to picture what the day will be and feel like, but I decided today that I KNOW it's going to be beautiful and I KNOW that having everyone be there to be apart of our story is more than enough for me.

I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped with the shower this past weekend. You put on such a beautiful shower and it meant a lot to me to see how much time you put into the planning to make me (and Hart) feel really special. What means the most to us is seeing people excited for our marriage and our relationship. We really desire family to know us, our story, and how we are thankful for the wisdom they give us. So, THANK you to those who are helping and making this part of our story an extra special journey.

Manicure was a must for the special occasion

Here are some photos from the shower: 

This shower was hosted by my sisters and aunts on my mom's side of the family. I bought a new dress to wear from Charming Charlie which is my new favorite store. I am completely accessory illiterate. Yes illiterate, haha. This store, if you haven't checked it out, makes it MUCH easier to accessorize your outfit. For someone who is more likely found to be wearing comfy clothes, I knew I needed a special outfit for my shower and this store helped me! I had to also get a manicure to match, of course. 

Cute labels for the yummy food

My bouquet made by my Cousin Erin

Matching paper straws

YUMMY sparkling drink

This made me smile! I miss you Jamie!

My maid-of-honor Jamie is currently on a 9-month traveling expedition doing some volunteering in South America, and enjoying some time off from Medical School. I really miss her! Its hard not having her here during the wedding planning period, but fortunately we are able to text once in a while when she has some wifi. I have been sending her updates here and there, and she will be home in a ONE MONTH! Yay! It was so nice of her to take this photo. I really miss you Jamie!

Handmade 'pom-poms' by my sisters and mom!

Amazing family preparing food

Grandma's happy

Auntie Peggy. Thanks for the beautiful corsage!

Glad Hart was there <3

I'm really looking forward to the next wedding shower with the Olson side in 2 weekends! So thankful for my family and friends! PS. Please check out more photos and much more detail about the shower at my sister's blog HERE!!!  

***

Homemade juice

Today I woke up with a sore throat and stuffy nose. I immediately knew I needed to fuel my body with some good nutrients, as much as I wanted to stay in bed and just continue to sleep. I slept at my parents last night, because Hart and I finished addressing our wedding invitations late last night so they can go in the mail today! Look for a post on those later.... :) 

My dad bought a juicer a while ago, and I really love to use it. It is such an easy way to get a yummy drink, depending on the juicemaker of course ;). Anyways, I decided to take some photos today and show you what I made. I was craving orange juice so I decided to go off of that. I usually add ginger to my juice but we were all out of it. Luckily, my parents made a Costco trip last night, so we were fully stocked on juicing supplies.

Sooth-the-sore-throat Juice:

-1 pear

-1 mango

-2 oranges

-1 lime

-Handful of grapes

-Handful of carrots

-Ginger

Have to cut and peel most fruits before juicing them

Be sure to wash everything first. I usually cut fruits in half, and the grapes off the stem. Be sure to get rid of any seeds there may be.

Ready for the juicer

Adding the carrots

Final verdict: YUMMY! It has the perfect blend of sweetness and freshness. Sometimes using fruit will give you a very acidic drink, but this was perfect. My throat and body felt really good immediately after taking my first drink. 

Yummmmy

Hart's juicing style: I love when Hart juices because it is the complete OPPOSITE of what I would juice. :) Today he did carrot, apple, and orange which I would probably like. Most days, he adds plenty of lettuce, celery, and...well maybe sometime I'll do a little post on his creations.

Hart's carrot, apple, and orange (already in juicer) drink

***

Why I made this blog

I'm hoping and wanting this to simply be a place for me to journal, share the things happening currently in my life, and to provide a space to record memories, so that I can look back years down the road and remember what life was like during my twenties. I have not kept a consistent journal through my life, but I'm really hoping to start because it is really beneficial for me to reflect upon things that have happened in my life and witness how God is using life's situations to write my life story. 

It's so refreshing for me to think back on the 24 years of emotions, memories, and situations that have brought me to today. I sometimes wonder what it would be like, through the difficult and not so difficult times, to see a narrative of your entire life. From birth to death. Would you be smiling while you watch your life story? Would you cry again through those tough yet life-building situations? 

I want this to be a place for me to write down those memories, and ultimately share with others. I hope to remember that my life on earth is a complete gift, and to neglect documenting that would be a huge mistake. 

Hoping this finds you smiling,

My cozy 'new' home

I'm excited for this post because its been really fun to be living in my new place. I have been living here since October 2012 and its been fun putting it all together. After college, I moved home with my parents for awhile(thanks mom and dad). Saved some money and then after starting my new job in Minneapolis, decided to find a new place.

I began searching Craigslist for some apartments nearby. I knew I wanted to stay in my current town, so I contacted some potential places. Sidetrack....one of the more exciting parts about this was the thought that whatever I moved into, would be Hart and my first place together after we got married. Hart was willing to look at places with me and give his honest input.

Entrance to my apartment. January 2013

So, pretty soon after looking in the area, I found this adorable little apartment (now called the cozy cottage) that seemed really great online. Hart and I went to look at it, and I remember him saying, "I reallllllllly like this place. Wow this is so cozy, I reallllly like this place." All within seconds of stepping in the place. I really liked it too. It felt comfortable, had cute accents inside(more details to follow), was quiet/secluded, and also was recently re-done. The owner was really wanting to rent out the place, so I was able to bring down the price by $100 a month. This was a huge help for me, and also the only other thing I needed to worry about was electricity. All heat, water, etc was covered in the rent.

My backyard view

My apartment is the basement of a much larger older home. I like the fact that it is secluded because it is tucked back behind a windy driveway and lots of trees. Its nice and private. I have my own little spot to park and  bonus: I'm super close to my parents so I can stop over there any time. :) 

Front view of house

 I moved in quickly after signing, and started to realize how much I needed to start making it feel like home. I think the very first day I went to 6-7 different home stores, just buying tons and tons of items. I even bought a whole new set of dishes, HA! No worries, most of the things were returned the next week as I had more time to thoroughly think things over. :)

One of my most exciting projects was the bar stools that I refurbished. I was looking at Goodwill and found two matching bar stools. They were in really rough shape, but had a great idea to re-paint them and change the fabric on the seats. I went to Lowe's and found some black spray paint, and then went to JoAnn Fabrics to find some new fabric for the seats.

Removed the seat cushions to begin spray painting

Ripping off the existing seat fabric

New fabric on chairs

Another view of barstools. 

Photo after I first put them at the kitchen bar area


***