Christmas 2014

One of the reasons I wanted to jump back into blogging is the quantity of pictures I've been taking lately, and my desire to share them with others. Pictures have a story, and I want to share and remember the stories. Facebook and Instagram are great for sharing photos, but I don't want to become one of those people that others start to "defriend" because of the over sharing. So, come willingly to my blog, and I will share!

Erik (my husband, for those of you not familiar with my new life) and I had yet another busy Christmas. But this busyness reminds of the great blessings in our life. We are so grateful for the many family and friend gatherings that take place around the holidays.

The weekend before Christmas we headed to Fergus Falls where some of Erik's extended family lives. The best part of this quick trip, we drove in my mother's minivan with six grown adults! Hey, why take two cars when you can take a minivan!? I've attached a bad self-timer picture from the van.

In Fergus Falls we ate a big meal, then hung out playing games like Blockus and Heads Up. If you need to liven up a party, download Heads Up, best party game ever! Then we headed to our hotel, where I Clorox wiped the entire hotel room because of the germs spreading across MN. I know, that may have been a bit overkill and Erik caught a cold anyways. We then enjoyed the hotel pool with Erik's cousins, then headed to Applebee's for some apps and taps.

Christmas Eve was our busiest day. We started with church at 4:00. Then we headed to my side of the family's get-together. We enjoyed drinks and appetizers for about an hour, then quickly jumped in the car to drive an hour south for Erik's family's get-together. Oh, and Erik and my mom had a small photo shoot in front of the tree!

Erik's family has a big Scandinavian dinner on Christmas Eve night. We had lutefisk, meatballs, lefse, and my Christmas salad. This year Erik and I brought aquavit to share! If I'm going to miss the aquavit at my gathering, we had to share the tradition with Erik's family. We all enjoyed listening to the reading of the Christmas story, and then had a big present exchange! All in all, a wonderful Christmas Eve.

Oh, and I got a camera tripod. Best gift ever. Watch out groups, I will make you pose.

We then headed to my parent's house. Of course we woke up to my dad's trumpet playing. This year's song was Deck the Halls. We enjoyed opening gifts, and then my brother, Andy and I made breakfast. 

The day ended with a Christmas dinner at my parent's house. The best part was that Erik's parents joined us this year. It was so nice to have both of our parents together for Christmas. We are so lucky to both have such wonderful parents. This was our first year without Grandma Eleanor, but we did say the Norwegian table prayer in her honor.

I hope you enjoyed a joyful Christmas with the people you love! Merry Christmas!

My Return to Blogging

I seem to have accidentally taken a long break from my blog. An accidental two year break. Why the break, Emily? Simple answer, I don't know, I got "busy." But really, I'm busy, but not that busy. I still seem to have time to check Facebook regularly, post on Instagram, and watch the occasional House Hunters. So, obviously I should find time to work on the blog. I should find time because I like it.

Today, sitting on the couch with a headache, I realized I've missed posting pictures and life updates. The blog is such a good tool for remembering life events. So, I'm returning. And I plan on posting about the past, as you've missed two years of my life. I got married, that was a big deal. That means my last name has changed. I've been teaching third grade for three years now. I also started grad school. Overtime I'll update about all of that. But for now, I'll start with the most recent, Christmas 2014. Stay tuned!

Labor Day Weekend- Day on White Bear Lake

Yesterday we spent the day at White Bear Lake with Erik's parents and some friends. We had beautiful weather and wonderful snacks. I made some homemade salsa, and then experienced some unfortunate burning on my fingers for the rest of the day due to the peppers I cut. Seriously, some times I feel like the weridest things happen to me. I googled pepper and burning fingers and found out I am not the only one that has experienced this werid sensation. At least the salsa turned out delicious!

Here are some pictures from the pontoon boat. Erik's parents just joined a boat club and we're excited to be boat participants! It was a gorgeous summer day. We ended the day with a bonfire.

First Day of Third Grade

Today was the first day of third grade. My own classroom. Something I've been waiting for for years! My own students. Kids I get to teach all year long!

I am tired. It was a crazy day! But a good crazy day. I love my class. Lots of cute kids with great imaginations. They are ready to learn, begging to spend more time reading today. It will be lots of work. I had trouble sleeping last night thinking about all of the little things. But I like it.

We read Officer Buckle and Gloria and Do Unto Otters to help us come up with our class rules. We filled out charts with post-it notes to help think about what we want our classroom environment to be. It was hot and is only suppose to get hotter as the week goes on.

It's going to be an exciting year.

Evanston Wedding- Jenny and Dave

This past weekend we packed up the Civic and headed to Evanston, IL. Our college friends, Dave and Jenny got married on Saturday. Dave and Erik went on Term in Asia together. Jenny and I went on Global together. Dave and Jenny have been together since sophomore year of college. I've been excited for this wedding for a long time! Jenny and I have very similar tastes, so I was excited to see and taste everything she had planned. The reception was held at the Woman's Club of Evanston, a short walk from our hotel. The food was amazing, warm chocolate chip cookie pie for dessert!

On Sunday we got to hang out with some friends at Jenny's parents house while they opened some gifts. Then a small group of us headed to the Cubs game. It was awesome to hang out with people and be at the stadium, but it was HOT! We enjoyed standing by the misters and sharing a Ziploc bag of ice. We think we maybe spent one inning actually sitting in our seats.

All in all, a wonderful weekend away. Congratulations to the Gruners!

Bread and Pickle

This evening I headed to Lake Harriet with some of my favorite girls. Meredith, Linnea and I enjoyed dinner at the Bandshell's concession stand, Bread and Pickle. The food is decent, but the view is spectacular. I got the mint chip ice cream cone for dessert, and they let me get the kid size for $2!

It's hot here in MN, but I'm trying to make the best of it, with popsicles and visits to the lake. I have to remind myself of these hot days when it is below freezing in January. 

A Monster from Rose

I just returned from a lovely afternoon run around the neighborhood. Along a quiet residential street, I was stopped by a little girl that looked to be about 4. She was carrying an Easter basket. She handed me a very folded up piece of paper. I opened it and Rose told me it was a monster that she drew. She told me she also wrote her name in the corner. She said I could keep the piece of paper. Her dad looked at me and said "thank you." Thank you, Rose! I love my monster!

PS- I have news to share..stay tuned!