And then what..??

One month from today Nathan will officially be a Doctor of Chiropractic. AHHHH! I am so excited and extremely proud of him, yet I am still in disbelief (as I'm sure so is he). He will be the first to tell you it was not easy, but that it is definitely worth it.

Where did I see us when this time approached? Truthfully, with more answers to all of our unanswered future plan questions. The closer the day gets, the clearer it's becoming to me that it will still be awhile before we can breath easy. So many questions (which I'm understandable being asked at family events) to be answered. Oh how I would LOVE to have all the answers.

Meanwhile, between losing sleep and small freak-out moments, we are keeping really busy. A good kind of busy. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have 24 more hours in day. Maybe I would be super productive and get all the answers to my questions in a much quicker fashion. Or maybe I would use that extra time cuddle with my husband, watch a good romantic movie, and make a trip to Coldstone for a peanut butter-cup perfection. Whatever the answer is, they both sound alright to me.

Hawkeye Roses

Beautiful yellow (hawkeye) roses from Nathan. They are so pretty I just had to share.

"Don 't hurry. Don't worry. You're only here for a short visit. So don't forget to stop and smell the roses. " Walter Hagen

To my beloved Hawkeyes

What a beautiful couple of days this week. The weather has been reminding me of everything fall-like. As much as I cherish the summer months, there is a a lot I appreciate about fall. One of those being the Iowa Hawkeyes!

Nate has always loved the Hawkeyes. When I was asking him about it he told me about how devastated he was many years ago when he got paint on one of his Hawkeye sweatshirts. My love for the Hawks started much later in life. The house I grew up in considered WWE or WWF a sport. Let's just say sports were not and are still not existant at my parents house. Which is why it has taken me so long to get used to Nate's preference in t.v. channels. Oh how ESPN can bore the heck out of this girl.

My senior year in highschool I had narrowed my choices down to Iowa or UNI. I applied to both and got accepted. Now how was I going to choose between them, never having visited either? One weekend I made the trip to Iowa City with a friend. I fell in love.

I have always considered myself fairly independent, and I was thrilled to be going somewhere new. Somewhere no one else from my small town was going. It was my freshman year orientation that I had the realization of what was about to happen. Was I was really about to move over three hours from home, would not have a single friend, and no idea where to find anything?

I am confident looking back now that it was the right descision for me. My dorm roommate ended up being one of my closest and dearest friends, along with a couple of other girls on my floor.

I met Nate on my very first day there. Infact within the first hour. He helped me move into my dorm. I believe that was fate.

I met so many amazing people through class and work that I will never forget and I hold dear to my heart.

I absolutely loved living in Iowa City. So although my love for the Hawkeyes didn't start as young as Nate's, I am glad to say I am a Hawkeye.

Cooper loves being a Hawkeye too!

Build, Bake, Play, Eat, & as always Enjoy!

Yesterday was Nate and my 2 months wedding anniversary(and you all thought he got off easy by marrying me on my birthday)! Time has just flown by since the wedding. While we know it may be a bit strange to celebrate your 2 month wedding anniversary, we have been traveling home so much since the wedding that we both were really excited to have night to spend together without having to worry about packing for the trip and so forth.

So what does a couple do for their 2 month anniversary? Well, I have no idea what a "normal" couple might want to do, but I wanted to build a tent and eat in it. Block out the t.v. and any other background noise that occurs during our tipical meals. Just the two of us secluded in our own little world.

First step, build the tent. I thought this would be a piece of cake. Turns out, we both had different ideas for building the tent. It turned out to be a communication in marriage 101 class for us.
Next step, indulge yourself with a glass of wine. Easy enough.

Third, get comfy. Our house special for the night was a homemade heart-shaped pizza. My idea of course.

Play with your loveable furball while the pizza bakes!

Take the pizza out of the oven and slice up to enjoy! I do not have a picture from the last step because I was to busy enjoying. We took the pizza to the tent and ate away. I know this may seem a bit silly to most people, but it was just the date night I was looking for. I have to thank my husband for going along with all of my "unique" date night ideas. I would love it if you would share some of your favorite ways to spend date night with your loved one.

A Cooper-less Camper

I know I have mentioned how much I love my furry little pup before, but I just cannot help but share another story about how much he means to me. Do not get me wrong there are many moments I catch myself thinking, "What we were we thinking getting a puppy?". For example, when he chews on something or everything other then a toy or bone, or when he wakes me up early on my days off to go potty, or when he embarrasses me by barking like a crazy dog at a big dog on our walks. I will not forget to mention that when he is naughty he never looks ashamed he only walks away all smug. That pup has me exactly were he wants me!

It is true what they say though, "Dogs are what unconditional love is all about." His good moments completely outweigh the naughty ones. He knows when I am not feeling my best, and will snuggle up and make things better.

This last weekend our small family headed home for a wedding. On the way we came across some campers for sale. I started telling Nate how I could not wait for when we were older and could travel in a camper. Then just like that, it hit me. No Cooper. By the time we can ever afford a camper or to take time off to travel the odds are that Cooper will no longer be with us. We always joke that he will live forever, but we know this is not possible.

As my eyes filled with tears (yes a bit emotional), all I could do was just stare down at him sleeping peacefully on our long drive. I want to keep that moment with me forever, along with him. If only....