lucky duck

I have never considered myself to be lucky. I rarely win, and I am not big on gambling.

Last week, my hubby proved once again that I hit the jackpot when he decided to marry me.

As if is wasn't a great enough afternoon coming home to two pairs of new shoes I ordered online, when I rounded the corner I caught a glimpse of these little beauties. 

Still looking and smelling great today.

Then I headed to get something out of the freezer to only stumble upon...

my favorite ice cream from Cold Stone. Don't mind if I do.

To top it off he even made me supper. 

This little lady is feeling pretty darn lucky. 

the benefit

Last Sunday was the benefit for Nate's brother Cory. Everything went great and we were overwhelmed with the number of people who showed up.

Thank you to everyone who helped put the benefit together.

And thank you to everyone who came out.

ON IOWA!

It's that wonderful time of the year, football season. We love cheering on our beloved Hawks, especially since Iowa is where we met. 

Last weekend it was Iowa vs. Pittsburgh, and Iowa came out on top with a fourth quarter win! We had our nephew, Jase, along with us for the day.

 Twins?

 Only 6 short years after we met.

 What's tailgating without bags?

And of course some photos from the game...

It was a great game to be at, and we had a ton of fun taking Jase to his very first Hawkeye football game.

Go Hawks!

where i would rather be...

please excuse me...

i get that working is necessary, but i cannot help but to think of all the things i miss while at work.

cooper's cuddles

spending time with my hubby

general hospital

staying ontop of househeld chores

cooper's kisses

working out
naps

going for extra walks
reading good books
taking time for myself

just to name a few.
the list really could go on and on...

maybe it's the particulary gloomy day, but i cannot stop my mind from taking me elsewhere.
come on 4:30 pm!

on a side note, i brought my first plant back to life.
the plant was a gift.
the plant did not love apartment life.
nate jokes that i have a black thumb, but below is my proof that i can keep something alive.


pretty darn proud of myself.

weekend recap

Nate and I were lucky enough to have couple of super cute visitors this past weekend. My niece and nephew, Meagen and Zander, spent two nights with us.

We spent a lot of time at the park and playing around the house. However, I knew eventually we would need something new to mix it up. Luckily, I had thought to grab these large pieces of  scrap paper from work for the kids to draw on.

They LOVED it, and it kept them entertained long enough for Aunt Julie to reclaim her sanity. 

Meagen took time to draw a picture of all us, including Cooper. I helped her spell the names by each of our pictures. It was amazing to watch her get excited when she knew how to write some of the letters.

Please quit growing up so fast baby girl.

Showing us her artwork.

The paper also made an excellent telescope.

As always, we enjoyed having the kids come to stay.

 Cooper was ready for a nap in his Papa's elbow by the time the kids left. He definitely loves being our only "child".

We hope you all had a great weekend as well!

the windy city

August 22, 2011.

We took a little trip to Chicago.

After a little GPS breakdown, thanks to Nate's ever faithful Droid, we made it to Navy Pier. 

This was my second visit, and Nate's first.

After we grabbed a bite to eat.

I stole some smooches on the ferris wheel.

And Nate laughed at my fear of heights.

And then Nate got fulfill a dream.

We went to our very first game at Wrigley.

And had the best experience.

The game?

Cubs vs. Braves. 

And the Braves even won for us.

Another first for us, was making it early enough to watch warm-up. 

Nate was as giddy as could be.

Ahhh.... this is the life.

I loved our little stolen vacation before summer's end.