everything new...

So much has been happening! Here is the update!

At the beginning of July we had a bonfire/s’more and weenie roast with, who better than, Ashley and Scott!

Then, July 22nd I graduated!! My wonderful parents, little sister and brother all came out to support me! They are the very best and didn’t let anything stop them from making it out here!
Right after school was out, Dave planned (the night before) a backpacking trip and the next morning we were off! We hiked to Union Falls, about an 8 mile hike into Yellowstone. They are these beautiful falls with some pools nearby that are pretty warm.




We started off on the wrong trail but Dave’s man senses kicked in and he got us on the right path. We crossed 4 rivers (tip toeing across logs and braving the current in others) and scaled two mountains.


We packed in, missed the campsite, looked at the falls for 5 minutes but had to leave because the mosquitoes were so bad and went back to find those wonderful boy scouts. We never actually found those warm pools (they were supposed to make this whole hike worth it!). That night there was a horrible storm but luckily we stayed dry. The next morning, of course all the mosquitoes were still there so we hiked back out as fast as we could.
It was definitely an adventure!! So much fun but we’ve never been so happy to be back in our car!

a cruise thing.

It's about time I put up our CRUISE pictures! Dave and I went on a cruise at the beginning of April and it was so unbelievably fun! The two of us had a blast just running around the islands, eating the most delicious cuisine, meeting the natives and exploring every nook and cranny!

We visited Grand Cayman, Honduras, Belize and Dave's second home...Mexico!

Here are some pictures:

Amazing waves and water!

the smart car convertible.

neat man grove trees.

amazing coral reef!

bluest water we've ever seen

a REAL giant shell that Dave found!

He was quite the underwater explorer.

SCARY snakes we were in the water with

The Coconut Man

Only part of the hugest fish I've ever seen in real life! Probably 5' long.

This awesome crab that was actually really big (you can't tell very well).

We visited Hell in Grand Cayman. Nice people.

beach lovers.

TONS of fish swarming us.

Amazing sunrise over the island!

Dave exploring the ruins in Mexico.

This funny needle nose fish who got scarily close many times.

One of the many barracudas we saw. (just near the surface)

sooo many fish near a sunken ship

mini golf on the boat. Best golf game I've ever played!

We had the time of our lives! Happy birthday, anniversary, other birthday, Cinco de Mayo, Fourth of July and Christmas to us!

spring fever

I think I realized we had a problem last week. We were at Walmart, just purchasing a few essentials (sunscreen, lotion, aloe vera, seeds, shovel) when the cashier made a comment like,"somebody's ready for spring and YOU ARE the winner." I thought about it and... well I guess when you and your husband dress up in your swimsuits and daydream about summer you probably qualify as having "the fever." Here are some things we've been up to:

This wreath I saw at the store was my inspiration for...

this wreath I made.

We are trying to grow tulips in these cute little tin cans. I guess they're late bloomers.

We have a garden in the works and are hoping our seeds will turn into healthy plants!

For a little centerpiece, I planted some grass in a planter and then sawed a branch off our neighbors tree. The plan was to put little birds nests and things in the tree. To my surprise though, the tree started blooming and now it has these adorable little leaves!

Happy Spring!

the Lord's hobby.

I am married to a man who is constantly filling our (already completely furnished) apartment with beautifully antiqued and hand-crafted furniture made of the most beautiful woods and done with such precision and care.

I can hardly get him to come home and even though it makes me so crazy that he thinks about, dreams about, talks about, fantasizes for his birthday gifts about wood and then makes lists during church of all the things he'll build for our home one day, I adore it.

He doesn't read books on it or get a building plan before he starts, he just.. starts... and suddenly, out of nowhere, we have a perfect piece of furniture. He is so good at what he does and somehow, he has developed an incredible attention to detail for these projects.

So whenever I try to say something like I wish he'd think about me more instead of wood or that I'm tired of hanging out in the woodshop, he points out all our beautiful furniture and then sweetly reminds me that, "Jesus Christ was a carpenter you know..."


This was a Valentine's Day gift Dave made me to hang all my aprons on.


A pair of night stands - complete with the tricky dove tails.