It's gonna be a great week...

Monday: Someone FINALLY picked up the chair that I've been trying to sell on Craigslist! I've been stood up two previous times. (The only bad part was that they didn't want the loveseat, so we still have that in our garage).

Tuesday: Payday!

Wednesday: Finding out if I'm a getting a niece or nephew!!!!!

Thursday: It's that last work day for the week!

Friday: No work and no plans! Will be poolside!

Saturday: Fourth of July!! Looking forward to some great brisket and fun with friends!

Sunday: Dave's off, so we get to hang out two days in a row!

Three years. We're still running.

Dave and I celebrated our third anniversary yesterday!!! I must say that my husband did a great job making this anniversary so memorable. He had Lou Malnatti's pizza delivered to our house! ALL the way from CHICAGO! It's where we had the best ever pizza during our trip last summer to visit Erin and John in Chicago. And it was just as yummy as I remembered!

The other thing Dave did was order the same cake we had at our wedding (a smaller version). Since that cake was the best ever, we didn't have any left over from the wedding. Consequently, we weren't able to save any and eat it on our first anniversary...as you're supposed to do according to some (weird) tradition. I was really surprised to see that too!

All of this was extra awesome because Dave had school and work all day on our anniversary and we hadn't discussed anything we were going to do. I just thought we'd get take out like we did the year before. But this was the best surprise! He obviously put some time and effort into ordering all this deliciousness and it meant so much to me.

I should also add that he got me the Crocs that I've been wanting. (Not your typical Crocs...much cooler!) He bought himself a similar pair a couple of weeks ago, and I was jealous because he bought the men's version of the pair that I wanted. So I was very happy that he listened to me and bought a pair for me too!

On to more sentimental stuff....

I can't believe Dave and I have already been married for three years. For more than 1,000 days. That means we've been married for almost half the time we've been together. I love celebrating my anniversary because each year is an accomplishment. This last year has been one of the best for us yet.

This year...
We survived new jobs and jobs losses.
We celebrated holidays and birthdays.
We survived the death of a grandma.
We celebrated the election of a new President.
We survived through another school year.
We celebrated friends' weddings and births of children.
We survived a car crash.
We enjoyed our time at home and away.

Each struggle, each accomplishment; we've done it together, hand in hand.
We've grown closer together.
Fallen more in love.
There's no one else that I'd rather have on my journey through life.
I'm so blessed to have Dave and to be his wife.

Here's a slideshow of some of our highlights together from year three. I should also give credit to Katie Mathews Photography for some of the pics and the collage. Having a photographer in the family has its benefits. ;)

Like a vacation...

This past weekend was so beautiful and blissful that I felt like I was on a vacation.

Saturday morning, after eating the scrambled eggs that Dave made us, we headed down to the Prior Lake Farmers' Market. We took Otis and Cooper with us, and they both did so well (we don't take them into public places with lots of people very often...so this was a good test). Cooper didn't growl or bark at anyone like he does at home or around the neighborhood. It was Dave's first experience at the market, and it definitely exceeded his expectations. It definitely helped that there was a vendor selling home-made root beer. This summer, I'm trying to buy more local produce...so I stalked up on tomatoes (grown in a local greenhouse), green onions and potatoes. As summer progresses, it'll be fun to get a larger variety of produce.

We followed the farmers' market with a trip to the dog park. The weather was so beautiful that we did two laps -- walking about 3 miles. That wore the dogs out for the rest of the day!

In the afternoon I went to our pool with my sister, Rachel. Becky and my nieces ended up joining us, so I ended up spending all afternoon by the pool. I got a little too much sun. But really, it was a picture perfect summer day and I loved every minute of it! No clouds. Low humidity. Lots of sun. Upper 70's. Just a light breeze. The weather doesn't get any better than that!!!

Sunday after church, Dave and I went on a bike ride down to Shakopee. We went about 7-8 miles. My bike isn't the best for long distances, so transitioning to sitting down has been really sore for me last night and today. Of course, our bike ride ended with a stop at Dairy Queen. I always say, "the best part about a bike ride is the reward at the end."

Then we headed over to Becky's house for her birthday dinner. Amanda helped make a lot of it! She was a busy girl -- she helped make the BBQ ribs and the rhubarb crisp.

Are you still with me??

This weekend is Grandma's Marathon. I retired last year. But Dave is running the full marathon again with Bryan. Just wanted to mention that, because you can sign up for text message or email alerts again. Thought some of the family who can't make it to Duluth might be interested in signing up, so they know right away when Dave sets his personal best.

Catch up...

All of a sudden things went crazy around here...so I haven't blogged at all. But I think we're back to normal now, so that's good for me. And you guys -- cuz I'm back!!

Here's what's been going on with us...

• The day after Dave's grandma passed away, Dave's parents and sisters flew in to town from North Carolina. We picked them up and the airport and caravanned down to Rochester (Dave and his sisters were in one car and I was in the other car with my in-laws and Otis and Cooper). We stayed in Rochester until the wake, funeral and burial were all done. It was amazing to see all the love and support from all of Louise's friends and family. She had more than 150 people at her funeral -- not bad for an 87-year-old. I'd be happy with half that many at my funeral. We also went to go see Dave's Great-Aunt Hazel while we were down in Rochester. She's living in a nursery home and has dementia, and it was the first time I've visited her since she had forgotten a lot of her memory. It was bittersweet when I said good-bye and she told me, "Say hi to the little ones." One thing that I really witnessed was how a family grow closer together while experiencing hard times. Not only could you see it happen between Dave's aunts and uncles, but I too felt like I bonded so much with all of Dave's family over the days we spent together. And I know that puts a smile on Grandma Louise's face.
• Otis turned 3! Our little puppy is no more. My little boy is growing up. *tear*. Actually, I was looking forward to taking Otis to the dog park on his birthday and giving him a special rawhide present, but the day came and went and I totally forgot it was his birthday. I'm a terrible mom! Good thing he's a dog and probably didn't know that it was his special day anyway.
• I got the flu! Not the swine flu though. But it zapped my energy for a couple of days, so I'm glad I got over it quickly.
  
• On the same day, it was my sister's birthday (I won't say how old she turned) and we went to a graduation party for Dave's cousin, Ellen. It happened to be super cold and rainy. Later that night we went to see Angels and Demons. After the movie, we were walking through the dark parking lot and it was still misty/raining some. Guess what I proceeded to do? As we were walking from the parking lot and onto a curb, I walked straight in to a sprinkler. Yes, one that was on. My pants got wet. Very wet. Dave laughed. I laughed.
• I bought tickets to visit my sister in LA in September!! I'm really excited to visit. She's lived there for almost two years now and it's only my first time going to see her. I'm hoping to take in a tour of her studio (lol....like she owns it...actually she just works there) and also to visit the beach and see some famous people. Maybe I'll get to see a taping of a show or something like that (Stevie and my dad went to Leno and sat in the 2nd row a couple of months ago).
  

That's pretty much it, I guess. It doesn't seem like it's been so busy when I write it down, but between the funeral and the flu, I either been not at home or exhausted.

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer. The sun is back today!!! Hooray!