April Showers Bring May Flowers

Well, another two months or so have gone by since our last blog post. I can promise you it has been a VERY busy couple months though. :] Since our last post the following events have taken place: Shaun accepted a new job at the Cobalt Group/ADP as a Digital Advertising Product Manager (he's LOVING it!), my Cuz Erin & her husband Stu came for a visit, we got the rest of our engagement pictures back, Shaun turned the big 3-1, we celebrated our three year anniversary, we puppy sat Abigail for a weekend (Shaun's oldest brother's dog), Shaun spent a week in Orlando for work, I turned 28, we spent Easter in Puyallup with the family and we finished off a record cold April with Sara coming home from Pittsburgh for her bachelorette weekend in the much anticipated Seattle sunshine!

Anyone who knows me well would think I would have close to a million pictures given how busy we've been, but I'm very sad to report that is not the case. Our camera has been on the fritz...but thank goodness my bestie Liz is great about taking pictures, so I'm stealing some from her archive. :]

Go Kart's for Shaun, Jody & T's Birthdays!

Sleepover with Abigail

Heather's Birthday BBQ

Easter in Puyallup

Night #1: Going out on the town for Sara's Bachelorette

Night #2: Slumber Party

Sneak Peek!

Heather & Jon's talents (of One Love Photo) are taking them to Puerto Rico to shoot a wedding (lucky ducks!), so we may not have ALL of our photos back for a few weeks. But...they were sweet enough to give us a few photos to tide us over. We're absolutely GIDDY to see the rest!

Our Front Steps

Gas Works Park

We love One Love Photo!!! :-]http://www.onelovephoto.typepad.com/

'Models' for a day...

Shaun and I had the pleasure of working with Heather & Jon of One Love Photo this past Sunday while they shot our engagement photos. We weren't sure what to expect and were a bit nervous going into it, as neither of us has ever been the main subject of a professional photography session before. But after a few minutes of just talking and getting to know this amazing couple, our nerves were instantly put at ease. They are two of the most talented, yet humbling, people I've ever met and make you feel like you've known them for years. We were still somewhat awkward just from being the center of attention, but hopefully that doesn't show too much. Whenever we didn't know what to do, we just kissed and all of our insecurities would fade away...at least for a little bit anyway. (I think Shaun loved the photo session so much because he got so many kisses!) :-]

We started off the day finding little nooks around Gas Works Park that Shaun and I had never even noticed before. Heather & Jon have this remarkable ability to find beauty in rusty staircases or paint-chipped walls that we probably wouldn't have even given a second glance. They also ensured we took moments to just enjoy each other and the sunshine beaming on our faces. After we fully explored Gas Works, we headed home to get our furry little friend. Lanie instantly fell in L.O.V.E. with Jon and his funky lenses that were making these funny clicking sounds and were always pointed right on her face. She enjoyed chasing her green ball around the park until we got her good and tired so she would actually sit still for a picture or two. By the end of our session, Lanie was graciously giving out kisses to our new friends and stood looking out the door as they left...I think we were all sad to see Heather & Jon go after such a fun afternoon. We couldn't have thought of a better way to celebrate our one year anniversary of being engaged. :)

Happy 1st Birthday, Lanie!

Today marks our little Lanie's 1st birthday, so of course we are celebrating! She hasn't opened her gifts yet, but she did get to wear her new party hat.

Happy Birthday to our little furry bundle of joy!

Hello 2011!

Well, it would seem as though we haven't blogged since December 6th...whoopsies! Although we're well past the New Year's Resolutions period, maybe we'll make it one of ours to be better bloggers. But like any good resolution, we'll see how long that lasts. :)

We have been very, very busy the past month and have hardly had any time at home (hence the scarcity of blogs). In mid-December, Shaun took off to Mt. Baker for his annual guys' trip and I was off to Leavenworth with six of my besties for our second annual 'Sistah Summit.' We found an amazing log cabin a few miles out of Leavenworth that is likely to be our set destination for every girls' trip from here on out.

Next, Shaun, Lanie & I road-tripped home to Montana for a white Christmas! We had so much fun getting to and from Great Falls and enjoyed our time with my family very much. Shaun and Lanie got to see where I grew-up and also got to take a tour of my dad's farm in Big Sandy. It was freezing, but so wonderful being home. We did miss the Kehrberg family Christmas though....it was much more quiet then we are used to without four dogs and two kids under the age of 5 running around. Not to mention it was Shaun's very first Christmas away from home. :)

We made it back from Montana just in time to get a few days of work in before taking off to Whidbey Island to ring in 2011 with amazing friends! We rented a great house right on the beach and spent most of the weekend in sweat pants, one of our favorite past-times. After returning home, we were off to Tacoma to meet our dear friends, Sheryl & Nate's, new bundles of joy. Reese & Rory (a.k.a. the Brown twins) were born on December 20th and are the most amazing little gifts ever.

We were then lucky enough to have my siiiiiiister in Seattle for a visit the first weekend of 2011! Jaymee had a work trip so decided to make a weekend out of it. We had so much fun shopping and doing siiiiister stuff, which included finally purchasing my wedding dress! And to top it off, when it was time to pay for half of my dress so they could put in the order, Jaymee sneaked her credit card to the owner of Belltown Bride before I knew what was going on. It was the most surprising, generous and meaningful wedding gift ever from my MOH. I'm so lucky and can't wait to wear the dress on August 27th!

Finally, we took this past three day weekend to send off one of our favorite couples (and one of my besties of all-time) on their new adventure in Pittsburgh. Sara & Mike are off to the Steel City to take advantage of a job offer that Mike couldn't turn down...although he promised to have her back to us in two years! It has only been three days and I already miss my L.P. so much. Shaun & I are looking forward to visiting them in their new home when the Hawks play the Steelers in Pittsburgh during the 2011 football season. And luckily I'll get to see Sara numerous times this year for all of the activities surrounding our weddings!

Here are some pictures from our above adventures. Enjoy!

Christmas Tree Excursion

Lanie's First Christmas Tree

My mom emailed me last week asking if we'd like to take her pre-lit, artificial Christmas tree off of her hands because she recently bought a smaller one. I had to gently explain to her that Shaun would NEVER allow an artificial tree to pass through our front door. :) Instead, we headed down to Copper Creek with a group of friends to cut down our very own tree this past Saturday! We ascended up one seriously snowy/steep mountain with Lanie in tow, and after an hour (or two) of searching we found the perfect gem. Although...note to self: trees seem MUCH smaller when on a mountain surrounded by gigantic trees than in one's living room. However, after removing a few feet off of our tree we got it through the front door. Tonight we begin the decorating!

The Ladies

The Group

The Descend :)

Saying Thanks...

Warning: Do not continue reading unless you are ready for a corny, cheesy post. :)

The holidays are a time to indulge in endless mounds of turkey, stuffing, wine & pie and to also celebrate all that we are thankful for in our lives. 2010 has been filled with the highest of highs and some of the lowest of lows, but I am truly grateful for everyone and everything that has made this year a blessing. And I've decided to dedicate a blog post to that very thing. :)

For Shaun: I am beyond thankful for waking up to the most amazing fiancé and my best friend every single day...you continue to make me want to be a better person. Thank you for always making me laugh, for putting up with me when I'm grumpy, for thinking I'm beautiful even when my hair is a mess and I refuse to wear anything but sweatpants, for rubbing my shoulders when I'm stressed, for making my favorite meal every single week, for losing with grace to me in fantasy football :), for always making me laugh, for making every day of my life so much happier and for asking me to spend the rest of my life with you. That was the easiest decision I've ever made. :)

For my family: I am so blessed to have such a wonderful and supportive family and to have a siiiiiister I also call one of my bestest friends. Thank you for all of the time we were able to spend together this year, for traveling to Seattle to visit us numerous times, for supporting me through difficult times and for always believing in me. You challenge me to push myself to my limits and to never settle for anything less than what I deserve. And to my new family, the Kehrbergs...thank you for welcoming me into your home and into your family with so much love. I definitely won the lottery as far as in-laws go! I can't wait to meet the newest baby Kehrberg this summer and to get to call myself an actual Kehrberg this coming August. :)

 For my besties: A girl could not ask for a better group of ladies to call her best friends. Thank you for continuously making me laugh, for always supporting me (even through my poorest of decision-making), for making my work days more bearable through witty emailing and i.m. convos, for the genuine happiness you showed me when Shaun proposed, for helping me pick out 'the dress', for loving me even though I’m the epitome of a ‘homebody’, for our sistah summits that can never come soon enough and for simply being the most amazing and loyal friends on the planet. I love you all to the moon!

For Bill Heinlein: First of all, thank you for your part in bringing two of the biggest blessings in my life into the world. Liz & Kellan are pretty rad. :) But also thank you for showing such courage, grace, sense of humor and strength through the most difficult of obstacles. You have inspired us all to live each and every day to the fullest and have helped put life in perspective for so many people. You are truly an inspiration. Thank you for continuing to fight.

For Miss Lanie: Thank you for all of your puppy hugs and kisses, for greeting me with pure excitement every time I come home, for snuggling and keeping me warm at night, for all of your silliness that continues to make us laugh on a daily basis, for loving us unconditionally and most of all, for helping heal our broken hearts after losing Harvey. Harvey left some pretty big 'paws' to fill, but I know he would have approved.

I am so excited to see what 2011 brings...I know it will be the best year yet! I love you all and thank you for putting up with the cheesiest of posts.