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.

Dad's Weekend in Seattle

About a month ago my dad, Dennis, decided he was going to take a VERY long road trip from Montana, to Seattle and on to San Francisco to visit his two daughters in one fell swoop! And this past weekend, Shaun and I were lucky enough to spend four days with my dad, something I cherish very much living so far away from my family.

My dad got into town just in time for dinner on Thursday and left for San Francisco early Monday morning. Friday, Shaun and I decided to take him out to Port Ludlow to show him the destination of our upcoming wedding and practice walking down the very long, gravely isle. And we stopped by Pike's Place Market on our way home to pick up fresh halibut for Friday night's dinner (it was delicious!). Saturday morning, my dad and I went to brunch with the Leander's, who were like a second family to me all through college...not to mention our dads bonded over the course of four dad's weekends at WSU while visiting their sweet daughters. :) Saturday night we were off to the Heinlein Casa for little Kellan's 2nd birthday party and Sunday we headed down to Gig Harbor to spend the day with Shaun's family and stuff ourselves full of Pam's amazing food. It was a busy, but extremely fun weekend! Shaun and I are looking forward to our road trip home to Montana for Christmas in just over a month so Shaun can finally see where his wife-to-be came from.

Ferry Ride to Port Ludlow

The site for our upcoming August wedding.

 Family Picture

 

 Kellan turns two!

Happy Halloween!

Once we landed in Seattle from spending the weekend in L.A., Shaun headed to the Sounders playoff game on Halloween night with the fellas and I was off to go trick-or-treating with my bestie and her little man, Kellan. Isn't he the cutest little bug ever? We think so. :)

We also found out some VERY exciting news over the weekend! Shaun's older brother, Jason, and his wife, Francie, are expecting their second child this coming summer! 2011 is shaping up to be one exciting summer for the Kehrberg family!

Here Comes the Bride...

Shaun & I spent this past Halloween weekend in the beautiful sunshine of Manhattan Beach, CA for Cuz Erin's wedding! The weekend started bright and early Friday as we left Miss Lanie in Gig Harbor for her weekend with Grandma & Grandpa and headed to the airport to catch our 7 a.m. flight to L.A. My mom, sister, Shaun and I all arranged our flights to get in around the same time so we could share a cab ride to the hotel...a cab ride filled with our driver honking and yelling at everyone around him, including his passengers. :) But once we made it to the hotel, everything was in walking distance which was so great! Friday day was mostly spent bumming around MB, getting manis & pedis and just taking in the sunshine. And Friday night we were headed down to Stu & Erin's, which is a block from the beach, to watch the autumn sunset. At dusk, we were off to a neighborhood restaurant for the rehearsal dinner with all of Stu & Erin's closest friends and family.

Saturday was the BIG day and it started off with some flower arranging. My cousin is extremely crafty and resourceful and decided to do her own flowers for her wedding. I removed leaves and stems and left the arranging up to the other ladies. But the finished products were amazing...you would never know she didn't go through a florist! After delivering the flowers to the hotel, us cousins headed to the salon to get our hair done and then back to the hotel to get the bride in her gown and make-up and Jaymee & I in our bridesmaids dresses (which were so cute!). We even had time to sneak in a mimosa, or two, before the 5 p.m. ceremony. :)

The wedding was absolutely stunning...you would never have guessed it was put together in only two months! Erin & Stu put so many personal touches and thought into every detail of their wedding, including a 'facebook' for each guest that was made up of a picture and description of how they knew each and every person at their wedding. I only hope Shaun & my wedding is as beautiful as theirs. Congrats Cuz Erin & Cuz Stu!!

The lovely couple!

Rooftop Welcome Party

Enjoying the sunset.

The Beautiful Bride!

Bridesmaids

The Bridal Party

 My handsome date. :)

 

 Cousins!

Weddings & Babies!

Shaun and I are at that age where a lot of our friends are either getting hitched or are having little bambinos...and two weekends back we celebrated both! Saturday we were off to the Baker-Young wedding to see a beautiful couple exchange their vows and Sunday I headed down to Tacoma for our dear friend, Sherly's, baby shower. We will be welcoming the Brown Twins, Reese & Rory, to the world in early December! To keep with the trend, the following weekend we celebrated the engagement of one of my besties of all time Sara & her soon-to-be hubby, Mike. Love is in the air! We threw in a birthday for our little Bianca too, just for fun.:)

Baker-Young Wedding

Can't wait to meet the Brown Twins!

Happy Birthday, Bianca!

 The boys celebrating B's birth.

Sara and her maids.

Denver Bound

Shaun and I do our best to make one Seahawk's away game every year, and this year we were off to Colorado! Shaun's dad, Steve, recently started working out of Denver. So naturally, as soon as we found out the Hawks were playing the Broncos in Denver, we started planning our trip! Shaun's Aunt Jan & Uncle Mike also made the journey over from the Tri-Cities to join in on the fun. We spent the first day enjoying the beautiful 90 degree weather by playing tourists...visiting the Garden of the Gods, Pike's Peak and exploring the adorable little town of Manitou Springs. And the second day we were off to Invesco Field to watch the Hawks. Despite the Hawk's loss, it was such a fun trip spent with amazing family.

 Garden of the Gods

 Loving Colorado!

 Invesco Field

Go Hawks!

Cheers to Jason & Francie!

Jason & Francie sneaked off to the court house last November to get married, but we weren't letting them off that easily! So Pam & Steve threw one fabulous marriage celebration for them in Gig Harbor to celebrate. The day was filled with sunshine, their closest friends & family, amazing food and unconditional love. We couldn't be happier for this lovely couple!

Congrats to Jason & Francie!

The cousins all dressed up!

Aunt Jan & Uncle Mike

The Browns & the twins made it too!

Complete with cutting the cake!

Labor Day Weekend

Shaun, Lanie & I headed out to Gig Harbor this year for Labor Day weekend...quite different from last year's which was spent on two house boats on Lake Roosevelt with 30 of our closest friends. :) The weather cooperated pretty well! The weekend was spent boating, teaching Lanie how to swim, BBQ'ing with Julie's family, taking a 4 mile walk with Steve & Pam...just good ol' fashion R&R.

Happy Boaters

Beautiful Day!

Lanie LOVES the water.

Julie, Kiera, Abi and Me

Gig Harbor + Tycen = Tired Lanie

A Dog's Purpose?

If you know Shaun and me well, or even read our blog once in awhile, you know how big of a dog family we are. At every Kehrberg family gathering, we have almost as many furry family members as we do humans...and we wouldn't have it any other way. :)

But with this love comes extreme sadness when we lose one of our pets. Earlier this year we lost Harvey, who will forever have a huge place in our hearts that belongs just to him. And yesterday, Harvey was reunited with Gunther. We are all going to miss Big-G so much...he was such a gentle giant and a wonderful companion to Julie, Kevin & Kiera. There is very little anyone can say to ease the pain of losing a pet, but Shaun's dad sent this to all of us this morning. I think we can all learn from this 6-year-old's wisdom...

A Dog's Purpose? (from a 6-year-old)
Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker 's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.
Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ''I know why.''

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation. It has changed the way I try to live.

He said,''People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?''
The Six-year-old continued,''Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.''

Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.

Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:
When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.
Take naps.
Stretch before rising.
Run, romp, and play daily.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Be loyal.
Never pretend to be something you're not.
If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.
Enjoy every moment of every day.

Say Yes to the Dress

This past Sunday, Sara & I went wedding dress shopping with our besties & little man K! I feel so lucky to be going through this wedding planning process with Sara...not to mention how blessed I am to have such fabulous ladies in my life. We started out with a delicious brunch at Mere & Kar's, followed by the wedding dress extravaganza. The day was a success, as Sara & I both think we found 'THE' dress. Love these girls to the moon!

Brunch

Mrs. Eshoo & Mrs. Kehrberg!

The best friends a girl could ask for...

Happy Birthday Kiera!

Even though little KierBear technically doesn't turn five until tomorrow (9/2), we celebrated in true Scooby-Doo fashion this past weekend. We also got to meet Kevin & Julie's newest addition...little Abigail. She's so darn cute & tiny! Lanie is no longer the new kid on the Kehrberg block. :)

Happy Birthday, Kiera!

Meet Little Abi

The babies...

Getting acquainted. :)