Seattle + Port Angeles, Washington

If you follow my Instagram feed or Facebook, you may have noticed that my parents, Alex and I headed out west for a bit of a Seattle and Port Angeles, Washington adventure. We started our trip in Seattle and spent all day Friday exploring. We did a quick 90 minute bus tour which was fun and we got to see the highlights. After that we headed to lunch, explored Pikes Market, found some local wine to take home and headed up the Space Needle. It was a great afternoon but we weren't done with Seattle yet! We ate dinner at a nice little Italian restaurant to carbo load (more on that soon) and then we headed to Safeco Field to watch the Seattle Mariners play the Detroit Tigers. It was fun to go to a different stadium and cheer on a different team. But, no worries, we're still Cardinals fans at heart!

If you look reeeeeeally closely, you can see Bill Gates' home

The troll under the bridge

We enjoyed watching the fish fly

Saturday morning we woke up early and headed to the ferry to wind our way north to Port Angeles. Once we got there (after my dad's wonderful detour....) we checked into our hotel, went downtown to pick up our race packets and t-shirts and then headed to my sister, Sarah's house. It has been almost five years since we've last been together, so it was a much needed reunion. She and Patrick have two lovely little girls: Lily (4 (almost 5)) and Leah (2) and a handsome little man, Will (3). We played, talked and had a great afternoon and evening. After dinner we headed back to the hotel to get some rest.

Aboard the ferry

Hanging out with miss Lily

Dad and Will playing

Not quite the ocean, but just as lovely; enjoying the view of the Strait of Juan de Fuca

It was windier than I expected...

Mom and Dad packed a bit more appropriately than I did. 

Sunday morning we woke up bright and early, donned our running shoes and race bibs. We ran our second half marathon along the North Olympic Discovery Trail. We did great and Alex pushed through with his knee injury (which shouldn't have any long term side effects, but to be safe, he's resting for a while). After the race, we ate lunch and headed up Hurricane Ridge to see the Olympic mountain range. It was beautiful and worth the trip up the winding mountain. We ate dinner and said our goodbye's to the Lovejoy's. Monday morning we headed home and re-entered the real world.

Before the Race

After the Race

Our time was 2 hours 22 minutes

Bear Hug

Mama and Lily

Will attempting the figure out the binoculars

Leah playing in the snow in June

Where we roam, our Gnome roams

We had such a great trip and race and we are very thankful my parents let Alex and I tag along. Thanks Mom and Dad! As always thank you to Greg, our chauffeur and Moose sitter, we're going to miss you so much in August!

Wedded Bliss

Last Saturday my friend Darcy got to marry the man of her dreams, Cody. It was a beautiful, God centered ceremony and that will continue into their marriage. Darcy and I have been friends since cheering together in jr. high and for the last year we've been in community group together. We've laughed together, cried together, prayed together and become good friends. It will be weird not seeing her every Wednesday and Sunday, but we are so very excited for this new chapter in her their lives.

Congratulations Darcy and Cody! 

Becky and I got to make the flower poofs for the reception. 

Who doesn't love a good photo booth?!

Most of our community group was able to celebrate with the lovely bride and groom!

Where have we been & what have we been doing?!

Hello there! It has been one hectic May (not that I'd change it)! We have been here there and almost everywhere...in the Metro East. I don't have many pictures, so this will just be a lot of words, here goes:

Our weeks are filled with work, Cardinals games (woohoo!), meeting with the youth group, meeting with our small group, training for a half marathon (which is in less than two weeks....eek!), getting coffee with friends and of course hanging out with our main man Moose. As if that is not enough awesomeness, we jam pack our weekends with all sorts of fun. Here is a look back at our past three weekends....

The weekend of Friday May 2 to Sunday May 4:
Friday was the Trailhead Students Lock-in! It went great and we had a lot of fun and so did the students. We slept for a few hours but not nearly enough for the work we made for ourselves on Saturday.

--Back Story: When we purchased our home we knew that the landscaping on one side was not ideal for water to flow away from our house. We also knew that the basement had a history of moisture. Our inspector told Alex what would need to be done to (hopefully) remedy the situation.--

So on Saturday, after maybe four hours of restless sleep, we decided that we should tackle the landscape. We dug out a tree...yes with a shovel, then removed about 9 full wheel barrel loads of dirt to grade the landscape away from our house and down the hill a bit (the rocks and such were above the siding with no visible foundation, we now see some of the foundation). Then I Face-timed with my Dad who was the engineer from afar, to get his approval. He said good, not great and then after my defeated sigh and a bit of coercion, my parents agreed to come over and help us on Sunday afternoon.
I'm not sure if my parents qualify for sainthood yet, but mark my words, they meet all the requirements! On Sunday, they came over and my Dad and Alex removed even more dirt, moved the paver/brick things three feet further from the house, dug some sort of a trench to get the water to flow how they wanted it and added half a ton of rocks, literally, it was half of one ton! After the hard work was done, I planted some flowers to give us a cute little garden and both Alex and my Dad slept well that night! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

--We are pleased to announce that after a few storms with substantial rain, we still have a dry basement! Hopefully the landscaping did the trick.--

I don't have an after picture of the front yard yet. We're still planning more projects, more on that later.

The weekend of Friday May 9 to Sunday May 11:
On Friday I rested...Alex played poker with some friends. Not too wild of a night in the Williams' house. Then Saturday we woke up went on our long run and came home to manicure our lawn. We mowed, weed eated...ate? I even got to use the blower and we made sure everything was clean and ready for a party. Alex's brother, Greg, graduated from SIU-E with his Masters degree and we had the honor of hosting his party! It was a great evening full of eating and hanging out with friends and family. We are so proud of Greg and are exited for his next adventure at University of Kentucky, but we will really miss having him around. On Sunday, we headed to Carlyle to celebrate our niece and nephew's birthday's. These kids are growing up far to quickly and frankly I'm not ok with it. The party was great and the kids did not go without. We got to see Alex's mom at the party and wish her a Happy Mother's Day and I called my Mama about 3 times to make sure she felt loved.  :)

Last weekend:
We had no plans!! It was great! We did a little shopping, a little eating, a little cheering (Go Birds!!) and a little resting.

We are so grateful for everyone and everything in our lives. In this season of our lives, we are truly enjoying  the hustle and bustle of life and all the celebrations involved. We have an amazing family and group of friends, God has given us far more than we could ever ask for or imagine. It's hard to imagine that he could have so much more in store for us. God is so, so very good.

We have two more weekends left in May and they are quite full, so hopefully I get back on track blogging and there won't be any more super word-y posts!

work in progress + a video

Hello there! I'm in the working on a post to recap last weekend but in the mean time, watch this video. It's great for all of the other Frozen lovers out there. Enjoy!

happy hump day!

It's Wednesday which means the upcoming weekend is just as far away as last weekend. Hopefully I'll get a chance to binge sleep...yes sleep.

I'll start with what we're looking forward to. On Friday, Alex and I along with Brian, Melinda and Corey are going to be locked in with the teenagers of Trailhead. We've made a timeline with events and whatnot, but I'm still not really a night owl so it will be an interesting evening. But we're really looking forward to hanging out with the students.

Then on Saturday (after we've recovered from the lock in slept) I have a to do list for Alex and I to improve out house's curb appeal a bit- scraping, sanding and painting the small portico over our front door, sealing the wooden steps and landing area, planting flowers, laying some sod from where we've removed tree's and of course the ever present battle against the weeds. There has been some talk of building a fire-pit but that's still a discussion point and not quite on the list...yet (I'm persistent). But, all of that yard work won't hold a candle to our fun weekend last weekend.

My sister, Becky and her family came down to spend the weekend with us and to enjoy all that living in the metro area has to offer. We spent Saturday in Forest Park with a picnic and the obligatory trip to the zoo. The animals that we saw were very entertaining and it was great to watch Ethan and Nora enjoy them. Becky has more pictures on her blog than I do, so check it out.  

After the zoo we headed back to Edwardsville and ate dinner at one of my favorites: Dewey's. There, we gave Nora a lemon to try...

She wasn't a fan but, she sure is cute! After we ate, we got another Edwardsville staple- Annie's frozen custard. The kids were sad to see the night end but we were all tired and ready to rest up for Sunday. 

On Sunday, my parents came over after church to hang out with Nora while the rest of us headed to Busch Stadium. We were concerned about the weather, but after a few prayers, we had perfect ballpark weather- not too hot, not too cold. It was perfect, God is good. Ethan had a great time and so did the we! The little boy in front of us got us on the jumbo screen with his mad dancing skills and at the end of the game Ethan got to run the bases with 5,000 other kids. We had a great weekend and cannot wait for the Collier clan to come back for a repeat! 

For more pictures from this weekend, check out Becky's blogpost . 

Happy Easter!

Happy (belated) Easter! We had a wonderful weekend spending time with family and celebrating Christ's resurrection. We ate, played, ate, talked and ate a little more. We worked on Friday morning and then headed to my parents house to see everyone and go to the Good Friday service. Saturday was spent at Alex's grandparents house, doing nothing less than eating and talking. Sunday we celebrated Easter and then had to come back to reality and get ready for the week to start. We are so blessed and thankful to have such a wonderful family and to get to see them often.

Happy Easter!!

My sister and I have the same pictures, so if you've looked at her blog, these may seem familiar.

what a Good Friday

Happy Easter Weekend!! This weekend is such an important weekend that we shouldn't overlook or diminish with jelly beans and bunnies. Yes, I am definitely looking forward to gorging myself on jelly beans, and spending time with family. But, this weekend has so much more significance! 

God sent his Son to be brutally beaten and hung on a cross to save us from our sins. Jesus died and rose again to save us from our sins and to save us from having to bear the cross as he did. He did this because He loves us more than we can even fathom. 

via

Happy Easter, He is Risen!!!

Weekend Shenanigans

We had a great weekend! I started my weekend on Friday. My good friend Kassie asked Alex and I to watch her girls whenever she and Clint went to the hospital to have their third baby, a little boy. Friday was the day! So, while Kaitlyn, Mallory and I watched Frozen and played outside, Kassie was superwoman and brought Benjamin Samuel into the world. He is an adorable little boy and both mama and baby are doing well. We are so honored that we got to spend time with the girls and then meet baby Ben at the hospital.

Unfortunately the Mapel's are Cubs fans...but nevertheless we'll still love Benjamin :) 

The big sisters meeting their new baby brother

The lovely mama and her sweet babe

Mallory's group selfie

This weekend was also our first Cardinals game of the season and it was a great game! We went with our friends Brian and Melinda. We had a great time and enjoyed watching the Cubs lose and the Cards win! We walked through ballpark village and then headed over to Pappy's for dinner. It was absolutely fantastic and I think everyone needs have some of their BBQ. It was such a nice day and we are so grateful to have such awesome friends!

Check that nice v-neck I'm rockin'-I now have a lovely sunburn in a 'v' shape.

You'd think that after 24 years of being fair skinned I would learn to wear sunscreen...

Sunday was our day of rest and it was much needed! Now we're back to work and gearing up for a busy week. I'm looking forward to this weekend and spending time with family and celebrating Easter. 

Enter to Win!!

AW Insurance (our insurance agency) is giving away a pair of St. Louis Cardinals tickets for the Tuesday, April 29th game against the Milwaukee Brewers. All you have to do is "like" AW Insurance's Facebook page and enter your email address (so we can contact you when you win, not for solicitation). It's that simple AND to make it even more simple, just click on the link below! May the odds be ever in your favor!

ENTER here!

Island Time

After our weekend away in Jamaica, I have been thinking a lot about time. We, as Americans, spend a lot of time worrying about time. We plan events with timelines, organize our lives and schedules and spend our time thinking about time. So far in this post I have written "time" six times, seven now.

Before we even landed we got a taste of "island time," our flight was delayed because the Kingston air traffic control was only allowing a certain number of of flights into the country per hour. So we waited. When we got to Jamaica and through customs and immigration we boarded our bus and waited a bit to leave. Then, once we were on our way, our one hour bus ride turned into two because Roger, our driver, liked to stop and chat when we would drop some passengers off at their resorts. But, "no worries mon we'll get there before the sun sets." When we arrived at our hotel we checked in and got to our room and there was no clock. In fact the only clocks in the resort were on the wrists of the staff. I felt silly but I'd try to read their watches as they breezed by us.

After we got used to waking up whenever our eyes opened and eating when our stomached growled, time became irrelevant. We slowed down and began enjoying our time together. The sun dictated a lot of our activities, including my sunburn. I wish that we could have brought island time home with us, but unfortunately we have a sign on our door that says we arrive at 9am and leave at 6pm. It was good for us to escape, relax and unplug. Now we have to get back on schedule to live in the real world and not on island time.

Happy April Fools!... just kidding it's the 2nd

This youtube video shows a waitress's best shift ever...enjoy!

Island vacation

This weekend Alex and I took a mini spring break vacation and headed to the warm, sunny island of Jamaica! We left early Friday morning and returned Monday night. We left a nice note on our door at the office, changed our voicemail and escaped! We stayed at an all inclusive resort in Ocho Rios and had a great time. Our hotel was clean, the sun was hot, the food was good and the drinks were cold. I don't think there is much more we could have asked for, except a few more days. Thanks again to both of our parents for splitting up custody of Moose and to Greg for being our chauffeur to and from the air port.

Bus Beer 

Trivia Night

On Saturday evening Trailhead Students hosted the first annual Trivia Night fundraiser for their summer mission trip to New York City. We have been planning the evening for a few months and were excited for the night to finally arrive. It was a great night and the students did a great job serving the church. We raised more than we expected and it was enough to take care of an entire payment (there were 4 payments scheduled, so now there are only 3!) of the trip for each of the 10 students going. It has been a huge blessing for Alex and I to be able to serve with Brian, Melinda and Corey and the students.

Trailhead Students

Our community Group

The winners!

Working hard to get setup and ready!

Moose Man Magoo turns two!

Moose is a year older and is no bigger or smarter but, we love him anyway. Some of his favorite past times include chasing squirrels, eating peanut butter, going for jogs and napping. He's a great puppy dog and we're lucky to have him, even when he's driving us bananas. Happy Birthday little pup!

You can check out his first birthday here. He was in dire need of a haircut!

Weekend Recap

I'm sure you've wondered all day about what Alex and I did this weekend. Wonder no more, I will share our weekend details!

Last week we worked on our March budget. We have lamented needing wanting new bikes, so we saved in our little envelopes for bicycles. This is the beginning of the bike riding season, so this is the month for new bicycles! We headed to the Cyclery to check out their selection. Alex immediately found the bike of his dreams and after trying to jump onto a few bikes, they found one short enough for me to test ride. With the new knowledge of what kind and size of bikes we wanted, we thanked them for their time and headed home to scour Craig's List to see if we could find something a little more in our price range. Alex found one nearby and called the owner to see if it was still available. It was and on Sunday after church we met them in a Wal-Mart parking lot to buy the bike. It is everything Alex wanted in a bike and he's very pleased, today he referred to it as his "baby"... We are still in search of a bike for me, there was one in Evansville, IN but that's a little too far, maybe she'll meet us halfway, fingers crossed.

On Sunday after we got the bike, we came home and I opened every window in our house to let in some fresh air and to clean all the window sills (not much fun, but I don't want to leave any details out!). Alex's parents have moved over here so we've gotten to see them a lot more often. But, that also means our nieces and nephews (and their parents) are around more which is fantastic- the kids are growing up way too fast so we'll take every chance we get to see them.  

After some much needed time holding Jansen (4 mo) and wrangling Eli (4 yr) we headed to swing dance with some friends at the VFW. It starts at six with an hour of dance lessons and then at seven we could go into the dance hall and get our groove on! Alex and I took dance lessons in high school so, some of that came back to us. Dancing is out of Alex's comfort zone so it was good for his character right?!  But, we (I) really enjoyed ourselves (myself) and it was good to cut loose. After dancing, Alaina and I demanded custard, so we went to Bobby's and enjoyed some concretes and then we headed home to collapse from our weekend! 

Sick Day

Today is the first sick day I've taken in four years. I have a head cold (self diagnosed) and I can't breath though my nose. It's lovely... I think yesterday was my low point and I'm on the mend. But, nevertheless I sound terrible- picture Darth Vader.  Yesterday I sat on the couch watching Netflix, movies and napping. Moose kept me company and Alex stayed at least three feet away from me at all times.

Today Alex went to work solo, leaving me and Moose to hold down the fort. I did what all sick people do when they're sick: I washed our quilt, sewed some projects for a baby shower, organized our front closet and disinfected all hard surfaces. I'm contemplating washing our pillows but then they won't be ready for my afternoon nap. Hopefully I'll be healthy by tomorrow, wish me luck resting and recuperating.

the ponderings of an abby

Have you ever been driving down the interstate and see a lonely shoe on the side of the road? If yes, do you then wonder if there is someone out there frantically searching for a missing shoe?

Oh, hello Wednesday

I know it's been a while since I posted last, but we're still alive. We haven't been doing anything too exciting, just a little of this and a little of that. We've eaten a lot of good food and laughed with friends- nothing too out of the ordinary.

 I went to Chicago with my Dad and sister Becky for the Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Dental meeting. We went up in a whirlwind and had a good time, got a few continuing education hours and Dad even treated us to some amazing dinners out on the town. Of course, we also brought home some toothpaste samples! We had fun and I'm glad we got the opportunity to go, thanks Dad (and Mom)!! After we got home from Chicago, everyone turned around and came to our neck of the woods for Alex's baptism!! It was a great service and very exciting. Congratulations Alex, we're all very proud of you! 

Otherwise, we've been pretty low key. We're looking forward to March's arrival and hopefully some more spring like weather. I am ready to start riding bikes and running on the trails again and so is Moose, he's getting cabin fever! 

Happy Wednesday!