Apple Jack Festival . . .

A couple of weekends ago, on Shane's birthday, we went to the Apple Jack Festival. It is an annual celebration in a little town called Nebraska City. It is so fun! We went with some good friends of ours and Zach, Karli and Teagan. We started the day with a picnic and playing at the park. Then the boys went to a car show, while the girls did some window shopping at the local shops and antique stores. In town, there was a few rides for the kids to ride. Teagan had fun on the cars.

Hayden playing with the leaves.

Fall 2012

My Boys :)

Teagan having fun on the rides! Love that smile!

We ended the day going to one of the local orchards. There Hayden rode his first horse! He liked it, but I think I was more excited :).We spent the rest of our time walking around enjoying the scenery and picking some apples of course!

Hayden on his first horse ride

Kayda and Angie

Apple picking fun!

The whole day was just perfect! Shane and I came to the Apple Jack Festival back when we were dating, but hadn't been back since. I think we will definitely have to make this a family fall tradition.

So Proud . . .

Today I get to brag about my husband. If you've met and know Shane you know he is truely an amazing man. I mean, he puts up with me, that earns him sainthood right there! No, but really, he is the hardest working person I know. And even more than that, he loves his family more than anything.

I met Shane back in August of 2008. Since the day I met Shane, our life has been crazy! Probably my fault. I tend to do life at mach speed. As soon as  we met, I knew Shane was the one. He might not say that I knew, but I did. His personality, work ethic and love for his family and the gospel were so attractive to me. I also LOVED how laid back he was and how he didn't stress about anything . . . sooo unlike me. But that's why I loved it. I always say, I need Shane in my life because he helps me slow down and enjoy the life I have.

Our relationship and life together has been fast paced since the beginning. Just a month after we met, Shane was supposed to go out to Idaho to go to school. Well he decided to stay in Nebraska, thankfully, and 2 months later moved up to Omaha. A month after that he decided to start school and decided on a career in accounting. That was January of 2009. The last three and a half years, Shane has worked 20 - 30 hours a week and gone to school full time . . . year round. See, hard worker. And in just three and a half years, he has finished his bachelors degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in accounting. I seriously couldn't be prouder of Shane. Shane is not a lover of school. He is super smart, not that he would admit to that, but he is. When he was in his 2 year of school, I was trying to help him study for a test and realized this stuff was way over my head. But, there have been many ups and downs during this time for us, but Shane persevered and finished. And going through this together has made us a better team and couple.

For me, school and education has always been important. When Shane and I got married we decided we wanted to make education an important part of our family dynamic. Shane is the first man to graduate in his family. His grandfathers were both successful farmers, he dad was also successful at farming and caring for his family, and his brothers are both successful business owners. Shane has amazing men in his life that are great examples to him and I know he learns more and more from them daily. I am grateful for the men in Shane and I's life and how they teach us daily.

I am so proud of my husband. He has overcome a lot to earn this degree. I know that it has given him a lot of confidence in who he is and what he can provide for our family. I already knew it, I'm just glad he has learned it too.

Welcome . . .

Well for many reasons, I've decided it's time for a fresh start on a blog. So welcome to our new blog.

I LOVE fresh starts! I am one of the few people in my life that actually likes change. I really do, because with every change comes a fresh start. Most people think of January and the beginning of a new year as a time of change. For me, I think of the fall. Think about it, in the fall you start a fresh in so many ways. If you are still in school, you start a new grade. I always loved moving grades, because I got to be in a new class and I got to start fresh with a whole group of people. And the kind of kid I was in elementary school . . . that was a good thing! :) To me change is the only way to mix up life and I like mixing things up. Bottom line, change is good.

Nothing about this blog is really going to be new or change, but it's a fresh beginning. I started my old blog back when I was still a single girl, living in a tiny apartment, and just about to graduate college.  Now, I'm a wife, a mom of an almost one year old (WHAT!!! When did that happen?!), a homeowner, earned my masters degree and in my sixth year of teaching. Needless to say, a lot has changed. And I decided it's about time to start fresh. So here we go starting fresh with our new blog!