All About Nicole...

Our Little Drummer Boy

2011-02-28T08:57:00.001-06:00

Lately Ethan has really enjoyed "playing" Jeff's drums, especially to the song "The Little Drummer Boy" by Family Force Five

See video below:

YouTube Video

4 Year Old Playing Drums

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Ethan's Debut

2011-02-18T15:35:00.001-06:00

Last night Ethan had his first school program. Talk about adorable!

A few photos and videos of him in action posted below.
(He is wearing the white shirt, black tie and tan pants.)

The kids stood in a big circle to sing their songs and do their finger plays.

Here are a couple videos, but I will have to get the best one from Jeff!

YouTube Video

The little ham after his debut:

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I'm (literally) Putting My Feet Up

2010-12-29T21:46:00.001-06:00

It's been a long day, long week, long month, long year. There have been many contributors to the chaos in our life right now and this pregnancy has only magnified it all...

Today I was having some major "gravity" issues. Everything seemed to just be pulling the baby/belly/etc downward. Gravity was not on my side. It was so uncomfortable at times that I couldn't stand or walk, making it difficult to get much done. Then let's add on top of that, the fact that my feet are completely swollen. So I just decided to literally put my feet up. In hopes that the swelling or pain goes down. This had by far been the most exhausting pregnancy. I am definitely at my limit. Though I can't wait for the next 14 weeks to be over, I'm not exactly "ready" for another baby either. Hopefully things will turn around!

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Ethan's Favorite Song

2010-11-07T13:00:00.001-06:00

Ethan loves the song "A Holly Jolly Christmas" by Burl Ives

Caught him singing it today on top of a box...he is looking in a mirror at himself while he sings...hahahaha

Holly Jolly Christmas by Ethan

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Reflections & Thankfulness

2010-11-05T10:47:00.002-05:00

Since I actually have a spare minute to reflect, I'm going to.

I recently purchased an application for my iPhone called "Live Happy." The main purpose of the application is to help you become a happier person. One of the ways it suggested that I boost my happiness is to write and reflect on things I am thankful for. As I was showering, I began to think of just how thankful I am to have married the most amazing man of my dreams, Jeff. Even after 5 1/2 years of marriage, we are just as in love as the day we tied the knot, and every day we seem to fall even more into love and appreciation for each other. Don't get me wrong, there have been bumps along the way, but in the end I am thankful for those bumps because they have only brought us closer together.

I knew going into marriage at age 19 that the odds were against us. The divorce rate is extremely high, and even higher yet in young marriages. I especially knew it after hearing it and also reading things like this: "the divorce rate for couples under twenty is incredibly high ... rates are lowest for men and women who marry for the first time at age 28 or later." Now this post is not supposed to be about marriage and divorce, because each situation is unique. The point of this post is to reflect on my thankfulness for Jeff.

It was 4:55a.m. when the alarm clock starting going off this morning. Jeff jumps out of bed, gets dressed, walks out of our room and closes the door. Shortly after, I hear the clanging of dishes in the kitchen. I knew what this meant. Jeff was doing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen before going to work! I dozed off to sleep, and about an hour and a half later, I heard Autumn wake up in the other room. I waited a couple minutes before rolling out of bed, and then I hear Jeff go into the kids' room to get Autumn and take care of her. I doze off another half an hour or more and when my alarm starts going off at 7:30, I get up because it's time to get Ethan ready for preschool. He was already awake! Jeff was cleaning the kitchen, taking care of both kids, AND making me breakfast while I slept in! Oh, how thankful I was to see the kitchen coming together as it had been an embarrassing disaster for 3 days straight!

Life is busy these days, Jeff's been trying to meet deadlines for the work on our new house plus working his regular hours, when he comes home all hours of the night, he is exhausted! Plus he has been filling in drumming at church, meaning his "free time" is getting filled with practicing and writing the beats to the songs. Not only that, but his car completely broke down this week and we spent an entire evening jumping and towing it and the next evening searching for a new work vehicle. We found one at 9p.m. Tuesday night at drove it home at 10p.m.! Totally an answer to prayer!!
And, I guess I'm a little exhausted myself...trying to play catch up from an extremely busy wedding season over the summer, taking care of the kids, working outside the home once in a while, running Ethan to preschool, getting in "packing mode" since we are moving in 3 weeks, and the nausea and exhaustion from being pregnant, amongst household chores! I know this is just a "season" and it will change soon. I call it "survival mode."

All this to say, it's good to take a moment to reflect on what's going on in life and to remember all the things we are thankful for. The wonderful thing is that this morning was not at all out of Jeff's character. It wasn't my birthday, anniversary, Valentine's Day, or any other holiday for that matter, it was just another day. And he does wonderful things like this often. To that I am very grateful.

Autumn Crawls!

2010-07-21T09:51:00.000-05:00

YouTube Video

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Testing Out This Blogging Application For My iPhone 4

2010-07-20T22:38:00.000-05:00

We had tons of fun at French Lake Park today with Shaynah, Rowan, and Brinley!!!

Ethan was telling us last night...(video test below)

YouTube Video

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Angeline Ave N,Crystal,United States

Easy Zucchini Bake

2010-07-20T20:41:00.003-05:00

Easy Zucchini Bake (Recipe created by Me)

Ingredients:
1-2 large garden zucchinis
1 jar pasta sauce (I used a jar of puttanesca from target, has olives
and capers in it)
Cheese for on top (I used mostly mozzarella with some freshly grated Parmesan)
Oregano for sprinkling on top the cheese

Oven 375 and then broil top if needed

If you'd rather do more, you can always layer the zucchini into a lasagna, use meat sauce, and ricotta cheese between the layers! That is delicious as well and extremely low-carb/gluten-free!

Slice zucchini into "steaks"

Boil zucchini for a few minutes until "crisp-tender"

Put a little pasta sauce down in your baking pan and layer the zucchini slices

Spread remaining pasta sauce over zucchini slices

Sprinkle cheese on top (I did mozzarella first, and then some freshly grated parmesan)

Sprinkle Oregano on top of cheese

Bake 375 until cheese is golden

What I did: (10-15 minutes, and then broil 3-5 minutes on high for a real golden color like below)

Enjoy!!!

Our Newest Family Photos

2010-03-26T12:29:00.017-05:00

In February we did a family photo session with JM Photography. I'm really impressed with our photos and thought I'd post a few of my favorites!

This baby headband, necklace, and tutu were all made by me especially for Autumn!
I started making baby headbands shortly after Autumn was born in September. I've had a lot of people tell me that I should sell them. I may start selling them through my website www.prestigiouspetals.com (I will update about it when the time comes!)

Isn't she a love?

Family Shot

My little man...

His dark chocolate eyes just make my heart melt.

We had a few enlargements made...I asked Jeff to stand by them so you could see the proportions

These are the pictures that were englarged:

Making New Friends

2010-03-23T16:04:00.012-05:00

Since we moved to a new church almost 2 years ago now, we've also been making new friends. This past year we finally started to actively seek friends. Our newest friends are Josh and Amber who have 2 daughters, Azalya and Zinnia. It's been really fun getting to know them.

Jeff doesn't have much work this week, so yesterday he decided to help Josh put up siding on their house. While the guys did that, Amber and I went to the park with the kiddos and took a few pics...

Azalya and Ethan

Ethan & I Swinging

Amber & Zinnia in a Tunnel

Almond Biscotti on a Rainy Day

2010-03-11T17:11:00.001-06:00

Had fun in the kitchen today making almond biscotti...here's a photo of the finished product!

(also testing how to do blog posts from my phone)

Nicole Yaeger

Sent Via Sprint Android

My new blog for my business!

2010-02-24T14:50:00.003-06:00

Hey Everyone!

My business, Prestigious Petals Floral & Design is FINALLY updating with social networking! Check out my new blog, I've been wanting to start one for a long time, but just hadn't gotten around to it until now! I'm also on Facebook and Twitter! With wedding season approaching, I figured I better get updated with my social networking!

Follow my new blog!

Become my fan on facebook!

Follow me on Twitter!

Cheers!
Nicole

I'm Shocked at this!!! Cadence isn't a name, but it woulda been our son's!!!

2009-01-14T17:10:00.002-06:00

So, Jeff and I have been talking about baby names for a long time. After having Ethan, we were trying to think of another name for a boy if we had one. We were listening to an Anberlin song that sang about having "Cadence" which is a musical term meaning that everything is all working together, in harmony, in cadence. I said to Jeff, "That would be a cool name, because it's not a name! I really like that as a name! That'd be a cool name...Cadence." He agreed. We both like it because we thought it was so unique and liked the meaning, especially with Jeff being a musician and it being a musical term. That was about a year and a half ago and we've STILL talked of that name since then saying we'd most likely name our boy that if we had another...well...

Today, I got an email saying "Top 100 Baby Names" and so I clicked on it. Boy was I SHOCKED to see that the name "Cadence" made the 71st name on the girl's chart. It's not a name! How did people pick this?!?!?!?!?! I'm kind of frustrated about it actually!!!!!! Here's the real shocker: Then I went on to read an article talking about the names and JUST READ THE LAST LINE OF THIS PARAGRAPH!!!!!! I seriously cannot believe this!!!! The other reason we like "Cadence" is because it's not a name, it's a musical term, and Jeff is a musician and adding some "Cadence" to our family would just be so great...anyways, I'm a little discouraged about this name now...We had it picked FIRST. before seeing these stupid charts.

Read Article Below:

A good name is like Cinderella's shoe: It fits perfectly. This year, parents rose to the challenge – finding inspiration in everything from the Wild West to the Bible to proper English gents. Everything old is new again. The top 10 list of boy names didn't change at all in 2008 – Aiden has topped the charts four years running – but more often than not, there's a twist. Classics are refreshed with new spellings; last names are used as firsts. And when any old name just won't do, parents looked to sounds and places, even music theory – Cadence, anyone? – for ideas. Clearly, inspiration lies everywhere.

Just a little shocked at that info and had to share it...well, the name search continues...

I am trying to enjoy winter...Skiing and Snowboarding

2008-12-08T20:45:00.007-06:00

Last night Jeff and Sarah somehow talked me into going to the slopes with them...

I went snowboarding for the first time about a year and a half ago. It was HORRIBLE. I hated it. I fell like every five feet. It took me the ENTIRE time we were there just to get down the "bunny" hill once!!!! (Sarah said it's a pretty long bunny hill...we rode a chair lift up to the top of it).
Pic from March 2007...I atleast got a good picture out of it hahaha...

Anyways, last night they convinced me to try again, but try skiing instead...
And I LOVED it!!!!!!!!! It was so much fun! I didn't fall at all on the bunny hills...(which were pretty big and we also took a chair lift to). Jeff and Sarah even brought me down some regular ones but I kinda freaked out and took my skiis off at this mandatory jump. All in all it was a lot of fun though and towards the end I was finally getting a better hang of it. I can't wait to go again!

The three of us at the end of the night...

I don't own snow pants or a "REAL" winter coat, so I'm wearing one of Jeff's coats and wind pants hahaha!

Sarah and I stopped mid-hill for a picture...

It was really a fun night. I'm so glad they talked me into going. So glad I gave this skiing/snowboarding thing another chance! Well, I won't be giving snowboarding another chance...but the skiing thing, that was fun!!!

cruising the curvy mountainous coast again

2008-11-12T11:41:00.000-06:00

one of jeff's treats to me was a convertible...it has been really fun having it...
if I could figure out a way to upload video on here from my phone that'd be cool...
ok jeff is getting annoyed at me for being on my phone. going to the beach now!

Maui, Hawaii Here we come!!!

2008-11-06T22:31:00.006-06:00

Photos of Maui, Hawaii...

Jeff and I leave for the gorgeous island of Maui, Hawaii in exactly 34 hours!!!

That is, this Saturday the 8th in the morning! We return on Sunday afternoon, November 16th! We'll be gone for about 9 days and we are very excited! It's going to be like a 2nd honeymoon because we are going all by ourselves and without Ethan. I can't wait for some amazing quality time together and with the Lord.

This is where we'll be staying...
This is the only pic I could find online of it...it's a condo stay so it'll be more like a house or apartment than a hotel room so we can do some of our own gourmet cooking (a hobbie of ours) and things like that which will be nice. :)
It's called Maui Beach Vacation Club. I'm just excited for some beautiful weather! It was kinda cold today and very rainy. Tomorrow it's supposed to snow...yes! Perfect timing!

We're going to have a complimentary luau dinner that came with our booking...and that will be held here: (follow link...I couldn't save the pic)
Lei Greeting and Luau

Ethan was sick last week and then I was sick tuesday night and yesterday and then Jeff wasn't feeling well yesterday either. Needless to say, I'm glad we got that out of the way and are feeling a lot better now. We have a lot to do in the next 34 hours...we both work tomorrow and haven't even begun to pack!

Sarah is going to be house-sitting for us (staying here) and also watching Ethan 5 1/2 of the days we'll be gone while Suzanne and Don are going to be watching Ethan the first 3 days we're gone. I think he'll do just fine. Maybe we'll get Sarah to do some skype with us! (Thanks, Jake for the info on that...)

Well, I probably won't be going online again from here on (unless it's from the airport) so pray for a safe flight!!! (I'm a little bit nervous about flying over the ocean for such a long period of time!) Jeff's already been to Hawaii 3 times so he'll hold my hand on the plane I guess!

And, today, was a good day at the flower shoppe. 5 of my arrangements are on display in the coolers right now (a pivotal moment for me!) and 2 of my arrangements went out for delivery today (another pivotal moment!) The owner said that one of my bouquets was very beautiful (which made me smile) and also said that I'm in charge of the rosedale arrangements (they're more discountish flowers) she said I do the best ones for that and that I should act as the boss over that project kinda when she's not there...which was also cool, but anyways. I am beginning to like working there. I am learning more than I thought I would. I'm getting a lot of practice. Not always what I want to learn, but seeing different ways of doing things (not always my preferred way or the way I'll do it in the future but it's cool to see different ways).

I also am going to be a substitute teacher at Maranatha which I am extremely excited about as well and will also be coaching the 5th & 6th grade cheerleaders this year. I was told I was getting a raise this year...and today I found out what that was...a whole 15 bucks! hahaha I just laughed. $15 is better than nothing. It's not for the money anyway. It's my way of giving back and serving others.

How was that for a life update all in one post, Jake??? Hahaha

Life Update

2008-10-21T08:58:00.002-05:00

Last week was rough. Ethan was sick, then I got sick, then Jeff got sick. And all on different days...and it lingered about 2 days each. So we all didn't get much good quality time together. Anyways, I'm glad we're all feeling better now!

Last week was also one of those weeks where Jeff and I were just both kind of struggling with where to go from here. What to do in life, what jobs to have, wanting to be in God's will, but not knowing how to get there...
Ever have one of those days where you just don't know what you should be doing in life and you start looking at your circumstances and the job you have and just feel like there's gotta be more to life than this? That was like our week last week. The devil was just really putting depressing thoughts in our heads and it was really a tough battle. Thursday when Jeff stayed home from work because he wasn't feeling good, we just had a long worship session and just had to THANK God for all He HAS DONE and WILL DO. It seemed like all hope in things was failing, but when we turned our eyes on God, the burden was lifted. Even in the natural it just seems like things aren't going good, but when we completely give it to God and stop giving thought to it, that's when we feel free. That's what I've been doing this whole month it seems (just keep on giving any thoughts to God), but last week I started taking those thoughts back into my own hands. Just wondering what God has for me. I just want to be in His perfect will and it's so hard to know what that is sometimes. I feel like I just need to take steps of faith and just ask Him to close doors where they need to be closed and open them where they should be open. That's the other thing, I haven't been working much (only at the flower shoppe which cancels out Ethan's daycare) and so I've gotten worried about money so much that I have been tempted to go back to Eagle Street. I know I am not supposed to go back there and it was like I kept getting this image in my mind or sentence in my mind (probably Holy Spirit led) that kept saying "It's like a dog going back to its own vomit"
Enough said. I'm not going back as tempting as it is sometimes. It was such good money. Man!

All this to say, sometimes the devil tries to sidetrack us with thoughts and situations happening in the natural, but we have to keep our eyes focused on God and how HE cares for us and how He takes care of the birds and He'll take care of us too. Somehow we always seem to make it. And it's because of God's provision. I just have to keep focus on that. Our God is supernatural and He will always provide.

Here's a little story...some may say it's a coincidence, some may say it's favor!

Jeff wanted to go get some beans for coffee from Starbuck's...so we went there to get it and if you pay with a Starbuck's registered gift card, you get a free drink. So, we decided to load a card and then pay for it and get our free drink.
I guess you could say it wasn't really planned and the money would come out of our grocery fund...we decided we'd put $20 on the Starbuck's card. Don't know why $20 since beans cost $10-$12. I pulled $20 out to put on the card. After giving the cashier the money, I looked on the floor and said, "Jeff, I think you dropped this" and he said "I didn't drop that, I didn't even have a $20 bill in my wallet" The $20 bill was folded so I knew it wasn't in my wallet either (I keep my cash straight). After talking a little bit about it, we realized it was a random $20 and that paid for the $20 re-load on the starbuck's card. After finding it, it was like God was saying to me that He'll always make a way to provide. Even for the little enjoyable things in life. Some would say it was a coincidence that we found $20 on the floor and decided to put $20 on the Starbuck's card all at the same time, but some of us (me) would say that is just one way our supernatural God works and one way that we get favor in small situations like that. (Thanks, God for the coffee money...haha)

I hope whoever reads this finds some encouragement in it, and if no one reads it, that's ok too because I really just enjoy journaling about life. Let GOD be your source of provision today!!!!

6 Random Things...(Well, kind of random, not super random)

2008-10-05T21:32:00.006-05:00

Evan tagged me a little while back and I just read it! So I'm gonna do it!

-Write 6 random things about yourself.
-Tag 6 people at the end of your post
-If you were tagged, DO IT and pass on the tag.

6 Random things about myself...

1. I'm weird and crazy and spontaneous. Especially when it gets late at night...I start saying things like, "I crack myself up like an egg ahahahahahaha!" and then laugh uncontrollably...or laugh about the bird pooping on my head story even though no one else gets it. I just love being weird and crazy and meeting weird and crazy spontaneous people!

2. I can eat a whole jar of green olives in one sitting.

3.In high school, I went to the dentist after not going for a while and found out I had 14 cavities! 7 on each side!

4. I like unique things...anything that is different from the average thing...and I LOVE giving unique or hand made gifts.

5. I save wrapping paper. That's right. Well, maybe not the actual paper, but the ribbons, bows, and bags...I save them...and then I reuse them. That's right re-use. Because I'd rather spend more money on a gift than part of the money on the wrapping paper!

6. Not sure if this is something random or not, but I can't think of anything else...
I LOVE and THRIVE on deep conversation! I love being transparent and I love it when people are transparent with me! I love just being real.

7. Nate's made me think of this...I was the only one in my family (of my siblings) that was not born in Minnesota...I was born in Colorado! My brothers always teased me and said that the altitude affected me (in a negative way). Aren't they nice?

I don't know what else...If I think of something better, I'll edit this!

What's Five Bucks to Ya?

2008-10-05T21:07:00.003-05:00

It's a pint of organic strawberries to me...

Tonight Jeff and I were at the store picking up a few things for the week and organic strawberries were on sale 2/$7 so we grabbed one. That's right. One. Not two. At the lovely Cub Foods they always have these signs that say 2/$5, 3/$4 etc etc... but, it's all just marketing. You really don't have to buy 2,3, or 10 to get the deal. You can grab one 2/$5 item and it'll be $2.50. Good to know, right? (although last week we fell for the 10 for $10 avocadoes deal...)

Anyways, I always read over my receipt when we're leaving and tonight I noticed they charged us $4.99 for the strawberries instead of $3.50. Only a $1.50, right? (In a normal world maybe...) but, we were still in the store grabbing a free redbox dvd (free because we get free codes to rent free movies and it's great) so I went to the customer service counter and asked them about it...
The guy apologized and said, "Here's Five Bucks (not $4.99) for a refund" He refunded the strawberries completely!!! He said, "It's part of our right price scan guarantee...if it scans wrong, we'll refund your money on the first one and charge you the right price on the 2nd one."

Awesome, huh? It seems that many times probably 1 out of every 3 shopping trips we find some sort of mistake on the receipt...which brings me to my next point...be aware! Don't just sit back and expect everyone to do everything for you...be proactive and save five bucks once in a while!

And, another thing, if you're not on a budget five bucks doesn't really seem like any sort of a big deal, but when you actually watch where your money is going, five bucks can be a dealbreaker. That's all.

And, today Pastor Peter Haas' sermon was awesome. He talked about just being smart with your finances and even gave a plug for Dave Ramsey. He showed a little video that they made that you should watch when they post it this Tuesday. I think it'd be great for anyone who has purchased and financed a new car.

That's all.

P.S.
Jeff and I have for the first time in our lives been on a "budget" or "spending plan" for more than 3 weeks at a time! In fact, this Tuesday, October 7th will be our 3 MONTH MARK!!! And, this is the first month that it has actually caught up to us where there is actually extra money in the bank at the end of the month!! Big Shock!!! It's great. We're slowly but surely going to become debt free!!!!!!!!!!

It feels good to fit!!! And other life updates...

2008-09-22T10:37:00.010-05:00

I must say that our move to Substance Church has been nothing short of perfect. It's so amazing when you find where you fit in the body of Christ. Yesterday, in church, I just kept thinking, I am soooo glad God brought us here. This feels so amazing. I feel like we are FINALLY on track and heading in the right direction! We're finally doing something right! Haha, but seriously, I am so thankful for finding Substance. It's really not about "church". At ALL. "...it's not about church services that make you feel good, where you have an ooey gooey worship experience with God..." (Pastor Peter Haas) "...it's about having fellowship with other Christian believers that can pray with you, lift you up, and hold you accountable...that's true church" (Sorry if I didn't quote that right) But, I agree.
The stats about having close Christian friends to do life with show how much more of a chance you'll have to stay on track with God, than someone who doesn't have close fellowship with believers (we're still in the process of finding some really close Christian married friends). Jeff met a lot of married guys at the Men's Retreat and I'm excited to go to the Women's Retreat at the end of October.
God is finally ACTUALLY a part of our life instead of just being some religious legalistic ritual that we take part in because it's what we've always done. That makes me excited! I just wanna jump and run around!
I highly recommend downloading the substance church podcast! I think the new one comes out every TUESDAY! Yesterday's message was awesome, and I just feel like we're finally getting fed spiritually! With stuff that is relevant to doing life!!! I hope it's the 2nd service podcast, that's the one we were at and it was really good. Subscribe to it. Listen to it.

Substance Church Podcast Page

Another AWESOME podcast is Renee Burt's homemaker's podcast!!! I still think her teachings at homemaker's are WONDERFUL (even though we don't physically attend LWCC anymore) for ANY girl, mother, or wife!!! You can download those from LWCC's website under small groups. I think one of my favorites from last fall is called: "Complain Train" It's great! You should listen to it!

What else in life is happening...
We just found out that the guy that "installed" our floral cooler did it completely wrong. In fact, DANGEROUSLY wrong! So wrong that if a city inspector came out, they'd give us 10 days to get it fixed or get out and condemn our house! Is that scary or what? So we need some prayer with that situation because it was one of our NEIGHBORS that tried to install it for us and he's become really rude in the process and has already been paid $2100 in full. He did everything wrong and might have even ruined the compressor. Talk about a headache! Nothing God can't help us with. We really don't want to become enemies with our neighbor, but paying that much money to possibly have ruined the cooler is not a good thing...I'm pretty frustrated about it! Which brings me to my next point...
GOD LEADS WITH PEACE!!! Over the last month or so Jeff and I have had a few experiences where we felt uneasy about a situation, like the cooler, and went with it anyway, it has not turned out good. I've definitely learned my lesson! We need to listen to the peace even when in the natural everything seems like it'd be fine, and then stuff happens. So, this just prepares us for things later in life. Listen to the peace in your heart, because the Holy Spirit leads with that peace and then it can prevent situations like the cooler one from happening!

What else is new...

I got a part time job in a flower shop as well as working on my business, (Prestigious Petals) the flower shop is called, "The Flower Shoppe" creative name, right? Haha, it'll be good experience though and I'm already learning new things. Some that are a little old fashioned and 80's looking, but some that will help me in my business. I'm excited for the Holiday season because I haven't done a lot of Holiday designs.

We all 3 started going to a Chiropractor...we all have spines that are not in line in the right way and Jeff's is actually starting to form arthritis (shown on x-rays) so we all 3 will be getting adjusted 3 times a week for the next 3 months to get it fixed and then once a week after that...(we setup a family plan) It's actually really amazing how when your spine is completely in line and none of the nerves are being crushed how much quicker your body can heal itself. People think that getting adjusted once a month or even once a year is enough, but it's not because it's like getting braces...you can't put braces on one day and then take them off the next day and expect your teeth to be straightened. It takes time. Then after you have braces, you get a retainer to retain the shape. Same thing with the spine. You need to retain the alignment by getting regular, maintaining adjustments...that's another story though.

I have a wedding this weekend...fall colors: orange, champagne, and hints of blue...that'll be really pretty.

We had a bbq last night and it was a great turnout! 14 people came! (8 of which were married couples! yay!) It was funny because as people left last night, the only people left were the married ones and we all sat around the bon fire and talked...we had...Jeff & I, Ryan & Alisha, Brian & Michelle, and Joseph & Moriah. It was really fun. I thought it was so cool that we finally have some married friends after 3 1/2 years of being married!!! But, we're going to get even more married friends from going to Substance and going to the married subgroup and all that. Yay!

Now I'm just having a nice Monday...Jeff and I found ourselves waking up at 9:30a.m. to Ethan talking in his room...either the alarm didn't go off or Jeff turned it off in his sleep! So, we had a late start to the day, but sometimes you just need a little rest.

Sometimes these update posts are a little boring, but I really just like to journal about life and look back to see where God is taking us...I recently had someone write on my "Wall" on facebook this, and it completely touched me, it was about one of my former posts. It inspired me to post.

"Hi Nicole, I think I told you about the upcoming book on Jeff's family. Today Candice sent me his birthday. But not where he was born. From about 3 this afternoon I have been updating material and looking at verious family si... Read Moretes to try to get a grasp on their lives. Having said that I went and looked at some of your blogs and started to cry. You really need to keep doing the blog thing it will touch people. Here is what I read. Last week I prayed with a girl in my group to receive the evidence of speaking in tongues and then this week I prayed with ANOTHER girl in my group to receive the gift of speaking in tongues! Last week was the FIRST time I'd ever prayed with anyone to receive tongues...I've done the salvation prayer with people, but never for speaking in tongues. If that doesn't get you excited, I don't know what will! I'm so excited for these young girls to experience what tongues is all about!!!!!!!! That's when I realized how on fire for Christ you are. I truely was touched!"

It's just cool to hear comments like that from other people.

We had one of our last boat charters of the season on Saturday night...and we might not work on the boats next summer...so we took some fun pics...enjoy!

I love working with Jeff. Do you like our uniforms?
Who knew you could make $30 an hour while being with your best friend?!?!?

We're having so much fun

Can you find Jeff in this picture???

Today is the first day of Autumn! I love the Fall! I say that Summer is my favorite season and then Fall is my 2nd favorite! I love it. I love sweater weather and the cool air and the changing of the tree leaf colors. It's so wonderful. I hope everyone has a perfect Autumn day!

(Ethan and I outside today on the first day of Autumn)
He's reaching for his nuk! (It's hard to get rid of that thing!)

Tribute to "Quail Man"

2008-09-11T23:12:00.003-05:00

Goodbye, Quail Man...

Well, 2 days ago, Ethan goes up to the fish tank in his room and says, "Pish, pish" (Fish) But Fish (Quail Man) was laying on the bottom, dead. My heart kinda sank. Jeff got "Quail Man" (That's what Jill and I named him because he traveled from Jeff's parents house to where we live on Quail Avenue, I also know Doug Funny was Quail Man...anyway) before we got married.
Jake & Sheena gave Jeff the tank for Christmas 2004. Jeff went through a couple fish before Quail Man, all Cichlids, meaning they eat other fish. We went together to get Quail Man downtown at a pet store off of University Avenue.

Quail Man was a very pretty color, white with an orange belly, and he'd turn purpley blue when he was scared or we moved his tank and he got a little startled or stressed out. He's been with us since we've lived here on Quail Avenue and Ethan has gotten to have him in his room since he was born. It's the only pet Ethan's ever had.

About 6 months or more ago, Jeff was tired of taking care of Quail Man (though he was easy to take care of...we'd feed him once every 1-3 weeks and fill his tank up the same amount of time apart). One night, while I was at work, Jeff decided to flush Quail Man down the toilet and sent me a text saying he was doing so. I didn't get the text until it was too late...or so I thought. I got another message saying he tried flushing him TWICE and he would not go down!!! I said, "Take him out of the toilet! That's sooooo mean!!! I will take care of him!" So, Jeff did just that, and he's been with us ever since. The only thing is, I kinda forgot to take care of him sometimes. Sometimes, I remembered to feed him maybe once a month...
But he hung in there! He was great. Very low maintenance. I'm not sure if he died of starvation, or of some other tank error, but he died shortly after I filled about 4-5 inches of water in his tank. I wonder if I did something wrong, that was my first time filling the tank. I didn't put any stress coat in the water, I think Jeff always did that. Whatever it was that caused it, he's gone now. :( It kinda makes me sad!
But, there is something a little weird or ironic to the story...
Ethan has been getting Chiropractic treatment since he was born (because of his torticollis, but that's another story) and recently at the Chiropractor, Dr. Brist said that something electronic in his room was disturbing his treatment progress. He did some tests and nailed it down to the fish tank! Isn't that crazy? Well, we've been talking about it and didn't know where to move the tank to...and then boom, Quail Man dies! Like it was a sign that we really needed to get the fish tank turned off or out of his room. Well, we turned it off, and it's just sitting with water in Ethan's room...so empty. But, for the better I guess for now. Who knew something like that could affect so much?

Here are a couple pics....

There he lay...gone...(He doesn't look very pretty in this picture)

Ethan looking at the dead "Quail Man" (A Firemouth South American Cichlid)

We are... CNN Grill

2008-09-04T20:38:00.004-05:00

What we've been doing for the past week...

REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION...

Working at "CNN Grill"

Pictures to come...

People I've personally given restaurant service to...sorry if the spelling is wrong:
Anderson Cooper
John King
Wolf Blitzer
Alex Castellos
Gloria _____
Candy Crawley
Owners, CEO, CFO, of Google and Yahoo
Others...I will post when I find out their names...

I will post pictures soon...

But, for now, a Seattle Newspaper writer posted an online blog about Jeff!!!! Check it out~!

http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/this_is_jeff

A little clip about the grill...or search cnn grill MN on google!

Eagle Street Grille becomes CNN Grill

"Let Go and Let God"

2008-07-17T17:44:00.003-05:00

Ever heard the saying, "Let go, and let God"?

It seems that when we strive for more of God that the devil tries to come at us even more, or we notice it more. It's like, you get soooooooo excited about hearing the Word and are sooooo excited to act on it, and then boom! The devil throws things your way!!! I was having a pretty good week and then yesterday I was just feeling really lost like I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing and just had all these cares. When I got home from working on the boats last night, I was talking to Jeff and he was like, "You just have to give it to God." And my rebuttle in my mind was, "But if I give it to God, then I won't have anything to worry or care about." EXACTLY! DUH?!?!?!? Sometimes I feel like we (or maybe just me) get so greedy with our cares that we just want to carry them around and baby them and get attention from them because if we give them to God, then we won't be all mopey and down and sad and greedy or needy for attention anymore...hmmm...meaning we'll be happy! So, in the shower this morning, I was like, Ok, God, I just give it all to you. And it's like from then on, you just have to not think about everything. Just stop worrying about it all. We need to live in the PRESENT and stop trying to figure out our entire lives! God will lead us in the right direction as we follow Him and GROW in Him and as HE finds us ready to move to the next step. What a great revelation! Thanks, Jeff, for hitting me in the noggin with such an obvious reality!

Fruits of the Spirit

2008-07-11T13:37:00.005-05:00

Lately Jeff and I have been listening to a lot of podcasts. We've been listening to a "nightly message" too, and we have been striving to actually grow closer to God. In a lot of the messages, I feel like they're saying, we crucify ourselves to be one with God, we put our flesh down, we don't even have a "hint" of greed, and when we do these things and truly seek God, the fruits of the Spirit will flow freely from us.

That is something I love. When you truly find who you are IN CHRIST, things of this world do not matter. I feel like I don't have to be in competition with people. When we try so hard to be perfect and compete with everyone to have the nicest things, what is the motivation? Self and greed. I feel like when we strive to be a woman of peace, joy, love, patience, kindness, gentleness, self control, that we don't even DESIRE to be in competition or greed. We DESIRE to be a woman of GRACE. I feel like God has been speaking to me about that lately. That I just need to be a woman of GRACE. Loving and not criticizing, not judgemental, not selfish, not greedy, JUST Loving. It's so easy to get distracted when people around you only care about me, me, me and what they have...but it gets tiring to try and compete. Why even try? That isn't what God is calling us to do. Who cares if we've downgraded our cars! Hahahaha I just have to laugh about it because I could so easily think, "It's not fair, I wish I had a nice car...I wish I had a bigger house...I wish I had..." That's not where I am supposed to be. When the time comes for me to be ready, will I still want the best of the best in the material world? Probably not because I would rather give more money into God's kingdom and missions and church planting. We can get by with something that works and is nice, but we don't need to have the best of the best.

Someone once said to me, "If you have people over and there isn't a spec of dirt, every little thing is perfectly in order, not a sight of any sort of a mess, the home doesn't feel like a home anymore and there is no feeling of hospitality, because what the point of getting it to that degree of perfection is so that you can IMPRESS someone. We should not be trying to impress people because it will just make them feel more uncomfortable in the end. Plus, then the motive is wrong." (That was just a paraphrase)

We ALL like our homes to be clean and in order and nice looking, but we need to examine ourselves so that when we're doing it our motives are correct. I don't know why I'm saying all this, I just feel like God has really been working on me to not compare myself with others and to just be a woman of grace. The woman that God truly wants me to be. Just to focus on Him and not care about what others think. Seek after the fruits of the spirit instead of seeking after material things. It's funny now when I hear people talk about me, me, me and what they have and what they're getting, and all they're doing...is that really what God wants our conversations to be like? In the end, those people usually don't have it all going on and maybe they don't have a great relationship with God, or a great marriage, or God's provision or God's protection, or blessing on their life. I don't know...I guess I just really want the fruits of the Spirit to be EVIDENT in my life!!! I'm so excited to finally be GROWING in God. Finally. (And I like to journal about the journey...it's always fun to look back and see just how far God is really taking you.)

Happy Birthday, Jakey!

2008-07-10T13:40:00.009-05:00

A lil gallery all about Jake...

Look how "Cool" he looks in this pic at the AR Razorbacks game...

Ope, here's the real deal: Christmas with a new babe.

Wearing his Easter Egg Cookie Mask...what a chappy!

I guess he cleans up well! (Sheena, "[Insert loud whistle here]"

And then he of course, manages to work the "Sass" with my Son...

Today is my brother Jake's Birthday!

I hope you have an amazing day, Jake! (since I know you'll read this!)

Jake is a great older brother...he likes it when we pull things from the childhood "memory box" so I'm going to try real quick...

I remember when he used to drive us to school in his black z34 all decked out. It was great. On mornings when I was crabby, he'd put silly music on and do the kangaroo dance just to annoy me. In my head, I actually thought it was funny and admired him for not being crabby back. He always made an effort to get to know the 3 younger siblings. I loved that about him. He cared about us! When I was old enough to drive, he even let me drive his pimped out car. All of my friends were like, WHOA! Jake lets you drive his car??? I'd smile and be like, "Yeah, duh!?! He's coo like that" What a nice big bro.
Now he lives in Arky and we all miss him here in MN, but are happy that he's pursuing God's calling on his life. He is married to a beautiful girlie named Sheena who I couldn't be happier to have as a sister (in-law, whatev). He also has this cute smiley little big cheekies boy, Jeremiah...what a blessing.

Love you, Jake! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

(What a cute family he has)

Sunny Summer Days...

2008-06-27T13:07:00.013-05:00

Summer is finally off and running!

Yay!!! There are blossoms on my squash and tomato plants...yay I can't wait!!! We had some summer squash from Jake & Sheena's garden last night...it was delicious...thanks for sharing the wealth you two!!! We sauteed it in a little olive oil, when tender added some salt, pepper, and soy sauce...it sizzled nicely and had great flavor! Bon Appetit!!!

Here are a few beach pictures...

Wednesday we went to Lake Calhoun...Sailboats in background...

Ethan kept picking up the rocks and was trying to eat them...

Thursday...We went strawberry picking yesterday...(Mom, Sarah, Ethan, and I) delicious strawberries...we were eating them while we picked.

Today...Ethan got into a little trouble when I forgot to shut the bathroom door...look at that guilty face! Ethan: "What'd I do? I'm just playing with my truck, see?" (That was a brand new MEGA roll of toilet paper...looks like less here than it really was) He unrolled it all the way to the cardboard! Must have been fun!

And right now, I'm updating my blog while Ethan naps! (Oh, and enjoying this too...)
(It's called a Venti Iced "Starbucks Double Shot on Ice" (containing 5 shots of espresso) It's just like an iced latte...it's probably the best deal they have right now...for summer. I ask them to substitute the classic syrup in it for vanilla syrup, but tell them to only do half the amount and I add a little extra milk...it's perfect. Only $3.04 with tax. Jeff and I sometimes split one of these (Who says it has to cost $8 everytime you go to Starbuck's?) Try out my discovery! You can substitute any flavor for the classic syrup...and 5 shots...come on! This would normally be atleast a $5 drink!
(I needed a little motivation to clean...hahaha oh lovely Friday!)

2008-06-11T14:30:00.005-05:00

The photographer sent me a few nice pictures from the May wedding...

My Mom's Birthday...

2008-06-11T13:03:00.007-05:00

I forgot that I was going to post pictures of the flowers from Mom's birthday...

The bouquet from Jake(& Sheen & JJ), Sarah, & I (& Jeff & Ethan)...

(we're missing the arkansan fam from this photo and Jeff)

Mom's office was filled with flowers (all ordered through me...)!!!

pink bouquet on Left from Aunt Elana, Grandma Elaine, and Uncle Sid
25 Red Roses bouquet from Dad (on Right) with curly willow and seeded eucalyptus
large bouquet on right (see above)

My Most Recent Wedding...

2008-05-30T17:58:00.007-05:00

This wedding flower business stuff is kinda fun! Here are a few pics from my most recent wedding!

The Bride's Bouquet...pictures do not do this justice!!!!

The bridesmaid's bouquets...purple and bronze were the colors...

The reception centerpieces...

The cake topper...

The cake topper on the cake...

Everytime I do a wedding, I feel like I get better and better at it...it's exciting! All the things you can do...

Recent Pictures

2008-05-30T11:44:00.006-05:00

I love my lil family...

I love my lil boy...

I love my hubby...

What do you love?

A Match Made By God...Happy 3rd Anniversary, Jeffrey!

2008-05-20T14:49:00.003-05:00

I remember the day that God told me Jeff was the one for me. How exciting. Learning and growing together has been so much fun. I could not have been given a more perfect match.

Remember how we used to make lists of what we wanted in a future mate? God gave me everything on my list and some!

I am so amazed at how much Jeff has grown in the Lord and how much we've grown as a couple just over the last year. Last year was our best year yet, and this year is going to be even better!!! I am so blessed and happy that we continue to grow further together. He has shown me the true meaning of unconditional love and support. He still opens every door for me and always prefers me. He has shown me how to loosen up and not sweat the small stuff. Thanks, Jeff, for showing me that having a few drops of water on the bathroom counter is ok. Thank you for not getting upset if the house is messier when you get home from work than it was when you left for work. Thank you for not putting expectations on me and just for loving me the way I am. Thank you for always taking out the garbage without being asked. Thank you for doing the dishes the many times you do while I sit there and play with Ethan. I am sure you would rather be playing with Ethan. Thank you for always helping me when I ask for your help. Thank you for supporting me. Thank you for being such a great Daddy and Husband. You have taught me that relationships are too important to get upset with eachother about little things. At the end of the day, we always know that we love eachother no matter what, and that's what I love about you.

Happy Anniversary to the one love of my life, Jeffrey.

Today is a GORGEOUS day...just as gorgeous as it was on our wedding day. Today truly reminds me of the day we promised to keep God first in our marriage and stick with eachother through everything. What a perfect day.

Flowers Galore!

2008-05-16T00:11:00.002-05:00

I've been living and breathing flowers lately. A big wedding and a convention on the same day this week. Yikes. I spent the whole day doing convention flowers. All day yesterday doing wedding corsages and boutonnieres...and tomorrow is all the bridal bouquets and reception pieces.
Jeff and I are also working on the boats tomorrow night for our first charter of this season...! AND, it just so happens to be that our group is NatureRich! So Jeff and I will be working while my family and NatureRich business people are enjoying the cruise. I guess I'm excited that we get to work it with people we know. That should be fun. The wedding is on Saturday (my biggest wedding flower order as of yet). Then Saturday night the convention awards dinner...I wonder what dress I shall wear. I'm tired. I need sleep. I pick up another $300 worth of flowers bright and early tomorrow morning (well in like 6 hours). Long couple o days ahead of me. I'm just winding down from today right now...so journaling helps. Ok, night!

I can breathe again.

2008-05-05T23:33:00.011-05:00

::Sigh::
Last week was crazy...40 hours of school, plus packing everything for Ethan everyday and coming home and doing house work and also coaching cheerleading, and also working on my floral design business and also finishing making jewelry for the craft show that was on Saturday and Sunday...I really don't know how those moms that work a full time job do it...taking care of everything else adds up to so much. I feel like I could barely even catch my breath. And, now, I can. Kind of. Except now I'm playing catch up. I'm on my 4th load of laundry today! I ordered all the flowers for a wedding I'm doing next Saturday, cleaned, and coached cheerleading today. But it didn't feel as busy as last week. Those classes sure wear me out!
Here are a few pics from class...

These are a couple of examples of what a flower girl could/would carry...

This is like a cake top...

And then, on Saturday night, we got together with a bunch of couples from Driven Senior High and watched live horse racing at Canterbury Park in Shakopee and also watched the Kentucky Derby on the big screens (Hence, the big hats and dressing up)...

And after that we went to Biaggi's for Dinner (Still all dressed up)

32 degrees

2008-04-28T01:53:00.002-05:00

P.S.,
It's been snowing on and off the past 3 days...and when I got home tonight, I slipped on the ice on my steps.
Isn't it like April 27th or something? Yeah...I love Minnesota.
No big deal or anything. It's kinda warm at a nice 32 degrees right now :)

Are you hungry?

2008-04-28T01:28:00.002-05:00

I am.
I am hungry for more.
More of what?
God.
This morning, Rodney Howard Browne was at our church and his message was about being hungry for God. He was talking about how people wait until they are in desperate situations to really get close to God. Then when they are comfortable again and life is going good, they fall away. That is not going to be me. I had an amazing hunger for God in high school. My standards were so so so high. When I started my job at Eagle Street, that is when my standards slowly, but surely went down and down and down. Over almost 4 years. Looking back, I am frustrated at how slowly but continuously I was taken down so low that I began to even question if God was really real anymore and if this "Christianity" stuff was real or just a big joke. (I think sometimes we do need to question to make sure that we believe what we say we believe!) Thank God for a praying family and praying friends that lift you up! If it wasn't for all of them. I would probably still be continuing on that downward spin. I knew that something was wrong when people at my work started telling me, "You're so much cooler now than when you first started working here." What did that mean, really? It meant that I had conformed. Conformed to their standards. To the world. It's tough staying strong in a bad environment if you're not grounded in your faith. And that is where I found myself. I was 2 different people. The one that I hated being, and the one I wanted to be. I feel like I finally have a breakthrough and can get back on track to where I once was. Close to the Father. Always hearing His voice. And to think that the world tried to convince me otherwise and I even bought into it. Today, today I could FEEL His presence. I cried. This is all so much. I see Jeff read the Word EVERY DAY. Do I? It'd be embarrassing to answer that. Although I am exposing myself. This is nothing but real. That's all I've wanted to be lately. Just completely real. None of this fake stuff. People don't like that anyway. People want realness from you. Acting fake just makes others feel intimidated or unworthy or just plain bad. Real. It's what I want. I don't like sugar coatings. I don't like it when people beat around the bush about the truth. Just keep it real and honest, right? My family means the most to me. When I see them pressing into God, it makes me want to press into God. When I see their hunger for God, it makes me hunger. And I don't care if my friends from Eagle Street are reading this. Read it. It's who I really am. When I see them being blessed by being obedient to the calls God has placed on their life, it makes me want to be obedient too. No more messing around. I feel like until I was able to FINALLY quit at Eagle Street, I could not FULLY get my breakthrough. It was a stronghold. And I know my family has been praying for me. I can FEEL it. It was like the last few times I worked there, I didn't even like it anymore. I wanted so badly to just leave. It was like God finalized things within me and I no longer desired to be there. I was reading in Sparkling Gems recently about how you cannot be friends with the world and also be a friend of God. If you are a friend of the world, you are an ENEMY of God and He will do what He can to get you back. Thank you, God, for not giving up on me and doing everything to get me back! Here I am now! Ready and willing! Man, I can just feel it. The presence. It's so refreshing. I can't sleep. How can I? God is doing great things. I could not thank more, my siblings for being such great examples. It means more than you know.

I did it.

2008-04-24T23:44:00.002-05:00

I did it. Finally. Tomorrow is my last day at Eagle Street. I've worked there for almost 4 years...and for the past year have almost quit a million different times. I've debated and rationalized the decision for so long and this time, I finally decided to be done. It's a good thing. I already feel really good about it. It's time for change and I am soooo ready for that change to take place! I feel like instead of just working a "job" I can focus on doing something that means something to me or someone else. It's exciting! It's like starting over. And for now, I'm just going to enjoy being a mom! Also, I've been making a lot of jewelry lately and Rayna and I are going to do a craft show together next weekend to sell it! I'm excited about that! Also, I am going to start shopping around different floral shops and hopefully get a job at one part time! Yay! Also, next week, I am taking the 40 hour wedding design class at koehler dramm's Institute of Floristry! I am suuuuuuuuuuper psyched (sp?) about that!!!! I can't wait! I love going to school. Especially for something that is HANDS ON and FUN!!! This morning I was dreaming about all of the different things that I could do for my sister's wedding...hahahaha...not that she has a significant other or anything, but it's just fun to think ahead! I'm always trying to think ahead of what I'll do on my next design project or next whatever!

Here's a change of conversation...let's talk about the weather! Yesterday it almost hit 80 Degrees!!!! YAY!!! I thought I was on vacation...it was amazing. Pure happiness. So, I checked my dashboard for the weather tomorrow and the HIGH is supposed to be 44 degrees and rainy/snowy/sleet!!! WHAT IS UP WITH THAT?? SNOW AND SLEET? Yeah right! So much for those shorts and tank tops! I guess I got a little excited too soon. Oh well, I can't wait! This summer is going to be soooooooooooo much fun with Ethan! He LOVES going outside and I know he'll just love going to the beach. It'll be way easier than when he was so little and I had to keep him completely out of the sun. I can't wait! He is getting quite the personality lately too...let me tell you. He is so funny and knows when we laugh at him and then he does this fake laugh to get us to laugh more...it's just funny. Weird to think we'll be trying for another baby somewhat soon. It's all so exciting. This life is so amazing. It just makes you think and there's no way one can even imagine how amazing heaven must be.

And...one more thing...I love growing as a person. Character building. More and more lately. Just bettering yourself. My sister Sarah speaks greatly of reading lots of books to better yourself. And that's what I am going to start doing. It's time to get serious!!! :) I order all these books online because they look so good to read and then they sit on the shelf. I am going to make a list and start on it for the summer.

And another thing...my best friend, Jeff. This quitting Eagle Street is one of the best things for our relationship. This year I think we're actually going to be able to spend time together. In years past, for many many years past, we've always had somewhat opposite work schedules and hardly got to see eachother. Well, this year is going to be different. It already is. We are closer than we've ever been and our rebuilding all started on our trip to Arkansas. We finally got to have quality time. I really enjoyed driving to Arkansas. Moon roof down, frequent stops at coffee shops and just pure quality time. So great. He is so great. Becoming more and more of the man God has called him to be and I love seeing him and me grow. And growing together. The other night I came home and he had a fire going in our fire pit, he was grilling food for dinner, had loads of laundry going, and even bought some milano cookies for me and secretly stashed them in the cupboard. Wow. I couldn't have thought. It was fun. Our fire with s'mores was fun. We never really did s'mores growing up, so now I make them at every bon fire that I can...there's just something fun about it.

Anyways, I hadn't blogged in a while and thought I should update. I'm really missing my dear sister Sarah........I can't wait for her to come home, but am SO EXCITED at how much she is growing as a person! The first year out of high school I think is the hardest and most character building. So, way to go, Sarah! You're doing great! I also miss my family that is in good ol' Arkansas...a special shout out to ya'll...I love you and miss you mucho!
And to all, a good night.

My Little Bruisers...

2008-04-10T17:24:00.003-05:00

Monday morning, Jeff and I were hanging out downstairs and Ethan was coming down the stairs...when he was one step from the bottom, turned around, ran into the wall, and fell flat on his face off the last step...
cut his top and bottom lip open...we were calling him "Puffer" cuz it was all puffy...

Then, Monday evening, before I was about to leave to coach a Cheer America class, Jeff yells from downstairs, "Nicole!"
I said, "Yeah?"
He replies, "I think I need a band-aid."
I said, "What happened?"
He runs upstairs and shows me his hand...cut wide open...open enough to see the tissue inside...
I say, "I think you need stitches."
He says, "Yeah."
So we headed to Urgent Care, where they gave him 5 stitches...luckily he missed cutting any vital tendons and muscles.
(He had cut his hand open with an olfa (razor blade type) knife).

I've got 2 little bruisers on my hands!!!

:)

P.S. My running into the curb the week before (causing my rim to crack) resulted in a flat tire and a need to replace the rim...so we replaced the wheel and then got the alignment fixed today because they said it was way off (on the side I hit the curb, go figure)...sometimes this car stuff doesn't seem to end. Thank God that He always provides when we need it though!!!

And we just got out our deck furniture last week...what were we thinking???

2008-04-01T09:58:00.007-05:00

Last week, Jeff and I cleaned out our garage since it was so nice out...upper 40's...and while doing so, pulled out our little table and chairs that go on our deck so that we could enjoy the weather and have breakfast outside and such...well, I guess that was a little too soon...

(Kudos to Jake--he told me to post pictures)

EDIT: HOURS LATER...

The grill...full of icicles...

EDIT: Hours later...same day! Today! Yay!!!

Ethan, playing with the stick (that goes in the slider door) and putting it in the snow...

I would really like summer to be here already!

EDIT: ONLY HOURS LATER...

all the snow is almost melted...take a look...

glad it didn't stay too long! It's supposed to be 50's on Thursday and Friday!!! Yippee!

Taxes...

2008-03-31T19:51:00.003-05:00

We FINALLY filed our taxes! We thought we'd have to pay in a bunch of money this year from all of the painting work we did...
But we didn't have to! Everything else out-weighed it! Yay! So, we'll actually get a little back which is VERY exciting!!! Last year, we bought a vita-mix with our refund...I think this year it's going towards student loans and such...anyways, we were very excited about that! The only downer is that our tax guy said we might not get that $600 per person/ $300 for children refund that EVERYONE else is getting because we are getting money back...there's a chance though...I guess we'll see...

And, I've felt like my head was going to explode all day long...I must have picked up some kind of head cold...I feel like I'm sitting crooked right now, but I'm actually sitting straight...
We made some carrot/ginger juice this morning...it was very HOT! Ethan thought it was juice...and kept pointing to it and wanting it...so, I gave him some, and then he burst out crying. It was kind of funny, but sad...it was probably really good for him though!

Brrr...it's cold and windy and snowy outside...I really thought this snow stuff was over...at least, I'm over it! (I want to be planting my garden like, Nate, Evan, Jake, and Sheena are doing!)

what...is the weather bipolar?

2008-03-31T09:18:00.005-05:00

Man, yesterday was gorgeous...it hit 50 degrees...everyone was eating outside on our deck at work and it was just beautiful.
I wake up today, open the blinds to our sliding door...and it's SNOWING!!! What in the world???

I was just saying to Jeff yesterday, oh, all the snow in the front yard is melted! Yay! Now we just need the back yard to melt...well, I think there is already an inch accumulated...
psycho weather...

I heard we're supposed to get 9 inches!!! On my way home (half an hour ago) from Coaching a Cheerleading class...I was going slow (25 mph) and slid into the curb :( It's pretty slippery out...I was driving the white car (whose anti-lock breaks haven't worked for a while now) and I cracked the rim a little bit...I'm bummed about that :( I was going slow too! But, couldn't stop...anyways, do you think it needs replaced? Or ok to drive on it? It's a little bent too...

Free Loaders...Ugh!

2008-03-28T21:02:00.009-05:00

Have you ever met someone that you would call a "free loader"? Well, this bride I've been working with for the past 5 months is DEFINITELY one! I think she has tried to get me to throw in many many extras (I'm a florist, if you didn't know) for free! And, me being way too nice sometimes, did some of just that! And now, the wedding day, I'm regretting it...here's why:
She got $1200 worth of flowers for $500...(if she would have purchased from a flower shop, she would have paid $1200 or more for what she got.) So, I get a call tonight from her wedding coordinator (after the wedding is over at 8p.m. and I dropped the flowers off at 3:30 p.m. today!!!) and she says, the pew decorations wilted and turned brown and died. I'm sorry, but there is no way they would have died in that amount of time!!!! They were like, "We want a credit" I'm like, I'm sorry, but I will need to see pictures. Did you use them? They said they didn't use them, but I would like pictures showing that they did not use them...sometimes this bridal stuff is crazy business! Yikes! Bridezilla!!!! AHhhhhhh!!! Anyways, she already paid for them, and if I can help it, she will not be getting a refund...as I only made 1/5 th of the price of flowers as profit as it is~!!! ANd I worked on them for 2 days straight! Plus 3 different appointments...she has been so needy and always wanting EVERYTHING free! I will definitely watch out for these people in the future! Here are some pictures of what she got...

Her HUGE cascading bouquet...you would definitely pay around $250 or more in a shop for this...she only paid $62...oh my gosh, I just looked at that...and can't believe that's all she paid for that...yikes, she got a steal of a deal. Yes, those are real flowers...Jeff is holding it for me (Thanks, Jeff) (Orchids, Roses, Lillies, Ivy)

hmmm...what else? Oh yeah...the corsages...she paid $5 each for these: (these would be $15 or more in a shop) Like her colors? I don't!

Ah, yes, the reception centerpieces...guess how much? $10.50 each!!!!!! A shop would charge $35 at least!!!!!! I guess you could say I've learned my lesson...man, I must have been out of it when I let her have such good deals...because I really don't know what I was thinking. Haha I've learned a lot! I will not let people low ball me and take it anymore!!!

I'm not a huge bright purple fan, but it didn't turn out bad, right?

Oh yeah, the cheesy killer...here it is: A heart made of purple carnations (I think it still looked pretty despite what it is) but doesn't it look cheesy on that curtain (I didn't hang it there, the people did) with those initials? It is behind the head table...next time I hear someones color is electric purple, I will run!!! hahahahah

(Those letters are 2 ft tall if that gives you any idea of how big the heart is!

Probably sounds like I'm complaining...and well, I am, but I am thankful for the learning experience!!!

At work...

2008-03-12T20:22:00.004-05:00

Just at work...this girl begged me to work for her, so I am. But I am so bored, because there isn't anything going on at the Xcel. But, I brought my laptop and am just sitting at a back table rolling silverware and chilling...reading (and commenting) on everyones blogs...it's fun...and time for one post of my own!

I'm really excited to go down to Arkansas for Easter and my lovely sister Sarah's birthday! It will be very fun and exciting! I am actually looking forward to the drive down, too. Quality time with my best friend, Jeffrey and my little love, Ethan. I think it will be really fun! Then a 4 hour detour to Eureka Springs to pick up SARAH!!! Yay!!!!!! I can't wait! I work SEVEN DAYS IN A ROW before we leave, and then I get a nice 5 day break! Yippeeeeeeee!

Still working at the Eagle Street Grille...doing floral design...just booked another wedding for this summer. That makes 5 weddings coming up. Working on the boats again too this summer. I'm excited for that. It's always fun being on the water. Especially when Jeff and I get to work together. It's fun. Well, I have nothing else to say...I want to go on vacation. This weather the past 2 days has been gorgeous. It was 49 degrees yesterday! It's supposed to be close to that tomorrow too and tomorrow is my last day off for 7 days...yikes! I'm excited though. Later

MN Swarm

2008-02-27T21:34:00.002-06:00

Ever been to a professional lacrosse game?
Recently, I waited on some MN Swarm players at Eagle Street and they gave me 6 tickets to their game. Jeff and I went and Jeff brought 3 of his friends. It was fun! We've been to lacrosse games before, and always enjoy them. It's fun to watch the guys beat on each other with their sticks. hahahaha Here are a few pics...

This is a picture of where our seats were...6 rows up from the players bench...

Jeff and Ethan...

Ethan and I...

Trust in God and the Blessing will follow...

2008-02-24T18:54:00.005-06:00

How can you truly be blessed? Well, you have to be walking in the Word, right? My brother Nate once said to me, "You're not blessed if you don't have to trust in God to make it." (Or something along those lines, maybe not that exact quote). Well, it makes sense, doesn't it? I mean if you're just living day to day doing what you want, and not really TRUSTING in God, are you blessed?
Something that my brother Jake once said on his blog, "If you're in a job you're not qualified to be in, good. That's right, good." Why did he say that? Well, because if you're in a job that is just COMFORTABLE and EASY, will you ever stretch yourself, grow or TRUST in God? No, because you think you can do it just fine on your own. Well, it's like Eagle Street. It's so easy. And sometimes it feels like people are just throwing their money at me. But that's just it. It's easy, and I'm not really trusting in God for that money because it just comes to me and it's such a comfortable environment because I've been there so long and never really have to stretch myself. Well, as I was on my way to work last week, I was saying, "God, it's just so easy at Eagle Street. I go in to work, make my money, and leave. I don't have to think of it the rest of the night." And He said that's just it. It's too easy. You will never become the woman I want you to be if you just stay where you are comfortable. So, then I go back to my Floral Design business and start thinking. And many times I wonder if I am even qualified enough to really have my own business and be doing all these weddings for people. But, like Jake said, GOOD. His post said this:

"I Kicked Butt Today

Today rocked. Let me tell you from experience that if you're in a position that naturally you may not be qualified or fit for, good. Good? Ya, good. Do it as unto God, not your boss, and you will kick some tail. I'm starting to have some fun at work. I'm learning a bunch, and I believe God is developing gifts and talents inside of me. Very exciting.

Thursday, January 24, 2008 | at 11:57 PM "

I wanna "kick butt" everyday. And I intend on doing that. I think for now, I am going to be done with the Eagle Street Grille and focus on Prestigious Petals. (I haven't updated my site in a while with more pics and stuff, but will soon!) I think I might work on the boats on Lake Minnetonka again this summer too... :)

Double Digits

2008-02-22T01:20:00.002-06:00

Today, as I was making a deposit at the bank, the teller asked me, "Is it nice outside?" I said, "Yeah, it doesn't really feel too cold. I think it's actually 17 degrees right now and the sun is shining which makes it feel even warmer. Can't complain about those double digits" She said, "Yeah it doesn't look windy or anything. Saturday I hear it's supposed to be in the 30's...that's going to be so nice! Enjoy your day!"
Ha! Double Digits! 17 degrees baby...feels WARM to me? I think I am finally adjusting to this Minnesota weather...and I AM excited about the 30's on Saturday, thank you very much.

Eagle Street...

2008-02-17T14:47:00.003-06:00

So, I work at this place called Eagle Street Grille. My first real serving job ever. It was the first job that I have ever liked working at, and in fact STILL like working at. There is just something about being there, away from everything that is just fun! Plus all the people I work with are really cool and fun too. I like the setting...there is an area with couches and big comfy chairs and a cozy fireplace (like a coffee shop) that you can sit in too besides the dining room and bar area. It's a nice atmosphere (except at night when all the crazies come out). Anyways, it was my first job after moving out of my house and everyone there has seen me through the HUGE transitioning stages of my life...they worked with me before I was engaged, while I was engaged, after I got married, while being pregnant, while having my first baby...and that's what makes this so hard.

Lately I've been feeling like I need to quit working there because it isn't really an uplifting environment. The thing is, it's so hard to quit because I've known these people for so long and I've spent so much time with them over the past 3 1/2 years. The people you work with, you spend the most time with...I work 20-30 hours a week and I don't even see Jeff 20-30 hours a week. So, if I'm at Eagle Street 20-30 hours a week in an environment that isn't edifying, what do you think it's doing to my Spirit? Well, that's what I'm wondering. I like working there a lot and I've been there for almost 4 years...it's so hard to know what to do.

Not only that, but the money is so so so good. It's really hard to walk away from that especially. It's nice to just always have cash on hand and it is abundant...that's the other hard part. I'm praying for direction.

What do you think?

This one goes out to Jake...

2008-02-14T20:38:00.003-06:00

This blog goes out to Jake since he put that it is 66 degrees today in AR...Jake's Blog

RIGHT NOW:

Cloudy

7°F
Feels Like
-8°F

Yeah, it does feel like -8 degrees or colder...but earlier today it was 13 degrees and I was excited that it was in the double digits!

Saturday should be warmer though...it's supposed to be 31 degrees!!!

Sat
Feb 16

Mostly Cloudy / Wind

31°/24°

31°F High

Yippee!!!

Annoying Dreams...

2008-02-14T17:04:00.002-06:00

It seems like every night since my purse, phone, car keys, wallet, coat was stolen I've been having these crazy dreams about my purse showing up on my door or in my mailbox.

This morning's was the worst. I dreamt that my purse was sitting on my doorstep when I woke up, and in my dream I said, this is just a dream and I know it isn't true, I wish it was. So then as I was saying "this is just a dream" in my dream, my planner showed up on my doorstep with a note in it saying to call them if I wanted my purse back. I called and they said I could have it back as long as I didn't press charges. I said I wouldn't and was so excited to get my purse back thinking surely it is really true this time because I had alreaday said this is just a dream, but didn't wake up...and then, I woke up.

sick to my stomach...

2008-02-11T22:02:00.000-06:00

You know that feeling that you get when something really bad happens? Like when you see those flashing lights in your rear view mirror because a cop is pulling you over? Over when your $100 bill flies out your car window as you're driving, or when you find out a loved one is in the hospital? Just makes your stomach churn...that's how I feel right now.

My purse and coat and cell phone got stolen last night. My purse pretty much has my life contained in it. The hardest part is that Jeff worked really hard last summer so that he could buy it for me and now it is gone just like that. $400 coach purse down the drain. Not to mention I had over $400 cash in there too...some tip money and birthday money. All my gift cards from my birthday as well. Just makes me feel completely sick. I'm so bummed.
I called to cancel all my credit cards and bank accounts, etc...and they said the person had already purchased gas with my card and $26 at white castle. Why they would spend $26 at white castle, I do not know, but pray this person is found!!! And my cell phone...I'm so sad about that...my palm centro. ugh. And my car keys. both sets. And we only have one clicker thing for the red car and that is gone. It was in my coat pocket. I am just praying it all miraculously turns up. Gosh. This is really hard. What a stinky feeling. Pray for me if you think of it...thanks

My Little Cupcake Monster...

2008-02-07T10:21:00.000-06:00

Ethan, what a cute little boy.

I made cupcakes for my 242 group at church for my birthday and I let Ethan have part of one after they were made. Then he discovered that there were more sitting on a plate where he couldn't reach them.

He kept going, "uh, uh, uh, uh," and reaching for them...
Take a look:

I had a longer video that is even funnier but I think it is too big to put on this site...
Here is a picture of the incident too...

one more for fun...

Learn from the Ants you Lazybones!

2008-02-04T12:15:00.000-06:00

I came across this while reading today...it's funny because I was just cleaning and I was thinking about the verse in the Bible that says, "Be like the ant, you sluggard." And I opened up my Bible and there it was!!!
Proverbs 6:6-11 (NLT)
Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and be wise! ...how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? ...A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest--and poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.

Sometimes when Jeff gets up for work, I think, oh I will just sleep a little longer...because Ethan isn't awake yet. And when I do, I usually feel worse than if I would have just gotten up. If I would get up when Jeff does and do some house work before Ethan awakens, I could probably get even more done in a day! (Or spend time with Jeff before he leaves).
This morning, I did just that. I got up and hung out with him for a little while before he left and it was really nice quiet quality time.

I like how the scriptures call us "lazybones." I want to be like an ant!!! ...it says a LITTLE extra sleep, a LITTLE more slumber, a LITTLE folding of the hands to rest...it just says that it only takes a LITTLE to fall behind. It's easy when someone at my work calls me and asks if they can take my shift tonight to just say yes, right? I mean, why go to work if someone wants to go in for me? Well, I have been saying no to this and so has Jeff. I believe it will help us get ahead little by little instead of falling behind LITTLE by LITTLE.
If you run out of work, do SOMETHING that will bring in some kind of income, it is better to keep moving forward little by little instead of not moving at all (the scripture also talks about when we aren't moving forward, we are actually falling behind and cannot stand still).

Be like an Ant!!!

"Why didn't you catch her?" -Coach Nicole

2008-01-30T09:39:00.000-06:00

So, lately in Cheerleading practice, we've been doing some more difficult stunts...they have been doing pretty good...but at our last practice, we had a little mishap...

The first words out of my mouth were, "Why didn't you catch her?" And the second words were, "Everyone (except Monica) down and do 20 push ups."

And Jake, yes, if you would have coached cheerleading I think you would have had a lot more fun! hahaha

Really, though, of all the stunts we do this is an uncommon occurrence. They've probably had this happen 3 times so far this year...only during practice though.

P.S. Don't you love our practice space? It's a classroom!

Wind Chill Advisory?

2008-01-30T09:08:00.000-06:00

We live in MN, so I understand that cold weather is a part of that...

But when there is a "Wind Chill" advisory in effect, that means that it is "Bitterly Cold" as the weather line forecast service put it. Wind Chill from -35 to -50 degrees!!!

Yikes!

It was 35 to 40 degrees on Monday and everyone was talking about how warm it was! Jeff and I weren't even wearing coats...hahahaha, so today does feel bitter! Oh, the midwest!

Super Bowl

2008-01-29T20:24:00.000-06:00

So, I was watching the food network while making some dinner and every show kept talking about FOOTBALL food! I'm like, why so much football talk? And then I remembered...the super bowl is this Sunday...on my birthday! It's good because when Jeff and I go shopping, there probably won't be as many people out and about because they'll be watching the game. Neither Jeff nor I are football fans, so it will be nice! I'm excited! I am going to make some cupcakes for my 242 group and for my Cheerleaders. Yum!

Benihana's?

2008-01-28T22:21:00.000-06:00

Lately Jeff and I have been getting into trying to cook more "Gourmet" meals...it's been quite fun actually...
Tonight we made steak the Benihana's style since we love to go there and Jeff works there too so he's always watching how the cooks do things. It tasted just like Benihana's, but a little better...(Good job Jeff) and I made a little stir fry vegetables to go with it! Simple, but yummy!!! (I guess that wasn't too gourmet).
The other day I made a pumpkin black bean soup, two days ago I made some south of the border salsa containing black beans, tomatoes, corn, avocado, cilantro, red wine vinegar, cumin, lime juice, garlic, and a few other things that I can't think of off the top of my head. We also made this roasted tomato sherry soup that was really good (we were trying to make it like the one we had at Biaggi's)...
Anyways, it's fun cooking together and it's something we've found that we enjoy doing together. Oh yeah...and I made some cheesecake the other day (but cut the recipe in half...and accidentally forgot to only use half the amount of eggs...so it turned out more like a cheese souffle' than a cheese cake. Still tasty though) I also made this chocolate chocolate chip creme cake loaf that was pretty good, but my reason for making it was because Sarah (my lovely sister) and I have a tradition of buying one from the store and eating it...(and it's so yummy) so I tried to make one from scratch. I mailed her a mini loaf. Hopefully she'll get it by tomorrow...Yay! Jeff baked her some of his famous chocolate chip cookies to put in the lil package too. :)

Have a favorite recipe of your own?

They Make Me Smile...

2008-01-28T22:07:00.000-06:00

Those Cheerleaders of mine...I did not know how much I would LOVE coaching them! Geez...I walked into practice today and opened the door to the room we practice in and there was just this huge smile on my face. I don't know why except that I LOVE coaching them! It is just so much fun and they have so much passion and I'm just REALLY enjoying it!!! I was a little hard on them today in practice at the end and did some good conditioning with them...they have a lot of drive and don't give up! I am seriously soooooooo glad that I got to do this this year. :)

Fulfillment

2008-01-27T22:56:00.000-06:00

There is nothing like fulfillment. I feel like I've been getting a lot of fulfillment lately. Let me explain.

When you stop focusing on yourself and focusing on others, there is something about it that just gives you so much joy!!! #1 God in my life. Sounds a little cliche' or "written" but it's real.

#2 Jeffrey, Ethan, and my whole family. Again, sounds written, but they all mean so much to me.

#3 and #4 Coaching the 5th/6th Grade Team at Maranatha...those girls are so stinkin adorable! They have so much passion and so much drive. Also, they look up to me a lot which makes me feel honored.

Another thing is being a 242 Leader in Driven Senior High (The Rock, with a new name). Last week I prayed with a girl in my group to receive the evidence of speaking in tongues and then this week I prayed with ANOTHER girl in my group to receive the gift of speaking in tongues! Last week was the FIRST time I'd ever prayed with anyone to receive tongues...I've done the salvation prayer with people, but never for speaking in tongues. If that doesn't get you excited, I don't know what will! I'm so excited for these young girls to experience what tongues is all about!!!!!!!!!!

Anyways, I am just happy...I feel like I'm actually doing something! And that whole Arkansas idea still isn't outta the picture...still an idea though...in order to get to the next level, it's like you have to just surround yourself with people that are on fire. People you want to be like. Good examples. None of this lukewarm stuff. Sometimes you have to get out of your "comfort" zone in order to do that. And let me tell you, MN sure is comfortable (except when the weather is -41 degrees with wind chill!!!!)

Garage Sale?

2008-01-23T20:27:00.000-06:00

Ever had a garage sale? I never have, but lately Jeff and I have been doing a lot of cleaning out and re-organizing ever since re-doing a lot of our home's interior.

I have bags and bags of stuff we either don't want, need, or have room for. I keep thinking maybe we should keep it all and do a garage sale in the spring. The question is, is it worth the time and effort?

Have you ever had a garage sale? Is it worth the time, sign making, labeling, setting up, tear down, etc? Can money be made?

I think Jeff and I might have one this spring...now where to store everything until then?!?!?!?

My Cheerleaders...

2008-01-20T21:29:00.000-06:00

So, this year, I am priviledged to be MCA's 5th/6th Grade Cheerleading Coach. The team is brand new this year. I taught them this routine in about a week and they did great! I'm SO PROUD of them! I think I have just as much fun coaching them as they have cheering! Check out this homecoming routine...

So there are a few little things they need to work on...but pretty good for the first year, eh? I love coaching these girls!!!

So, I was trying to upload it and it just wasn't working...I'm wondering if the video was just too big of a file.

Anyway, I put a different one on here, sorry the orientation is off, I wasn't sure how to rotate it since it was recorded that way with my camera...

YES! It worked this time!

My First Post...

2008-01-20T20:17:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since I've done a "blog." In fact, I pretty much stopped blogging when Ethan my little 13 1/2 month love was born. But, my sister, Sarah and brother, Jake have convinced me to start blogging again...but this time I won't use xanga...that site is still up though I noticed. www.xanga.com/iamwaitingfortomorrow

Anyways, last Saturday (the 12th) I was in the middle of setting this up and was cut off by a very important phone call from my mom, and so, here I am a week and a day later finishing it up.

After over a year of not "blogging" it's weird to be doing this again, but I'm glad. It will help me stay in touch with the Fam that is in other states.

P.S. Today Jeff asked me when we are going to move to Arkansas...I was really surprised because he's always seemed the least bit thrilled of the idea. Still just a thought I guess...(or a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th thought...)

Jeff is working tonight and I'm watching the food network...I love that channel...but it always makes me hungry! So I'm making black bean and pumpkin soup...a recipe from Jan Suzanne that is delicious, healthy and easy!

Back to the soup making!

Might as well add a short clip of Ethan playing...(with one of his favorite toys...a thermos!)

That's all for now!