bless our new nest.

Last night we had our new house party! It was a great end to a crazy week of work and decorating. I made tasty treats and got mini cupcakes for our friends. I tried to class it up a bit for this party... no pigs in a blanket. We also asked our friends to bring a donation for Urban Peak, which has a transitional housing facility for homeless and runaway teens. We have been so blessed by the people who love us during our new house process, so we wanted to bless the homeless youth of Colorado Springs. Our friends are fantastic and brought lots of goodies to donate. They were also able to show off their creativity in a painting. We asked each person to paint a square on a canvas so in the end we will have a piece of artwork to decorate our new home, and also a reminder of our awesome friends. I found the idea on a blog that I read... kojodesigns. It is only half finished so we have space for everyone who couldn't make it!

happy homeowners.

camping.

camping trip #2... no crazy winds.

my usual.

I went to the coffee shop across the street from Compassion for my morning break today... I have been frequenting it more and more because my job is quite boring right now. They greeted me which is normal and then... asked if I want "my usual". What!?! I am known at a coffee shop, and I have "a usual". I did not see this coming. I would have never thought I would become a coffee drinker. And of course I had to get hooked on the frilly shop drinks and not the cheap stuff that I can make at home. Dang it. I know this makes many of my friends proud of me... and my husband not so much. I think I may switch it up tomorrow... maybe an ice blended chai. Mmm.

my usual. an ice blended caramel macchiato.

lots of holes.

It was scary for us to put so many holes in our brand new walls... but I am thankful that we did. The house is looking fantastic! Pictures make a house... a home.

only one more night of work remains...

progress.

Tonight we made lots of progress on the house decorating... I was stressed at first because things weren't going according to my plans, but then it all smoothed out. I hate that I have a plan in my mind that I get anxious about if I don't stick to it... this is what happens when you have a boring job that allows you to over think everything and make a million to do lists all day long. Dang job. We hung some photos, took things to the crawlspace, did some laundry, and decided where the remaining photos are going... which is always interesting with G & I. We have decided on everything for this house so easily... until the photo hanging. Goodness. Two more nights of work and then camping on Friday and the party on Saturday. Woohoo!

baby joiner.

I met baby #3, of the 3 mommies-to-be, today after work. Grace Rae Joiner was born last Thursday... mom and baby are doing well. She is super cute!

baby joiner in may...

baby joiner in august!

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happy birthday carey! i hope you had a wonderful day!

dogs and sunburns.

We went camping this weekend with our kgroup friends... there were 16 people & 7 dogs! It was a bit crazy. Lots of great fellowship and sun... most of us left with sunburns and odd "tan" lines. Last night there was a crazy lightning storm with tons of wind. G & I ended up packing our things and driving home at around 10:30. Our tent was not built for high winds... it was blowing like crazy and super loud.

the perfect rock to skip.

i learned how to throw the line in...

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Our whole day has been spent on the house... our blinds arrived on Friday. Hooray for privacy! G has been installing them all day. He is such a rockstar... so handy. We have a lot of things to get done this week in preparation for our new house party on Saturday... mostly photo hanging. It will feel like our home so soon!

check 'em out!

heelarious.

I am pretty excited to have babies someday... and looking forward to it even more since I have pregnant friends all around me! I found this awesome website with quite possibly the best accessory ever created for a baby girl... her first pair of high heels! They are soft crib shoes for ages 0-6 months. Genius! I can't wait to get some for our little girl... no this is not an announcement. I am going to watch eBay... they will go in our future baby collection with the hot dog costume.

Check them out and get a pair for a mommy-to-be that you know.

www.heelarious.com
Love it!

a pink dyson.

isnt she lovely...

happy birthday cort!

a day of family time & hiking to celebrate cort!

80's kickball.

Tonight we went to a birthday party for Katie... it was an 80's kickball party! I had so much fun preparing my outfit for this one! Goodwill was very good to me... and it was even at the last minute when I found the amazing pieces, which never happens. I like to get things when I see them, because when I have an actual need for something I can't find it. That is my Goodwill advice... if you love it, get it. You may never find it again and a crazy dress will always be needed in the future. Anyways, it was a super fun party with our super awesome friends. I am constantly reminded how blessed we are to have such an amazing community. And they love to dress up like I do!!!!

yes. those are leggings made to look like stonewash jeans. i know. amazing.

ben & melissa.

some kickball action.

the birthday girl!

we are so 80's.

here it is.

I had a girls' night at our house tonight, so I had a reason to tidy up... which also meant that I could snap some photos of our progress thus far. All that remains is decorating our bare walls and surfaces. It should be the fun part of the move in... it will only have bumps when my "artistic" decorating and G's "accountant" decorating clash. I like some organized chaos, and he likes it straight & boring. We will make it. I promise. And it will look great!

im loving my desk from goodwill... if only there was room for my sewing machine.

i love ribbon.

we are ready for guests... thanks to my mom & dad!

we feel like real adults... a bedroom set & a mortgage payment.

a great kitchen for a not so great cook... hopefully cooking skills will come with age.

our chairs were in high demand... they should arrive soon.

i cant wait to have blinds on the windows and pictures on the wall.

happy birthday cathy!

i hope you had a wonderful day!

happy birthday katie!

i can't wait to see your super cute bike! thanks for being a great friend. happy birthday!

unpacking.

six hours unpacking the kitchen. not too bad...