Memorable Life Experiences

In no particular order...

Getting married at 18

Paragliding in the Swiss Alps



Traveling by boat between the islands of the Cinque Terre in Italy



Braces transforming my smile from this...



...to this...



...to this...



...to this!

Co-coaching my first Bible Bowl team to 5th place at Nationals

Living in Düsseldorf, Germany for 18 weeks

Eating a fabulous dinner in Vegas recommended by the chef

Meeting my niece for the first time...

...and my nephew for the first time...



...and my newest niece for the first time...



Having all 4 sets of grandparents at my wedding



Taking a leisurely stroll through Rome, eating dinner outside in front of the Pantheon while being serenaded by an Italian opera singer in the square, and ending up at Trevi Fountain



Hiking up a mountain in Austria to see castle ruins



Going up the Eiffel Tower



Visiting Washington D.C.



Visiting New York City



Coming out of my first car wreck without a dent (on me)



Riding in a boat down the streets of Venice

Graduating from college



Being engaged



Walking through the ruins of the Roman Forum



Buying our first house



Skiing for the first time at Heavenly in Lake Tahoe



Feeling like an ant in front of the Dom Cathedral in Cologne, Germany



Dressing up like a cow for free Chick-Fil-A



Running a half marathon with my sister



Celebrating a 5 year anniversary



...and Lord willing, many more life experiences to come!

Decorations

The Sunday after Thanksgiving, when we had Ben's family over for dinner, I decided I wanted to get all my Christmas decorations up before they all arrived. I decided this after lunch. So, in a lightning-fast 3.5 hours, I put up all the decorations by myself (after Ben lugged them all up from the basement for me).

Can you tell I like ornaments? The following week, I was telling Ben how I wish we had put up Christmas lights on the outside of the house since we've never done that before. That Saturday, I was out of town until the evening, and when I got home, I found this:

What a sweet husband I have!

Thanksgiving

Well, finals are over and I finally have some time to make a blog post! It's overdue, but here are a few pictures from Thanksgiving.

We spent Thanksgiving day with my extended family at my aunt's house. I made this pumpkin cream pie to take and I was so proud of it, but everyone just wanted to eat my cousin Ryan's amazing pumpkin bars that are the big hit every year (they really are delicious!), so I ended up bringing half this pie home.

The only picture I took that day the entire time was of my cousin Amanda's son, Eli.

I like babies, okay?!

The next day my sister had a Thanksgiving dinner at her house for my immediate family. Take a look at her menu:

I bet none of you all had a meal that fabulous! Jenn is the best! And this pumpkin bread pudding may have been the best dessert I've ever tasted...

Where's my time machine when I need it? I would go back to the moment I ate that pumpkin bread pudding. And then when I ate seconds of the pumpkin bread pudding.

And finally, Ben insisted that I roast a 19 pound turkey for the two of us. So, here it is.

I'd heard about putting fruit in the cavity and under the skin to make it moist and add flavor, so I tried that with oranges and apples. I guess it worked because the turkey was pretty moist and delicious! We had Ben's parents and Grannie Ruth over that Sunday night to celebrate.

I made some great turkey stock again this year. If only I had more freezer space or I would have made more!

Dinner and a Movie

Ben and I had dinner with Jenn and Scott last night at their house. It was so nice! Jenn always puts these extra little touches on everything to make it fancy and special. Thought I'd share these, and maybe you can try them out!

First, we had a cheese tasting while the dinner was cooking. Labeling appetizers is always a nice touch. But these cheeses were labeled with these little porcelain animals of whatever type of cheese was being served (goat, lamb, or cow) with the name of the cheese written on them. Aren't these cute?!

Jenn made a delicious butternut squash soup with dinner that she served in roasted pumpkins. Again, how cute and fancy!!

Dinner was lamb seasoned with rosemary, polenta, mustard greens with turkey bacon, and rolls. It was so delicious! Dinner was served on fancy paisley-patterned plates. If you have nice dishes, don't be afraid to use them!

After dinner, we watched an old Alfred Hitchcock movie starring Jimmy Stuart called "Rope". It was pretty good- and pretty unusual, as a lot of those movies are. Can't wait for the next dinner and movie night! :)

Family Weekend

Emma, Shanon, and Vera came in town last weekend. I realize now that I only took pictures of Vera the whole weekend...but I couldn't help myself! She is such a doll!

We babysat Vera Friday night. I can't believe how big she has gotten since the last time I saw her!

She was all smiles and definitely the easiest baby to watch!

Happy after a diaper change!

Ben fed her a bottle before bed. When we laid her down, she went right to sleep!

Saturday we all went to the UofL game and despite what a good little cheerleader Vera was, UofL lost in overtime.

Grannie came over to visit that evening. Vera was good while Grannie held her, but shortly afterward she was ready for bed since she had missed her long nap because of the football game.

Deena decided to stay home with Vera while the rest of us went out to dinner. We had fun with the family and can't wait to see them all again at Christmas!