Thanksgiving Plans

One of the challenges of where Marc & I live (with really no great solution of where to move to lessen this problem) is that Marc and I live in the middle of our families (which is great), except that it makes the drive six hours to the east or six hours to the west to get to our families. So we started the tradition that we go to Wisconsin and South Dakota for Thanksgiving every other year. This year is our Wisconsin year.

The new challenge of course is traveling with Lucy.
In years past Marc and I have each taken our sleeping bags and a backpack with everything we need. This year, however, we have a lot more pack.
PLUS we have one JUMBO box of cutout cookies and one printer box of cutout cookies.
        Took Marc 11 HOURS to bake these things - now to not break them.

Dakota is spending the holiday at one of the pet boarding places here in town.

I have to help with the Thanksgiving Eve service here in town at 7:00pm tonight, soooooo we aren't leaving tonight since it wouldn't be until after 8:00pm. We are planning on leaving tonight to head down to the Twin Cities to stay with my brother - we probably won't arrive till 10:30ish or so but it will be massively helpful in the morning - I would MUCH rather drive late night than have to get up and leave by 4:00 or 4:30 tomorrow morning. Lucy is a wildcard. She HATES riding in her carseat and six hours is a long ways for her to ride. We figure we will have to stop about every two hours to feed Lucy and to let her stretch - stopping at my brothers will definitely help some. I wish we weren't going so late but with work I don't really have many other options.

I am going to have to use disposable diapers on Lucy which I am not thrilled about - they just don't hold everything in as well as her cloth diapers. However, we don't own enough diapers to make it through the trip and won't have any access to washers and dryers.

We will be returning home on Saturday because I have to work Sunday morning - which while I am a little sad the trip will be ridiculously fast I am glad that we shouldn't be in the madness of fighting a ton of people who are returning from other places on Sunday. Plus this should give me Sunday to get caught up on everything: laundry, clean out the car, and get prepped for the next week without having to run around like a chicken with my head cut off.

Random fact that you don't care about:
I have discovered that (when possible) it is easiest to pack for Lucy, Marc, and I all in one Rubbermaid tote rather than having three separate bags. It makes it easier for us to only have to carry one bucket that fits everything we need: diapers, bottles, and clothes for the three of us. Since we know we will be sleeping on the floor we also are taking our sleeping bags and airbed as well as a pack n' play for Lucy.


What are your Thanksgiving plans?
Are you traveling for the holiday?
How do you feel about traveling during the holidays?

ONE YEAR as a MRS

Holy Cats Batman. It has been a year since we got married. (This will be the last of my monthly updates as a Mrs. and am hoping to move to every six months or so, we'll see how that develops, for sure every year there will be an update) I think I am still in shock that we have been married a year. A TON has happened in that year and it has indeed been a wonderful year, I won't complain. It is surreal to think that we are crossing the one year mark.




The Wonderful Things:

• We made it married a year - onto year 2
• we have successfully surpassed thousands of couples who don't make it through the first year - although that isn't much
• and it was a WONDERFUL year as well
• We bought our first house together
• on that same note we survived selling a house - house showings suck and that they want to come in at any given minute with less than idea notice that they are coming - however - despite the stress our house sold
• we moved on what has been labeled as officially the coldest day of this past winter

• don't move on the coldest day of the winter - it sucks! Thank God for friends who where willing to be bought off with some pizza
• we LOVE our new house - we love backing up to one of Minnesota state parks - now if only we didn't have to bath in mosquito spray to enjoy it this time of year
• We have a great routine for the most part - thank God for a ridiculously flexible husband who is really good at communication - my schedule is ALL over the board and he does well dealing with chaos and be being here and there an a little bit of everywhere
• Dakota has Marc and I wrapped around her little paw - it is funny to watch Marc and Dakota together - I imagine with a baby this will only be better
• WE HAVE CHICKENS
• seriously, I LOVE having chickens
• Due to baby on the way our basement is WAYYYY more finished than we anticipated it being this time of year - we need a guest room - our family is too far away to not have at least one guest room

The Things No One Ever Tells You About:

• I am still getting used to cooking for two
• Marc eats way more than I ever anticipate - it just takes some adjusting 
• House projects sometimes suck the life out of you
• we did really well working on house projects - however, sometimes they suck the life out of ya when ya just want them done
• thankfully this year we learned to set small goals and if we reach them just to chill and take the night off - it will get done at some point
  
• Laundry is doubled - yes, this too is obvious - but until I was doing laundry for two I didn't realize how much it was - thankfully I have finally fallen into a routine that seems to be working for us
• just to complicate it - let's throw in a third person this year with a third set of dirty laundry - bring on the baby
• sometimes I feel bad for Marc being married to a pastor - it has a life of it's own - he does REALLY well with it though - however, I am sure there are moments he'd trade it 

The Miscellaneous Things:

• We are still a little freaked out that we will become parents in our second year of marriage - ahhhhh - so much transition coming soon
• yes, we are totally jazzed and can't wait but still slightly freaked out
• Thank God for our amazing friends and family who are along this journey with us
• We still don't love that both of our families are a solid six hours in either direction from us which makes visiting family hard