Four Months as a Mrs.

I seriously cannot believe we have been married for four months!

It has been marvelous for sure. This past month we have been getting back into the swing of fall and figuring out what life will look like this fall. We got to make a trip back to South Dakota for my grandfather's 85th birthday party - soooo wonderful.

Our house is still for sale (I am hoping our house has sold and we are in a new house by Christmas). Selling a house sucks. End story.

Marc is really getting into the groove of work - he finally feels like he knows what he is doing and is really loving his new (as of mid June) job - more importantly he gets WAY more vacation time which means we get to take more trips and spend more time together (WONDERFUL).

Okay. So this post is semi-lame. However. I am attempting to get back into blogging. I will do it! I love it, so must get on it.



***Completely unrelated side notes from this past month***
-I got a new camera body (Nikon D300) which I am totally jazzed about and sold off my old camera body (Nikon D60) - which I am a little sad about because I loved that camera but I was sort of at the top of it.
-Now to overcome the learning curve of a new camera
-I have been crocheting like a fool lately and loving every second of it.
-I have been reading some lately - it is wonderful to have time to read for fun - I recommend Pastorix by Nadia Bolz-Weber
-Sooooo much on my mind. It will take me a few posts to get caught up.

Mille Lac Pow Wow

This past weekend, Marc and I and a few of our friends, all headed to a near by American Indian Reservation, Mille Lac's reservation to check out their pow wow. It is a beautiful event on the shores of Mille Lac lake and very opening and welcoming to nontribal people. We went over and ate fry bread tacos (sooooooooo goood - I forgot to take a picture, I was too focused on eating the delightfulness). I attempted at getting a few photos to capture the beauty- these pictures don't do justice. [Not to forget it is sort of hard to shoot, the sun is setting, eventually drops, and everyone is moving very rapidly] It was awesome. Anyways. Here are a few pictures that are okay (some are a bit fuzzy in places, but I have short worse and I have shot better - just wanted to give y'all a glimpse into the pow wow.

Mille Lac is the home of the jingle dress

Have you ever been to a pow wow? 

How do you feel about fry bread tacos?

Did you do anything fun this weekend?

Does your area have anything fun celebrations every year?

2013 Goals - Check In

Here are my goals for 2013 in no particular order - below in blue is the updates with how I am doing on my goals:

• Earn my Walt Disney Coast to Coast Medal
• This will require me to complete two races, one in Disneyland and one in Disney World in the same calendar year. I will be running the Tinkerbell Half Marathon in Disneyland and the Wine and Dine Half Marathon in Disney World
• I have finished the Tinkerbell Half Marathon at Disneyland in California and I have registered for the Wine and Dine Half Marathon at Walt Disney World in Florida this coming November - I dare to say this is going to happen! Super excited
• Learn how to fold fitted sheets
• Seriously, I have tried, but haven't been committed to it- my fitted sheets always just look like crap when they are folded - more like balled up sheets even if I have tried to fold them nicely - youtube here I come
• totally spaced this one out.... Time to get on it.
• Get Married 
• June 8, 2013 at Bethlehem Lutheran Church I will be getting married and couldn't be more excited about the whole thing - minus the dress wearing crap - seriously my least excited piece
• All the details seem to be coming together. Whoop Whoop.
• Make a fruit pie from scratch
• No real reason for this one other than I just want to do it
• I am waiting for yummy fresh fruit season to embark on this challenge, however I have practiced making a pie crust and made a pie crust with pie filling and that was pretty good so I am jazzed to try this with real fruit filling
• Paint one of the bedrooms upstairs
• I have the colors picked out and I know what design I want to do it - I am currently waiting until a little further into spring so I can open my windows and not get high off of paint fumes!
• Run 5 half marathons [I am tempted to say six because I think it would be sweet to say I averaged one every other month but that maybe too lofty of a goal]
• I have Tinkerbell Half Marathon, Fargo Half Marathon, Fargo Mini Marathon, and Wine and Dine Half Marathon on the docket already - I'd like to add one in Minnesota to my list
• One down four to go
• Finish going through all of my boxes 
• I haven't gone through all the boxes since I moved to Brainerd in June 2011, it's time to do some serious giving away
• This is seriously one of the best projects I have come across, I am LOVING IT - I am going through nearly everything I own - it has been super fun to be able to give away a ton of stuff I just don't need any more
• Organize my craft space in the loft
• Yeah haven't started this one! Looks like a tornado went through it right now
• Read 12 books for fun [I love reading but sometimes I get in a rut and do all my reading for work, which I don't totally mind, but I want to read for fun too] so far I am on track with reading one book per month for fun
• Emma - Jane Austen
• LOVED IT! 
• Red - Ted Dekker
• Found this to be a marvelous book and it kept me a bit on the edge of my seat
• Plain Truth - Jodi Piccoult
• I love all of her books and this one did not let me down
• 7 - Jen Hatmaker (in progress)
• Make my bed 90% of the time
• I am not horrible at this one - I am probably currently at a solid 50% but would like to increase this goal - I don't want to go to 100% because seriously some days I really don't care - however I LOVE to crawl into a made bed
• I would bet I am getting close to 90% maybe only at about 85% but getting MUCH better than I was before, I am reminded how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE to crawl into a bed that has been made - I don't really care what it looks like I just love crawling into it at night
• Learn to to tunisian crochet
• My friend Lindy has inspired me to do this - thanks Lindy
• We are actually working a blanket with this style of crocheting in 2013 which will demand I learn 9 new stitches, I am jazzed and praying I can figure it out
• so far I am totally on track with this project - although my squares are looking a ton like burritos!
• Run 500 miles this year
• bike to work 30 times
• swim 100 miles
• yes I know these are loft goals - but why set low goals
• My miles have come to a hault as the treadmill and I are so annoyed with each other that we are not even on speaking terms - I have gotten in a ton of miles swimming in turn due to the serious lack of running these past couple weeks
• I haven't yet biked to work - the roads are still an icy mess
• Finish the stacks of projects that I have begun and have never gotten to for whatever reason - and if I decide I am not going to ever finish them then I need to disassemble what can be disassembled and move on - no reason to have all these half finished projects
• slowly but surely this is happening believe it or not - although I suppose I could use a kick in the butt to get this goal done a little quicker
• Settle into married life
• or begin to... really this goal is all about making the transition to married life intentional
• obviously not started since we haven't gotten married yet
• Make a quilt
• it has been way too long since I have made one
• I have picked out a design and am beginning to pick fabrics
• Finish the three clergy stoles I have started
• one done two to go
• Shoot over 250 pictures a month on my Nikon D60
• I LOVE this camera but I get lazy and don't take it out to take the photos I should, I really do want to improve as a photographer, so I must practice
• TOTALLY have done this so far! Some months have been better than others - while I was in California I took thousands for January - February I shot probably just over 300 pictures with my D60 - March is lacking a ton so far but I did get some at the lock in last weekend
• Catch up on photobooks
• yeah, I am way behind, finish 2011, 2012, Summer 2012 Mission Trips book
• 2011 - DONE
• Summer 2012 Mission Trip book - DONE
• 2012 - DONE
• update 2013 photobook monthly
• I actually have found that I am best off to update this book every couple of weeks - so far so good
• Create and Finish Summer 2013 Ministry book (finish before the end of the year)
• overachiever moment here: I actually have picked out the style and size and have set it up with different sections so with each activity I only have to fill in the pages - Summer Stretch, Middle School Mission Trip, High School Mission Trip, and VBS
• Create and finish a wedding photobook (finish before the end of the year)
• I haven't done anything on this one yet
• Order 366 in 2012 photo book
• DONE and it is soooooooooooo much fun! I LOVE IT! Seriously. I hope to do another photo a day book sometime
• When books are finished order: 2011, 2012, Summer 2012 Mission Trip book
• 2011 - Ordered and on my shelves
• Summer 2012 Mission Trip Book - Ordered and on my shelves
• 2012 - Waiting for a good sale to order

How are your goals for 2013 coming along? 
                 It is ridiculously crazy to think we are already mid-way through March!
Have you altered your goals for the year at all?

Nikon D60

Photography. It seems to be all the craze these days, or really with the development of digital cameras we are no longer tied to the days of expensive film and developing it. We all have cameras, our phones, point and shoot, and varying degrees of more complicated cameras. I have one on my iphone, I have a point and shoot (a waterpoof Nikon that I love), and a Nikon D60. Some of my friends are REALLY good at photography and always seem to come up with really good shots.

I love pictures, I love the process of taking pictures, creating photobooks, and looking through photobooks. I need to learn how to take better pictures. I need to learn what the different shutter speeds do and how to adjust it appropriately on my camera. I need to learn what the different settings are for. I need to learn about aperture and how to adjust mine to the right setting. I need to learn about the different formats and how to get to them on my camera. I need to take photos in a million different settings so I don't get dark and blurry photos. I want to learn how to shoot amazing photos without having to do a ton and a half of editing. 

I am slowly but surely attempting to learn. Trying to gain not only a better eye for pictures but also really learn the ins and outs of my camera, learn the diverse settings. Here's to lots of online reading and challenging myself to take photos, thousands of photos, to learning how to capture what my eyes see.

Anyone have any tips on how to master the settings on their camera?

Anyone have any tips on helping me know what settings my camera should be at when shooting in different settings?

Nikon D60

I love my Nikon D60 and I have not gotten to use it nearly enough. I have realized that my go to camera is my point and shoot for sure, I don't know if it is because I don't want to carry the weight of the bigger camera or what, but I want to commit to using that camera more often. I want to take fun photos and be able to edit them and use them for stuff.
I should see if I can find a photo challenge type a deal online that suggests something to photograph each day to add to the challenge and fun. Sometimes I am stumped on what to take photos of, my puppy gets lots of photos taken of her (which I am not totally against, but I feel like I should have more than just pictures of my sweet puppy). I know there is a photo challenge of the day on instagram so maybe I will just borrow the topic from there and use my D60 to take photos rather than my phone.
Must use fun camera more often.
Unrelated side note: It is August 3 and I haven't drank any soda yet. Seriously, I know it is only three days but it is about two days longer than I thought I would make it. YAY for small victories (yes I celebrate small victories frequently)
Unrelated side note #2: I wish I had a group of people to run with in the morning before work. I enjoy running by myself but from time to time I would love to run with folks. I may sign up for the early morning swim group this fall through our community education just so that I get my butt out of bed still in the fall and swim with a group of people, I think I would push myself harder if I did. We'll see, community ed calendar hasn't come out yet for the fall.
Unrelated side note #3: I got a new pair of shoes the other day that I am over the top jazzed about, they are giraffe print Toms. Yes, some folks probably think they are ugly for sure, but I LOVE THEM! (I am fascinated by giraffes, and so in turn love that giraffe print has become trendy. I have loved giraffes since I was a little girl and am not certain what exactly made me fall in love with them.)

New shoes that I love
Generally I am a barefoot or flip flop type a girl
but these make me excited to wear shoes

unexpected surprises

While out walking at Crow Wing State Park with Dakota, Gus, Luther, and Vicki we happened upon a few swans and Vicki generously offered to distract the puppies while I snapped away for a few minutes. The top picture was the first swans that I saw when all of a sudden these five on the bottom came into my field of vision. They were such a beautiful surprise at the state park, I was thankful I was carrying my Nikon d60, so I could get some decent photos. It makes me want to go back out there without Dakota and see what kind of pictures I could shoot.