Apostle Islands - Honeymoon Part 1

Sunday after we got married Marc and I left town and headed to the Apostle Islands in Wisconsin. We wanted to stay close so we didn't have a ridiculous drive on Sunday but we also didn't want to run into people we knew. So we chose to take the 3 hour and fifteen minute drive to Bayfield, Wisconsin. It was PERFECT. We rented a part of a cabin (it was an old house, I think, that had been divided into two separate spaces) that had a bedroom, a living room, a bathroom, and a small kitchen all overlooking the Apostle Islands. It. Was. Perfect. We had an absolutely marvelous time. We cooked most of our meals at the cabin (we went out twice and cooked the rest ourselves) - mostly over the open fire (because we love cooking over coals) and it was semi-luxurious camping - exactly what we wanted. While we were there we delighted in several things: mopeding on Madeline Island, lunch out [totally recommend the Beach Club], a massage (a gift from my brother-in-law and sister-in-law) [recommend Superior Body Message and Spa], dinner out [definitely check out Ethel's], hammock napping, kayaking, state park wandering, beach chilling, ice cream (seriously, what would a trip be without ice cream), many a good walk, lots of conversation, and hiking at Houghton Falls. On the way home we stopped in Duluth, eat at Burrito Union, and walked around Canal Park a bit. IT WAS WONDERFUL.
            Not totally a downfall but it was a little bit annoying, I am certain it will look amazing when it is all done, but, main street in Bayfield was totally under construction when we went there, it workout fine in the end, but it was strange to have certain things not open and what not due to the construction or have the bathrooms not work because the water has been shut off. We did decide however that it totally makes us want to go back when they have all the construction done to see how it all turned out.
             Houghton Falls was totally an accidental find (thank you trip advisor app). We were debating what to do and so I pulled up the trip advisor app on my ipad and was searching for something semi-active that we could do because the weather had turned out to be GORGEOUS that day, I happened to stumble upon a recommendation from two people (seriously saddened that only a couple people have rated this place because it rocked). It was listed as a small park that people could wander through. WE LOVED IT, we hiked and climbed all over, there are even trails that will lead you down and by the water. It was such an adventure and we only saw one person the whole time were were there and it was someone with a big fancy camera that I was drooling over who was walking out of the park as we were walking in other than that it was empty other than us. I took a TON of photos (not that this should shock you) - it was gorgeous and breath taking. You could tell (unfortunately) that not a ton of people go through this sweet park. We spent HOURS wandering around in here and taking photos and soaking it all in.
                 Mopeding (I am not certain that is actually a verb, but I am going to use it as one, and don't really care what others think) on Madeline Island ROCKED! Seriously, AMAZING, and worth every penny. We debated and hemmed and hawed a little bit (mostly because we are trying to be really wise with our money and pay of some debt (college and car) and so we went back and forth as to what we were doing and what not and eventually decided to go for it and rent a couple of mopeds. I LOVED IT, Marc LOVED IT. I totally recommend it, we went through a company on Madeline Island called "Motion to Go" they were wonderful to work with. We explored the island, stopped at the state park, explored the city beach, and rode all over the island. We seriously would love to get mopeds some day, we had that much fun. Did you know that mopeds get 80 miles to the gallon, do you know how many trips to work, the grocery store, hospitals and nursing home visits I could do on one gallon of gas?!?! A LOT. It was a wonderful way to explore the island and get to see it all. We did say that when we come back we would love to bring our bikes as well because that also would have been a great way to experience the island. While we were out and about on our mopeds we happened to come across an Indian burial ground and we took the time to get out and walk around it (it isn't more than about a city block), it was crazy to see how old people were when they died and to see graves over a couple hundred years old. It was interesting to see how short the life expectancy was at that time, and the number of infant/children deaths saddened my heart and I gave thanks for modern medicine and vaccines. I imagine that a lot of people miss out on the Indian burial grounds because it isn't well marked and is sort of off the beaten path.

         We ate lunch at the Beach Club on Madeline Island and I seriously ate the world's best white fish tacos, I was a little skeptical because fish tacos are either really good or REALLY NASTY, and these were by far the best I have ever had, I even took a picture of them to remember their goodness. The trip advisor app on my phone and ipad became a great resource for us as we were trying to find places to eat and things to do. We used it a lot! I am thankful for the community of travelers who have given their stamp of approval to places and things so that we also got to experience them. It was marvelous, I didn't do much research before we left for the trip, I obviously was busy prepping for the wedding and prepping for this trip sort of fell to the wayside. It worked out for the best! Thankfully our cabin had wifi access which made searching for yummy places to eat and things to do much easier.
    After the chaos (wonderful chaos, but chaos none the less) of the wedding and having so much family and friends around I was happy to have a few days to just get some overdue rest and relaxation. While I know the wedding was all about Marc and I an the weekend was nearly perfect, I seriously felt like I hardly ever had any time with Marc, and we really didn't have much time to ourselves to talk and process everything that was going on. It was fun on the trip to hear things that he really enjoyed about our wedding weekend and the things that he thought were funny. I also got to hear a bit about stuff that his family said about the wedding. I am thankful that we went right away to at least get a couple of days away. Marc was suppose to have to go back to work on Thursday, but he didn't due to a job change which all fell into place right before we got married.

    He had his last day at his old job on the Friday before we got married and then had the next full week off (and I had to work the Thursday after our wedding) and then began his new job (HUGE BLESSING) the following Monday. It was funny how it all fell together. Hence our short quick vacation together. We did decide that we were going to go somewhere warm this coming winter when we both are suffering from serious vitamin d withdrawl. So this coming January we traded in a timeshare (thanks mom and dad) to Puerto Villarta, Mexico and will be spending a week down there together. We also realized that it is amazing to be in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin in June-August so we would be hard pressed to leave at this time. So we are calling it a two part honeymoon, part 1 in the apostle islands, and part 2 in Mexico this winter.

Sorry this post got so long, I never intended it to, however, thanks for reading. I am hoping to do long posts with lots of pictures about our wedding one of these days, we are hoping to get the photos from our other photographer soon. I will hopefully then be able to give you some of the details and highlights for me from the weekend we got married.

Have you been to Puerto Villarta any recommendations?
Any fun travels coming up for you?
Are you doing anything fun for the fourth of July?

Wedding Ceremony

These are a few pictures from right before we went down the isle and during the wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony and I can't wait to share the details with you all!

Saturday Afternoon

This post could have been 12,000 pictures long and I was tempted to make it that long, but decided to spare you. Anyways, here are a handful of shots that our dear friend Vicki took before the wedding. Soooooo mannnnyyy fuuuuunnnn pictures.

Rehearsal Dinner/BBQ

Rather than doing a traditional rehearsal dinner we invited all of our family and friends who were in town out to the camp I co-manage. We had a GREAT time, we ate, drank, played copious amounts of yard games, talked, caught up, shot the breeze, and watched the sunset over the lake. 

Rehearsal

We have begun getting some pictures back from the week of our wedding. These pictures are some that we received from our dear friend who shot a ton of photos. This week I am going to highlight some of my favorites that she shot, I will give ya a full recap of the wedding later when I have time to type stuff up, however, I can't wait any more to share some photos this week.

Crazy to be on this side of the wedding rehearsal rather than
officiating one.

This one makes me giggle and I wish I knew what we were talking about
also it looks like we are running or something.

Name Change

Alright, I have gotten several comments/questions on what I decided to do with my name. Seriously, this decision was hard from me, I went back and forth, and I thought I had something decided and then something brought be back to square one. It seemed for several months I went around and around and around on what to do and the question on what I am going to do with my name kept coming up time and time again as I ran. I debated and debated, I hemmed and I hawed, I wrestled and wrestled, and eventually it became time to apply for a marriage license and I HAD to make a decision. I seriously even put off applying to get our marriage license because I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. I was stressed out over this decision.

There are things on both sides of the issue and valid things on both sides of the issue at that, which didn't help. Soooo it complicated things. I hated making this decision. Marc, was fine with whatever I decided, he said he'd love for me to take his last name AND he simultaneously said he understood why I didn't want to change my name and said he'd support me 110% either way.

I talked to people who had changed their name who were passionate that I should change my name. I talked to people who had kept their name and were passionate that I should keep me name. I talked repeatedly with God about it and repeatedly asked for signs of what to do or even a skywriter. I talked with many a folk who I consider wise counsel and heard people passionate on both sides of the argument. The decision was mine and mine alone.

In the end I ended up with a mixed solution. I wasn't totally willing to drop my last name, I like it, AND there was a piece of me that wanted to take Marc's last name for a number of reasons. So the final solution was this: I kept my first and middle name, moved Thomson to a middle name (I am now one of those people with two middle names - yes, I realize that there are cons and pros to this as well), and picked up Marc's last name as my last name.

I now have begun to dreaded process of changing my name on EVERYTHING. [This process is sort of a pain and it's only just begun.] I am sure I'll update you on this process as it comes along, so far it is annoying to me.


How was the name changing process for you?
Any tips on getting this process over quicker or with more efficiency?

An Open Letter to the Wedding Industry

Dear Wedding Industry,
   
     You are overrated. You think that lots of things are important that I found trivial. Somehow there has become this great misconception that lots of material items are necessities at a wedding. My wedding and reception was wonderful. I didn't have all sorts of take home things for my guests, many details in your mind were skipped, my wedding didn't require me to take out a loan or go broke. Rather, my family and friends gathered, we worshiped, we prayed, we said our vows, we rejoiced, we ate, we drank, and we danced the night away. And we slept really hard when it was all over.
    My wedding and reception was beautiful! I couldn't have wanted anything else. I am thankful I didn't buy into your lies of what is important and what isn't. I am thankful I didn't spend thousands upon thousands upon thousands of dollars on a dress that I will wear once. I am thankful that I am didn't have to take out a loan or spend ridiculous amounts of money on one day of my life, while yes, my wedding day was very important, I also know that the next ninety (or really how many ever years we live) years are just as important as today. I am thankful for the time I had with my family and friends and the fun we had. I am thankful for my family and friends who have promised to hold Marc and I in prayer and journey alongside us for the rest of our lives. I am thankful that your lies don't rule the world.

  Love,
      a recent bride

TOMORROW.

It is surreal to say the least. Tomorrow I shall marry my best friend. I can't believe it is already here, time has flown by and crawled by. We have had long conversations about life and the future and have spent much time in prayer about it all.

Our family and friends have come from near and far to help us celebrate and surround us in prayer. It is sooooooooooooo much fun to see everyone that I haven't seen in sooooooooo long and then to have a lot of my favorite people all in one place! Seriously blessed.

Today we are setting up our reception site this morning (poor Marc has to work a half day - there is no way I'd be able to focus) and then a girls luncheon with my grandma and my grandpa's sister (they seriously are the greatest). The afternoon is chill - not really certain what we'll do there probably putz. Early this evening we have rehearsal at the church and then rehearsal dinner out at Camp V (the camp I help to co-manage). Should be a great night of chilling by the lake, eating delightful food, and hanging out with family.

Seriously can't believe tomorrow is happening. It doesn't seem like all that long ago that we were just engaged and thinking that June 8th was forever away.

Sooooooooo excited.

I am sure there will be a massive photo dump coming at some point.

An Open Letter to Cancer

Dear Cancer,

My Hartj at her wedding last summer.

    You. Suck. End of the story. In case I had ever questioned it before I am not annoyed at you again. You and one of my best friends are waging quite the war, and I am here to tell you that you won't win in the end, yes, you may win a battle here or there and it may seem like you have a grasp. HOWEVER, I am here to tell you this right now - you won't win. I know you have met my dear friend, which should have you shaking in your boots, she is a fighter, she is tough, she is stronger that you are giving her credit for. She will fight you and I trust she will win. You suck.
     This weekend I will get married and selfishly I am pissed because my dear friend won't be standing right next to me and enjoying all of the tomfoolery. YOU. SUCK. She is one hell of a fighter. Trust me. Know that she is stubborn as they come, and it is serving her well. The reality is, while I am a bit saddened that she is fighting you rather than enjoying the day (& selfishly hanging out with me), I know she is fighting you hard and I trust that she will stand by my side for years to come. While physically she will hopefully be in the pews and joining us however she can (still up in the air how it will work out), she will be in my heart and I in hers, her prayers will uphold me and support me, and my prayers and the prayers of so many shall surround her.
     I am annoyed. CANCER, YOU SUCK. Get that message loud and clear. Get that message and buzz off, go infest rocks or lifeless things. Get out of people. Just so you know I am praying for a cure against you as are millions of other people, and our God is bigger than you. You create havoc in millions of lives each year, directly and indirectly. There is billions of dollars fighting against you and fervently working for a cure. There is a cure out there, I know it. I believe there will be a day when you are nothing more than a distant nightmare.

GO AWAY.
YOU SUCK.

Consider this your eviction notice from the world.
Sincerely,
   Sarah

THIS WEEKEND

I get married in 3 days. RIDICULOUS. (thanks for putting up with so many wedding related posts)

I think I am still a little shocked that it is coming up so quickly and that it has taken so long to get here.
The weather forecast doesn't look horrible so we should be fine. Let's be honest the church and the reception hall are both air conditioned so we'll be fine.

I. Am. Jazzed.

The planning will be done.
The party will begin.
Family and friends will gather.
I am excited for it all
and for it all to be over.

I. Am. Jazzed.

Eight: Goals for this Month

For the next few Tuesdays I am linking up with Lauren at Life. Love. Lauren and Tiffany at The Austin Family Diary for their Tuesday Topics. This week's topic is "Eight: Goals for this month."

Family Arriving

MOM is here. She arrived Thursday night. Seriously, why is everything better when mom arrives?!
Since she has arrived she has been putting massive amounts of mason jars through the dish washer and spoiling my dog. Perfect all around - except Dakota goes through withdrawls when she leaves - for one reason or another Dakota can't figure out why when my parents come she gets to hang out with them all day and eat people food. When they leave however she spends time in her crate when I am at work and only gets to eat dog food.

Marc and I have family coming in from all over the country for our wedding. We were attempting to make a list of the states that will be represented at our wedding and here is what we have come up with so far:

Minnesota
South Dakota
Wisconsin
North Dakota
Colorado
Connecticut
Arizona
Texas
Illinois
Montana
Iowa
Michigan
Alaska
Tennessee
Idaho


*This list represents not necessarily where people are originally from but rather where they are currently living and coming from to get to our wedding - this also does not include the people that we sent invitations to who RSVPed and said that they couldn't make it.*

As we thought through our list of family and friends and how far some of them are traveling to be with us we were humbled for sure. Our. Families. Rock.

Two Weeks

Two Weeks.

I can't believe it. We are two weeks away from the wedding. I am now getting ridiculously excited.

It is a bit surreal for sure. I had my "practice" hair yesterday, seriously a little crazy how everything is falling into place bit by bit.

This Weeks To Do List:

• Finish my bridesmaid gifts 
• They are about 95% done - so I just need to squeeze in some time to finish them
• Pick up the bulletins for worship
• they are printed I just have to get to the printer during business hours
• life has been crazytown around here and I haven't had time
• Make the meal tags for the reception
• This shouldn't take long - I have the tags all made they just need the appropriate color placed on the bottom of them
• Pay the flower lady and give her the twine to wrap around the base of the flowers
• Pay the cake lady and give her the ribbon for the cake
• start cleaning my house
• I am starting with the upstairs because I really don't use it all that often and I have company coming so it is time to buckle down and get that cleaned up
• double check to-do lists
• wrap bridesmaid gifts
• write thank yous from last weekend's shower
• I have half done
• write thank yous for people helping with the wedding
• lots of these to do

Three Weeks

I am no longer in the months count down to our wedding but rather in the weeks and not too far off from the days count down. Seriously mind blowing that time has flown and crawled by so quickly.

We are now down to three weeks until we get married (yes, you may as well brace yourself for a weekly update now because I am writing one).

I have a bedroom upstairs in my house that sort of looks like all thing wedding has puked - I will be ready to have my room back upstairs when this wedding is over and to have all of these jars out of my house. Also ready to be able to focus on other miscellaneous projects beyond wedding stuff - it's been real, its even had a couple fun moments (food tasting), I am not sure that I would give wedding planning a real fun rating though.....anyways. It soon will be over.

This week's wedding related goals are:

• finalize worship bulletin
• work on bridesmaid gifts
• drop off twine to the flower place
• type up a weekend schedule for everyone
• start dipping dinner meal tags for the reception
• contact the rest of the people who haven't RSVPed

Unrelated news:

  Today is the Fargo Half Marathon and I seriously love this race and couldn't be more excited to be running it. Fingers crossed for good weather and not too many flooded roads and speedy legs (full review to come early next week).

Nervous

I run the Fargo Half Marathon this weekend.
I am nervous.
I have spent far too much time on a treadmill and not enough time on the roads.
My excuses are lame.
I will run anyways.
I will finish.
I will get my medal.


I am excited to have a day in Fargo to hang out with friends, tomorrow and into tomorrow evening. I will go watch the 5k runners. Hopefully they all do well and the heat index is exponentially lower than it was last year, it was crazy town for sure.

The day or two before a race is always hard for me. I am awful at tapering and I think about the race with every moment of my day - or so it feels. I pick out my race outfits (yes, I pick out a few due to the uncertainty of the weather), I make sure my watch is charged, I review my running playlist and make changes to it as needed, I charge up the Ipod, I go for some easy runs, and I pack my bags. I try to pack oatmeal so that I can heat it up with hot water from the coffee pot in the room, I have found that oatmeal seems to sit fairly well in my stomach while I run.

Unrelated excitement: This wedding deal is getting real fast. I am picking up my wedding dress tomorrow. It seems a bit surreal since I bought it back in October. Now the question is where to store it for a few more weeks until we actually get married.

Marriage License

IT IS DONE.

We have applied for our marriage license. BAH! This stuff is getting real fast! (not that it wasn't before but stuff like this makes it seem sooooo much more real) They said we could pick it up in a week or so depending on how long it took them to process it through the system. It is nuts to think that we seriously just applied for a wedding license.

In other fun news today I am meeting up with some friends in a town south of me for lunch. Should be marvelous, I feel like I haven't seen them in eons! It should be marvelous.

a photo from hiking at the Arb last night

Then this afternoon I have a great plan to go running, no watch, no headphones, just Dakota and I. We are going to run and run and then run some more until my legs say we are done. I am excited to finally have a little bit of free time that allows me to go on this type of a run - the kind where you don't have to watch the clock or anything.

I am thankful for a day off as it doesn't really seem like I had one last weekend with synod assembly.
Now to go switch the laundry (the never ending piles of laundry).

After I finish the laundry today I am kissing my wool sweaters and other ridiculously warm clothes good riddance until next October/November (must. think. positively.) and putting my shorts in my drawers. Have you gotten to put away your winter clothes yet?


What do you like to do on your days off?
Do you have a least favorite chore? (mine is matching socks)
Do you ever run without any watches or music?

One Month

The countdown is now down to days rather than just months, and not hundreds of days, one month from today I will be getting married. Whoop Whoop! Seriously this count down at times has felt ridiculously long and at other moments have flown by. I can hardly believe in one month all this preparation and planning will be playing out as it is. There is a large piece of me that is ready for it all the play out, there is another piece of me that love the details and allows me the freedom to work details on something other than mission trips and work projects.



What's Done:

• I have a dress and it has been fitted
• I am picking it up in May when I go to Fargo to run the Fargo Half Marathon
• Church and reception hall are reserved
• Pastors - picked (complicated when many of your friends are ordained)
• Caterer - automatic when you get the reception hall
• food tasted (seriously this is the best job ever - I would love to do this every night for dinner)
• Cake - person selected 
• working with her to go back and forth about selecting exactly what we want - who knew there were so many amazing options
• We are now in the nailing down of the final details portion of this
• Photographer 
•  Fiances uncle and a friend
• Hair appointments 
•  reserved for bridesmaids and me
• DJ 
•  Fiance's uncle 
• Rehearsal Dinner 
• space reserved (at a camp I co-direct in my spare time)
• menu planned
• Guest book figured out
• save the dates sent
• children's bulletins made
• centerpieces done
• reserve transportation for post wedding/ pre-reception 
• Bridesmaid dresses (ordered and several of them have picked them up)
• Invitations
• Groom, Groomsmen, Usher tuxes
• Fabric Banner
• DJ
• need to get him a list of what songs are musts and what songs are not to be played
• figure out usher's gifts
• Closets cleaned out
• Flowers picked out
• set up golf outing for the guys

TO DO:

• make bridesmaid gifts
• in process & almost done
• figure out groomsmen gifts
• Pay the flower place
• Pay the cake lady
• Make labels for reception - who has what meal and what not
• Wash all the mason jars
• Put labels on mason jars for people to write their names
• Make food for rehearsal dinner
• this can't be done until later
• Contact the people who have not turned in the RSVPs
• finish designing bulletins
• Get bulletins printed
• Pick up my wedding dress
• May 17 - before the Fargo half I am picking it up
• Get marriage license
• May 9 - we are going to go get it
• Make a schedule for everyone for day before and day of wedding
• Make a list of info for host couples at reception
• Find someone to light the candles at the reception before everyone gets there

Showered - overly blessed

This past weekend I traveled back home and was spoiled by not one but two different bridal showers. Seriously. It was crazy. It was tons of people who I haven't seen in a while (soooooo good to see everyone) and to have the chance to catch up a bit. I wish I had more time to catch up with people, but it just wasn't possible in that short of a time. It was fun to be back in SD for sure. I wish I got back there more often - a piece of me wonders if some day we won't end up back in SD, although who knows what will happen. Currently I am still loving northern Minnesota other than the distance from my family.

I LOVE these girls - we have grown up together - they are wonderful

Highlights:

• Hanging out with my Hartj
• taking Dakota to the dog park (even though it was ridiculously snowy)- Brainerd seriously needs one of these
• spending time in South Dakota
• seeing family & friends
• I seriously have the world's best friends and family
• I got to meet two of my new baby cousins that I haven't met before (they are ridiculously cute) and they have mastered the skill of snuggling 
• sooooo many new things 
•  now it's time to go through the old and get rid of what I can and donate what I can
• I now get to send all sorts of thank yous
• I LOVE writting letters and sending snail mail
• hanging out with my parents

Everyone loves to snuggle the new babies
Anna & Jack

Downfalls:

• I don't like knowing that my family is so far away
• My drive on the way down was AWFUL due to the super craptastic weather & took me 3.5 hours longer than normal 
• The weather was less than desirable - who knew in mid April I would have issues with traveling due to weather. This is ridiculous. Spring please come.
• The trip was a whirlwind
• I wish I could have spent a week there
• I didn't get to see quite everyone that I wanted to

Seriously.....

Okay this picture is proof that people are crazy and should just listen to what I say. Seriously, don't take short cuts people. My what will be father-in-law sent this picture to Marc (my fiance) about how he was upset with the tux company about why they wouldn't accept his measurements. Seriously! We repeatedly told him to go to a tux place and get measured and call them into the place that we are ordering tuxes from here in town. There is a small piece of me that wishes we could just let him go on his own and see how horribly wrong his tux would fit, but then I know that would be a train wreck and I would feel horrible in the end. Not to mention he would look HORRIBLE in his tux. So he is dragging his heels and complaining about having to go get measured and blah blah blah.....
Hopefully someone else can appreciate it like I did. I am still laughing at this picture.

Wedding Flowers

While my mom was up for Easter we went to the florist and got to pick out what flowers we wanted for the wedding. I am not certain what I would do without pintrest. Seriously. I have little to no knowledge of what flowers are and what they look like or what would look good together. I went in with some ideas and the florist took what I liked and switched it to the green color for the wedding and it should be fun! I am excited. It is sort of a strange thing to realize how close we are starting to get.

What is even crazier to realize is that the next time my mom and dad and brother are up here we will be getting married!

Random fun: We mailed out our invitations last weekend and we started to get them back and so far it is all people who I knew were coming to the wedding for sure (pastor, organist, grandpa, grandma, & a family from town here) but it is ridiculously exciting to be getting fun mail.

I am over the top excited to see everyone!