Johns New Look

You may be thinking that he looks the same as he always did which is kind of true.  John decided after thinking about it for many years, to get LASIK done!!  I am pretty sure I was way more nervous about this than him.  He was so excited to never have to wear contacts/glasses again.  I will have to say, I was very disappointed that the Valium did not affect him ONE BIT!  I was really looking forward to some blackmail videos.  The doctor said that since he is a pretty relaxed guy normally that he wasn't surprised that the Valium didn't do anything.  (If it were me, I am sure I would have been floating in the clouds since I can be a headcase).  The procedure lasted all of about 20 minutes and we were out of there.  John was in pain for about an hour and a half but after that was feeling good and able to see!  I am so jealous and think I will have to get it done someday as well!  Here is a picture of John before going under the laser!

Christmas in St. Louis

I have really fallen behind on posting!  This month has been CRAZY so far to say the least.  I have a feeling its going to be like this until the wedding!  John and I headed to St. Louis for Christmas around the beginning of January.  My sister, brother in law and two nephews also came down so it was great to have everyone all together!  I can't believe how big the boys are getting and how hilarious they are (and pretty cute).  Opening presents with little ones is just so much fun, makes Christmas seem magical again when you see their eyes light up. 

John and I also took advantage while we were in St. Louis and did our food tasting for our wedding.  It was a day FULL of food considering we tried food at the winery and then went back home where dad was making prime rib! We also got to see my Aunt Marie, Uncle Marshall and Megan my cousin.  We had a great meal, lots of wine and was so good to catch up with everyone.

2011 in review...wow what a blur

Trying to think back of all the things that happend in 2011.  For John and I it was a year of excitement and also a bit relaxing!

We started off the new year by wanting to get out of cold Iowa for a nice warm vacation.  I am not really sure how we decided on the Dominican Republic.  We wanted to go somewhere we both had never been and didn't want to break the bank.  It was almost like when you are a kid and you spin a globe, close your eyes and then put your finger on a spot and thats where you end up.  I am pretty sure when I was a kid though, that always landed me in the middle of the ocean!  We loved our vacation and spent a ton of time relaxing on the beach!

Spring was pretty uneventful for both John and I.  I ran my first 5k and thought I would continue to run them all summer since it was shockingly FUN!  Well its 2012 and sad to say, that still was my first and only 5k that I ran....oops...maybe I will do better this year.

Then the day came, the day I had been waiting for!  John and I took Charley for a walk and he made me the happiest person in the world.  John got down on 1 knee and asked me to marry him.  I am so lucky and don't know how I ever found such a wonderful man.  The whirlwind of wedding planning would begin and start consuming our lives (okay maybe that's a little over dramatic...).  The picture below is really making me want to go get my ring cleaned!!!

May was a very busy month.  I woke up on May 21st to my sister calling letting me know I needed to pack my bags and head to Chicago...she was in labor.  We were so excited to meet our new nephew, Ben Hanley.  He is such a sweet and happy litle baby and we love going to Chicago to see him and his big brother Ryan.

Our last big stop for the year would end up being to The Boundary Waters with The Aulds and The Bushlacks (aka Bushbeaters).  We spent a wonderful week at the end of the summer fishing, canoeing and enjoying some margaritas on the lake.  It was so relaxing and we can't wait for the next vacation!  

That is pretty much the recap...we had a few other events in there.  We headed to Purdue for the Iowa vs. Purdue football game which was so much fun and great to see our good friends Meredith and John as well as my parents.  Then it was off to Chicago for Thanksgiving with the family and a wonderful Christmas break with Johns family! 

Looking back, we are very blessed and fortunate for our health and happiness.  I am excited to see what 2012 has in store for us!