Sunday, September 30, 2012

Our weekend!

Friday right after work we left for OC (Orange City, IA)- Kley's hometown! This is also the neighboring town to Sioux Center, where my grandparents live, and home of Northwestern College, where my sister Karlie attends. My family headed up, including Keaton and his girlfriend Rose from Bethel, for Karlie's volleyball game. So it was a great weekend filled with both families- yay!

Friday night we headed to Pieter's football game (a cousin), where we got to watch him and see many other aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins. It was fun to see everyone and I'm glad we made it in time to see some of the game!

Saturday we headed to Pumpkinland with my family after visiting two other sets of grandparents. I spent many hours at Pumpkinland as a child, and it's a great place! They have pumpkin fields everywhere and a corn maze. I got some gourds and indian corn to bring to school for my kiddos, along with some cute little pumpkins for them to paint. :)



Here are some pics of Karlie's volleyball game. (She is starting as a freshman! Way to go, Karlie!)




Kley and I at the game, sporting our volleyball shirts.


After the game, my mother-in-law Jana hosted the gang at their house for supper, which was so generous! I hope everyone can have a mother-in-law as wonderful as Jana. It was such as blessing to have BOTH of our families in the same place at the same time! What a great weekend!


Sunday we got to be home, which was nice, after two weekends in a row of traveling. Monday and Tuesday we have my little sister Kayla's last two junior high volleyball games! Have a great week!

Monday, September 24, 2012

Minneapolis weekend.

This weekend (Sat/Sun) we went to Minneapolis for a wedding (yay Shannon and Jason!). Saturday Kley and I drove up in the afternoon, checked into our hotel, and headed to the Mall of America. (This is not Kley's favorite place by any means, but he was a great sport.) We made a trip to Old Navy, my favorite store, where I got a few baby gifts. We also had dinner at the Rainforest Cafe, my favorite restaurant, and took a trip to Godiva for my favorite dessert- chocolate! It was WONDERFUL. 

So delicious.

  
I would love a fish tank like this in my house- if someone else would clean it. :)


Even though we don't have kids, this is still my favorite place to eat. :) (Which makes it even better, because hardly any couples go there, so you get in so much faster because it's all larger groups! Lame, I know.)


The best store. 


View of the rides.


Kley and I eating dinner (sorry it's so dark).


Sunday we met some of Kley's old roommates at The Original Pancake House for brunch, which was delicious, and I'm glad Kley got to see his friends. (Even though it was me and five guys, it was still fun. He well deserved it after taking me to the mall!) Then we headed to Bethel and saw my brother, Keaton, for a bit, and then headed to the wedding! Here are the centerpieces.


Kley and I at our table.


My good friend, Jacquie, was the personal attendant, and we got to sit with her and David! (David is her husband, and Kley's old roommate/best friend.)


David and Jacquie.


Kley and I. (It was a gorgeous outdoor wedding!)



David decided to take some "model" shots of Kley. Enjoy.


Hope you enjoyed your weekend, too! (We had to leave the wedding early to drive back since it was a Sunday wedding, but it was worth it!)

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Happy birthday Kayla!

Yesterday was my youngest sister's birthday. Happy birthday Kayla! She is now 14. And can get her permit. Wow.

Kayla is a wonderful sibling (as are my other two). She is 10 years younger than me, which always made it fun and memorable to have a sister so much younger. I remember when she was born, bringing Kit Kat's to school with "It's a Girl!" labels on them. She got pulled around everywhere by the three of us. I remember her getting dragged to every sports event imaginable. Wherever we were- Kayla was always there. :) I remember the first time she met Kley and how much fun it was to have weekends home during college. Kayla is always fun to be around and is one of my best friends. Happy birthday Kayla! (She is also one of my only avid readers of this blog. :)

Last night we went and saw Phil Wickham together.


I love Phil Wickham. If you haven't heard of him- look him up. I even walked down the aisle to his song "You're Beautiful."

It was fun to celebrate with you, Kayla! We love you!

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Work.

This week was a very interesting week at work. I can't really talk about it on a blog, but it was a big week. It's a good reminder to me that:
1. God knows each person's plan, and it's to give us a hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)
2. God works all things for the good of those who love Him. (Romans 8:28)
3. God is BIG and He knows EVERYTHING.
4. The kids in my room are why I teach. No matter what else goes on, I love my kids and it's a blessing to be with them each day.

Obviously I can't post pictures of them online, so you can just imagine pictures below of the cutest kids ever.

Enjoy your weekend!

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Favorite Clothing Items.

This is about some of my clothing/accessory go-to's that I love and wear quite often. :)

This necklace is from Francescas. I don't have this exact necklace, but one sort of similar that is long with lots of colorful beads on it. I love wearing it to tie colors together and to spice up a simpler outfit. I got it for my birthday from my good friend, Stephanie.

I just got these shoes and haven't worn them yet, but am pumped to. Ask me two years ago and I would have told you that all animal print is dumb, but leopard is growing on me this year. They are comfy and flat too, which is a must for teaching two-year-olds. I got them from a Scheel's gift card from my mother-in-law.


This is my wonderful fall outside fleece to wear on the playground at school. I love it. I got it for Christmas from my parents.


Last winter was my first ever year to own boots that were not purely outdoor snow boots. I am glad I took to that trend. I have gray boots similar to this, from Payless from Kley for our anniversary, that I love and wore all the time last winter. I usually wear them with a skirt/leggings, or skinny jeans. (Skinny jeans are another item that I only had my first ever pair last winter. Maybe I'm becoming cooler. :)


Sweaters like this are my favorite- I probably have cardigans like this in about 7 colors, ranging from Old Navy (my favorite clothes store ever), Gap, to Anne Taylor Loft. They are so easy to make look good and comfortable to wear with a simple tank underneath. I particularly like the 3/4 sleeve, because then you can push them into more than one season, and it's a great length because you don't have to keep pulling them up or down all day. Some were gifts, some bought myself.


Kley gave me these earrings for my college graduation, and I love them. I wear them probably every other day. I don't wear too many dangly earrings because of teaching, so these are perfect. 


These are the most recent pair of flip flops I got, and I love them. (See the leopard theme?) I had an old pair of solid black ones with glitter on the straps that were my staple flip flop, but they were getting so worn thin, that I replaced them with these from Old Navy. I'm happy I did, and have gotten several compliments on them. I bought these myself.

Another item in the leopard category- a scarf. I love wearing this because it's light, so it can be worn mixed seasons, and I've even gotten better at pairing it with other patterns instead of just wearing it with a solid color. I got it for Christmas from my mom.



Long maxi skirts are something I just discovered this year. I have a gray one and a black one, both bought with an Old Navy gift card from my mother-in-law. These are awesome for school because they are easy to wear, comfy, and easy to wash. Since I have to wash my clothes a lot (I get boogers, snot, food, drool, or art supplies on my pants/skirts almost everyday from my kids- too much information, but true), these are a good staple. Long is another key word here. Long is good for school because kids are always on my lap, pulling on it, and I'm always on the floor. Wind on the playground also blows up skirts quite easily, so they have to be long. This is a win win. 


So those are a few of my staple favorites. I included where I got them from for those on a budget like us- with Kley in law school and me teaching, we don't have much extra for shopping. I'm very blessed through Christmas/birthday gifts, and a very generous mother-in-law who sometimes gives me gift cards to go shopping! I rarely ever go shopping by myself, unless I really need something. Hope you enjoyed!

Favorite Childhood Game.

My all time favorite childhood game was....Kick the Can.

If you know what this game is- awesome. If not, let me tell you what it is. No matter your age, you should play this game. Even if you are old, play it with kids you know. Every child should experience it. :)

You play the game around your house. Begin in the driveway, with a can set up in the front yard. Someone is "it" and goes and hides. The rest of the players run/walk around the house and try to get back to the front without the person hiding seeing them move. If the person hiding sees you move, they call out your name, and then it's a race to the front to kick the can. If the runner wins, they kick the can and get to go again. If the hider wins, the runner has to stand by the can and scream out help. Another runner has to run to the can and kick it for them to get out of "jail." The hider wants to get everyone in jail to win, and the runners want to win by getting around the house back to the driveway.

Hope that makes sense. I actually haven't played it since I was little, so my memory is a bit blurry. It's the best game though. Ever. My family played it pretty much every night in the summer.

Saturday, September 8, 2012

The story of Kley and I: Chapter Seven- We're engaged!

This post has been a long time coming- sorry! Also, I unfortunately don't have any pictures to post. Kley was smart to bring a camera, but it was his mom's and I only have a few shots from the engagement that are currently at my in-law's house in a scrapbook, so I can't even scan them in. I'm just glad I have any pictures at all!

So, it was summer 2009, nearing the end. It was my first summer being the lead teacher at Kids West (summer day care for elementary kids). I loved the job, but it was a difficult summer with some kids (and a big growing experience for my teaching career), and it made me want to be engaged even more.

I was up in Orange City, IA (where Kley is from), for a wedding for his cousin the weekend of August 8, 2009. I didn't think it would be that weekend at all because of all the wedding festivities- it wasn't- but I was only seeing him one time, the next week, before heading back to Bethel. I had made it pretty clear that I wanted to be engaged before going back to Bethel- I wanted to get engaged at home. :)

There was only ONE opportunity left for him to propose. I was inwardly worried (more like panicking) that he didn't get it and wasn't going to do it. Thankfully I wasn't worried about IF he would propose, just WHEN.

So, on the timeline we are at August 8th after the wedding. (And, the week before was my last week at work, so I was done with my job for the summer!) We went back to his parent's, and we sat on the couch and I cried. (Going to a wedding doesn't help a girl's desire to be engaged!) Unfortunately, I was at fault for not trusting God and His timing and not trusting Kley that he would take care of it. I was being selfish and I wanted what I wanted and I wanted it now.

We said goodbye the next day and I cried again, because I cried every time we said goodbye. In my mind, I wasn't going to see him until the next Monday, a week away. Then comes August 10, 2009- the next day.

Monday, the 10th, was my first day off after my job ended, and I was pumped because the last few weeks had been stressful at work. There was a combination of kids, parents, and staff that were difficult for me to deal with, especially since this was my first experience being in a lead role before, so I was glad to be done with it. It was hugely shaping in the teacher I am today, but nonetheless, so glad it was over. Kley was at work that day (or so I thought). I called him around three with a computer question, not expecting him to answer because he was at work. He called me back at five, when his shift would have ended, so not make anything look suspicious. (Smart guy!) We talked for a bit and I said we would talk later that night.

On a side note, Kley had a terrible job that summer, and I am so thankful and grateful that he did it, because he used all of his earnings to buy my ring. What a man. :) He was working in a paint factory, with 11 hour shifts, monotonously putting spray paint cans from the conveyor belt into boxes. Can you imagine doing that for 11 hours straight?

Back to Monday. My good friend, Lauren, came over to go for a walk. We had been going on walks all summer, so this wasn't anything unusual. We usually walked around our houses, since we lived only one block apart (which was so awesome during our high school years), but tonight she suggested that we go to Raccoon River Park to walk. I said sure, not thinking anything of it. I took my grand old time finishing eating, going to the bathroom, getting ready to go, etc. I don't think we left for about 30 minutes, which is funny looking back on it that a whole plan was waiting to unravel before me.

We go to the park and start walking. We are only walking for about five minutes when Kley calls me again. I thought it was a little strange, because we had just talked two hours ago, and we always talked at night before we went to bed, so why was he calling now? I told him I was on a walk with Lauren and that I would call him back later, and then he started asking me what fun things we could do next Monday when he came. I told him that I would think about it and tell him later because I needed to go. He then told me that he thought he made a mistake and switched up the Monday, because he was here now, and then he stepped out from behind a bush.

I was totally shocked. I looked at him and asked what he was doing here, then I looked back at Lauren, who started walking away and saying she needed to go. I was so confused that I turned and followed Lauren for a minute, but Kley ran up to me, said hi, blindfolded me, and picked me up. (I obviously knew what was coming now!) He carried me over to this little peninsula by the lake (so we were alone and away from the walking path), to a place he had set up. He had made a tie blanket for me that we were sitting on, in light blue (my favorite color). He said he had some gifts to give me.

The first was a beautiful bouquet of flowers. The second was a travel guide to Hawaii (where we wanted to go on our honeymoon, but actually ended up going to Mexico.) The third was two bridal magazines. The fourth was two wedding planning guides. The fifth was a wrapped bottle of Diamond Vogel spray paint, telling me how much he loved me and how great the last two years had been and even though his job stunk it was totally worth it because it allowed him to buy this...gift six- the ring. :)

Then he got on one knee and asked me to marry him. It was definitely one of the best moments of my whole life.

We sat there, basking in what just happened, watched the sunset, and took pictures. Kley asked me if I wanted to go home, but I said not yet, that I wanted to make this moment last a little longer. When we went home, my whole family, Lauren and Stephen (her boyfriend, now husband), and Stephanie were all there waiting (which is why Kley wanted to go!). Then we told them how it all happened, were so excited, and called everyone else who wasn't there.

It was the best night and I was so so happy. I was so happy to be engaged, and to know without a doubt that this was who God wanted me to be with.

We were engaged! :)


There are a few background pieces, that I didn't find out until later, that I have to tell you to make the story even better.

1. On Saturday the 8th, before his cousin's wedding, we were visiting his grandparents. His phone rang while we were talking to them, and he answered it. I gave him the look of "Why on earth did you just answer that, we are with your grandparents," but he quick left the room. It turned out to be the ring guy, saying that the ring was ready to be picked up, which is why he had to answer and why he left the room. When he came back and I asked who it was (thinking that it better be good for him to answer it), he told me that it was the furniture company saying their couch was going to be delivered, because his mom was ordering a new couch for their basement at the time. I asked why he called him and not mom, and he said she gave them his cell number because she didn't have a cell phone (true at the time.) Good save, Kley! Ironically, when we got back to his parents, I saw the furniture order form sitting on the counter and I told Jana (his mom) that I had good news that the couch was coming! She just smiled and said that was great, while the whole time Kley was standing behind me shaking his hands and mouthing that it was the ring. :)

2. My whole crying episode was on the 8th, and we got engaged on the 10th. I asked Kley about that later, about how I was crying that it felt like we were never going to get engaged, while the whole time he knew it was only two days away! He said it was secretly great that he could tell me that everything would be okay and that it was coming soon, because it really was!

3. A few weeks before we were engaged, Kley was going to visit me for the weekend. He was supposed to get there at 4:30 so we could go pick up my sister together, but he didn't get there until 6. I called him several times, and was actually annoyed that he wasn't answering, and had to pick up my sister by myself. Kley told me that he was late because of traffic. Around 4, my parents left and said they were going to Lowe's (a home improvement store), and asked if I wanted to come with. Ironically, they were meeting Kley at Raccoon River Park so he could ask them to marry me! They told me they were going to Lowe's because I hate that store, and never wanted to go growing up. I even made up a theme song about how it was the "boringest" store on earth. So it worked out perfectly.

4. My good friend, Stephanie, helped Kley set up the day (while Lauren was obviously the one to get me there). She helped him set up the scene, get the flowers, and she hid in the bushes and was texting Kley when I was getting close. Way to go, Steph! :)

5. Kley proposed to me right beside the lake. While he was waiting for me to get there, he said he was freaked out by a guy scuba diving and just popped up out of the water out of nowhere and came up shore. Thankfully that didn't happen while he was proposing! He said the guy asked him what he was doing, he told him he was going to propose, and the guy said good luck and went back under the water. How funny!

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Favorite Quote of the Week.

Boy pulls up his shirt and sticks his stomach out.
Boy: "Feel my tummy!"
Me: "No thanks, I don't want to feel your tummy."
Boy: "Why not? It feels good!" Laughs...

Oh, the joys of children. :)

Monday, September 3, 2012

Labor Day Weekend.

It was glorious to have a three day weekend. I loved every minute. Friday night we baby-sat, so it was fun to pretend we had our own kids for a bit. Saturday I cleaned/organized our apartment, which always feels so good when you're done. (At least to me, anyways.) Saturday night Kley and I had date night. We went to Red Lobster and watched the movie "Big Miracle." We thought it was pretty good- not the best ever, but enjoyable. 

Sunday my family and I went to the pool. I love going to the pool. It makes me feel like I live such a high and luxurious life. :) I swam laps and then laid out and ate ice cream (which sort of cancels each other out, but oh well). Sunday night we all watched "The Wizard of Oz." Kley had never watched it before, and my dad said that his childhood was not complete until he did. It was a winner.


Monday was awesome to sleep in and not have to go to work. We went with my family to Adventureland. (It's kind of a Labor Day tradition.) We had a lot of fun. I feel like when I talk to people about Adventureland, it's about 60/40 of people who think it's lame and people who like it. Maybe that's not true for others, but that's what I've heard. I think it's fun. :) Kley, on the other hand, is a wonderful sport. He doesn't like rides- I told him when we got married that that was his biggest flaw. But he was a trooper and came- even went on a couple rides- and had fun. The Scrambler (pictured below) is the best ride. It was gone for a few years and they brought it back, and I am happy about that decision. And Kley even went on it with me! My other best is riding the Sky Lift and yelling loudly that I am with my sister Kayla. We also played a lot of Skee Ball. I one once and I was pumped. (I played about 12 rounds, but who's counting?)



All in all, it was a great weekend. If only my other siblings, Keaton and Karlie, could have been there. Miss you guys! (They are at college.)