Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Out of Hibernation!

Well, long time no write blogger readers!  It appears that yet again, the sub-zero winter temperature have kept Andee and I from doing anything "blog worthy" aka, taking pictures of fun events that usually involve something outdoors.  Well, we are back!  And with the far above seasonal temperatures we have been having for the past week, it appears that Spring is back too!  Time to get out of hibernation, and back to doing the things that we love to do outside!

Let's start from the beginning!  It has been nearly 3 months since my last blog, and life has been going along pretty normally.  I have been enjoying working at Prairie Lakes Church for the past few months, as well as loving my Women's bible study and singing on the Worship Team, and Andee has been enjoying......well, okay, he has mostly just been working....a lot.  If I'm being honest, it feels a little strange to not have something scary and unknown hanging over our heads and monopolizing our thoughts.  In fact, it actually feels a little weird to feel quite settled with no major plan changes, moves, or decisions in the next couple years.  Dare I say it, it's a little uneventful and not all that exciting?  Wait, NO!  I take it back!  Don't let God hear me say that, not another move!!!  All joking aside though, it's been kind of nice to just go to work with dependable jobs and consistent income.  Sometimes Andee works a million hours a week (only a slight exaggeration...), but hey, at least he gets paid!  And so do I!  We can actually afford our lives; can I get an Amen!?  So, life is good!  I wonder what crazy plans God has in mind for us coming up?  I have a sneaking suspicion it may involve little blankets and big bellies....but let's wait for God to figure all that out, shall we??  Distraction photo!  Andee and I enjoying a Retreat Day with Andee's Residency Program on a beautiful sunny winter day!  Enjoy!


Back to Spring!  After a terrible terrible 4 weeks of inpatient medicine and 85+ hour work weeks for Andee, he is quite enjoying his 9-5, Monday to Friday Pulmonology rotation for 2 weeks!  Perfect timing to coincide with the arrival of an early Spring here in Iowa!  For the last week or so, Iowa has been experiencing near record high temperatures ranging from about 13-20 degrees Celsius (with yesterday hitting a whopping 26 degrees!)  It's been many months, but Andee and I were able to enjoy lots of beautiful walks in our neighborhood, as well as lots of other fun activities!  Be jealous Canada - Iowa Spring's are yes, unpredictable, but can also be quite warm!  Not so much for winter, but stay with me here! 

Just this past weekend, the warmest to far, Andee and I had the whole weekend off, and so we took advantage of the time and the weather by having a 'Date Weekend!'  As well as our warm walks with nothing more than a light jacket or fleece, (one day we wore t-shirts!), we busted out our summer balcony furniture!  We enjoyed a meal outside for the first time in a very long time, and with beautiful Spring temperatures and very little wind (a rarity for Iowa), we enjoyed our meal with a beautiful view of an Iowa sunset!  Perfect!  We (Andee) also put together our latest purchase, a new outdoor fire pit and grill for the balcony!!  It is amazing!  We spend an evening outside, in WINTER by the way, and had a campfire complete with spider wieners, smores, and pop!  It was magical!  Don't believe me that we were having a winter fire?  Well, I of course took pictures!


Another aspect of our Date Weekend involved taking our cars in for a much needed oil change, and getting our summer tires put back on the Canadian car!  Okay, so it doesn't sound like much of a date, but while the cars were in the shop, we enjoyed some McDonald's ice cream while in the sun chatting and enjoying the weather.  McDonald's, ice cream, sun, Spring, and getting things accomplished at the same time while doing no actual work?  Now that's my kind of date!


On top of all of the awesome Spring adventures we participated in our Date Weekend, we went out for a delicious brunch at Morg's in Waterloo!  A small, cute place with amazing reviews (Canadians - think Angelique's style) and giant portions!  I ordered a typical breakfast meal, which could have fed a small family, and Andee ordered a pancake (just one) that was literally twice the size of my face!  Needless to say, we had brunch the next day complements of Morg's leftovers boxes!  Delish! 


I shall end off by posting a variety of pictures of my Aloe cat, because, well, you know, I love him!  Please note the one 'guilty cat' picture where he is jealous of our stuffed animal Tard (Grumpy Cat), and we caught him in the act!  Also, an adorable comic that my Papa drew depicting a blond 'cat lady' with spoiled cats....sound familiar?  I loved it so much that I framed it!  Until next blog, if you are reading this, chances are we love you!  And if we don't know you, we love you anyways!  Talk soon!