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| The beautiful ceremony setting |
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| Molly and Adam at the rehearsal |
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| Cute water bottle toppers at the rehearsal |
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| Cheers to the new Mr. and Mrs.! |
Friday, June 27, 2014
Rosenkranz Wedding
Our friends Mark and Molly are pretty great. Adam grew up with Mark in Fargo, ND and they both ended up going to the University of Minnesota. I got to know Mark quickly after Adam and I started dating and we both got to know Molly a few months later when her and Mark met. It's been so much fun having them live close by over the years and we couldn't have been more excited for their wedding last weekend! The wedding took place in Molly's southern Minnesota hometown of Redwood Falls. Adam was a groomsman, so we attended the rehearsal on Friday as well. It was so fun, laid back and beautiful. It took place at Molly's parents house {where the ceremony was held} and we had a giant BBQ afterwards. Their backyard was seriously so picturesque; the perfect setting. They had a bonfire, white tents, lawn games and fireworks. A great start to the weekend! Saturday morning while the bridal party took pictures, another groomsman's wife and I had free time to explore the town. We went to the local zoo, found some treasures at the thrift store and grabbed lunch at a quaint downtown Redwood Falls eatery, The Calf Fiend. We got to Molly's parents house that afternoon for the ceremony and were greeted by rustic-chic decorations, beautiful flowers and the blistering sun {it was around 90 degrees during the ceremony}. The ceremony was so special, and Molly looked beautiful! The bridal party and their guests all hopped on a party bus after the ceremony, popped champagne and headed to a golf course for a quick drink. It was such a great idea, as we got to celebrate with them immediately after their 'I Do's'! The reception was at the Civic Center, which was conveniently a two minute walk from our hotel. The pretty decorations continued on throughout the reception hall and everything went so smoothly! They had an MC hosting the wedding {announcing cake cutting, playing games with the crowd during the dinner/dance..etc.}; she was fantastic and had everyone laughing the entire night. After the reception ended, a group of us walked over to the local VFW for a last hurrah. We chatted with the locals and had a great time. Mark and Molly's wedding day was a amazing and we were so honored to be there. Cheers to countless happy years!
4th of July Project!
Last night, my friend Jackie came over to work on a Pinterest project we found. They didn't turn out exactly as planned...but they're still cute! They turned out a quite bold, so I washed mine right away to make it look a little more worn {this caused the entire shirt to turn a nice shade of pink...oh well}. Can't wait to wear this next week up at Green Lake. Before we started our shirts, her and I met Britt and Nate at Redstone Grill in Minnetonka for dinner. So fun seeing all of them and it was so nice they to invite us along! We're heading to Adam's cabin in Detroit Lakes this weekend and we can't wait. Rain is in the forecast, but that just means it's a good weekend for movies, cards and reading.
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| Finished product! |
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Father's Day and Our Niece's Dedication
So, I have mixed feelings about being behind on blogging. I did feel guilty, but then I remember I'm busy because we're out enjoying this way-too-short summer season Minnesota has! And that's okay. Anyways, two weekends ago was Father's Day Weekend. We spent the weekend here in town and did a lot of fun things. Friday night we went to my parents to grill and hang out. We grilled steak for steak salads and they were so yummy. Saturday we went to Tavern on France with a few new friends {I had an amazing pretzel pastrami sandwich!} and Sunday was Father's Day/our nieces dedication! We got up Sunday and met our family at Substance Church at the Northwestern University campus. We enjoyed a sermon focused on the importance of a father figure and afterwards, the families dedicating children all gathered up front. It was so fun having everyone together, which included most of Nate's side as well. The girls had so much love surrounding them as their parents dedicated their upbringing to Christ. Three out of the four families were related to our nieces {Nate's sister and brother's families also dedicated their children}, so that made it all the more special. I'm not sure if Adam and I will baptize or dedicate our children {we'll cross that bridge later}, but I can say that this dedication experience was awesome and we are so blessed to have been a part of it! After the dedication Britt and Nate had all of their family over for a Father's Day BBQ. We had so many little kiddos, parents and grandparents there...it was great! Everyone brought a side to share and in true Minnesota fashion, we had way too much food. It was a very special day.
Both Adam and I have fathers who are hard-working, loving, dependable and constant. We are beyond lucky to be able to say that. Reflecting back on our lives, it's easy to see that we've been blessed in so many ways by these two men. They've been our coaches, our friends, taught us how to build things, taught us how to show respect, shown us that money doesn't grow on trees, made us grilled cheese and tomato soup, pulled us tubing until the sun went down and taught us how to fish. Our dad's are so important in our lives and who we've become as adults. We are forever grateful.
Dad, thank you for showing me what qualities a husband should have. Thank you for making sure my standards were high. Thank you for giving Adam your blessing when he asked for my hand in marriage and for welcoming him with open arms. Thank you for walking me down the aisle in August. Thank you for dancing with me under the stars on my first night as a wife and thank you for your continued support every day since. You're simply the best.
I will post more pictures to this later {specifically throwback ones of our dads}, but here are a few from the dedication/Father's Day BBQ.
Both Adam and I have fathers who are hard-working, loving, dependable and constant. We are beyond lucky to be able to say that. Reflecting back on our lives, it's easy to see that we've been blessed in so many ways by these two men. They've been our coaches, our friends, taught us how to build things, taught us how to show respect, shown us that money doesn't grow on trees, made us grilled cheese and tomato soup, pulled us tubing until the sun went down and taught us how to fish. Our dad's are so important in our lives and who we've become as adults. We are forever grateful.
Dad, thank you for showing me what qualities a husband should have. Thank you for making sure my standards were high. Thank you for giving Adam your blessing when he asked for my hand in marriage and for welcoming him with open arms. Thank you for walking me down the aisle in August. Thank you for dancing with me under the stars on my first night as a wife and thank you for your continued support every day since. You're simply the best.
I will post more pictures to this later {specifically throwback ones of our dads}, but here are a few from the dedication/Father's Day BBQ.
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| I love this little gal. |
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| We ALWAYS mange to dress alike.. |
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| Dad and I on Father's Day |
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| Snuggle Fest |
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| Willa is getting so big! |
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| The adorable sign Britt made about all of the dads present at the BBQ |
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Monday, June 16, 2014
June Happenings & A Little Story on Fate
I'm way behind on blogging! I'll post separately about this past weekend, but here's one that I started last week, but too busy to actually post.
We've had a great few weeks. Last week we went on a dinner and movie date with Adam's sister Alyssa and her husband, Michael. We stumbled across this authentic Mexican restaurant called Pineda Taco a few months ago and have wanted to take them there since. After eating, we went to see Maleficent. It was a twist on the old Sleeping Beauty story and was really good! The next day, I went to visit my sister and her family while Adam studied for an exam. I hadn't seen them in weeks, so it was so much fun catching in and playing with our two nieces! They are growing up so quickly. Emeri is so stinking cute. She has learned tons of new words and is such a ham! Willa is the most laid back baby I've ever met. She is completely content just sitting and smiling. She is so adorable. I just want to kiss her cheeks non-stop. That weekend, Adam and I headed up to Green Lake. This was the first weekend of {mostly} sunshine! I officially have tan lines. Halleluiah. It was a great weekend spent mopeding, reading, fishing, playing basketball and watching movies. Volleyball resumed this week, after a week off due to a bye, and we added one to the 'L' column. Oh well. We flagged down an ice cream truck driving around the courts after the game, so I'd still chalk it up to a win ;) This weekend will be spent in the cities! There are so many festivals and activities going on, we're hoping to participate is some of it! It's Stone Arch Days. The Green Line Opening celebration is happening, there is a movie in the park by Lake Harriet and on Sunday our nieces are getting dedicated. It will be a memorable weekend!
Last night Adam {Thursday} and I had an impromptu date night at Osaka and saw The Edge of Tomorrow. I love our little adventures. The movie had a bit of time travel in it and got us on a fun topic of conversation afterwards. If we reversed time to change something, would we be where we are today? How much of a ripple effect would the subtlest of changes make? As many of you know, Adam and I were both Community Advisors {RA's} at the University of Minnesota for two years. We had met at a mutual friend's house {my CA coworker, Adam's friend} and later recognized one another in an Ecology class. You know how that story ends; under an oak tree at the Erickson cabin on a warm August night. What you may not know is that we could very well have never met, had it not been for my forgetfulness.
Fall of 2009 was my first semester at the University of Minnesota. I was walking through my dorm hallway one day and thinking about how I could get involved in something. Anything. I needed to make the most of my time here and there were so many groups/clubs to choose from. I passed my CA's room and saw her on her floor studying. I stopped and asked her if she recommended anything that would be fun to sign up for. She highly recommended the Fall Freshmen Leadership Retreat. I looked more into it that night, saw the deadline was just a few days away and decided to quick apply. A few weeks later I found out I was chosen and attended the retreat at Camp Pepin in Wisconsin shortly after. It was facilitated by a man named Brett Chin and we learned so much about respect, being a leader, communication and acceptance. It was unforgettable.
I decided a few months after the retreat that I wanted to apply to become a CA. I figured it would be a great way to meet people, while getting free room and board! Can't beat that. However, becoming a CA was no easy task. They make you go through several different interview phases and workshops to determine if you would be a good fit. I made it through the initial screening and was told the important group style 'workshop' interview was next. It consisted of either four different two hour long sessions during the week or an eight hour long session on a Saturday. I was put into a Wednesday night workshop with roughly 25 other students. On a Thursday evening {spring of 2010}, my stomach turned as I had completely forgotten about my workshop the previous night. I had blown it. I had two other friends of mine apply and not even make it to the workshop phase. I knew they were picky and was certain I would not be given a second chance. I sent a pleading email to the hiring organizer asking her if I could be put in another session. She said that someone had just dropped out and there was a spot in Saturday's workshop I could fill, but with a different interviewer and at a different location. I couldn't care less who it was with, I was beyond grateful that I could have a second chance. As the workshop came to a start that same Saturday {yours truly was 20 minutes early}, I looked up and saw our interviewer, Brett Chin, walk in. I was the only person in the group who had attended the leadership retreat that previous fall. He and I said hello and quickly discussed how I'd been doing with the skills I'd learned on the retreat. Myself and two other students ended up making it through that round and I was eventually placed as a CA in Sanford Hall. It was there that I met my coworker, who would lead me to his friend, Adam.
Had I remembered my initial interview time {which I would have given my left arm for at the time}, would I have been hired? Had the person not dropped out of Saturday's session, would I have had a second chance? What if my CA hadn't been studying on her floor the night I was looking for something to get involved in? Infinite 'what ifs' exist in this life. So many small puzzle pieces that magically find their way together. And this is only my story. Every other person has their own set of circumstance, experiences and decisions they've made. I'm grateful for the buses I've missed, schools I didn't get into, classes that didn't have room for me and friendships that came and went. It all boils down to faith. Faith that God knows better than anyone {especially me}, what my life is supposed to look like. He knows what lessons I need to learn, who I need by my side and where I'm supposed to be. He knew I was supposed to adventure through life with my curly headed best friend.
We've had a great few weeks. Last week we went on a dinner and movie date with Adam's sister Alyssa and her husband, Michael. We stumbled across this authentic Mexican restaurant called Pineda Taco a few months ago and have wanted to take them there since. After eating, we went to see Maleficent. It was a twist on the old Sleeping Beauty story and was really good! The next day, I went to visit my sister and her family while Adam studied for an exam. I hadn't seen them in weeks, so it was so much fun catching in and playing with our two nieces! They are growing up so quickly. Emeri is so stinking cute. She has learned tons of new words and is such a ham! Willa is the most laid back baby I've ever met. She is completely content just sitting and smiling. She is so adorable. I just want to kiss her cheeks non-stop. That weekend, Adam and I headed up to Green Lake. This was the first weekend of {mostly} sunshine! I officially have tan lines. Halleluiah. It was a great weekend spent mopeding, reading, fishing, playing basketball and watching movies. Volleyball resumed this week, after a week off due to a bye, and we added one to the 'L' column. Oh well. We flagged down an ice cream truck driving around the courts after the game, so I'd still chalk it up to a win ;) This weekend will be spent in the cities! There are so many festivals and activities going on, we're hoping to participate is some of it! It's Stone Arch Days. The Green Line Opening celebration is happening, there is a movie in the park by Lake Harriet and on Sunday our nieces are getting dedicated. It will be a memorable weekend!
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| Green Lake |
Last night Adam {Thursday} and I had an impromptu date night at Osaka and saw The Edge of Tomorrow. I love our little adventures. The movie had a bit of time travel in it and got us on a fun topic of conversation afterwards. If we reversed time to change something, would we be where we are today? How much of a ripple effect would the subtlest of changes make? As many of you know, Adam and I were both Community Advisors {RA's} at the University of Minnesota for two years. We had met at a mutual friend's house {my CA coworker, Adam's friend} and later recognized one another in an Ecology class. You know how that story ends; under an oak tree at the Erickson cabin on a warm August night. What you may not know is that we could very well have never met, had it not been for my forgetfulness.
Fall of 2009 was my first semester at the University of Minnesota. I was walking through my dorm hallway one day and thinking about how I could get involved in something. Anything. I needed to make the most of my time here and there were so many groups/clubs to choose from. I passed my CA's room and saw her on her floor studying. I stopped and asked her if she recommended anything that would be fun to sign up for. She highly recommended the Fall Freshmen Leadership Retreat. I looked more into it that night, saw the deadline was just a few days away and decided to quick apply. A few weeks later I found out I was chosen and attended the retreat at Camp Pepin in Wisconsin shortly after. It was facilitated by a man named Brett Chin and we learned so much about respect, being a leader, communication and acceptance. It was unforgettable.
I decided a few months after the retreat that I wanted to apply to become a CA. I figured it would be a great way to meet people, while getting free room and board! Can't beat that. However, becoming a CA was no easy task. They make you go through several different interview phases and workshops to determine if you would be a good fit. I made it through the initial screening and was told the important group style 'workshop' interview was next. It consisted of either four different two hour long sessions during the week or an eight hour long session on a Saturday. I was put into a Wednesday night workshop with roughly 25 other students. On a Thursday evening {spring of 2010}, my stomach turned as I had completely forgotten about my workshop the previous night. I had blown it. I had two other friends of mine apply and not even make it to the workshop phase. I knew they were picky and was certain I would not be given a second chance. I sent a pleading email to the hiring organizer asking her if I could be put in another session. She said that someone had just dropped out and there was a spot in Saturday's workshop I could fill, but with a different interviewer and at a different location. I couldn't care less who it was with, I was beyond grateful that I could have a second chance. As the workshop came to a start that same Saturday {yours truly was 20 minutes early}, I looked up and saw our interviewer, Brett Chin, walk in. I was the only person in the group who had attended the leadership retreat that previous fall. He and I said hello and quickly discussed how I'd been doing with the skills I'd learned on the retreat. Myself and two other students ended up making it through that round and I was eventually placed as a CA in Sanford Hall. It was there that I met my coworker, who would lead me to his friend, Adam.
Had I remembered my initial interview time {which I would have given my left arm for at the time}, would I have been hired? Had the person not dropped out of Saturday's session, would I have had a second chance? What if my CA hadn't been studying on her floor the night I was looking for something to get involved in? Infinite 'what ifs' exist in this life. So many small puzzle pieces that magically find their way together. And this is only my story. Every other person has their own set of circumstance, experiences and decisions they've made. I'm grateful for the buses I've missed, schools I didn't get into, classes that didn't have room for me and friendships that came and went. It all boils down to faith. Faith that God knows better than anyone {especially me}, what my life is supposed to look like. He knows what lessons I need to learn, who I need by my side and where I'm supposed to be. He knew I was supposed to adventure through life with my curly headed best friend.
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| Bocce Ball |
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| My favorite spot to fish |
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| Adam looking tough |
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| Fishing Green Lake |
Monday, June 2, 2014
Lake Life.
We are blessed to have two family cabins to visit during the summers. Adam's family has a cabin in Frazee, MN and my family has one in Spicer, MN. The past two weekends we have visited both and had such a wonderful time.
Memorial weekend was spent up at the Erickson's and we had a blast. We got up there late Friday night and spent Saturday morning at a local flee market. Adam and I found a stand that was selling books for a quarter! We ended up getting six new books for only a dollar. Only in a small town :) Saturday afternoon we took a four-wheeler ride around the dirt roads surrounding their cabin. It was so beautiful. I really think I'm meant to live on a farm someday. I love it. We passed a large open pasture with tons of different colored cows. I told Adam we needed to stop because I wanted to try to feed them over the fence. Long story short, the herding dogs chased me away {I may have had a minor heart attack}, but at least I gave it a shot. We had a bonfire that night, played tons of games and spent time laying in the sun at the lake's edge. It was so fun to see everyone, as we don't make it up that way all that often. Kyle and Rachel joined us on Sunday, along with a few other family members from Fargo. That morning Adam and I took a long canoe ride along the edge of his lake. It was so peaceful {aside from Adam telling me over and over that the person in the back is supposed to steer}.We planted some flowers, put the docks in, played more games, had a movie night and relaxed. There were so many turtles around that weekend! We saw mini snapping and painted turtles that were about the size of a half-dollar. One giant snapper even made his way across the entire patio Monday afternoon. Fun weekend!
This past weekend was spent up at my family's cabin in Spicer, MN. I love my cabin. With it being seasonal, there's always such anticipation to go up there for the first time each summer. Adam had a bachelor party for our friend Mark, so he stuck around the cities and I headed to Spicer. It rained off and on most of the weekend, but we still got outside as much as we could! Friday night my brother, his friend Jack and myself went to Zorbaz for a few drinks. Saturday morning my mom and I headed to Willmar for a little shopping, while waiting out the rain. We got home and went for a bike ride around the entire lake, which is about 13 miles. So much fun. It doesn't feel like exercise with such good conversation. It was so interesting seeing all of the new cabins popping up, as it is every summer for the first time. Our lake is a perfect mix of new age and old charm. Saturday night we all tried to go eat at O'Neil's, a local bar/grill in downtown Spicer, but it was completely packed. We ventured to Willmar for dinner and ended the night lounging in the cabin. I brought up my new book called The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks. Nicholas Sparks books all tend to have a very similar theme. Boy falls for girl, unfortunate circumstance and {insert happy ending or beautifully tragic demise of their relationship}. Anyways, it's been years since I enjoyed a Sparks book, so I'm okay being wrapped up in the cheesiness. Sunday started off drizzling outside as we made our signature Green Lake Belgian waffles. We relaxed and waited for the storm to pass. The sun started to peek out just as we were getting ready to leave {of course it did}. Adam and I are both heading up next weekend and we can't wait! My parent's just bought another moped, in addition to our current two. We ride those things all the time and I think having three officially qualifies us as a 'moped gang'. I can't wait for our inaugural ride.
Last night I tried to duplicate the meal I had at Saga Hill Cooking Class for my friend Molly's Bachelorette party {cinnamon and paprika seasoned flank steak fajitas}. Success! The guacamole I cut up to top it I wasn't quite matured yet, but aside from that it was delicious. We got the flank steak from Costco and we both really liked it. I feel like we'll be cooking with that a bit more in the future. Move over chicken, there's a new sheriff in town.
xo,
Court
Memorial weekend was spent up at the Erickson's and we had a blast. We got up there late Friday night and spent Saturday morning at a local flee market. Adam and I found a stand that was selling books for a quarter! We ended up getting six new books for only a dollar. Only in a small town :) Saturday afternoon we took a four-wheeler ride around the dirt roads surrounding their cabin. It was so beautiful. I really think I'm meant to live on a farm someday. I love it. We passed a large open pasture with tons of different colored cows. I told Adam we needed to stop because I wanted to try to feed them over the fence. Long story short, the herding dogs chased me away {I may have had a minor heart attack}, but at least I gave it a shot. We had a bonfire that night, played tons of games and spent time laying in the sun at the lake's edge. It was so fun to see everyone, as we don't make it up that way all that often. Kyle and Rachel joined us on Sunday, along with a few other family members from Fargo. That morning Adam and I took a long canoe ride along the edge of his lake. It was so peaceful {aside from Adam telling me over and over that the person in the back is supposed to steer}.We planted some flowers, put the docks in, played more games, had a movie night and relaxed. There were so many turtles around that weekend! We saw mini snapping and painted turtles that were about the size of a half-dollar. One giant snapper even made his way across the entire patio Monday afternoon. Fun weekend!
This past weekend was spent up at my family's cabin in Spicer, MN. I love my cabin. With it being seasonal, there's always such anticipation to go up there for the first time each summer. Adam had a bachelor party for our friend Mark, so he stuck around the cities and I headed to Spicer. It rained off and on most of the weekend, but we still got outside as much as we could! Friday night my brother, his friend Jack and myself went to Zorbaz for a few drinks. Saturday morning my mom and I headed to Willmar for a little shopping, while waiting out the rain. We got home and went for a bike ride around the entire lake, which is about 13 miles. So much fun. It doesn't feel like exercise with such good conversation. It was so interesting seeing all of the new cabins popping up, as it is every summer for the first time. Our lake is a perfect mix of new age and old charm. Saturday night we all tried to go eat at O'Neil's, a local bar/grill in downtown Spicer, but it was completely packed. We ventured to Willmar for dinner and ended the night lounging in the cabin. I brought up my new book called The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks. Nicholas Sparks books all tend to have a very similar theme. Boy falls for girl, unfortunate circumstance and {insert happy ending or beautifully tragic demise of their relationship}. Anyways, it's been years since I enjoyed a Sparks book, so I'm okay being wrapped up in the cheesiness. Sunday started off drizzling outside as we made our signature Green Lake Belgian waffles. We relaxed and waited for the storm to pass. The sun started to peek out just as we were getting ready to leave {of course it did}. Adam and I are both heading up next weekend and we can't wait! My parent's just bought another moped, in addition to our current two. We ride those things all the time and I think having three officially qualifies us as a 'moped gang'. I can't wait for our inaugural ride.
Last night I tried to duplicate the meal I had at Saga Hill Cooking Class for my friend Molly's Bachelorette party {cinnamon and paprika seasoned flank steak fajitas}. Success! The guacamole I cut up to top it I wasn't quite matured yet, but aside from that it was delicious. We got the flank steak from Costco and we both really liked it. I feel like we'll be cooking with that a bit more in the future. Move over chicken, there's a new sheriff in town.
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| We found a face in the fire! |
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| Julie and Grandpa Ken |
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| Lake Seven |
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| Fishing with bacon |
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| The new golf cart! |
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| Zorbaz on Green Lake |
xo,
Court
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