Summer Finally.

It's official: summer is definitely here! Since summer began, James has taken up his regular summer job mowing lawns and I have been nannying for sweet little Ellie. James loves the flexibility of his job...it's basically up to him to decide when he wants to work as long as he gets his mowing done...he has been getting in plenty of golf time with the guys. It's a great way to make money over summer. And I love my job of course. Ellie surprises me every day...she is now 15 months old and constantly learning new words. Her latest words are "baby" and "teeth." She also has the adorable new habit of kissing her baby doll and walking around blowing kisses. I'm dreading having to move on to a more serious job. I think my calling in life might just be to take care of babies... :)
It's been nice and hot and sunny the last couple days and we have been soaking it up. We spent this past weekend lounging in the sun with our favorite neighbors, Bill and Paula, and their boys, Dalton and Carter. We grilled most of our dinners (the beauty of summer)and James' and I attempted to make Chipotle style guacamole and were very satisfied with the results!
Amidst all this summer fun, there has been some tension in the air. Neither James nor I know where we will be working in the fall. Everything is very up in the air right now. For me, this is causing major stress. I have been creating resumes and bouncing back and forth between what I want to do. I want everything related to the wedding to be blissful and I'm worried that money stress is going to ruin it. I am hoping and praying that we will soon both know what we are doing.
Carter is such a little HAM!
James and Bill grilling some "chicken on the bone"
Carter found a little frog on the pool
Me with the neighbors' dog Marshall
James bought a pound of beef jerky...
Dalton eating some chips!

Happy Birthday Jen!

C.E.L.E.B.R.A.T.E
Today is my sister's birthday. She's 22 today! It's days like this that make me so sad to be so far away...

James the College Graduate

James graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College this past Sunday with a Bachelor of Arts in History with a Secondary Education License. It was a hot and windy day, but the graduation ceremony was great. James' grandparents, brother Justin, sister Erin, Mom and Chuck, and Dad (and Taz) all drove down for the big event. James' Aunt Becky even traveled all the way from California to see him graduate! We all cheered as loud as possible when they called James' name.
After everyone got pictures with the new graduate, we headed to our favorite Mexican restaurant, Mazatlan. James got plenty of his favorite salsa and a big mug of beer to drink as he opened his cards and gifts. We all drank huge Margaritas, ate good food, and celebrated his amazing accomplishment. We're so proud of him!!!!

Cohen John Ahles

James and I are now officially Uncle James and Auntie Justine! James' sister Nicole and her husband Tim are now Mommy and Daddy to a perfect 7lb 9oz baby boy. Our little nephew, Cohen John, was born May 22 at 1:26 pm! James is lucky enough to be this little guy's godfather :).We are so excited for Nicole and Tim and can't stop "awwwwwwww-ing" over the pictures that keep coming our way! Nicole and Tim are great parents already. They are working around the clock to keep him well-fed and content. Cohen is SO lucky to be their baby!

Engaged Workshop

This past weekend James and I had our "Engaged Workshop" at Bethlehem Lutheran. This workshop is required for all couples getting married in the church. Overall, we got a lot out of it...in fact, it was great! Pastor Janine led the workshop and some married couples from the church came in and shared stories with us. We learned about how to communicate with each other and were even given "fighting rules."
There were eight other couples there and it was fun to meet other people who are also getting married soon. I cried twice this weekend...first, I cried when had us hold hands and look into each other's eyes while they read "These Hands Blessing" and a second time when James read me his love letter on the last day (we had to write each other three letters). I have a feeling I'm not going to be able to hold it together on the big day! Here is the "These Hands" Blessing...

"These Hands"
(Bride holds groom's hands)
These are the hands, young, strong and vibrant with love, that will hold yours on your wedding day, as he promises to love you all the days of his life.

These are the hands you will place with joy against your stomach, until he too feels his child stir within your womb.

These are the hands, so large and rough, yet they will be so gentle as he holds your baby the first time.

These are the hands that will passionately love and cherish you through the years.

These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears of sorrow and tears of joy from your eyes.

These are the hands that will comfort you and your children in illness and hold you through grief and fear.

These are the hands that will tenderly lift your chin to look into his eyes -- eyes filled completely with his love and desire for you.

(Groom holds bride's hands)

These are the hands, smooth, young and carefree, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as she promises to love you all the days of her life.

These are the hands that will hold each child in tender love, soothing and encouraging them along the way -- and knowing when it's time to let go.

These are the hands that will hold you tight as you struggle through difficult times.

These are the hands that will comfort you when you are sick or console you when you are grieving.

These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years for a lifetime of happiness.

These are the hands that will hold you in joy and excitement and hope.

These are the hands that will work with yours as you chase down your dreams together -- everything you wish for is there to be had.

May these hands always be held by one another. May they have strength to hold on through the storms of stress and the darkness of disillusionment. May they be tender and gentle as they nurture each other in love. May these hands build a marriage
founded in grace, rich in caring, and reaching together to bring forth the very best in both.

Food Tasting

Last night we drove all the way to St. Cloud to taste wedding food at Mulligans! James' sister Erin came with us to enjoy the food and give us opinions. We were a little disappointed because we only able to taste 5 of the 18 options for the main course. Also, James was thoroughly unimpressed with the portion sizes (he was super hungry). However, we had a great time and James was able to go back and get seconds and thirds of the bite size meals.
We decided that the top choices for food are the Parmesan Crusted Chicken served with Garlic Mashed Baby Red Potatoes and Fresh Honey Glazed Baby Carrots and Pan Blackened Alaskan Salmon with Garlic Mashed Baby Red Potatoes and Fresh Steamed Green Beans with Toasted Almonds.
The funny thing is...out of all the food, we were most impressed with the mashed potatoes! They were AMAZING.
It was fun to see the Grand Ballroom all decorated. It got us very excited about the big day!

James Finally Got a Car!

Yep, it's true, James finally found the perfect car for him. It's a 1999 Ford Taurus with only 29,000 miles on it! Thanks to James' mom, Jenn, and her boyfriend Chuck and his mom ,Ruby,for selling us the car! James will be driving this one for a LONG time :)

We Have a DATE!

As of today, the chaos is over and we finally have a wedding date. November 21, 2009! Now the fun planning begins...I am ecstatic about cake tasting, food tasting, picking out flowers, dresses....oh so fun!

Wedding Date Chaos!

We are trying to pin down a date for the wedding. After all the drama with deciding whether to have the wedding in Minnesota or in California, we've decided we want to have it here. It is just so much easier on us that way...and I have been losing a lot of sleep over this! We will do the wedding sometime in October and then have a reception in California a few months later.
The problem is we want to do the wedding in October, and apparently it's virtually impossible to find a reception venue eight months before the wedding! I had no idea that fall weddings were so popular. I'm crossing my fingers that we will find an October date that is open, and soon! This wedding planning stuff is stressful.
James and I have both been very busy. He just finished his second week student teaching and I have been nannying everyday and going to school in the evenings. Things are going well for James and his teaching and he's decided that he likes his eighth graders better than his eleventh graders! Anyway, it will be so nice when we don't have to be apart all week long.

The Beginning

The last few months of my life have been amazing. Mostly because all my dreams are coming true! James proposed to me in the snow on Christmas Eve and ever since I have been on top of the world.

My future sister-in-law Nicole inspired me to start a blog...I was reading hers and figured that since James and I have so many exciting things ahead of us, I should blog about it! So here it goes...