Year Three as a Mrs.

Well it is no surprise Year 3 has been a tough one for us! We were very much a family of three when the year started and losing our pup was hard on us as individuals and as a couple.

The trials of year 3 show me that life is truly better when we are together!!


     to my husband of three years,

we kept each other afloat this year when in march our hearts were shattered. God knew what he was doing putting us through these trials and we are stronger for it. i love the way you love me and how we grow with each passing year. i couldn't imagine anyone else by my side for this life journey and pray year four has everything we long for and more!

     love your wife

I read something in Savor the other day that really resonated with me - it was about being intentional with the memories you create alone together. Sounds like a 'well duh' moment but sometimes we get so busy in life we forget to just sit with each other without an agenda or schedule.

Steve and I made sure to make time for each other over Labor Day weekend. We went on a short canoeing/camping anniversary trip and had a great time just taking in the beauty and not getting consumed with technology. It was the perfect end to three years - bring on year four!!

Our Wedding
Our Love Story
Year 1
Year 2

Where I Come From - Norway

Remember that time I went to Norway and didn't talk about it on the blog?! Well, I'm going to start and there will be multiple posts because we were there for two weeks and that is way to much stuff to cram into one post. So I hope you enjoy the upcoming posts from our wonderful vacation!

Our vacation was underway. We had landed in Norway, all of us a little exhausted but at the same time ready to explore this beautiful country. No time was wasted on the exploring part - we hopped on a bus in Oslo, traveled to Hamar and had an hour to freshen up before distant relatives picked us up!

One of the main reasons for going to Norway was to visit the farm my {paternal} Great-Great Grandfather came from in Tangen. My dad had been in contact with the family that currently lives there and we were so excited to figure out where our roots started!

My Dad and Erik chatted over family history as best they could. No one in my family speaks Norwegian and Erik knew some English but the conversation was a struggle. Erik's daughter, Hege, was excellent at English so it was nice she could be our translator! This was one thing that made me feel like a spoiled American for sure - not knowing their language.

We aren't exactly sure our relation to Erik or his parents but our trip to visit the Storhovs was such a wonderful experience. To be able to say I walked on the same land my Great-Great Grandfather did is pretty special!! We know, somewhere down the line we are family and that is what matters. They were so kind to us and we were showered with gifts, food and memories to last a lifetime!!

I know this won't be the last time I say this but Norway is Breathtakingly Beautiful, pictures hardly do it justice and it is almost impossible to explain the grandeur of the countryside, the mountains and the glacial blue water - if you ever get a chance to go DO IT!!

A Glimpse of Norway

10 Days.

What?!

We have already been home over a week from the beautiful country of Norway and looking through my photos it feels like a dream.

One thing I forgot to do before we came home was prepare a speech. Speech for what you ask?! Well, I forgot how many people would ask me how my trip was. My answer is starting to get really boring because I think people want to hear more than "it was great" or "really good, but always nice to be home"

I can tell you, though, that the scenery was so breathtaking and surreal - photos do not do that country justice ... especially all my photos from inside the bus!!

Our house is still a mess, I haven't finished unpacking and I am already leaving for the weekend to a photography workshop. So needless to say any elaborate posts on our time in Norway will have to wait. Instead I will leave you with some photos to daydream over during the weekend!!

Oh and on a really unrelated note: Fantasy Football is starting and this always leads to my husband and his friends getting drunk, too many group texts and winning or losing money. Guess what?! I wanna play this year {and hopefully make more money than the hubby} and you can too!! Head over to Sarah's blog and sign up today!

I have a Home

My Pinterest feed has been blowing up lately with beautiful houses, interior and exterior photos, and it got me thinking ... I have a Home not a House.

What do I mean??

Well, let me take you back to 'high school Laura'. Piles of clothes everywhere - cleaning really wasn't my thing unless I got the sudden urge at 3 in the morning! I would rather have been hanging out with friends, watching a movie, or reading a book! Totally opposite from my little sister; she always said, instead of reading she wanted to use her time for other things {and yes cleaning was in that category for her}. 

Not much has changed for me, my philosophy is to enjoy my days and not worry about a house that looks magazine or pinterest worthy {aka Un-lived in}. Some people have the cleaning gene, I am not one of them. I have enough things to worry about and piles of clothes is not one of them. 

Now I am not saying I don't dust or vacuum - that stuff has to be done and is done. I'm talking about the dishes in the living room from last nights supper; the blanket that Brea drug all over the house still laying on the dining room floor; the pile of unfolded {clean} towels we pick from instead of folding them; the spare bedroom that has become my giant closet full of clean clothes strewn about. These are the things that make my house a home - the hints that we Live there and inhabit the space - the hints that we got too busy in the field, watching a movie or playing with Brea that we didn't want to waste valuable time with each other worrying about the things that were out of place!

I don't have a Pinterest living space and that is just fine with me. On any given day you will walk into my house and find what can be considered a mess but that is okay because it is my mess not yours; it is my reminder we are living in a House we have made a Home.

So don't walk into my house and judge the catastrophe ... walk into my house and enjoy the company!!

linking up with Nicole

Brea : 9 Weeks

Brea is 9 weeks olds today and we have officially had her for 1 week!

Like I mentioned on Instagram my lifestyle has totally changed - she rules the roost for sure. Forgetting to eat, put makeup on and go to the bathroom are now regular occurrences!! 

I am that crazy dog mom and have an unconditional love for her. I already have over 80 photos of her and that isn't counting my DSLR ones!! 

Steven and I are head over heels and she is our new leading lady! 

Celebration of Life

:Birthdays: 
Celebration of the day you took your first breath - Celebration of life

I see far too many people dread these things called Birthdays but in my experience they should be treasured and not cursed because the next one is not promised!!  

The American Cancer Society has estimated that in 2014 One Million Six Hundred Sixty-Five Thousand Five Hundred Forty (1,665,540) people in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer, it has also been estimated that Five Hundred Eighty-Five Thousand Seven Hundred Twenty (585,720) people will die from cancer in 2014. 

Those are scary numbers!! Chances are you and I are going to know at least one person who passes away or gets diagnosed this year - so celebrate life each day and especially the birthdays!! 

...

June 4th is my mom's birthday - she has officially lived to be older than her mother ever was. My grandma passed away from breast cancer at the age of 58, five months before I was born. 

I think this is one of the many reasons birthdays have been a big deal in our family. We give cards, we enjoy each others company and give thanks for another glorious year!

Card Display my husband made for Mother's Day

My advice to you is to celebrate those people in your life that mean the very most to you. Even if it is just a card, the thought truly counts - create and customize a card for them from Treat Greeting Cards or contact Erika Joy Design for a beautiful handmade card!

...

Happy Birthday to my beautiful Momma - I love you!!

{If you would like to donate to the Relay for Life team I walk with >Click Here< Relay is on Friday}

Linking up with Nicole

Coincidence or Fate or God's Plan

Two years ago our life was drastically changed when we lost our puppy, Gunner. Yesterday, though, we made June 1st a happy day! 

Little miss Brea joined our family. She is actually Gunner's half sister, as they both have the same Sire. 

As much as we are not ready for a new little one in our home {any tips for potty-training and sleep at night are welcome} we couldn't be more excited. She will be that missing little piece for us and even more special because she shares the same blood as our sweet Gunner Baby! 

So in 2012 we lost our sweet sweet boy and now exactly 2 years later we brought a little girl home - I don't know if this is just a huge crazy coincidence or fate or His plan, whatever it is, I'll take it!!

Without further ado - Blog World, Meet Brea!! 

 

 

 

Be prepared to see a lot of her. You can follow her hashtag on Twitter and Instagram #BreaRote 

 

My Permanent Art

Some people just aren't tattoo people {my husband, my parents} and that is totally fine. I however enjoy them, I love the meanings behind the art people get on their body and enjoy how each person can express themselves differently! 

Last Wednesday I added two tattoos to my existing 3.

Now, I need to draw my tattoos on myself with pen and really contemplate them, after all I am keeping them forever. And when I say contemplate it is usually for over 6 months - I have wanted these two tattoos for about two years now!!

I got my first tattoo when I was 18. A Cross on the inside of my right ankle with a Dove {to guide me on my journey through life with Christ} and a Fish {to remind me that He is all I need to live a full life}. This tattoo was a recreation of my favorite ring, purchased at an ELCA youth gathering - After 8 years I still love this one so much!!

I got my second tattoo with my sister. We both have the word 'love' on the inside of our left ankles. This one is so special to me because my sister got it with me and this is just one more thing to bind us together!! {mine is the bottom}

My family means the world to me and I wanted a tattoo to represent them. I decided to do a heart behind my right ear to represent each of them. 

Mom - Dad - Sister

For those who looked at my post yesterday or follow me on IG - I have kept you in suspense long enough. Here are my two new additions. 

I knew I wanted a tattoo representing the family I would start, something I could add on to. So {you know where this is going} behind my left ear I started 'my heart family' for my husband and eventually our children. 
{this is really hard to take a photo of by myself - it really is a heart}

Last but not least - I got our wedding date in Roman Numerals on my wrist. 
9.8.12 was a day I never want to forget, the day my boyfriend and I promised our lives to each other before God and our family & friends to become Husband & Wife!!

Now say what you want about tattoos, about people with tattoos but I will leave you with this food for thought!

Do you have tattoos? Or one you want to get really bad? I wanna know!!

linking up with Nicole

A Pinterest Easter Birthday

I need a detox! The amounts of bad {but oh so good} food I have been consuming lately is not favoring me - my scale even went up by 3 numbers so we have to change that. But first let's see if you get full just from my weekend recap!!

First Up: Pinterest Party! 
My sister-in-law mentioned the other day how fun it would be to have a craft day with my sister so we decided to have a Pinterest day. We all came with different craft ideas we had found on Pinterest, my sister brought her cricut and I supplied the wine and goodies! Here was the winning recipe … It was a blast - we painted, cut and glued our little hearts out!! 

P I N

P I N

Next Up: Easter -- Birthday

It was forecasted to be a beautiful day and for once those weather people didn't disappoint - The Sun was Shining for Our Risen Lord indeed!!

After church we played cards outside and I think all got a little sunburnt. Then as if I didn't graze and eat enough on Saturday my mom made an amazing Easter meal! 

My Sister also turned 24 on Sunday so after dinner we took a long walk to make room for her Birthday Pie!

We had so much fun all hanging out enjoying the beautiful weather - I think Spring is here!! 

::Detox/Clean Eating Tips Welcome::

Hope you all had a blessed Easter Weekend!!

THRIVE

I experienced something new and totally amazing last night: My First Christian Concert!

My Dad & I at the concert

Now, I can remember the exact moment I started listening to our local Christian radio station. It was September 2008, and I was channel surfing on my way to work - all of the sudden I heard Remember Me by Mark Schultz, it was a song I had memorized for high school graduation but that day in mid September the song took on an entire different meaning. It was because only a few weeks earlier my family experienced a devastating loss, my dad's brother committed suicide, five years later it is still crazy to type those words. Sitting in my car that day listening to Remember Me I felt like my uncle was sending a message - that he was with God and everything was okay even though we were all struggling with the ugly, unanswerable questions suicide brings. My radio dial has hardly left 97.9 since that day in 2008 and I am super grateful for artists spreading God's word through their beautiful songs!!

There you have it, the background on how I got my start listening to Christian music, but let's get back to my worship experience last night:

The THRIVE Tour was in Fargo, now for all of you non Christian music listening people this is a tour consisting of the Grammy winning group Casting Crowns; Momma to 1, pregnant with twins and still rocking a tour - Laura Story; and the Energetic Australian group For King & Country.

For King & Country started the show off and BLEW ME AWAY. I'm not kidding these guys had so many instruments they were playing, ran all over in the crowd and gave me chills {in a good way} totally blown away! Beyond their amazing musical talent they had an important message proclaiming that chivalry is not dead and women should never be treated like anything less than princesses!! Watching this group live was such a treat and I hope I can see them again sometime. 

Laura Story has been one of my favorites for a long time. Her song Blessings is one of my All Time favorite songs and I was SUPER excited to watch her perform live. She didn't disappoint and had such a touching message that God has a plan even if we don't see it clearly or have to go through hardships before we reach the happiness.

As I think I've mentioned before, the first Christian CD I ever bought was Casting Crowns. I can belt out almost all of their {popular} songs by heart and just love love love the messages in their songs, so I went into this concert knowing they would be amazing. What I didn't expect was just how amazing Mark {the lead singer} would be at speaking. Chills, tears to the eyes, take your breath away rawness as he spoke of The Word - you won't be disappointed in attending their concert instead you will be fulfilled. 

One thing all these artists had in common, besides their love for spreading God's Word was how down to earth they all were when they spoke. It wasn't about their fame or getting mentioned in the latest headline for a sell out show it was about Love and Faith - spreading God's Word and things that mattered!!

The Christian concert experience is unlike any other concert genre I have ever been to and I don't know how to explain it but I can easily say it won't be my last!!

Have you ever been to a Christian concert? 

Who are some of your favorite Christian artists?

National Ag Day 2014

Today is National Agriculture Day. 

I am passionate about this day. 

I grew up in an Ag family

I graduated with a minor in Ag

I married into an Ag family

I work in the Ag industry

All of this is well and good but one thing I want to get better at is educating non-Ag people. Agriculture is a part of every single person's day whether they realize it or not.

I am not claiming to be an expert because there are so many things I myself have yet to learn … so let's learn together!!

Here is some Food For Thought brought to you by America's Farmers:

Do you know what America’s farmers grow? You may think you know the answer but they do so much more than grow crops and raise animals.
For example, did you know America’s farmers grow 23 million American jobs? That’s right; the American agriculture industry supports 23 million U.S. jobs, making them the largest employer in the nation. America’s farmers also grow the economy with a trade surplus of 34 billion dollars – that’s more than any other U.S. industry.
Not only do they grow the crops that feed, clothe, and fuel us but they do it all on less land. In fact, just to equal the amount of food grown today farmers from 50 years ago would need their fields to cover every square inch of the U.S.
Yep, America’s Farmers grow a lot more than just crops.
America’s farmers grow America.

So let me ask you … What Do you know or Want to know about Agriculture?

http://bcove.me/eeh0vvab