Rote West Adventure Days 1 & 2

This Adventure - a two week road trip with my husband to the West Coast and back.
Steve drove all 5,438 miles and we got along perfectly the entire trip.
The trip was such an amazing experience and it was an item we are both so happy we could check off our bucket list!

I don't have many words to share about the trip, plus I speak better through my photography so over the next days I'll be sharing our trip and I hope you enjoy!!

Day 1 - 461 Miles - Home to Miles City, MT
July 1

Western North Dakota is so beautiful

Day 2 - 545 Miles - Miles City, MT to Yellowstone
July 2

Beartooth Pass

My first Milky Way photo - I'm in Love!! 

From The Farm Friday : n u m b e r 22

I'm not sure if you knew this but I grew up on a farm. Yep, farmer's daughter and farmer's wife. Growing up on the farm taught me life lessons I know I wouldn't have learned any other way. There are some things you don't realize about farm life that you take for granted because you are around it all the time. One of the things I take for granted, I was reminded of in April when my cousins from Minneapolis came for a visit. I think these photos will speak for themselves but in short summary - cows and machinery are magical!!!

I present to you: Sweet Baby James visits #RoteFarms

From The Farm Friday : n u m b e r 14

My computer and I were fighting last night so I didn't get a post written but in all honesty the farm has been pretty quiet - except for some calves getting out this week!!

Here are some posts that I enjoyed this week:
Ashten on Starting Over
Amber on "You Are Welcome"
Erin on Living Thoughtfully

I have been an editing fool this week and my computer was telling me it wasn't havin' it last night - one of my worst fears is my computer crashing so I just left it alone not wanting to piss it off haha Here are a few of my favorite photos from the shoots I was editing!!

Hope ya'll have a wonderful weekend - I have my last photo sessions of the year and I'm excited to be done with that part time job for the winter!!

February 2015 #mrslaurabeth365 Recap

Month 2 is complete. I found it a little harder to use my DSLR this month and I don't know if that is because I was lazy or the fact that our internet was off/on and I knew that using my camera meant I wouldn't be able to upload photos right away #FirstWorldProblems - I still am happy with getting a photo for the first 59 days of 2015!!

Next up - My Birthday Month!!!
I'd love to have you follow along on Instagram -- #mrslaurabeth365

Tea with Mrs. Laura B

Oh hello dear blog and blog readers that I've been neglecting - seems like I'm quite good at that but what else can I say except Life Happens - at least I update Instagram right?!

This week has been run. run. run but somehow I have more energy than usual; I suppose being busy instead of caught in the boring mundane helps! 

I want to update you on life, so let's sit down for some tea, coffee or whatever your drink of choice is {you have wine in your cup before noon?! More power to ya} and catch up!

 

 

 ** Speaking of Drink of Choice I've really been on a Tea kick lately. Steve was sick in January and so we went through a lot of Tea, Honey, YL Thieves Essential Oil and YL Lemon Essential Oil and now whenever I feel my immune system faltering that is my goto drink!

** If you were wondering YL stands for Young Living. I'm o.b.s.e.s.s.e.d with these oils and truly believe they work - if you ever want more info on them please let me know!!

** I just got done having a Jamberry party and am $4 away from a $1000 party, so I'd say it went over well - and with good reason because these wraps are awesome. You can order until the 28th if you are interested CLICK HERE

** Hello BABY FEVER! I got to meet my new 2nd cousin and he was soooo sweet - makes me 'almost' ready for one of those mini humans

** Just checked on my Zulily order - it is arriving today and there are some pretty fab things in there!

** Tried out a new All You Can Eat sushi place last night with a girlfriend and I was in heaven. I usually drop $40+ on my orders so paying only $27 and getting Waayyy more food was so awesome. Plus I tried things I normally wouldn't spend money on. Are you a sushi fan?

** I'm Sick Of Winter

** I put my fitbit back on this week - hoping I can stick with it and it helps me keep track of eating and {my lack of} exercise! So far I've learned I eat more calories than I burn ... oops!

Okay my cup is empty - I need a refill and you need to tell me what you've been up to!!

 

Currently // November

Dear Blog,
We have not been friends as of late. I have been working on a post for the past three nights and keep getting distracted and stuck and end up slamming my computer shut most nights - the whole dark by 5pm thing isn't helping. Lets be friends again and start with this easy Currently post!!

Reading // Cold Tangerines by Shauna Niequist plain and simple I love her. She is one of my favorite authors and her books are so easy and the words she writes are always just what I need to hear

Wishlisting // things I don't need - always - like the 5D Mark III that gives me heart eyes and the price gives me a heart attack

Loving // my 'brother' getting engaged!! Steve's cousin has always been more of a 'brother' since Steven has 3 sisters and his cousin and him are so close. He is my closest guy friend, was the Best Man in our wedding and was our roommate in college. He introduced me to Steve and I introduced him and his now fiancé and I. Can't. Wait. for their wedding next fall!

Appreciating // my close friends & family - I got a visit from by best friend last weekend and we did nothing more than catch up and chat and drink wine {those days are the best} - I am also really excited for the holidays to spend more time with the important people in my life

Creating // photo cds for clients. The editing is never ending but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I have also been getting prints made of personal photos from Norway and of Brea and I'm in love with metallic finish photos!

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Tell me what are you Wishlising this season???

linking up with Anne & Jenna

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!

Life Lately

Well lets see, life revolves around the 'lil lady of the house :Brea: but I am going to try and write a post that doesn't revolve around her {key word - try}.

Life Lately

:: Lately I have been enjoying my book by a fellow blogger called Children of the Most High

:: Lately the rain doesn't seem to want to stop - I want Summer and sunshine!!

:: Lately I have been getting really excited for the 4th of July. Every year we have a big bash at my parents' lake home and I can't wait for another great year

:: Lately I feel like summer is already over before it has officially started. We have so many planned events and that makes the summer fly by way too fast

:: Lately I have been reading my Bible and immersing myself in His word - it feels amazing. I am a little behind in my #MilkingStoolMinistry but I think Amber will forgive me. I am learning so many amazing things in the book of John!

:: Lately even though the rain needs to stop I LOVE watching the lightning during a storm

:: Lately I have been so so so frustrated with Aflac - it took them over 3 months to change my credit card after the Target breach; but they didn't even change it and said my policy was cancelled because my card didn't work

:: Lately my ND blogging bestie has been looking for other ND bloggers >> If you are one CLICK HERE

:: Lately I have been really busy with my photography business - Just last night I got to snuggle a 2 week old {swoon}


...

What have you been up to Lately? Let me know what is on your mind!!

Steven, Brea and I are headed to the lake tonight after work and I hope the sun shines even at night because there has been WAY to much precipitation down there!!

 

Packing Tips Welcome

You know those days where you think you will be really productive …

And then …

You Fail by sitting on the couch all day! 

Yep this has been my day. {I blame my horrible menstrual cramps - remedies welcome}

I have been editing photos.

My lovely sister : Crafter at Erika Joy Design

Adding to my 30 before 30 list. {almost done 5 left}

Anticipating March when we can bring our pup home.

Reading blogs. Catching up on responding to my own blog comments, and putting off cleaning and packing. 

Did I mention we have to be out of our apartment in 20 days?! HELP!! Any tips on packing for a move would be greatly appreciated!! 

Where are we going you ask?! Well Back on 9.8.12 {yep our wedding} we stayed in our apartment for the first time ever. You see since August of 2010 we had been living with my husband's dad at the farm house. {The farm and apartment are only 10 miles from each other} And at one point this living arrangement included living with ALL of my inlaws {father, his girlfriend (on the weekends), sister 1 and her husband and our nieces (2), and sister 2, and sister 3} Did you get all that?! 10 people under one roof, very female dominated with 2 bathrooms. Thinking back on it I really don't remember there being that many people but I'm fairly certain I couldn't do it {sanely} again!! I Love my family but this just sounds like chaos!! 

So as of today 2.8.14, we have been living here for 518 days, exactly 1 year and 5 months. Now it is time to pack because my Father-in-law and Wife {before mentioned girlfriend - aka Mother Teresa} are moving to 6911. Yep their new house is in the final final stages of being built and we get to move back to the farm house. 

I am SUPER excited to move out of town and live on the farm again but am DREADING packing so I really need those packing tips! My current solution is drinking ALL the wine on my wine rack instead of packing it then just pack the rest of the place after that, but I have a feeling that isn't practical and I'd misplace tons of our things! 

Hope you all are having a Wonderful Weekend!!