Day Eight

i want to remember this right here...

sitting with my husband in our empty living room

bare floor, missing carpet, anticipating a fresh new {soft} facade

on our 2nd bottle of wine

listening to Brea's snoring, signaling a busy day of keeping her heifers in-line

day eight of Advent complete - have you heard Mary's song?!

me cheering for the MNF underdog and Steven hopeful of my {and his} fantasy team

Yes. this right here. it fills my heart and my soul

it is so Beautiful …

and i owe it all to Him

Pontoons, Wine & Life

I know - I know around these blog parts I have been MIA since the 4th of July; don't worry I am okay and didn't go overboard on the pontoon {but very well could have} 

I feel like I'm just coming up for air this week and before I know it we will be on another adventure! 

I just wanted to fill you all in on life with me before I go MIA yet again << Look I'm warning you ahead of time

. . .

The 4th was a blast at my parent's lake home. Throughout the weekend we had 20+ wonderful friends who made the weekend fly by!!

The following week I hosted a wine tasting party at our house and it was such a fun girls night with WAY too much delicious food! 

The day after the wine party I went with a few girlfriends to a Wine & Art event downtown {because you can never have enough wine} We had such a blast and can't wait to go next month.

This past weekend was spent with much of my husband's extended family at a reunion and you wouldn't be wrong in saying I am completely drained from all my recent activities!! 

At the end of the day though I am grateful to be drained because that means I am taking advantage of every day and living life to the fullest! 

All items from Eva Marie Typography --- check her out!

I Understand

Last night I finished the newest Nicholas Sparks book. Initially on finishing it I wasn't in love with it; I mean it was okay but didn't leave me in tears like most of the others - why this is what I want from books, I don't know!!

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But today, I couldn't stop thinking about it … the characters, the moments that did make me cry and make me laugh, the giant end surprise/takeaway from the book. I realized I was more in love with the story than I'd initially thought, sad that after work I wasn't going to get to hang out with Sophia, Luke, Ruth & Ira. Even though it didn't leave me in tears it did make an impact on me. That Nicholas Sparks still knows what he's doing!! 

Shortly after finishing the book, surprisingly, I was already applying it to my life. I was slightly angry with my husband for breaking a kitchen appliance. Looking back, not a big deal at all and to top it off "It was a thing" - my husband didn't die and it was so far from that. I learned from this book that I need to have a much more 'who cares' attitude when it comes to my 'things', that the one 'thing' that really matters is Love! Love in the form of who you love : Love in the form of who loves you - That is All That Matters because if you strip away all of the 'things' what could you truly not live without?!

Now I Understand. Do You?

ps. I highly recommend this book!!

I am not the only blogger in North Dakota!!

Wow … What a fantastic weekend!! 

This was a weekend of Firsts

. First time at the lake in 2014

. First Blate

. First time drinking at a bar on a frozen lake

I headed down after work on Friday, with my parents, to enjoy the weekend on Spirit Lake! It was a wonderful relaxing weekend mostly spent helping my sister get her little business up and running … stay tuned for info on that!

Weekend Highlight = Meeting a fellow North Dakota Blogger. If you aren't familiar with blogging lingo this is like a date for bloggers so in-turn we call them Blates. 

I happened to be paired with Samantha from Life Style Love for our Cara Box swap this month so we just knew we Had to meet up. Her parents live in lake country {in MN} only about 20 min from my parent's place so this seemed like the perfect place for a Blate! Yes we are North Dakota bloggers who met up in Minnesota, don't worry in the summer I think we are both honorary Minnesotans!!

Samantha and I met up at local bar and instantly hit it off. We talked. and talked. and talked. Seriously after eating and two glasses of wine we hardly realized it had been 3 hours and I think we could have sat there for another 3! We had so much in common and I didn't feel awkward once. 

So I am just going to come out and say it :: I have a friend I met online. Yep she is real, likes wine as much as me, and didn't try to kidnap me; I even introduced her to my parents and sister!! I am so excited to have had this opportunity, but our night didn't end there. 

We wanted a little more to blog about {of course} so why not go on an ice adventure! For the past few years, once the ice is thick enough on Lake Lida the Hillbillies Ice Hole Bar is back in business.

That is right, there is a bar located just off an ice road :: equipped with electricity; an ATM; a TV; ice fishing holes; and {of course} a stocked bar!! This place was packed and definitely a sight to see, just crazy to me all this inside an icehouse on 2 feet of ice!! 

My Dad, Sam and I having a shot of Fireball at The Ice Hole

I am sure Samantha and I will meet up over many more glasses of wine and I can NOT wait for it!!

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and have an even better week!!

Yes << Can Be Life Changing

Have you ever wondered how many things you miss out on by saying no? 

Whether you are saying no because you are shy, insecure, nervous or just a fun-hater, there are some opportunities that are going to better your life and you should really consider what one little word and a change in attitude could do for you.

Say Yes.

I have decided to say Yes to Amber's #SayYesProject >> Read all about Here.

Sometimes, I get it, you'd rather sit on the couch, veg out and not associate with anyone; don't worry I have plenty of those days myself. I've decided, though, to start becoming more involved ... in my own life, my friend's lives and in my community. I'm Saying Yes!

Don't worry I don't plan on getting all Jim Carrey crazy on you and Red Bull will not be in my diet anytime in the near future.

Here are a few things I'm proud to have said Yes to in the past couple months.

...To being in a TV commercial. Oh let me tell you how cheesy I sound in this thing {not to mention I think I forgot makeup that day, wow}. I have been on the committee for a few months now and involved in promoting the town that I live in. I have been working closely with the civic and commerce and different members of our lovely North Dakota town. I have beyond enjoyed this, putting my communication degree to some good use and promoting this beautiful town and the wonderful businesses and people in it.

...To becoming members of our church. The hubby and are officially members of the same church. I was still considered a member at the church I grew up in even though I hardly went there anymore. To make this step in our faith together as husband & wife was pretty special to me.

...To a photo contest. I entered a photo contest in BEEF magazine and made it in the top 10. I don't think I won but it was pretty cool to see my photo on their website.

...To offering Sponsorships. I love when people promote my blog and I also love to talk about the amazing blogs I read on a daily basis. Stay tuned for some great October Sponsor news.

...To going to the Bar with Hubby. It is harvest so I don't get to see my husband very often and he doesn't get to do much except sit in a tractor or semi. He got done early last weekend and as much as I really wanted some 1on1 time {which would have resulted in us passing out on the couch watching TV} we decided to hang out at the bar. Had a great time with friends and found some interesting reading material.

...To donating to my Radio Station. Sounds odd right?! Well I listen to Life 97.9 which is the christian radio station in my area. One thing I love about them is there are no commercials {worst part of the radio right?!} so without the money from commercials they are 100% listener supported. I finally, after many years of listening, have decided to donate during their fall fundraiser.

...To photos just for me. I've been super, overwhelmingly busy with my side photography business lately. I love it, don't get me wrong, but it has been less enjoyable for me recently. With all the editing, and questions like 'are my pictures done yet' I knew I needed to take a few steps back and remember why I loved the camera in my hands. These photos helped me so much, no people in them, just the beauty of a sunset and some back country roads. {Note: there has been no editing on these bad boys, came straight from my camera ... just added my watermark so no one tries to claim them as their own}

 ...To video chats with 'strangers'. That is right I participated in the FIRST EVER Happy Hour Hangout session last night. With bloggers I knew and some I didn't know. I made some great new friends, learned more about blogging and drank some good wine. Amber and Ashten now have this exclusive 'wear pink' club and I'm so happy to be a part of it. You need to participate in this and I'm about to run over and sign up for December, I know I could use a talk with these ladies again. If you haven't done so already take some time and check out my new friends. Amber, Erin, Meg, Kate & Adam, Brit, Nikki, Alexes, Margaret and Ashten

Okay now do you see all the positive outcomes that can come out of one little word? Yes. It can be an amazing little tool if you use it correctly. Get out there in the world and go live a little - don't let no hold you back. 

The Little Things

You won't hear any complaining coming from me, my life has been pretty great. I'm blessed by all The Little Things God offers in this Life.

Lately this is what I've been up to:

Photos, Photos and More Photos. This has been what is consuming my life lately. I'm overjoyed that people are asking me to be their photographer and would be even happier if I could devote all my time to it. Unfortunately my little photography business isn't going to pay our health insurance or offer profit sharing so I'm still sticking it out with the full time job.  I have, however, invested in a new photo website and apparently just in time for them to have an AMAZING new system update. I am really excited to have found SmugMug and now have a new way to provide services to my clients. You can check out my site at www.LBPhotography-ND.smugmug.com

Last weekend was the first time all summer we got to go canoeing, the river was too high all summer but at least we are taking advantage of the Sheyenne now while we can. The trip down the river was a blast and over before we knew it. Steven and I decided to set up our tent at the cabin and hang out there all night, such a great idea and we woke up to a nice cool morning and the river in the background. 

Steve and I are Celebs again. Okay not really but we are shown in the Fargo-Moorhead Area Woman magazine on the Photography We Love: Wedding page; thanks to our wonderful photographers at Milestones for using our photo!

We got some much needed rain so Wednesday Steve and I had a much needed date night. We went to the movie '2 Guns' it was really good, always kept me guessing, I highly recommend it {plus Mark Wahlberg is a nice bonus}! It was an absolutely gorgeous evening and we enjoyed a delicious supper on the patio at Doolittles. 

...

I hope you have had a great weekend. Let me know what you've been up to, any good movies that you recommend? 

Vino2Go :: A Giveaway

I'm having a giveaway, the first one all by myself and I'm so excited!! 

I recently reached 100 followers {welcome lovely new readers} on Google Friend Connect (GFC) and I thought that was reason enough for a celebration! 

If you have read my blog you know that I love wine and today just happens to be National Wine Day so I decided to have a giveaway in honor of my love for wine and this AWESOME holiday!! 

Via

A Vino2Go Wine Tumbler in your choice of Merlot Red or Party Pink!! If you like wine and don't have one of these you MUST enter this giveaway!! 

Good Luck and Thanks for following along!

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The Little Things

I hope you guys aren't opposed to this giant photo dump I'm about to throw at you but I just want to let you know what I've been up to lately! 

1. I bought a gel nail kit that you do yourself at home. It made my nails super hard and the color was amazing, but doing the dishes by hand has worked against me on this polish because it is chipping like crazy.
2. Our niece had her Spring dance recital. Watching all those girls in their little tutus was so fun! 
3. I hung out with a good friend and a fellow Farmer's Wife. We had a great afternoon catching up - sipping on pink lemonade, watching Sex and the City {from season 1 episode 1}, eating orange sherbet push-up pops, and talking about the little baby in her belly ;-)
4. Sunset over the ND plains … I love this place
5. My doodles for a possible new tattoo
6. Had a great time on Mother's Day with my momma and the rest of my family
7. Do you ever try and recreate photos? It is so fun to see the changes - this was a 20 year difference
8. Riding with my hubby in the tractor - Oh I just love that man. They are currently busy planting corn, stay tuned for my Corn Reports!
9. We have had some amazing sunshine here and there is no way I could sit inside, I apologize in advance because I may be a bad blogger in the summer - if there is sunshine I'll be siting in it! I started Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks this is one of the first books I've read after I have seen the movie; this has only reminded me why I should always read the book first I don't like knowing the ending of my books :-)
10. It's not summer without sunshine and a cold drink
11. Our nieces crack me up and I love when they drop by and visit
12. Soaking up more Sunshine!
13. Finally opened my wine shipment - this is happiness! 

PS. the last 3 photos were edited with the new app called 'A Beautiful Mess' if you love doodles and super cute stuff you should probably download this ;-)

I'm really excited for the weekend. My cousins are coming : I have a wedding to go to : I get to see old friends : I have 2 cousins with grad parties … It should be a weekend filled with great family and friends, and if it rains I may even get to see my husband for more than 2 hours {pray for some rain people}!! 

The Gamer & The Blogger {Why I Blog}

My husband is a gamer and I'm becoming a blogger. We each have our own little niches to keep us busy. Of course I think my husband is a huge nerd sitting on his headset playing with a bunch of 12 year olds {there are probably more adults than I care to know about though that play video games so lets pretend they are all 12} but at the same time he thinks I'm a nerd and doesn't understand me talking to a bunch of ladies I've never met and calling them my friends. Some nights that is our life - he kills zombies and I blog about it.

I am so fortunate to have many real-life friends but in the recent months I've made some awesome blogland friends who I wish I could meet. I'd like to welcome all my newest readers joining me from the Simply Clarke Giveaway; I'm so excited to be part of my first giveaway and super pumped I get to be part of it with some pretty awesome fellow bloggers! {Enter Here}

What I want to talk about today isn't my husband killing things on Call of Duty {because let's face it that is already annoying enough} but instead: 

Why I Started Blogging.

Let's see I've always enjoyed writing. When I was younger I kept journals, which are Hilarious to read now but it is interesting to see how I've either learned from mistakes or kept the same best friends. I love documenting my life through pictures and social media {to an extent} I want my great-great-great-grandkids to know what I was like and what better way to get to know me by reading about how I lived my life. In a nutshell that is why I started blogging, to remind myself what happened on a daily basis and to have something 20+ years from now to look back on and think 'that was SO dumb' or 'wasn't that the best day ever'.

I started this little blog venture in 2011 after my {now} Husband and I got engaged this was going to be our family blog but of course I knew Steven wasn't going to contribute. My posts were few and far between and I took many 'blogging vacations' ... I've since given my blog a facelift and renamed it in hopes I would blog more. Has it helped? I think so, well at least I am posting more and exploring new blogs and all I can hope is people are exploring and enjoying mine too.

Why do you blog?? Let me know and link up! 

Oh and Don't forget to Enter in my FIRST EVER giveaway!! 

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Oh Hey Online Shopping!

Happy Wednesday! 

Today was like Christmas thanks to my online shopping addiction. I get bored at work sometimes and check my email and … "Look Body Central has a sale with FREE shipping, (when don't they have a sale) I should check it out." Usually I don't give in but they really did have good sales so I got 2 new pairs of boots for super cheap, these are boots I hoped I wouldn't need until next winter but apparently Winter doesn't want to leave - seriously can't tell you how much I hate snow right now! I have to tell you about this romper that I ordered though, it looks adorable online and I was really excited about it for this summer but when I opened it my excitement faded. First it almost felt wet (in a sealed plastic bag) and it smelt really bad and Then I tried it on … "yep this is getting returned". I'm so bummed because it looks sooo cute!! There is no zipper and the 'elastic' made a ripping sound and didn't give at all so I don't know how anyone with an ass could wear this unless they bought it 3 sizes too big.  

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I also have an Amazon addiction and received all the things for my April Cara Box partner today so I can't wait to mail that off to her!!  Have you heard of Vino2Go if you haven't then you are missing out on one of the coolest inventions ever - I just got mine from Amazon today and CAN'T wait to use it, this will be SOOOO perfect at the Lake this Summer! 

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The highlight of this Wednesday was a surprise visit from my best friend. She lives and hour away from me and usually isn't home in the middle of the week and there she was today walking into the bank!! I was excited to see her and she brought me an AMAZING Red Velvet Donut, talk about yummy. Yep She is THE BEST! 

Are you Drooling?!

I hope you have had a WONDERFUL Wednesday. 

Were do you like to do your online shopping?