Christmas in Minnesota

First of all, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone! We were able to enjoy a wonderful 9 days in Minnesota with ours families for Christmas this year. As always, it was a very busy time and we didn't get to see nearly as many people as we would have liked. But we enjoyed seeing those of you that we did and are looking forward to seeing the rest of you during our many trips back to MN next summer!

Some of the things we did on our trip: Spent a night at Amanda & Steve's; Went to a wedding in New London, MN; Spent time with Mom and Dad Wyffels; Had breakfast with Jen; Helped Heather with wedding dress shopping; Spent time with Mom and Dad Marcus; Visited Grandpa Wyffels in the Hospice Center in Marshall; Visited with Nate, Stacy, Darren, and Aeleah; Celebrated Christmas with Grandma, Mom, and Dad Marcus and went to Christmas Eve worship; Celebrated Christmas with Mom, Dad, Steve, Amanda, Heather, and John playing games and eating WAY too much; Did a little after Christmas shopping and had dinner with everyone; Visited with the Larson family; Visited Brandy and Nick and our 3 beautiful Godchildren; Spent a night with Heather and John; Took a tour of our old stomping grounds in downtown Minneapolis; and Had lunch with Karla and Tony watching a great Vikings Game! Here are some of the photo highlights:






Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, everyone!

The Holiday Season Has Begun

Every year when my birthday rolls around, I get very excited because it means that all the holiday festivities are beginning! This year, Nick and I celebrated my 28th birthday by putting up the Christmas tree, seeing the movie The Four Christmases, and going out for dinner. It was pretty low-key, but that's how I like my birthdays! My husband also gave me a great birthday present - an hour long massage! I'm saving it for when the holiday season dies down and those long winter months start to drone on, but I am so looking forward to using it!
Jonikka (28 Years) and Baby (20 weeks)

This last Thursday, I had a couple friends over for a Christmas cookie bake. It was very fun and something I hope we can do again next year. I now have a great selection of 6 different Christmas cookies. The only downside is that Nick and I won't be here for Christmas this year (we're heading back to MN), but I'm sure our neighbors and co-workers will help us enjoy them!

Last night we had my work's (St. Thomas Child and Family Center) Christmas Party. Nick and I enjoyed our night out at Dimitri's Greek Restaurant where we both snagged some interesting White Elephant gifts - Nick got a great pot of red silk flowers and I somehow got the honor of snagging the one gift that I truly did not want: a porcelain clown doll with the scariest face you can imagine! (For those that don't know, I have a slight phobia of clowns!) Thankfully, one of my co-workers has taken possession of the clown. After the party, I decided to go out with a bunch of the group for drinks (don't worry - I stuck to pop) and found that I had a really good time hanging out with my coworkers outside of work.

Tonight we have Nick's work Christmas Party planned, if the blizzard and dangerous temperatures don't cancel it, anyway! Wednesday I'm going to see The Nutcracker ballet with some friends. Then it's on to Minnesota on Friday where we look forward to celebrating the holidays with our family and friends. In the meantime, I will be enjoying my fair share of Christmas music and cookies, holiday lights and parties! Have a happy, healthy, and safe holiday season, everyone!

Thanksgiving 2008

Nick and I have so much to be thankful for this year that I don't even know where to begin! We have been so blessed with great friends, a nice home, jobs that we like, good health, and of course, Family - both extended and the family we are beginning together. So let me just say thank-you to God for all he has blessed us with - we are truly grateful.
Nick has also asked me to add that we are thankful for guests! Mom and Dad Marcus arrived this last Wednesday in Montana after 19 hours on the train (which they loved, just in case you are considering traveling this way!). They booked a Roomette through Amtrak and truly enjoyed every part of their ride out here (Roomette's have 2 beds that fold down in the 4x6 foot room which makes traveling through the night much more comfortable). I think Dad's favorite part, though, was the unlimited food and the wine and cheese tasting that was included in their fare! Anyway, Nick and I picked them up at the station in Shelby after work on Wednesday and headed the 1 hour trip back to Great Falls.

We enjoyed a great Thanksgiving Day with them. I cooked the turkey again this year and was thankful for some help in the kitchen (thanks, Mom!) and that all the food turned out great again this year. After stuffing our faces, we enjoyed a nice relaxing weekend at home. We watched some movies, played a little Wii, took a walk to the river to watch the sunset, and did a little after-Thanksgiving shopping. All in all, it was a wonderful weekend and we loved having mom and dad visit us in our new home.

Our First Visitor in Montana

Well, it's official - we've had our first visitor in Montana! Nick's best friend, Darren, flew into Great Falls last Thursday for a weekend visit. Nick was very excited about his visit because we haven't seen Darren for about a year and a half - he and his wife Aeleah were living in Berlin for a year. Nick took the day off on Friday and the guys enjoyed a nice day together. Thankfully, I had to work all day, so I wasn't subjected to tortuous hours of watching them play video games, or having to see the next James Bond movie with them! On Saturday, however, we got up early and stopped at a nearby bakery for the best (and biggest) caramel and cinnamon rolls I've ever seen! Delicious... Nick then gave Darren and I a tour of the dental clinic on base. Then all 3 of us took a drive up to West Glacier. It was a long drive, but was so peaceful inside the park. It was overcast and a bit on the cooler side, but there was no wind and the lakes were crystal clear. You could see a perfect reflection of the mountains in the water. We were also able to take a short hike while we were there - great weather for it! Darren had to leave again early Sunday morning, but it was still a great visit. Thanks for coming Darren!

Learning a new hobby

For those that don't know, Malmstrom AFB has been going through a huge inspection (called a Nuclear Surety Inspection) over the last few weeks to make sure the base could be ready in an emergency or to make sure that they can handle increased security. Because of that, Nick has had to work long hours, including weekends. Since I haven't seen much of him lately, I decided to learn a new hobby! My friend Amber has been teaching me how to quilt. It's something I've always wanted to learn, but either didn't have the time, or didn't know of someone who was able to teach me. Now I have no excuses!

My first project was a throw quilt to use in the baby's room on those long nights that I'm sure I will be up rocking the baby in the middle of the night. :) I chose a simple block pattern and with Amber's help, was able to construct a pretty darn nice quilt, if I do say so myself! Since we don't know the sex of the baby, I went with neutral colors and have since decided that I eventually want to decorate the nursery in those same three colors: sage green, white, and chocolate brown.