Spring Chickens

On Monday, I took Ellie over to our friend's house to show Ellie the baby chickens that our friend, Moe, just got. We thought it was a great springtime photo opportunity to get photos of Ellie and the chicks! Of course, the chicks are too small yet to brave the Montana weather elements, and Ellie wasn't too eager to head outdoors on that blustery day, so it mostly turned into a fun time in the living room with the chicks. Not very spring-like, but what are you gonna do? Ellie sure did enjoy her time with the chicks, though! We may have had to rescue the chickens a couple of times from an overly curious Eliana, and we must say that we found out why they say not to put all your chickens in one basket (a baby might just decide that that cheeping basket looks like the greatest toy to start rolling around on the floor), but all in all, she did really well with them and I'm proud to say the chickens survived! She even tried to "kiss" one chick - which gave a creepy Ozzy Osbourne-bat scenario appearance...

Korea and Bali!

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to visit some friends in Korea. I was in Korea for 10 days, and also had a quick 3 day excursion to Bali, Indonesia. What a wonderful time! I stayed with my friend Rob, who went through residency in Las Vegas with me. Rob works at Osan AFB in Seoul, South Korea currently. I was also able to spend a day with an old roommate from my days at Calvin. Mark is studying the Korean language at the the University of Korea. The weather in Korea was cool and rainy mostly, so Rob and I decided some days on the beach were needed, hence the trip to Bali. I have lots of stories to go along with all the traveling, but you have to visit us to hear those!
Picture 1: Rob and I on top of Mount Hallasan (the tallest peak in Korea)
Picture 2: Mark and I in downtown Seoul
Picture 3: The southern cliffs of Udo Island
Picture 4: Can you find Waldo in downtown Seoul?
Picture 5: A beautiful sunrise over the Indian Ocean in Bali.

We're home-owners!

It's official - we now own our own home! Nick and I are very excited, although it really hasn't hit us that we made such a huge purchase. We'll probably have to wait until we can step foot in our house before it really feels like ours (which probably won't be until May). And we won't actually be moving into the home until August, but it's sitting there waiting for us now!

Here are some photos of the backyard of the home (taken in September). It's located in NW Willmar in a neighborhood called Eagles Landing. It's a very nice neighborhood. The house is 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms - lots of space for a young family! It's a very peaceful setting and the backyard overlooks a little marshland area where we are excited to listen to the birds chirping and the frogs croaking! We are looking forward to moving in at the end of summer and would like to invite everyone to stop by for a visit and see our new home!

Eliana is 11 months old

Oh, how our hearts melt when we receive a smile from this beautiful little girl! How quickly she has grown over the last 11 months. There is so much to say about this bundle of joy (and energy), but I will let the photos do the talking for me!

Girls' Night Out!

This past Saturday night, my wonderful husband insisted I go out for a girls' night to celebrate a friend's birthday. So Nick took over Ellie duty while I went out for sushi and then on to the bar afterward. Feeling a bit daring, we decided to try our hands at the mechanical bull in town. None of us were very good, but I think I hold the title for least graceful dismounts from the bull! I now have a pretty hefty bruise on the top of my right thigh where my fist kept hitting it as I was riding. I "may" also have succumbed to a few other minor scrapes and bruises as I flew forward off the bull. Despite the bruises, the worst part was the humiliation of falling flat on my stomach (twice) in a crowded bar. But hey - this is Montana and I had to try riding a bull once before we moved (even if it was a mechanical one), right? And we did have a good time!