Never Ceasing to Amaze and Surprise...

Hello, is anyone there? A chicken nugget looks like a phone, right? Or maybe it's just a sign that we have been on the road for too many days :)

After a fun stay in Pipestone while Charlie worked in Worthington for 6 days, we are now staying with Gma and Gpa Schloesser for a couple days. It is nice to finally be on a computer, our hotel didn't have one and Carissa & Ike's internet is slower than mud. Enough about my need to be connected via the internet, on Tuesday while traveling back from Pipestone we stopped at my grandparents for a little visit. Lydia was not real excited to sit in their laps or get a ride in great grandma's wheel chair, but by the end of the visit she was giving hugs and actually started to imitate my grandpa who uses a cane to get around. She found something that looked like his cane and decided to test out the new gadget. Then yesterday while hanging out at my parent's she found a stick and was using it for a cane. We better watch out because the copy cat is in town.

Yesterday Lydia also surprised us by wanting to wear her dress from Carissa and Ike's wedding. As you previously read it took 3 people to get her in the dress on the morning of the wedding. In the morning she saw it hanging in the bedroom with all the other pretty dresses, pointed up at it and said "on". She has since worn it numerous times through out the last couple days. Guess we should have had it out the week before the wedding so she could have played with it. With this idea in mind Charlie and I decided her Halloween costume better come out this week so she can get acquainted. Once again she loves to surprise us because as soon as she saw it she wanted to put it on. I didn't take any pictures because we don't want to ruin the Halloween blog update, but she sure is cute in her bunny costume. We might even try to take her tomorrow on Charlie's day off to get a free photo collage in her costume at Sears. I wonder if she will like it then?

For those of you wondering how the new place is... We were there for 6 days before heading to Pipestone and we got the kitchen and bathroom organized. It's different learning all the quirks of a new place and remembering where things are, but it is also fun. I am sure we will continue to ask "Where is..." for quite a while :) The goal for the next 5 days that we will be there is to get Lydia's room set-up and maybe rearrange furniture in the living room. Oh, and the big task will be cleaning the kitchen carpet which is gross. Thanks to my parents who are coming down this weekend we should have it clean enough to eat off or at least I hope so because Lydia doesn't always remember to apply the 5 second rule :)

This clip is from a couple weeks ago while at our place in St.Charles, but it is too funny to not post. Enjoy!!

Faith, Hope, and Love...

October 3, 2009

Marriage of Isaac and Carissa Odland

This weekend our family enjoyed the highly anticipated event of the year... Carissa and Isaac's Wedding. I have so many different emotions as I think about our preparations and celebration:

• I am relieved to be done with planning and the continual to-do lists, but at the same time that is something I find enjoyable. Maybe I will have to find some wedding decorating company down by St.Charles that needs a helper :)
• Charlie and I both really enjoyed spending time with the wedding party; decorating, getting ready, trap shooting, riding in the party bus, taking pictures, and dancing.
• I was very nervous for my Matron of Honor speech which I have to admit that I didn't put as much time into as I would like to have, but I was concentrating on other wedding things. The best men showed me up because Charlie said it was the best speech he has heard :)
• Thankful for my mother-in-law and sister-in-law would be a big emotion from the weekend because they were with Lydia all day and night. What a relief to be able to enjoy the typical bridesmaid duties and usher activities. Thanks a million Linda and Amanda!!!
• We are overjoyed that Carissa has found someone so right for her and that they enjoyed the big day. Though the weather didn't cooperate and there were a few bumps through out the day, the smile on their faces was worth all the work and preparations.
• Sad which is a strange emotion to be feeling, but even as I write this I am in tears because she isn't just my sister now, she is a sister-in-law, daughter-in-law, auntie-in-law and most importantly a wife. I feel so silly saying that because I should be happy that she has more people to love and cherish her but it has just been the two of us for so long. I really like Ike's family so don't get me wrong, it's just not something I thought about before now.
• I am also sad that I won't have the wedding for an excuse to talk to her at least once a day. Guess I will have to find something else to talk to her about now :)
  

Here are some pictures ...

Gma Linda helped get Lydia ready. It was a big task getting her dress on - it took 3 people and lots of tears :( She did great the rest of the day!

The cold dreary weather didn't keep us from taking pictures outside. Lydia was cozy in a blanket and I purchased shawls for us bridesmaids last minute which were a perfect color to go with the dresses.

Being that Ike is an avid hunter, the guys went trap shooting in the rain on Sat. morning and then one of them came up with the great idea of using a shotgun in the pictures. Carissa was obviously enjoying the experience.

With a little extra time for pictures at the church we requested a family photo. Lydia enjoyed being silly!! This is my favorite from my parent's camera :)




Carissa picked a really pretty brown for all of us girls to wear and then we got to pick the dress style which worked great considering two of us are pregnant. The flowers were a wonderful compliment to the color as well. Aren't we beautiful?!?



Carissa and Isaac exchanged vows in a beautiful church and Ike's dad who officiated the service even brought in some fall leaves for his sermon.



Charlie arranged for the bride and groom to leave the church under an arch of fishing poles. It was really cute!!



The happy couple cutting the cake. I included this picture because I need to brag a bit... Carissa put me in charge of this table and it turned out beautiful in my opinion :)

Ike's brothers delivered a great speech about the happy couple's differences. We were all enjoying it as much as Carissa apparently was.

The dance was a lot of fun! Lydia even enjoyed it till way past her bedtime, but I guess apple cider, 2 suckers, cake, and cookies will do that to a person. Oh, well it's just for one night right?