IKEA...

Andy and I have a weird obsession with IKEA.  Before it came to Denver, we would browse online and drool at everything that we wanted from the mega store.  We ordered a few things, but most of the time the things we wanted cost more in shipping than the actual product cost.  We even comtemplated a trip (with intricate planning  of taking a trailer and the budget of savings) to the nearest store in Salt Lake City, UT...8 hours away. 

We never got around to doing the IKEA road trip, but were elated when word came out that the Swedish icon would be making its way to Colorful Colorado.  

Since the store has opened, we have done multiple trips to the store, but none as memorable or fun as our summer trips.  We decided to take advantage of our "no work" status as teachers and go on a weekday.  To our delight, the store offers free breakfast on Mondays, so that is when we decided to go.  

With our list in hand and money burning a whole in our pocket we headed out to Centennial.  First stop...the cafe for our free breakfast!  

Next up was roaming the showroom to find the pieces we needed.  We didn't score as much as we wanted, but definitely came away with some essential items for our house.  

We enjoyed it so much, that we decided to make one more go at it before we went back to school for a few more items.  Our nesting may be out of control right now, but IKEA is helping us keep our money in the bank with its reasonable prices on stylish furnishings and accessories.  IKEA is a little thing that makes us happy whenever we go.  While we are there, every turn reminds us of our travels in Stockholm, Sweden last summer.  IKEA will continue to be our go-to for furniture and home accessories!    

BRONCS!...

When we heard that our friend Brian's name came up for Bronco's season tickets and that he didn't want them, we jumped at the chance to be a part of the orange and blue. We got our other friends, Kyle and Hayley, on board and a plan was born to become Denver Broncos season ticket holders.

In May, we paid for our tickets (which hurt a little bit) and strategically picked out our seats that would be our home from August-December. We knew it would all be worth it once football season started. Now we just had to wait for the actual tickets to come in the mail.

While we were in Minnestoa, I got this text from our friend Kari...

"BRONCS!!! Look what arrived today!!!!!! BRONCS!!!"

along with this picture...

It was obvious (possibly by the amount of exclamation points) that she was just as excited as we were about this new adventure!

Now, as the season approaches, we find ourselves planning out how to use the tickets. So, we headed over to Kyle and Hayley's house one night for dinner and hashed it out.

We didn't have an exact strategy, but started with the games we wanted all four tickets. Next, we went through each game and talked about which ones we would go to together and which ones would be best to sell. It worked out great! Everyone got what they wanted and there were no black eyes in the end!

We even got a chance to hang out with this love...

We are more than stoked to be Broncos season ticket holders and can't wait to show our orange and blue pride. Andy is working on our wardrobes and we already have some fabulous vintage sweaters (you can see those here), some will even fit over this baby bump of mine. We feel very fortunate to be in the position to make something like this happen. A love for football is a little thing that we both want to share with our little boy and we see no reason to start him as a fan so early.

Go BRONCS!

 

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lake somers

From Frazee/Detroit Lakes area, our Minnesota road trip took us south towards Lake Somers, which is right outside of Maple Lake, MN.  Andy's parents have a cabin there and it was time to visit with them and spend more time relaxing on the water (at least for me).  

Andy immediately started on a project helping his dad rebuild a place to keep his firewood.  It looked intense and hot...but turned out great in the end!  I was happy to read, dip in the lake, and soak in more sun.  

We loved visiting with John and Deb (Andy's parents) and the Kruegers (Martha, Mike, and Riley).  The dogs were best of friends and Riley was super entertaining!

While the dogs played fetch ALL DAY...

The girls painted their fingers and toes...

Andy got in some fishing...

And at night, we enjoyed a beautiful sunset and a fire...

We even got to celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary while we were there (more on this later)!

Overall, our lake time with each family is precious.  There is just something about the lake lifestyle and water that is so tranquil.  I guess you could equate it to the serenity and peace we feel when we go up to the mountains.  The lakes have a little thing that instantly calms and relaxes a person.  I have brought myself back to the moments at the lake many times since we have returned to Denver and I will continue to use those memories as life gets more stressful with the beginning of a new school year approaching and a new baby on the way.  

lake eunice...

Next stop...Lake Eunice where my grandma and uncle live (who I managed to not get any pictures of...shoot).  We were definitely ready for some lake time and relaxation and that is just what we got.  


We did TONS of reading on the pontoon and the dock (me=The Forgotten Garden, Andy=The Shining) and floating in these floaties.   

Chewy may have enjoyed himself even more than we did.  He swam from sun up to sun down and was all about taking pontoon rides around the lake, especially if it meant stopping on the "beach" for a dip!  Whenever he would dry off, he knew it was time to get back in the water.  

The big goal while at the lake was relaxation.  This was met to the max.  Another goal for me was to work on my tan and that was also met.  But, the most important thing that will last us for a long time was getting the chance to spend time with my family, especially my grandma.  It's a little and special thing to still have her in our lives and we both cherish every minute we get to spend with her. 

Overall, we give our time at Lake Eunice two thumbs up! 

farm time...

Part of our Minnesota adventure included some time where I grew up, Frazee, MN.  We absolutely LOVE spending time at the farm and this time was no different, except that there wasn't much I could do for activities besides capture some of my favorite shots.  

  Andy, on the other hand, was able to add more farm trades to his list including learning how to lasso, bail/haul hay, and fix the tractor.  

We also got to enjoy a bonfire one night.  

We were even able to meet up with our friend, Wally, for some Zorbaz action.  Best.Food.Ever.

For our last night in this neck of the woods, we decided we needed to do something special.  So, we headed to one of our favorite restaurants in the area, Spanky's.  When I first heard of this place, I thought it sounded like a bar where we would play darts, but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it is a beautiful fine dining restaurant with tons of charm!

We even did a little site seeing on the way home.  

We enjoyed every minute at the farm and truly value the time we get to spend with my mom and Howie.  Plus, it is really fun to think about baby boy Groettum getting to experience the farm some day.  Will he hate the smell?  Will he enjoy all of the open space?  Will he like the horses and ride like his mother?  

I love wondering what he will be like once he joins us and I can exhaust myself with thinking about so many questions.  What I know for sure is that he will always be loved by his grandparents in the country and that is no little thing.  

thunder shirt...

Chewy is one of those dogs that has a little anxiety from time to time.  Usually it is really manageable and he is a happy dog.  But, there are those other moments where it gets a little out of control.  

Thunderstorms are his weakness and really throw Chewy for loop.  He starts panting, shaking, pacing, and needs to be as close as possible to us.  This usually means that he is in our bed, on top of our pillows (which our heads are lying on as we try to sleep).  

After the crazy storm that lasted most of the night back in June, we immediately began researching what we could do for him.  I madly googled, talked to a few friends, and we settled on getting him a Thundershirt.  Andy rushed over to Petsmart to check out what they had.  The salesman laughed and said that Andy was just in time and probably made it before everyone got off work and headed in the same direction for the coveted item.  He bought the last extra large in stock and was on his way to try it out on our big guy.  

We tried the shirt on immediately so that we were prepared for the next big storm.  It fit great and Chewy seemed to kind of like it.  Score!  We have been equating it to swaddling a baby because it is nice and snug around his whole body and seems to calm him down just like babies are when they are in their little cocoon.   

As if nature had a plan, there were no more storms in Colorado and we never got to try it out.  Luckily we were smart enough to pack it for our trip back to Minnesota because there was a doozy of a storm one night!  It was actually when we weren't with Chewy and my mom had to figure it out on her own.  She got him in it and he immediately settled down and lay on his bed.  What a drastic change from the scaredy dog we knew!

It makes me feel so good that we could help Chewy through his anxiety and give him a little relief.  It's a little thing that helps me believe that maybe we will figure out this whole parenthood thing and be ok at it!

deer river, mn...

This summer has been a whirlwind, so let me get you up to speed (it will take many posts for you to fully catch up)...  

Andy and I taught summer school from when the regular school year ended until the end of June and then immediately jumped in the car to head to Minnesota.  We have been there since June 30th and just returned back to Denver.  

Here is where our Midwest adventure started...

We have always wanted to spend some time at our friends' parents cabin near Dear River, MN.  A group of our dearest friends go up there every year for the 4th of July and this year it finally worked out for us to join in on the fun!  

After we drove 15 hours to my home town, grabbed some good grub, and visited with my parents, we were back on the road to Deer River, MN.  We were welcomed with open arms at the Nystrom cabin and were overwhelmed by their instant hospitality.  We lounged in floaties on the lake, road along in the boat while others fished, took naps, enjoyed nightly fires, but mostly we enjoyed spending time with some of our favorites.  

Sometimes life moves so fast when you are in the city or at least that is how it feels every time we go back to Minneapolis.  We often feel like we signed up for speed dating as we try to see everyone that we care about there.  Many times we get back to Denver exhausted and feeling like we didn't get enough time with everyone or we didn't see everyone we wanted to.  The cabin was a welcome retreat away from the city and gave us that quality time we are always yearning for with our friends.  

Unfortunately, I did not take many pictures (we were too busy relaxing), but all of the memories still swim around in my head and we will always think of them fondly.  Quality time with friends is a little thing that is always so precious to us, but often looked over or not possible because of distance or busy lives.  Fortunately, the time we spent in Deer River, MN will stay with us long after this summer is over.  

it's a...

That's right, baby Groettum (a.k.a. Gizmo) now has a gender!  We no longer have to call him an it!  Here is how it all went down...

We have been counting down to this important event it seems for a long time, so when it finally arrived, we were a little anxious to FINALLY have Gizmo have an identity.  

We headed to our Radiology appointment plenty early and I made sure to drink the required 16 oz. glass of water an hour before without going to the bathroom (this proved a little challenging).  Finally, our name was called and we headed in to the BIG ultrasound room.  

From there, the technician got to work measuring the little guy.  She announced every part and it was amazing to see Gizmo on screen for such a long period of time.  The four chambers of his heart were pumping, we got to see his brain, his legs, his hands, his stomach, and it all looked great to our novice eyes.  The technician waited until the very end to announce the news she knew we wanted to hear.  It's a good thing she did because once she revealed that Gizmo was in fact a boy and we saw the proof, we tuned everything else in the room out.  Tears were flowing and we were smiling from ear to ear at each other.


A boy...a boy...it has taken awhile to sink in what this actually means.  If I am going to be honest, I thought (and hoped a little bit) that it would be a girl.  I can't really explain why.  Everyone else in my life guessed that it would be a boy and they were so confident.  So, I find myself sitting for long periods of time staring into space thinking about having a boy.  


When I think back to when I was a little girl and would dream about being a mother someday, I always wanted a boy first.  There was something to me, an only child, about a boy being first to be the big brother, protector, of any other children that would follow.  Some part of me feels like maybe I won't be able to connect to a boy since I am not one.  I know that is a silly thought, but it passes through my mind (and I think the same thought passed through Andy's mind about a girl).    


The reality is that I am beyond elated to be having a baby and it is like an extra bonus to know the gender.  It was almost like finding out we were pregnant all over again...a halfway marker that will make the next 20 weeks so great to plan and prepare.  I feel like we both can finally start to visualize what Gizmo will be like and what our life will be like once he is here.  It is crazy how that little thing (right now anyway) between our unborn child's legs can mean so much.

The rest of the day was filled with celebration.  First, there was a little photo shoot...

We were lucky to have my dad and Kelley in town to share in our joy.  The rest of the day there was lunch, shopping, and finally a celebratory dinner before we had to get back home and finish packing to head to Minnesota.  

I finally feel like I have gotten used to Gizmo's revealed gender and I am on board for whatever having a boy will mean for me and us as a family.  Now, to move on to decorating the nursery, feeling Gizmo move around, and enjoying the events we have planned for the rest of the summer!