Summer to Fall

Tonight our apartment smells like what I think autumn might smell like in Heaven. The bedroom and bathroom smell clean and cozy like laundry and the living room and kitchen smell like homemade applesauce! I love the transition from summer to fall in the Midwest. As soon as the temperature drops below 70 degrees, I’m ready to go with my hot tea and knitting. Staying cozy in the kitchen with the summer harvest has been a treat too! Where did summer go though?! For us, the last half of it was crazy busy and SO much fun!

Mid-August, we moved to a new apartment, not far from our old one. It’s a huge upgrade for us! We have a beautiful view, balconies, and great natural light now! We have more room too! Last weekend, the Pastor who married us, along with his new Worship Coordinator stayed at our apartment while they were in town for a conference and they both fit in our apartment very nicely! There was room for one to sleep on the pullout couch, and the other to sleep on a very nice bed of blankets on the floor. Serious upgrade! You know what this means… Come visit!!

The weekend before we moved, we took a road trip up to Wisconsin to celebrate the long-awaited marriage of Ryan’s sister to her high school sweetheart, and the most blessed marriage of my very good friend to the love of her life. We stopped in Beloit to see my dear Destanie and share a cup of coffee too!

The beautiful bride and me, pre-ceremony! Photo courtesy of the lovely Katie Strommen

Tying the knot!

What a joyful day with our family!

The next weekend (just after we moved) we hopped on a plane and jetted to Seattle for another wedding! Ryan’s childhood friend married his Dreamboat Annie (he’s in the Navy, she’s in the Coast Guard!) and 8 of their other long-time friends made the trip to celebrate too. We all rented a house together and had such a blast. We went sightseeing every day and we partied every night.  Here’s a quick recap in photos:

The beautiful Pike Place Market is known for its fresh fish, gorgeous flowers, and the first Starbucks

Beach Party!!

Hubs and I took the ferry to Bainbridge Island to visit Churchmouse, one of the best yarn shops in the country!!

We went out for ice cream for my birthday!!

Space Needle!!

The view from the top was so beautiful - city skyline, mountains, water - what more could you want?!

Of course we had to visit the Boeing Museum of Flight!

We got to sit in the cockpit of a SR71 Blackbird, the fastest jet aircraft ever built, used by the US Air Force!

The wedding was on a boat in the Puget Sound, with the Seattle skyline set as the backdrop!

The crew :)

What a magical setting for  a wedding!

After all of the excitement of August, we have been finding our normal pace this month. Hubs started school the day after we got back from Seattle! Talk about an abrupt end to summer! He’s also getting ready for the Chicago Marathon next weekend!! We’re so excited for his first marathon race.  I LOVE watching him race but I always want to give him a big hug at the end of it! NOT a good idea to squeeze someone who is out of breath and on the verge of throwing up!  If you think of us, cheer him on Sunday morning!!

Today is my first anniversary at Target! I’m so blessed to be able to say that I’m really starting to get the hang of things at work. This has allowed me to relax so much more when I get home, and I’ve been taking the opportunity to get creative!

On the textile front, I’ve been making silly little projects that aren’t really good for anything other than being a creative outlet, in addition to working on a giant blanket for our living room, and a sweater for hubby!! He has wanted a sweater for a while, but he most definitely had to be a husband before he could receive such an investment. In fact, making a sweater for a boyfriend is known to be a sure way to get rid of him! Among knitters anyway, this is quite common knowledge. Anyway, photos of those projects will be coming shortly.

I’ve been having lots of fun in the kitchen lately too! There is a Farmer’s Market just a block away that happens to occur every week on my day off! What luck! I’m so thankful to have access to the summer harvest, even if it is not by the sweat of my own brow :)

I found this beautiful kale and thought I should jump on the kale chip bandwagon.

As long as I was there, I thought I’d make some beet chips too! Aren’t they beautiful?

Last week, I made tomato soup and potato leek soup! Tonight I made possibly the best applesauce I’ve ever had! I added a few cardamom pods to the simmering apples and they added such a deep earthy, spicy flavor to it. It really feels like fall now!

We have been so incredibly blessed! While we certainly face our share of challenges, our life is undoubtedly one of joy and blessings. Thank you for sharing in our joy!