Merry Christmas!

Aloha, blog readers.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with your families. I only got to see a couple family members while I was back in Iowa (for a short five days) but it was still a great time. 

I returned to Colorado on the night of the 23rd to a very excited fiance! HE'S DONE WITH SCHOOL! WOOHOOOOO! Congrats, Keaton!! I think we're both equally as excited and so far, we haven't figured out what to do with all the spare time!

We got to celebrate Christmas together this year and it was a lot of fun. I think it's been two years (or maybe only one?! Who knows, I'm dramatic) since we've spent the actual holiday together as I'm always back in Iowa/Minnesota,  but this year we made it a point to start our own traditions. :)

I have to admit that the last couple days have been very different from what I'm used to as far as the holiday goes. I'm used to spending time with family nonstop from the 23rd - 26th. I spent Christmas Eve day alone since Keats was at work and then we made our own small dinner that night. Which, may I add, did not include ANY kind of soup which is a pretty constant tradition on both the Johnson and Jennings sides. (Insert my sad face here...) We had our own relish tray, shrimp cocktail, and ham and cheese sliders with the butter and poppyseed topping. SO GOOD! My day was so off that I even went to Target and Walmart...on CHRISTMAS EVE! I've never done that before....ever! I felt like a sad panda as I walked through Target by myself looking for a last minute graduation gift for Keaty.

On Christmas day, we opened our stockings and presents with mimosas and (burnt) monkey bread, and then we went to Keaton's mom's house to celebrate with his family. We ate lots of good food and even played cards! Playing cards is a Dahle family tradition, so I was glad to be able to play with his family, too! Maybe I will have to teach them how to play Shang-Hi for the next family gathering? They might hate me for that though. That game has the ability to tear families apart...hahaha, only kidding. Kind of :)

I'm off school until the 3rd, so I've just been relaxing and taking my time getting our place cleaned up. I hope you're able to relax this holiday season, too! 

Grumpy Bear

Ahhhh....three more hours until FREEDOM!

(Yes, I'm writing this on my lunch break because it's the only free time I've got for now!) We're off school tomorrow and won't return until the 26th. Woooosaahhh!

 

I've been VERY on edge the last couple of hours. I'd assume it's because I know of the freedom that sits so near OR because I've got so many kids telling me "HE BUDGED!" or "SHE STOLE MY MARKER!" or my personal favorite "HE'S LOOKING AT ME!" My personal favorite phrase today has been "I don't want to hear it." 

 

As obnoxious as I find these things, my kiddos are very sweet and they do say some of the funniest/cutest things ever. I've been writing them down to share with Keats (and to keep my sanity) and I'd like to share some with you!

 

"Gahh, my butt keeps pulling my underwear in and it REALLY hurts!"

 

"You have a mean face right now."

 

"Whoa, did I just burp SUNSHINE!?"

 

"My mom looks like a beautiful person. Well, almost."

 

"My boyfriend's mom? I don't know her name. Can't know EVERYONE'S name!"

 

"My dog burps a lot after he eats beef turkey."

 

 

I'll leave you with that for now and since I probably won't write before next Thursday...HAPPY THANKSGIVING! I can't wait to see my family and friends!

TA-DA!

Wasn't that just the best disappearing act you've ever witnessed?!

 

I have no idea why I stopped blogging after the proposal...I mean, I feel like I was busy but then I think back on all of the nights I watched show after show after show on my couch and now I realize that I could have been entertaining all of YOU with my mindless writing. :)

 

Six days before the school year started, I accepted a job at a different (than last year's) school as a childcare director of a wrap-around program (aka I'm a glorified babysitter!). The program is brand new this year and the beginning of school was very stressful for me as I had to build a program from scratch with about six boxes of toys and books. Luckily, people were donating items left and right and I was able to make things happen with what we had!

 

Keaton is still at Left Hand Brewing Co. and is of course still loving it! He and a few fellow Left Hand guys are growing mustaches for the month of November. They've formed a team at Movember.com to raise money for testicular and prostate cancer research and here is Keaton's individual page: http://us.movember.com/mospace/4151781 Check it out and donate if you would like! I know he and the "Milk Stout Mustache" team would appreciate it GREATLY!

Wedding plans are coming along quite nicely. We've already switched venues and we are so in love with this new place! When Mom was out to visit we went there three times in five days! I don't know what I've posted as far as dates, but we're getting married April 6, 2013.

 

Until next time, my friends......and I promise it won't be four months!

 

Also, Keats and I will be back in Iowa November 21-24, so I hope we get to see everyone!

 

 

 

WE'RE ENGAGED!

I'm sure most of you (all five of you?!) have heard by now that Keaton popped the question on Wednesday. I said yes, of course! 

I think it's the most gorgeous ring, EVER! But...I may be a little biased. 

We went to the Rockies game on Friday night and there were fireworks after the game and they were AMAZING! 

Note: This is a video of fireworks..if your speakers are all the way up, you will crap your pants. 

In other words, turn your speakers down. :)

How do I know I'm marrying the right man? Because after the fireworks, we both said "HONK, HONK" at the same time without knowing the other was going to do it. 

The Dahle family is responsible for that one! We would always watch the Clear Lake fireworks together and they would always say "Oooh, ahhh....honk, honk!" And the first time I said it, Keats thought I was absolutely crazy. Now, he is forever going to be a part of this craziness and I couldn't be happier!

Lazy Sunday

I instantly went to write the title "Lazy Sunday" without thinking if it actually was a lazy Sunday...today I was definitely not lazy!

Kellen needed a girl to play on his work's coed softball team and I was the lucky winner. Keep in mind, I haven't played legit softball since I was 14. Uh...let's just say I did not get my dad's softball skills. Or any skills, for that matter. I struck out every time except for one, but I still had fun and that's all that matters, right? (Yadda, yadda, yadda, blah, blah, blah!)

After Kellen and I got back to the house, Amy wanted to go work out at the rec center so I went with her. Uff da...I'm wiped! Once I got home, someone or something kicked me in the butt because I power-cleaned the kitchen and then made 3 more canvas photos and hung them up....see!

(As if we don't see enough of each other as it is...)

Did you have a lazy Sunday?

Building with Bagheera

Do you like my titles lately? That's laziness at it's finest!

I've been sick of the storage in our guest bedroom (my and Bagheera's room!) lately and finally decided to get one of the cube organizers at Target. Bagheera "helped" me put it together.

Bagheera getting in the way while....

Nixon watches and whines...awww!

I love these pictures.

"Okay, nobody is looking."

"How do I get in there?"

"Oh...this handle?!"

"In I go..."

"Eh, not what I thought. Booooring!"

Here it is! I love it!

Keats and I at the Rockies game on Tuesday

I took this picture on Tuesday morning because you could smell and see the smoke from the High Park fire in Fort Collins (35 miles away). We were supposed to go hiking in Boulder for work and we didn't end up going because we weren't supposed to be outside. We took the kiddos to see Madagascar 3 instead...HILARIOUS by the way! 

Our Weekend

This is from Memorial Day but it made the cut...

This is how I woke up on Saturday morning. Nixy next to me and Bagsy at my feet. I swear, Bagheera only cuddles with us if he knows we're sleeping. Sneaky, sneaky cat.

Sneaky AND creepy!

We took Nixon to the dog park before heading to Lyons. The dog park is only a couple minutes from our house and he knows it! He sits up and whines until he can get out of the car and it's so funny. When we drive to Nannie's, he will whine for a bit until he realizes we're not going to the park and then when we turn onto Nannie and Debbie's street, he starts whining again. Smart little guy. 

Nixon only fetched the ball a couple of times because the heat got to him. He sat his little butt in the shelter for the last half of our visit, haha!

We went to Lyons on Saturday for Burning Can which was a canned craft beer festival. These were our snacks for the drive. Tea and Wild Bill beef jerky...yuuum!

Kellen and Amy and the boys stopped by for a bit and Kasen got to play in the water. (It was SO HOT on Saturday...like 80 degrees hot at 10 am!)

Baby Jack was snoozin' in the stroller the whole time!

Beautiful back drop!

Fried pickles and a turkey leg for lunch. Both were decent in my opinion but Keats loved the turkey leg.

:)

Have a good week!

Crafts with Courtney

Yes, you read the title correctly. I finally got around to creating some of the fun things I saw on Pinterest. If you don't have Pinterest and you would like another one of those waste-your-day websites...sign on up! Click HERE to see my Pinterest page. 

Project numero uno: an earring holder 

I went to Hobby Lobby and bought lace and a cute frame. (I got rid of the cork board that was inside...may be used for another project!)

Sorry about the crazy table -- it makes it kind of hard to see the frame and lace!

My helper, Bagheera.

I used a hot glue gun to attach the lace. I went over each section more than once to make sure it would hold.

The finished product.

The finished product in action! I hung most of the earrings without the back on them...I will keep the clear backs in a cute dish next to the frame so they're always within reach. You could attach the backs for all of the hanging earrings but that would be a pain taking them off each time! The four pairs in the corners have the backs on them since they are just post-back earrings. Back. Back. Back. Back. (How many times can you say that in one sentence?!)

Well, hello again.

 Project numero dos: photo canvas

I made a photo canvas for my mom for Mother's Day (it was a picture of the family in Hawaii) and it turned out really nice. I took a whole bunch of pictures and then accidentally deleted them. So Mama Bear -- after you're done reading this blog, text me a picture of the canvas and I'll upload it for all to see! :)

I know that it's probably easier to just frame the picture but I really like the look of photo canvases. Once again, I got everything from Hobby Lobby...except the picture, I had that made at Target.

 Before starting, make sure your picture fits on the canvas. 

 Apply mod podge to canvas

Place picture onto mod podge 

Apply mod podge over the picture and let it dry. Mine took about 40 minutes to dry completely. When I did Mom's I only went over the picture once with quick strokes and it took 20 minutes. This time, I was pretty meticulous and went over some areas more than once....it wasn't really necessary as they both turned out identical. 

During the 40 minute break, I got to watch a wrestling match...

Here is the picture with the dried mod podge

I used black and gold acrylic paint to cover the edges of the canvas. I've seen some people use scrapbook paper to cover the edges and it looks cute but it takes a bit more work and I couldn't find any patterned paper that I liked. 

On Mom's picture, I went along and sort of dabbed the edges with paint, but I liked the simplicity and clean edges for this one. Target makes photo canvases, but they start at $69.99 and they don't look near as neat! I love the way the mod podge makes the photo look. 

The finished product! I want to get a couple more pictures so we can make a wall collage with them. If I ever get around to doing more, I will post another picture! 

Both projects were under $15.00 and you know that Hobby Lobby ALWAYS has coupons and 50% off sales, so go and get crafting! :)

Jobs and Babies

I finally got a job for the summer! I say "finally" because I interviewed for the position almost a month and a half ago and I just found out a week (or so?) ago that I have a job! I will be a summer camp group leader at an elementary school (different than my current school). I had orientation with parents and kiddos this past Thursday and got to meet all of my coworkers. I LOVE THEM! The 4 girls that I'll be working with are right around my age and the two guys that work there are a little bit younger. I think it will be a good experience and I'm excited to get started!

Kellen and Amy had their baby Jack on Tuesday night and we've already seen him a bunch of times. He is so precious and from what they say, the exact opposite of Kasen! Jack has been sleeping most of the time that we've seen him, except for when his diaper is being changed. He hates being naked! 

Amy and Jack came home yesterday and we went to visit. I had to put his CU hat from g'ma Pat on him and take a picture...I don't think he has any choice but to be a Buffs fan! 

Hope you are all doing well! I only have four more days of school left! WOOHOOOOO!

Mama Bear Came to Town

Ello everyone! 

Mom and Matt made a short visit to Colorado this past weekend. Even though it was short, we still managed to have a good time, drink a couple drinks, and almost pee our pants laughing. As usual...

I cleaned Bagheera's room like crazy yesterday and when I went in this morning, he had somehow managed to tip over his litter box which resulted in 3/4 of the litter on the floor. Thank goodness it was clean! I did what any responsible mother would have done....took a picture and asked Keats to clean it up. (Seriously...I did. I feel terrible but I had to be to work at 6:45 this morning and was running late. Don't judge me!)

Keaton starts his new job at Left Hand Brewing Company on Sunday and he is beyond excited. He will be on the distribution side once again, running forklifts and what not. Congrats on the job, lovey.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL!

It's Been A Long Time

I know it has been AGES since our last post. I am very sorry for those of you who keep checking but find nothing new here...I will try to be better in the upcoming months about posting on a regular basis.

I went to Florida in March to visit Dad and Connie. Andy and Laurie (my uncle and aunt) were also there visiting and we had a lot of fun. My Aunt Laurie's FAVORITE part of the trip was a visit to the Daytona 500 track. (hahaha, just kidding! She was very curious about the mall next door however!)
 

Dad and Connie walking on the beach. We walked to the pier almost every night for drinks and entertainment.

Andy and I rode this machine that shook you around like you were riding on a roller coaster. 

I was covering my ears. Whenever I don't like something I cover my ears...no idea why and my brother LOVES to give me crap about it! 

What a winner! 

The whole gang on Connie's birthday!

It was so good seeing Dad and Connie and I hope Keats can go with next time!

I've also been cooking more! I found this braided spaghetti bread recipe on Pinterest and had to try it. 

(Sorry the pictures aren't rotated)

 

It turned out to be so good (and easy)!

Scott, Kendra and Kingzton came to Colorado for Easter so we FINALLY got to meet Kingz -- five months after he was born!

Keaton and I drove around in the mountains last weekend (Earth day) and enjoyed the scenery. 

 

 

 

 

 

  

We saw some rams right next to the road. There were tons of people stopped and taking pictures and they didn't seem to mind. As I was leaving, two of them started to ram each other. THAT was scary!

Other than that, we haven't been up to much. Oh, except we are trying to buy a house. ;)  That's probably the main reason we haven't been blogging. Every second we're on the computer, we're looking at new places in Longmont or emailing lenders and blah blah blah. We actually had a contract in on one house but the seller wouldn't agree to fix something major, so she backed out of the contract and we are on the hunt once again.

A couple of weeks ago (Easter weekend) Nixon was doing this crazy/scary hyperventilating thing that sounded like reverse sneezing (common in dogs with small snouts). He had done it a couple times before but it only lasted a couple seconds and he would go back to rough-housing with Bagheera. Well, when I left for work he was doing it off and on every 10-15 minutes and when Keaton came home at noon, he was STILL doing it. Keats ended up taking him into the vet and long story short, he had a 6 1/2 inch blade of grass stuck above his soft palate and behind his sinuses. It cost $600 to have it removed. Sooo...don't let your dogs eat grass.

We'll talk to y'all later. :)