Synfully Delicious

It's Spring!

noreply@blogger.com (Syndal) — Mon, 21 Mar 2016 02:12:00 +0000

It usually starts around February here in Minnesota when we get the first few sunny days above 30 degrees and all start to emerge from our winter hibernation. I'm so happy to be coming out of the winter fog, especially given how depressing our winter has been this year. Aside from Ruby having a cold this weekend while Pete is in bed with the flu, the last few weeks have been really nice. I've been busy with friends but also pulling back a bit to take care of myself by working on projects around the house and taking time for me.

In January I had a work trip to San Francisco - so my best friend Brittney came with and we got to explore a bit and spend a couple nights in Sonoma!

We visited the painted ladies, the full house house, and muir woods although it ended up being a cloudy, rainy weekend.

Kunde is our favorite winery - and it was so fun to go back after our first trip almost 5 years ago - and with Britt being pregnant she got to drive me around for wine tastings all day ;) ;)

I've been brunching a bit more - because that's what you do in your 30s! No longer are the days where I go out to the bars most weekends - I much prefer going to bed early and getting up early to enjoy the weekend rather than spending it napping because let's face it - I just can't handle the bar scene like I used to!

Over Valentine's day I had another 'Galentines' weekend with Britt. We spent 6 days in Tucson and it was glorious. We initially were planning to vacation with her family in Costa Rica but had to abandon that plan due to the zika virus. So we found the hottest & sunniest place in the US that Sun Country would take us and it was the most relaxing trip ever.

We spent each day by the pool reading, drinking, eating and sleeping. It was just what I needed.

We've done a few minor projects at home. Since we bought our house I have really wanted to white wash this outdated pink brick. Instead of a light white wash we ended up just doing a solid white. We lived with it for a few days and decided we needed to change the walls too - so then we painted the living room from the dingy green it was to a lighter, fresher, pale blue - "limelight" by Behr. This room connects to the kitchen which used to be a dark tan color. We connected the two rooms with one paint color and it made the space feel so much airier! Now we're deciding what to do with the mantels, built ins, and kitchen cabinets.

I've also been collecting plates for my dining room - many of them are on the hutch on the opposite of this wall, but I have a plan to fill this wall with old plates.

But for now we did these frames - I've been saving the scrap wood frames for a project for a while now. Pete doubted how cute this would look but it ended up just how I wanted them to. We stapled chicken wire to the frames then hung plates on the wire. I love how they turned out!

The rest of the house is still a constant work in progress - Once we do it one way I end up changing it up after a few months which Pete can't stand.

We started transiting "the cat room" for a future baby room and so far we just have this hanging.

We bought this at Lo & Jesse's fundraiser last year specifically for a baby room. Little did we know that once this was up and we began trying for our family, the meaning behind this piece was something we would be thinking about a lot more. Pete & I have had many talks about what we hope for our future family after our two losses. Where we go from here is still up in the air due to testing, but we're so hopeful. I know that we're so lucky already and that it could be worse, but we're definitely not the same people than we were before the miscarriages, which is weird to say. I think our marriage grew from this but we're still navigating through some of the muck. In the meantime we're enjoying the brighter, warmer weather, focusing on our health, and spending time with the fur children - who keep us plenty busy!

We never got to celebrate

noreply@blogger.com (Syndal) — Sun, 21 Feb 2016 17:12:00 +0000

We're in a place I never thought we'd be. Sure, it was always in the back of my mind the possibility of having trouble conceiving, but both of my sisters got pregnant without even 'trying' and had easy, successful pregnancies.
Since our first miscarriage in December, we have now experienced a second pregnancy loss. My OB said it was perfectly safe to attempt pregnancy right after a miscarriage, and after reading the research and literature, I felt very comfortable with that. So we gave it a shot and got pregnant 3 weeks after our miscarriage. We found out later than the first time, but that was because I thought I had my period and then maybe a week later I felt weird and pms'y. I told myself I was being crazy by taking a pregnancy test (or ~~two~~ four), but I did and they were positive.

I told Pete that night and we were both shocked and excited. The odds of having a second miscarriage were so low that we had hope. I knew something was off because of my "period" bleeding, but tried to rationalize it as implantation bleeding.
And that's when the panic set in. Pete was more hopeful I think, and I was terrified. Terrified to experience another loss. Terrified that something was already wrong because by the dating I should have been at - nearly 6 weeks, I didn't feel "pregnant" like I did the first time. Later in the week I got started on checking b-hcg levels again and we entered the most anxiety producing week ever. Our first level was low - 70, but the OB nurse wasn't concerned and said "Congratulations! you're definitely pregnant!" I was still so scared. 2 days later, recheck was only 95. But with a rise, the OB said it looked fine and we could check an ultrasound in a couple of weeks. I was nervous and anxious and asked for a re-check the following week. I tried to quell my anxiety over that weekend and tried to tell myself that the odds were in our favor and to try to enjoy a new pregnancy. I told just a couple of my friends so they knew why I was so preoccupied that week, but told them to be cautiously excited.
On Monday we got another lab draw - hcg dropped to 33 over the weekend. I physically miscarried on valentine's day for a couple of days, while I was away on vacation, with my pregnant best friend. She was now 13 weeks pregnant and spent most of the trip excitedly discussing her pregnancy symptoms with strangers we met on the plane, at restaurants, etc.

Both times we never got to be excited with anybody about being pregnant. The first pregnancy Pete and I were so blindly happy but were waiting to share the news until Christmas. The second pregnancy was wrought with so much dread and anxiety that even when I told a couple people, I didn't allow myself to get excited. And now I'm jaded. If I ever get pregnant again, I'm not sure how to let myself enjoy it without being so scared of something happening.

During the first pregnancy I wrote how I was feeling week to week, and we even started taking bump photos. I wanted to share some of it just to remember how excited we were at first..before all of this.

week 4 - November 23, 2015
We had been discussing trying to get pregnant this year and because my cycle had been so irregular since coming off the pill (hellooo, I took it for 11 years), I used ovulation kits to try to figure out what the heck my body was doing month to month. Interestingly enough, this month my ovulation tests all came out negative and I was convinced that I didn't ovulate this month. I had been also keeping track of these tests and my cycle on an app and on this day there was an alert saying "It's too early to take a pregnancy test so try to hold off!" So of course that's all I could think about. Even though I thought it was a long shot since "I didn't ovulate," of course it was a possibility. So I took a test and thought I saw the faintest pink line right away, but then I thought it was just the control line. Just as I was throwing the test in the garbage, there was definitely the faintest of pink lines. My heart started pounding and I said to the dog (she's always with me. aaaallwwaaaays following me), 'this is NOT real.' I ran downstairs and chugged some water and forced myself to take a second pregnancy test. And it was also very faintly positive. I did not say a word to Pete because I couldn't even believe it and it was still at least 4 days before my expected period, but I barely slept that night.
The next day I had to get up early for my advanced practice oncology certification exam so of course before I left I took 2 more pregnancy tests. The lines were darker than the night before and definitely positive. As I'm sitting outside of the test center I call my clinic and basically said " I uhhh..took some tests. I took tests that were positive. Pregnancy type ones. what do I do now?" The lady was like, we'll see you when you're 8-10 weeks, don't smoke, try not to drink, byeeeee.
8-10 weeks?!?! What if this isn't real?? Don't they want to check blood tests?? nope.
So I went home and took 6 more pregnancy tests throughout the day. 6. Because at that point I was losing it. Oh, and I passed my exam that day. It was a very exciting week.

I set up this for Pete to find when he got home. And of course it was many hours before he found it even after a lot of prompting from me telling him to go find our elf on a shelf, Gilly. And he comes back yelling from the stairs "are you serious?!" and apparently I was.

So of course now I was nervous going in to Thanksgiving in Two Harbors that week. I faked a glass of wine at dinner that Pete drank and I walked around with and eventually dumped in the bathroom (I know- I can't believe I did that either!) and when asked by my sister in law if we would ever have kids I responded with, "maybe, eventually..we've been talking about it more."

The only symptoms I had this week was mild cramping and feeling a bit more tired. And lots of diarrhea, but likely due to the anxiety of the whole week!

Week 5 - November 30, 2015
I've taken another couple pregnancy tests just to make sure. I've been really hungry in the mornings which is unusual for me and sleeping a lot. So anxious to tell someone and trying to cover it up because I feel like it's too early to share. This gets verrrry tricky with holiday events coming up with friends where we usually drink -- this week is our annual pub crawl for the 12 bars of Christmas. There's no way I can fake drinking all night long and be outside in the cold so I plan on making up an excuse to be suddenly sick with strep throat - meaning I have to stay home from work and miss our work holiday party that same evening. I'm pretty disappointed, but know that that is what I need to do right now.
The timing of sharing our news is especially important to us. Our very good friends recently suffered a loss (just days prior to me finding out I was pregnant), and I need to be able to tell her first, privately, before others knew or could share what was going on, and I really wanted to be sensitive to her healing.

Week 6- December 7, 2015
I told one person this week - a coworker, because I needed to avoid some alcohol-heavy events and needed some advice. I had to stay home "sick" to miss our pub crawl because there was no other way I could pretend to get through that night! I fake drinked my way through a holiday party at a friend's, but came SO close to saying something. ultimately, it still didn't quite feel right to share the news. I at least wanted to have a clinic appointment first and a solid plan for telling the most important people in our lives so that we can avoid any social media leakages that might happen on accident from excited friends. I had one day of the most intense heartburn ever plus so.much.fatigue, but other than that I feel pretty normal, which of course worries this first time mommy.

Week 7- December 14, 2015
I had my first clinic appointment this week - it seemed like I had to wait absolutely forever to be seen, but apparently it's normal to not go in until 8-10 weeks (or even later), which is hard for your first pregnancy when you find out at under 4 weeks along! I made appointments with two different providers/clinics so I could decide which one I prefer to continue my care with, but my other appointments don't happen until January.
On Dec 17th I found out one of my best friends is pregnant too! We were so ecstatic to share the news with eachother - and talked about how awesome it's going to be to be pregnant together and on maternity leave together. I went to sleep that night so happy and my heart so full.

On Friday the 18th I started lightly spotting at work. I was scared immediately and called the midwife. I got a beta hcg checked - 2800. Low for 7 weeks but the midwife wouldn't confirm that it was not a good sign and wanted me to wait it out for the weekend. The spotting turned in to bright red bleeding followed by cramps, and continued to worsen. I knew it was over. After work Pete and I went straight to the ER where I continued to bleed and cramp. beta hcg was down to 2200. Ultrasound showed a small embryo measuring 6 weeks, 6 days, and an even smaller gestational sac at 5 weeks, 4 days. There was no heart beat. We were so sad. Pete cried most of the time at the hospital and all the way home. I went home and cried in the shower. Hubby went to the store and got me pads, Christmas socks, and macaroni and cheese. The rest of the weekend was low key. I tried to take care of myself - got a pedicure and did a little shopping when the cramping eased up a bit. We were dreading the following week - we planned to share the news of our pregnancy with family and friends. I even got onesies to give to our parents - something I was SO excited for. At this point I didn't even want to deal with Christmas. I didn't want to talk to anybody, I didn't want to go to work, I just wanted to hide at home in my pajamas and be sad.

our loss

noreply@blogger.com (Syndal) — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 03:08:00 +0000

It's been two weeks since we miscarried our first pregnancy. It happened on December 18th.
One day before, I found out my best friend was also pregnant and we were due within weeks of each other next August. We hugged and giggled and squealed at the thought of going through pregnancy together, maternity leave at the same time, and having babies who could grow up together. It seemed so perfect. I couldn't sleep that night because I was so excited. We also planned for the following week to share our news with our families and close friends on Christmas, so we had a lot to look forward to. I got these onesies to give to our parents when we were opening Christmas presents to announce the news-

But Friday, exactly 1 week before Christmas, I started spotting at work. My heart sank. Even though it started really light there was a part of me that just knew it was over. Working at the hospital I called the midwife line (several times that day) and got my beta hcg checked - 2832. Pretty low for a pregnancy that roughly dated about 7 1/2 weeks. The midwife wouldn't let me get an ultrasound and wanted me to go home and wait it out for the weekend. The spotting turned in to bleeding heavier than any other period I typically get, and soon after it was accompanied by strong cramping. By the time I got home from work that afternoon Pete and I discussed waiting it out, ignoring it for a few hours and going out (we had plans with friends to rent a limo to go look at Christmas lights that night), or head the ER and definitively confirm an impending miscarriage. The drive to the ER was quiet. Pete still had hope while I tried to prepare him for what was happening.

The experience at the ER was also a first for me, and definitely weird to be the patient instead of the provider. We rechecked a beta hcg - now down to 2290. The bleeding was getting heavier and heavier and we checked a pelvic ultrasound - incredibly uncomfortable when you're bleeding and cramping. This was our first look at our little baby. But there was no heart beat. And it only measured 6 weeks, 6 days. The gestational sac was low in the uterus. The ER doctor said maybe my dates were off and it was too early to see a heart beat but with the heavy bleeding and the rapidly dropping hcg levels, it wasn't looking good..or "likely fetal demise" as it was worded on the ultrasound report.

I held it together pretty well like I always do while Pete was upset much of our time at the hospital and the whole car ride home. I headed straight for the shower and some ibuprofen when we got home. I took a hot shower and cried. Pete went to several different stores to find me some fuzzy Christmas socks, macaroni and cheese, and pads-A target run that few husbands hopefully ever have to make. We spent the weekend on the couch with an electric blanket and the hallmark channel. Pete coped by talking to family while I wanted to avoid everybody. I was going through a lot of physical symptoms through much of that weekend and in to early the following week. By the 21st my hcg level was down to 258. A week later, 14.

Now a couple weeks later Pete has found peace and acceptance and I have been in and out of feeling more depressed. I feel like I should be able to explain why I feel so sad still but I can't find words to describe it. Christmas was hard but we were still able to enjoy parts of it with family. I have been feeling so conflicted over my best friend - she got to share the news of her pregnancy with her family on Christmas and I feel like such a jerk for thinking that that was supposed to be us. And I get really sad just talking to her about her baby stuff - something that I should be over the moon for. I have no reason to believe we can't try again right away and I am so aware that the heartache we are feeling is nowhere compared to others who have struggled much more than us to start a family. I feel like a such selfish jerk for being so sad. I only hope that with this new year starting we can heal and move on.

Synfully what?! Syndal who??

noreply@blogger.com (Syndal) — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 00:37:00 +0000

Do you remember back in the day when we blogged probably almost every weekday?? And we had topics for certain days of the week, weekend recaps, blogger meetups, poser-artsy photos, link ups?? Well maybe some of that is still going on without me, but I've definitely not taken the time to keep this page up. I have several posts partially drafted but I really just lost a lot of interest. I used to love this space. I've made some great friendships through this space. But it takes time to read blogs and thoughtfully comment and write posts you are proud of. And honestly I've just been too in to my head, my work, my marriage...my life, that the last thing I wanted to do at the end of the day was sit in front of the computer some more.

So what have I been up to?

Well, mainly, managing a zoo. Ruby is a big puppy now. And she has officially entered hunting season. She's doing pretty good lately, but there have been many tears in the puppy training process.

this photo cracks me up!! this is the face she makes when you tell her to stay.

It's definitely Fall here in Minnesota - cooler temps, open windows, and extra kitty snugs. I've spent time taking care of house projects and some furniture projects but the fall is always really busy.

My friend Katy and her hubby bought their first home - like 2 miles from us!! And they had their first annual backyard beer olympics a few weeks after they moved in. Had scoring been consistent, the Ortmans (or 'Ortmanistan') would have taken a trophy. Just saying.

Our Summer was pretty fantastic - our FIRST year in the last several without one single wedding. We finally had our weekends back and it was glorious. I'll do a summer recap post because it was just so much fun :)

I'm hoping to get back in to this space because I miss it - more to come, friends!

Mexico with my Galentines

noreply@blogger.com (Syndal) — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 16:33:00 +0000

Over Valentine's weekend I went with 3 of my favorite girls to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for what was dubbed 'Galentine's Weekend.' There's only really certain people you can travel with - and I fully believe you have to have a special kind of friendship to go on vacation with somebody. Britt, Blaire, & Becca are like my sisters and we can bicker and still have fun and it was a trip for the books!

We left on a Wednesday morning, and we took shots and had bloodys at the airport before heading on the plane - and that was the beginning of a few really fun days.

We headed to Riu Vallarta - all inclusive and it was amazing. We spent most of our time at the beach or pool/swim up bar.

In the evenings we stuffed our faces at the buffet, laughed at the bar, and danced at the discotecha.

On the first morning we all had "couples" massages on the beach - it was heavenly, and a perfect way to start the day. We spent the day at the beach or the pool and went on a boat ride to a show that evening - "Rhythms of the Night"

The bummer about this evening was that it was an outdoor show and it poured.

It was also super fun hanging out with our vacation friends! We met two couples from Nebraska and when we found out 2 of them were nurses we knew it was meant to be. We met up with that group every night for the rest of the trip and had a blast with them!

The following day we spent near down town Puerto Vallarta. Britt has always dreamed of swimming with dolphins, so although I have done it before, we all did it again. We all got kisses and rode on the fins - I was terrified to get pulled around the pool with a dolphin in really deep water, but I pushed myself to do it and then there were no pictures of me riding the dolphin on our picture CD!

This was by far my favorite day of the trip - we had lunch on the beach with margaritas, a bucket of beer, and the freshest fish tacos I have ever had. And there is nothing better than enjoying it all with your best friends laughing around you and your toes in the sand.

we tried really hard to get a good jumping picture!

That's me & Blaire going for a sunset dip - and this is when a big wave took me under for a moment and I came out of the water with my bathing suit top down and sunglasses gone forever! We all had that happen a few times but I miss those sunglasses!!

This photo cracks me up - this was one of the resort's waiters. One night him and another waiter hung out with us when they were done working. We all talked and had tequila and tried to learn Spanish. It was dark so when we got a picture with all of our eyes closed from the bright flash we died laughing. Pajarito hooked us up with reservations the next night.

On our final day we did another boat tour where you could swim out to a hidden beach, do snorkeling and do some paddle boarding.

Unfortunately, I had the worse case of sea sickness. The waves and the current was really strong so I didn't feel completely comfortable getting in the water anyways, but I was really bummed to come all that way and not be able to enjoy my time out there. It was a gorgeous day. I layed on the boat while the girls were out on the water until there was a man in front of me saying "senorita! come with me and take nothing with you!" For some reason I didn't even question this man and I went with him, got in a little dingy boat with 10 other strangers, and we got dropped off on a deserted beach. It was immediate relief of my sea sickness, the beach and the view was absolutely stunning, there were crabs running around everywhere, and I had nothing to take any pictures with.

By the end of the trip we found some creative ways to shield our fried skin from the sun!

and of course we had to document the best tequila chaser we discovered - saladitas saltine crackers! Seriously - try it ;)

sunshine, tequila, beach, friends, and adventures. It was the best.

Pupdate: Meet the newest member of our family!

noreply@blogger.com (Syndal) — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 05:37:00 +0000

Her name is Ruby H. Ortman and she was born on January 1, 2015. We brought her home now almost 2 weeks ago and we're all still adjusting.

It is no secret that I have been putting off getting a dog for a while and that Pete has been dying to get one. He got to choose what kind we got and the process, so he gave me majority naming rights which I took full advantage of. I was set on paying homage to Harry Potter by using a character or a spell or something, but that turned out to be very difficult when we decided we wanted a girl dog. I really liked Molly Weasley, but Pete's golden retriever he grew up with was named Molly. We both loved Luna Lovegood, but an old co-worker of mine got a golden last year and named her Luna. And we went through that process with a billion other names. So we settled on Ruby H, which came out of Rubeus (Ruby) Hagrid (H), and Ruby also fits because she's a very dark golden. She's pretty formal and likes to use her middle initial.

The cats are adjusting as well as expected. Ruby is quarantined to half the kitchen and the adjacent living room by a baby gate. The cats have free reign of the rest of the house with uninterrupted access to food/water/litter. Ruby thinks the cats should be playing with her, and by playing, I mean she tries to tackle them and bite their tails. For that reason both cats mostly stay away until she's asleep, and then they come in to the room and sneak around and smell her. Ferdinand is really jealous and needy, and he's very territorial of this dog taking up our time and his space. Choxie mostly stays away and she is sleeping more. She's been on kitty Prozac for a few months already for her hair pulling issues which I think has really helped her with this transition.

She went bonkers over this leaf pile!

It's only been a couple weeks and she is already growing so fast! We're all exhausted and Ruby H has proven to be a very naughty dog already. She does very well with her kennel and only cried for the first couple nights, but she bites and chews on anything and everything. We're trying to teach her 'no bites' to people/faces/clothes/blankets/furniture and so far it's not working. We did teach her 'Sit' which she does about 60% of the time and you better believe she is enrolled in puppy kindergarten! I'll be much less stressed about her when she's better trained and we can leave the house for more than 3 hours at a time...anybody know when that might happen?

So far this year....

noreply@blogger.com (Syndal) — Sat, 21 Feb 2015 16:03:00 +0000

Since welcoming 2015 I feel like I've hit the ground running. I expected things to settle down after the holidays but it seems we always find a million other projects to start, places to go, and friends to have fun with.

We did get the flooring down in the new dining room- we tried to match it to our oak kitchen flooring but since we used engineered hardwood, the color isn't perfect. It drives me nuts, but in the right light they look very similar. My pitch to Pete when I wanted to do this was "hey, let's just rip up the carpet and put down flooring..should only take a few hours. We probably have time to put a fresh coat of paint on." Famous last words- I should know better with all of our other projects we do that are never as short, easy, or inexpensive as we expect.

We found the old paint the previous owners used in the room, but what we didn't realize was that the room was 2 different shades of beige. It was close enough that we couldn't tell until we started painting the wall. And then because I wanted the entire room to be the lighter color, we ran out of paint and had to go back to the store to try to color match for a second coat.

Once we pulled up the carpet, I also didn't realize we'd have to remove the trim. And by removing the trim, it was pretty much destroyed. So we had to re-measure, find the right style of trim that matched the rest of main level, cut and paint it.

And I actually spent a Friday night pulling staples from the floor while Ferdinand tried to eat them.

Once we started putting the floor down it went pretty smoothly. I clicked them all together while Pete ran up and down from the basement cutting pieces and swearing.

I'm probably 90% happy with how it turned out. When you do any project you find all the flaws and will notice them every time you look. But it makes the room feel and look a lot bigger. We're looking for a nice table still- we thought we could use our tax return to get one but The Man brought us down and we had to pay in again this year. I've started my search for plates for the wall but I need to find some local antique shops--if you know of any let me know!

I was invited to speak at the end of January for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Midwest blood cancer conference to talk about cancer survivorship and rehabilitation. This has so far been my life's work as a nurse practitioner- I started our clinic's survivorship program and a rehabilitation program to help cancer patients navigate their appointments, recover from treatments/manage side effects, and prevent or minimize chronic disability from their cancer treatments. And because I always bite off a little more than I can chew, I'm researching starting a pulmonary rehab program for our lung cancer patients- after having parts of their lung removed they don't know how to breath and can't exercise. Anyways, I'm going off on a tangent...so for this conference I gave two 1-hour talks on the subject as it relates to blood cancers. I really did not want to do it. I HATE public speaking more than anything else in the world, but that's part of the reason I did it. I need to not be such a damn baby. At the end they gave me a tin filled with chocolate toffee (my faaave- I love to make it every Christmas!) and a target gift card!!

I would pretty much do anything for chocolate and target. Anything.

At the beginning of the month, a couple of my besties celebrated a joint 30th birthday party. Katy (blondie) and Stene (the Loser) both turn 30 this month and had a 90's throwback party bus. First of all, I'm too old (and can't handle) a party bus anymore. Second of all- it was a trip. I grew up with these girls- we've known eachother since we were like 13 so to see them almost exactly how they looked like 17 years ago was the weirdest, trippiest, time travel experience. Stene married her high school boyfriend, and we were all friends with him and all his friends at the time so it was a bunch of us that grew up together. Plus all our fave 90's music playing all night made us all very nostalgic. It was a blast. And I tried to dress way cooler than I actually did in the 90's (bibs and velvet V-necks?).

One night earlier in the month me, Jess, Kell, & Lo treated ourselves to a girls night since all our husbands were together up north ice fishing. We ate the most delicious dinner in downtown Minneapolis, and after a short debate about going out or going to sleep, we promptly returned to our hotel for snacks and sleep well before midnight. We ate, drank, giggled, and went to bed at a reasonable time- a perfect girls night for the late 20/early 30 somethings!

The best part of this month was our amazing trip over Valentine's weekend to Puerto Vallarta Mexico!

I'll do a full post of pics because the trip was that amazing with a second round of dolphins for me, a little sea sickness (I'm getting old..waah.), lots of sun, and meeting new friends on vacation that we all just fell in love with.

Sick on the boat..I awoke to "senorita! senorita! come quickly and take nothing with you!" And without asking any questions or speaking the language I got in a random boat with people I didn't know..full story to come!

I miss the sun! and the beautiful ocean!

And now today is the day. The day we bring home our new golden retriever puppy. Honestly, I have not been very excited. I struggle with change- even good change, and I've been worried about how the kitties will adjust. This is the only thing Pete has been talking about for the last year- his little hunting puppy. I'm more ready for real babies at this point but we'll take it one step at a time. More details to come!

Creating a Dining Room

noreply@blogger.com (Syndal) — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 16:56:00 +0000

A house project we've been saving for winter has been to create a formal dining room. Right now we have a 4-person table that fits well in the kitchen area, and that's what we use. However, we often don't even eat there unless people are over. Often times our romantic tuesday evening dinners are at the kitchen counter or on the couch in front of some sort of quality reality television show.

This honestly works just fine for us, and would work just fine for once kiddos are around too. During the summertime if we want to host more than 4 people for dinner we can use our deck outside. But otherwise we really don't have a large table or designated space for a larger dinner gathering outside of squeezing 6 people around the smaller table, and it would be nice to have the option year round. In Minnesota, we really only have weather enough to use our decks for 3 months out of the year and by then the mosquitoes ruin it anyways.

There is a small room right behind the kitchen that I think was meant to be a dining room, but the previous owners used it as an office. We have our office in the guest bedroom because we still needed a place for our hutch and I've been dying to rip up the carpet, get a chandelier, and design a formal dining space. We'll still be limited with space, but I'm hoping for an 8-10 person dinner space here.

I struggled with deciding what kind of flooring we would put down. We have grand plans to completely remodel the kitchen someday and knock down this dividing wall, but obviously that's probably decades away. The dining room is located in this weird juncture of the entryway tile (would also LOVE to remove that) and the oak hardwood flooring of the kitchen. I'm not crazy about the color of the kitchen floor, but I also did not want that space to have 3 completely different floorings all right next to eachother. This is where my OCD kicks in. I have a running color pallete in my head of the main colors and accent colors of our house, and we don't stray from that. I like to keep the design of the house cohesive, which is why we tried as best as we could to get wood flooring that would then just match the kitchen floor. Once we do our major remodel we would likely redo all the flooring on the main level.

So we have all of our supplies and we'll hopefully at least get the floor down in the next few weeks. I plan to put a fresh coat of paint on, but keep the same light color. I've been doing lots of Pinterest and Houzz inspiration research for this room!

There will be plates on the back wall and Pete is very excited to hit up some antique stores to pick some out!

via pinterest

Beach Style Dining Room by Tampa Interior Designers & Decorators Peridot Decorators, Inc.

Transitional Dining Room by Baltimore Interior Designers & Decorators Elizabeth Reich

Traditional Dining Room by Minneapolis Interior Designers & Decorators Bria Hammel Interiors

Traditional Dining Room by Los Angeles Photographers Wayne Ford Films

We're doing all the labor ourselves so it's really just the cost of the flooring, a new light fixture, and a dining room set. It won't all go in at once but I'm excited we're starting the process!

2015 Seeds of Intent

noreply@blogger.com (Syndal) — Sun, 11 Jan 2015 05:59:00 +0000

On new year's day I was totally cliche and went to a yoga class (through #classpass, or course) with my blogger-turned-real-life friends and the fantastic instructor talked about planting your seeds of intent for the new year. Forget resolutions, forget losing 20 pounds, forget your half-hearted plans to stop eating those delicious pillsbury crescent rolls. Think about what you really hope to gain this year and overall. It's yogi talk apparently, but I sort of liked it. I have a lot of plans for this year and I'm excited to see how it all unfolds.

I would really love to enjoy photography more, and that means taking more time to learn my canon rebel t5i. Pete and I took 2 intro classes through national camera exchange last year, but being a bit of a slow learner I sort of want to take them again now in the context of having used the camera on many occasions. I'd also really love to take a course on composition.

My goal (which has been definitely launched with classpass) was to better incorporate exercise in to my routine again. When I worked as a nurse years ago I had odd work hours and loved going to the gym on weekday mornings. That is not possible anymore now that I'm a slave to the man working monday-friday and I've struggled to rediscover my fitness mojo. I've definitely gained newlywed/new career/new house weight (more than I'm willing to admit) and I've been afraid to face that. My focus (or seed of intent) is not to focus so much on the numbers (scale/calories/minutes/reps, etc., although I'm still tracking all of those things), but to instead remember that exercise makes me feel good about myself, helps my anxiety, improves my sleep, and encourages me to eat healthier. Those are all amazing things and that's what I want.

We're busy making plans and have lots to look forward to this year-
At the end of february we're bringing our golden retriever puppy home! I'm very anxious and hope the transition is smooth.
Right before that, I'll be celebrating Gal-entine's weekend with my girls in Puerto Vallerta, Mexico.

via

In June I'm hoping to attend the AANP conference, with a girl friend or two, and a hubby tag-along in New Orleans.

via

In the summertime we'll camp, visit up north, and celebrate my 30th birthday, and in August we'll celebrate 3 years of being married. I'm pushing for a visit to the wizarding world of harry potter in Orlando for either one of those events. I went a few years ago and have to go back!

via

In November I'm also hoping to attend the JADPRO conference, which will be in Phoenix, AZ this year. I've never really considered wanting to visit Arizona, but some sunshine in November sounds right up my alley!

via

We've also gone back and forth about visiting Abu Dhabi. Pete has friends who are temporarily living there and he wants to see about visiting them. We can't really afford for the both of us to go so it's a minor possibility that Pete might go in the next year.

via

Can you tell we're trying to get all the hoorahs in this year?! ;)

Welcome 2015!

#ClassPassMinneapolis and going out of my comfort zone

noreply@blogger.com (Syndal) — Wed, 07 Jan 2015 18:53:00 +0000

This month I was given the opportunity to try ClassPass with a complimentary membership. Although I was given this membership to try to for free for the month of January, my opinions and experiences are my own.

So..what is it?
ClassPass is a monthly membership and for $79/month you get unlimited access to hundreds of studio exercise classes, with the caveat that you cannot use the same studio more than 3 times in that same month.

and..what's the big whoop?
I've been a gym member since early 2007 (after I graduated college and couldn't use theirs for free!), transitioning between Lifetime fitness, LA Fitness, and now back with Lifetime. Back in the day you could go to any lifetime gym that was of your membership status. Nowadays you are only allowed your "home" gym and you do not have access to any others unless you pay extra.
ClassPass eliminates this requirement to work out at the same facility day in and day out. What I love about ClassPass is the fact that you can try out all these different studios that you might not otherwise be able to experience, and it's great if you're looking to squeeze in a work out when you're on the go visiting friends, running errands, traveling for work, or wanting to try something new with a friend. This membership is great for someone who has a variable schedule.
Something that ClassPass has also forced me to do just by the nature of this membership, is it has forced me out of my comfort zone. I am a creature of habit (to a fault) and I love routine. That's not always a good thing when it comes to fitness. Being able to go to a variety of studios and try different types of classes and workouts I've always been too intimidated to try before has forced me to challenge myself both physically and mentally and that in itself is worth this membership.

what's the catch?
What I've struggled with is that many of the exercise studios do not have lockers/changing rooms/showers making it pretty impossible to go to classes before work, and difficult to try to finagle after work. And by signing up for your classes in advance you do get a sense of accountability (and you're charged if you cancel within 24 hours), but this again is hard if your work schedule might unexpectedly vary like mine does depending how complex or busy my day in the clinic is.

should you get the membership?
This totally depends on your lifestyle and fitness goals. If you want variety, then YES this would be a great way to get a variety of workouts in and take advantage of the awesome fitness professionals in our area. If you have trouble sticking to an exercise routine, this also might be the membership for you- I do like that I have to reserve the classes in to my schedule just like anything else I have to plan time for. It's a great way to make time instead of making excuses. This membership might also be great for those that travel for work either locally or in other areas ClassPass exists because you aren't limited to one gym location. This does however eliminate your ability to walk in to a gym and do your own work out with cardio/strength equipment. If you only have time for 30 minutes instead of an hour or more, then that might be a challenge since most classes are at least 60 minutes.
I'm only a week in to my membership so we'll see how it goes the rest of the month with #ClassPassMinneapolis (or 'ass pass' as Jess likes to call it- as in, get your ass to the gym!)

Woof: a puppy is born (Week 1 Pupdate)

noreply@blogger.com (Syndal) — Tue, 06 Jan 2015 04:52:00 +0000

Those of you that are close to me IRL (in real life..had to do the acronym for my AIM/ a/s/l days) know that I have really not been looking forward to this day. Pete has wanted a dog for forever, and since we bought our house last year I have not heard the end of it. One day I had a stroke and told Pete we could do it. We went back and forth picking a breed that Pete can train for hunting. His first choice, the boykin spaniel, ended up being on a 2 year wait list. I was on board for a smaller dog, with less hair. Pete started talking about golden retrievers because he grew up with one, but I was worried about the cats (and my furniture!) with such a large dog. Being the compromising wife that I am, I came around and essentially just gave in to something that was so important to Pete. We found a reputable breeder (Wildfire Goldens) in our state and met the owner, Roz over the summer. We met some of her dogs and talked about the process. We ended up giving her a deposit a couple days later.
And late on new year's day, a litter of 3 boys and 3 girl puppies were born.

We've decided from the start that we wanted a girl, so that she'll be a little bit smaller, and Pete says they are generally a little less stubborn and easier to train.

We're still working on names- I was dead set on a Harry Potter name but there aren't many good female names that hubby could publicly use when he's out hunting, and the others are already taken by other dogs close to us.
As we get more info I'll post Pupdates- this week we're preparing for a "it's raining cats and dogs" shower with my coworkers!! One of my other coworkers recently got a cat and we initially talked about throwing her a cat shower, which then evolved in to the cat/dog shower with our "little one on the way"! I think it's hilarious.

Pete is super excited- enough so that we already have puppy gates and crates put together and installed. I'm much more anxious and stressed about bringing a wild animal in to my clean, quiet house ruled by my 2 cats. I think Ferdinand will be fine considering he already thinks he is a dog himself. Choxie is older, more reserved, and de-clawed. It might actually be good timing for her since she is about a month in to taking kitty Prozac! She has been overgrooming/pulling her back hair for over 2 years now and we've tried many different things to treat it. Her hair hasn't grown back yet but I haven't seen her pull her hair in weeks now and maybe this will ease the stress of the puppy :( Any tips for integrating them? We have 7-8 weeks before we bring the puppy home so I'll be enjoying the kittens as a family of 4 before ~~our lives are ruined~~ the arrival!

Pre-Christmas Christmases (& other celebrations)

noreply@blogger.com (Syndal) — Wed, 24 Dec 2014 16:44:00 +0000

As always, December has flown by, filled with birthday and holiday parties and all the fun (and food) leading up to Christmas.

I'm always a little bummed when Christmas actually gets here because I'm in love with the time of year between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The anticipation of the holiday and the decorations and thinking about the new year is such a fun time.

Here's a little peek in to the fun we've been having the last few weeks-

the kitties love the real Christmas tree, and the one we got this year was more prickly so they don't try to bite it. If I'm wondering where Chox has been all afternoon, she usually greets me at the door when I come home from work covered in tree needles :)

Earlier this month we participated again the 12 bars of Christmas pub crawl! We do this every year and try to hit more bars than the year prior (it's for charity!). I think we got to 7 this time, which is a record. All the girls split a hotel room downtown Minneapolis and I got approximately 1 hour of sleep before having to head home, go to my nephew's 2nd birthday party, host Pete's parents and brother who stayed with us from out of town, and then get ready for Pete's "low key" birthday party. Fun fact: it was not as low key as we planed.

This year hubby turned 31 and we had a "itza Pete's a Pizza party" with pizza, hot chocolate, and ice cream cake. I made a virgin cranberry cocktail (thanks Jess for the steal) and offered lots of adult beverages. I don't know if it's us getting in to our 30's or a few of us being out the night before, but we probably only killed a bottle or 2 of wine for nearly 30 people. We had a blast and we love having people over to our house, although exhausting after 1 hour of sleep and a hangover. I could barely have conversations with people.

this little pretty is from newlywed Mrs. Hagan with her super cute Christmas card. I love getting cards and displaying them in the kitchen, but I also kept this envelope :)

The following week was my work's annual holiday party. Somehow I'm known around my work place for putting together events and I ended up being in charge of planning this year.

We're a non profit hospital based clinic, which means we don't get bonuses and our employer does not pay for a holiday party. Like, not even a little bit. So I had to do a lot of research and pull the "non profit" card when speaking to vendors, but we were able to pull off an Italian dinner with a DJ, cash bar, and a photo booth on a Friday night for $30 per person. And it was really fun. It was cute to see some of my coworkers who had never used a photo booth before (apparently they haven't been to a wedding in the last 5 years) go nuts over the props. Some of those nurses went home with dozens of photo strips.

A huge shout out to The Fabulous Photo Booth for being there! We worked with them for our wedding and Ben Bigelow is just a cool guy (hellooo, his name is Ben Bigelow), and he was so awesome to work with for this too!

This last weekend I hosted for our annual girls' Secret Santa night. I've known Katy (blondie) and Stene (cutie in the hat) since we were like 14 years old. And I met Jamie (girly in red) through them years later and every year we do a secret santa with each other, and now it's been 9 years of doing this. It's fun to look back on the photos through the years- seeing the addition of kids and husbands, how things change and how some things stay the same. We drank champagne, ate, and laughed until nearly 2am.

And lastly- Since we started dating Pete started a tradition of hand-making me an ornament every year. It's probably my favorite thing, especially to look back on over the years. This is this year's ornament commemorating our belated honeymoon in Hawaii earlier this year.

This past weekend we also loaded up on hot chocolate and went driving around to look at Christmas lights while listening to Christmas music of course.

So with how much fun we've been having I'm actually a little bummed that today is already Christmas Eve! We'll have some Peterson family time today and tomorrow, then up north to Two Harbors for the Ortman Christmas family time. And I have 20 Hallmark movies on my DVR I need to watch in the next 2 days before I can't explain to Pete that it's allowed during Christmastime!

Happy Christmas!!

2014 Holiday Card

noreply@blogger.com (Syndal) — Mon, 22 Dec 2014 18:28:00 +0000

happy holidays!

the hustle & the bustle

noreply@blogger.com (Syndal) — Wed, 03 Dec 2014 16:46:00 +0000

Well this may have been the longest I've gone without blogging. I've been meaning to do it- we've had so much good stuff to document lately, but I've just been way too busy enjoying it! This time of year is always my favorite. Getting ready for the holidays, the pretty decorations, the hallmark movies, I just love it all. Some highlights of the last 4 weeks or so--

this guy was wandering through our yard, and my hunter husband almost shipped his pants.

We get a lot of deer coming through our backyard; they come out of the woods to cross the street in to another section of woods, but he's the biggest buck we've seen.

We had our 2nd annual Friendsgiving (Thanksgiving, but with people you like) with Jess, Lo, Kell, and our hubbys. Jess and her husband were so generous to host in their seriously beautiful home, and Jess is a bomb cook. We did this for the first time last year and I'm hoping the tradition continues because not only do we get to eat the most delicious food ever, I love that the group of us have become pretty good friends. We met through blogging over 2 years ago, and even though I still refer to them as my "blogger friends" they are sorta just regular, real life friends now. Especially since half of us don't really blog on the regular anymore.

After dinner we played Cards Against Humanity and my husband tried to trick me in to saying words I don't like saying. It was fun and Jess made recipe cards of her amazing dishes, which I forgot to take home in all the bustle.

Over the last month we've been also updating our cabinetry in the house.

We painted the linen closet, to match the white trim and white doors through the rest of the house. We ended up using the existing bronze handles.

Plus, I just found out Pete has a label maker!! So I can organize all of our meds by body system.

People ask me all the time what we do with our free time since we don't have kids yet. Well folks- this is it right here.

I'll do a full post on our bathroom cabinets- We stained them darker and changed the hardware from the bronze to a brushed silver, to give the cabinets a more updated look. Initially I did a poly/stain combo, did 7 coats of stain/sand/stain/sand, etc. and wasn't getting the look I wanted. After doing some blog research I tried the gel stain and OMG it was so nice to work with. For big staining projects like this I wouldn't use regular stain ever again.

My plan is to do this to our kitchen cabinets which have the same look, but that is going to be a pretty big project.

Pete started taking the doors off before I got my before pictures. A rookie mistake for the husband of a ~~former~~ blogger.

For Thanksgiving weekend we went to Two Harbors to spend time with Pete's family.

We spent a night at the shack (their hunting shack in the woods) and after almost 6 years of going up with them, I finally started going to the outhouse by myself for the first time. I usually make Pete escort me, especially once it gets dark because you never know what's lurking out there. Instead of my husband being proud of me for going outside of my comfort zone, he thought it would be funny to make wolf barks from the other side of the shack while I was out there.

While in Duluth we also visited Bentleyville with Pete's mom and his aunts. Pete's dad and uncle took the scrooge car home because they didn't want to go.

But look how awesome-

Before we leave the shack/the woods we also go search for a Christmas tree. This year we actually got one that I picked out.

When we got home we finished getting other Christmas decorations out- seriously so much fun for me! And Ferdinand of course loves all the boxes and discovered a box with a window that he can lay in but still look out of.

These next few weeks are going to busy to say the least- this weekend the girls and I are going out for the 12 Bars of Christmas pub crawl we do every year, you know, for charity!

And then Saturday will be my nephew J Dub's birthday party, followed by Pete's birthday party, plus his brother will be staying with us from Madison. Next weekend is my work holiday party, baking party, family party and the following weekend is our annual girls' secret santa party. I need to make time for the new Holidazzle Village in downtown Minneapolis and finish our Christmas shopping. This is why I start before Thanksgiving- there's just too much goodness packed in to such a short period of time! So I may come back and check in, or I may wait until after the new year..we'll see. Happy Holidays!

Blog Tour!

noreply@blogger.com (Syndal) — Wed, 15 Oct 2014 20:56:00 +0000

One of my favorite newlyweds, Sar tagged me in this Blog Tour today and I thought it would be fun to share a little bit about the blog that has definitely evolved over the few years since I've started it.
A little fun fact about Sar- we sort of go way back. Not sure how far back, but we "met" through blogging a long time ago and she was so amazing and designed my wedding invitations & programs! She was seriously such a lifesaver and so sweet for doing it for me (and has since helped me with some other really cute invitation/announcement stuff- she is really talented!)

Anyways, I'm Syndal:

I'm a hematology/oncology Nurse Practitioner living in Minnesota with my hubby and our 2 cats (with a golden retriever puppy on the way).

what am I working on?

When I first started this blog it took a while for me to find my way through blogland. I didn't really know what to write about and those early posts were pretty weird. And then I got engaged and I spent a great amount of time sharing my wedding planning and DIYs, which of course was then followed by wedding posts. A year ago we bought a house and I am now very focused on our home updates and other DIY projects. This week I've been working on staining our bathroom cabinets.

Most of the blog is focused on daily happenings and documenting events, much like an online journal for myself.

how does my work differ from others?

There are a lot of "theme" blogs out there and despite the title of my blog, I really suck at cooking. I occasionally bake and like to share some recipes, but I really try not to limit myself as to what I "should" blog about and when. I blog for community and to document what's going on in my life so there are times when I go several weeks without blogging. I also think it's fun to share the DIY projects (and misshaps!) because I love that we can learn from each other. My cabinet staining "research" this week consisted greatly of reading other blogs about cabinet staining- it's that type of commentary you just can't get from reading the minwax can.

why do I write what I do?

Like I mentioned above, my biggest goal in starting this blog was really to document this time in my life. I love that I can go back and read what I was thinking in anticipation of our wedding and buying our house (so I can LAUGH about it now) and being able to take the time to reflect on my relationships, life, and career.

how does my writing process work?

I very rarely draft posts anymore. I used to schedule ghost-posts throughout the week but my writing now is much more spontaneous. I don't write well if Pete is home so I usually (like today) write on a day I'm working from home or get home early. And then if I get an urge to post about something, I do it quickly and try not to overthink it, and publish it right away. I write & document a lot for work that I want this space to be easy and maybe a little less carefully written.

And if you'd like to continue your blog tour today, I recommend you visit:
the striped flamingo- another newlywed blogger but she has the cutest little grumpy dog and does the best outfit posts.
little mrs married- Mel and her hubby just bought a house too, and she is so encouraging when it comes to getting (and staying on) a healthy eating kick! She is the sweetest!
legally lovely- Emma is a lawyer but mostly blogs about her daily life. She's super sweet and I love her because she loves You've Got Mail as much as I do. And her pictures are always super gorgeous.

On the Horizon

noreply@blogger.com (Syndal) — Wed, 08 Oct 2014 21:18:00 +0000

Life is hopefully starting to settle in for the fall, and soon- the dreadful winter.
Last weekend we watched Pete's brother Andy run his first marathon on his 27th birthday.

{mile 12}

he was still really excited at mile 12. I would be dead at mile 12.

Also, it was fun to try to practice with our camera. Although with a cloudy day and runners, I couldn't figure out how to get enough light, focus, and not so much grainy-ness. Photographer tips anyone? ISO too high?

It was a beautiful, chilly morning and we brought coffee and donuts to cheer on the runners. We wore our blaze orange Ortman sweatshirts so Andy could find us in the crowds.

{Pete's senior photo}

{mile 22}

At mile 22 Andy was over it. He stopped for a sip of chicken stock and kept going though. He finished in a little over 4 hours. While I am incredibly proud of his accomplishment especially after seeing him training for the last several months- seeing all those runners at mile 22 definitely ensured I will never run 26.2 miles. At mile 22 those runners were sweating and tired, and white as ghosts. There were a few that made it look easy, but most of them made me worried that I would have to perform curbside CPR.

This happened this week:

{before}:

And our landscaping guy happened to find something while doing the dirt work. Something way creepy.

We have not looked inside it yet. It was buried in the garden bed and I think we need to just re-bury it in the woods and not disturb whatever it is was. I don't want any bad juju.
And it's a bit ironic- the previous owners left us piles of file folders with information on the house. Maaaaybe they could have alerted us to a burial plot in the garden?

Anyways, once we figure that out it'll be time to get the grass going. Hopefully by this time next year we'll have a decent yard that we can actually use. And also a new fire pit because Pete doesn't think it's a good idea to sell our firewood.

Pete may or may not have a lumberjack birthday party this year so we can invite people over to chop wood. But they'll be tricked and think it's cute because it's a lumberjack birthday party, but really we're just getting everybody to do our dirty work! ;)

We have a few house projects on the horizon along with hunting season and (omg) the holidays are already coming up. No vacations planned as of yet, but we have some friends who live in Abu Dhabi and Pete is toying with the idea of going next year. I might be taking a girls trip to Puerta Vallerta in the winter but I'm afraid of getting kidnapped (anyone know of a good all-inclusive down there??)
All in all life is pretty steady. Work at work and work at home (hashtag: adulthood).

The second half of September I did fall stuff

noreply@blogger.com (Syndal) — Wed, 01 Oct 2014 21:14:00 +0000

With the first 2 weeks of September dedicated to Britt's wedding festivities, the last 2 weeks of September were spent trying to enjoy the beautiful weather. We most likely had our last few days of warm weather in the 80's and I've been on a quest for fall colors.

Last year we couldn't go to the apple orchard- the weather was so bad on the trees that there were no apples so I was excited to go this year. And that was partly because I got a delicious, warm apple donut when we got there. YUM.

Every single Monday night is still dedicated to getting together with my friends Brittney & Blaire. We eat dinner together, catch up on what happened the past week, drink wine, and watch some sort of a reality show (usually the Bachelor). Brit was gone on her honeymoon, but Blaire was very eager to peel apples with Pete. So I had no choice but to make delicious apple crisp.

On September 24th by nephew Orrin turned 5. I can't believe how fast time has gone, and he also just lost his first tooth! (Is it me, or does that seem way too early?!)

It's hard to believe that it's been 5 years since my parents, my older sister, Pete and I stayed up all night at the hospital waiting for this little boy to arrive.

And now he's the craziest, cutest, smartest little kid ever.

Orrin is obsessed with monster trucks and zombies. And we did a monster truck birthday party I think the last 2 years so this year was all about zombies. He loved it.

Now we're already getting in to hunting season, which I sort of love because it gives me a chance to have some ME time and have the house to myself. I've complained about this before- but I'm a very light sleeper and hubby is a not-so-light snorer. I wake up 3-4 times a night, every night and I'm tired during the day. So when I get to sleep by myself it is seriously a luxury. I always get so much done the next day! This last weekend Pete was out duck hunting so after running errands and doing jobs around the house I took myself on a 6 mile hike in a state park I hadn't been to before. It was gorgeous.

and a guy took my picture. It sounds weirder than it was- a guy that could be my dad with his wife, insisting I get a picture of myself taken.

And he loved my shoes so he took a picture of my shoes!

When Pete is gone for deer hunting I plan to re-stain all of our cabinetry in the house. It's going to be lovely. Happy Fall :)

Moms: Stop scaring Non-Moms!

noreply@blogger.com (Syndal) — Wed, 24 Sep 2014 15:17:00 +0000

This post is going to give me a panic attack, because then it seems like it's sort of real. Even though it's sort of not at the same time.
Pete & I have reached this point in our marriage and in our lives where we're getting ready to get ready to start trying. For children. Someone give me a paper bag to breathe in to.

Growing up I always said I wanted to be a mom and have a large family. I was the only one of my friends that couldn't wait to have kids, and now I'm almost the last one without any. Sure, I've been a bit busy but you know that "plan" you have when you're growing up that you'll be married by x-age and have kids by x-age? That has definitely not happened.
I love babies and kids and I still do want a large family. Pete and I have been married 2 years now, and we've had a solid year in the new house. So we're pretty settled. Do we feel financially sound? Not really. Will we feel different about that in a year? Probably not.
I would like to be sensitive to those of you wonderful parents out there that love being parents, and I want to be extra sensitive to you wonderful someday-parents out there that are hoping, praying, and trying with all your might to start your families.
As Pete and I are embarking on this part of our lives we are experiencing something that I was definitely not expecting: STRAIGHT UP FEAR. I am freaked out about this. This is likely a symptom of a larger issue considering I couldn't sleep for a week after we decided we're getting a puppy in the spring. But it seems one day we say to each other "A baby would be amazing! We can do this!" and the next we're having dinner in front of the tv with a glass of wine and it's like "hey, this is nice, let's just wait a little bit longer."
We both want a family and kids are very important to the both of us. We know that we would love to be parents but we sort of thought we would magically feel....ready. Like I would wake up one day and that would be the day I felt ok giving up sleep, and quiet, and a clean house, and drinking wine (and truthfully- those are the things I'm afraid of losing). And parents on facebook are always posting those articles on the "realities" of parenting and it.freaks.me.out. What if I can't control my depression or anxiety with all the hormone changes? What if something happens to the baby? What if I don't like being a mom, or I'm not a good one? What if I die from being so tired? Or the baby cries 18 hours a day? Is our marriage going to hold up to that kind of stress? What if my non-parent friends don't want to hang out with me anymore? Am I going to become obsessed with my kid and tell everybody what they ate last week, how much they slept and what their poo looks like??

I'm holding on to the thought that we'll be able to adapt to change. Do people really do that easily? Because right now it looks like next year we'll have a puppy and possibly a baby at the same time. Either the stress of both of those events are better to get done all at once or I might just melt in to the floor.
I'm hoping this is a normal part of the process because I feel guilty. Guilty that I have the luxury to decide a plan for children- although we don't know what that outcome will be just yet. And guilty that I'm not over-the-moon ecstatic and confident that everything will work out fine. Do we want this? Definitely. Is it ok for us to be scared? I hope so. Otherwise I'll just continue to be the auntie with all the cats. And a dog.

My bestie becomes a Mrs.

noreply@blogger.com (Syndal) — Wed, 17 Sep 2014 13:34:00 +0000

This past weekend I was given the honor of standing up in one of my best friends' wedding. It turned out to be the most gorgeous fall day and to say that Brittney and Erik were both beaming is an understatement. Everybody was just so incredibly happy and you couldn't help but gush over how wonderful that is.

On friday all the girls met up in the morning to get their nails done and do lunch before the rehearsal dinner.

On Saturday morning we all met bright & early at the salon for mimosas, snacks, hair & makeup.

Me & the beautiful bride

We all finished getting ready at the wedding site, which was The Wilds golf course in Prior Lake, Minnesota.

Brittney's wedding colors were purple and light gray (or in "bride talk" they were aubergine and silver). I can't make fun, my wedding colors were not purple and green, they were orchid and clover.

Me and another bestie Blaire in our bridesmaid dresses

the gorgeous late afternoon ceremony

One of our other close friends Becca did a reading that she actually wrote. It was the most beautiful reading that got everyone choked up. I asked her if I could have a copy of it to keep in my house.

The happy couple

These photos of Britt were taken just a few moments before she walked down the aisle. She was getting really nervous and teary so we played her favorite song (Poison, by Bell Biv Devoe) to pump her up. It was such a fun moment to have with her and the all the girls.

The rest of the night flew and it was so fun. We had a delicious dinner followed by dancing and time in the photo booth.

These were her favors- lotto tickets! We spent an afternoon making these and it turned out really cute.

Britt & Erik used the same photographer we had for our wedding so it was fun to see Jen again- here are a few of the gorgeous photos she took that day!

It was such a fun day. Seeing your friends so completely happy is such an awesome thing. The day was beautiful and everybody had a blast! I can't wait to see what else these two do together in life.

Britt's "naughty nautical" Bachelorette party

noreply@blogger.com (Syndal) — Wed, 10 Sep 2014 14:57:00 +0000

This past weekend my bestie Brittney had her bachelorette party. It was actually rescheduled from an earlier date this summer so we were iffy about the weather- but Minnesota did not let us down.

We chartered a yacht for a dinner cruise and it was one of the most gorgeous evenings on Lake Minnetonka. We saw Jimmy Jam's old house and Kris Humphries standing out on his deck. So we felt pretty cool.

Britt/Me/Blaire (the trifecta)

All the gals

the blushing bride

Me & my friend Becca-another fearless DNP

me & bliz

the gorgeous sunsetting sky

*the rest of the evening is not pictured. We stayed downtown Minneapolis, went out dancing and whooped it up. Somebody cried. Somebody got flashed. Everybody laughed. My feet killed. It was a successful bachelorette party. And I'm sure we were a sight for sore eyes when we made it to breakfast the next morning (just a few hours later).

By the time I got home I entered a serious canning situation. On Saturday morning my husband made me spend 3 hours at the garden center with him where we learned about canning tomatoes, freezing sweet corn, and freezing green beans. While I was out he got started and he was still at it on Sunday. He canned over 60lbs of tomatoes and froze 4 dozen ears of sweet corn. So we'll be set all winter! At that point I caught my second wind and did a little bit around the house before crashing on the couch with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. And I didn't move until it was time to crash for bedtime.

Yesterday Pete finally bid farewell to his 2003 Toyota Camry. With 215,000 miles traveled together he finally got the truck he always wanted. It was dark when we got home so there are no pictures, but I fully expect Pete to haul our 25 bags of stuff to goodwill that has accumulated in our garage and hasn't been brought in because "we're waiting to get a truck first."

The rest of the week has been hard to focus on. Not only are we all recovering from our fun weekend, but Brittney is getting married this Saturday.

I've never seen her so happy and excited. Being able to see one of your best friends so happy during such a special time is one of the greatest things and I can't wait to celebrate this weekend!

Fall To-Do List

noreply@blogger.com (Syndal) — Mon, 01 Sep 2014 14:55:00 +0000

I feel like we missed summer this year. Because of how busy we were we didn't really get to do the things we wanted to do and the weather this season here in Minnesota was pretty ho-hum. However I am sort of glad life is starting to settle down now. We had every single weekend booked this summer with something, and still had to miss out on a lot. Now we can hopefully start to get back to getting stuff done on our to-do lists and get ready for the holidays.

On my Fall to-do List:

1. Britt's Wedding

Britt is one of my dearest, bestiest friends and being able to be a small part of her special day is very special to me. She's waited a long time for this day and she deserves the most beautiful celebration and I am so excited for her! Next week is her "naughty nautical" bachelorette party which is going to be a different kind of fun ;)

2. Enjoy the Weather

These are all photos from the trails near our house where I go "running" (walk-jogging is more accurate). It is such a gorgeous area and I love that it is right outside our door. But cold, nasty weather will certainly be making its unwelcomed return to Minnesota shortly so I really want to savor shorts & flip flops weather for just a little while longer!

3. Tackle the Pit (dirt pit/money pit/horrible yard)

(Before)

(Now)

We're removing everything but the small patio area so the fire pit, walkways and all the flower beds are going to be dug up and turned in to grass. Before we do that we need to move all the plants, which will include tackling the mess in the front yard. Our biggest issue is that we have so many shady spots and the previous owners planted things where they wouldn't grow very well so we'll be doing a lot of rearranging. Eventually we'll replace the firepit and patio and also replant some bushes or shrubbery to block the street and the neighbors.

4. Prepare for Spring

Yesterday Pete and I visited a Golden Retriever breeder. I am not very excited about dealing with a puppy but there will be a new litter due early spring that Pete would really love to get a dog from. He's agreed to do all the training and most of the work but I'm not sure I'm ready for the puppy lifestyle. We'll be doing an invisible fence because we cannot afford an actual fence in our backyard (due to the size it would be several thousand dollars) but I'm also worried about the kittens.

Ferdinand would adjust because he's so easygoing and playful. The puppy would be kenneled in the house until we get it trained to be near the kitties. Choxie doesn't like anything new though. She is still over grooming and pulling her back hair which I believe is from anxiety. We thought it was from getting Ferdinand but (thanks instagram) she actually started doing that a couple months before we got him. I'm reading up on trying to get her brother to leave her alone to see if that helps, and I'm thinking a trip to the cat clinic might be needed before a puppy enters the scene.

5. Do Fall-y things

We'll definitely have some bonfires and visit the apple orchard. And this week we're celebrating one year in our house. I can't believe it's already been a whole year!

Before we know it snow will be falling and it will be Christmas. My hair girl said to me "Fall is such a Pinterest season" and she is so right. In a few short days our instagram feeds will blow up with every form of pumpkin imaginable and boots. So.many.boots. I'm right there with you but I'm sad that summer is over. Here's to a new season!

High Five for Friday!

noreply@blogger.com (Syndal) — Fri, 22 Aug 2014 15:11:00 +0000

I've been m.i.a. from blogland because life has been crazy. As always, the summer has flown by. Being busy every single weekend makes life go fast and you crazies out there are already getting your fall décor out! I'm not there yet. I'm enjoying what little summer we have left before I consume or view anything pumpkin related!
Anyways- a bit of what I've been up to-

one.
My sister got married last weekend! It was so hot you guys. Like everybody was sweating all day sort of hot. And although there was cloud cover most of the day we all got sunburnt since it was an outdoor wedding.
She got married at a barn, had hay rides, and a pig roast. It turned out really cute. Just really hot!

mommy son dance

airing it out with over the fan!

Sister pic.

two.
Speaking of weddings, my girl Katy finally posted some beautiful photos (from the amazing Sara Jayne) of her wedding one year ago. Such a glam event.

three.
Last night I met up for dinner with some Kelly B, Jess, and Lo and their hubbies. It's always so fun whenever we get together. We had so much cheese.

four.
The Minnesota state fair is here! I go every year because I love it even though Pete hates it. We already had a plan to go next week but then we were surprised by tickets from our realtor! He is seriously the best!

five.
a pup may be on the horizon. Pete still wants a boykin spaniel but the wait list is like 2 years so we may be switching gears and looking at goldens. They're bigger and hairier than I'd like so I'm still on the fence.

Other than that we're finishing the summer out with yard work. Big changes are coming!!!!

Bahhhston

noreply@blogger.com (Syndal) — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 02:35:00 +0000

A couple weeks ago Pete & I visited Boston (or Bahhhston as we obnoxiously referred to it as). I had a work conference on Cancer Rehabilitation and since it was our anniversary weekend anyways, we decided to make a trip out of it. Pete has a cousin that lives out there that he got to spend time with during the day while I was busy with fancy conference things.

The first day we were there we walked around Harvard. Pete was excited to see old buildings, which they were, and it was cool, but then we moved on because there were crowds of people there walking around too.

In the evening we took a cat nap and decided to walk to dinner near downtown. After a lot of yelp searching we decided to try Marliave and it was so, so delicious. Pete wouldn't let me take a picture of our food and for reasons unknown I actually listened to him. I had amazing seafood, white wine, and we split a dessert on the back patio.

While I was in my conference and eating food truck snacks:

Pete was exploring historic sites-

He loved the tour of Fenway

In the evening we met up at the wharf for the evening I planned for us which easily turned in to my favorite part of the trip.

We took a ferry ride to Spectacle Island for a catered clambake dinner. The ferry ride was awesome-it was so cool to see the Boston skyline from water.

We started dinner with the best clam chowdah followed by fresh lobster, mussels, clams, chicken, potatoes and corn on the cob. Wrapped in a light blanket to block that crisp New England air with a view of the beach at sunset, this was easily one of my favorite meals of my life.

After dinner we also got to sit around fires and do s'mores on the beach.

On Friday I had my conference and we met up with Pete's cousin to walk down near the boston marathon bombing site and the Prudential building to get a bird's eye view of the city. We then walked to a restaurant for dinner and I had my very first authentic Indian food! The boys got spicy chicken tiki marsala and I got a lamb sagwala. I was nervous because I tend to prefer bland foods (it's the Minnesotan in me) but that food was bomb.

The next day we walked around the public garden, newbury street, the Cheers bar (which..is kind of a hoax-y thing) and the Freedom Trail.

so.many.graves to see on the freedom trail.

the site of the Boston Massacre.

What was interesting about the city was how well they preserved the history of Boston but it's all now surrounded by the growth of the city and modern buildings.

We walked through little Italy for cannoli's (YUMMM) and we picked a random restaurant for dinner which was also seriously delicious.

The last day we were there we walked around some more, went on a duck boat tour, and had our last taste of good lobster at a sidewalk restaurant on Newbury street before heading home.

Boston was a blast-I'm pretty sure we ate our way through that city, but we walked the entire time to (hopefully?) cancel it out! We did the subway a few times but it was 30 degrees hotter than the air temperature under there, it smelled like a litter box, and it was always sooo packed. It saved our feet a bit of walking and the system is actually really impressive for public transportation, but it was just as easy to walk everywhere. When we go back we would definitely plan a long weekend on Nantucket!

2 years & Wedding Bloopers

noreply@blogger.com (Syndal) — Mon, 04 Aug 2014 16:11:00 +0000

2 years ago today I married the love of my life. The only person in the world who can bring out both the best and the worst in me. Year 2 hasn't been a walk in the park, in fact we have definitely struggled this past year. But amidst the low-lows, we've also had some really high-highs. Year 2 brought us our first home together. Year 2 brought us our 'real' honeymoon trip to Hawaii. Year 2 is (still) teaching us how to partner together in caring for our home and sharing our finances, 'parenting' our kitties, and living on our own. It's not easy. Pete leaves his socks everywhere and his snoring will wake me out of a dead sleep at 3am. He plays video games (in my opinion way too much) and never makes the bed. He doesn't appreciate my decorating skills or the fact that I make sure we'll never run low on pillows or throw blankets. He has a bad temper and tends to overreact.
But when I'm really mad or upset he will not stop until he makes me smile (which, at the time can be annoying!). He'll make my favorite chicken piccata with extra capers for dinner just because he knows I love it so much, even though he doesn't. He'll pick me and & my (drunk) friends up at a random bar in the middle of winter at 3 in the morning because we got off the last train so one of us could pee, and then bring us to my friend's house, make us a frozen pizza, tuck us in, and go home so we can have a slumber party. Every year he hand makes a Christmas ornament for me. And he's the guy that will deliver a 150lb tube tv to my best friend because she doesn't have anybody else to help her lift it.
Our relationship is definitely not perfect but I guess it really doesn't have to be. Someone asked me once how I knew I wanted to marry Pete. It wasn't because I think we're completely compatible (hello- we're both middle children. Every argument we both yell 'that's not fair!'), or that I think we're soul mates or anything like that (country boy + city girl). I knew I wanted to marry Pete not only because we fell in love, but also because I know he'd do anything for me and our family. He doesn't just give me what I think I want at the time, but he just loves me the way I need to be loved (it isn't an easy job either!). I found a man that can cook and can fix most things, and the fact that he was the one that brought the hot glue gun in to our relationship? DONE. :)

Oh and by the way, our wedding was the most fun day ever.
We had a few bloopers-
First of all, we ran out of cupcakes. Like people took 2, 3, or 4 cupcakes so some people got none because there should have been enough for each person there. I still get worked up over that.

The Men's Warehouse gave us the completely wrong sized shirts for a few of the guys so Andy (Pete's brother) was able to get them to deliver new shirts at the reception site where we took photos before our ceremony.

For our first look Pete cried and hugged me. Oh, and he ripped my veil off my head. I freaked a little. The rest of the day: hands and hugs under the veil!

I have a serious bee phobia!

And last but certainly not least- my Sister Sena could not zip her dress up. We tried everything. I'm sure she felt bad and said that it fit just fine when she tried it on 2 weeks prior. Eventually my hair & makeup ladies got it zipped after Sena had to plank on the floor and forced it on.

The reason it didn't fit? Sena was almost 5 months pregnant and didn't know it :) :) #surprise.

But even after all of that- the day was perfect. Things go wrong but it's still an amazing day. Never in your life will you get all of your people in one room together for a big party.

Our highlight video

Our Ceremony

and our speeches, which still make me laugh.

Happy cotton Anniversary love!

Egg Bake on-the-go-go

noreply@blogger.com (Syndal) — Fri, 25 Jul 2014 15:25:00 +0000

My friend Becca gave me this tip on egg bakes which I love. They are healthy and convenient, and a big pan of egg bake can give you breakfast or lunch for the whole week. For a while Pete & I would make an egg bake on Sunday for healthy breakfasts all week. Anyways, Becca told me she makes her egg bake in a muffin pan so she has a quick single serving of egg bake she can quick microwave and grab on the go! If somebody doesn't hand-feed me my breakfast I usually skip it so I knew I had to try this.

You'll need: Eggs, Veggies, Cheese (optional), Seasonings (optional).
We used about 8-10 eggs that filled 2 muffin pans along with chopped onions, kale, asparagus, sun dried tomatoes, a splash of milk, and a little cheese.

Directions:
Spray/Grease your muffin pans.
Mix eggs and veggies in a bowl, pour evenly into muffin pan. They'll expand a little bit in the oven so leave some room.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes (until they look 'set') and let cool.

We put several in individual containers to grab & go, but we also froze a bunch too for later. It was perfect!