Long Weekend

Despite the rain and gloom, I was able to have a relaxing and lovely long weekend away. I was in Rochester celebrating one of my best friend's weddings. The only thing that was missing was my love. I started out the weekend by leaving for Rochester right from work on Friday. Me, Megan, and Kelsey road tripped together down to Rochester and enjoyed each other's company along the way. What a blessing those two ladies are!

Kelsey, Megan, and Me

We drove right to Twigs restaurant to meet the other ladies to celebrate Liese's last couple of days of singleness. We enjoyed getting to know Liese's close friends and family as we all shared a meal together. We ended the night having a big bonfire with the wedding party at one of Liese's bridesmaids house. It was so fun being out in the country. It reminded me of when I grew up and the fires we would have on cool summer nights. 

Megan and Me

Liese (The Bride), Me, and Kelsey

Me and Kelsey with a baby rooster at the fire.

The cutest baby rooster I ever did see

Saturday I was able to sleep in which was so fantastic! I do not remember the last time I was able to sleep in on a Saturday. The morning was very calm and slow moving which I am so thankful for. We didn't really have anything to so until rehearsal that night. I enjoyed the day hanging out with Megan, Kelsey, and Kayla having some great conversation. That night we all carpooled out to Four Daughters Winery where we had the rehearsal then enjoyed a delicious dinner. We ended the night by enjoying each other's company by the fireplace, in sweats, eating shakes, and doing our nails for the big day the next day.

On the way to rehearsal

Megan, Me, and Kelsey

On Sunday we woke up early to pack our things and head to church. We visited Harvest Bible Church and witnessed an amazing church service. The Lord was moving and his presence was so apparent. I had goosebumps as we worshiped the Lord and watched believers young and old get baptized. After church we headed straight to Liese's parents house to start getting ready for her big day! I curled lots of hair, helped Liese with last minute things, made some last minute phone calls, and basically helped with whatever needed to be done. The day went by so fast. Before I knew it I was standing in the back telling the bridesmaids and groomsmen when they could walk down the aisle.

Me and Kelsey

Liese and Eric had the most beautiful wedding ceremony I have witnessed in a long time. It was so God honoring and not very traditional which I loved. It fits them both so well. they both wrote their own vows to each other that were not traditional, but they were so beautiful and you could tell that they came straight from the heart. Another unique thing about their ceremony was that they didn't have a unity candle, unity sand, or a unity painting. Instead they spoke to the audience about what unifies them as a couple. What a brave thing to do to be real with your witnesses about your relationship and how each step has unified you as a couple. It was lovely.

One of my favorite things is Liese rode up to the aisle on a horse

The beautiful ceremony

The gorgeous bride

Me, Liese, and Eric. The new Mr. & Mrs. Eric Gustafson

 Liese and Eric, I cannot help but feel joy when I see you two together. Your love for each other is so apparent, but what is even more apparent is your love for the Lord. I love that He is the center of your relationship and has been your rock through the good times and the bad. My prayer for you two is that you continue to trust and lean on the Lord. I am so excited for you guys to start your new journey together in a new town, in a new state, in a new apartment. I cannot wait to see how the Lord uses that to grow you and your relationship. May God bless you two richly. Love you so much!

A Few Tidbits

Hello everyone! 

I feel like it has been awhile since I have posted.

Here's a few things we have been up to…

…I've been taking a bodyworks class every Wednesday night at the gym with my friend Karla. I look forward to the class every week.

…Drew has been subbing every chance he can get.

…I have been busy at my store job learning about many new products coming out so that I am able to educate salon owners, managers, and stylists. 

…Drew has been playing softball any chance he can get.

…I've been watching Drew and cheering him on at his softball games.

…Drew has been coaching baseball game after baseball game now that weather is finally decent for them to play in.

…I have been creating lovely things for the craft fair I plan to sell my creations at in the fall.

…Drew has been fighting allergies like it's his job.

…We attended our first bonfire of the summer and enjoyed time with friends while playing bags.

…We enjoyed the lovely sun in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico and have been recovering from our sicknesses we both got when we got home. 

Another post about our fun and relaxing Mexican vacation will be coming soon! 

Until then, enjoy the holiday weekend friends!

Run or Dye

This past Saturday I ran my first 5k of the season. My plan was to dust off my kicks that hadn't seen the pavement for at least nine months or more, and train hard to try and beat my time from the one and only 5k I ran two summers ago. Well, Minnesota decided not to cooperate with my plan. Minnesota decided to have winter through May so I went into this 5k with only one 20 minute jog under my belt. Good thing it was more of a "fun run" and I had three friends running with me to push me along. 

Saturday was not the weather I was expecting to have on May 4th. It was overcast, wet, and 37 degrees outside. It snowed the day before. I put on my under armor shirt and pants under my shorts and shirt. I put my feet in plastic bags before lacing up my kicks to help keep my feet warm and dry. I was as ready as I could be without any training. 

My friends and I huddled together waiting for our turn to take off from the starting line. Finally it was our turn to go and as we took off we got pelted with green dye. After about a mile we started to warm up and loosen up and enjoy our run along the river in St. Paul. It was a beautiful run and the company was great! It was fun to run through the color stations and be splashed with color. We all finished the race within a minute of each other. I didn't beat my previous 5k time, but considering the weather conditions, and having no prior training, I think we all did a great job! Here's a few photos that I snapped with my iPhone of our morning before and after the race:

Me, Cassandra, and Sarah waiting for Karla to find us

Showing off our shirts we made with our team name "The Llamas"

Sarah, Karla, Cassandra, and me

Me and Cassandra wore shower caps to prevent the color from staining our hair

At the finish line… Kind of a picture fail, but I like the back ground

Throwing our dye in the air after our race

All colorful, tired, and sore after running

Now that the weather is nice, I can't wait to start training and run a few more 5k's this summer. Here's to running my best time yet!