Halloween Fun!

Halloween has created it's own traditions with our family. We will be passing out candy at my parents house, some downsides to living in an apartment complex is that trick or treating doesn't really happen. Bart and I have been carving pumpkins every year for the past 3 years. Our carving skills have been improving over the years, we use the Pumpkin Master's Carving Kits.

Here are this year's creations:

Happy Halloween

Bart's Pumpkin

My Pumpkin

I love Fall!

Fall is by far my favorite time of year. I love watching all the leaves change colors and the nice cool but not too cold yet air. Bart and I have made plans to go walking this weekend and enjoy the pretty colors. I think that it's time that I take out my camera and go capture this wonderful time of year. It's hard to find time for your hobbies when you work and then come home to cooking, cleaning and laundry.

I am trying to build in more time for fun things. I think I did a rather good job of that this past weekend. I was able to spend time with my mom. It's great being able to go out for coffee during out girls outing. Soy Pumpkin Spice Lattes are the best! Sad that everything that contains milk is getting replaced with soy but it's okay. No whip cream on mine, trying to cut down some calories.

Our weekend is going to be rather exciting, we are going to be craving our pumpkins :) We will be taking some fun pictures of that. Back in 2008 was mine and Bart's first Halloween together and Bart's first time carving pumpkins. He was so proud of his pumpkin and then got his heartbroken when the birds ate most of the pumpkin overnight. Hope we have better luck this year.

Birthday: Another year wiser

Today is my 23rd birthday! Birthdays always bring back great memories for me, I have had some amazing birthdays over the years. For some strange reason the older I get the more I still expect to have the same kind of birthdays I had as a kid. I know it sound so odd but I still feel that the day should revolve around me and that a birthday cake is just as important now as it was to the 5 year old me. Out of all the really nice gifts that I received today the one I was most excited about was The Lion King! I remember watching that movie when I was little in the theaters. I grew up watching Disney movies and I am always excited when I am able to get them on DVD/Blueray. My VHS's have been collecting dust in my parents garage lol.

Rainy Days = Yummy Food

This past Sunday was a rain filled day. Bart and I spent the day at home lounging around. As the season starts to change so does my cooking. I pulled out my Crock Pot, by far one of the best tools in my kitchen. I found a great chili recipe in my Fix It and Forget It- 5 ingredient favorites cookbook.

Here is my interpretation of it, because you never have everything that it calls for in you pantry lol.

Chili Recipe: Cook on High for 6 hours.

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef

2 cans Chili Beans

1 can Kidney Beans

3 cans Stewed Tomatoes ( mine has some peppers with it)

1 can Tomato Paste

1 sweet onion

2 cups water

The great thing about the slow cooker is that I can throw everything in there and then leave lol. Since I had all this time on my hands I made apple crisp. Bart and I had originally planned on going to the apple orchard down the street to pick our apples but the weather changed the plans. I made a wal-mart run for Granny Smith Apples which by the way at $1.67 a pound :( I ended up paying close to $5 for 6 apples.

Here is the Apple Crisp Recipe (allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups rolled oats

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups butter

2 quarts peeled, cored and sliced apples

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar. Cut butter into mixture until crumbly. Take half of mixture and pat it into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan. Toss apples with cinnamon(I added this). Cover crumb mixture with apple slices, then sprinkle apple slices with remaining crumb mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until apples are tender.

September Already!

It is kind of hard to imagine that it's already September. I am looking forward to the changing of the season and being able to look at all the leaves change colors. Fall is my favorite time of year, it's because the weather is great and my birthday is next month ;) As the year starts to get closer to December my anxiety starts to heighten. My current job comes to a close at the end of the year. I have been putting numerous job applications but I am not getting a lot of positive feedback.

LORD Almighty, bless is the one who trusts in you. Psalm 84:12 I am trying to remember this Psalm when I am feeling defeated. Sometimes it's hard to just give up all of my worries to Him. But I know that this job search is out of my control. It has taken me a while to figure that out but that is where I stand as of today. Bart and I are both continuing our job search daily. Praise the Lord that Bart's job does not have an end date. It makes it a little easier knowing that he has some security.

Most days I wish that our lives where not engulfed by money. Having a job and making money seems to be the root of what my job is. I wish that I were able to find a position where I am able to serve and be happy with what I am doing.

Farmers Market

Bart and I have been exploring various Farmers Markets in the Omaha area. Last weekend we were able to go to the Old Market Farmers Market which is the largest in Omaha. It has been rather fun being able to buy local produce. I love fresh veggies to cook with :)

I am trying to make this a bi-weekly thing for us. We are trying to eat more locally grown foods. This is great for our farmers and for the city of Omaha/Bellevue. This weekend we are going with my parents to the Aksarben Farmers Market. My parents love fresh farm eggs and fresh produce so I thought this would be a fun activity to do with them.

Here is what we got last weekend!

Fresh baked artisan bread! This one has herbs on it.

Weekend Adventures!

Bart and I are really enjoying married life. Our weekends are the time were we are able to spend a lot of our time together. A few weekends ago I decided to try a new recipe I found at http://www.thepastryaffair.com/ I made Strawberry Pancakes yummy.

Here is the recipe

1 1/2 cups all- purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

1 egg

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 cups sliced strawberries

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the flour with a spatula and pour in the egg, milk, honey and butter. Mix until just combined. Fold in strawberries.

Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto a heated griddle and cook each side until browned.

Here is my advice, you need to flatten the pancakes so that the batter gets baked all the way through. The strawberries contain a lot of water in them so some parts will still look "wet".

Needless to say these were a hit in The Alban home. I am trying to get us to cook/ bake together more. We got an amazing gas grill as a wedding present, so we have been enjoying grilling out on our deck. Bart is in charge of all grilled foods! He is such a proud man when he is grilling. For the 4th we baked cupcakes together and he got to frost and sprinkle cupcakes. It's fun being able to do things we both love together. Baking is a lot more fun when your other half is helping you.

We spent the weekend with friends and family. My parents had a BBQ on Saturday and Bart's parents had us over on the 4th for lunch. The night of the 4th we got to spend with some great friends, The Belands.

Here are some adorable pictures of my growing nephew.

Not feeling well.

I have been having a tightness in my chest and cramping around my heart since we got back from our Honeymoon. I went on Monday to the doctor to try and figure out what could be going on. For the time being I have gotten and echo cardio gram done which is an ultrasound of my heart and I have to wear a heart monitor until tomorrow. The results of that should be coming in next week.

I am not too worried about it being something with my heart because they said that it looked fine on the ultra sound. I have been under a lot of stress with my work. I have been put on a committee to create a virtual tour for the campus but I am not really "allowed" to put any of my input into the project because I am like a glorified secretary to the person in my department that is in charge of the project. I has been causing me a lot of stress because it is extra work and time and I can't even put my input in.

I am in the process of looking for a new job. My current job is a 1-year contract which will be coming to an end in December. So here I am on the job hunt again. I really want to have a job where my skills are able to be used and where I am able to move up in the company. Bart is also currently looking for a job. So it is kind of a stressful time for the both of us.

On a side note: I am so excited that the weather might start to change to summer lol. I am looking forward to having cookouts on our balcony. We got a nice grill for a wedding present. Bart and I are looking forward to getting that fired up!

Married Life

As the weeks go by Bart and I are starting to get into the swing of married life. But sometimes I feel that our life revolves around working. I feel horrible when I think that most of our precious time on this earth is being used to work. Sometimes we find ourselves working jobs that we don't like or that we are over qualified for, and for what reason? It is sad to see that the world that God created for us has turned into a money driven machine after the fall in the garden. I feel convicted wasting my time at a job where I am not able to be a shining light for God's kingdom and do his work for me.

I am at a point in my life where I am trying to figure out what God's plan for me is. I am thinking about getting a graduate certificate for the time being because I can't commit the time to a Masters program. I want a job where I am able to make a difference and where my voice means something and is not just a voice in the crowd.

My current job at UNO is a 1-year position and that is going to be coming to an end in December so I am at a point where I need to start figuring out what I want to do next. I am still trying to figure out what kind of career I want and what I feel comfortable doing for the next couple years. I guess everyone comes to a crossroads and they need to figure out where to go. That is what I am currently struggling with.

Our Honeymoon

Bart and I went on a Carnival Cruise to the Bahamas from May 29th - June 2nd. The ship was called the Sensation and that it was. We had such an amazing time. It was nice to do things at our pace and just enjoy the time together. We were blessed with the ability to see Freeport and Nassau Bahamas during our cruise.

We both loved being able to spend time on the ocean and just enjoy what God has created. It is miraculous to stand in the water and see all of the His creation as far as the eye can see.

In the ocean in Freeport.

As much as we loved being on our honeymoon, it was great being able to come home. We are still trying to get used to living together and figure out how everything in our home is going to work. All in all God has blessed us with a great start to our marriage and our lives together.

The Fun month of MAY!

Wow it seems like forever since I have added anything. So here is my update for the month of May. It was a crazy one lol. Bart and I had our Rehearsal Dinner on May 20th at my parents house. It was a blast to hang out with family and friends as we prepared for our wedding.

The Guys

The Girls

Our evenings after the rehearsal were a lot of fun. Each of us have a story to tell lol. All in all the wedding prep was a lot of fun, I was able to spend time with friends that I don't get to see very often due to work schedules and friends living in different states.

Our Wedding Day! May 21st 2011

What a great day it was! The butterflies were going nuts in my stomach all morning and afternoon. My awesome day started at 10:00am with my hair and makeup. A lot of sitting around and waiting occurred after that. It seemed that time stood still as I waited for the last half hour to go by before I could walk down that isle to Bart.

Being Strapped into my dress! I am not a patient person and this took forever!

All done! I love taking my own pictures lol.

God Blessed me with amazing parents who have supported me in all my endeavors over the years. It was hard for me to let go of being their little girl and start my life as a married woman.

Our wedding day was amazing. Bart and I enjoyed every second with everybody that we there.

Cutting Our Cake!

Setting up the apartment.

Over the years I have become pretty good at packing up my stuff and moving but I have never really enjoyed it lol. Over the weekend Bart, my parents and I moved my stuff over to the new apartment. I am excited about the new place but it was a pain to haul everything up to the 3rd floor. God bless Bart and my parents for helping me move everything and building various items in the apartment. I have a huge problem with things not having their place so it has been kind of stressful for me to have boxes every where without being able to put stuff away :( For the most part I have the apartment set up.

Coming home to an empty apartment is something that is kind of hard for me. I am happy that Bart will be able to permanently move in on the 21st which is only 11 days away! I think that I will be able to manage until then. I'll post some pictures of our work in progress home tonight.

Bridal Shower

I have the greatest friends a girl could ask for. I had my bridal shower over the weekend and it was a blast. I love being able to have girl time and talk about things that are going to be new and exciting when I get married in a few weeks. I want to thank everybody that was able to come and those of you that sent gifts that weren't able to make it. I want to thank Crystal for hosting and coordinating the shower with Megan. I am excited to move into my apartment and decorate with all the fun things that I have gotten. The countdown has started and I don't have much left to do. We just have to pay the bills and relax until we get married :)

My mommy and me.

My bridesmaid Megan

My friend Courtney

My Maid of Honor Crystal


My Nephew Jeremiah ( he looks so much like Crystal)

Engagement picture fun

Today Bart and I took our engagement pictures in the Old Market. We had such a blast with our photographer Kristen Kirkelie, her personality just meshed so great with ours and we can't wait to see how our pictures turn out. It was nice to be able to do something fun for the wedding instead of the boring planning parts.

I spent yesterday putting together wedding favors with my mom. We had a great time just laughing and preparing the favors for our guests. I also spent time with Megan and her mom Marcey making yummy wedding mints. You will all be able to enjoy those at our reception ;)

As the weeks continue to roll by I am shifting focus to packing since I will be moving into our apartment in 3 weeks. Bart and I can't wait to decorate and make it our home.

Bart won some Jazz concert tickets so we were able to go to a Jazz concert on Thursday April 14th at the Holland Performing Arts Center in Omaha. We had the pleasure of seeing Stefon Harris and Blackout. They play contemporary jazz music. It was pretty sweet, Stefon plays the jazz Vibes and Marimba which is just amazing to see that live.

Here is a picture of us getting ready to go to the show.

The weeks keep rolling by...

I can't believe that Bart and I are getting married in 39 days :) It's been a fun and sometimes stressful journey with planning our wedding but I can't wait till I get to walk down that isle and stand by Bart's side. We are getting ready to finishing making some payments for the wedding this week and then I am having my dress bustled for the reception on Tuesday. Just some small details left before the big day. I think the hardest thing that we are having to deal with is getting every ones information so that they are able to get on base, I almost have everybody taken care of but here in a few days I have to bug a few people to get me that information.

I did have a fun and education weekend at the Great Plains Association for College Admissions Counselors in Overland Park, Kansas. I was there from Sun- Tuesday getting some interesting information on how to connect with recruiting students. I hope that we are able to adapt more social media based programs such as Four Square into our campus visits and orientation sessions. Kids want to enjoy themselves while they are looking for the right school for them. I would rather have a more interactive information session and campus tour because that makes my job a little easier. All in all it was a great conference and I have a similar one that I am going to this fall.

Here are a few of my co-workers and I heading out to bowling for the social event that they had on the first night.

Rising Gas prices :(

The gas prices have hit an all time high here. I changed my gas from regular unleaded to the kind with 10% ethanol because I could no longer afford the drastic price increases. This morning I gassed up and it was a straight hit to the gut. I had to pay $3.62/ 15 gallons which gave me the grand total of $51! Holy cow, I am going to work to pay for the gas that goes in my car to get me to work. What a vicious cycle, it's hard for me to put that much money into putting gas in my car. Thanks to my job being 30 minutes from work I have to gas up once a week. I am thinking about dusting off my bike and using that around my neighborhood. I might be biking to hang out with friends. I am begging to get concerned about what the prices are going to be like this summer. Having a job that isn't the best paying makes it hard when it comes time to choose whether to fill up the car or go to the store for groceries. Praise God that Bart and I are going to be living behind Aldi and not too far from Wal-mart thanks to the prime location of our new apartment. Most of the restaurants are in possible walking distance. Wedding plans are getting wrapped up, we are finalizing the wedding guest list this weekend and then I will be calling the club next week to give the final numbers for seating and food. We are working on the music for the reception and we should have that taken care of next week. I am going to an Admissions Counselor conference in Kansas City this weekend so I will be away from the planning and packing from Sunday till Tuesday. It will be an interesting break but my mind will be on what is left to do and how much stuff I still need to pack.

April here we come.

As we enter a new month here in a few days I begin to start the countdown of things todo for the wedding. On April 30th I am having my Bridal Shower :) and after that it is all down hill so to speak. We have to finalize the guest list and place the final order for the food, figure out what kind of music to play and then pay everyone.

On the 17th of April Bart and I are finally taking our Engagement Photos. Our photographer was waiting for the weather to get nice since our photos are going to be outdoors. It will be nice to have some professional photos that do not include a wedding dress in them.

I have begun to pack up my room and I am trying to figure out what I need to keep. It's strange to think that I am going to pack up my premarried life into boxes and then once they get opened again they will be in a new chapter. It's hard trying to figure out which childhood things to hold onto and which just need to get donated. My parents are looking forward to turning my room into their new gym. The thought of not having my own room in my parents house is kind of sad. My bed is still going to be in that room because it is going to be a gym/ guest room. I don't like the idea of others sleeping in my bed either lol.

So I am wondering when spring will appear! This week has been filled with snow so far. Can you believe it! It's almost April and I am having to look at snow outside and having to remove it from my car in the morning. Here is a picture of a tree on campus that is pretty but also very snow covered!

1940's might be my style.

The past couple of days I have been trying to figure out what to do with my hair for the wedding. I have fallen in love with 1940's and Rockabilly hairstyles. This might be what my style is, I love the clothing from that era and everything about the hair and makeup. Sometimes I feel like I was born in the wrong time period. I decided to do a trial on my hair with a fun 1940's hairstyle. Wow they are not as easy to do as I thought, it's even harder when you have thick straight hair.

The stress that goes along with wedding planning...

I have been torn for a while with our agreement with the church on how many people we are allowed to have at our wedding. I have come to the point to where I don't care anymore! We are going to have as many people as we want to be there. The church can bill me later, I hate the fact that I have to break up families because we are only allowed to have 50 people. Gosh it's really dumb. Is there going to be someone at my wedding counting heads to make sure that I didn't go over the limit? Honestly there comes a point where being money hungry and being able to enjoy the holy union of marriage gets blurry.

I attempted to clean out the closet last night and start packing up my room. I say attempted because it was on my mind that I needed to get that started but I choose to read my book instead. One of these days I will get around to getting this stuff done. Spring needs to hurry up and get here! That way I can pack up the winter clothes and start pairing down things that I want to keep and things that need to go to the Goodwill.

I went to Pier 1 yesterday and bought some fun stuff. I love this store by the way, I got some fun jewelry on clearance. On a previous trip I got some fun table settings for 98 cents a piece. Being a bargain shopper pays off!

Here is the fun stuff I picked up yesterday.

March 20, 2011

As the weekend is coming to an end, I’m enjoying it by watching the Texas / Arizona basketball game. It’s official. My bracket isn’t one hundred percent correct. Some of the teams I picked to win didn’t follow through. Hate when that happens... It’s been a good tournament thus far though.

Maria and I received a beautiful card and some money from her grandfather. With the money we received, we purchased our bathroom set, dishes, and glasses. Picking out the stuff was a lot of fun.