These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

First things first, I'm bad at blogging. I got it. Let's move on and be friends. We shall overcome this dark night of my blogging career.

Instead, I'd like to stretch out my sore writing muscles and share some of the happenings around the Werner household the last few months! If you haven't kept up with us, Luke and I are living in colorful Colorado now, and oh-em-gee-like-totally you guys, we love it.

Here are a few of my favorite things -

1. The Rocky Mountains are our playground. 

Now readers, I love me some Illinois cornfields, but there is just something so breath-taking, so adventurous about living near/in the mountains. It's unpredictable and beautiful, wild and yet ageless. We have soaked up every minute we could this summer and fall trying to explore the Rocky Mountains' endless treasures, and we still can't get enough. We haven't even scratched the surface (or peak, shall we say) of all of the places we want to see.

 (View from near the top of Cheyenne Mountain. We live right at its base.) 

 (Estes Park, probably the most beautiful place I've ever been.) 

(Luke and I in Estes Park, contemplating becoming hermit mountain dwellers.) 

2. Hiking, camping, and other outdoor activities. 

Now I'm not one for skipping a night sleeping in my wonderful bed. But if it makes my sweet husband happy, I'm willing to try out some of his beloved hobbies. I doesn't hurt that his beloved hobbies give us views like this one. I have slept outside in the mountains (well, in a tent, but that doesn't protect you from bears) for the first time since we've been here, and although I nearly cried tears of joy when I was back with indoor plumbing, it was still a fun experience. We've also done plenty of hiking and driving, and have gotten some awesome views for our work. 

3. Our house. 

I just love our little abode. Alright, not so little. We have more space than we know what to do with right now, but I'm having an excellent time of crafting to fill the walls, nooks, and crannies. We live on post and can't get enough of our fenced-in back yard, short commute to Luke's work, and lots of neighborhood friends.

(Creep-proof picture of our house. Don't be that guy and try to find me for my autograph, okay?)  

(The coffee nook! Right beside our kitchen, it houses my books, Keurig, and keyboard and is my inner-hipster's dream.) 

4. Visitors, near and far! 

We have had so many people we love (and who love us!) come visit us this summer. Since we live so far away, I can't explain how nice it is to have some "normalcy" with our family members, even if it's just for a week or two. I loved getting to host, cook for, and hang out with everyone who has made the trek from IL to visit! 

We also have family in the area too! Luke's brother Jake, in particular, has been such a blessing to have close by. He attends the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs (same town, about 40 minutes away). He and Luke have lived apart for 5 years, so to have him so close is great. A boy can only go so long without his best friend. 

(My parents... my dad loves Colorado but hadn't visited in almost 30 years and it was my mom's first time seeing mountains. I don't get to be selfish with my time with them very often, but I was this trip!) 

(My siblings [+niece or nephew Zimmerman!!!]. Two and a half weeks of adventures, laziness, laughter, and reduced cell phone bills. I can't even begin to describe how much fun we had, so I won't try in this post. It was THE BEST.)  

(Luke's parents + Jake. They got to visit TWICE this summer! It was lovely and well needed! Plus his mom stuck with my craziness and helped me pick out our new couches ;) ) 

5. Army life is like "Beauty and the Beast". 

Some days it's smart and beautiful and so far from provincial. Some days it's unkempt, grouchy, and unreasonably territorial over where you can and can't go. 

Or maybe that last one is just me. 

Nevertheless, it is an endless learning process that pushes both Luke and I to be better people, better servant-leaders, and better partners to each other. Luke absolutely loves his job and his guys, which makes even hard days worth it for both of us. It is always challenging, full of ups and downs, but we are better every day for it. 

(That's Luke commanding his Stryker, a picture featured in the Ft.Carson newspaper about 5 weeks after we moved here. What can I say, he got famous fast.) 

 (Luke's office some days)

("Helping")

(Gettin' fancy... it's a definite perk. On hard days I remember Luke gets to wear a Stetson on Fridays and everything magically melts away.) 

6. Most of all, my favorite thing is that my soul is doing this most of the time. 

I am genuinely happy and joyful to be where I am. I am loving life, along with the monotony and curve balls it throws at me. God is good and I am reaching more for Him on my own personal journey than I ever have before, and I'm so overwhelmed with gratitude to realize how He fulfills his promises. And I'm thankful to be surrounded by the beauty of His creation while He's at it. 

Come visit us so I can show you more of my favorite things! 

Blogs and Other Things I've Failed At

I have failed majorly at blog-writing. I know this, you know this. My sweet husband even knows this, for when I'm being particularly bothersome, he asks nicely, "Hey, why don't you work on your blog?"

So then I don't, just to be more bothersome.

This is my feeble attempt at getting the ball rolling. If I just put up a new, general post, it will take the pressure off of catching up on five months of cyberspace nothingness in one brilliant, star-studded prose... right?

Well, hopefully anyway.

Here are 10 things that have happened since September that I may or may not elaborate on in later posts.

1. My sister Katie came to visit. She put up a lovely play-by-play with pictures about our three day adventure in Georgia here. We made some awesome food, enjoyed the sun, and sat on the couch a lot. It was pure loveliness.

2. I flew back home with Katie and got to see all my friends and family that I'd been missing so much. The air was crisp, the leaves were falling, the crops were being harvested, the humidity was below 99%.... Midwest heaven on earth. Fall doldrums became a thing of the past.

3. We hosted Thanksgiving for some of our Army friends. It was one part stressful, two parts fun, eight parts me obsessing over setting the table with my fancy new dishes. I'm not sure where those "parts" breakdown came from, which is probably why Luke is better at following recipes that I am.

4.  Luke graduated ABOLC (Armor Basic Officer Leader Course) in December and Bradley Leader Course in January, and is now enrolled and half way through ARC (Army Reconnaissance Course). I'm so proud of him! He inspires me every day with his passion and dedication. Way to go, honey!

5. We went home for Christmas. I can't even explain the wonderful feeling of being all together again (since Luke got to come along this time). We tested puppy-drugs on Scout to knock her out during the 13 hour car ride (success!), we crafted (success!), we watched movies on movies on movies (success!), and made up for lots of lost time.

6. I started working for the American Red Cross teaching CPR, First Aid, and AED skills. I'm enjoying it so much so far! It has been fun teaching people who know how to raise their hands when they ask a question and not get all up in my grill when I ask them to put their phone away.

7. Luke and I are currently teaching Theology of the Body to our 6th and 7th grade Religious Ed class. We love it. They squirm. We love that they squirm. They learn how to love and respect their body and God's plan for self worth, dignity, and marriage. It's a win-win-win-win.

8. We bought a car! After much back-and-forth discussion about what to do with my old 2-door Saturn Ion that would soon be making the trek to snowy Colorado, we upgraded for a beautiful Chevy Equinox that we got for a God-given (literally... it's quite the story) deal. It's a beaut', and I'm in love.

9. Scout-puppy is not really a puppy anymore. :( She is the bane of my existence and I love her for it. She gets her bothersome abilities from her mama. 

10. I have learned more and more about how to embrace and enjoy Army life. I am really starting to love the lifestyle and the people I meet. Even the acronyms. (Hey, just so you know, when Luke is done with ARC we are going to PCS to Ft. Carson doing a full DITY CONUS move. I still have to go to JAG and ACS to check on my POA and his LES, but we already have our DD-1172. He's hoping to be a PL when we get there, but if not he'll be put in HHQ.) This. Is. Daily. Conversation. Can I put 'Army' as a second language on my resume? 

Alright, that's enough for now. I will catch you up soon on being embarrassed by my hermit-crafting skills, our upcoming second cross-country move in less than a year, and all the other adventures we've had!

PS- THANKS to whoever is loyally checking this blog for updates. Literally, THOUSANDS of hits in the last five months without a single new thing. Where are you coming from?? Kudos to your patience. 

(AKA, here ya go, Mom! Your hard work paid off!)

I Must've Done Something Good: Part III - The Wedding

Aaandd, we're back. This is gonna be a long one, folks. Hold on to your hats. This is

THE WEDDING POST. 

(Duh Duh Duh)

We left off with this guy:

And this girl:

And this moment:

And their mutual agreement that the other person was pretty darn swell.

Nearly a month ago on July 5th, Luke and I were married at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Lacon. It is the church my dad grew up in, and the church my sisters and I were all baptized and confirmed in. It has always been my home church and probably will always remain my "home church", despite moving away. The threads of my family's lives are so intertwined with this place, and I'm blessed that it was the church my dad got to walk me down the aisle to marry the love of my life.

The morning of the wedding started off pretty normal. I slept in until about 8 AM, which was awesome. So much for a jittery bride or getting up early to get my hair done (more perks of sisterly-talent). I woke up, and with the advice of a dear friend in mind, prayed a rosary to get in the right state of mind for the day. It absolutely made all the difference, because there was hardly a moment of the day that I found unbearably stressful.

Before I went downstairs to hang out with my family (to be greeted by Steph with "BABY DAY!!" and "LAST SINGLE MORNING!!"), I prepared Luke's wedding gift. I wanted to put a lot of time and thought into it because, well, I've been putting a lot of time and thought into it for about the last 5 years.

Since 2008, and 2 1/2 years before I met Luke, I had been writing letters to my future husband. They included many of the times I was happy, sad, frustrated, and homesick for the person I wanted to meet more than anything. I didn't know who he was, but I wanted to let this special person know just how much I prayed for him, loved him, thought about him, and was waiting for him, until the moment I could give him the letters on our wedding day... whenever that would be. Obviously in the time that I knew Luke, I continued writing letters, but never addressed them to him (you know, just in case he left me at the altar). So, on the morning of our wedding, I wrote my last letter and finally got to write his name at the top of it.

(I know, totes adorbs.)

After I stirred from my beauty slumber/lounging, I went downstairs, got my hair done by my sister, laughed so, so much with my family, and pretty much just chilled. In fact, that's really all I did for the next 6 hours... chilled. Very calmly, very patiently. Over at the church my lovely ladies gathered in the rectory basement to get ready, and we ate, laughed, and chilled some more. It only added to the absolute perfection of the entire day.

Until the chilling became, "Um... uh oh. It's 20 minutes til the wedding and Emily is not dressed yet." Oops.

So I got dressed very quickly without much nostalgia or 1000 pictures of me slipping on my shoes or pinning my hair or freaking out because my fake eyelashes kept popping off. Those moments will have to be left to the oral histories.

 About 15 minutes before the wedding, Luke and I were each led to a corner of the church by our bridal party, while both of us had our eyes closed. Around the corner, they pulled our hands together, and the two of us had a few minutes to pray together quietly before the wedding, still without seeing each other and spoiling the fun.

And then, the rest is pretty much documented through pictures.

Seeing Luke for the first time. 

Cracking up halfway down the aisle because my dad whispering, "There's still time to run... I have the truck keys.... you can still back out." Mostly to keep both of us from losing it. Also laughing so loud the entire church heard and laughed, too. 

The beautiful wedding Mass. 

This moment. FINALLY. 

The sabre arch exit, that I managed to walk through without tripping over my killer awesome heels, which I thought was a win for the day.  

The hilariously terrifying moment when Luke did not know where his keys were. And this face I made. 

THIS PICTURE. (Our photographer was like, "Done. We are done for the day. I got all I needed.")

These beauties. 

 And these beasts.
(And I mean that in the best, 'you-are-such-a-beast' way). Seriously, these gents rocked it.

Our walk-in song, which Luke picked out and is pretty much my favorite now. 

Dancing with my dad. 

 Dancing with this guy.

(You know how happy I look? Not even close to how happy I felt.) 

New friends. 

Old friends.

 Being serenaded by devastatingly handsome military men in front of 225 people. 

But most of all this: 

And this. 

And this.

I know it is just disgustingly cliche to say your wedding day is the happiest day of your life, but seriously people. I got to have one big party with all of the people I love most in this world, and it was a blast. I got to marry a man with the biggest heart and have a beautiful wedding to celebrate our love. 

Most importantly I got to start a marriage with someone who will not be afraid

to show me the way in dark times,

who I will get to have my cake and eat it too with,

(Maayyy have been a stretch, I know.) 

and share in this crazy adventure we are about to embark on called life. 

It was the perfect day. A lot of words and stories still really can't say any more or any less than that. It was more than happiness, because there is a reason that marriage is formed as a symbol of Christ's love for the Church. It is joy, sadness, fulfillment, and sacrifice all in one. It is the rock I am going to form my family on, and the springboard for the rest of my life. I am blessed, overjoyed, and still in awe of the people we have come to know on our journey who have made the paths we took toward each other full of beauty and faith. As our paths merge into one, Luke and I just want to thank, from the depths of our hearts, all of the family and friends who made our day what it was.
Without you we would be lost. 

"Cause you make me
Laugh a little louder
Love a little harder... 

And I feel alive when I'm with you.
Every time it's something new.
You're the only reason I fight.
You're the best thing in my life." 

Dudes, if you made it through all that, rock on. Next up is Part IV: Honeymoon Stories.

It won't be as long, totes promise.

Let's Start At the Very Beginning

... It's a very good place to start, I hear.

I'm going to rewind the clock a bit to about 3 1/2 weeks ago (seriously!? How can life change so much in less than a month!?) and fill you in on the few boring things that have happened.

A mere 27 days ago, it was the day before I got hitched to this guy.

Biker, soldier, pancake-maker extraordinaire. Goofball, hard-worker, and expert hugger. Husband to moi, which I think attests to his patient heart.

Anyway, more on him later. (Much, much more so if you're sick of hearing Luke's praises sung and need another infatuated wife, go check out Pioneer Woman.)

27 days ago my sisters, mom, and that handsome man up there were decorating for a little celebration we were throwing.

 (You know, our wedding.) 

We were running around, yet staying pretty calm about everything. Things were falling into place. For the most part. 

(We shall not speak of this, aka, my wedding cake the night before. Fear not, my mama is a miracle worker and they turned out beautiful!)

We had an awesome rehearsal with all of our friends and an absolutely lovely rehearsal dinner. 

(Here is me, standing next to the Werner men and looking quite bridal)

We ended the night with Luke and I going our separate ways to watch the fireworks with our families, he in Peoria and us in Henry. We had decided a long time ago that we did not want to see each other before the wedding, so it was kind of  really exciting to say goodnight knowing that the next time we saw each other, it would be us meeting at the altar during our wedding ceremony!

There is so much more I could say about all the planning, crafting, and scheduling involved that made the day that followed so special and perfect, but at 3 1/2 weeks post-wedding, I'm still too exhausted to think about it. I would much rather remember the day for what it was, and not flashback to the horrors dwell on the not-so-perfect side of wedding planning. :) 

All I can say is without the endless talent of many, especially my sisters and mama, I'm fairly certain my wedding day would have looked a lot like this: