falling into autumn

Happy first day of autumn, or should I say fall?! Either way, it doesn't matter to me, I LOVE THIS SEASON! I enjoy everything about it...the weather, the colors, football, pumpkins, apple cider...you get the point! My client this semester is a 69 year old man who suffered from a stroke a few years ago and now has Aphasia and unintelligible speech. Lately in our therapy sessions we have been talking about different places such as the Statue of Liberty which somehow lead us to the St. Louis Arch. I found some pictures from my visit to the arch during a club volleyball tournament my junior year at UNL that I shared with him. As I was looking through the photos, I couldn't help but notice all of the beautiful colors in the trees-- I can't wait for the leaves to change!

home is where the heart is...

...that saying has never felt more real as I am about to help my family move into our 8th house during my lifetime. This weekend we are leaving this home on the golf course in Tekamah, for this temporary convenient home in Fremont. Although I will miss that beautiful house we built, I am extremely excited to be back in "The 'Mont"!

sketchy boy

For those of you who have been following my blog for a while now, you may have realized that I like to think I have a creative streak in me and that I am able to paint things, or at least attempt. Well I think I have met my match with Tyler...When I went with him to his parents house a few weekends back, his mom showed me a few different canvases that he had painted in college. Now unlike my canvases that are decorated with my fun handwriting, his were scenes of things like their house, a red barn, and so on...needless to say I was impressed! The other day Tyler was apparently EXTREMELY bored in class and he sketched this picture and texted it to me.

After giving him loads of praise and telling him how impressed I was, I think he went a little overboard and later sketched this at work! What will he come up with next?!

what do YOU stay awake for?

I love treating myself to Carribou Coffee every once in a while not only because I love coffee, but also because they have such fun little sayings on their cups! Carribou's motto is "Life is short. Stay awake for it." On the side of their cups they have asked people what they stay awake for and here were some of my favorite responses off my cup...

Dance parties with my kids- Walking 3 days to raise money to fight breast cancer- Belly dancing- Carrying the kids to bed when they fall asleep on the couch- Handlebar Mustaches- Meditation & Motorcycling- Driving with the top down- Rocking out during my morning commute- Thrift store treasure hunting- To read "one more" bedtime story to my kids- And last but not least...EARLY MORNING TAILGATING!

I enjoyed these so much that I decided to think of what I stay awake for, and this is what I came up with... 

The smell of coffee brewing as I get ready for my day- Talking to Tyler for "just 5 more minutes" on the phone each night- The weekends with the ones I love- Hearing my 2 month old nephew cooing in the background as I talk to my mom or sister on the phone- To make a difference in the lives of those around me, especially through the wonderful world of communication!- Husker Athletics  

WHAT DO YOU STAY AWAKE FOR? 

tea towels

I recently learned that a family friend of ours, Lindy, has fabulous creative talents when it comes to crocheting, needle work, etc! I noticed some of her creations on Facebook and asked her if she would make me something. She gladly crocheted a pair of booties and a matching brick red and brown stocking hat for Brylen that I gave to him before I snapped a picture, and just last week I received these wonderful tea towels in the mail from her! I showed her a few patterns I liked but told her to just do whatever patterns or colors she wanted, and they turned out absolutely perfect! I'm not sure I want to use them yet, I'd like to keep them just like this forever!

weekend workout & cookout

This past Saturday Tyler and I ventured down to Lincoln to the Agrigold tailgate for the Husker game with Scott and Samantha. Once the game was over we went to a wedding reception in Columbus before calling it at night out at the cabin. Sunday morning we went to church in Fremont then headed to Godfathers for their lunch buffet. After a little afternoon nap we headed to Bergan's gym to shoot hoops. I found a volleyball and it just so happened that the volleyball net was up, so I talked Tyler into playing volleyball with me. We played one bounce volleyball one-on-one and it was an absolute blast! We both decided it was similar to tennis in the sense that if you hit a short blooper right over the net your opponent might send it deep and make you run, needless to say that's what we did and we both got a great workout! Later that evening we grilled steaks, had salad and potatoes, and I made cherry cheesecake : ) Please notice Tyler's beer selection...Point's Nude Beach...

a latte studying at the library

Week four of classes means first exam, first quiz, first diagnostic evaluation, and a lot of studying! This chilly weather had me craving a pumpkin spiced latte from Starubucks, I got my first one of the season last night and headed to the library!

 

Yes those are chocolate chips...best study snack ever!

one-liners

I needed a little study break today, so I decided to look up pick-up lines on the internet (one of my friends has been posting them on Facebook, so I thought I'd check out a few for myself!) Here are some of my faves...enjoy!

Let's make like fabric softener and snuggle.

Life without you would be like a broken pencil...pointless!

Do you have any raisins? No? How about a date?

Are your legs tired? Because you've been running through my mind all day long!

I want to bag you like some groceries. (Slightly dirty...I know...)   

we're just carryin' on an old family tradition...

It has become a tradition so far this school year for my roommates/cousins Cola, Jackie, and I to make supper on Monday nights. So far we've made tacos, spaghetti, and rice bowls. Tonight we made chicken and beef enchiladas, Spanish rice, and Oreo milkshakes! We get our cooking talents from our grandma and mothers and often like to pretend we have our own show on Food Network ; )

the way to my heart.

Dove [dark] chocolates know me ALL too well! I love opening their wrappers to read their little surprises : ) almost as much as I love devouring the chocolate!

9/11

Where were you when the world stopped turning 10 years ago yesterday?

I was in my 8th grade English class. I remember my teacher thinking that whatever was happening wasn't that big of a deal. It wasn't until my next class, Social Studies, that we had all realized what happened to our country in mere seconds, and we watched the updates on TV periodically throughout the day.

It is hard to believe it has already been a decade since that tragic event, but the impact it made on our country will last forever.

on the road again...

This past weekend I ventured east yet again and went to Scott and Samantha's house in Fremont for drinks around their fire pit until Tyler got off work.

That night Tyler and I headed up to Tekamah to see my family and golf (of course!) Tyler held Brylen for the first time! : )

We ventured over to Howells to their Ribfest, 27 entries, all you can eat ribs, and watched the Huskers on the biggest screen I've ever seen. Tyler and I both devoured a plate of ribs and then some...a good time was had by all!

Samantha, Melissa and I

Sunday morning we headed back to Fremont and joined Tyler's parents at church before going out to their place for lunch. The food was delicious and the company was even better.

change of plans

I found out last week that Madonna is no longer able to take me as a medical intern this spring because the therapist I was to shadow has had a recent tragedy and will not be available. This obviously came as a shock and quite a disappointment to me, but I was completely unaware of my professors back up plan for me. She suggested that I do my medical internship in Fremont and because I had had everything planned out for Madonna that she would try to make it work for me to also to my school internship in Fremont! She pulled some string for me and sure enough, I will be in Fremont starting in January, with more details to follow! I'll be closer to Brylen and Tyler, not to mention my parents and sister will have a new roommate...ME! Everything happens for a reason and lately the timing of so many things in my life has left me in utter amazement. 

tasty taters

In my opinion this is one of the best way to make potatoes, and they were absolutely delicious with my chicken for lunch the other day!

Preheat oven @ 400 degrees

6 Tbl melted butter
3 Tbl grated Parmesan cheese
8 medium unpeeled red potatoes, cut

Pour butter into a 9x13 baking pan. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over butter (I also add garlic or other seasonings for extra flavor). Place potatoes with cut side down over cheese. Bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes until tender. (I usually stir them halfway through and sprinkle more cheese on top!)

Enjoy!

labor day weekend

I started my Labor Day weekend off by doing hearing screenings in our school van at the Nebraska State Fair on Friday night.

I continued my journey east to Lincoln to tailgate for the first Husker game of the season! I went with Tyler to a tailgate at Embassy Suites. Tyler's younger brother Chad and his girlfriend Kelly, my distant cousin, were also there, along with some of our other friends-- there was free food and drinks so a good time was definitely had by all!

Swanson Boys and Baumert Girls AND Lil Red!

Melissa, Tyler, Ryan, Samantha, and I

After the game, Tyler and our friend Ryan ventured back west with me to see what Kearney is all about. After church, we actually spent most of Sunday at the State Fair then had an unofficial screen print t-shirt party with my cousins/roommates Cola and Jackie later that night.

Monday, Tyler and I hit up a par three golf course with Ryan, Mikki, and her dad before the boys headed back to Fremont.

 n

week 2

Well I started my second week of classes off on the wrong foot. On the way home from the cabin that Sunday evening I noticed my throat was starting to hurt and the pain was going through to my ear. By the time I went to bed, I was struggling to swallow and the whole right side of my throat seemed swollen. Monday morning I called in sick to work and went to the doctor where I tested negative for Strep but was informed that it could be Mono or Pharyngitis. They told me to lay low the rest of the day and Tuesday, and that I did. It basically felt like my entire throat was swollen shut and I could hardly swallow, followed by random aches in my right ear. Needless to say it was a miserable 2.5 days at home and I am just now getting back to my 100% self. I never figured out what I had, but whatever it was, I don't ever want it again!

surprise!

There's a Surprise, Nebraska...who knew?!

 I didn't make it into town, but I did pull off the road to snap this epic photo!

neon lovin

The bugs LOVE our neon at the cabin!

 Budweiser...what's not to love?!

cabin time!

Gma Tams and Brylen

My sister, Scott and I

Captain Ron

Samantha, Mikki, and I

I had a few friends along with my family out at our cabin a few weekends ago. We tubed, drank, ate, and golfed, it was the perfect end to "summer".

fluency

One of the classes I am taking this semester is Fluency Disorders which basically amounts to learning about how to work with people who stutter. My teacher showed us this video on the first day of class and it really struck a nerve with me, especially after having a friend who stuttered. I hope you all can take 14 minutes out of your day to view this video.

1st week

Well it is now week 4 of school and everything is definitely in full swing, hence the reason I haven't blogged in FOR-EV-ER! (Get my Sandlot reference?!) My first week back was pretty painless except for a minor speed bump (no pun intended) on the second day. I was heading home for lunch after my first class and got pulled over right next to campus for speeding in a school zone. Apparently there is an elementary school about a block away and apparently in this town the school zone speed limit is 20mph ALL DAY LONG, ugh! I was going somewhere between 25-30mph but luckily I got off with a written warning, the officer even informed me that the fines are doubled in school zones...good to know! The worst part is that I saw someone pulled over in the exact spot earlier when I was going to class so I was aware that they were on the prowl...needless to say I learned my lesson and never exceed 20mph for that block!

dinner and a movie

Tyler and I had a dinner date at his place on Saturday. He provided beer and wine, grilled chicken and corn, and I brought salad : ) We at off the coffee table and watched "Forrest Gump" while we enjoyed our meal...we already decided there will be plenty more dinner and movie dates in the future!

60.

Sixty is the number of seconds in a minute, sixty is the number of minutes in an hour, and sixty is the number of years my grandparents have been married. My grandparents have been tremendous role models for me and the love they have for each other is incredible. I hope I can have the lifetime of happiness that they have been so blessed with. We celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary last Friday at Petersen's Bar 75 in Herman, here is pop and gram and the kids.

golfing fools

Tyler came up to Tekamah this past weekend and we golfed Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. The glory of living on the course is that you can start and stop wherever you wish and skip around the holes if people are right ahead or behind you. On Friday we golfed holes 2-8 and Saturday we golfed 9, 1, 4, 6, 7, 8...as Tyler said, we golfed each hole once but not every hole twice over the weekend! It's obvious he is a coach because he has a lot of patience with me and has been great at teaching me the game of golf!