My Weekend in Photos

This weekend began with a music festival called FOCOMX. 250+ bands, 34+ venues, in two days of awesomeness. I played Friday night with my band and The Piggies. 

The rest was spent relaxing, taking in the rest of the weekend. I also conquered a ton of laundry and way too many dishes. I like to begin my week with a clean house. 

Blog Re-design!

Hello, again! If you look at the date on my last post, you will find that my absence has been massive from this little blog. I allowed myself a bit of vacation to gather my thoughts, decide exactly what I wanted this little blog to be, and to embark upon regaining a sense of creativity once again in my life. 

Good things are happening in our lives right now. Good things that I want to tell the world about. 

You will notice that things look a little different around here and the freshness of it all is something I'm excited about. I have added more pages to my blog and a new design. I have many ideas lined up for posts about my little life in the mid-west. 

There has been one theme that has been overwhelming my existence these past few months, the idea of living simple and to just keep moving in all areas of our lives. I'm embarking upon many new decor projects in our home, a garden in our backyard,  a running schedule (which is something I have never achieved before), new business ideas, and the idea of finding ways to live simple and to be part of the community we have found ourselves in. 

It is good to be back. I look forward to spending far more time here than I have in the past. 

New Year, New Goals...

It has taken me a couple of days to sit down and write out my goals for this new year. Many of them, I've found, are based off of my 25 Things Before 25 list, which will continue on until I turn 25 in August. 

.....get out of debt......buy a car.....buy a camera.......record a new album......record an album with my  husband.......have a garden.....love my husband.........prepare us for having a baby (hopefully we will start trying in 2012!!! )...........lose the rest of the weight, only 20 lbs more to go........run a 5k........go on a trip or two......have more quiet time......make our house a home.......read "What to Expect Before You're Expecting".........Book Club.....Do more yoga.....become a vegetarian.........cook more.......bake more..... advance at my work ........learn to love my job more than I do.......map out a business plan for some of my dreams jobs............go to Mexico with my work.....actually write a song to/for/about my husband...... continue working through the Artist's Way......try something new........take a class...........buy local and organic.........stay organized........take a real vacation......learn to brew beer with my dad.....take more photographs just for fun........paint some walls........blog more......actually use my typewriter and sewing machine.......

This list is massive, but I am overwhelmed with excitement for this new, fresh year. Looking back at 2010, we actually accomplished a lot of what we set out to do, with a few unexpected turns as well. We bought a house, played a lot of good music with many wonderful people, took lots of photos, grew closer to each other,  released a new album with my band, got a cat (who is a pain in the butt most of the time), took a trip back to the northwest,  I lost 30 lbs!!!!!, had a family get together at our new home, etc, etc, etc. 

Happy 2011. I'm ready for the best year yet. 

Obligatory Christmas Post

Our Christmas weekend was wonderful. Full of family and food. 

For the very first time, we held Christmas Eve at our new home. I piled everyone downstairs into our practice space to devour chili after our candlelight service at church. Surrounded by guitar amps and pieces of scattered drums sets, we came together as family and enjoyed each other's company. 

(The Chili Masters) 

The next morning, Ryan and I awoke early and the festivities soon followed. We began at my parent's house, then on to my grandparent's house, then on to my aunt and uncle's house (where a massive feast was held), and then on to Ryan's parents for swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes. 

I really don't have any need to eat for a while after this weekend. I dearly wish I would have taken a few more photos, but these will do. 

  (Stew Man) 

Ryan's parents framed one of his paintings for us for Christmas. 

I love the holidays.