12 weeks

We had our 2nd ultrasound last week- such an exciting experience.  The baby really looks like a baby!!  Almost everything is formed by this stage.  How anyone can think that babies this early on are not actual babies is beyond me!  What a miracle from God!!

Baby Dahl says hello!

8 Weeks

The baby bump has begun...

First comes love, then comes marriage…

Yep, then comes baby!

Brandon and I are so grateful that God blessed us once again!  We have both dreamed for years that we would not only meet the perfect person who would become our spouse, but also that we would have children.  Our dream is coming true!

On October 14, 2012, I took a pregnancy test and was ecstatic to see 2 pink lines!  Even better, it was our 6-month anniversary. (Aww!)  We are embarking on a new exciting journey in our lives!  Baby Dahl will make his or her appearance around June 23, 2013. 

Wineries in AZ...Yep

When you think of vineyards or wineries, I'm sure the last place you think of is Arizona.  Me too!
Thanks to our friends who have ventured out before us, as well as the good people at LivingSocial, we decided to see what good 'ol AZ has to offer.  (Now, those of you who are true wine enthusiasts out there, don't get too excited, but we had a great time and found one place I cannot wait to visit again.)

We decided just to make a day trip out of our little getaway as we were only traveling about an hour and a half away.  Our "coupon" first led us to Oak Creek Vineyards & Winery located in the small town of Cornville. (Yep, it does exist.)  Cute name, but that is kind of where it ends.  We tried 7 wines, of which we both each liked about 2, got a few pictures and had some good conversation.

 

Not bad shots for all being taken with B's iPhone. :-)

As it turns out, we didn't spend all that much time there, so we decided to head up to Jerome.  The town looks pretty on the hill and it is a nice drive, if you don't get carsick.  It is also such good exercise  to walk around there as you are always going up or downhill!!  I had forgotten how it is supposedly haunted and people really get into the "supernatural" there, which I do not enjoy, yet we found a place to grab an early dinner that ended up having great food.

It was recommended by our good friends that we check out Page Springs Cellars, so that is where we headed next.  We read about happy hour and live music on their website, so I hoped we'd like it, and did we ever!  I cannot wait to go back!  Such a cute place with a much bigger vineyard and such cute places to walk around.  We LOVED the wine and it was a steal of a deal.  I only wish we would have gotten there earlier and stayed longer.  I would recommend it to anyone!  Such a great day!
http://pagespringscellars.com

Happy Birthday Memaw!

A very Happy Birthday to our very loved Memaw!!  We celebrated a couple of days early with a family dinner out.  Bummer that her actual day falls on a Monday when she will be out of town for work.  We will be with you in spirit!
Fun was had by all as we helped her start a brand new year.  Not to worry, we are only as old as we feel...or think we feel, right?!
Here's to you, Mom/Memaw- we love you so and pray you are blessed with a wonderful year ahead!!

Our Family!!  (Yes, B was there too; he is the photographer using his new iPhone 5.)

Kaylee helped her blow out the candle- yes there is cake and a candle behind the glass. :-)

Chapters of Our Lives...

(A little shout out to all you former "Days" fans.  It's ok, you can admit it. :-))

Cheesy title, I realize, but lately I have been thinking about all of the "chapters" ending and beginning in my life lately.

Going to grad school
Meeting Brandon
Graduating grad school
Getting engaged
Planning a wedding
Getting married
Selling my house
Moving into "our" house
Going on our honeymoon

Yeah, ok, probably routine stuff for this time of life, but big stuff for me!

Also in there, Brandon decided to get a new job- very exciting!  And little did I know that I would be following suit.

After almost 7 years, I made the tough decision to leave Rancho.  After much prayer, I took a leap of faith and resigned- before having another job.  Now while I do not recommend this to others (without God's leading), this seems to be my "thing."  I left my finance job before having a teaching job and was all but told I was crazy. Yet, He provided.  And, He did so once again.  I was unemployed for 1 week when I was hired by our church for a position that seems it was hand-crafted for me.  (They were looking for someone with Finance and Education background, and my strange combo of experience and training fit the bill.)

While my type A personality does not do well with change, I am super excited about the chapters that God has in store for us and our family!

Most recently, we have, and will be, welcoming new nephews into this world!!  (Did you catch that, Belinda?  Haha!)  We have also been super blessed to spend quite a bit of time with our family and friends.  What a joy they are in the chapters of our lives!!  :-)

Camp Auntie

A couple of years ago, my nieces started spending the night on occasion with either me or my mom (Memaw).  She came up with the idea to call these times Camp Memaw or Camp Auntie, and the names have stuck.  Last week we had the first Camp Auntie (now Camp Auntie and Brandon) since I got married.  In preparation I went to Michael's to get a little craft for them to do- a wooden frame to decorate.  It's a good thing, too, as I realized that our house is not kid friendly at all!  By this I mean more that it is not filled with any fun "kid" things.  I have to hand it to the girls though, they had a great time going round and round on our bar stools, searching through my jewelry, and playing outside with the dog.   Yikes, I need to get with the "kid" program!  Kaylee also couldn't stop talking about the yummy food we made from her cookbook for kids.  Score 1 for Auntie!
I also realized that I have no routines for getting 2 girls and myself ready to go in the morning.  Haha!!  I'm thinking it's a good thing that babies grow over time and thus routines can be developed accordingly.  Because, man, it was crazy and I was exhausted.  I commend my sister and all you moms out there!!
I cherish these moments and can't wait for the next Camp Auntie!

Here is a shot of my cutie patuties (sp?) decorating their frames.

Honeymoon Highlights- wrapped up

June 6, 2012

We walked to Speightstown this morning, went to the bakery for pastries and I grabbed a latte at the Orange Street Grocer. Just as good the second time around. :-). 

I forgot to mention the interesting trees that are along the way. You can't miss them, they have a red stripe painted around the trunk. The produce a fruit that looks like a very small green apple- exactly like a very small apple. Except they are poisonous, so poisonous that they will kill a person!  Also, don't get caught under them in a rainstorm. We are told that they water hits the leave and a form of acid runs off that will burn you- yikes! 

The weather is hot and humid, even with a breeze, it reminds me of Rome. It's so different not being in AC most of the time! In light of this, we headed directly to the pool. The weather was beautiful for catching some rays (we have the pink skin to prove it) and reading in the shade. The clouds were moving quickly across the sky and there was a 5 min downpour and then blue sky for the remainder of the day. 

Huge bummer- I am not invisible to mosquitoes as previously thought. Poor B has 12 bites, and I have 2, yet I was so hoping I could last the entire trip without any. So now we both appear to have some crazy red-spotted disease from the ankles down-haha! 

June 7, 2012

Today we went to Bridgetown (the capital city) to board a Cool Runnings catamaran. 

They sure know how to do it up right!  The boat was pretty big and there were probably 30 or so people and it didn't even feel crowded. 

So a couple of funny things right from the start:  I wanted to take a lot of pictures, which drives Brandon crazy. I start taking them as we board and realize later that I had it set to video- hilarious!  There was an open bar the whole time. At one point Brandon tells the guy to give him whatever drink he wants and he'll drink it. He gave him some rum drink and asks after what it's called and is told its a Baby Maker. I totally laughed!!  Thanks for helping my case dude!

We made two stops to snorkel, which was awesome. The crew would go in the water, too, and show us what to check out. The fish were much more colorful than I'd seen and there was at least one turtle. They also brought us by an old underwater shipwreck. The flying fish were all around the boat and very cool to watch, too. 

We made a third stop for lunch- which was amazing. We had Bajan food consisting of potato salad, rice with peas and gravy, a somewhat sweet pasta, chicken, and flying fish (one of my island favorites). 

June 8, 2012

After breakfast we went to buy flying fish at the local market. I decided then and there that if I had to prepare my own meat or fish from something still looking like the actual animal, I would need to become vegetarian. Or just make Brandon prepare all of it.  :-)

For dinner we experienced the ever-popular Bajan world of Cheffette, the local fast food place.  (Note that there is a KFC that does well, we are told there is one Subway, but McDonald's failed on the island). So we say fast food with a pinch of sarcasm, as they did not get our food to us very fast at all- I guess it's just another island difference. We did try rotis though. They are basically a burrito with a mild curry chicken or beef. We really liked them- two thumbs up!

 


June 9, 2012

I cannot believe our time is coming to an end and this is our last full day in Barbados. 

I have thoroughly enjoyed Island living with cocktails starting early in the day, going swimming in either the pool or ocean, and looking for seashells at the beach right outside.

Today we ventured to the east side of the island, the Atlantic side with very rough water.  Also, that side is fairly uninhibited land- totally different from the west side.  It took only about 10 minutes to drive there and it is so amazing how it seems as if you are on a completely different island.  We are told that many of the Bajans vacation on the east side  We went by a plantation called St. Nicholas Abbey and a very beautiful, and very old church called St. Andrews.  

We went to the ocean once more- I couldn't resist one last swim in the warm Carribbean water.

I have loved each day we have spent here, yet I do admit that I am ready to go home.  

Some nuances of Barbados:

They drive on the "other" side of the road- they are a British settled island. 

There are hardly any Americans on the island- mainly British, Canadian, and Bajan. 

People often stop their cars in the middle of the road, whenever they feel like it.  Roads are only 2 lanes for the most part- therefore, cars pass into oncoming traffic as a regular thing.  Not sure I could get used to that!

The government will not go into debt- novel thought- so there are a ton of places that have begun being built or remodeled but not finished. 
Also the island is pretty much made of coral. I'd seen what I thought were rocks close to the shore and it turns out they are all coral, or coral reefs. Pretty cool!

There are frogs that come out at night and they chirp all night long. I hear they are about an inch long.  The locals say that the sound becomes soothing. 

There is quite a variance of wealth on the island. There are very nice houses/mansions right next to shacks. I'm told that many of the Bajans could sell for millions and just refuse to and they also refuse to fix up the property. 

It is the norm to see colorfully painted houses and buildings all over.  It reminds me a bit of Argentina. :-)

Our favorite little bakery.

Honeymoon Highlights

June 2, 2012

After a long day of traveling we have arrived in Barbados! 

 


Our room/suite area in Port St. Charles is super cute and very beachy. There is an awesome patio off of our room, and each room actually, as well as a harbor/boat dock area. There is a pool and yacht club, and the beach is just at the end of their street. The water is a beautiful light blue (and it's warm!) and the sand is so soft!  It is pretty hot and humid- even though it's only about 80 degrees, but I don't care (Brandon may disagree with that).  :-)

We made our way down the beach this morning to a close town called Speightstown where we sat at a cute place called the Orange Town Grocer- which is really a totally cute coffee and pizza place with a killer view. It actually reminded me of the Herb Box. :-). Before sitting down with our drinks we grabbed pastries at a little bakery across the street. A wonderful breakfast!!

I plan to read, relax, and maybe go down to the water later today. I love not having a plan or anything we have to do!!

Along the way to Speightstown...

June 3, 2012

We went to a seaside restaurant called Mullins. It was so beautiful!  Completely open on the sides with white curtains, wrought iron chandeliers, and a dark wooden floor. Lunch was amazing (I enjoyed my first flying fish), although expensive. We enjoyed drinks and relaxed for a while. There were jet ski rentals right outside and we worked out a deal. B and I shared 1 jet ski and had an awesome ride!  He even toned it down a bit- although we still had quite an eventful ride. Thanks hubby!!  

Each afternoon so far we have had some resting time and today was no exception. It's nice not having much of a plan. I even finished a book!  Brandon laughed at me because he finished one, too, yet he only started it the day before we left lol!

Tonight we made our way to the Yacht Club. It's within the Port St. Charles development. It was so nice- a great outside eating area and pool with a swim-up bar. We had a poolside drink and swam while we waited for our food. Such a pretty surrounding and weather!  We walked there and back and I tried to savor the time. 

 


June 4, 2012

This morning we made our way to the beach just outside of Port St. Charles. As part of living here (or for us, staying here), when you arrive at the beach an employee will set up a lounge chair and umbrella for you. My first mission was snorkeling. We headed to the water and it was quite a bit cooler than in the afternoon. Yet once we got in, it was amazing!  I wasn't even cold at all. We found a small reef close to the shore and I was able to get some shots on the underwater camera. Now, while the fish weren't the most colorful ever, it was great to see so many without venturing far. Brandon was such a good sport. He gave it a good try and concluded again that snorkeling is not his thing. We lounged and read for a while- it was so beautiful outside!  

Far right:  I was actually waving, as opposed to doing spirit fingers... :-)

June 5, 2012

Today was a lazy, yet totally great day! We read for a while and then I requested a change of scenery, so we made our way to the pool area. While walking along the dock there, B picked a tropical flower off of a tree and put it behind my ear- so cute!  We enjoyed more reading time there- I was glad I chose not to get in the pool as it started sprinkling. I feel lucky that this was the first rain during the  daytime of the trip- it ended up raining even harder a few hours later. 

Ok, so B was just pretending he was sleeping.  What a goof!

Our main event of the day was heading into Holetown for dinner. We got all fixed up and went into the main shopping and restaurant center. It was very nice.  We were directed down to 2nd St., which we were told had great restaurant choices.  We settled on a place called Elbow Room. It is a hot stone restaurant, which means that they bring each person a scalding hot stone in which to cook your own meat and vegetables. The food was great, we enjoyed a bottle of wine and yummy dessert. We had the perfect romantic dinner!!

Date Night- at home...

So Brandon and I have been pretty good about having a date night once a week.  Way easier when already "dating," slightly more challenging once being married because I can see how easy it is to fall into the "we see each other all the time, why do we need a date night," mentality.  Yet, we have been given the advice to keep date nights a priority by so many amazing couples, we really try to do so.

We are fairly social on a regular basis, so we try not to go out (at least to dinner) for each date.  (Although now I may start to want the break from cooking- LOL!)  With this in mind, on a couple of occasions recently we have decided to shut off the TV, turn on some tunes, and completely cook a new recipe together at home.

A couple of side notes here:  I am NOT a natural nor experienced cook!  Actually, trying new recipes tends to overwhelm me a bit.  The Type A side of me wants everything to turn out just as it should the first time, and I logically know that this is not realistic.  Also, Brandon is amazing and if he is home, he will always come ask what he can do to help me in the kitchen, so it is not an anomaly for us to cook together.  Yet, we want to try to make it intentional on occasion.

To expand my cooking skills and repertoire of recipes I am very thankful to friends and family who have not only supplied their favorites, but also the websites they love.  My hats off to the ladies from Our Best Bites!  They have challenged me and now my zesting skills are top notch and I could teach someone how to prepare ginger root, should the moment arise.  Brandon is also so supportive and helpful that it gives me the confidence to try recipes out even when I have no clue what I'm doing.  (Yes, I did have to throw an entire meal away this week.)

On this night we chose honey glazed ginger tilapia (http://www.ourbestbites.com/2012/01/honey-ginger-glazed-tilapia).  We also had a yogurt based dipping sauce (part of the recipe), steamed asparagus, and potatoes sautéed in butter with a little dried basil for extra seasoning (B's idea).  (As I write this, it sounds a bit fancy, but the veggies we did are super easy!)  I am trying to have us eat healthier, and I know tilapia is good for you, but alas I undid everything by drowning the potatoes in butter.  (Yet, I will always choose butter over margarine every day- I have just heard so many crazy and unhealthy things about it over the long term.)

I encourage the hesitant cook to just give a new recipe a shot!  So many of the sites post things that are straight forward and fairly quick, because let's face it, who has that much time to spend making dinner??  I also encourage you to grab a loved one- even the day-to-day stuff like cooking can be more fun with him by your side. :-)

Our Wedding Day- Part 3

Part 3 (and final-thank goodness!)

We arrived at the house a little ahead of schedule and decided to do pictures first.  We just walked down the street a bit.  The light was pretty cool and shining through the clouds- definitely not something that would have happened on a normal sunny day.  We had fun with this photo session!  

Only one more task in front of our guests to accomplish- the first dance, yikes!  We had a couple of private lessons (we were decent, but it was more about having fun and knowing something to do while people were watching us dance).  We worked out some move combos (we did NOT choreograph) and practiced to Nora Jones’ Come Away with Me.  Brandon actually researched songs that were in 3 / 4 time (waltzes)- so cute!  So we practiced and practiced all the move combos we knew and although the guy leads, I was still so nervous that I would forget everything!

I remember the DJ announcing each member of our bridal party to come outside to the reception.  She then announced us and I took a deep breath as Brandon grabbed my hand to lead me out.  Our music started and it was now or never. :-)  We danced and really did have fun.  Although he quietly talked me through most of the steps because he knew I was so nervous, we successfully made it through and people even clapped for us! 

Brandon thanked everyone for coming, our pastor blessed the food, and it was time to eat!  I can actually say that we both ate and were able to enjoy our dinner!  I hear so many friends tell me that they did not get a chance to eat at all, or quickly ate very little at their wedding.  I did NOT want this to happen.  I’m so glad we were able to eat leisurely and enjoy ourselves. 

Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, too, with appetizers, dinner and drinks.  Although it was cold, we were lucky enough to have 6 heaters disbursed throughout the yard.  Both Jen and Steve gave wonderful toasts to us and then the dancing began.  We had great DJs and people stayed on the dance floor all night!  We did take a break to enjoy our wonderful brownie tower, prepared by Ali.  She really outdid herself!  It looked amazing!   I was so thinking that B would get brownie all over my face, but he was a good boy and did not. :-)

I was ready to go dance when he said he needed to do something first.  He grabbed a microphone and music started to The Way You Look Tonight.  Talk about another surreal moment!  My new husband sang to me in front of all of our guests!  The song was so perfect, he did an awesome job, and he knows I love all things Frank (he even had a very "Frank" looking hat on).  Thanks babe- I will never forget it!

After that we did dance the night away and finally left through a tunnel of sparklers. What an amazing day and night! 

I feel so blessed to have so many amazing memories of this day and night!  And things would not have been quite so meaningful if it weren’t for our family and friends celebrating with us.  We are so thankful for all who played a role and all who celebrated our wedding with us!

Our Wedding Day- Part 2

Now I was ready to see my future hubby in what our photographers Mike and Rachel call “First Look”.  This is kind of crazy as I was going to see the man I know and love and I suddenly felt nervous, super excited, and almost like it was the first time we were seeing each other!  I made my way out to him and they had him facing away from me.  When he turned around, his facial expression was so loving and just priceless!  We stood there for a few seconds just taking each other in.  He then asked me to twirl around so he could see all of my dress.  So cute!  They had us make our way to a subdivision next to the church for some pictures.  It was actually really fun.  Yet, I realized that a natural “model” I am not- LOL!  I did much better when they told me what to do and how to pose, versus asking me to do whatever I wanted.  Yet, we have some wonderful pictures, so all turned out well. 

Oh, and Brandon was right, it did start to sprinkle- good call for having the reception chairs and tables under the patio babe!  Thank the Lord our ceremony was inside, as there was no more rain after that.  :-)

We took some pictures with the wedding party and our families and then before we knew it, it was time for the guests to arrive and us to head to the brideroom and “cry room” to wait for the ceremony to start.  (Yes, cry room- you read correctly.  Our church had a room past the men’s room called the Cry Room for parents to use during a service.)

Did I mention that I have a slight fear of being the center of attention?  (Never mind that I’m a teacher.)  In light of this fear, two events were forefront in my mind:  walking down the aisle and dancing our first dance.  Once I got through those two events, I would really be able to relax. :-)

The girls brought out some Martineli’s and we relaxed a bit before the ceremony.  Ok, so maybe I had some wine, too…

It was finally time.  Nina, our coordinator, lined us all up.  Kaylee and Alexa were so cute- and they were ready to get this thing going!  They knew just what they were doing. :-)  I watched Belinda walk out, then Adrianne, then Jen, then the little girls.  (And yes, they made it all the way down the aisle.)  I took a number of deep breaths grabbed my mom’s hand and we were off.  (Can I just say that our walk together down the aisle was such a special thing for mom and I to experience!)  I made sure to focus only on Brandon or our pastor Marc, which really helped.  The ceremony was amazing and personal and Marc did all he could to help me relax. 

One little funny moment was when Brandon and I took our first communion together.  My mouth was so dry and the piece of bread that Brandon broke off was a just a tiny bit big.  Yet I started chewing and soon realized that I was not going to be able to swallow until I drank the juice.  I just kept chewing…and chewing.  Not to worry, I was able to swallow the bread with the assistance of the juice- haha!

Before I knew it Marc pronounced us husband and wife and we kissed!  We turned to face our guests (who I really took a look at for the first time) and I was ready to high-tail it out of the church (the whole center of attention thing).  I don’t think I even waited for him to announce us “Mr. and Mrs. Brandon and Amanda Dahl”, or for our music to begin (a great version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow).  I even remember my mom reaching out to me and gently saying, “not so fast,” but I kept going.  Haha!  Sigh of relief!

We took a few more pictures, packed up our things and headed for the Lucas’s for the reception.  Little side note here; the tables and chairs were not set up before the reception, like I mentioned before.  I was told later that friends and family showed up a bit early and all pitched in to set the entire thing up (and in record time, too)- so amazing!  This just confirms how blessed we are to have the family and friends that we do!  

And They Lived...

April 14, 2012

Our Wedding Day- Part 1

(I wanted to include lots of pictures, so I separated into parts.  Ok, and I also know I am a "wordy" person...)

What an amazing and surreal day!


In anticipation of the “big day,” I think it’s only natural for most girls to get a picture in their mind of how things will look, and how they will go.  I was no exception.  I told myself a million times to be ok with the fact that something (or things) may not go as planned, and that it’s ok!  I was thrilled with our locations, my dress, and all who would be celebrating with us, and that helped me to put things in perspective.  
Strangely enough, I really feel that I went through most of the day in somewhat of a state of disbelief that I was actually and finally living this day- my wedding day!


An important note:  the weather, which is always pretty much our standard AZ warm and dry, decided to throw us a loop in the form of rain.  Hmmm…

The day really got a jump-start when my husband-to-be called me around 7:30am to give me a an update:  the boys moved the tables and chairs which were so meticulously set out on Friday, to mow the lawn.  Oh, and they did not put them back.  A test right off the bat- how would I handle something not going as planned?  So I lovingly said, “Why not?” (I’m sure it was filled with love-haha!)  Brandon informed me that it was “inevitable” that it would rain, so the tables and chairs needed to stay under that patio for now.  I panicked and went through my thoughts on how our reception will possibly be set up, and who would do so?  More to come on this…


Mom picked me up to go get my hair done and to grab lunch.  Then we made our way to the church and things became more real, yet still surreal- a very strange feeling.  My bridesmaids Jen, Adrianne and Belinda were also arriving, along with my precious flower girls Kaylee and Alexa.  The girls were so excited, and had their adorable dresses and flower baskets.  The bigger girls were set to go, too.  I loved the way their dresses turned out! Set aside the fact that all were dressed for a warm AZ spring day, although it was only 65 degrees, and it was perfect!

Belinda did my makeup and did a fab job!  Now to get my dress on.  This was a group effort, and the brideroom suddenly seemed smaller when filled with lots of ivory organza fabric.  Yet, our mission was accomplished- complete with mom’s garter, the embroidery on the inside hem of my dress (it is blue and mom had it made to say Brandon and Amanda, April 14, 2012), and a crystal studded hair comb (thanks Kim!).  I was ready to go!

To be continued...

Our Story

So I thought I would be fun to post a little bit about us and how we met.  This is actually taken from our wedding website on The Knot.  Brandon wrote most of it.  I get a kick out of it and think his personality really shines through.

About Amanda

She is an All-American girl who enjoys the simple things in life like spending time with family and friends. She has an adventurous side and loves to see the sites of the world, yet home (and with her fiancé) is where her heart is.

About Brandon

Booyah! Nuff said...
Fun-loving gentleman who enjoys long walks on the beach and a fine spring rain. A bean counter by profession and singer by hobby, he is a true Renaissance man who loves his bride-to-be dearly.

How we met

It was a cold and stormy night...Actually, I don't think it was stormy. And cold is a relative term; we live in Phoenix, after all. We met after our church's Christmas concert on December 22, 2010. A quick group photo, a handshake and a smile.

The rest is history...

Bridal Shower

On March 3rd, I was so blessed to have an amazing bridal shower thrown by my family and friends!  We enjoyed the beautiful weather outside at Desert Mountain and just had a ton of fun!

My Hostesses!

Dahl's and Snyder's coming together. :-)

"Sister Time"

Engagement Photos

We were so blessed that our friend Rachel offered to do an engagement shoot for practically nothing and that our friend Ali's mom offered to take us to Desert Mountain and also stay while we did the shoot.  We had such a blast!!