Fall/Halloween 2008

WOW...it's been over, what 3 weeks since I've written???YIKES! Every morning I think to myself "Ok, when I get home from work, I'm going to post on my blog"...clearly I'm not good at convincing myself to do things...haha. :) Between school (which is going great) and my health (which, I wish was going as well as school...but, I'll talk about that in a few)...it's been crazy around here. But first, some really fun halloween updates! :)

Aaron's nieces came over for Halloween. They were Glenda and Dorothy (from the Wizard of Oz). They were just SO cute! Obviously since we don't have any kids, we have to show off our nieces (and since mine live 800 miles away, we mostly show off Aaron's nieces)! :) But here's some pics from BOTH sets of nieces this year!

Taeya and Nevaeh (Taeya is Glenda and Nev is Dorothy).

Opening Presents from Uncle Aaron and Aunt Amanda

Both of the girls with their presents. Is it obvious we were watching a movie before they came over?? Can anyone guess what movie is playing in the background?! :)

My niececs (who live in ND) went as a Hawaiian girl (Bella) and as a Bee (Sienna).

Life at our house has been hectic and especially in this past week. We found out that Aaron has Degenerative Disc Disease and will probably have to have surgery. The worst part about this is that the Dr's nurse told him this stuff over the phone! Can you believe that?! We can't. And, Aaron asked to talk to the doc and the nurse told Aaron that the doc didn't have time to talk. I was SO mad. So, I called up the medical facility and told them that we will never be Dr-ing there ever again. Aaron is going to speak with a back specialist within the next few weeks to see what his options are. Also, I found out that I have to have an endoscope done. I've had an ulcer for the last 2 years and my Rheumatologist wants to have it looked at by a GI doc to make sure the acid isn't eroding away my esaphagus. Ulcers are common for people with Sjogren's Syndrome becuase I lack the moisture in my body to balance the acidic/gastric juices in the stomach. So, between Aaron's news and my news, I'd say we had a very busy week!! ;)

School is going great. Even with everything going on, I'm still maintaining A's, which is SO nice! One step closer to applying for grad school and I'm so excited!

I don't think there's too much more to update on. We are approaching the 2 year anniversary of my friend, Liz. She's an amazing Angel in heaven. I'll be sharing some "Liz Winks" here very soon...so, stay tuned! Until then...take care and God Bless!
Amanda :)

Picture Post

Hello!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! I'm doing homework this weekend while Aaron re-shingles the roof. We got some damage from a tornado on Aug 6th and this weekend Aaron was finally able to get around to shingling! :)

We spent the weekend in Breckenridge, CO last weekend. It was a blast! We went to Copper Mountain, Vail and Beaver Creek while we were up there. I can't wait to go back when there is some snow on the ground!! I'm going to try skiing this year (that should be an adventure in itself). :) Not much to write, but I wanted to post pics from our weekend! :) Enjoy!

OK...I'll try to post more pics this week, but I need to get back to studying! :( Oh well, at least I'm learning a lot, so that is the up side to this! :) Take care all and have a GREAT weekend! God Bless!
Amanda

Where Does Time Go, Anyway?!

So, I just realized it has been about 2 weeks since I wrote in here...YIKES! Where does time go? Its so hard to believe that it has been almost 4 months since Aaron and I got married...it has FLOWN by! In a good way ofcourse, but still.

So much has happened in the last 2 weeks, but nothing I really had the motivation to update about. So, last December we found out our company was being bought out. A scary time for everyone involved ofcourse with job security and all. However, our dept thought we were pretty safe. I mean a company cannot survive without contracts/leases and all that legal stuff, right?! Wrong, I guess. I just found out yesterday that my position is being officially eliminated. They don't have a finalized date, but our positions are being phased-out. I'm the contracts/lease mgr (for those of you who wonder what I "actually" do at work..LOL). Our company was VERY conservative before we were bought out. Always followed the rules, having lawyers on hand, etc. This new company that bought us out though is quite liberal (and very unorganized...not healthy for my Type-A Personality...LOL!)! So, they do not really believe in contracts/leases the way our "old company" did. So, we are being let go. BUMMER, I know...but this will now give me time to get ready for grad school and maybe even get back into the swing of Nutrition! :) I might still have a job here at my current place of employment, but obviously it will be in a totally different dept not related to contracts/leases or legal stuff. So, we'll see what God has planned!

Now that I got that off my chest...I can talk about married life! :) Aaron and I are doing GREAT! For the most part I am feeling pretty good (FINALLY). Being sick and on high doses of prednisone for 80 days straight can be a little taxing at times! I hadn't been that sick (with my Sjogren's anyway) in a very long time!! Hopefully it will be a long time before I experience another flare-up that bad again! But Aaron, bless his heart, has been a trooper all the way! I swear this man is not an earthling! ;) He draws my baths for me and will light the candles and turn on the jets. I'm horrible at getting my bath to be the "perfect" temp, but Aaron is a pro at it, so he will draw my bath (and 9 times out of 10 I don't even have to ask or hint...he just is more than willing to start my bath for me). What a man!

School is going great! I really love this "online" stuff! Not having to sit in a classroom and listen to boring lectures, etc. Rather sitting in the comfort of my own home and watching lectures on DVD, pausing when I need to and rewinding if there was something the instructor said that I didn't catch...yeah,it's really nice. Biochem is quite dificult, but I'm getting through it. I've got just a little over a month left on that class. It's so interesting, but very challening! Biology and Anthropology though are my "slack" classes. They are my 100 level classes that I didn't need in college, but I need them for grad school (go figure), so I'll take them just to get them out of the way! :)

The leaves are even more beautiful this week than they were last week! CO is just beautiful in the fall and I sure hope we can take a drive in the mountains this weekend!

Other than that, not much to update on. I have posted some more wedding pics for your enjoyment below! Take care and I promise to not slack as much on upates! :)

Aaron and his best man in limo

Getting ready to head off to the church!

Starting the ceremony

Me and my grandma

Dancing!!

Chatting with my family!

My family (Grandma and cousins)

My other crazy fun boss, Jack!

My crazy fun supersvisors (the blonde gal is Jamie and the guy in the white is Andre')

Bridesmaid Janie, me and one of my boss's, Andre'

me and Aaron dancing!

More pics to come on the next post!!! :)

Love,

Amanda

The "no name" post! :)

I feel like I have a lot to update on so much, yet my mind is blank today! What else is new, huh?! :) It's been a great few weeks since we've come back from NY. School is going great for me, but that Biochem class is HARD. It's so intereseting, but it is very challenging! I know God will bring me through it, and that's a comforting thought. :) Just a few more months before I send in my application for grad school. I'm so excited, and I just hope I can get the GRE done in time. And if not, there's always next year to apply. I hate putting it off another year, but it wouldn't be the end of the world. that is the only thing (and Biochem) that is keeping me from getting into the program. So, we'll see what happens! :)

Aaron's niece had her first volleyball game on Saturday. It was SO cute! She's 3 1/2 and just looked so cute out on the court. She didn't really want to do too much when the ball came her way, but it was her first game and she will learn. The important thing is that she had fun while she was there!

There's not too much more to update on. I'm feeling pretty good (finally) and I am so excited for fall to be around the corner. The leaves are starting to turn colors and it's so beautiful. Not looking forward to the snow too much, but man, we'll cross that path when we get there...let's not get too ahead of ourselves! LOL!

Well, I better close for now! take care all and I'll post soon!
Love,
Amanda

Trip to NYC and US Open Tennis

Well on Monday, we got back from a FUN filled vacation in NYC! We saw the Statue of Liberty, walked around Central Park, strolled the streets of Manhatton, visited St. Patrick's Cathedral, ate at many different restaurants, but most importantly, we went to Flushing Meadows, NY to witness some amazing tennis at the US Open Tennis Championships! For those of you that don't know this, I surprised Aaron with this trip. He's a huge fan of tennis and plays 2-3 days a week. Me, I'm the "tennis wife"...I don't play, but I attend as many of his matches as possible in support for Aaron. :)

View from our room at the Hilton Statue of Liberty

St. Patrick's CathedralAaron and I got to see SO many tennis matches. We saw Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Rafeal Nadal, James Blake, Mardy Fish, the Bryan Brothers, Safina, Jankovic, Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, Dementieva, and Djokovic! LOTS of tennis indeed! All of the matches were phenomenol, but the most nail biting match was Djokovic vs Cilic. Each set went for 1 hour a piece and they went to 4 sets total. I think the match was completed around 1AM and we had to catch our flight by 7AM. It was a LONG night, but we can honestly say our weekend of tennis went out with a huge bang!!! The weather was perfect, the food was delicious, the tennis was intense, and the company of my husband was AMAZING as usual! We came home with souveniers and empty pocket books, but it was well worth it! We even witnessed a gorgeous pink sunset (thanks, Liz) from Arthur Ashe Stadium! We took several pics of our weekend and I have posted them throughout this entry!

Our Liz Wink outside of Arthur Ashe Stadium! SO pretty!!!

Outside Arthur Ashe Stadium getting ready to watch tennis!

The tennis ball colored Lexus!
Venus Williams
Nadal
Serena Williams
Safina
James Blake and Mardy Fish
Jankovic
Roger Federer!!!!
Andy Roddick
Dementieva
Cilic vs. Djokovic

My health held up pretty well. I really think this round of Prednisone is FINALLY helping. I just tell this disease to "bring it on"...you'd think after 10 years, it would know who it's dealing with, but I guess it hasn't learned yet. SO, if it wants to flare-up, then that just means I'll have to prove it wrong! It won't get to me!!!

Now, it's back to work and school for me. I'm taking Biochemistry and Biology right now. The Biology...man, I should have just bit the bullet all those years ago in freshman college and taken the class, but since I didn't need it, I didn't take it. Now, I have to recall Biology 111. Should be interesting. :) The Biochem class will be challenging, but that's just because it's a higher level course. The last biochem I had was about 3 years ago, so it's a little more fresh in my mind, but it will still challenge me, which I love!

That's about it for the udpates! Thanks for checking in and enjoy the pics from the US Open! Much love to all of my visitors, and I'll try to post again soon!

Amanda

Long time, no talk!!

WOW...it has been a VERY long time since I have written on this blog. I've wanted to update for SO many months.

Since my last post...I've gotten married and that was SO much fun! Our planning, and preparation and the day itself were all FULL of Liz Winks and blessings from heaven! What a wonderful angel/saint we have in Liz. She and God always show us they are right there helping me and Aaron along the way. It brings a huge sense of peace and fulfillment.
Our honeymoon was spent in Mexico and we had a beautiful time. The weather was GREAT and so was the food (and ofcourse the company of my husband!)! :) We can't wait to go back. I'm sure we will go back...not sure when, though.
Other than that, our company has been bought out. There have been several changes and I'm thankful that I have my job still. There has been no word on the status of my job/position, but for now, I'm "safe"...which is great. It's been a little stressful dealing with those issues, but now that I'm married, I really don't stress/worry too much about my job. I have SO many blessings that this is just a bump in the road that I will get through no matter what the result. :)

Well, I hope to update again VERY soon (maybe this week, even)!!! Good-bye for now! :)

Amanda

SO much to update on...........

Well, now that I finally have a moment to update my life, I sit and wonder where do I begin.

I went to ND the 6th-14th of October and that was a great time! That stay was great as always. I drove there, which was really nice because I had my own vehicle during my stay, which allowed me to go and visit several people. One very special thing I got to do during my stay was vist Grand Forks. That was the first I had been there since graduation (2005). All I can say is WOW...that place has grown! During my day in Grand Forks, I went to visit my friend, Liz, grave site. My blog spot is named after Liz (well, it's really named after her "Liz Winks", but you get my drift). After I got done at the cemetary, I got to meet Liz's mom for supper. This was SO special. We laughed, cried, etc etc. Let me tell you....Peg (Liz's mom) is one special lady. I see so clearly where Liz got her strength and personality from.

The rest of my stay in ND was spent with family. I had a GREAT time with the family. I didn't have time to see all my friends, which made me sad, but I know that we are coming back for Christmas...so that will be our chance to visit a few more friends during that time...hopefully.

Now, onto some VERY big news....I got a PROMOTION at work!!!! It is VERY exciting and VERY unexpected. It's a GREAT new challenge, and I'm up for it!!

I ended up getting sick this weekend, so I have been laying low all weekend so I can be ready for work tomorrow!!!!

Well, it's time to sign off. Take care all and have a great week!!!
~ABS~