2011 was great to us. Just a little recap:
We got engaged on February 6
and married on April 23rd.
Two days after our wedding we spent 24 hours STRAIGHT moving into our tiny little apartment. It took forever, but we eventually found a spot for our endless truck loads of stuff. [Stephan didn't realize how much his belongings would multiply when he got married. He definitely underestimated the amount of clothes a girl needs to have a complete wardrobe. :) ]
Lucy enjoying the view. [only place that our tv fit... right in front of the bed! :)]
After unpacking, we began our summer adventures with our honeymoon in Florida. --Best vacation ever!! [ you can see pics of the honeymoon/wedding in earlier posts ].
The rest of the summer was filled with....
nightly walks around campus and Provo
trips to Ferron, UT
A family get-together in Albequerque, NM (all thanks to the Anderson family!)
Lucy and I couldn't stay awake that trip. We fell asleep literally EVERY TIME we sat down in the car.
hikes and bonfires in the mountains,
lots of shooting (of course),
and a final shebang in Zions.
What a summer! Then reality hit, and we were back to school. Stephan had a fairly relaxing semester (minus a ridiculous Political Science class) while I hit the books hard. It was definitely an adjustment getting back into nursing, but I loved every minute of it! My clinical group/instructor were AWESOME!
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We had a blast, and I learned a ton. Stephan finished his GE's (what a relief!), and got ready to dive into his new major in the coming Winter semester.
After finals we jumped on a plane and left Provo as fast as we could. Evansville, Indiana had never looked so good! We were so fortunate to spend Christmas with both of our families. We are really grateful for the sacrifices everyone made to be there and for our parents and the huge effort they made to accommodate SO MANY PEOPLE! It's amazing how much our families have grown.
Just the 3 of us
Patrick Family Christmas Dinner
Lunch with Grandmother Schauss
Family bonfire at the Patricks
The Schauss boys + a few additions
Thai food extravaganza
Attempted Schauss Family Picture. [No one was satisfied with any of them!]
All the little ninos running around really made Christmas a delight. They have all gotten so BIG! It was great to finally be an aunt and uncle in person for a time.
Me and Lucy. We have missed having her so close!
"Grandpa Schauss" playing with the grandkids.
Lucy is not one to keep her feelings inside. :]
Cutest little cat I've ever seen! [Gotta love that little red nose]
Me and Maci. That little stinker is always smiling!
Can't keep the kids entertained? Just make a 3 foot long straw to keep them occupied!
Cute little Jackson.
Hadley wishing she had gotten a light-up hat for Christmas too!
Addie meeting Great Grandmother Schauss for the first time!
Christmas activities included...
Gingerbread houses
[Can't decide if this is a cry or one of Maci's funny smiles :)]
trips to the Zoo
duck feeding
tales of the Beet Farm from uncle John
Tater Hole Tourneys
[i don't have any pictures of these "intense" face-offs, so if you do, let me know! -- thanks]
and of course LOTS and LOTS of delicious FOOD!
[Apparently, this was "the perfect plate"]
2011 went out with a bang. Stephan and I made the fam Thai food. We had the usual Tater Hole tournament. And Dan made his famous Cherry Chocolate Chunk ice cream!
We knew we were getting old though when we couldn't wait for 12 AM to come just so we could go to bed. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.. HAPPY NEW YEAR! Bring on 2012!!
