Kaia - Class of 2010!

Guess who graduated from dog obedience school?! Our 1 year old, totally crazy, totally sweet German Shepherd, that's who!

She listened to my instructions (kind of).

She sat and stayed (kind of).

She stood and stayed for the inspection (she actually did this, scored a 40/40 in this category!).

And she WON FIRST PLACE! Out of how many dogs you ask, well is that really important? If you must know..3. Well, ok, 2 considering one of the other dog's owners was a dog trainer and didn't compete. But she still got first place and for that we are very proud!

All I know, is that she wins 1st place in the cutest dog in the world contest. Even if she's not the smartest and is outside digging deep into the concrete as I type this, who cares! She's cute and sweet and we love her! :)

Happy Birthday Stacey!

Happy birthday to my baby sister! Stacey is 20 today!! She just finished her freshman year at Ball State and is one of my best friends. Even though we don't live in the same house anymore, she still lets me raid her closet when I'm tired of my clothes!

We went to Cheesecake factory last night to celebrate with Stacey. It was a lot of fun and we all ate way too much! We're so glad we got to celebrate with you, Stace! We love you lots..Happy 20th birthday!! :)

Sisters!

Stacey and two of her friends from Ball State

Duane and I :)

The fam!

I'll let you insert you're own caption for this picture...;)

Destination Relaxation

Last weekend Duane and I went to South Haven, Michigan to celebrate our one year anniversary. We debated on a location for a couple of month and finally decided that heading up to Lake Michigan would be perfect. We simply needed a weekend to lay in the sun and relax. It seems like our lives are non stop lately, so a mini vacation was in desperate need. It was only a three and a half hour drive, so we didn't waste a lot of time in the car.

I had never been to South Haven before so I wasn't really sure what to expect. I have lots of great childhood memories from Warren Dunes in Michigan, but that's really the only place in Michigan I have been. South Haven was beautiful! The lake was gorgeous (and oil free I might add) and I felt like I was laying on a beautiful, tropical beach. It was great!

We didn't do a whole lot on the trip. We laid on the beach, road our bikes around town, and did some shopping. We stayed at a really pretty bed and breakfast and it was a great experience! The trip was very relaxing and gave us a chance to spend some one-on-one time together, which was so nice. The weekend ended too soon of course, but I would definitely go back to South Haven in the future!

Here are some pictures from the weekend...

The Bed and Breakfast we stayed at.

The pretty beach!

Such a cute town!

I made Duane put this bag on the back of his bike so I could take my camera. He was super embarrassed because he thought it knocked his cool factor down a few notches!

A Year Ago Today

A year ago today I married my best friend. I am not exaggerating one bit when I say that this year has flown by. Yesterday I was thinking about all of the things that have taken place since June 14 of last year. We got married in June, got our sweet puppy in July, I began my final semester of student teaching in August, started teaching in November, Duane got a new job and started in December, I graduated in December, and then got a new job just last month. Wow - no wonder the past year has flown by!

I promise I won't bore you with a long mushy blog post but I do want to say how happy I am that God blessed me with such an incredible guy. The past year has been so much fun and Duane and I have grown so much together. I can distinctly remember Duane's mom telling me that no matter what happens, Duane and I will have a "fun" marriage because he is such a "fun" person to be around. That sounds silly, but it has become so real to me the past year. I have enjoyed spending lots of time with my husband and growing closer to him. I have learned more about sports than any girl needs to know and I'm sure Duane would say the same thing about shopping. It's been a great year and I'm so excited to see what the next year brings. I know marriage and life won't always be easy, but I know that I will always have my best friend and God by my side and that brings me a lot of comfort.

Happy anniversary Duane! I love you so much! :)

(All photos courtesy of J. Scott Photography - He's awesome!)

Kaia is 1!

Happy 1st birthday to the cutest puppy in the world! We're so glad you're part of our family!!

Kaia at 3 weeks. I can't believe she was ever this small!

A little bigger

Last picture of me holding Kaia..haha ridiculous I know!

Kaia now!

I can't believe she went from the first picture to this! I never knew a dog could gain 90 lbs. in just a year!

Kaia with her best friends!

We love you Kaia! :)

Just Add Water

This weekend we were able to spend a little time at the lake with some of my most favorite people. Words can't express how much I enjoy being at the lake. I love it and everything that come along with it. I love being able to go out on the water and not worry about what time it is. I love laying on the boat and soaking up the rays (not that there were many this weekend!). I love sitting around the fire talking about life and numerous childhood memories. I love all of these things but there is one reason that I love the lake that trumps all of the other reasons. The lake is where some of my most favorite childhood memories took place.

We have been going to boating with the Whittaker family since I can remember. When I was younger and life wasn't so hectic, we spent many summer weekends out on the boat. Whether it be hanging out at the lake lot at Herritage, houseboating at Dalehollow, playing in the water of Lake Michigan, or spending the day tubing at Racoon Lake..we were always at the lake! It was so much fun and I love reminiscing on all of the fun times our family experienced with the Whittakers. We talk about the bumps and bruises we've gotten from tubbing, and believe me, there have been lots! We talk about the first time we skied and wake boarded. We talk about the numerous baths we've taken off the back of the house boat at Dale Hollow. I could go on and on, but I won't bore you with those things! The Whittakers (and now Reitzels) are more like family to me than friends. Unfortunately, life gets busier and busier the older we all get, but the lake seems to be the one place that always brings everyone back together.

We headed out to Herritage last night to spend some time with Nicole, her husband, and Steve. Josh (Nicole's husband) grilled some fabulous pork and chicken and we all ate way too much! After dinner were took a nighttime cruise on the lake. Talk about relaxing! After we got back to the house we sat around a fire and talked for a while. We were lucky enough to spend the night at the lake house, so that we could get up early and get some wake boarding in before the rain. Believe it or not, we were up at 7 to try and get the "glassy" water (as Steve calls it). We all were able to wake board and I even got to solum ski for the first time since I was in high school! Duane did really well on the wake board and I am impressed with the progress he's made in the past few summers. I was a big whimp and couldn't manage to get over the wake this morning, but there's always next time, right?! We ended the morning with lunch and lots more talking! Nicole and I tend to take after our moms when it comes to socializing! :)

It was a great, short trip and just what we needed. A big thanks to the Whittakers whom are always so gracious in inviting us out to the lake. I can't wait for many more memories in the future!

A few pictures from the weekend...

Pretty flowers on the lake

Nicole cutting up some fruit for dinner

Duane ready to wake board

Made it over the wake!

Me!

Nicole..a little better than me!

Steve is the real master wake boarder!

Duane and I on the boat

Nicole and half of Steve..strange! :)

Nicole and Josh

See me? :)

Love this girl!

The four of us!