screaming on the inside.

This week. has been. insane.

I leave for Sweden on Saturday (!) and I don't think I've ever lived a longer week in my life. I had all these great plans to blog a head... prepare to be gone, you know... get ready to leave the country for a bit. But nooo...

We had raw sewage back up in our kitchen at work two days ago. raw. sewage.

grossed out.

But I leave for Sweden in two days. If I focus on that, I think I can make it. I hope.

Did I mention raw sewage. Ok, just making sure.

have a better rest of the week!
e.

lunch lady life

Wow. Those five days went so fast! Wasn't I just counting down to the start of a new school year?

This was end of May- thrilled that there was only 3 more days of school before summer break.

This was this morning. Coffee needed to start the school year off right.

Well, it happened. Today. And I survived.

There were definitely times I was flustered. (there are a lot of new regulations) But I'm alive. And get to do it all over again tomorrow.

Remember: you love the kiddos- and that's why you do it.
e.

Counting down

This summer is coming to an end. And for the first time {ever} in my life, I'm really looking forward to Fall. It's always been my favorite season- because of the colors, holidays, and smells... But I LOVE sunshine- which there's usually more of in the summertime!

I'm counting down to a couple things...

In just a few hours I'll be headed to the Brown County Fair with my honey for a fun, end-of-summer tradition here in good ol' Aberdabber. The tradition is the fair- not us going. So maybe that will become a tradition :)

In five days the school year starts back up again. Meaning my job as a lunch lady resumes. Excited to see the kiddos and have more of a routine again for sure!

And lastly, I leave for Sweden in 15 days! AH! My dear friend Julia, who was in my wedding, is having a wedding of her own and I have the honor to be a part of her big day. I can hardly control my excitement :)

What are you counting down to as this summer's doors are closing?

love,
e.

girl just wanna have fu-un.

I'm that person who calls every friend a "bestfriend". I always have, and probably always will. But all of my besties are from different seasons in my life.

I've had three "high school bestie's" since, well, high school. One of whom I actually met in like 6th grade- but we formed out closest bond during our high school years. We have all been close since freshmen year, which puts us on year eleven of our crazy-hilarious-deep-fun friendship! Wow... I guess time flies when you're having fun!

All three of them were, of course, part of my 8-maid wedding party- Love that this is one of a million memories for us :)

     {katelynn}                    {stephanie}                     {blaire}

 Last weekend we took a trip. A girls weekend if you will. And it was a blast! This is the first time ever (!) in eleven years that we've all been on a trip together- just the four of us. Can you believe that?! Yeah, we couldn't either!

 Katelynn's sweet gramma lives in Alexandria, Minnesota on a lake {appropriately} named Little Darling.

We stayed in her cool upstairs "apartment", bought/made food, laughed A LOT, and caught up on life. Katelynn and I live in Aberdeen still, but Blaire is in Sioux Falls, SD and Stephanie is in Madison, WI... So there was a lot to catch up on!

My favorite part about these women is how different we all are. We all come from walks of life unlike the other, yet our friendship has outlasted any differences we may face.

I will forever cherish the memories made in Alex, lades, and every other one too :) Thanks for being great friends!

love,
e.

{an evening in august}

Saturday, August 4th was a sunny, cool, windy day. And it was just fine for a wedding. The day started early. Like 7am early. But everyone worked together to get everything set up!

The wedding took place at the homestead. Lots of open space and pretty views. I'm sure the photographers LOVED the area :) And I know I can't wait to see the pictures.

Samantha and Scott wanted their wedding to be a celebration shared with family and loved ones, and that's exactly what it was. I was honored to stand up for Samantha and be a part of the whole experience.

There was fun yard games and lots of yummy food. S&S are vegetarian/vegan so they chose foods that were equally delicious as they were fitting to their diets. There was American, Italian, Mediterranean, and Indian food enjoyed by all. It was such a great idea to have so many choices!

The evening was beautiful as the sun set. Lots of fun and laughing took place on the dance floor, along with the expected "ooo's and aw's" of the Father-Daughter and First Dances.

One of my favorite parts of the whole night was the cute drink station. S&S' friends and family brew their own beer and make their own wine. So there was plenty to go around. Homemade sangria called my name all night! And it was delish!

The photographers- a darling couple from Michigan- set up a "goof booth" where everyone was encouraged to go be goofy in front of the white screen. Katelynn and I had {probably} too much fun with that... Here's one of our "goofy" ideas:

Yeah. Silly, I know. But what can I say? We love the Olympics.

Anyway, it was a wonderful day. I am so happy for you, S&S, and wish you all the happiness in the world!

Isn't she gorgeous?! Yeah... not jealous at all...

love,
e.

Pretties for a Pretty

I think I'm finally recovered from this past weekend's wedding extravaganza! Phew! It really takes it out of me! Which I hate :P

I am SO excited to share about Samantha and Scott's wedding! She has been a close friend of mine since 5th grade (!) and we lived together when I lived in Colorado- she truly is my kindred spirit.

But before I tell you about, and show pictures from the gorgeous day... I wanted to share some fun-ness leading up to the wedding. As in- Bachelorette Party!! Woop woop! Best of all? It was a surprise! Have I ever mentioned that I love surprises? Because I do. A lot.

Shauna {Samantha's older sister} planned to pick her up for dinner... Which just happened to be at Sarah's {the sister right after Samantha} - SURPRISE! - She had no idea. So much so that she wore her younger sister's brand new shoes. Thinking she wouldn't run in to her in them... Whoops. The look on both sisters faces was hilarious. Summer glared (all in fun) and Samantha was caught red-handed. Priceless! It was a great way to begin the evening :)

We didn't plan any games or have any of those silly boy-parts shaped anything. It was simple, with good food and laughter. A night to celebrate the love Samantha has found. We had a 'make your own quesadilla' bar, stocked with veggies and soy cheese for the Vegan-bride-to-be. I tried my hand at Vegan Chocolate Cupcake. {recipe here} They were SO good. Seriously- you've gotta try them!

And of course, there were gifts. We wanted to gift things for her wedding night/honeymoon. And it was SO fun to see what she got! Sorry, but most of the pictures aren't really for everyone to see... you understand.

Sisters. Sarah, Samantha {Bride}, Shauna, Summer. (The littlest sister didn't join us, Seppy)

Christiana, Katelynn, Me, Bride, Summer, Shauna, Sarah (Photo courtesy of Katelynn)

So very happy for my friend :) Love ya girl!
e.