Divergent

I used to be an avid reader.  I say used to, not because I don't enjoy it anymore, but because I have found myself with less and less time to enjoy a good book.  Being a mom has kept me pretty busy, and truth be told, I had a hard time finding time to read when it was just Doug and I as well.  We've always been really active, and have never really had much down time.  I do love to read though, and I'm always happy when I find a good book that interests me.

I think I've only read a handful of books since I started dating Doug in 2009.  Sad, I know.  Anyway, I had been hearing a lot about this new book by Veronica Roth called Divergent.  I'd seen it all over Instagram and Facebook, and I had also heard that the movie version would be out in theaters in March 2014.  I hadn't really heard much about the plot, but I had heard that it was a teen novel along the same lines as the Hunger Games.  I really enjoyed the Hunger Games, so I figured I might like it.  I was in Target the other day and saw it on the shelf and decided to give it a go.

Like I said before, it has been taking me months (if not years) to finish a book nowadays, so I figured this would be the same way, and I could tell you guys about it well after the movie came out, probably in 2015.  I started it on my trip to Rapid, and it caught my interest right off the bat.  I stayed up late reading it every night, and actually finished the book just days after I returned to Bozeman.

I have to say, it really drew me in in the beginning.  It's the story of a society, a dystopian Chicago, that is divided into five factions.  Each faction is dedicated to a certain virtue, like honesty, selflessness, etc., and the members of that faction value their virtue above all else.  When the children in this society reach age 16, they must take an aptitude test that will determine which faction they belong in.  The children then choose which faction they want to join, based on their aptitude test, but they don't necessarily have to choose the faction that they have an aptitude for.  I was very intrigued at first as it was an interesting concept and an interesting world.  As the story went on, I felt it got less interesting, and the storyline kind of stagnated, but I still enjoyed it.  It's a quick read, obviously since I got through it so quick, and pretty enjoyable at that.  There are two more books in the series and I plan on getting them soon so I can finish the whole story.

If you're in the market for a quick, easy read about dystopian societies, check it out.  I don't think it was quite as good as the Hunger Games (the books not the movies), but I did like it.  And now I can check out the movie in March, although I'm sure the book will be better as they always are!

Weekend Love!

Well, it was Valentine's Day weekend, and I can safely say I had one of the best Valentine's ever.  Friday night, Doug got home from work and had a surprise for me.  He had prepared a scavenger hunt around our house for me to find my Valentine's present.  Every clue led to another clue in a hunt for my gift, but each clue had very sweet, kind messages on it for me.  It was one of the most thoughtful presents I've ever received.  I've never been one for big gestures, it's much more about the small things and the thought that counts with me.  Doug put a lot of thought and time into the scavenger hunt (when he doesn't have much spare time this time of year), and it meant the world to me.  It was beyond sweet!

After the scavenger hunt, we went to Longhorn Cider, which is a new hard cider place in town.  We both got the sample platter, with four different kinds of cider.  They had traditional, currant, ginger, and hops.  They were all pretty good, but my favorite was traditional.  Doug liked the hops one, I think because it tasted the closest to beer!  It was definitely a different taste, and their cider is not super sweet, but I liked it.  The building was really cool too, and the atmosphere was right up our alley.  It was a fun place to go.

After cider, Doug was going to cook for me, but we both agreed that that sounded like more work than we were up for, so we stopped at Frank's for dinner.  Frank's was closed but they had 3rd Floor Pizza available, so we got a pizza to go.  We ended the night enjoying pizza, a red velvet cupcake, and the Olympics on the couch.  It was a pretty great Valentine's Day!!

Saturday Doug had to work, so Drew and I spent the day cleaning and running errands.  Not much fun, but it has to get done.  Saturday night, Doug and I were lucky enough to have a date night.  Doug's parents watched Drew so we could have a romantic dinner together!

We went to Open Range, which is a new-ish restaurant in town.  It was fantastic!  We both got the Beef Tenderloin, and it's safe to say it was one of the best steaks I've had in awhile.  It was served with broccoli and smoked mashed potatoes that were absolutely phenomenal, probably the best mashed potatoes I've ever eaten.  They also had really, really good drinks.  The overall experience was great, and I would highly recommend Open Range!  We finished dinner before seven, so we figured we should at least go for an after dinner drink so we weren't home from our date so early!  We walked around a bit downtown and then went to Copper for a drink.  I had to have some pretzel bites for dessert as well!  I think Doug thought I was crazy and wondered what kind of girl would rather have pretzel bites than something sweet for dessert, but what can I say, I just love those darn pretzel bites!  It was another really great night, and we both had fun spending time with each other on a "date."  It's been awhile.

Overall, it was the perfect Valentine's Day weekend.  Doug made it super special, and really made me feel loved and appreciated!  I'm one lucky girl!

High Five for Friday!

Happy Valentine’s Day!  It’s been a good week back at home.  Drew and I quickly fell back into our old routine, and we’ve had so much fun this week.  Drew becomes more and more interactive every day, and he makes me laugh all the time.  It’s crazy how fast he’s growing up, but I’m definitely loving every minute of it!

This week was a good one, but now that tax season is here in full force, we see less of Doug than we’d like, but we make do.  I just have to keep reminding myself that it will be worth it when he gets to spend two and a half days at home with us every weekend later in the year.  Anyway, here’s the top five of our week:

1. Drew has become less and less interested in taking naps.  That, however, is not a good thing because that means that by seven at night, he’s a grump!  He’s a very curious boy and always wants to be a part of the action, so I thought I’d try having him take a nap in the living room on the couch, so that I’m still right there and he doesn’t feel like he’s missing out on anything.  It worked perfectly, and I couldn’t be happier because I was really starting to struggle getting the kid to take a nap!
   

   

   
   

   
   
2. Drew still loves bath time, and I’m so happy for that.  Both Doug and I spent a great deal of time in the water growing up, so I think we both plan on having Drew in the water as well.  I’m thankful that he likes it and I hope he continues to love it as he gets older!
   

   
3. Today is Valentine’s Day.  I’ve never been a huge fan of the holiday.  I think it’s nice to celebrate love, but I think we should all do that every day!  I made a few Valentine’s for our niece and nephews, and it was pretty fun.  It’s been years since I’ve made Valentine’s cards like that, and I’m excited that, as Drew gets older, I’ll be getting to do it more and more.  I also made a little Valentine’s Day blizzard, which is fun to snack on.  It’s so easy to make, and tastes delicious, so it’s the perfect Valentine’s snack!
   

   
4. It’s been nice having the Olympics to watch at night.  During tax season, we can’t really do much after work since it’s already dark by the time Doug gets home, so we often find ourselves struggling to find something on T.V. to keep us interested until bed time.  Neither of us are big T.V. people, and we rarely agree on programming, so it’s nice to have the Olympics to watch since it’s something that we both enjoy.
   

   
5. Last night, one of Doug's high school friends was in town coaching the UND women's basketball team as they took on the Bobcats.  We went to the game to cheer on Coach P, but we only made it until halftime.  Drew does not do to well at the basketball games because they start at his bed time, so he often gets grumpy by half.  However, next weekend, he's in the Great Baby Race at halftime of the men's game, so we thought a little practice at staying up that late might help.  It could get interesting next week during the race because he's pretty much ready to be home in bed by halftime.  Hopefully he can stick it out and win the race!

   

Sorry about the weird formatting of this post.  It's been a struggle this morning.  I'm not sure what was going on, but I couldn't get anything to work right.  Anyway, hope you all have a great weekend, and Happy Valentine's Day!!

Scout

After Drew and I went back to Rapid a couple weeks ago, Drew came home with a new friend.  Grandma Brenda got him the My Pal Scout Leap Frog stuffed animal.  Scout is pretty cool, and has quickly become Drew’s favorite toy.  He’s not much into traditional baby toys, and would much rather play with my iPhone or the remote control, but he seems to love Scout.

One of the coolest things about Scout, is that you can personalize him to your child.  I plugged him into our computer and answered a few questions, and now Scout knows Drew’s name and a few of his favorite things.  Now Scout says things like, “Good Night, Drew,” and “I love you, Drew.”  I’m pretty sure Drew can recognize that Scout is saying his name, and he loves it.  His face lights up every time Scout talks, it’s just so cute!

Scout also plays bedtime music, so Drew has been going to sleep with him.  He likes having Scout there to touch, and the music helps relax him.  So far, Scout is a winner!

I’ve heard good things about the Leap Frog toys for older children, but I hadn’t really had much experience with them myself.  I have to say, I’ve become a fan.  And I’m pretty sure we will be investing in some other Leap Frog learning toys as Drew gets older!

Wednesday Wisdom - Let Your Husband Love You

It seems like I keep hearing over and over again of couples who have been married for many, many years who are getting divorced.  I’m talking couples who have been married for 20+ years.  It always shocks me and I wonder how, after that many years, a marriage could combust.  I was lucky enough to come from a family that is still very much in tact, and from parents who love each other more and more every day.  So that has been my example of what a successful, strong marriage looks like.  And it’s something that I want to emulate, but as I get older, I do realize that marriages take work and things aren’t always going to be perfect.  You don't get the fairytale life and marriage by just being lucky, it takes an effort from both husband and wife to make it work.

I came across this blog post on Facebook the other day, and it really struck me.

www.whenathome.com/let-your-husband-love-you/ - I highly suggest you read this post. It's so very true, and if you are a mother, I think you will be able to relate.

I can relate to it in so many ways.  I think one of the main reasons (and this is just my opinion, not based on facts or experience of any sort) that couples divorce so late in life is that they spend all of their time raising kids and focusing on their children, that when it’s finally time for the children to leave the nest, they realize that they’ve grown apart and no longer have much in common.  And while I don’t think there’s anything wrong with putting the majority of your efforts into raising kind, productive, well-balanced children, I also think it’s important to stop every now and again and spend some time connecting and re-connecting with your spouse.  It’s important to not lose focus of what made you fall in love in the first place, and remember to treat each other with love and respect always.

I do know that since Drew has come along, he’s been my main focus.  And I’m probably guilty of not spending enough time and energy on my husband.  I absolutely can relate to the things that Kristen says in this blog, and I know I'm guilty of many of them.  The post was helpful though because it allowed me to see that I’m not the only woman out there that can struggle with this, and it made me want to be better.  Motherhood is a tough balancing act.  So is wifehood, if you want to call it that.  There’s so many moving parts and pieces that sometimes things get lost in the shuffle.  This article made me think about what it means to have a loving husband, and made me realize that my relationship with him is definitely not something that I want to get lost in the shuffle.  I don’t want to have our children go off to college in 20 years and look at my husband and see a stranger.  I don't want to be that couple getting divorced after 30 years of marriage.  I hope that I can take the advice of this blogger and live it in my everyday life.  I want to let my husband love me and I want to be married happily forever and ever.

Olympics!

Have you all been watching the Olympics?  I have to say that I really love when the Olympics come around.  There’s just something so refreshing about a nation banding together.  For once we’re all on the same team, regardless of political affiliations or any other differences that usually work to divide our nation.  I love the heartwarming stories of these athletes that have dedicated their lives to their sports just for the shot at a gold medal.  I think the Olympics are something that every American can enjoy as we cheer on our athletes as one united country.

This year I’ve been making new favorite athletes as most of my old favorite athletes have not returned for this Olympics.  It’s so fun to hear new stories and root for new talent as it seems the Americans just keep getting better and better.  I always love watching sporting events, and I think the Olympics tops them all.  In my opinion, there's no greater sporting event out there.  I hope you’re all tuning in and enjoying the Olympics as much as I am!!

 

We're Back!

Wow, it seems like it's been ages since I've worked on this blog.  Drew and I took a trip back to Rapid last week, and we ended up staying longer than I had originally planned.  We had a great time though, and it was really nice to spend some time with my family and check up on my dad after his surgery.  He's doing great (aside from a few rough days when I first got home!), so we're all very happy about that.

Because my dad just had surgery and wasn't able to walk too much, we didn't do a whole lot.  We spent most of the time at my parents house just hanging out.  Drew became an expert stander, and we read lots and lots of books.  We watched the Super Bowl, which didn't turn out the way we had hoped, but we made some pretty killer cupcakes and Drew was adorable in his Broncos outfit with uncle Erick's Broncos hat.  Overall, it was a really fun, relaxing week!!

We didn't get much done this weekend.  Tax season is in full force, so Doug has to work Saturdays, which really cuts down on the family weekend time.  We were going to try to go snow tubing on Sunday, but it was just too cold for little Drew to be out.  He practiced in the living room though!  We also lowered his crib because he really loves to stand in it now.  He's getting so big.  Where has the time gone?!

Here are some pictures from our week in Rapid and some from this weekend too!