Here Comes the Bride

Over Christmas break I had this ridiculous idea to get out my wedding dress. I was thinking about how much it cost and that I only wore it one day! My whole family was together so I talked my sisters and my mom into getting out our dresses and having a fashion show! We laughed so hard putting our dresses on and remembering our wedding days. I think my Mom is just the cutest, her dress fit her perfectly! After that, we put them all back in the closet. Who knows when they will surface again.

I miss this little guy!

This adorable little man is my nephew. My sister moved away from Chicago last month and took this precious little guy with her. We are happy for them that they are starting something new in life, but sad for our loss. We miss them all so much! Come visit soon!

Oprah!

Yesterday morning I got to attend a live taping of the Oprah Winfrey Show. One of the students that lives in my dorm had an extra ticket, and she offered it to me. I was so excited to go. Seeing Oprah is one of the things I really wanted to do while living in Chicago, but didn't think it would happen due to tickets being really hard to get.

We had to be on a bus to the Harpo Studio by 6 am, which is way early for me! We arrived at the studio and they shuffled us through security to a holding room. After about an hour of waiting we were let into the studio. They warmed us up for a few minutes by having us practice facial expressions. Apparently, the more dramatic the better. The audience was mostly female, but there were a few men who looked less than thrilled to be there. I don't have any pictures because cameras weren't allowed. I didn't get any TV time, but it was so much fun!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Dad and Mom! We love you and wish we could be there to celebrate!

We Are Home!

(My sister, Allison, and her daughter as an angel in the reading of the Christmas story)

(My nephews as a shepherd and a donkey...the one with slippers tied to his head is the donkey)

(Brandon and I with our Christmas sweaters)

(the Bride and me)

(Brandon, Karona, and Ben)

(the ladies)

(Mr. and Mrs. Peter Morrow)(The picture of Brandon's dad with a coffee cup is perhaps the most extraordinary moment of our vacation... his first cup of coffee in 3 years. He rang in the new year with a cup of joe. Welcome back to the fold!)
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After 17 days we are back in Chicago. We were both on Holiday break so we left Chicago for the entire time. We spent the first week with my family celebrating Christmas. We had three Christmas celebrations, saw lots of family, ate tons of food, and laughed! We then headed to Minneapolis for a few days. We stayed with Brandon's brother and his family. It was fun to connect with them and catch up. We were there for the wedding of my dear friend Sarah. Sarah and Peter got married! It was a beautiful wedding! We had an awesome time catching up with college friends.

We then traveled to be with Brandon's Grandpa and family. We spent the week in Guttenberg. It was so relaxing. We slept, read, and talked. We are both very grateful for a few weeks to slow down and enjoy the people we love.
Here are some pics of our time.