Reflecting on the past year...

The entire internet is complaining about how crap 2017 was.
And yeah... bad things happened to all of us this year. But bad things happen to everyone every year.
I think that if you focus so much of your energy on all the crap that has happened to you, you will fill your memories up with nothing but bad things you want to forget.
I love doing this blog. Honestly I write it for noone but us. Its cool if other people read it and stay updated with our life. But mostly I just use it to log our memories, and print it off every year to have a keepsake book of memories.
I only write the good stuff, the positive, the things I never want to forget.
I don't record the negative, or the struggles, or bad experiences.
When I get old and start to lose my memories, I want to be able to re-read my life storie, but only the good pages. Only the happy stories. And feel blessed, not regretful.

2017 has been a good year for us.

We have traveled more. Took the long route just to see something new. Been more adventurous. Gone with the flow. We went to Jamestown to see the Worlds Largest buffalo. We went on trips to Bismark and Fargo. We traveled down to Rapid City and Keystone South Dakota. Went and saw Mount Rushmore. Traveled down to Colorado. Went to Steamboat and saw where my dad grew up. Went through Craig and Meeker. Spent time visiting family, some of which we hadn't seen in 5 years.

We made a YouTube Channel and started Vloging. We don't do it for views or attention. We are simply making our own family videos that we cherish. And since starting our vlogs sometimes we go places or do things just for the sake of making a video about it. I think "What cool things would I want to show my family, since they cant come here?" and then we vlog about. This pushes us to go out and find adventures or activities we probably would have never tried otherwise.

We have worked hard. Both Michael and I have been progressing and improving in our jobs. We have our eyes on our goals and we are making great progress towards our plans for the future.

We have learned that while it is important to put your responsibilities as a priority. It is also important to invest in yourself. You cant live every day because you have to. Sometimes you just have to put yourself first, and trust that every little thing will be alright in the end. So doing small things once in awhile just to make yourself happy is a Must. You should always have something to be excited about, and always looking forward.

Our only "Resolution" for the New Year- is to be Happy Every Day.

There is always room for self improvement. There are always things you can do better.
But the real goal- is just to live a happy life. So do something every day just to make yourself happy. Focus on the positive. And be grateful for the things you have to enjoy in life.

So cheers 2017.
Thanks for the memories!

Minot Christmas 2017🎄

This is the first year since we've moved here that we have really celebrated Christmas in all its glory.
We set up a tree. Decorated the house. Mailed out Christmas Cards. Baked Cookies. Wrapped Gifts. Even cooked a Christmas feast, right down to the turkey.
It was really a Perfect Christmas.

This years Family Christmas Photo in front of our All Gold decore Christmas Tree. 

Wesley & Radar were less than thrilled about thier new Christmas sweaters, but Buddy eagerly joined the Photo.

 

Heres a better picture with the boys in thier Santa Sweaters. 

The cookies we made.

AppleSauce, and Cowboy cookies. Moms old recipes we've made every year since I was a kid. 

Our Stockings this year. Reese's are the offical candy of all hollidays.

Every Christmas Morning while we are away we wake up early and watch the kids open thier gifts over Skype. This year I recorded it from our laptop. You can watch that video here:

We also made a Vlog this year to save some of our day. You can watch that here:

Every detail of Christmas this year was perfect. We are so blessed.

We hope everyone had as special of a Holliday as we did!

Cheers to 3 years of Marriage 🥂

My dearest Love. I am so thankful that in the last 3 years we have been married,  I have been able to truly get to know you.

I know who you are.
When you're tired, or hungry, or sad.
When you're depressed and distant.
When you're frustrated and angry.
I know how tough you can be, in times of pain or grief. How brave and strong you are when the need arises.
I know who you are when you're snuggly and sappy
I know how cute and gentle you can be. When you cuddle the dogs or comfort me. Or how sweet you are to animals and little kids.
I know how silly and wild you can be. When you do weird things in public to get a rise out of me. Or make jokes about things that should never be joked about. When you make me smile every day.
I know who you are when you're the happiest. When you feel accomplished. When you tell me your hopes and dreams.
I know who you are when you sleep, when you reach out and wrap yourself around me whenever I roll away. Even when it's hot.
I know how you are when you think no ones watching.
You're the guy who stops for broken down cars. Shovels the walks for elderly people. Opens all the doors, not just for me but for everyone. Takes down the neighbors trash with ours just to be nice. And gives the dogs just a few too many treats.
You always go the extra mile, and notice the little things. You never realize how far you've come or feel like you're enough.
But you are.
You are my love. You are my life.
And you are the greatest Man I know.
And out of all of the souls in the universe, I'm glad you are the one I get to call mine.

 -Love your Crazy Wife

 -Amber

Hello 23!! 🎉

Today Amber turns 23!

We celebrated her birthday as well as our upcoming Anniversary by booking a Suite at the Hyatt.

We had dinner. Went to the Lights in the Park. And enjoyed the 4 layer Devils food cake Amber spend hours preparing.

 Then the next morning we went to Breakfast and spent the day together with the rest of our local family. 

Her family from home called to wish her a Happy year ahead.

It was her "Picture Perfect" birthday.

The "Last fun birthday you actually celebrate" she calls it.

So heres to 23!

Our new Tree

When we moved out here I told Michael there was no point in buying a tree, because we would only be staying for 1 Christmas. 

Then the next year rolled around and I insisted that we were not decorating because we would be moving soon and I didnt want more to pack.

Well this is our Third Christmas in North Dakota, and we finally got a Christmas Tree.

We set it up and decorated it tonight. All gold lights and ornimants because I think colored lights and random colored orniments are tacky. 

I asked Michael to help me and this was the result. 

I said "No they cant touch!"

To which he replied "Its Christmas Balls!!"

... He is now no longer alowed to touch the tree 😂 

We hung the stockings. One for each of us, and one for each of the dogs.

I tried to prestuff the stockings with a few things but the dogs quickly learned that these were full of goodies and would not stay out of them. So they got some Christmas toys a little early this year.

Because this is the first tree in 3 years, Radar has never seen a tree before. He liked playing with the decorations while we were setting it up. But after we had it set and it was just standing in the corner challenging him, he kinda freaked out 😆 

Im very excited about Christmas this year and getting to spend it with our little family.

Thanksgiving 2017

Happy Thanksgiving from our Home to yours. 🦃
This is the first year we've done a "family" dinner and made everything at home.
Also the first year I've ever cooked a Turkey... It turned out ok saying I cooked it about 3 hours too long 😶 

I was in charge of cooking the Turkey, and that was an adventure I dont think I will volunteer to do again. I bought a 13# Turkey, and put it in the fridge to start thawing on Monday. That sucker was still solid Wednesday night. So I had to do a "quick thaw" and put in in the kitchen sink with cold water. But because the water had to stay Very cold to keep the meat from going bad, I had to get up EVERY 2 HOURS all night long and fill the sink with ice. 

Then at 7 am I got up, pulled all the gross insides out, and got it in the oven. The bag said it would be cooked in a few hours.

So a few hours go by and I get my brand new meat thermometer out and test it. It was nowhere near 165 degrees. I put it back in and tested in every 45 mins to an hour. And hour after hour it remained around 130 degrees. 

Finally after 6 AND A HALF HOURS, I tested the temperature and it said it was 120 degrees??

Turns out the gauge was defective. 

Its a miricle that Turkey wasnt crispy when we took it out. But it ended up being pretty good and we had a nice dinner.

 Our Traditional family around the table picture. 

 Our little Thanksgiving Dinner. Everyone choose thier favorite dish and made it. It was small and simple but very good!

Im glad we got to spend this Holliday together.

ThanksGiving Past

There is something extra magical about Hollidays when you are a kid.

Today, while we are 1,000 miles away from Home, having our own "Adult" Thanksgiving, I've been reminiscing on ThanksGivings we used to have. And I came across these photos from ThanksGiving 2012. 

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Mom would make an extra pumpkin pie the night before, so we could have it for breakfast on ThanksGiving day.

Our whole family would gather at either my parents, or my aunts House, because they were the only ones big enough to house our army. There was always a big debate on who would get to have it at their house, and both families always wanted it to be at their own. I don't understand why though, because looking back, who ever hosts has to clean the most.

 We had camping picnic tables set out, and we would all gather together near the TV where Grandpa's football game was on. He loves the Denver Bronocos. But no matter who was playing, the game was Always on.

With 12 kids, and 8-10 adults, there was always someone to sit by and talk to. It was loud and busy and messy, but that was the best part.

Every kid would get to make something, even the youngest. Usually a simple dessert or side dish. We would always fight over who got to make the ambrosia. I would insist it was my right as the oldest to get first dibs on what I wanted to make. I called it Amberosia, and I would get very angry if one of the cousins got to take a turn making this, especially if they modified the recipe and didn't make it how I deemed correct.

My Aunt Tara would always bring the best pies. Not the traditional kinds, but chocolate or pudding pies. 

Dad would make a ham, coated in Mustard/Brown Sugar mix.

My other Aunt and my dad would always get in an argument about each others kids behavior. There would always be at least some fight or drama between the cousins. 

Grandma would make the biggest, best dinner rolls every year, and she would try to set some aside just for me because they are my favorite. (Bread is life)

No matter who cooked the Turkey, Grandpa always cut it. 

And when dinner was ready all of the kids would line up youngest to oldest and get their food.

Its the simple little things that you remember that become cherished memories.

Radar Turns 2!

My cute little Furbaby turned 2 today!

It makes me so sad that he's not a tiny little furball anymore. But he still acts very mush like a puppy, just a little better behaved. And thankfully he Finally grew out of the chewing stage!

                Radar's 2nd Birthday                            Radar's 1st Birthday                

 This was the first picture we ever got of him, just a few days after he was born. Michael said he looked like a little piglet. 

This was his first Birthday "Party"

He still loves to snuggle! Any time you sit down he is either on your lap or at your feet.

He follows me everywhere, he doesn't like to be separated from you if he can help it. Luckily he doesn't have bad separation anxiety from me, but if he cant see Wesley at all times he flips out.

He loves pulling peoples socks off and chewing on them, but he only seems interested if he cant take them off your feet first. lol For some reason he is Terrified of the sound when someone blows in a bottle, and will run and hide under furniture if you even put a bottle close to your mouth.

And he lives true to his name, sounding an alarm every time he hears the slightest noise.

Im glad Ive kept so many pictures and videos over the last 2 years. I love watching him grow.

Family Bowling Night

Tonight we went to Xtreme bowling.

Which is just bowling in the dark with lazer/disco lights and really annoying music.

It was really fun. This is the first time since we've moved here that I have gone.

 I never understood why they make bowling shoes so ugly?

Sam is surprisingly very good at bowling, and won both games. Michael is really terrible at it. He had multiple balls go into the gutter, and decided it must be the ball. But after trading it in for a new "luckier" ball. He didnt get much better. lol

Christmas comes Early

Today I asked Michael if he would do a Vlog with me for our YouTube channel.

I told him it would be a "Get to Know You" like video where we answer questions about ourselfs so we could look back on it.

Mike had been dreaming and obsessing over the IphoneX since rumor of the 10th anniversary phone came out. He is addicted to Apple products. He has probably seen every video and read every review on the internet about this phone. He even had a picture he printed off of the Silver IphoneX hanging in his office. (He's a bit excessive)

But I told him we couldnt afford it and he would have to wait until at Least April, when we could Try to get it for his birthday.

Every time he came up with an idea or way to get the phone I would tell him that there was no way and kill any hopes he had of getting this phone any time soon.

At Midnight PST I preordered the phone from 3 different places, Verizon, Bestbuy, and the Apple Store.

My BestBuy order was availible November 3rd. All the others were 2-3 weeks out. Luckily Best buy had my back and I was able to pick this up yesterday.

I thought for sure that between getting up "Sick" in the middle of the night on preorder day. To going shopping with my sister for a "girls only" trip on release day, that he must think something was up.

But he was totally surprised!

He thought it was some kind of joke. lol

I handed him the wrapped box and told him this was his Christmas present and he could choose to wait to open it on Christmas, or open it now.

So Merry Early Christmas Michael!

I hope you stay excited about this one!!!

To Watch the video click below or check out our Channel YouTube.com/MikeAndMe

Sister Summer Continues...

My sister has come back to North Dakota!

Last night at 3am she arrived, after driving 15 hours straight through. We had her old room (previously our office) cleaned out and set up. She brought a truck full of stuff, and her old dog Buddy. This time she plans to stay a little longe. She had an interview this afternoon, she's getting a job, and then a place and is going to stay out here for awhile for work.
I am so excited to have her living here. The jobs and community here are great, but its lonely when everyone you know is 1,000 miles away.
Cheers to new adventures!

Click below to see the Original Sister Summer Post

October is Pregnancy + Infant Loss Awareness Month

Why is it important to be aware?

Because 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage or infant loss. And that's a big statistic that nobody ever talks about. I never thought it was a possibility or imagined it would happen to me.

We waited until almost 11 weeks to announce our pregnancy thinking we were close enough to "the safe zone" to share the news. There is no safe zone. A week later I replaced the announcement with a post that we had lost the pregnancy.

I didn't know anyone that this had happened to and I felt like it was just me. And I was so mad that I had shared our excitement only to have to publicly share our pain. I was embarrassed that I had announced this so soon, and to this day every time I see a Pregnancy announcement post sooner than 12 weeks I cringe. 
(Its always better to wait until at Least the second Trimester, as most miscarriages happen in the first 12 weeks)

However, after the news got out I received so many supportive messages from my friends who this had happened to, that I never knew anything about. I was surprised that so many people I knew had experienced this as well, and while I was heartbroken it happened to them also, it was a comfort to know that I wasn't alone.

In a society that views unborn children as "A clump of cells" that you can discard as you please- its easy to feel like your feelings are seen as unjustified. That you shouldn't feel as sad as you do. And well meaning people will try and tell you the optimistic side "Well at least ________"

There are many many woman who lost a baby later in term than I did, or had a much worse circumstance than me. And my heart breaks for them, and I pray that something like that never happens to me. But just because someone else has pain deeper than yours does not mean you're not allowed to grieve.

I know woman who have been told they will never be able to have kids, woman who got a positive test but never heard a heartbeat, woman who have lost late term pregnancies, and even woman who have lost their baby the day it was born. Infertility, miscarriage, still birth, and infant loss are all terrible things to have to go through.

No one ever talks about it.

We don't want you to feel bad for us, or not share your excited pregnancy announcements and baby posts with us because your afraid to upset us. We don't want you to feel weird about it or pity us.

But it's important to talk about and raise awareness because it happens so often- and you should know you are not alone, you did nothing wrong, and there are many woman who have experienced it all as well who's hearts go out to you.

It has taken me 2 years to get to a place where I can openly talk about this, and I wanted to share my story because God knows I am not alone. And for me, having those woman reach out to me and share their stories and support helped me heal.

I encourage anyone who feels like they want someone to talk to to reach out to me. I would love to hear your story and talk to you from one lost mom to another.

Please don't be afraid to share your story or post something about it, this month especially.

Remember that October 15th is Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Day. There are many churches and organizations that do luminaries and such on this day. If there is not one near you light a candle at 7pm and take a moment to remember your own story.

If you would like to read about our pregnancy announcement click the picture below:

https://mikeandmeambermarie.blogspot.com/2015/11/the-secret-is-out.html

Fall Photoshoot

Today we met with Photographer David Svendsen from Phoenix Photography

and had our family pictures done.

These turned out SO amazing! I've been waiting almost 2 years to get these done and we finally did! 

I am so happy with how these turned out!

Fall is the Perfect Time for Photos

Today Michael and I took some new pictures together for our blog and YouTube Channel.

We went to Oak Park downtown which is absolutely stunning this time of year!
It had just rained the last 3 days so everything was green and damp, and looked less dry and colorful than the fall scene I was expecting. But the weather forecast said this was probably the last sunny day for awhile so we decided not to put these pictures off any longer. Even with it being a nice sunny day, it was less than 60 degrees and the breeze had that 'hint of winter' chill to it.

Im really happy with how these turned out though, and believe it or not I didnt add saturation to these pictures! The color balance on the camera may have added to the depth of the color, but it really is this beautiful in real life! Its one of those places I wish I could share with our family who are so far away.