Saturday, December 9, 2017

Life Lately

Oh gracious. BLOG READERS! Confession time...I was not going to be one of those women who got engaged and forgot about their blog! Ha! Whoops!

I have so much to say and even more pictures to post. I'm dying to write out our whole story and just say so SO much cause there is just so much to it! But I did decide recently that it is more important that our wedding guests are fed well (etc etc etc) than that our story is written out before our wedding. In other words, there aren't enough hours in the day right now, and theres still a whole lot to  do before our big day in just three weeks. (Eeek!) So! Thanks for your patience-you'll get the whole scoop and allll the pictures, eventually, but for now I'm just saying that I'm alive and well and...and...well, just that. =)

I haven't done a LIFE LATELY post for ages, but figured that was as good of a title as any for this smattering of pictures, given in no particular order. We will start with the one above-no, I was not about to chop my hair, but rather to cut into some pretty special fabric.
Got to be in the tree stand with Hudson this fall when he got his first deer. It was an amazing time-watching my little brother waiting so patiently, and then seeing his precision + determination as he carefully aimed and fired. The doe ran into the brush and we got to track it together only about twenty yards til we found it dropped + dead. Seeing his joy and excitement was so priceless.
Lots and lots of sister time these days-blessed with the best!
Bittersweet last evenings this winter with my favorite Iowa babies! Such good memories of peanut butter + jelly, jammies, and story times on the big couch, Sunday + Wednesday nights. I'm gonna miss these kids!
I've spent quite a bit of time in Kansas this fall, working with John on our house. Sometimes I went by myself, sometimes I took a sibling along. My siblings are all thrilled about our house and wanted a chance to get in on the action and help out! All the help by our siblings (John's and mine) has been so appreciated. We've had some great work parties.
Above, lunch break on the back of John's truck. =)
It is a beautiful, just under five hour drive from my home to John's home. We've both made the drive so many times now and it was especially gorgeous this fall, when all the leaves were turning. I've still not been able to beat his record of 4 1/2 hours, though. Might have finally met my match on the whole heavy foot thing. (interestingly enough, our first conversation that we ever had was about speeding tickets and a certain, uh, kindred spirit we had in that arena. =))
I adore my new nieces + nephews. From the very beginning, they have been 100% supportive and loving to me and just super innocent in their awe that "Uncle John" had a girlfriend.
Getting in all these last amazing dinner + coffee dates with all "my girls" before I move away to another state! Of course I will still see them and I already have a running list of everyone who's hoping to come visit. =) But it will be different, not being in the same state and getting together on a whim whenever, and so we are soaking up the times now!
Remodeling our house together has been the wildest adventure. Living on a farm, I've grown up knowing how to do most kinds of general work, but our (my family) house remodel happened twenty years ago, when we were all just babies (smile) and we had contractors who did everything, so I knew virtually nothing about carpentry. My fiancé, on the other hand, can do basically anything, and between previously running a construction business for a couple of years and just being insanely smart, he knows everything about remodeling a house! He has taught me how to prep floors for flooring, and mud walls, and grout/clean tile, and everything in between. He was also super patient even when I shot a nail straight into our kitchen floor instead of the wall, on my first time using a nail gun. =) It has been so fun to go down weekends and work together on our house. I've loved every stage thus far, and now seeing it all begin to take shape and the hours and hours of hard work, paying off, is amazing. Picking colors and styles for decor has been SO FUN. Somedays I have to pinch myself that we are planning for our own house. It just seems pretty surreal!
 My fabulous crew of invitation envelope stuffers. 
Mailing out batch #1! Such a feeling of accomplishment when I got this project off the list!
Harvest time is still my favorite time of the year, and this fall was no exception. The smells, the sounds, the sights...it is all in my blood and I can't get enough of it. I took this picture one morning when I came to ride + chat with my dad.
Tired tired smiles because it was a very early morning. But times like this are my favorite memories from this fall. I had a life issue that seemed pretty big to me at the moment, and Dad is the wisest person I know, so to him I went, and after going up and down the rows for a while, talking everything through and watching the corn stalks go through the combines corn head, over and and over again...suddenly things were just better in the world. So blessed with the best dad. 
And speaking of blessed. Yes. How do I get ALL the best guys in my life? Best dad, best brothers, best fiancé! 
Early morning breakfast and shopping with my mom + sister.
Getting in our exercise with a long evening walk in the woods, last month.
Lunch time at grandmas, with the few of us who were available! She's still my favorite cook ever!
Bontrager Thanksgiving meal together. 
Matching accidentally at church with this dear friend, so we had to document it!
And speaking of clothes and matching and all that...I feel like I've got to borrow my sistas clothes as much as possible these days before I move and have only one wardrobe! 
Soaking in all the sibling time. Can't get enough of it these days. 
Tired smiles because late nights + hard work but happy smiles because PROGRESS! =)
I technically quit my job in October, to be more free to work on our house and get ready for the wedding, but I've managed to fit in quite a bit of extra work just the same. Amongst other things, I've taught some music lessons, done the fall window washing cleaning at the DCI, and worked with training in several of my siblings into some of the roles I previously filled.
Bless his heart---he even fixed my sewing machine. Not sure if there is anything this guy CAN'T do!
Also got to do one last dinner with Grandma. She cooks for the Kalona Historical Society and I've been working for her on and off (along with a whole group of aunts and cousins) since I was eleven. It was really fun to do it one last time before I get married. 
Lunch + wedding planning with my sister @ the DCI. She lived at the hotel and managed things while Mitchell + Bryn were working/living with their business in other parts of Iowa.
Any boyfriend who will clean out gutters and pull cattle out of the creek and fix the unloader on the silo...that kind is son in law material to any good farmer dad! John has visited our farm many times over the last year (smile) and he always seems to fix something or help with some project while he is here. 
Should've counted the gallons of mud we we through, repairing the walls. I think we could've set a record! SO MUCH!
This gem came all the way from Mexico and it was so good to see her again! 
There's just something about childhood friends.
I love it I love it I LOVE IT.
that's all. =)
Late night movie nights and messy buns with my sista. I'm going to miss her LIKE EVERYTHING but thank goodness for inventions such as voxer and instagram and FaceTime and texting because that will be our lifeline!

Okay! Well that's all for now and who knows when I might be back but wanted to pop in and say that I'm still in the land of the living! It has been such a beautiful season-enjoying so many lasts and so many firsts and just drinking it all in. Life is such a gift.

Hope y'all enjoyed this post featuring the family, the friends, and the fiancé!

Oh. And totally random. But one last random bit of information that's on my heart, and that is this: My sister did a post last week and it is just about the best thing ever. (in my opinion) I've been dying to write about this topic for several years now, but she beat me to it. =) And she did such a fabulous job that there is really nothing left for me to say. 
Except this: "the whole "stay at home daughter" term is not one that I believe girls should aspire to, nor do I believe that it is biblical. Girls should know how to handle themselves and work in public and do life in the real world, the same as men, and men AND women equally should know how to scrub toilets, cook meals, carry on intelligent conversation, and have a wide set of life knowledge + skills."
The end.

Just go read her post. =)

Sorry to end that way but I've (obviously) not gotten my own post on that written yet, and hers is SO GOOD that I just think y'all should make sure to read it. 

Have a lovely rest of your wkend, friends!
-Chels

13 comments:

  1. I was so excited to see an update and pictures. I totally understand the busyness of this season of life. Also, I really enjoyed your sister's post. You both have a talent for writing.

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  2. Thanks for posting Chels! It was good to hear how you are doing and see how happy you are! :-) God is so good, isn't he? May God continue to bless you and John as you start your life together!
    Love,
    Sarah F.

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  3. The mud goes on the walls and not on you. (Laugh)

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  4. CHELS!!!!
    This makes my heart so happy for you!! I still can't get over the fact that you will be so close to us!!! God is sooo good!! We are all praying for you and this amazong time in your life!!! See you in just 3 short weeks!! <3

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  5. You sound so wonderfully happy and full of life. May you be that way always!
    I hope you post pictures of your finished house. The nearly finished room you posted is beautiful. I can see why you love it.
    Love is one of life’s greatest and most wonderous adventures, thanks for this glimpse into yours. You make a beautiful couple, and I wish you all kinds of good things in the future.
    Much love and happiness to you,
    Amanda

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  6. Thanks for sharing your life lately, Chels!!! I love all the pictures and descriptions!! So excited and happy for you!! God is so good.

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  7. That's okay, girl. Your nice, long update was good. Glad that you are so happy right now. And thank you for sharing your heart with us. Looking forward to your wedding!
    Love, Rebecca

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  8. Chelsea you are getting married on my mums birthday, which is two days after mine!! Congratulations, John looks like a great guy.
    The main reason for this comment was to say that you have GORGEOUS eyes!! 👁👁
    Love and blessings, Anna.

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  9. If sometime you will be traveling either direction between 5pm and 9pm and can possibly go through where I live, you may want to go down my street and see the Christmas lights. At my house pay close attention to the right side as I have a Nativity scene and a sign that reads "Happy Birthday Jesus". Just go down State Street on east side of the Centerville square and I promise you will know where it is for vehicles stop in middle of the street about every night. Enjoy the show 😉

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  10. Thank you for posting all these pictures of your exciting times! They are all so nice and completely joy-filled , I can definitely relate to the father- daughter talks while daddy is working in the fields...very special times. :) God bless you during these last few weeks of preparing for the wedding! -Davida

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  11. It was so fun to read this post Chelsy!! Always love hearing from you and seeing updates on your life!! So happy for you and John in this season of such exciting times <3

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  12. It would be neat to see a before and after of the remodel in the future! I love seeing the progress made from hard work and love... and I’d love to see your decorating style! :)

    Blessings<3
    Emmy

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  13. Great post! I am SO excited for you and John!!!

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