We're thankful for a lot this year...

...but especially our newest pair of (tiny) TOMS shoes. #may2017

thankful list | October 2016

01. breakfast with Ian's family.
02. Varsity Donuts. #donutsmakepeoplehappy
03. Bluestem Bistro.
04. errands in Aggieville.
05. bumping into Phil and Ashley at ACME.
06. a fun and beautiful wedding. #thejureyisin
07. another incredible sister-in-law. I finally have sisters, plural. #mindblown
08. family time.
09. sibling selfies.
10. brunch to send off the happy couple.
11. catching the UCC ONE service at City Park.
12. a fun crazy family lunch.
13. dinner with my oldest friend and her amazing family... it's been too long.
14. catching up with Grandma Marilyn and Susan.
15. a stroll around campus.
16. running into Willie the Wildcat.
17. Nathan and Sara for driving us back to the airport.
18. our community group.
19. leadership community and vision-casting for the future of our church.
20. brunch at Dorado with the Kurlbaums.
21. catching Grey's soccer game.
22. apple cider donuts and pumpkin shopping with the Kurlbaums.
23. a long but successful morning handing out new brand swag.
24. after months of planning, and a crazy day of prep, a successful brand launch party.
25. Mei Mei. heart eyes forever. #scallionpancakes
26. the dinosaur that showed up to dance.
27. IKEA meatballs.
28. a really, really good day.
29. a Stellina date thanks to a gift card.
30. a Toscanini's run.
31. watching the Pats game with friends.
32. discovering the Bears vs. Babies game on Kickstarter.
33. an amazing mother-in-law. (happy birthday, Micki!)
34. progress on our bedroom (another door painted! the last 10% of a project is hard...).
35. seeing a recap of the Sasaki fashion show entry.
36. a rainy day date night at Shake Shack.
37. Ian for knocking out yard work and planting things with hopes of a more beautiful spring.
38. clean windows.
39. Orinoco with some of my favorite ladies.
40. catching up with the Drs. Hu.
41. a Halloween party, costumes not required.
42. the cute (tiny) costumes that did show up.

#thejureyisin, or, the day Anna got her second sister

Caleb and Kate haven't been a thing as long as Nathan and Sara, but I think they've known each other longer. Their story involves unrequited high school love and bad timing, which just turned out to be God making sure that when they finally took a chance on a relationship, it would really work. I was so excited when Caleb told me he proposed, and we wouldn't have missed celebrating their wedding with them for anything!

We got into KC Thursday evening and stayed with Nathan and Sara for the night (they took advantage of this time to make us start watching Stranger Things). The next morning, we headed to Manhattan, arriving with enough time to sneak in a bite to eat and a pit stop at Danenburg Jewelers for a ring cleaning before ending up at Houston Street Ballroom to help decorate for the reception (yes, the same venue where Ian and I had our wedding reception, and we definitely reminisced). Caleb and Kate had a vision, but they kept everything super chill, which was fantastic for all of us enlisted to help make it happen. We finished up with plenty of time to decorate the church before the rehearsal. We were pleasantly surprised to find our our friends Ben and Storm were providing the ceremony music, and had lots of fun catching up!

After the rehearsal, we headed to the Jardine complex (where Ian and I lived his last year of school, more memories), to the student-run restaurant that was hosting the rehearsal dinner. (This was followed by more episodes of Stranger Things at the hotel.)

The day of the wedding, we got up early, picked up breakfast at Varsity Donuts, and spent some time with Grandma Marilyn, Susan, and Dane and Micki (who were in town for the wedding). We're so thankful we were able to squeeze in some time with the Scherling family too!

After running some errands, we got ready and headed to the church. The wedding was beautiful and so personal! After family photos, we stopped at Chick-fil-a for a quick bite, and then headed to the reception. Arrow Coffee catered the desserts and drinks, and wow, was that food good! We had so much fun hanging out, dancing, and generally being silly (see selfies below). All in all it was an incredible evening, and my amazing sister count is up to two! CRAZY!





Sidenote: I realized too late that I took a grand total of seven photos. Caleb, I'm sorry that my sibling wedding photography mirrors the trajectory of what Mom did with our high school graduation floral arrangements. I love you. Promise.

Sunday, Caleb and Kate hosted a quick brunch and then headed off to Austin for their honeymoon!

We stuck around Manhattan for another day, spending more time with family, catching up with old friends (Britni, Joe, Spencer, so good to see you!), and lecturing at K-State... okay, the last one was just Ian. He's kind of a big deal. #soproud

Before we knew it, we were on our way back to Kansas City, and Nathan and Sara were driving us to the airport (after sharing their Netflix info so we could actually watch the last episode of Stranger Things... it's only fair since it's their fault we were addicted).

Caleb and Kate, we're so glad you found each other. Kate, welcome to the family! We love you both!

thankful list | September 2016

01. a night to veg in front of the TV.
02. Astrid's belly.
03. lunch from Meat Spot.
04. friends to watch the K-State game with (and commiserate with about the loss).
05. seeing a low-flying helicopter for the crazy story it makes (training? movie filming?).
06. a beautiful wedding. #doubletheprice (Congrats, Magen and Jonathan!)
07. a fun night with some of our best friends.
08. Astrid sleeping at the foot of our bed again.
09. a message at church that was exactly what I needed to hear.
10. a brunch date at Aquitaine.
11. knocking our errands and feeling prepared for the week. (woot meal planning!)
12. a new planter in the bathroom.
13. exploring one of Ian's project sites.
14. rediscovering our book of NY Times crossword puzzles.
15. bacon-silog.
16. Ian, for getting the rice to "crispin up."
17. Astrid's paw dangling while she naps on the radiator.
18. getting started on plaster repair in the bedroom
19. a kitchen restyle that feels like a new kitchen (with way more countertop space).
20. homemade bread.
21. Ian's amazing cooking skills (and that incredible cobb salad).
22. a quiet evening to relax and catch up.
23. an official office visit to Russo's (for party planning purposes).
24. Super Cluckin' Sunday with friends we don't get to hang out with very often.
25. good news
26. finding a good new brow stylist (after my previous one moved).
27. ice cream at the office.
28. an office book swap.
29. a project to keep me busy while Ian is away: painting our bedroom.
30. the promise of a can of paint.
31. the Chronicles of Narnia Radio Theatre and the YHL Has a Podcast to keep me company.
32. dinner with friends.
33. a night watching high school football. ahhhh, memories.
34. a freshly painted bedroom. (so good I almost forgot how hard it was painting solo. almost.)
35. relaxing after a job well done.
36. Ian getting home in time to partake in the relaxing.
37. a new L.L. Bean comforter cover.
38. a community group hangout night.
39. drinks to celebrate Danielle's new tattoo.
40. babysitting Rowan.
41. discovering Fiorella's Express (#dangerous).
42. a morning on the Cape.
43. Simple Matters.
44. a neighborhood block party.
45. meeting a friend's new baby.
45. REUNION's annual Viva La Picnic.
46. a productive DR partnership discussion.
47. a good farewell lunch for an awesome coworker who's starting a new adventure.
48. Astrid sending us off to Kansas by snuggling on the bed.
49. a good flight to Kansas City.
50. pizza and ice cream with Nathan and Sara.
51. lunch at Bourbon and Baker before diving into wedding reception decorating.
52. a surprise wedding gift from our jewelry store to pass along to the happy couple.
53. Caleb and Kate being so chill about wedding decorating.
54. a good rehearsal.
55. seeing our good friends Ben and Storm.
56. a delicious rehearsal dinner and good time with family.

thankful list | August 2016

01. a fantastic grocery store.
02. a quiet night at home to catch up on life.
03. the DR team making it home safely.
04. safety for our friends in a serious car accident (they walked away unscathed).
05. party planning at the office.
06. the annual office summer barbecue.
07. an evening chatting service trips over dinner with a couple coworkers.
08. a quiet day at the office to catch up on work.
09. falling asleep to the Olympics.
10. the weekend.
11. a morning on the Cape (Ian shellfishing, me reading).
12. the beach.
13. lunch at Pain D'Avignon.
14. Katie's ice cream (although we were sorely missing Grandma Judy).
15. progress in planning our front yard project.
16. breakfast with friends to hear DR stories.
17. REUNION.
18. Super Cluckin' Sunday with friends I've missed!
19. solid progress on a couple work projects.
20. a night to catch up around the house.
21. old friends who are now officially new neighbors.
22. assembling a mini style guide at the office (copyediting nerd alert).
23. decluttering.
24. tomatoes in our garden.
25. seeing Stu (he's famous but always makes you feel like the most important person in the room).
26. a good debrief and next steps planning with our fearless DR partnership co-leaders.
27. catching up around the house.
28. babysitting Annie.
29. a good day at REUNION, with a good message about worry.
30. a long Sunday afternoon nap.
31. tacos and deep conversation with Sara.
32. central air (thanks, Sara!).
33. watching the Great British Baking Show finale at the office.
34. despite it not looking pretty, my chocolate loaf cake tasting delicious.
35. after running around the city looking for a side table, finding a good solution for the living room.
36. babysitting for three of our favorite littles.
37. knocking out errands.
38. a walk around Fresh Pond with Ryan and the Girlbaums.
39. a breakfast date at Sofra.
40. cooking lobsters (and crab cakes) with Nate.
41. K-State Day at Fenway.
42. good dinner and conversation with a fabulous coworker.
43. an evening painting party to help our friends get ready to move in a few blocks away.
44. living so close to so many good friends.
45. discovering an incredible cast-iron skillet pizza recipe (thanks, Bomin!).