tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34732877284144622712024-03-12T20:12:40.292-04:00Cute is so overusedDottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972287544043724037noreply@blogger.comBlogger414125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473287728414462271.post-27168322451320217442015-05-12T05:00:00.000-04:002015-05-12T05:00:00.743-04:00Girls Weekend 2015Last weekend, I got the chance to go visit some really good friends from college. I went on Wednesday morning to save some money and see some friends in the Atlanta area before we headed to Charlotte.<br />
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My friend, Marie, let me borrow her car while she was at work, so I headed to a local college campus to read in their bookstore/library. Sat there with tears streaming down my face in a semi-abandoned corner as students finished their finals and turned in their books. It was embarrassing but therapeutic at the same time to get really involved in a good story.</div>
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Shoutout to Marie who was with me for a couple days and catered to my gluten free whims even if it meant going back to the donut shop multiple days ;)</div>
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We headed to Charlotte on Friday and got some good QT on the car ride there.</div>
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There were 9 of us who ended up living on the same hall in college and became really close. Anna couldn't make it this year, but that didn't stop everyone else from getting together to share some laughs and good conversations. We are all so different and this has become even more apparent after college, but we still love getting together! </div>
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So glad we could get together for some good weather, shopping, pedicures, and so many laughs. It was great to see everyone in person and really get to catch up on how everyone is doing. Can't wait till I get to see them again ;)</div>
Dottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972287544043724037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473287728414462271.post-45767065316839657242015-05-04T06:00:00.000-04:002015-05-04T06:00:05.667-04:00Thoughts<div style="background-color: white;">
The refugee family thinks we work for the agency that brought them over to America so it's tough sometimes when they expect us to do stuff for them. I don't think it's because they think they are entitled, I just don't think they realize that we are volunteering our time and money to help them out. It's all in perspective. I think if they ever did know how much time we spent with them or money we had given to them, they'd be blown away. Not because it's a lot, but because we're doing it of our own free will. I think it would help them feel loved, welcomed and accepted. I don't need the gratitude from them, but I would want them to know they are loved. </div>
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But isn't that how it is with us humans? We don't realize how much God loves us or how flawed we are. We think that we are good enough on our own to earn our relationship with God. If I just do everything right and love other people then God will love me more than others. We're unaware of the speeding bus barreling down behind us and don't realize that the person who pushed us out of the way saved us from impeding death. </div>
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The closer I get to Jesus, the more I realize how much he saved me. I could never, ever do it on my own. I am thankful that God didn't wait for me to have the right perspective about Him or how truly sinful I am in the presence of a perfect and holy God. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large; font-style: italic;">But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that <b>while we were yet sinners</b>, Christ died for us. </span>Romans 5:8</div>
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So we keep loving and teaching our family how to thrive here hoping for the day when we can have a real conversation in a shared language where they can know they are loved, welcomed, and accepted.</div>
Dottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972287544043724037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473287728414462271.post-88514919677364568052015-05-01T06:00:00.000-04:002015-05-01T06:00:07.017-04:00Girls Weekend<br />
The third annual Girls weekend starts today! We're headed to North Carolina for all the fun. Can't wait to see these ladies and laugh for days. <div>
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First Girls Weekend: Georgia</div>
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Second Girls Weekend: Chicago</div>
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Dottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972287544043724037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473287728414462271.post-7468942210984501052015-04-30T13:15:00.000-04:002015-04-30T13:15:07.853-04:00Our Family<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Working with a refugee family, who doesn't speak the same language as you, teaches you to get creative. There is a lot that can be communicated without words. We play games, take pictures, and dance. I'm hoping for the day when we can communicate in the same language but for now I'll take the moments of shared laughter as we struggle through this together.<br />
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<br />Dottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972287544043724037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473287728414462271.post-43060584245749535942015-03-30T06:00:00.000-04:002015-03-30T21:55:03.644-04:00Our First HomeWhen we first started thinking about buying a place, it was about saving money and building equity. Things you don't think about until you find yourself in this phase called adulthood. But then we started asking ourselves questions like, what community do we want to be a part of? Where do we want to be for the next 5-7 years? What kind of life do we want to live? and even though money and equity are things we were thinking about, we were also thinking about how to make a difference in the community where we were at. Buying a house became less about the money and more about how we could use our house to bless others. How could we live, shop, and go to church in our community? We saw places that were too expensive, had small entertaining spaces, were far from our church, or weren't close to public transportation. All things that didn't feel like us. <br />
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Then we walked into our place and the charm got us. The big open spaces where we could have people over for food and some good quality time. The kitchen right amongst the space to hang out. The space to have guests stay over so we could visit or show them the city. It just felt right. </div>
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So when I saw the Starter Stories Project organized by <a href="http://www.compass.com/">Compass</a>, a real-estate startup company based in New York, I was inspired to participate in sharing our story. Owning a place for us means stability and community. A place for us to invest in the lives of others whether it's planned or spontaneous. I know the blog has been silent these last few months, but I thought I would update what we've done to our place so far to make it feel more us and still be able to have good quality time for those in our lives. </div>
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Now I know it's not really a fair comparison since all the "before" pictures were taken at night and the "after" pictures are during the day but you get the picture. We're still decorating this room but it's coming together. Adam just made that Loyola sign that reflects the "L" stop closest to us. Next up will be to fix the really bright lights, make a new coffee table, and figure out what to do with the weird corner of furniture.</div>
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This kitchen is so pretty and functional. We hope to change out the lights and then way down the road possibly paint the cabinets white vs cream. Our place doesn't have as much natural light since it's a basement unit so we are trying to utilize bright colors to not make it seem as dim.</div>
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We have really gone to town on DIYs in our new place to make it feel like us. I had something like this in our old place to hold my measuring cups and spoons but not as intricate. I liked that it can be practical decoration. We knew we wanted something to follow the rustic/industrial feel our new place has, but Adam really outdid himself when he found that pipe and was able to put this together. So we got the barn wood from his grandpa, the pipe from Home Depot, the S hooks from Amazon (that we spray painted) and the red "gas" pipe from a resale shop. He then had to use his mathematical/engineering mind to be able to have everything be at the right angle. This task would have been a huge struggle for my designer mind haha it's why we make a good team.</div>
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The brick in our place really steals the show when you first walk in. We have been utilizing nails from the previous owners to hang some of our stuff on it. Thanks to his parents, we now have a table until we can build our own. Adam has offered to build us a rustic barn table but until then, it's nice to be able to offer a place for people to eat at when they come over for dinner. Adam hung his painting of Chicago this past week and it just feels right. We like to make a lot of our art so our place feels more personal. We're hoping to have a piano under the artwork but haven't found the right one yet.</div>
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This is my girly corner. I feel like Audrey Hepburn every morning when I get to sit on a fancy stool and put on my makeup. ( I don't know how accurate of a view of Audrey Hepburn that is, it's just what I feel like) I put some of my favorite prints and picture around this vanity we found at a resale shop for less than $100. I "splurged" a little on the stool from Target, but it just completed the corner so I went for it. (Splurging for us is if it's over $20 since we find a lot of stuff at resale shops, yards sales or for free) In high school, my mom and I shared a bathroom so I got to get ready with her every morning. Now she's 10 hours away and because of our schedules we don't get to talk as much as we would like. I put a picture of her on my vanity so I can still think of her every morning.</div>
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Our room is probably the closest to being done. It feels like a place of rest and peace. I love the blue, white, gold and our rustic headboard we made last month. </div>
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We brought some old favorites from our old place that just look better in a place we own ;)</div>
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The way we do projects is we have a rough idea in mind and then when we are out searching we just modify the project when we see cheaper things. This shutter necklace holder was less than $20 because I knew I wanted knobs of some kind and so when I found these discarded doorknobs for less than a dollar a piece, I was sold.</div>
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We still have a few projects we want to get done but our place is very functional at this point. We painted the guest bedroom last weekend. Neither of us wanted to spend our Saturday painting so we started painting at midnight on Friday night. It of course took way longer than I thought it would (I have no concept of time sometimes), but we were so glad to have our Saturday back. We just want to make a headboard for that room, get a rug and put some of our artwork up. (I would put a picture up but it wouldn't do it justice. Our outdoor patio is in the corner and our paint supplies were still in the other corner.)</div>
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So who is coming to visit us this summer? We are <strike>fairly</strike> ready for you ;)</div>
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Dottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972287544043724037noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473287728414462271.post-83141820100213802962015-03-26T06:00:00.000-04:002015-03-26T06:00:00.630-04:00Things I learned on Whole30<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6-jWerr-beColSpD0HnSAnnvsh0vmyOKpdvpzS06gmAWVsKVoMp63P1BDbj8FKVqSRxT93XGfAmz9w8OM6_-eQmttefuS2YEQGjRLejVEScR9gq63upTivyiKYgG_Lh5eqGaSn5xTBgFP/s1600/coffee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6-jWerr-beColSpD0HnSAnnvsh0vmyOKpdvpzS06gmAWVsKVoMp63P1BDbj8FKVqSRxT93XGfAmz9w8OM6_-eQmttefuS2YEQGjRLejVEScR9gq63upTivyiKYgG_Lh5eqGaSn5xTBgFP/s1600/coffee.jpg" /></a><br />
Black coffee is still gross. Pass the sugar and cream, please. #dessert<br />
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You are going to realize how much free food people offer you and how much you still want that cupcake, piece of candy or can of soda.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6_s8K_E6nOLEbt5SEyGE2Vvf_aoPrxG9VP70wk9uBsfcwM4t-nI3lGiYxAyAIzGPtkNKhqs-wGra5TyMa-aaHtEw2PReR4w_H3rwhCeowDwEoFpLB1RKydUDip-4g8g_xndK7L-7Xx3OI/s1600/wings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6_s8K_E6nOLEbt5SEyGE2Vvf_aoPrxG9VP70wk9uBsfcwM4t-nI3lGiYxAyAIzGPtkNKhqs-wGra5TyMa-aaHtEw2PReR4w_H3rwhCeowDwEoFpLB1RKydUDip-4g8g_xndK7L-7Xx3OI/s1600/wings.jpg" /></a><br />
Raw chicken makes me want to vom.<br />
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30 days is a really long time. You gotta get creative because even though you think Mexican food is part of the food pyramid, it really isn't.<br />
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Your sink is going to look like this the whole time you're on this diet. Get used to it and tag team the dishes.<br />
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Doing this diet while friends are in town is probably the worst idea, followed by doing the whole30 at all. (Thanks Marie and Jenelle for being so awesome!)<br />
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My guy is still cute even when we're on whole30. (Him and his dad ref together)<br />
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Even when you are hangry you still think it's funny when you're coworker uses this as a cup. You also think it's really funny when instead of the beverage making it to his mouth, it pours all out on his shirt.<br />
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After 30 days, you are still going to want a donut, which is why you are going to feel terrible when you think your body is ready for that.Dottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972287544043724037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473287728414462271.post-1641472634659945582015-03-25T06:00:00.000-04:002015-03-25T06:00:02.381-04:00Thoughts<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgym0-J9cnytyeCWvzrmKywLkgcWJfGqPBTnlCzuWGcymBAbixBCr0F4yajoMUkaXyWV4eROMcgBWKTWS1NlBwNactbznCexkr_ZaqiS5VMzZ2bMEHlNg9k-sIfxZZmZjkMQTm_xCCkVLg7/s1600/food_family.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgym0-J9cnytyeCWvzrmKywLkgcWJfGqPBTnlCzuWGcymBAbixBCr0F4yajoMUkaXyWV4eROMcgBWKTWS1NlBwNactbznCexkr_ZaqiS5VMzZ2bMEHlNg9k-sIfxZZmZjkMQTm_xCCkVLg7/s1600/food_family.jpg" /></a><br />
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I feel like the whole last month has been full of stretching situations whether it was us eating only <a href="http://whole30.com/whole30-program-rules/">whole30</a> approved food or trying to hang out with a refugee family who doesn't speak the same language as us. I have been in situations that are putting me outside of my comfort zone. I can feel myself being stretched as these situations strip away the facades I put up and I am stripped down to my bare bones. There is no hiding, no pretending that I've got it together when all I can do is hope google translator works and that a family who is lonely and overwhelmed by a new country understands that we are here to help, we are here to be their friends. I can't pretend that I love my salad that tastes like dish soap because yep, I tried to save money by buying the generic soap and couldn't quite get it off the tupperware container. I want that donut, taco or anything for the love of pete that is covered in cheese (Can I get an amen?). But all of these situations show me one thing. I'm not supposed to have it all together. I'm not suppose use food, friends, language, material things or anything else as my comforter. I'm not supposed to find my satisfaction in my situation or what I own but in Jesus. It's not what I do. It's not what I have. It's not what I accomplish. It's what he has already done. (My friend, Kate Brannen wrote a great post on <a href="http://www.katebrannen.com/blog/2015/03/our-little-work-at-the-edges-of-the-stars.html">this</a>) If I continue to chase those things, it's always going to be the same result. The same cat-and-mouse game that ends in me never been truly satisfied. Sometimes I think I forget that. I mean, I know I do but sometimes I don't even want to admit that to anyone, let alone myself. So I'm trying to be real. I'm trying to be honest and say I don't have it together and that's okay for now. My coworker told me it's okay not to be okay, it's just not okay to stay there. So here is to running to my creator who knows me better than I know myself and asking for help and relying on him to get me through each day instead of using things around me to help me feel better.<br />
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Dottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972287544043724037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473287728414462271.post-31158592897524173332015-03-02T08:00:00.000-05:002015-03-23T22:11:57.296-04:00Simplicity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So apparently this has been in my drafts folder for the last few weeks even though I thought it had been published. Shows how much I have been following my own blog.</div>
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Today marks a year of being in the hustling, bustling, busy and lovely city of Chicago. We've kept it real by moving twice and me switching jobs twice, but staying at the same church the whole time. It's been a year of learning more about ourselves, each other, and God. A year of learning, growing and sinking more into what it means to be in community within a city of 2.72 million. </div>
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This year, I'm trying to learn more about simplifying my life. How to be a good wife, sister, daughter, friend, and working woman of God without trying to add everything else to the mix. So if my blog is a little silent, it's because I'm not super woman and gotta sleep sometimes too ;)</div>
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We'll see what this year brings as I try to navigate all my responsibilities and still have this as a creative outlet. Thanks for following along.</div>
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Dottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972287544043724037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473287728414462271.post-72201253228078598202015-01-28T06:00:00.000-05:002015-01-28T06:00:00.995-05:00Busy Bees<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We have been busy at making our condo feel more like home and doing a good job at it if I do say so myself.</div>
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Brightened this shelf area up by painting it light gray and adding old barn wood shelves. Adam and I got to traipse over an old farm with my brother-in-law, Buck, to find this barn wood when we were in Maryland over Thanksgiving. Reminds me of him every time I walk into the enter way.</div>
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We painted most of our condo from this yellow to a light gray except for our bedroom. We painted it a navy blue and I am loving it. We still need to hang all our white and gold decorations but it feels elegant yet cozy.</div>
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Took out the anchored plastic paper towel holder ( I have no idea why they decided to anchor a plastic paper towel holder) and replaced it with one we made out of pipe. Really loving the rustic/industrial feel we've gone with in our place.</div>
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These are two of my favorite projects Adam has made so far. I mean for real though, I love everything he's been helping me with. It's been so fun to do these projects together by brainstorming ideas and then helping each other complete the project. The top art piece was Adam's vision and he took that one from start to finish. It looks awesome in person and is a perfect piece for entry way. The second piece is our coat rack in our front closet. So when I painted the closet, I had to take the old coat rack out of the closet. When I did that it jacked up the wall that I had just patched so I could paint. In my typical fashion, I got mad at an inanimate object and decided that the ugly monstrosity would not go back in the closet. Poor Adam went to work with a working coat rack and came back to an empty closet that now needed a coat rack. He was nice though and made this beautiful thing. Makes me happy every time I get to hang my coat there.</div>
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Adam has been getting good use out of his tools with all these projects. I can't wait to show you all of the finished products when we get them done. We are getting so close.</div>
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A couple weekends ago, we visited some friends and Adam's sister down in Kentucky and found these beauties along the way. Things are so much cheaper outside of the city. Most of the knobs will be used for various shelves.</div>
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Seriously, we spent $10 on that box of knobs. It was amazing and then Adam made this shelf to hang my aprons. I feel like we probably should do a few tutorials because we've been learning a lot but I don't really have any pictures to support that next time.</div>
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Thought I would give an update even if it's not very thorough. We are loving life and our new condo ;)</div>
<br />Dottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972287544043724037noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473287728414462271.post-8075437240765167352015-01-05T06:00:00.000-05:002015-01-05T06:00:03.561-05:00Top 5 things I didn't blog about in 2014All over social media the last few days, I've seen top things people did, created, blogged about, etc in 2014 and everyone's resolutions for this year. Haha Gotta love people who've got it all together. That is definitely not us. We snuck in a second move this year, I changed jobs twice, and have met a ton of great friends which has left us muy ocupado (aka every minute planned busy). For the most part, we love this lifestyle but sometimes it's nice to be on time to something, buy gifts before Christmas Eve (Sorry mom!), and relax once a while. So in celebration of the New Year, I've decided to take a look back on the things I didn't blog about because we were too busy.<br />
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<b>1. Girls Weekend/Boys Weekend</b><br />
I had a girl's weekend in June with 7 of my college friends that was a perfect mix of sightseeing and relaxing. We had perfect weather and good food. Poor Abby and Kindra were both pregnant and Chicago is full of so much walking #wewalkedsomuch <span style="text-align: center;">#terriblefriends</span><br />
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That same weekend Adam went to Michigan with his dad and a few of their friends for an annual golf trip. They rocked the views of Lake Michigan, good food, and three days of golf like a bunch of champs.<br />
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Adam also went on his second annual trip with his buds where they visit a new baseball field every year. Minneapolis was the destination of choice this year with Target Field and the Mall of America being obvious activities during the weekend. Love that they do this!<br />
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<b>2. I saw my family 5 times this year</b><br />
Ladies and gentleman, a new record has been set for seeing my family in one calendar year since I left for college over 7 years ago (Yikes, was I really a freshman in college 7 years ago? SEVEN? oh boy!). From girls weekend to surprise parties, I had a blast seeing new nieces and nephews and family staples this year.<br />
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<b>3. We had 23 visitors this summer in our small apartment with only one bathroom</b><br />
We loved hosting friends (old and new) and family this summer to see our favorite city and hang out with us city folk. Cubs games, beach trips, and good, good food. So fun!<br />
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<b>4. I got a new job</b><br />
I started a new job at my church at the end of October and hit the ground running. I'm the only graphic designer for a multi-site church here in Chicago. We currently have 6 locations but are looking to multiply again this year. It's been really busy but also really encouraging and challenging (in the right ways) ... just a really good fit for me. Really happy that this opportunity opened up for me.<br />
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<b>5. We bought our first place!</b><br />
This happened so fast but we fell in love with a place close to the lake and our church. We talked to a realtor at church on Saturday, saw the place on Sunday, I had an all day interview with my church (my new <span style="text-align: center;">job) and saw it again on Monday night. We then put in an offer on it. I got offered a job the next day and we heard that they accepted our offer. Wowzas. We then closed 10 days before Christmas and moved that weekend! Crazy- Crazy but we are loving the place. We've done a ton of projects the last few weeks along side each other and friends to get this place looking like us and are hoping to show it off soon ;) After 5 moves in 3 1/2 years, we are ready to settle down for a bit.</span><br />
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<br />Dottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972287544043724037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473287728414462271.post-4701373436604901742014-11-11T06:00:00.000-05:002014-11-11T06:00:00.483-05:00Confessions of a Chicago DesignerI made a coworker some no-bakes for the his birthday and then snuck two while he was out of our office. #sohungry #the worst #sorrymike<br />
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Adam said, "we're pros at traveling," as he dropped our suitcase down the escalator.<br />
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I just got a "daaaayum girl" as I was walking down the street. Should I count today as a success?<br />
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Thanks for your input, stranger.</div>
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"Hey girl, I see you waiting for the bus. Need a ride?" #strangerdanger #thanksbutnothanks<br />
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"Jigging but jiggling across the line in time" Adam's mantra for when his friends bet he couldn't run a 400 meters dash in a minute and 15 seconds. He did it in a minute and almost 10 seconds.<br />
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"Team work makes the dream work"- a cashier commenting on me ordering food and Adam buying it. #boom<br />
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<br />Dottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972287544043724037noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473287728414462271.post-74169802474434395052014-11-10T06:00:00.000-05:002014-11-10T06:00:02.734-05:00Random thoughtsOften I think, I should blog about this and then I never do. So then I just start a blog post and act like it hasn't been days, let along weeks since I blogged. Like if I don't address it, will they notice how long it's been. Will they notice that's it's well into November and I still haven't mentioned anything about our summer, vacation, or my new job? I can only hope. So here's me pretending that we've been having this ongoing online conversation and we're just catching up on my new sitch.<br />
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So yeah, I am two weeks into my job and loving it. I mean the commute is longer (going from a measly 15 minutes on the bus to more like 45 minutes between walking, L, bus, and more walking). But so far, so good. I just use the time to read the section of the New Testament that we have to read for the day (Did I tell you that our church is reading through the New Testament in 8 weeks?) Yeah, it's kicking my butt. It's so convicting to have to keep to a schedule and read a lot but it's also so good. You really get a lot more out of it when you read it all together. (Shocker, right?). Anyways, I read it on the L and surprisingly have had 2 people in the same week ask me about what I'm reading. Never knew it it was such an ice breaker. But back to work, it's going really well. The people are so nice and the work is challenging because I'm getting to do different things all the time. I got to help with the set design the other day which was a new and fun experience for me. Just makes a huge different to work with people you like while doing something you like.<br />
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After next month, all our crazy changes should be done. We are set to close on our new condo and hopefully be done moving by the holidays. This will be my fourth move in three years so I'm excited to be settled in my job and our new home long-term.<br />
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Well I gotta run but hopefully we'll be able to catch up some more again soon.<br />
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<br />Dottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972287544043724037noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473287728414462271.post-30351784322608345362014-10-24T07:00:00.000-04:002014-10-24T07:00:01.440-04:00Things I'm lovingThrough the last few really busy months, these things have been keeping me sane so I thought I would share.<br />
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1. <a href="http://shereadstruth.com/">She reads truth</a> – Daily truth straight to your inbox that is spot. on. Ladies that love Jesus and are being used by the Lord to encourage other ladies on their walk . There is a follow up image if you're on Instagram, which brings me to my second like of the day<br />
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2. <a href="http://instagram.com/">Instagram</a> – If you aren't on Instagram yet, let's stop the talking and you go get on that gram. Instagram can be catered to what you want it to be. Can be used to keep up with friends, be encouraged by other Godly ladies or inspired by other people in you field. I love a good creative or funny Instagram. (Etiquette for you new users: Instagram isn't for albums it's for single photos. No one likes a double or triple post-er)<br />
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3. <a href="http://www.theskimm.com/?r=4DHV9">Skimm</a><span id="goog_270654509"></span><span id="goog_270654510"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a> – this one is a new find for me but I am loving it. It's a brief Monday-Friday email that gives you a give you a rundown of the news in a funny and friendly way. They read so you can skim.<br />
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That's all I got for now but hope you guys have a good weekend!<br />
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<br />Dottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972287544043724037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473287728414462271.post-38866657073717373262014-10-21T07:00:00.000-04:002014-10-21T07:00:02.271-04:00Coming backGuys,<br />
Can I just say that the last few months have been crazy? Between festivals and quality time with friends and family, we have been going SO. MANY. MILES. per minute. I thought the changes of season would slow our roll but we are still full-steam ahead.<br />
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If you haven't spoken to us in the last 2 weeks, I got a new job as a graphic designer at my church and we are in the process of buying a condo #chicagoforlife. (Today is my first day ;) and no, we aren't pregnant but we are digging our heels in deeper into the city and making it official that we are staying for a while.<br />
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So this is why I haven't blogged for a while. I was busy with everything and everyone and something had to give. I was hoping to be able to redesign this blog (finally!) during the break, but found I missed blogging more than my lack of redesign. So buckle in and get ready for some recaps in the next few days.<br />
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<br />Dottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972287544043724037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473287728414462271.post-72876984771025553652014-08-11T07:00:00.000-04:002014-08-11T17:18:10.904-04:00Where has the summer gone?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I cannot believe we are already well into August and that I've hardly blogged at all. Yikes! We have been so busy with seeing old friends, making new ones and really enjoying our city (all very good things!). Also had no idea how long our busy season at work would last. I am about a month and half in and have a least that much left until I see the workload getting back to normal. I was hoping to redesign my blog this summer because I want it to look nicer instead of being embarrassed when people see it, but it looks like that's not going to happen for another couple of months.</div>
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Just wanted to drop in and say I'm still here, Adam and I are doing great and I will have so much to catch everyone up on when I can get blogging back into the weekly routine. Aiming to be back in the fall. </div>
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<br />Dottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972287544043724037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473287728414462271.post-19115173439059706632014-07-02T11:20:00.002-04:002014-08-02T13:47:23.221-04:00Getting some Quality Time in<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial;">Hotel de Wards is in full swing. I had a blast visiting with friends this past weekend and Adam had an equally good time in Michigan on his annual golf trip with his Dad and some friends of each of them. We are expecting the Marquiss Family tonight or tomorrow depending on traffic and how the kids are faring on the trip. Tomorrow is a year since I went gluten free…. I cannot believe it has been that long but more on that and on all of our visitors later.</span><br />
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Happy Fourth of July (a little early) because we hope to be running around showing the family the city the next few days ;)</div>
Dottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972287544043724037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473287728414462271.post-84267339053227199412014-06-26T07:33:00.000-04:002014-06-26T07:33:09.534-04:00Girls WeekendTonight, some of my friends are coming into town and I am so excited! We are having a girls weekend in Chicago so I get to show off the city to some of the girls closest to my heart. We met each other freshman year and still managed to stay friends between boy dramas and switched majors. A lot of them ended up in the South (well there isn't much north of Chicago) but we still keep in touch. I cannot wait to see them, stuff our faces with so much good, Chicago food, and laugh so much my abs hurt.<br />
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We did this back in <a href="http://dotjots.blogspot.com/2013/11/girls-weekend.html">October</a>. The group will be a little different than last time based on who can come but I can't wait.<br />
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Freshman year to Senior year</div>
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Abby and Kindra are coming this time</div>
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Dottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972287544043724037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473287728414462271.post-21447921710226750662014-06-24T06:00:00.000-04:002014-06-24T06:00:01.401-04:00A box of dishes, a box of memories<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My sweet friend, Britt, gave us a wedding present last time I saw her in April which was truly thoughtful. It was a box with two place settings- from place mats to napkin rings. The idea is that you only use it when you have a momentous occasion, whether a move, a new job, a baby, first time you don't go home for the holidays, and the list could go on and on. Then you write about it and put both place settings and the note back in the box so that next time you get them out, you can read any of your notes and relive all the memories. Being someone who likes to document life (blog, instagram, journal, pictures, saved mementos, etc), I love this idea of having a gift that travels with you throughout your life. Adam and I rarely sit down to eat and just focus on each other and our food, so really just to do that would be a momentous occasion but I like the idea of making it special and cherishing those moments together. We already used it once for our collective move and new jobs and have no idea what will be our next use but look forward to that day.<br />
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<br />Dottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972287544043724037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473287728414462271.post-30060184854825288662014-06-23T06:00:00.000-04:002014-06-23T06:00:01.598-04:00Our Weekend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Adam picked number #4. Thank you all who voted and helped us narrow the choices down.</div>
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This weekend, we spent a lot of time with friends. Hanging with people who get you is so good for the soul. We hung with our friends from the burbs on Friday, catching up between bites of pizza. Then we got to show them our place as we ate some ice cream on our cute deck. It was such a chill night.<br />
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Saturday, Adam and his dad reffed some games together in the burbs while I got to hang out with my mother-in-law and then my old boss, Mary, from Wheaton. It was so good to see Mary and catch up on life and talk about career stuff for me.<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;"> Then we ate dinner with Adam's parents and grandparents and played some chinese checkers. It was really fun to hang out with them.</span></div>
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Sunday, we had some people over from church for the world cup USA game and some good food. These "family dinners" started about a month ago and the idea is that someone hosts and picks a theme. Ours was "Let's get Saucy" using the word saucy liberally for example hummus, or dressing on salad, etc. We had a total of 15 people so we really maxed out our place but had a lot of fun meeting people.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzqZOkQxu6aUxcvskwPjQ0Pq6n7L3eF5nywRJdufnZpqolmnP6winajA7a261usFPCZEKBtPG1IeNOjisRWLzGjwp_t-pL92InFHtHkIcBT83ze4e-FpBluvSCIEPtz37btls16pAdRyVi/s1600/photo-2_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzqZOkQxu6aUxcvskwPjQ0Pq6n7L3eF5nywRJdufnZpqolmnP6winajA7a261usFPCZEKBtPG1IeNOjisRWLzGjwp_t-pL92InFHtHkIcBT83ze4e-FpBluvSCIEPtz37btls16pAdRyVi/s1600/photo-2_1.jpg" /></a></div>
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Dottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972287544043724037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473287728414462271.post-52218534130382434952014-06-19T08:00:00.000-04:002014-06-19T08:00:01.093-04:00Our Trunk Project {DIY}<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>We might have gotten a little over our heads with this project but learned a lot. </b></div>
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<b>1.</b> We are as they say, real newbs in this whole DIY realm ( I learned something about stain that I should have known before I did any of my other project. sheesh.)</div>
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<b>2.</b> I am not allowed to pick a paint color before I've really thought about <b>EVERYTHING</b></div>
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<b>3.</b> It takes forever in a hardware store and you will spend more than you thought</div>
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<b>4.</b> We love our bookcase</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisU8bNFJyf1rEL1TaC7t0TZ7Zx42MuzGbkyAktVOPVE2bwsfsCJmSXp4K-rXPCu5txJuGn5mqmmYwsaDYKxWDcOkFRIktD5hULvvNhXZRiE9IlMdVBcCgfLEVASgg-eWZnyc5eKWWWT7-R/s1600/trunke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisU8bNFJyf1rEL1TaC7t0TZ7Zx42MuzGbkyAktVOPVE2bwsfsCJmSXp4K-rXPCu5txJuGn5mqmmYwsaDYKxWDcOkFRIktD5hULvvNhXZRiE9IlMdVBcCgfLEVASgg-eWZnyc5eKWWWT7-R/s1600/trunke.jpg" /></a></div>
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When we moved, we got rid of our junky bookcases. While that was nice when we were carrying stuff to and fro it wasn't so nice when we went to put our books away and had nothing to store them in. This sent us on a mission to find a bookcase. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLxe87ppqNAbyLSj4QvCCuelCp3y5vGmy5tzBy3cStfUcP9iK9F2oL9ZbnHcKh5BAQVoU-xInnSuIM46In1gLIl53FpW1dPZp3lw0tGsKtfdUpLsL8919KB7kNTB2EcRVeQI3_KE3FdBOd/s1600/trunk_bookcase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLxe87ppqNAbyLSj4QvCCuelCp3y5vGmy5tzBy3cStfUcP9iK9F2oL9ZbnHcKh5BAQVoU-xInnSuIM46In1gLIl53FpW1dPZp3lw0tGsKtfdUpLsL8919KB7kNTB2EcRVeQI3_KE3FdBOd/s1600/trunk_bookcase.jpg" /></a></div>
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While we were exploring our new neighborhood one weekend, Adam saw this fantastic trunk in an antique store and had the brilliant idea to turn it into a bookcase. (When your husband has an idea to help you with your hobby, you jump at it and jump at it immediately before he can rethink it.)</div>
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So there we were paying more than we've paid for other pieces that we've redone but taking advantage of a really unique and fun idea. (I wish I had a picture of it sitting like a trunk but just imagine what it would have looked like if I had taken a picture…. okay good, you're with me.)</div>
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I knew I wanted to repaint it. The paint was chipped (not in a good way) and really dirty with scratches and marks. While I do like yellow, it would have been too much yellow with our <a href="http://dotjots.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-table-reveal.html">chairs and table</a> so I was just going to use the dark stain and white paint from some previous projects. (<a href="http://dotjots.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-desk-reveal.html">desk</a> and <a href="http://dotjots.blogspot.com/2013/02/my-dresser.html">dresser</a>). I had already put one coat of paint on the trunk when I saw a picture of a beautiful piece of mint furniture. I changed my plan mid-game. THIS.IS.A. BAD. IDEA. A very bad idea. This led to me painting the trunk 4 different times to get the "right" color and going to the hardware store 3 times in one weekend not to mention the other times throughout this project. This also led me to stain the front with the stain we had (jacobean) and then strip that off and stain it again with a cherry stain… which is fine but the stain is just a hinge on the red side and still very dark so not much changed there except the loss of time on my part. All in all, I like the finished product but I don't suggest going about it my way.</div>
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<b>The process:</b></div>
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I spent a lot time scraping off the paint on the front with chemicals (stripping gel and mineral spirits), a scraper, and sand paper. I really wanted to stain the front and then repaint the rest of it. Then we got to work on getting the rest of the supplies as our vision came together.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIXjxRwC5bUxtjDMJq4hfRgkY6eRCKyj0P5acr3cr9X4c9_I38e94NLbJCORffmbPr3VWZdoZkw_KHan0wDW1Y_zsWKICFHTy8D_Nifjl3YYhxI7lHOFaprxhJVEr2eXkaZjoalXoQS_iF/s1600/shelves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIXjxRwC5bUxtjDMJq4hfRgkY6eRCKyj0P5acr3cr9X4c9_I38e94NLbJCORffmbPr3VWZdoZkw_KHan0wDW1Y_zsWKICFHTy8D_Nifjl3YYhxI7lHOFaprxhJVEr2eXkaZjoalXoQS_iF/s1600/shelves.jpg" /></a></div>
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Shelves (just made of stained plywood)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFwPLRC6OIMb5mDCVS_RKuFVxF8F_eHGy0nCFVqngJTx-xlBlhzH95gBMAtxl-NrFCOgKEOO7YnqjLjZUGBb-ehu6sZjChHeA3wATPs4QAEJ8pkwB7GmC2r3qfIJHMSK05BroriDIrxO6z/s1600/hinges.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFwPLRC6OIMb5mDCVS_RKuFVxF8F_eHGy0nCFVqngJTx-xlBlhzH95gBMAtxl-NrFCOgKEOO7YnqjLjZUGBb-ehu6sZjChHeA3wATPs4QAEJ8pkwB7GmC2r3qfIJHMSK05BroriDIrxO6z/s1600/hinges.jpg" /></a></div>
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new hinges- The old ones were way too rusty (tetanus anyone?) so I spray painted new ones</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_hXIBO-9QjCxq6WWCYu6gL5fP3d11AU_4VC68VwZRwKlGQ_qz98poiwACELyzKldbw3Ejg1kC-HLcxmHivgX_g9aBS_yJhtWO3o0vYtLH7jviwgymfcu07b2kccxzYI8DyfLSKCRjWre4/s1600/knob.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-weight: bold; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_hXIBO-9QjCxq6WWCYu6gL5fP3d11AU_4VC68VwZRwKlGQ_qz98poiwACELyzKldbw3Ejg1kC-HLcxmHivgX_g9aBS_yJhtWO3o0vYtLH7jviwgymfcu07b2kccxzYI8DyfLSKCRjWre4/s1600/knob.jpg" /></a></div>
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a cute knob to go on our door</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW3U2PJajZ6VFGAeR5x2o6V56W_dOWVS_dMb0FVqFeDnJkPgS9YLdx28gXwuDW3Ou704OsppfVgYfJdHu318LaHcgvHqb5Ss8YxZBekq5efJZv4cu2j_q_-trrljF1g1QVdVKxEvPE_-wN/s1600/legs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW3U2PJajZ6VFGAeR5x2o6V56W_dOWVS_dMb0FVqFeDnJkPgS9YLdx28gXwuDW3Ou704OsppfVgYfJdHu318LaHcgvHqb5Ss8YxZBekq5efJZv4cu2j_q_-trrljF1g1QVdVKxEvPE_-wN/s1600/legs.jpg" /></a></div>
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and even cute little legs that I spray painted my new favorite color</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ivMsAno9G3UxNJX8YuO3wVB0tBHzSQfuUI8V0QcHWNzUfwAMqOXE6lC_dblTy8dtqyJd-fxW4_4sSWgbJvFyHG6QODAD3vjyzezRz0jP_tQsNT_VK6NJHhNPbFpiz8g-fMB7CjRBXq_B/s1600/adam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ivMsAno9G3UxNJX8YuO3wVB0tBHzSQfuUI8V0QcHWNzUfwAMqOXE6lC_dblTy8dtqyJd-fxW4_4sSWgbJvFyHG6QODAD3vjyzezRz0jP_tQsNT_VK6NJHhNPbFpiz8g-fMB7CjRBXq_B/s1600/adam.jpg" /></a></div>
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brackets so the legs had leverage to stay on the trunk (the screws that come with the legs are really short).</div>
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Adam helped me a ton with this project by putting it all together at the end. I did all the painting and staining and then he sawed, sanded, and screwed everything in. Seriously, he was awesome from the get-go with this thing.</div>
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Here is another before and after.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI9LSBn8tDTWj1LYYhaMRdN3tF1p-ZxpMxKV8T7Lk6tO1oc4Fg1DVE5ux63etrx2eR5Nnjw1AelHCHImalUaezDz7i-YJGZHwKBecD6nrV8Db97kADR2T4lN1ZGqPHG3LFhGlVU-myS520/s1600/trunk_sidebyside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI9LSBn8tDTWj1LYYhaMRdN3tF1p-ZxpMxKV8T7Lk6tO1oc4Fg1DVE5ux63etrx2eR5Nnjw1AelHCHImalUaezDz7i-YJGZHwKBecD6nrV8Db97kADR2T4lN1ZGqPHG3LFhGlVU-myS520/s1600/trunk_sidebyside.jpg" /></a></div>
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Wish I had some better before and after's but it's hard to move that thing with all the books in it haha so I didn't try that hard. (also our floor is slanted, not the actually trunk but because of that we got a magnetic clasp to keep the door closed when we weren't using it)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisVpfOkk6RIIDiLdtfJQUkNkGldTaldPTRrBkSAgV3a3DvYu_D53M_EPTJ91RRcBv-pxoJPUMGJ27yq0vYlxmKmNCKXVqOikRNGlKI8r2Yu_C0dYr_-U2E5cjTwrZ0CCy9v5MfwRZNlpdh/s1600/sideview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisVpfOkk6RIIDiLdtfJQUkNkGldTaldPTRrBkSAgV3a3DvYu_D53M_EPTJ91RRcBv-pxoJPUMGJ27yq0vYlxmKmNCKXVqOikRNGlKI8r2Yu_C0dYr_-U2E5cjTwrZ0CCy9v5MfwRZNlpdh/s1600/sideview.jpg" /></a></div>
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Happy Thursday!<br />
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<br />Dottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972287544043724037noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473287728414462271.post-49820871931257173942014-06-18T08:00:00.000-04:002014-06-18T08:00:00.314-04:00We're at it again--- Help Adam pick some Warby's<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Adam is in need of some glasses so we thought we would try and get people's opinions like we did with my glasses. Quick side note: Adam wants to make you guys aware that this is a fake democracy. As seen by me choosing the glasses that got the least amount of votes.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFKrpIrams14k7M8jk97B59-VYNSoxnddSsBKT2JSIfQqt64AlIGW3I8A99tBZCcjvknekLf0Hv38fFziPbaXTMxi2juCTGSQ6sqLb1tMPLuN7qXKlaHZcr0E9fnBWd1F9Wjkk3gKRVGAV/s1600/photo-1e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFKrpIrams14k7M8jk97B59-VYNSoxnddSsBKT2JSIfQqt64AlIGW3I8A99tBZCcjvknekLf0Hv38fFziPbaXTMxi2juCTGSQ6sqLb1tMPLuN7qXKlaHZcr0E9fnBWd1F9Wjkk3gKRVGAV/s1600/photo-1e.jpg" /></a></div>
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I needed glasses so I wouldn't wear my contacts 16 hours a day and while I liked what everyone else chose, I didn't like them enough to solve my problem…. ahem… back to your regularly schedule programming.</div>
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We choose glasses that we thought Adam would look good in (they are different, I swear) but some are little too small for his face (so let us know if we should go for round 2 and take some measurements before we order them).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpu4NqMnIEJYjysIl-f1PJoU2rhKwn-S-5Vpe3lr4rBt38Y3njmLZLjFin0EmwMY9FewvbNetZksB2fUh2sVaThVouetlD1Hrk_nKRTXh-OoYfqlRmk1UDUuFIEAbUdLLw84AnQf3hFmIq/s1600/6_up_adam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpu4NqMnIEJYjysIl-f1PJoU2rhKwn-S-5Vpe3lr4rBt38Y3njmLZLjFin0EmwMY9FewvbNetZksB2fUh2sVaThVouetlD1Hrk_nKRTXh-OoYfqlRmk1UDUuFIEAbUdLLw84AnQf3hFmIq/s1600/6_up_adam.jpg" /></a></div>
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Okay, what's the verdict?</div>
<br />Dottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972287544043724037noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473287728414462271.post-91259503319328401742014-06-16T08:00:00.000-04:002014-06-16T08:00:01.397-04:00Our Weekend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRZKC5GXdZS2ob7O-rcNOgIi4HF7lhKyrbNloF-LCnZLYLt_38madcXIXoNQ8xvVYf-QtN1ptyNC9uqhWoqtkcYUMi6sjDsoIw5KKqCGuqEsuJYoG8Mp9KJuQShGMtRwHn1MJygFKiAiHk/s1600/photo-1ee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRZKC5GXdZS2ob7O-rcNOgIi4HF7lhKyrbNloF-LCnZLYLt_38madcXIXoNQ8xvVYf-QtN1ptyNC9uqhWoqtkcYUMi6sjDsoIw5KKqCGuqEsuJYoG8Mp9KJuQShGMtRwHn1MJygFKiAiHk/s1600/photo-1ee.jpg" /></a></div>
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Chicago is a city full of festivals so we hit up two this weekend. We hung out with Adam's cousins at the Puerto Rican Festival on Friday and then hit up the Blues Fest on Saturday. The Blues Festival was more up our alley because we got to bring a picnic and listen to some good music where as we had good company at the Puerto Rican Fest but it was more like a carnival. Fried food everywhere ;/ and no live music.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCZudvYZHG5k_iZFz0sK9-dJyZ5uspu8VTGi3sx1H3NQTNnG5bbJq00mZHllTh85qJojsytTYVP1lPruIH7IYYjoKT2faF-FHCpu_T9Pp6TOxGKF3TRGFzUY5GdHYvI4Kh26as4-aIWULN/s1600/photo-2e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCZudvYZHG5k_iZFz0sK9-dJyZ5uspu8VTGi3sx1H3NQTNnG5bbJq00mZHllTh85qJojsytTYVP1lPruIH7IYYjoKT2faF-FHCpu_T9Pp6TOxGKF3TRGFzUY5GdHYvI4Kh26as4-aIWULN/s1600/photo-2e.jpg" /></a></div>
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It was a little chilly at the blues fest but I wasn't above wearing the captain chair's bag and rolling up in our blanket like a taco. It certainly did the job even though I looked like a fool.</div>
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We also were in the nursery for the second Sunday in a row. It's another way for us to meet people and serve in our church. We both would prefer to greet but there is a huge need for nursery volunteers and not really any need on the greeting team. So for now this is what some of our Sunday mornings look like.</div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small;">Adam is such a trooper to volunteer with me in the nursery so we are serving together and of course the kids love him</span><br />
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Thankful for the nice weather and Happy belated Father's day (and Mother's day for that matter since I never said anything on the blog about it).<br />
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Dottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972287544043724037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473287728414462271.post-83822410121195130442014-06-12T14:40:00.001-04:002014-06-12T14:40:41.841-04:00Happy Birthday, Amy!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small;">Amy with her husband, Dean</span></div>
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The older I get the more thankful I am for my sisters and the time they sacrificed to take care of us younger kids. Whether it was coaching my basketball team or picking us up on snow days, while my mom was at work, so we wouldn't be all alone. My sister, Amy, and brother-in-law, Dean, would come every Thursday evening, while my mom worked, to make sure we had dinner and did our homework. We would watch jeopardy and see who could get the most questions right, while yelling at the contestants to wage it all (or ourselves if we kept track of our points). They would even come to our games and be our biggest fans along the sidelines of whatever sport was in season. They didn't just do this a couple times but they did this for 5 years. I think it conditioned me to look forward to Thursday every week and even now,Thursdays hold a special place in my heart.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-size: x-small;">All the siblings: Katie, Amy, me, Chrissy, Johanna, Leighann, and John</span></div>
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I am so thankful to them for the time they invested in our lives and I know that I am a better person because of it. Thank you, Amy! I love and appreciate you. You are making a difference in people's lives with the time you sacrifice and the love that pours out of you daily. I wish that we lived closer together and could not just have the best summer ever! (our mantra for the summer I lived with their family in Florida) but could have the best life together side-by-side serving Jesus and loving others. I hope you have a wonderful birthday!<br />
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<br />Dottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972287544043724037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473287728414462271.post-66973281160070550312014-06-11T22:00:00.000-04:002014-06-11T23:53:04.865-04:00Trying to learn this truth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Dottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972287544043724037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3473287728414462271.post-40125996436558965232014-06-10T07:00:00.000-04:002014-06-10T07:00:01.106-04:00Family Time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small;">Still missing a few who couldn't make it but here is most of the crew</span></div>
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My family planned to get together last weekend for a while and I had to choose over seeing all of my family now for a short amount of time or seeing most of them plus seeing my sister's newborn baby for a longer amount of time. I didn't have any vacation time yet because of just starting a new job and so flights were expensive to just go for the weekend. A lot of money for not a lot of time. So I chose to wait for when I could go for a couple more days for less money and see my newborn nephew. But that decision ate at me and ate at me every day. My family kept sending group texts and it just made me miss them even more. I looked at flights frequently and debated about just going but the longer I waited the more expensive the flights got. Then I resorted to how doable it was to drive the 21 hours roundtrip in one weekend. It wasn't really the smart decision but the closer it got the more I just needed to see my family. The transition to Chicago has been really hard for me, partly because this is my third move in three years, but also because the environment at work has been really stressful. So when it came down to it, I decided at 9pm the night before that I was going to get up at 4:30 in the morning and drive to Pittsburgh to drive the rest of the way with Leighann and her family.<br />
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I got up the next morning as planned and could have left earlier but just kept thinking to myself, is this crazy that I'm about to jump in the car for 10.5 hrs to barely see my family to just jump in the car and do it all over again? I kept asking Adam the same question (this is before 5 in morning, people) but he nicely said he wasn't going to make the decision for me. He helped me carry out my stuff to the car, being the great husband that he is, and then said, "If I don't hear you come back inside in the next 5 minutes, I'll know you've made the decision to go." haha I sat in the car for a couple minutes and then decided, I'm already packed and ready to go, I might as well get on the road. Best decision ever.</div>
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Seeing my family was exactly what I needed. I needed the comfort of a familiar place and people who love and support me. People who love Jesus so much that it just pours out of them in conversation and actions. It was so refreshing not to have to small talk with people but to be able to catch up and have deep conversations as well. I also got to have some fun times with my nieces and nephews. It's hard not to be able to be with them more because I truly want to know each and every one of them ( all 14 of them going on 16 by the end of the year). And because I don't get to be with my family a ton, I wanted to document the whole weekend. So here are some of the good ones.</div>
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My baby brother is all grown up and sold his motorcycle while I was there. I was so proud of him because him and Jess didn't really want to sell it but with having a little boy already and a little girl on the way, it just made a lot of sense.</div>
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I'm glad I got to come home because I got to see Chrissy pregnant. The last time I saw her, she wasn't even showing. I'm really glad I got to see her in person before she has the baby.</div>
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Mom's yard is perfect for entertaining our big family.</div>
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We played lots of corn hole, courtesy of John who built these set of boards. Isn't Liam just the cutest thing, ever?</div>
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Lots of underpuppies (aka underdoggies for Ryan) on the tire swing, Jack plum tuckered out from playing with all the kids, and our biggest kid, Henry, letting John swing him around on the merry-go-round to see if he could hold on. He, in fact, did hold on but then felt sick for an hour after. Things just don't get easier when you get older. haha</div>
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water slides, hoses, and water balloon fights filled the majority of the kids time and they loved it!</div>
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and we got to enjoy the weather and each other's company</div>
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are we really questioning why I had to see my family? So much fun when we get together<br />
Left to right: Katie, Amy, me, John, Leighann, Johanna, Chrissy and mom being held by us all ;)</div>
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Seeing Johanna, aka the baby whisperer, in action</div>
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and even some toddler appreciation for his awesome parents</div>
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Neil's son even braved the chaos of all of us to spend some time with his kids at the house. His kids had a blast with all the other kids and Sean got some quality time with his dad.</div>
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I had the kids trained by the end of the weekend to let me take their pictures in between pushes on the swing, trampoline jumps, or waterside runs. Muriel said at one point that she would let me take a picture of her if I would push her on the swing haha I decided to push her on the swing without the picture haha</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCmt91KOXOsQdTxxhMjiEcPaQFEku-4IHYVEUxIPdOOSQ6qOS8ScCiLiKWJ6e3NC0iNBft8HTcnFOKM6OU9-iZtUSaqlRwfAfr76nZQz4Rn3Xl_ILpZ7AFy4P49XMMsDOmDBCSRn2E6-L/s1600/PIPER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCmt91KOXOsQdTxxhMjiEcPaQFEku-4IHYVEUxIPdOOSQ6qOS8ScCiLiKWJ6e3NC0iNBft8HTcnFOKM6OU9-iZtUSaqlRwfAfr76nZQz4Rn3Xl_ILpZ7AFy4P49XMMsDOmDBCSRn2E6-L/s1600/PIPER.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small;">Me and Pipey-Pipe hanging out #sorryforherimmodesty</span></div>
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Even though the recovery time of traveling that much in a short amount of time was brutal, I was so glad I went. It was exactly what I needed.</div>
<br />Dottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972287544043724037noreply@blogger.com2