Merry Christmas!

Christmas 2020

 

Eight Years

Eight years ago yesterday we had our first date at the coffee shop (at 10 AM I believe).

That day changed our lives forever. I am truly grateful that God brought us together. You are a wonderful, amazing woman of God and I am forever lucky to have met you.

We have been through so much together. I love you and I love our family so much!

Thank you for being a strong woman of faith, a strong mother and a stunning wife!

I Love You

 Sonrisa,

I simply want to say I love you. I love you so much! You inspire me to be a better human. You are filled with love and it's contagious. Thank you for being you!

Love,

Husband

7 Years

 Seven years ago we had our wedding day. You continually surprise and amaze me. I am so happy we met and fell in love and continue to pursue each other!

2020 - 7th wedding anniversary (pic below where I'm wearing the white shirt) - We liked J Gilbert's so much last year we decided to go there again! I brought some of our memories from when we first met and were first dating. We walked around downtown after and then went to try Christy Creme in Council Bluffs and shared a oreo billiard (oreo super shake).

2019 - 6th wedding anniversary (pic below with red background) - we went out to dinner at J. Gilbert's downtown and then went to see Hamilton at the Orpheum

Montana Vacation

In early September 2020 we got to go to Whitefish, Montana for a few days! Thanks so much to Uncle Rick & Aunt Meredith for letting us stay at their new condo. The kids got to stay with Nana & Papa in Grand Island while we got to get away for a little anniversary trip. (7 years married on 9/28/2020!)

I love spending time with you. I feel so grateful that I met you and get to be your husband. This was an amazing trip together. Getting to eat breakfast with you, hike together, hold hands and talk about life - it's a blessing!

9/3/2020 - Day 1 in Montana

Breakfast at Loula’s cafe

Hiking at lions head mountain , goes up to skyle lake overlook

Cowgirl coffee drive through for some mocha

Lunch was deli meat at condo

Rest time!

Big mountain trail

Hot tub

9/4/2020 - Day 2

Cowgirl coffee drive up (again)

Glacier National Park - drive to trail head for trail of the cedars

That goes up through a trail of red cedars up to 1000 years old and 230 feet tall, then goes up to Avalanche Lake

After the Avalanche Lake hike, we drove up going to the sun road to Logan’s pass (T saw a black bear in the river)

Dinner at Abruzzo’s in downtown Whitefish (anniversary)

 9/5/2020  - Day 3

Buffalo Cafe for breakfast 

Swift trail - supposed to go to smith lake but trees were down and path closed before we could reach the lake

Walked around downtown Whitefish 

Hiked up “Danny On” trail then took the gondola down (from the top of the mountain)

Sunset on private beach for Ptarmagan residents 

Family Life (pictures)

 Gaven's new glasses & Gerber daisies

Dates over the last year

2020

July 1, 2020 - not a date but this is when I tested positive for Covid-19. Start of quarantine.



June 12, 2020

Fontenelle Forest “tree rush” (Covid-19 = masks)

Then we went to the Hunger Block to get arepas!

Mandy McDonald (Skarka) Wedding June 2020

5-23-2020
I was called-in to work for a couple hours and afterwards you picked me up and we went to pick up "The Hunger Block" - yum! Our first time eating there - arepas were so good! (kids in Grand Island)


5-24-2020
The kids were in GI for the weekend. We couldn't go out to eat for breakfast like we like to do (thanks a lot COVID-19)
we went to Hitchcock Nature Center near Crescent, IA for hiking!

April-May 2020
On Wednesdays we started taking the kids to my Dad's so we could have a mini stay-at-home date. Everything is closed due to COVID-19/coronavirus so we couldn't really go out to restaurants or movies - all closed!


On 5-13-2020 we picked up Charred restaurant for dinner (since they're still open to take out )
bowl of questions-
T likes weddings with dancing
wouldn't change anything about childhood because that made her who she is today




March 2020

March 6-7 Kansas City - Your mom came to Omaha to watch the boys. We came to KC, went to IKEA, then at night went out with Craig and Traci Sitzman. We went for cocktails then dinner at Tannin Wine Bar and Kitchen

After me and you went to see the comedian/magician Justin Willman.

Picture for Noah - loves fire trucks!

Justin Willman - comedian/magician at The Midland downtown Kansas City

February 2020

2-24-2020

We went to Hoppy Taco, then to Beercade arcade in Benson to play skee ball

Then to Benson to “Baked After Dark” for the carmel pretzel cookie. Stopped by Hy-Vee at the end to get taco stuff for Sunday! (so my dad could finish putting kids to bed)

Skee ball at Beercade in Benson!

Valentine's day weekend: Kids in Grand Island - we painted window casing white. organized basement boxes on shelves!

2-16-2020

Lisa’s Radial Cafe for breakfast

Movie - Little Women 

2-15-2020  
Lunch at Andres Tortillery in OnePacific place. You got the gigantic nachos! (volcano nachos?)

Creighton vs Depaul (with Chad/Andrew Sandquist) basketball game
then went to "Baked After Dark" bakery in Benson 

January 2020:

1-29-2020  El Chicano Restaurant in Papillion (Mexican Street Tacos) (while kids at Awana)
If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would you change?
Tell me your life story in five minutes.


1-26-2020  My mom watched the kids are her apartment while we went to eat at Ollie & Hobbe's in Papillion. We had good conversation - If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, who would it be?  (Colbie Smulders - she's on the show "Stumptown" that we are watching right now). If you had the chance, would you want to be famous? (when you were younger, yes, but not anymore)  What do you feel most grateful for in life? (you said you are grateful for me, that you know I'm always here for you no matter what - even if we don't agree on something, I am here for you)


1-14-2020 We went to dinner at the new Mexican restaurant in the capital district downtown (Epoca Cantina) then went to see Les Miserables at the Orpheum. We saw lots of nurses and doctors that we know. It was long and we were tired, we ended up leaving at intermission! Because you love me.

Some weekend in January 2020:
Kyle and Catherine Hanson came over for pizza to our house, with baby Austin



2019

December:
Family trip to Clearwater Beach, FL (Bob & Mary, Sarah/Justin Hood, Shayla, Blaine)


November 22:
Date night with Kyle and Catherine Hanson - we went to Mexican Food (Agave Azteca in Ralston).  The waitress kept messing things up. Then we went to Kyle and Catherine's house to play board games. Kyle was trying to sell his '05 Hyndai Elantra and you were joking about buying it.


November 6, 2019:
New Found Glory at the Slowdown! You surprised me with tickets!


Weekend of November 1, 2019
Your mom met me in Lincon and took the boys to Grand Island for the weekend
Friday night we went to dinner in Blackstone district at Forno - we got pizza
Saturday morning we went back to Blackstone and ate breakfast at Early Bird - so good!
Saturday night was CityLight Church's Harvest Party at the Hanson's 
Sunday I was on call at work so you drove to Lincoln to meet your family



October 19, 2019
Went to Nosh downtown for the Down Syndrome Alliance's appreciation dinner


September 2019
Saw the movie "The Peanut Butter Falcon" 


Anniversary September 28, 2019Downtown fancy restaurant "J Gilbert" steakhouse, T got chicken, green beans, loved it!
After dinner we went to the Orpheum to see Hamilton!


July 23, 2019

We went to eat downtown at Craft Sliders. We talked about our favorite memories of each other while dating (you said it was on our first date when I dropped you off at the door at the end of the date, but then asked if you wanted to go out to lunch), I said I remembered your smile at Alan/Lindsey's rehearsal dinner.

After eating at Craft Sliders, we tried getting in at Aksarben theatre but they had assigned seats, we couldn't get a ticket together for a movie there, so we went to Westroads Theatre and saw movie YESTERDAY about the guy who lived in a world where the Beatles never existed

June

June 2020 marks our seventh June spent together. I wonder what we were doing our first June together? (June 2013)

We were both still working full-time at the med center. I lived in Jose-Luis' rental house off 69th and Dodge. Maybe spent some time in Grand Island? Probably wedding planning. I was probably planning our secret honeymoon to the secluded island of Dominica at "Secret Bay." You and your mom were probably getting all the details in order for the wedding so we could have an amazing day.

Who knew 12 months from then we would be meeting our baby Gavin for the first time?

Six years after Gavin here we are in semi-quartantine. Noah started his new pre-school last week at Pacific Heights, since they just re-opened.

I am so grateful for these last seven Junes together. I wonder what our next 60-70 Junes will be like?

Love

I just want to say how much I love you. I know we say it a lot - but I really love you so much! You mean the world to me.

I just think you're an amazing person. Thanks for giving me grace and love when I am cranky or screw up and lose my patience. Thank you for pointing me to Jesus.

COVID-19 Coronavirus - Homebound

A day in the life of being mostly quarantined... (schools closed, restaurants closed, pretty much everything closed except grocery stores, gas stations, and essential work places like hospitals)

CityLight church stream

Home school since schools are closed!

Noah learning to ride his bike with mom

CityLight live streaming prayer/worship music

Front porch picture

House projects - Will we get to build the deck with the power line in the way?

Home school for Noah!

Forts!

Valentine's Day for the boys

These are some pictures of the surprise you left out for when Gavin and Noah woke up on Valentine's Day. You are such a thoughtful person. Your love and concern for others astounds me. You are truly a great mother. Gavin and Noah are so lucky to have you as their mom.  I am so lucky to have you as my wife. I feel blessed beyond comprehension that we found each other in life. You are truly the love of my life. I cherish you every day!

Thank you for encouraging me as your husband! (thank you for the Bible you gave me - and the encouragement as you remind me you're proud of me as I finish up the "Authentic Manhood" class at CityLight)

Chalkboard Wall

Here is our restaurant list and travel list wishes from 2019, from the old chalkboard wall at the old house. I think there's only a couple we haven't gone to yet (and we are about to cross one off this weekend - Vidlack's!). I love doing new things with you. Maybe some day we will actually get to an all-inclusive - I know we've been trying since 2014!