Move to Lenexa, KS and Summer Highlight Reel!

Hello friends, family, and followers! It has been a while since I posted on my blog and since school hasn't started yet and I have the time right now to post, I figured I should update you all on my life and whereabouts. A lot has happened since I last posted. Garrett and I are now fiancéd, yes, but much more has developed in our lives.

For one, Garrett got into nursing school! He was accepted at University Missouri Kansas City into their accelerated bachelor’s program. As you can imagine, this was a development full of mixed emotions for us, since this now meant that we needed to make a decision about whether we would be apart for a year, with me finishing my Master’s in Oregon, or whether I would transfer to be closer to Garrett.

We had many, many conversations about this, weighing the pros and cons of both options, analyzing both scenarios into the ground, and after looking at all angles of both situations and getting into contact with KU, I decided to transfer to be nearer to Garrett. Yay!

Since we were still in Oregon for much of the summer and weren’t able to be physically present to look at apartments in Kansas, my mom generously went for us and gave us the scoop on all the places she visited.  Now I sit here writing to you in my adorable (and 200 sq ft bigger than our place in Portland!) apartment in Lenexa, KS, which is about 35 minutes from KU, where I’ll be doing most of my studies, and 20 minutes from UMKC, where Garrett will be doing his.

I will truly miss my cohort in Portland, some true blue professors I had, and the people I grew close to over the course of my time there. I got reacquainted with old college friends, one of whom (Miss Megan O'Connor) will do me the honor of standing by me on my wedding day as one of my bridesmaids.

I will miss not being able to take part in the requisite bitching and moaning about assignments and tests with peers whom I’ve grown to trust and love. But also, I am confident those bonds will stay strong over time, we will meet again, and also that I’ll find great people in my new program at KU to fill the shoes of my former cohort, big as they may be to fill.

Jeez, this got sappy, huh?! Sorry about that. That always seems to happen when I didn't mean for it to. To make it up to you for sitting through that, I will now present to you a highlight reel of my summer travels and escapades, complete with short, concise (hopefully) captions. Enjoy! Much love to you and yours and please keep in touch!

Garrett and I ran the Seattle Rock and Roll marathon with a good friend of mine, Courtney, whom I hadn't seen since right before both of us left for our Peace Corps services! Hers was in Senegal. Another good friend of our's and returned Peace Corps volunteer, BP, ran the half marathon. So in this picture we have three generations of Peace Corps volunteers and two countries represented. :)

Courtney's family came, too so we got to catch up with them, along with two other Peace Corps volunteers from Cambodia with whom we stayed while we were in Seattle!

Had to.

As you can see, Garrett and I are at our most photogenic after running 26.2 miles.

Smiling through our pain.

RPCVs are very serious about their s'more making.

Garrett and I got to spend some time with this adorable tot in AZ.

Concentration.

Not totally sure about Uncle Garrett

We went to Sedona for a wedding while we were there. The view of the red rocks is pretty incredible.

Lookin' sharp and wedding-ready, as you can see!

Annie- Garrett's (and my soon-to-be) sister-in-law made these incredible cupcake flower arrangements for the wedding. 

After we got back, I nannied for a few weeks for a family in Portland. This little one is named LaVie and has a natural talent for getting food in all kinds of places.

I call this one "Macaroni Nose."

Here we have her older brother Tor, in a rare moment of obedience and non-tantrum throwing. 

She has the best baby eyes. 

You find interesting ways to entertain yourself when you're with babies all day.

Her smile lit up the room, though.

As Garrett's and my days in Portland came to an end, we had many "last for now" experiences. Eating waffles at our favorite waffle window was one of them.

Garrett buried me in this pile of laundry. This felt like an important part of our summer to include.

Portland granted us this beautiful, unforgettable sunset on my last night there. If she was trying to make me homesick before I'd even left the city, she succeeded.

D'awww

And now we move on to KS and AR! My mom and I took a trip to AR shortly after I left Portland, driving the ten sometimes bearable, sometimes unbearable hours to get to Hot Springs where my grandparents live. We spent a fun day out on the lake.

And then took shots with my grandparents! (Love you, grandma) 

Here is a sweet picture of my grams and me.

Ok, here is what I've been leading up to, folks. My best friend and I went and saw JT (yes that's right- Justin Timberlake- only my one true love and soulmate) in concert. It was as amazing as you think it was (and more).

OF COURSE we took these pictures. How could we not?

AHH!!!!!! The stage moved across the floor so at one point we were about 25 ft away from him! EEK!!!!! I think my voice went hoarse from screaming so much at the experience.

After JT, Hannah and I drove back to Ft. Collins to meet Garrett, who had driven from Portland with his dad to Denver (who then flew back to AZ. Whew!). 

We got to spend a couple of days in Ft. Collins (FoCoCo) hanging out with Hannah and her boyfriend Joey, and getting acquainted with her lovely new home in CO.

... And finally, we moved to Lenexa, KS, where we are currently. In the interim we have been getting settled in our apartment and getting acquainted with our new surroundings, enjoying seeing the mourning dove on our balcony every day and her two new healthy squabs!

That's all for now! Gotta leave some things in suspense for next time, right? :)

One last thing I forgot to mention in the above post. Garrett and I now have a wedding date, venue, and band set for our big day! May 23rd is the day we will tie the proverbial knot. Oh yeah... And I found my wedding dress. :) Look out for more wedding (and life) updates in the months to come!