Top 10 of 2014

Okay, I know you are supposed to do those top 10 things at the end of the year you are talking about, not the beginning of the next year. But some of us were a tad busy welcoming a new niece into the world and saying goodbye to siblings going to the far reaches of the country to be timely about these matters. Besides, now we get to be the only top 10 list going around on social media and don't have to worry about competition. 

We had a really fantastic year brimming over with blessings of health, jobs, and opportunities. The below list is not in the order of wonderfulness, but rather the order I enjoyed putting the pictures. ;) Enjoy!

1. Buying our house. 

House hunting was fun, but we love being settled in our place. Now we have room for company, a beautiful back yard, I grew a garden, and everything about our house is perfect for us. If we haven't had you over yet, you are on the list, so invite yourself any time!

2. Trip to Utah

 We took Anna, John, and Stephen on a little trip to Utah this spring. It was insanely fun to share our love of the outdoors and introduce the boys to the mountains. I loved having another girl along for the trip. And the trip produced this picture which has to be one of my all time favorites. 

 3. Josh completed a marathon. 

2013 was a tough year for Josh as he was injured while training for his marathon and wasn't able to complete it. This year he finished not only one, but two and improved his time from the first to the second. I must say, I enjoyed being able to cheer for a race where my husband can quickly dash over and give me a kiss at mile 18... 

I was supposed to run the half marathon in conjunction, but an injury made that (and running for the rest of the year) an impossibility. However, I was able to run in the finish with my man and share his first marathon completion with him. That's one proud wifey right there! 

4. Colorado

We originally planned to make several trip to Colorado this year, but my school schedule got in the way and we only made one. It was a whirlwind of a weekend climbing four 14er's on one day and chilling in a Denver hot tub the next. We agreed this spontaneous weekend was one of the favorite things this year for both of us. 

5. Trips to Washington

Not all of our vacations and trips were taken jointly this year, in fact several of them were not. I took a week touring around Northwestern Washington with Katie in May. Fantastic company, amazing scenery, and the best campsites I have had in my life. Not to mention I got to cross "Visit the Olympic National Rainforest" off my bucket list. 

Later on in the year, Josh flew to Spokane to climb Mt. Rainier and cross yet another item off his bucket list. I was originally supposed to go on this trip, but my injury plus a severe 'lack of desire' sent Josh off by himself. He summited into the clouds so his picture from the top isn't as impressive as this 'hiking on the edge of the world' shot. 

6. The boat

If you didn't know we got a boat this year, you either weren't on social media all summer or have the hashtag #theboatinglife blocked. We fell madly in love with calm summer nights on the river and touring our friends up and down the banks. 

The boat was by far the most relaxing thing to happen to us all year, and I am already counting days until summer. 

7. Family

 When Josh was graduating and we were making wedding plans, we strongly considered moving out of the state to chase adventures elsewhere. Then God provided us both with excellent jobs (in the same week!) and we decided to put down some roots here. One major benefit of staying in the area is the proximity to much of our family. It has been a wonderful blessing to grow closer to them throughout this year. 

Quick note, this year we went from nine nieces and nephews to thirteen with the biggest bumper crop of babies in a calendar year we have seen yet. Meme Em was of course delighted by the turn of events. 

Family is a blessing. I can't say it enough ways. Okay, moving on. 

8. Market to Market 

This relay race from Omaha to Lincoln is always a blast, but this year was especially fun as no one on the team got hurt, they set their current speed record, and Josh finally got his sub six leg in. After three years of working on his speed, it was quite an accomplishment. 

The cheer team had a spectacular year as well, without missing one runner and still beating the race team to the finish. We also felt honored to see a team that was named "More Cowbells"... 

9. Weekends together

After working opposing schedules that kept us from ever having a weekend together, plus many of my classes meeting on weekends, we loved the many weekends we were able to spend together this year. Sometimes we dashed out on mini road trips, sometimes we just went to brunch and cleaned the house but it was great to be able to have two days off together almost every week. It made little hikes and local adventures possible and enabled us to enjoy something we love the most about being married, hanging out with our best friends. 

10. Chicago

Yours truly has been wanting to return to Chicago since I left it last time, and we made one of those weekends into a memorable excursion to the Windy City. From the aquarium with my niece and nephew to riding the train to walking down the evening city streets while snow gently fell, it was a wonderful and jam-packed weekend. Another highlight to be sure. 

And there you have it folks, Josh and Emily's top 10 of 2014. It was also our first whole year of being married and a splendid one at that. Here's to more adventures and blessings in 2015! 

A Letter to MLE

I wrote this a few weeks ago and finally decided to blog it. For any of you who don't know I have moved most of my blogging energy to instagram for the time being. Feel free to follow me @emilybeas.

A friend on Facebook recently posted her response to the journal prompt “Write a letter to yourself at 13.” Her response was moving and inspirational based on the abuse and struggles she faced throughout her life. While my life at 13 was vastly different from hers, so much has changed in my life since then. Since graduate school keeps me writing but stifles my creativity I decided to write a letter myself. To myself. At 13.

Dear 13-year-old Emily,

 First of all, I wish I could actually send you this letter, because I know how much you love getting letters more than like anything else in the world. I want to tell you a few things I have learned over the years since we were 13 and give you some advice on things. To begin with, stop worrying about dying young. You make it at least twice as far as you have already, so just relax and enjoy it. (Side note, if you ever get a whim to write a letter to your future self, feel free to put in the ‘stop worrying’ line for me too…)

Life is a big wild journey and there is so much coming you can’t even imagine. Good things and bad things. Your heart is going to break in ways you didn’t know it could, and be so full you feel you could die of joy. I don’t want to spoil it, but there are a few specifics I want to address.

Your parents. In a year or two you are going to think your dad hates you and you could never be good enough for him. It is hormones. That man is going to end up being one of your best friends and in the darkest times of the next 13 years, you will find his shoulder ready for your tears and his presence more assuring than anything else. You are going to have such a great time in your teen years with your mom. Going on walks, planning and scheming about life together; soak up every second. Life changes a lot of things and even though you are still friends with her now that closeness and innocence is something to treasure. Just remember no matter what happens, she loves you like crazy and really does want the best for you.  

Fashion. Geez… I wish I could encourage you that some day you become a diva and learn all about how to look amazing every day. I can’t. But you really should chop off your hair and give it to locks of love because it is never going to be that long again.

Boys. In a year or two you are going to meet this tall brown haired boy named Josh who will totally rewrite your definition of ‘hot guy’. I wish I could tell you he is the only boy who will ever wreak havoc on your heart but he isn’t. Let me just say, when you do meet him try to remember what he is wearing (that will come in super handy in games like, 12 years from now) and wear your overalls every time he is around. Sounds weird but trust me…

Life in general. Keep dreaming big. Some day you are going to get your motorcycle license, drive across the country, fly to more states than you can imagine, dance on the top floor of Willis Tower (crazy, they rename it…), climb mountains, shinny through canyons and write your initials and those of the one you love in the sand on the beach. You will graduate from college (hopefully twice), clip in your high heels and dress skirt down the hall to your office, publish a newsletter, and make a difference in the world. It isn’t going to happen how you think about it now, but it is going to happen. I know you lie in bed at night and dream about traveling and going anywhere but where you are. Someday you will do all those things, but try to soak up the peace and beauty of the farm now as much as you can. Go out and look at the stars every night, even when it is cold, because some day you will live where you can’t see them and a part of your heart will always long for them. Read more. I know you don’t have a lot of time, but read when you are falling asleep. It will help me not have such a big pile to catch up on in 10 years. Don’t be mad at Dad when he makes you ride your bike places instead of driving you. Some day you are going to love bikes a lot. Also, don’t give up on trying to make baskets in front of the garage; some day you are going to wish you had that skill. Oh, and for heaven’s sake, drive something! Like the lawn mower or the tractor or even the car, just drive something before you get your learner’s permit. Everyone involved in you learning to drive will be sooooo grateful.

Lastly, about God. I wish I could say that in the next 13 years you are going to figure it all out and be where you want to be in your relationship with Him. Again, that would be a lie. Just remember this, you will never regret any time you spend seeking Him. He loves you more than you can imagine. His plans are better than your plans. And no, He is not a tame lion.

Colorado

Two weekends ago we made good on some plans we had been brewing up for weeks. To run away to Colorado for the weekend and climb four 14'ers. We left Friday night after Josh got off work and drove straight through to the campsite at 3am. The road to the trailhead was a little more than my car is used to, but Josh coaxed him up to a nice spot to pitch our tent for about 4 hours of sleep. We got up bright and early the next morning, hoping to beat the weather to all four summits. 

Backcountry car camping at its finest. Just park on the side of the road and throw up your tent... 

This was our view from the tent in the morning. A great way to wake up in the mountains. 

All four peaks sit within an 8 mile loop, and the elevation gain was strenuous to say the least. Especially for two people who had been at 900 feet less than 12 hours previous and were running on 4 hours of sleep and a lot of pop tarts. 

First summit was Mt. Democrat. 

There was a literal traffic jam up and down the summit of Democrat. One hiker near us estimated 400-450 people summited that day. 

Not as many people were doing the whole loop, but we kept pace with several groups throughout the day. At one point the altitude was kicking my butt and I had to rest. I was contemplating heading for the car when a 10 year old kid stopped next to me to take his inhaler and then kept going. I decided if he could do it, I wasn't quitting. 

 Mt. Cameron was somewhat anti-climatic, with what looked like a baseball field of gravel for a summit. 

But it did boast some incredibly beautiful views. 

Onward and upward (again) we headed to peak number 3. 

Mt. Lincoln had an actual summit peak from which we could see Mt. Quandary. Side note, two years ago when Josh and I and another friend went to Colorado and climbed Quandary was significant to me in two ways. Not only was it my first ever peak, it was also after that trip I decided I wanted to marry Josh. I figured after 5 days together hiking, climbing, eating camp food and not showering and I still liked him we probably had a good thing going. 

The hike to Mt. Bross consisted mainly of traversing a huge gravel field. Apparently this used to be a mining area although we couldn't decide if the gravel was a result of the mining or had been there before. 

Peak number four in roughly 5 hours! As I mentioned (several times) to Josh during the hike, doing more than one peak in a day requires a different type of mental psyching than just one. Because you have to do that summit push four times... 

What goes up must come down. The most intense part of the whole hike was descending back to 11,000' to the trailhead. I have never seen anything so prolongedly steep in my life. Not to mention scattered with loose rocks and dirt. 

I would have given anything to have my trekking pole I accidentally left in the car. And this was the 'flat' part. 

Although the descent was somewhat painful (especially for our quads!!), we were rewarded with some beautiful views at the bottom. 

And so many wildflowers. This was Josh's first summer time visit to the mountains and both of us were awed by how many flowers there were. 

I kept trying to pick favorites but eventually said I loved them all equally. 

When the terrain finally became level again I stopped to: A. snap this pic of my hot hiking buddy in a field of wildflowers by a mountain lake and B. to kiss the ground in my gratitude for its flatness. We were also super grateful to have beaten the bad weather. 

Our adventuring goal accomplished with a whole day and a half left to spare, we decided to do what we never do and splurge on a nice hotel. Priceline hooked us up and before we hit Denver we had reservations. What we didn't know was the Westin had actually been over booked the night before and room service was scrambling to get everything ready. We arrived 45 minutes after the soonest possible check-in time and our room wasn't ready. Needless to say, we spent the next 45 minutes waiting for our room sleeping in the parking lot of a 4 star hotel. Sometimes sleep can't wait for room service... 

After check-in we toured around our 'neighborhood', getting dinner and relaxing. Fortunately for us, we could always find our way back to the hotel because we could see it from a mile away... 

It turned out to be worth the wait for our room. This was our view. After a relaxing evening and a morning rest in the hot tub to help our exhausted legs, we headed for home. Thanks for the fun times Colorado, hopefully we will see you again soon! 

Instagram

My blog has been sadly neglected recently, due in part to my current infatuation with Instagram. With Instagram I can upload random pictures straight from my phone, throw a few witty comments or hashtags and tada! A mini blog post. I also have grown quite fond of how clever and funny hashtags can be. However, many of my readers don't have Instagram, so I decided to catch you up here. I adjusted a few of the captions, but here is what I have been posting the last few weeks (with a few bonus pics that didn't make Instagram!), complete with hashtags. 

If you are going to attend a beautiful outdoor wedding, why not steal a kiss under a gorgeous backdrop? #ilovemyhusband Thanks for the picture, Rosie... 

Nature isn't just in the country... #mourningdove #motheringinstincts #poorlittlebird

He mops the floors for me... Seriously, that is a real man right there.

Irony at its best. My 50th workout was the one where I limped home because my rib injury is still very not healed. Back to biking it is then... #ifyoucan'trunride

My garden is growing!! #outdoors

Auntie life is where its at... #neices #nephews 

Repeat the above caption. Minus the #nephews part...

Back when I used to sit and watch this guy play football after church he wasn't all time quarterback or twice as tall as the other players. Of course, I didn't care so much about him keeping his Sunday pants clean back then either. #timeflys #hesavedthesundaypants

If you are going to have Wolverine hair and chops, then you might as well wear your motorcycle vest into church and sing on stage when they ask for volunteers. #ilovemyhusband #muttonchops

Honey in the making!! #nature

Cousins, meeting for the first time. #neices 

There is nothing quite like friends, a firepit, and a lovely Saturday night. 

My #mcm (that stands for Man Crush Monday for you non-hashtaggers. Although to be honest, I think I might be crushing on him more than just Mondays now...)

Summer reading. Why bother with #bookaday when you can do two? 

Because sometimes, you both have an awesome hair day. #ilovemyhusband #muttonchops

Finally, the children's section in our library being put to its intended use. #neices #books

In case you couldn't tell, much of my Instagram is full of pictures of me and this hottie... 

One of these days I just know the librarians are going to take one look at me and say, "No More!!" but so far it hasn't happened yet... #summerschool #books

So there you have it! My last few weeks in a nutshell. Or should I just say in an Instagram.