Christmas Spectacular

We headed to Lynchburg to watch the Christmas Spectacular with Kurt's family. If I had a camera I would have been able to post some pictures along with this little blurb. There's my pouting. Here's my patience...I'll get one all in good time!

Anyways, we had a great time with family. Looking forward to Christmas to be together again!

Giving Thanks

Warken Thanksgiving was held at our place this year. 11 of us crowded around a table decorated for fall and full of delicious gourmet food. It was so special to be together. Dinner was followed by a night walk, birthday party for Claire, and 2 games that kept us laughing all night long. I'm really thankful for the good time we had as a family. I'm thankful that family made the long drive just to be together. I'm thankful to God for giving me the family I have. There is a lot to be thankful for!

Happy Late Haloween

I know this is a little late, but it's really funny and it's perfect for wishing a Happy Halloween!
Enjoy!

http://www.hulu.com/watch/189400/saturday-night-live-weekend-update-garth-and-kat

Until Next Year

Birthday week has come to an end. It was filled with coffee and croissants in bed every morning, no cooking, long evening walks, coming home to "jobs" being taken care of, a very thoughtful note, a gift card to get something of my choice, and a fun birthday dinner out with friends. Thankful for my husband for making me feel special and making the week fun. Thankful for friends to celebrate with. I'm feeling good at 27!

Today

Unexpectedly I only had to watch the baby today for about an hour. It was the perfect time to go on a walk. It rained this morning so everything was wet and the fall colors were just popping! I LOVE this time of year. Anyways, it was a much needed break from having all 3 kids and I just got to walk and pray enjoying the beautiful Fallness around me and thinking of things I have to be thankful for.

Weekend Getaway

I haven't been on here in a while. I think it has something to do with not having a camera. I like having pictures to go with my posts. Oh well. I'm also down a computer too until my new power cord comes in.

If you want/need a shopping getaway go to Short Pump, VA. It literally has EVERYTHING in a mile radius. Kurt signed up to go to a Family Practice Conference. By going to these things we get a free hotel (this one was brand new), free really good food, and a little getaway. The downside...Kurt is busy with conference stuff.

I spent a few hours wondering around all the stores dreaming and sitting in all the comfy couches. I came home with a shirt from H&M for $8 and a new wedding ring for Kurt. He losts his in the river this summer.

Well, that's it! On another note, Fall is here and I am loving the cooler weather!

Without a Camera...

I feel kind of stranded. I usually have my camera with me wherever I go just in case I want to take pictures. It is always sitting out on the kitchen counter or the table just in case Mac is doing something funny or cute, or I made some awesome meal (not very likely), or some craft, or WHATEVER I WANT TO TAKE A PICTURE OF AT THAT TIME!!! I am feeling a little lonely without it. I also have no pictures to add to my current blog posts. Oh and here is the worst part...I get hired here and there to take pictures for people (engagement, family, newborns, etc.) and I have to borrow my friends camera. Don't get me wrong though...I am VERY thankful for his generosity while I save up for a new one. I just feel bad having to borrow.

My dad took my camera back to NY to the place I bought it from and I got a call today saying it was the lens that has totally gone bad. I know have to decide do I want to just buy a new lens just like the one I had, a new BETTER lens, or a new better camera then what I had. I think I am ready to upgrade on my camera since I am doing more "professional" type pictures with my camera. The main thing is the $$$$$$$$$$!! I wish it grew on trees for once. I have been saving all I have been making from photo shoots and almost have enough to get something.

Decisions, Decisions...for those of you that know me, I am pretty indecisive, so this is hard for me. I'll have to make a decision here soon though, so I'll keep you updated!

For now, I'll keep researching cameras and lenses and I'll keep trying to find the BEST deal. I'll also keep looking at websites and blogs I like of different photographers and drool over their pictures!

Trip to Canada

Somehow in my super busy summer I missed posting about our trip to Canada for Kurt's dad's retirement party. It was a complete surprise to him that we were all going to be there as you can tell by the look on his face in the picture below. This was taken right after Gary got home from packing up his classroom and we all ran out of the house (all 3 of his sons, their wives, and 4 grand kids).

He was so happy to see us all and we were so happy to see him so surprised! We had a great weekend celebrating his retirement and also his 60th birthday. It was fun to all be together. It had been a while.

I'm really thankful for my in-laws. They are great examples of how to be a hard worker and they have a great marriage. They have always been very welcoming to me and have always made me feel a part of their family. It's fun to be a Schubert!

On our way to the airport we went to Niagra Falls. It was pretty much as I remembered it from when I visited there last...maybe when I was 7 or something. We got caught in a rain storm but got to see a pretty cool rainbow over the falls in the mist.After the falls we got in our rented bright blue Nissan Cube (a little embarrassing but kinda fun since we would NEVER buy a car that ugly) and headed to the airport for our trip home.

Family Practice Conference

So we headed to SC this weekend for a Family Practice Residency thing. I don't know what it was called. I didn't really care. All I cared about was the free hotel, free food we were going to get, and having a "weekend getaway". We went with our friends, Katie and Adam. (We go most places with them). While Kurt and Adam were in workshops Katie and I hit up the free shuttle bus and went out in the blazing heat to a River Walk first of all and then downtown Columbia to a Latin Festival. Sweat was pouring off of us as Katie had to carry her little girl everywhere b/c she forgot the stroller. I got the sweaty back from carrying the backpack. We met the guys back at the hotel for dinner and then hit up the hot tub and then watched a movie. Woke up to have a great breakfast with made to order omelets and then headed back home.

So, now we are back getting ready for Kurt to start his surgery rotation tomorrow morning at 7 a.m. This also means I have to start riding the scooter to work since I don't have my bike yet. So, I will also need to have another practice run this evening. I'm really thankful for our little trip this weekend. It was so nice to have a little time with Kurt. There is something about staying in a hotel that makes the time fun. It makes me feel special in a way.

Well, looking forward to this week and seeing what life will look like this next year...
Let 3rd year begin!!!!!!!!

Tonight

My parents left today from a 4 day stay. I'm always sort of bummed when they go. Also thinking about Kurt going back to school. Life is going to be back to "normal" and I'm anxious to know what this year will be like. Kurt has had 2 months off...I've been totally spoiled!!!!! The last 2 years of med school have been the same and now we are moving onto a new phase (rotations) for the next 2 years. Who knows what this year is going to bring...kind of excited...kind of scared!

I'm reminding myself of Proverbs 3:5,6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In ALL your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.

Also Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything but in everything with prayer and petition with thanksgiving in your heart present your requests to God and the peace of God which passes all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

I love praying those verses and reminding myself that God is in control. I'm also really thankful for a husband who cares about me and how I feel.

So for the next 4 days I'm going to really treasure my time with Kurt. I'm not going to take having him for granted and I'm going to be the best wife possible.

I'm praying TONIGHT about peace for this upcoming year!!

Camping in NC

I got some unexpected time off of work so we decided to go camping in NC with our friends. Kurt's break is over soon and we will all be back to "normal" life before we know it. We loaded the car and set out on a 6 hour drive to Carolina Beach and State Park for 2 nights. We picked up boogy boards and beach chairs from a friends grandpa on the way. We were packed in tight.

We headed straight to the beach when we got there. It was BLAZING hot!!! Mac got to experience his first ocean swim. He liked it alright. He jumped the waves and got his head crashed on by a few too. He LOVED to roll in the sand and dig until he could find cooler sand to lay in. Good thing there was a hose at the parking lot to rinse him off.



After we spent a few hours at the beach we headed to the state park to set up camp and have dinner. Little did we know that this would be the worst night for us. We were all in a 7 man tent, 4 adults, one 90 lb dog, and 1 baby. It didn't get below 80 degrees with 100% humidity and NO breeze. Oh and lots of bugs. Mac was up most of the night standing as close to the screen part panting like he just got back from running a marathon. It was horrible. We were all sticky and sweaty. I could keep describing it but you can just imagine it!

We got up pretty irritated. It was kind of comical. We were so annoyed that it was funny. We tossed back and forth the idea of driving back to VA that night just to avoid having to spend another night at the State Park. We made breakfast and went on a little nature hike looking for Venus fly traps (supposedly they only grow in that area) and headed to the beach for the day. We had so much fun boogy boarding and walking the beach. While there we found out you could camp on the beach, so Katie and Adam went back and took down camp. We would take anything over another night at the Park. At least at the beach there would be a breeze.

Since camp was all packed up and it was sooooo hot we made dinner in the only shade available...right next to the bathrooms at the beach. It was pretty funny. We showered in the outdoor showers and packed up for the night.

We carried only what we needed for the night on the beach. It was so beautiful sitting by the ocean as the sun went down. There was heat lighting in the distance. We fell asleep to the sound of the crashing waves. I won't say I slept great but better than the night before for sure.

We woke up a little more refreshed, not quite so hot, and very sandy to a beautiful sunrise!
That concludes our NC camping trip. Of course we stopped at DD for ICED coffee and bagels on our way home...always a great way to end a vacation.

Transportation

We needed to get a 2nd car since Kurt will be having to drive up to 40 minutes for his rotations. Instead we decided to get a scooter and 2 road bikes. We'll see if this was a good choice come winter time. Oh yeah and also on rainy days.

I decided I needed to practice driving the scooter before I HAVE to drive it, so today was the day. I made Kurt follow me in the car while I "scooted" to work. It only took me a little over 20 minutes. (note the sarcasm). Kurt's only advice when I reached my destination was "you can go a little faster." Well, I did it and I feel good about it. I'm ready to try it on my own next time. Hopefully our bikes will get here soon so I can bike most days to work. I love accomplishing 2 things at once...getting to work and back home + exercise!!

Can't you just see me know...cruisin down the streets of Blacksburg!!!

We're back now

That's a common phrase that Jack (the little boy I take care of) yells out to his mom or dad whenever we get back home from the park or pool. It's pretty cute. Anyways,with saying "we're back now" I was referring to being back in Blacksburg. We were gone for 3 weeks on vacation. We went to WI, Canada, NY, and PA all visiting family and friends. It was a blast and soooooooooooo nice to be away from "normal" life for a little while. It was so refreshing and exactly what we needed. Our time was spent bike riding, swimming, hiking, boating, tubing, having game nights, making campfires, eating, and catching up with family and friends.

So now, we're back and getting back to "normal". I'm working but Kurt has off till the 30th still, so our evenings are spent doing as many fun things as possible. So far we've gone to the river, went out for pizza, went to a driving range, gone on scooter rides, and hung out with friends. It's great being back and Kurt still having time off. Kurt has some projects he is doing like re-doing the top to a free table we got (pictures to come soon).

The 30th will come to quickly and Kurt will be back to school, rotations to be exact. He starts his first month in surgery. I can't believe he has been through 2 years of med school. Looking forward to the next 2 and where life will take us.

So for now, we're enjoying the rest of the summer and savoring every last minute of it. Oh, and eating lots of tomato mayonnaise sandwiches with fresh tomatoes from friends gardens.
I LOVE SUMMER!!!!

Relaxing

Mac loves Katie and Adam. Good thing they like him too.

On Vacation

Kurt finished his boards (that could be a whole blog post in itself, maybe one day), we went out to dinner to celebrate with friends, we moved into our new apartment, Kurt's parents came to visit and then we headed out for a 3 week vacation traveling all over the place.

Our first stop, Lake Geneva, WI to see my brother and family. We drove, or should I say, Kurt drove all night. It was a LONG night. Definitely not a big fan of the all nighters. I did drive through Chicago which was pretty nerve racking. I'm not used to traffic and REALLY fast crazy drivers. I made it though and am glad I did it.

Here are the highlights of our WI visit...
-being with my family and getting to hang out with them-game nights, Scategories was especially funny
-celebrating Lily's birthday complete with a scavenger hunt Kurt and I made up for her to find her gift and races in the field.
-2 18 mile bike rides with Emily
-biking into town for Starbucks-first photo shoot "out of state"-Having a vacation from taking care of Mac. My neices fed, walked and played with him constantly
Our second stop was in Canada to see Kurt's parents for a few days. We spent a day at a really cute lake town swimming, walking around the town, and drinking Tim Horton's ice coffee. The other day we went around to some really fun antique and craft shops, picked raspberries from Kurt's parents garden, played Scrabble, and made homemade french fries for supper. We had a really nice time just relaxing and not having anything specific to do. It was a great visit with my in-laws. (Kurt will love that I put that picture up of him. :) Also, notice all Scrabble. Not only am I a HORRIBLE Scrabble player but I had bad letters)

Our next stop and where we are currently are is in NY to see my parents, family and friends. My parents recently moved to my grandparents house which is right on the lake so it feels kind of like a real vacation coming up here now. Waking up and having coffee on the screened in porch over looking the water is so nice. Our friends from Blacksburg came up for a few days so we have been doing a ton. It is always fun for me when I get to show people around where I live. It helps me remember how much I appreciate the Adirondacks and where I grew up. We have been going out on the boat, swimming, walking, relaxing, having campfires, and going out for ice cream. We also hiked one of the high peaks in the ADK park and went to a rodeo. We have been having a blast!!! The rest of our time here will be spent with my parents and catching up with friends.

So...we have 1 more week and then back to work and "real" life. I'm heading out for Stewart's ice cream now. I'll be back with more on our vacation.

Happy 4th

Mac at his first 4th of July Parade...my first time not in NY for the 4th.
We spent the day at the parade in town, then off to a cookout at a friends house complete with swimming in the pool, then to the fireworks, and finally home to do sparklers with our friends.

World Cup

I came out from my bedroom the other morning and found Mac watching the World Cup all by himself. I guess he enjoys it like we do. I have found that even though I'm not THAT into watching the games I find comfort in just having them on while I'm home. It reminds me of my home growing up. If soccer was on TV it was ON. I like being reminded of home and my family. I miss them and wish I could be "watching" soccer with them.

Cookbook Party

I have been wanting to write a new post about the cookbook party but have kept putting it off. However my friend wrote one on her blog and she puts it perfectly so I am just going to put a link to hers so you can read about it.
Is this a little lazy??? I think so!
(click on the blue "friend" to read about it)

Summer Potlucks

Summer Potlucks have begun. We meet every Monday night at 7 at our friends house. Anyone is welcome. It's great, the food is great, the company is great, and dogs are welcome!!! There is a different food theme each week. So far we have had "barbaque" and "mexican" (my favorite) Who knows what the next one will be!!!

Another Quilt

I made this quilt for my cousin's baby girl that will be born in July! I'm so excited for them and can't wait to meet Addison when she arrives. My cousin and her husband have been waiting a long time for a baby and she is truly a gift from God. I hope Addison will gets lots of use out this and it will keep her warm for many years.

I love the colors and the fabrics, so soft and sweet, perfect for a baby girl. I used the really soft fleece for the backing and I love how it turned out. It slides around a lot when sowing which made for puckers, but it makes the blanket feel so cuddly. It will be hard to use regular fabric...if I ever go back to that.

Apology

I'd like to take this time to apologize for my really bad writing skills. I never know how to phrase something and so I just go with whatever. I looked back on a few posts and was a little embarrassed. Unfortunately that is also how I talk sometimes so it at least makes sense that I would also be a bad writer...and speller for that matter. So...Sorry if my writing is choppy and doesn't always make the best sense.
There...I've admitted my writing faults and I'll keep on writing and you'll keep reading...hopefully!

Passing it on

Last year I learned how to quilt from my good friend Katherine and I have now passed on the skills to another friend. She had NEVER used a sowing machine so there were lessons learned in that aspect too. We picked out the fabric together and then she went to work. She would call with questions, she would run over to my place for me to help her, I would stop by her place to fix something, etc. She did awesome!!!! I'm so proud of her and can't wait to teach someone else. It is so fun! She gave the quilt away this weekend to her good friend so now I can post about it. I didn't want to risk the VERY small chance of the friend reading my blog...I don't even know her! But who knows who's out there reading my stuff. (yeah right)

Wrong Way

So...we took a wrong turn today coming home from having lunch with friends at the Home Place (a family style southern cooking restaurant about a 35 min. drive from Blacksburg) We arrived home safely 2 hours later. Katie said it best this way, "we hit the low point when we stopped in a VERY small town to get directions, finding out we were about 1 and 1/2 hours away, it was pouring rain, we were pretty much in the middle of nowhere, and Rylie (Katie's baby) was screaming." Happy to say though that we all (Kurt, Adam, Katie, and myself) all kept very good attitudes during the drive despite the fact that the guys had A LOT of studying to do and all the other circumstances. We got to see a very pretty part of Virginia (and some pretty dumpy parts) that we probably would never have been through had we not missed that left hand turn.

Oh well...we have another fun memory to add to the 100's...Kurt is still studying at 10:15 trying to get done what he needed to for today...and I got to watch New Moon tonight with friends. Looking forward to Eclipse in 2 weeks!!!!

There's just something about...

Having sweet tea with lunch that makes it feel like summer is here. It never hurts to have fresh tomatos, strawberries, and radishes from friend's gardens or freshly picked. (oh and free Panera Bread) :)


Reading your Bible with a hot cup of coffee and flowers on a beautiful morning to get your day going

Having fresh flowers around to make our "home" just feel cozier

Taking a good nap and lounging around the house ALL DAY

Baby Quilt

I made this on my week off for my boss's baby. It is pretty small, perfect for laying on or maybe to cover up in a stroller. I free motion quilted it for my first time. Can't wait to see baby Maribell use it.

Celebrating 4 years

Our 4 Year Anniversary has come and gone and it was Great!!! We went out to dinner to one of our favorite places and got to sit outside. The weather was perfect. We had an appetizer PLUS our meal. That's a treat! Went on a walk, got pictures done in an old time photo booth, came home had our own Ben and Jerry's ice cream and watched the season finale to the Office and 30Rock. In my mind...a perfect way to celebrate this year!
It has been a really fun 4 years and can't wait for the next 4. Wow, a lot can happen by then!!! Excited to see where we'll be at in life.

New Find

I found this today!!! There is sooooooooo much to read! I'm especially interested in her photography section. Well, back to the site!
Have a great weekend!

Weekend

The weekend was spent with family and friends. I LOVE those kind of weekends. We watched a movie, had dinner, and taught Settlers of Cataan to friends. Went hiking with a friend and spent Sunday with Kurt's brothers, wives, and kids.

Sick

If you are sick in our house you can be sure that Mac will be right there to comfort you and keep you company.

Recouping

I am home now recouping from a sleepover with 5th and 6th grade girls. It was fun, crazy, and LOUD! It was the end to 2010 year of Pioneer Girls group from church. We had a great year and hopefully the girls learned a lot about how to be better young women for Christ. I have definetely learned a lot about myself and how to be used by God. I'm now going to relax and maybe take a nap! I didn't get much sleep last night!

Another New Place

Old Place (well, current place)

New place we will be moving into! Come for a visit!!!!

New street we will live on

Spring Break Trip to Florida

We just got back from our annual trip to Florida. This was our 4th year doing this trip. We LOVE it!!!! It basically consists of swimming at the pool, playing tennis, eating, drinking Dunkin Donuts coffee, spending time with my grandparents, playing Settlers, going to some park and some beach. It is literally the best vacation! We have soooooo much fun with my brother and his family! This year we went to Disney which was definitely magical. We could not have walked into the park at a more better time. As soon as we walked in there were tons of people with huge smiles on their faces watching a parade go by with all the characters and with loud music telling us we were going to have "The time of our life". The girls were so awe struck. It was perfect. I cried but wasn't willing to admit it until Emily looked at me and said she was crying. Ridiculous, I know, but so much fun!

I am so thankful for the time Kurt and I had to be together away from school and work. It was refreshing and came at the perfect time for us for where we are at in this stage of life. We got to talk about a lot which was really special. It's nice having a 12 hour car ride together to laugh and talk about goals and the future together.

I'm also thankful for my grandparents who make this trip possible. They provide a place for us to stay each year and food to eat. They are so generous! I love them so much! They are so fun to be with!

One more thing I'm thankful for is Andy and Emily. They really mean a lot to me and I am so glad that we are close. Their kids are amazing and I love them so much!

So that sums up our trip. I'm back home now and went back to work today. It was hard, but it will get better as I get back into the swing of things. Kurt's back to school and will be busy until July 2nd. Then we'll have vacation again together!!!! YES!!!
Remember you can click on the picture to see it bigger

1 More Blanket Done

For some reason I can't get the underline to go away so this whole post will have it I guess. I'm not going to spend to much time trying to figure it out.

A few months ago I blogged about the new fabric I had just gotten to make my nephew River a blanket. My goal was to have it done by our trip to Florida so that I could give it to River (and more so to my sister-in-law) in person. I'm so glad I did!!!!! It was so fun to hand it over. There is a sense of pride when completely a blanket/quilt. This one is not technically a quilt. It is more like a duvet only you can't remove the down blanket from it. The whole thing is sowed together and can be thrown into the wash. It is so cuddly and as you can tell from the pictures River loved it!

My Man's Birthday

He turned 27 on Friday. The Birthday Boy likes his day to be pretty low key, no parties, no big gatherings, no drawing attention to him what so ever. So, he picked dinner...egg salad sandwiches on good bread, good chips, good drinks (sweet tea), and cherry pie. What this boy wants, he gets. So, we made his wish come true and added a fruit salad. We celebrated with our close friends on Thursday since they would be gone on Friday. Kurt also wanted his gifts Thursday night instead of Friday so once again...what the boy wants, he gets...for his birthday. He asked for a gold chain, but if you know him and the way things he asks for, you would know that he doesn't REALLY want a gold chain. Instead I thought really hard of what he likes and what he has said he has wanted in passing and got him a jar of pickles, a DD travel mug, and a book that he has been wanting, What the Dog Saw and other adventures by Malcolm Gladwell.
So here's a Happy Birthday to my man! You are a great husband and friend! I love you so much and can't wait for this whole next year until your next birthday!