Gone to Carolina

We're in North Carolina! We've already been sunburned from the beach and the pool, eaten alive by mosquitoes, and survived a week of camping and there's still two weeks left! I'm loving all the time with my family and the accents and the heat and the amazing food! I feel kind of torn about leaving in a few weeks; I'm excited to move into our new apartment, but I'm sad about being so far away from so many people I love. For now though, I'm enjoying my time here and not thinking too much about the future.

Last week Daniel and I went to Girl's Camp with my stake. I was an adult level leader over Jillian's group and Daniel was the "lifeguard" (he's not certified to be a real lifeguard, hence the quotes) and waterfront coordinator. He was also a part-time cook and helper to whoever needed him. Everyone was SO appreciative of him, it warmed my heart when people would stop me and ask me to thank Daniel for them for a task he helped with!

My tan is coming along nicely thanks to the abundant sunshine. I think I'll miss that the most in Wisconsin, the sun doesn't come out as much as I'd like. It turns out that our place in Milwaukee is about two blocks from where a family friend grew up, it's crazy to hear how the area has changed.

There are a lot more things happening, but the pool is calling my name. I'll post again if the weather gets yucky and keeps me inside.

And now I'll leave you with this. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for Weird Al...





-Jenn

Home Improvement

Daniel and I have been acquiring amazing Craigslist and WG&R finds recently, my poor in-laws are running out of room in the basement! Here are some of our most recent additions...

Unfortunately, I didn't take a "before" picture of this dresser. We bought it for $50 and it had a medium brown finish. Daniel sanded it down to the bare wood (I helped a little), then we stained it a dark brown. We took up a third of the garage for two and a half weeks, but it's totally worth it.

I did the drawers and the second coat on the sides and Daniel did the top and the first coat on the sides.

 It's not perfect, but there's a sense of pride in looking at something you helped create!

Our awesome TV. 37", 1080p. Quite a leap from our dinky 20" analog in Provo, this is probably our best Craigslist find!

 We picked up this stand for $35 and it is everything we've been looking for. Since we have dark brown couches, we want some lighter pieces for the living room. I kind of wish there were drawers or door or something, but other than that it's perfect!

TV stand + TV

 This papasan chair is my new best friend. $30 at an estate sale. It is seriously my favorite thing. It's comfy and in amazing shape and since it's a lighter wood, it's most def going in the living room.

 Ahhh!

 Daniel LOVES this thing. We were trying to decide between a coffee table or an ottoman, and...

We found something that's both!

Storage too!

Not pictured...
* The headboard (we used the ship-to-store option, hopefully it'll be here in the next week or so)
* King-size mattress (killer deal at WG&R)
* Light blue sheet set (500 thread count)
* White down comforter (great for Wisconsin winters)
* Dark brown bedskirt (hopefully it matches the headboard)

Things we still need...
* Bedside tables
* An end table (or two) for the living room
* An area rug for the living room. Maybe
* A washer and dryer
* All the bathroom stuff

Each thing we get makes us more excited for our new place! We'll be sure to take lots of pictures once we move in!

-Jenn