Is it really the second weekend of June?

We can't believe how fast the summer is going! May whizzed by and now we're already into the 2nd weekend in June...are you serious? We've sure been keeping busy! Joe Manasek (Ryan's college buddy) and Tristan Stauch were married the last weekend in May and we enjoyed their fantastic wedding here in Omaha. Not only did Ryan get to catch up with his Beta buddies and sing many Beta songs to the bride, Amberly enjoyed an evening with her Chi O friends Laine and Brianne.

June began and brought with it the continued training for our 1/2 marathon in September! We're up to 4 miles now this week...working up to 13! The beginning of June also brought a trip to St. Cloud, Minnesota for Nik Aamlid and Stacie Oistad's wedding. First, a stop in St. Paul to see cousins Kara and Nate and their kids Ben and Greta. Not only did Ryan teach Greta what "dropped a log" meant but we enjoyed a walk around Lake Calhoon and the 80 degree gorgeous weather!

Although the weather decided to take quite the turn on the day of the Oistad- Aamlid wedding. The high was 48 for the day and rain was in the forecast! What month is it again? The wedding went off without a hitch and we are so happy for the new Mr. and Mrs. Aamlid! Their ceremony and reception was an elegant affair!

Heading back to Nebraska on Sunday, we encountered thunderheads and tornado warnings...aaaah...there's the June weather we've been missing! Thankfully we made it through the storm and onto another week! We're looking forward to Lissapalooza this weekend, Melissa's 21st birthday celebration in Okoboji!

At Joe & Tristan's Wedding

Brianne, Amberly & Laine


Nik & Stacie Aamlid


Ryan Performing his Groomsmen Duties

Really...we didn't do much this weekend

After this memorial day weekend was over, Ryan and I sat down to read and realized that we did a lot more over this past 3 day weekend then we thought! A little description of it all, with pictures to come soon!

Friday: Dinner at Michael's in the Old Market with Sara and Mike (yum, yum) , an uneventful and nonscoring Royals baseball game, and Amberly's first trip to the casinos in Iowa! Ryan won $40!

Saturday: SLEPT IN! Enjoyed a warm run to prepare for the 1/2 marathon, Enjoyed a little trip to Mulhall's (pretty flowers and fountains), Played Catch with the football, Watched the movie Marley & Me (We highly recommend it), and sat on the porch and enjoyed a beer or two and a nice chat.

Sunday: SLEPT IN AGAIN! woo, went to church, mini-golfed 1 game, shopped for groceries at Hy-Vee, Mike and Sara came over (brought us yummy tiramasu) and played board games, headed to the movies to see Night at the Museum 2! It was a funny and family-friendly movie!

Monday: SLEPT IN AGAIN?! YES WE DID! Went to Gallup so Ryan could finish a project, Went for a run over the Pedestrian bridge, headed home for lunch and realized that the TV didn't work...bummer, Took a trip to Scheel's, bought a frisbee, "frizzed it up" in the park, played some more mini golf (3 games this time), Met some new friends at our apartment complex, and enjoyed foot rubs, reading and relaxing before the work week began!

Yes, we were quite busy, but it was all "fun stuff." We hope you all had a great memorial day weekend and enjoyed the nice weather. We are so lucky to have such amazing men and women to protect our country so we can enjoy the simple things in life (like a new frisbee or a chat on the porch!). So next time you pray, thank God for the troops who give us the opportunity to live in freedom every day!

Enjoying the Royals Game

Mini Golfing!!!

Crazy Few Weeks

May has already been a crazy month for us! Our list of crazies includes:
- driving 1,000 miles on I-29
- a wedding, a bridal shower and an upcoming bachelor party
- a 24th birthday
- dinners with friends/coworkers/cousins
- long nights of work (bootcamp)

As you can see from the last post...we've been keeping pretty busy. Not only did we attend our friends Jeannine and Todd's wedding the first weekend in May in North Dakota, we also attended Amberly's cousins bridal shower and are gearing up for Ryan's best friend, Nik's, bachelor party this coming weekend!
Amongst all of the wedding preparations/parties for our friends and family, Amberly celebrated her 24th birthday! Ryan was busy with bootcamp the first week in May, which includes long hours of work and presentations, but he made it home in time to wish Amberly a happy birthday...see the pretty flowers he sent to her at work and enjoy the happiness her new TOMS shoes have brought her! Ryan did such a fabulous job of making Amberly feel special and loved on her first birthday as his wife! :)

We would like to say thank you to all who made these last few weeks/weekends special! We're looking forward to the events of this spring/summer and will hopefully see many of you soon!

At Jeannine and Todd's Wedding in Fargo, ND

A new patio set from my mother and father in law!
We'll be using it for more porch sittin'! :)


A few birthday goodies from my hubby

Sitting on the Porch

Last night, Ryan and I enjoyed an evening of porch sittin'. It has come to our attention that our favorite thing to do is sit on the porch. Yes, we sound like an 70 year old retired couple, but porch sittin' has been part of our relationship from the start. At almost every place we've lived we've enjoyed nights of relaxing on the porch with a nice cold drink and warm conversation. Its at these times of sitting and relaxing that we can take it all in, from the hustle and bustle of daily life to catching up on what has happened in the past few months. Its nice every once in a while to turn off the TV, let the dishes soak in the kitchen and just surrender to the cool breeze of a Nebraska spring. Yeah yeah, that was kind of romance novel-esq but you'll know what I mean once you try it!

Here's our porch from our honeymoon in Jamaica! How we'd love to go back and relax there!

Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring and Summer!

Since the weather outside is changing, we're gearing up for all things spring...and summer! Today the high is 88 and it's only the end of April! We can't believe that March and April has flown by and its almost May! Another bootcamp week for Ryan, a birthday for Amberly, and weddings and bridal showers are consistently showing up on our calendar! We can't wait to blog about all of the fun things we have scheduled for this spring and summer. And since a blog post isn't as fun without a picture here are a few from the last few months! Enjoy this beautiful weather!

Ry and I, date night on the Omaha pedestrian bridge

Ryan cooks up some yummy steak on our new grill!


A day at the Zoo with Abbie and Dad, Dave


Ryan enjoys his Easter Egg hunt!!!

Our First Easter

Happy Belated Easter from the Austad's!
Celebrating a lot of "firsts" this year has been quite exciting! So far, our first Valentine's Day, and Easter together. Those wonderful celebrations also come with the wonderful weekend relaxation, full tummies of home cooked meals, and of course the decision of where to go and celebrate. As the year continues I'm sure we'll develop new traditions of our own and continue to visit both of our families in Sioux Falls and Columbus. Although...newlyweds and engaged couples be prepared to realize you have to learn how to share time between both sides! We're definitely learning that and enjoying our precious time with family! As for now, nothing too exciting to report. Ryan survived his first week of bootcamp at work, and wedding season for our friends and family starts this week! With wedding number 2 of 9 for the year this weekend! Happy Easter and Happy Spring to all of you!

NEWLYWEDS

Life As Newlyweds has been fantastic. Really, I can't imagine how people live without their other half. As you can tell Ryan and I have been enjoying our time together, from our random date nights, putting our place together, to American Idol discussions, cooking dinner (with all of our new stuff), working out together, and even reading before bed, we love our time together. I really can't complain about anything right now. Life is good, real good and we're looking forward to the years ahead. Now, if I could just figure out to make cheesy potatoes correctly, then we'll be good to go! Right Ryan?! Anyway, here are a few pictures from our first 2 months together. Enjoy!

Ryan and I putting together our Wine Cabinet

Making Ooey Gooey Bars


Our first date as a married couple- imax 3D movie


Tyson and Jared Visit for a Sleepover!