Summertime food is the best

When Dan lived in Lynden, he grew a big garden with peppers, tomatoes, beans, squash, zucchini, corn, peppers and other fruits and veggies. Before we got married, he loaded me up on all the butternut squash I could eat. But, this year, we live in a small apartment and growing a big garden just isn't possible. We did plant peppers and tomatoes and herbs and I am so very excited that finally we are picking and enjoying the fruits of our labor.


These are some of the first peppers and tomatoes. We have 5 different varieties of tomatoes and 3 varieties of peppers.

My parents grew quite an onion crop this year and shared a large bag of Walla Walla Sweet onions with us, which is great because 75% of my dinner recipes start by sauteing an onion and garlic.

Dwayne and Angela have been quite generous by letting us visit their fruitful raspberry bushes. We've been over twice so far and have been enjoying raspberry shakes and smoothies. I think we might even go back tomorrow to pick more.

So, as you can probably tell, there's not a lot of exciting things happening in Newlywed Lenssen Land, but we are eating well and certainly loving all the fresh food of summer.

Happy (sort of) Anniversary!

On July 16th we celebrated the 1 year anniversary of our engagement. Yup, one year ago Dan decided we should go "scouting for deer" on Kamiak Butte. Well instead of seeing deer that evening, I saw a beautiful diamond ring and said 'yes' to the most wonderful proposal. Three months later we got married and now here we are, married for nine whole months. It doesn't seem like it's been that long. We definitely still feel like newlyweds. I hope we always do : )

{Right after he asked and I said 'yes'}

{A happy day in October}

{Engagement pictures, taken one year ago}

4th of July Spectacular!

Dan and his friends have celebrated the 4th of July for years by putting on a big fireworks extravaganza and there was no way he was going to miss it this year simply because now he lives on the other side of the state. So we packed up the truck and headed to Lynden for a long weekend. It was great to catch up with Sue and spend some time with Dean, Lyndsey and the little girls and see some Lynden friends, but really, for Dan, the weekend was all about the pyrotechnics.












{See. Isn't it pretty?}

Dan has a good friend, Jason, and he goes shopping for fireworks on the 5th of July every year to load up for the next year. Jason is quite a perfectionist and lists out what fireworks are better than the others and is continually tweaking the line-up to put on the very best fireworks show possible. He and Dan launched fireworks for an hour straight as the rest of us watched from the safety of the balcony.



















On the drive back to Pullman we decided to take the long way to check out Snoqualmie Falls. We stopped in the fall/early winter and boy howdy have they ever changed. They have always been beautiful, but now with all the extra water they truly seem powerful. Anyway, if you get the chance, on your next visit to or from the west side, you should stop and admire for a bit.












{anyone wanna swim?}

Newlywed Lenssen News Update: My pick-up, Gunner, now belongs to another and we are the proud owners of this cute little Chevy Cavalier. Dan calls it my "high school girls car." It has taken me a bit to get used to driving a car versus driving my Dodge, but the new car is quite zippy and fun and it's nice not to have to search the parking lot for a spot big enough for a pick-up.











{meet Cali the Cavalier}



I added some new blogs to my favorites list. My sister finally joined the club along with my cousin and his wife. If you like cute pictures of adorable wee ones, you should check them out on the right side of this page.

Summer.....so far.....

I love summers in Pullman. I like that the students are gone and parking spaces are available. I like that there are no lines at restaurants and the movie theater. But this summer is different than all the others I've enjoyed in Pullman. This summer I have a great husband to share lovely Pullman with. Walks and bike rides are definitely more fun when there's someone to converse with.

We've seen two big summer movies so far. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was pretty dang cool. Yes Indy is older and has graying hair and a few wrinkles, but he's just as smart and witty and funny and clever as always. We also saw The Chronicles of Narnia : Prince Caspian. This movie rocked. There was action and cool battle scenes and I just love all the Narnia characters. There was even a poignant scene or two that had me in tears.

In other Newlywed Lenssen News, we've decided to sell my pick-up. Yup, Gunner will (hopefully) soon belong to another. This makes perfect sense of course; Dan's truck is better and newer and all that and really, what do we need two full-sized rigs for? So alas, practicality rules and Gunner, my constant companion for these past 7 or so years has a FOR SALE sign in the window.


Doesn't he look nice all cleaned up?












On June 10th we were VERY suprised by a freak snowstorm. (There were tree branches down all over town and power was even out in some areas.) I ran home at lunch to pull in all my dear little potted plants and pull them to safety. After snapping a few pictures, I shook off as much snow as I could. Now, eight days later, it's 75 degrees and sunny and I think most of the plants are going to be okay, with the exception of my poor, sad little basil.



Okay, I just had to share the adorable picture. This is my niece, Sandy, and her mother happened to catch this wee one is a happy mood and showing off her new sun hat. Pictures like this just make me want to scoop up the sweetness and kiss her chubby cheeks a million times.

Well, that's all for now. We're looking forward to our Lynden visit over the 4th of July. Hopefully we can catch up with family and friends and enjoy the annual fireworks spectacular.

Memorial Weekend Adventure (part 1)

Dan and I weren't sure how we were going to spend our long weekend. We debated just hanging around here, but when Grandpa Cy and Grandma Janet invited us to the cabin for the opening of fishing on Henry's Lake, we decided that sounded way better than the non-plans we had. Bright and early Friday morning we took off and drove the 500 miles to the cabin. All the other times I had made the trip, so had my cousins and other family members and it was really nice this time to have a low-key adventure with just my grandparents, parents and us.
Saturday morning we were up and on the water with the rest of the Henry's fishermen and we were not disappointed. Dan hadn't ever been boat fishing, but he was certainly a fast learner. He brought in the first fish of the day and then proceeded to bring in another and another and so on. I got one and Grandpa Cy got one and my Dad caught two, one of which was a 5-pound monster.
Day two on the lake wasn't as productive (two fish caught, two got away) but Henry's Lake can be fickle and after such a great first day, we couldn't complain.
Props out to my Mum and Grandma Janet for sending us out with ample provisions and welcoming us mighty fishermen home with fresh cookies and amazing meals. Fishing is hard work (especially in the rain and wind) and it was nice to have a warm cabin and a great meal to come back to.



Here we are with all the fish of Day One.












Should we use this as our Christmas card picture?























Oh yes....the couple that guts and cleans fish together, stays together.

Memorial Weekend Adventure (part 2)

After a full day-and-a-half fishing on Henry's Lake, the six of us piled in the pick-up and headed into Yellowstone National Park. Dan had never been and I was excited for him to see all the neat things Yellowstone had to offer. First up were the Buffalo. Yes, they really are that big. They're so used to to tourists that they just sit there and as long as you don't bother them, they'll leave you alone. It was cool to get so close to such large animals.















No trip to Yellowstone would be complete without a stop at Old Faithful. We got there with plenty of time to complete a 40 minute hike around the springs, pools and smaller geysers. Old Faithful is the definite draw, but the other thermal spots are really neat to see too. Old Faithful was right on time.




















The Old Faithful Inn is 100 years old and the oldest Inn in the National Parks System. It's incredibly beautiful and is currently being renovated and updated, but keeping it's traditional charm. The main lobby is just awesome and if you're ever in the area, you need to stop by to check it out.










It was a quick weekend with two solid days of driving, but definitely worth every mile.

Springtime Craftiness

I spent some time a few weeks ago making a tag book for my sister for Mother's Day (from Clint and Sandy, they just needed some help from Aunt Shelle) and Mother's Day cards for my Mum, Sue (Mother-in-law) and my Grandmas.
Here's the cover of the tag book:

A couple of the pages....

I really like using these new Bazzil scallop edges....

Some little paper flowers cover up staples that I messed up on : )

Baby Sandy, Graduation and more Baby Sandy!

Isn't she just the cutest little thing you've ever seen? Her puffy cheeks! Her round eyes! Her big smiles! Okay, so maybe I'm a little biased because I don't get to see her very often, but really, she is the cutest.

The Big Graduation Weekend has come and gone. Jen (and Baby Sandy) and Cody flew in on Friday and we just kind of hung out at my apartment for the afternoon. I took a lot of pictures of Sandy-bear and pretty much spoiled her. After Dan and Kasey put on their armor to rescue Christina (Kasey's girlfriend) when she broke down out in the boonies, we all headed to dinner. BBQ & Blues in Clarkston scored again. That place really, really rocks and if you haven't been there, you should go. Like now, really, go.

Saturday was the big day for Kasey. Four years of classes, tests, books, dodgeball games, frustrating football seasons, group projects, roommates and study sessions all came to a close. Kasey graduated from the College of Business with a degree in Marketing. The three+ hour event took it's toll on all of us out in the audience, but as you can tell from the picture, Jen and Cody found a way to keep themselves entertained. They were sure to take off the headphones when Kasey's name was announced. Afterward we had a big get-together at the Church and my Mom BBQ'd steaks and we all just hung around talking. It was great to catch up with all the family in town and (of course) watch Sandy-bear play.

Saturday night was card-night with the grandparents. Dan and Christina just had to laugh at us. Apparently, in their families, card games do not result in fights. What!?! How is that even possible? The arguments are part of the fun, right?
Sunday morning, we all woke up early to say our goodbyes and everyone was off. It was a quick weekend, but very, very full. Kasey is off to start a new chapter of his life (I know, I know, that's so cliche), but I know he thoroughly enjoyed the time he spent at the University of Idaho. He is a Vandal through-and-through. He stands for the fight song, sings the words and despises Boise State. Yup, he's a Vandal.

How about another picture of Baby Sandy, just 'cause she's so cute!

One of the Cool People!

It doesn't happen very often, but occasionally I too am one of the cool people. Well, actually Terry and Denise Candler are the cool people. They just happen to be friends with Monty Lane Alan, backup singer and guitar player for ALAN JACKSON!!!! They totally scored with free tickets and invited Dan and I to join them in Spokane for a night of country music. We got to met Monty before the show. He's a super nice guy and has his own single coming out soon to country radio. I'm excited to hear him on the local station soon.
Miranda Lambert opened and she was fun and high-spirited and got everyone up and rockin'. Dan has a little bit of a crush on her and he might know more of her songs than I do. I really liked her pink guitar and her cute shoes.










Alan Jackson was great. He sang new stuff, old stuff, all his stuff really. Monty did a great job on backup vocals. There were a few songs where the four of us couldn't help but to get up and dance. He put on a wonderful show.









Afterward Monty came out again and he and Terry and Denise got to play catch-up. If you ever get the chance to listen to southerners play catch-up after several years, you should do it. It was entertaining just hearing them talk and ask about everyone from Mommas to cousins to aunts.






Thanks again to Terry and Denise for inviting us and guessing correctly that we'd have a great time. Many, many thanks to Monty Lane Alan for a fun time and thanks for letting us all be cool people!

Some catching up.....

I know, long time, no blog. I have been super busy with work, my Guardian ad Litem mentorship and finishing out the required writing sample (it ended up being 16 pages...whew). I've also done scrapbook pages for kit club and for design team and still managed to go to my regular job everyday. None of it has been too exciting, so I don't feel bad about not blogging about the non-excitement.
Concerts- Dan and I worked 3 concerts this month. Elton John was loud and his fans were crazy and there were plenty of drunk Wazzu Moms to keep it interesting. He is quite talented though, and once everyone found their seat, I got to enjoy the show. Dierks Bentley was next and he was by far my favorite. Dan and I both really like a lot of his songs (several were played at our wedding) and since we were stationed on opposite ends of the stadium, we "flash-flirted" back and forth with our flashlights when our favorite songs would be playing. It was fun and I appreciated my dear husband's sense of humor. Dan did have a much rowdier section than I did and he announced to me at the end of the show that we would not ever be having a teenaged daughter. I wonder how he plans to see that one through? : ) The last concert was on Saturday night. Does anyone remember Ben Folds? I remember like 2 songs of his from college and that's about it. Anyway, apparently he's making a comeback and he's doing the college-tour thing now and sure used the f-word a lot. Wouldn't you think it would eventually become ineffective? Let's just say this show was definitely our least favorite of the three. I hope next year we get more good shows and fewer crappy ones.

Other notes - I got my hair cut. I have bangs now. Dan took this picture of me in the kitchen (yes, our kitchen has a brick pillar - it's odd). It's taken some getting used to, but so far I like the new look.
Congratulations to our friends Tyler and Becky Bos and their new little one, a healthy daughter named Morgan (very cute name).
Next weekend we'll have 10 Freston family members in town for Kasey's graduation. I'm very excited to see everyone and celebrate all of Kasey's hard work. It will be kind of sad too. I've really enjoyed having him here the past four years and know I'll miss him when he moves on the bigger and better things.