2015 adventures(year in review)

Whew. What a year. In some ways I'm glad it's over, and in others, I just wish time would slow down. An eventful and prosperous year 2015 was. Full of many, many joys, sorrows, and situations which stretched and grew me. I am thankful for 2015. God's faithfulness was proven many times over this year. I traveled a lot. Went to all parts of this lovely country. I doubt I'll be doing that much traveling this year! I put together some photos of all my adventures from my year, some you may have seen, others may be new to the blog.

Started off the year right by spending the first week in Siesta Key FL with a great group of ladies

It was a good way to beat those winter blues

And then invite a friend came around a few weeks later, and I got to keep some of my favorite people

 And then Holly somehow roped me into going to the Phoenix invite with her in February

I didn't complain too much since it was still winter back home

Enter this guy, who changed our family dynamics this year (p.s. we like him a lot)

Erika's last invite a friend in Oakville

Lazy summer afternoons with Sophie

Married Erika off in May and now she's officially a resident of Oregon

Spent Memorial Day in the Windy City with my Kristin and Holly

 Countless showers for the future Mrs. Pfaffmann

Bought a new bike this summer, and put quite a few miles on it 

 And the much anticipated weekend in July came and went in a flurry

But it was definitely the biggest highlight of the year

And two weeks after the wedding, our family took a weekend getaway to Galena, IL.

The young group took a trip to the Creation Museum in KY in August

Bike rides with Kristin

Hosted several young group events, one being a shrimp boil

And then the duo was at it again in September-headed to CT this time

 A small evening trip to NYC before the weekend activities

Reunited with Tressa in CT

The more I travel, the more I appreciate home. September evenings found me in the combine with Dad

 Sunday afternoon hike with the young group in October.

 And then Columbus Day weekend took me to Oregon

 To visit Erika and the beach

And Tressa-I think we hit a record of seeing each other 4 times this year!

 But you just can't beat those Illinois sunsets

Summer evening fishing-this wasn't Holly's biggest catch of the year though…

…This was. One November Saturday morning, Caleb Moser was a name I had never even heard of before, but now I hear about him all the time…:)

And December brought fun winter activities with Holly and Wendi, such as an outdoor ice skating rink

And Holly and I went to the Nutcracker ballet for the second time

Christmas party with the Princeville girls-Gingerbread house contest 

And of course there were many Christmases to attend, and all sorts of Christmas activities I did not document. As I look back through all these pictures, I realized a majority of all my adventures were spent with Holly. So, I guess things are going to be a little different this year. Probably not quite as exciting, as she was the one always up for adventure and pulling me out of my comfort zone, but it will be good for me, and I pray someone else will come along who's personality is similar to her's to bring me out of my little comfort zone:) Looking through all these pictures make me realize how truly blest I am and how I am not the same person I was at the beginning of 2015, which makes me thankful God is still working in my life. If I had to sum up this past year in one word it would be unexpected. I had lots of changes, and none of them I was expecting at all. Between Rhea getting married, starting a new job, and Holly getting engaged, I would have never planned on any of those things happening in 2015, but I sure am glad that they did, because God was able to work so much in my heart that wouldn't have been possible without all those situations. Here's to more adventures in 2016…

As far as the east is from the west{and everything in between}

So lots has happened since I last blogged. I'll try to update on everything, but it will probably be short, since I don't have much time. First item: I went to Rockville, CT for Labor Day. It was lovely. Holly and I flew out on Thursday, and spent the evening in NYC with Jenna Wiegand. The rest of the weekend was filled with invite activities. On Monday, a group of us went to Boston for a few hours before the Silverton people flew out. Then Tuesday, Holly and I flew out(I was ready to be home at that point).

 Me, Jodi, Holly, Wendi

 Princeville/Bradford single group

 Boston group with a few missing

 But you sure can't beat these Illinois sunsets

 And nights riding with Dad or Adam in the combine

 Our young group decided to go hiking one sunday, which was very enjoyable, even if the leaves were all still green:)

 Dad looking dapper while escorting Claire as homecoming attendant

 Second item: I went to Silverton Oregon for Columbus Day weekend. Probably one of my favorite weekends this year.

 So so thankful for the time I got to spend with Erika in her new home. It was great seeing her in her everyday life and get to know Cameron better.

 And of course spend time with this great friend of mine. From a lot of bike riding, and hashing out life's deepest questions, this girl is just one of my favorites. So glad I didn't have to share her with anyone that weekend besides her niece and nephew who were also out.

 Third item: Enter Caleb Moser from Lester, who thinks he can just steal my best friend.

But on a more serious note, I am so thankful for God's leading in both their lives. While it's very bittersweet, Holly is extremely excited, which just pours over to me, so I'm excited for her. She's going to be very far away, but I know she will bloom where she is planted. I'm sure there will be a few trips to Lester in the coming months and years:)

And now for an update on my new job. I really enjoy it. It's definitely a different environment, which I'm trying to get use to. It's just odd to me that everyone knows me, and I know everything about everyone. When I was in Peoria, customers knew me, because I worked at the bank, but now that I'm in Princeville, people know me, because I live nearby(and they know my grandpa and dad:)) I know that this is where God has led me, so I'm working on being thankful. It's definitely hard being the newbie, and having to ask questions, when you use to know about everything and people asked you questions. It's good for me though. Keeps me humble and builds character. The past 6 months have pretty much been a season of change for me. None of it expected at all, but that pretty much seems to be the theme of my life. Sometimes I wish God would throw something my way that I was expecting, but I know I wouldn't be as thankful, and that God wouldn't have as much opportunity to work in my heart. So, I keep trudging along into the unknown. And know that He is good and His ways are above ours. Since we are on the topic of change, I just got done redoing my room. It's a pretty dramatic change from the lime green my 13 year old self picked out. I actually feel 22 now when I'm in my room:) One of these days I'll get around to taking an after picture and put up a before and after picture. Probably after Adam hangs all my pictures/wall decor. Poor guy, every time he comes over, I give him something to do. Perks of having a brother in law. I sure didn't know how handy they were:)

Here's to busy, exciting months ahead, and God's faithfulness….

Girl Meets Change{Book Review} + real life change

This book by Kristen Strong was a good one. Really good. I started reading it pretty passively at first. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it, I just didn't think it was applying to me at the time(more on that later). Kristen approached change in a light that changed my perspective on change. I'm one to dread change and all the emotions and change change brings. Kristen encourages us a believers to welcome change, as it is for our good and betterment. It is a blessing from God to keep us in line with His will and our walk with Him. She addresses big change and even the smallest change. I tend to be careful when I classify change, because I don't want to make big deals out of small things. Overall I really, really enjoyed the book and the perspective it brought me. I recommend it for anyone and everyone. It's great for any stage of life.

*I received this book for free from Revell Publishing in exchange for my honest review*


Now onto my real life change. One I wasn't expecting or looking for at all. I'm sure some of you have already heard, but for those of you who haven't, I have accepted a different job. Starting on October 27th, I will be working at Princeville State Bank. It is pretty much the same as what I do now. I'm looking forward to it, although I know there will be a lot for me to learn. New customers to learn, building new relationships with co-workers, etc. I'm sure for the next month I will be emotionally drained every night. But, I know it will be good for me, and I know this is where I am suppose to be. I wasn't looking for a job at all, but heard of this job opening and at first didn't think anything of it, but something inside me(the Spirit) was really urging me to send my resume. So I did. The day after I sent my resume, my co-worker found out her cancer was back. That was really hard. Knowing I might not be around to support and encourage her through it. Thankfully, she really encouraged me to not feel bad at all and that she would be so happy if I got the job. A week later, she put in her resignation, as she won't be able to work for awhile, and didn't want that pressure to feel like she needs to come back to work. I fully support her decision in that. It would definitely be a weight off your shoulder if you were in the position. I was really questioning the timing of this job opportunity. It all seemed off, considering if I got the job, State Bank of Speer would be out two tellers. After my first interview, Paige Ehnle wanted to hang out that night(not knowing I had an interview that day). So I obliged:) Come to find out, she had an interview the same day! I love how God works like that. Giving us opportunities to encourage and debrief about how our interviews went(I thought mine went horrible, and she thought her's went well). Something Paige asked me as given me so much peace and reassurance that I am doing that right thing. She asked, "Do you ever feel like God is totally working behind the scenes for you?" Yes. I totally do. I don't need to understand why or question the timing of it all, but just need to understand that God's hand is totally at work in my life. Everything fell into place perfectly. I had mornings off to have interviews, and everything just went so smoothly. It was completely God making a path for me. So I am thankful. I will miss everyone at the State Bank of Speer, but look forward to moving on. Everything I know, I learned at SBS. I have truly been blessed there, and look forward to what God has in store for me at the Princeville State Bank.
Here's to new beginnings...

it's about time

At least that's probably what's going through your mind since I finally decided to blog. I can't believe the wedding was already over a month ago. Crazy how fast time flies. The weekend was wonderful, and one we probably won't forget anytime soon. Many tears(do you expect anything less from a family of girls?), but also so much rejoicing. We are sooo excited to have Adam in our family, and this new stage of life is more fun that what I was expecting. I was dreading it, because let's be honest, I'm not really good at accepting change, but it seems like I always build things up in my mind way and have this horrible expectations, when in reality it isn't half as bad as I think it will be. So about the weekend. Friday was a bit tight scheduled and stressful. We set up for the reception which went fairly well. Not every detail was planned so there was a lot of just winging it with the decorations. On the Wednesday before, Julie Hanson, Kourtney and Kaylie Stahl, and I put together the decorations, which I personally thought turned out quite beautifully. Pretty time consuming, but the end result was worth it. So by Friday my emotions were pretty high thus resulting in me crying over tulle while setting up for the reception. Quite embarrassing to admit, but it's true. I hate tulle, Rhea loves it. It was her reception so I tried to not put up too much of a fight, but that doesn't mean there wasn't tears. Good thing my personality allows me to laugh at myself. After the fellowship hall was decorated, I had to rush into Peoria to pick up my shoes, which were being stretched. Totally worth the time crunch, because my feet thanked me later for that. Then I rushed home(but not before I stopped at Starbucks of course) and get my hair done, and get dressed for pictures. The photographer(Signature Photos) was not available to take pictures on Saturday evening, which is why we did it Friday night. It was absolutely beautiful that night, so we are thankful for that. It all went fairly quickly which was nice. After we were done, Claire and I decided we were hungry, so we stopped at Buffalo Wild Wings after pictures to get take out. Then who pulls next to us there but Lisa, Jaylyn, and Rhea, who apparently had the same craving as us. Claire made me go in, which caused much staring and wondering why I was so dressed up. We then preceded to go home and all pig out. This is normal right? Saturday was pretty relaxing for the most part since we didn't have to worry about pictures. The rehearsal dinner was at two25 in Peoria, which was really good. I haven't been that emotional in a long, long time. I definitely cried more than Rhea did, especially when she started talking. I don't hold up very well when it comes to sentimentality. It was a very special night though. Not many pictures from the rehearsal dinner. I took less than 5 pictures all weekend, so sorry for my lack of pictures.

 Bride and Bridesmaids at the rehearsal dinner

 And then Sunday we got Rhea all married off and she is officially a Pfaffmann. It makes me laugh at how much less nervous I was at Rhea's wedding than at Ryan and Ashley's wedding. Cassie was soooo nervous though, but she did great, and there was no tripping or falling down the aisle(that's what weddings are all about right?) The reception went over very well, and surprisingly I was able to enjoy it. The worst part was cleaning up the reception. When we got home, we all went to our rooms and cried. And for the next couple of days, we cried some more. I cried when I was snipping beans at the table, because I realized we would have an empty spot. My family laughed at me. Now that you have all diagnosed me as a complete emotional wreck let's move on….

 The Bride and Groom-my favorite couple

 Bridesmaids

 Rhea and her ushers

 The wedding party, we are a dashing group if I must say so myself

The groomsmen and ushers looking quite spiffy in their suits. Good job picking those out Adam and Rhea:)

 The Pfaffmann family

 Adam and Rhea, Max and Mary

 Daniel, Wendi, and Henry

 Luke, Heidi, Bridget, Carter, and Allison

 Rhea is an aunt to some pretty adorable kids

 Adam and his siblings

 Our family(why do we look so big?)

 Adam and Rhea, Mom and Dad

 Father of the Bride-what a handsome man:)

 Sisters

 Kisses for the new Mrs

 Dad and his girls

 And Adam and his new posse

 Mom and her girls

And one silly one of course. Dad's empty pockets. I guess that's what girls do to you. We like to kindly remind him that Rhea's only the first…