Three years in...

On September 2nd Alex and I celebrated our third year of marriage.  I can't believe how quickly it has gone by and how so in love I am:)  I couldn't be more blessed to have this amazing man by my side!

People always ask us if we do anything for our anniversary and well, the answer is no.  We have in the past gone out to eat, but early on in our engagement we committed to NO gift-giving.  Sounds harsh, but really we want our marriage, birthdays, etc. to be built on moments spent together, not on material things that fade away.  Maybe it was the wallet I gave Alex on our first Christmas while dating that changed things for us...a beautiful brown Coach wallet, that was met with..."a wallet is kind of a personal thing" you see I had bought the wrong style, who knew!  (btw he still carries it:))

Our tradition of not giving gifts has actually benefitted us because we save money...and with that money we can afford to travel or experience small things together, something we love to do...like the time Alex planned out my birthday to all the places I love to go, skiing for his birthday, or dinner in Scotland celebrating our 3 years of marriage.  These experiences have no value, they're priceless.

As we start year 4, I'm praying that we would grow into our roles and live out our vows!

I, Andrea (Alex) take you to be my husband (wife).

I promise before God and these witnesses to love and respect you always (love and cherish).  I have seen your love for God and I am confident that you will be a loving spiritual leader (loving wife).  As God has called me, I will be the helper (spiritual leader) in our marriage.  I promise to keep Christ first in my life, and will rely on Him to teach and guide me, so that I may fully become the wife (husband) you deserve as we serve God together.

I promise to be faithful to you and never leave you.  I promise to respect and submit to your leadership (seek to know and understand you and be sensitive to your needs).  I desire what is best for us and I will trust your judgement inleading me as God leads you (lead you lovingly as God leads me).  I promise to provide you with an abundance of encouragement and to communicate openly and honestly with you.  I will listen when you speak and keep what I hear.  I will trust you and honor you (love you and honor you), I will follow you (I will value you).  I will be your helper (leader) and your most trusted friend.

I will always be there for you and I promise to make our home a place of rest and refuge for you (demonstrate my love for you in ways you understand).  I love you.

Honey, I still love you, even more than ever.

Fun and Cute Decor on the cheap:)

I was never one of those girls that loved decorating, placing things in the right spot, finding the perfect item to complete the look...that was until we staged our home for sale and completed the famed flip.  Then again I was never a neat freak either, that is until we did those things previously mentioned.

Now I am a self-proclaimed neat freak, tiding every corner of the house and a decorator at large.  I love almost every show on HGTV, love perusing blogs on decor and all things decorative, and have loved getting my hands on spray paint and look forward to many new creations in our future because of it.  I think it's a fun hobby...a way of making our house our home...and it is a great way to make our home our haven, a place to relax and retreat.

I take pride in being a "homemaker" as God has called me to be a woman who "looks well to the ways of her house" (proverbs 31:27).  As Martha Peace says "A Godly wife is organized and works hard to operate her home with the least possible chaos.  She also creates an optimistic, joyful atmosphere for her family." (The Excellent Wife, pg. 71)  Obviously our treasure should not be spotless homes straight out of House Beautiful, but a place that gives off the aroma of Christ, but I have to think there's some room for some flair!

So here's my attempt at fun and cute atumnal decor on the cheap to add some FLAIR:)

These are just mini pumpkins that I bought at Target for $4.99 for I think 6-8 mini pumpkins.  Spray with off white spray paint for cute and fun, simple and inexpensive pumpkins for perfect fall decor.  Why white?  Well it matches the soothing creams, tans and blues of our home of course:)

Total investment: $10  and an afternoon of fun:)

The big award!

I think I mentioned Alex won a design award for our OLD house on Prior Lake.  Today we received the electronic version of the magazine article!


Check it out!

We're back...and finally adjusted:)

We made it!  And what a welcome back we had!  My friend and her husband were staying in our apartment while waiting for their house to close while we were gone...I think we might need them to stay here again if we ever go away!  Coming home to a spotless house was an incredible feeling especially since it was 11:45pm.  Thanks Steph!

Our last days in St. Andrews were really nice.  Alex and I were able to hole away a bit in our great room at the b&b while the winds howled outside our window as well as get out and explore the beautiful countryside, once the winds subsided.  From Inverness we headed south to St. Andrews where we finished out trip.  A visit to St. Andrews, the home of golf, would not be complete without those last few rounds, so Alex was excited to hit the links.  This time he skipped St. Andrews (he played it last year and the Dunhill Links was going on) and headed to Muirfield and Royal Aberdeen.  Muirfield was the only course that would not let me walk with him, it's a gentleman's club...no women allowed.  I guess that's okay since it is the oldest Golf CLUB in the world.  So I was dropped in a beautiful little, seaside town where I relaxed with a mug of tea and was able to take in the gorgeous view of the ocean. 

We also had the opportunity to head to the Dunhill Links Tournament.  It's a tournament where the pros team up with ametuers including some well known people; Hugh Grant, Huey Lewis, Kyle MacLachlan, and more.  The second day was cancelled due to 70 mile an hour winds, so we were able to catch the last two days.  Best part, the tournament was free!  After the first day we watched, we happened to notice some of the ametuers giving autographs at the end, we low and behold we got Hugh Grant's!  It was very exciting b/c he is definitely one of our favorite actors and I must say I was hoping he might do a little dance, like in Love Actually:), but he didn't!

Our flight home was fairly uneventful as we left for the airport at 6am Scotland time (12 am here) and headed to Amsterdam, then to Detroit and then home.  We arrived back at 11:30 pm which was to our bodies, 5:30 am.  We managed to stay awake and it only took a couple of days to get back into our sleep pattern, surprisingly enough!  We are happy to be back and the Lord was so very good to us while we were there, strengthening our marriage, giving wisdom and direction for work, and just gave us a great time with Him.  It's good to be home:)

On to Scotland!

It's been a very chilly and delightful last few days!  We've navigated the curving roads of Scotland and have seen the most gorgeous landscapes.  It really makes me want to sell everything and head on over to own a little working farm:)  It's my Laura Ingalls love that is coming out in this great land full of sheep and Highland Cows (hairy coos to the locals).  Though I am not sure I am cut out for sheep and cattle, a chicken or two and a huge garden might just do it!

To begin where I left off, Alex and I found our way to our hotel in Ayr, Scotland and because of this great website Alex and I were able to stay in an amazing hotel for nearly a third of the price while staying there.  The Western House Hotel was a real treat:)  From Ayr, Alex headed to Prestwick to play golf while I relaxed in the hotel and caught up on some life in the US!  Following Prestwick, Alex and I headed to Turnberry for a great day of golf.  Alex teamed up with a man from South Africa who was not only friendly but offered to plan the trip of our lives when we decide we would like to head to Johannesburg.  It was a chilly and windy day while we were there but the course was in great shape.  If you haven't noticed already, the golf portion of the trip has begun:)

After two days in Ayr, we began driving north, entering the highlands.  With a brief stop in Stirling, we headed to Edinburgh for a little sightseeing and golf at North Berwick.  Edinburgh was okay, highlights included St. Giles Cathedral, home of John Knox the great reformer and Pizza Hut.  Yes, you read that right, sometimes there's just nothing like a taste of home (though if we're honest, we don't eat it at home, but it was really yummy over here).  North Berwick was a nice little course where I sat and enjoyed my book adn some tea while Alex braved the weather to play in the wind and rain.  The weather over here for this part of our trip has definitely been cooler, averaging between 42 and 55 degrees.

From Edinburgh we headed to Stirling and then on to Aberfeldy for a distillery tour.  When entering this part of the country, it became evident what trades are popular.  There must be one distillery per person:)  One whisky tour and sample later we were ready to head towards the famous Loch Ness in hopes of sighting the monster.  No nessies today, but a delightful drive through the countryside made the day quite perfect!  Parking our car in Inverness, almost at the top of Scotland, we got ready for golf the next day at Royal Dornoch.  Right along the North Sea, we were very far north, and felt every bit of it when we woke up to a chilly 40.  Gorgeous coastline and view from the course.  That brings us to today, where I am taking a day off from photographer on the course to settle in to our Marriott hotel room and catch up on things back home:)

That's all for now.  With less than a week left, we are sad to leave but excited for what the next week will look like.  We're off to St. Andrews for some golf, some great food, and the final round of the Dunhill Links!