Happy!

Hello all, a lot has happened since I last logged in.  Quarter 1 of school passed, we adopted a new puppy from the local animal shelter, and Luke & I got married!

I'll keep it brief as free time doesn't really exist these days.

School is going well.  I have found my groove and I am loving kindergarten.  At first we were working on letter sounds, and now are putting sounds together to form basic words.  It is so cool to see the process of the kids "getting" how to read.  Prior to kindergarten it was a mystery to me how one taught kids to read.  I just couldn't imagine how to set up the foundation.  Now I know and I just love it.  I also have a great parent group as well.

The wedding.  When we decided to get married, we weren't sure how to do it.  Go to Iowa or Wisconsin or in between...  Then we arranged to fly both parents up and have his dad marry us.  Why not?  On the island I married the kindergarten teacher to her best friend.  Well, this kindergarten teacher was married outdoors in a similar fashion (minus the ocean, and add the dress).  It was really nice to have our parents up here.  The time was pretty short, but it sure was fun showing them our new stomping grounds up here.

The boy.  Shortly after arriving here, we would make trips to the animal shelter.  We wanted a dog-I've wanted one since leaving home.  A real people dog.  We looked for a while and then in the beginning of October, we were on our way out the door of the shelter when the gal at the counter said, "Check out the puppies, we just got some in."  So we did.  I looked at the small picture of one and thought, ah, well, it can't hurt.  After our hearts melted, we walked out with a pointer/husky mix.  We got an Alaskan dog!.  He is a natural hunter, but is a runner and a good hiker too.  Plus he LOVES snow, so he'll fit in just fine.

Many other things have transpired since my last post, but to keep good to my word, I shall end here.  Enjoy the photos.

As outdoor people we thought that hiking footwear was appropriate.  Afterall, we fell in love on the trails.

Cool photo opportunity in town.

Scoping out the future wedding spot with the boy.  

Our young pup Kona.

I was compelled to try this hat on.  It was a lynx hat priced at $500.  When my folks came up, they were disappointed to see that someone had purchased it and it was no longer in the store.

Early morning walk with his new harness.  We find that if we get up at 5 a.m. every day and take him on a big walk, he is somewhat calmer.