It has been so long since I've done one of these that I went to Jen's page first...awkward. But super jazzed to link up with Kelly who makes me laugh and also makes me want to quit blogging because I will never be as funny as she is.

//ONE//

Like this cool and hip thing I do with slashes? I'm trying to stay relevant. Okay number one, I know yesterday I posted about board games and how I don't watch a lot of visual media but I married a film buff so we still do the Netflix shuffle now and again.

And most recently we watched this:

They had a photo booth at our national conference (SEEK2015) and I love photo booths. Pray for these awesome students. Alison (purple glasses) is a hired missionary for next year, Nigil (the only boy) is maybe applying for staff but he has an amazing job lined up already at Motorola, and Paloma (cowboy hat) is my favorite and is leading a Bible study and is a total blessing. Mushy missionary talk.

Thanks for listening.

Have a great weekend you guys!

//BONUS EIGHT: Husband quote//

"I bolded our names in the newsletter to add some sex appeal"

People who know me IRL (in real life) know that I'm a big fat nerd. Harry Potter? I'm in. Lord of the Rings? So there. Doctor Who? Duh. Star Wars? Obvi. Video games? For days. Board games? A lifestyle.

You get the idea.

I didn't think it was possible, but I've become an even bigger nerd now. I married the King of Nerds. John worked at a video game store in high school and zoomed through the ranks at Best Buy after college. And now we are just two "grown-ups" living in Berkeley, the Land of Nerds, and it's insane.

We play board games because, slightly serious, I used to watch a lot of Netflix and hulu and the like (and I still dabble a little) but I would get depressed and worn down and so emotional that I had to cut back. Some people can totally watch movies and shows on end and it's totally fine but I would get wigged out. Maybe it was a decrease in melatonin or something. SO! Games.

So, without further ado, here are some of my/our favorite board games. (I also linked each to webpage for further investigation/buying. I'm not sponsored. But I'm totally down to *nudge nudge*)

//ARRAY//

This is the newest game we have and I got to pick it out. We have a lot of strategy and really nerdy games and I wanted one that wasn't so rule-intensive. This one is fun. It's a lot like playing dominoes (matching colors instead of numbers) but with an element of Uno (draw 1, draw 2, draw 5, etc.)

I like it because it's visually appealing and it's easy enough to play and have a conversation at the same time. The only downside is sometimes the colors make your eyes hurt and/or you start to question whether or not you are colorblind. Linkity link.

//BOHNANZA//



I had my doubts about this game. A friend of ours got it for us as a wedding present and the serial killer bean on the front did not look enticing. But it's actually pretty fun! It's a little hard to explain but you are planting beans (I know that sounds boring) in your two bean fields and you want to sell them (I know that sounds boring) when your yield is highest so the price is higher (blech math, but it's fun!).

It's a good two player game because you don't spend the whole game plotting your competitors demise (like Settlers of Catan) but it is still really rewarding if/when you win. Beans bean beans.

//STAR REALMS//





And now we've made it to the nerdy games.

My mom got Star Realms for John for Christmas and my brother and John played it for 3 hours straight. It was nuts. It's a deck building game that takes place in space. You purchase bases and ships to do damage to your opponent and defend your own authority (health) while beefing up your deck with kickin' ships.

It's a great two player game that only takes 20-30mins, which is super nice since a lot of our games can take forever. Pew pew pew!

//SMASH UP//




This game is my favorite. You take two factions (ninjas, pirates, zombies, robots, dinosaurs, etc.) smash them together (like the name suggests) and then take over different bases. Your minions have certain features or powers and you have action cards to make them stronger or destroy your opponents minions. It's fun with two people and it's fun with a group of people.

I like it because it knows it is a ridiculous game. It knows that making a faction called "Bear Calvary" and styling it after Soviet Russia will make nerds everywhere laugh ("You're Pretty Much Borscht"). It's great. 10/10 recommends.


Hey, thanks for reading. Thanks for being you. Hope you have happy gaming! Tell me what games you like!

 

 After reading many of Hannah's posts and finding hyperlinks to my own blog (and a big spike in views) I figured I should definitely pick it back up and give the people what they want.

And by people I mean Hannah. And Lynn.

I know that most people will not like this, but, I'm having some serious snow FOMO (fear of missing out). I am not complaining so don't throw things at me. It's great out here and warmish and only a little rainy but I definitely miss the snow. I know it's winter but I don't know it's winter. Ya know?

We have Mondays off which is great and allows John and I to catch up on really important tasks like laundry, food prep, and googling "best donuts in berkeley". So here's what I'll be doing this week.

Did you cry during the Super Bowl? I did.

Are you mad you didn't write this blog post? I am.

And since I've already started a link trend here's another one: Which Joe Biden are you?


But I know you all are here for the high-quality photography and mushy feelings. And I would hate to disappoint my fans.

God is good. I went to Mass yesterday with a heavy heart and He knew it.

Then I received some really beautiful texts and read Meghan's post about Carly and Paul and am overwhelmed with how beautiful and awe-inspiring life is.

And now it's the March for Life, a day not just in remembrance of the millions of babies who have been aborted but to stand in solidarity for the sanctity of all life.

You guys are great! Have a wonderful day.

Friends! How are you? I hate to come back to the blogging world and not write about something fun and uplifting but I am sad.

I went to high school with a sweet girl named Lauren and for two years her younger sister, Carly, has been going through treatments for spinal and brain tumors. I followed her updates on facebook and read about her terrifying treatments, her bravery and smiles through it all, and the unending love from her family. But this weekend she died. And I am so sad.

Honestly, I barely knew her sister and I had never met Carly. So how can I be so sad? (You can read a little about her here from the UNL newspaper).

Then I read Heather's post, followed by this heart wrenching and beautiful tribute for Paul from Mary. And once again, I am so sad for people I do not know. I don't know Paul, I don't know Mary, I don't know Paul's wife...

But I'm grieving and mourning like I do. There's a part of me that feels bad about that, like somehow I shouldn't be allowed to be sad for people I don't know. That sadness can only come from the family, the close friends, those who have battled on with those who are now gone.

But I'm pretty sure that's the devil whispering that. I'm allowed to be sad because I know that Jesus is sad. I know that Jesus is allowing my heart to break for what breaks His.

And pain is pain is pain.

But it's not the end and death wasn't in the original plan and this life isn't forever. These are things I hear, but, Lord, let them sink into my heart.


#prayforann
#livelikepaul

This post is probably going to be sappy and drawn out and a little over-indulgent. But I want to write it down now, when I remember it, when I'm still overwhelmed in the best way and still in awe of what all happened.

So, if you aren't into those things, I don't blame you, you can click clack away.

Buuuuuut if you are into those things, please make yourself comfy.

John and I were blessed to spend the whole week before our wedding to be with our families, finish final details, and sleep in. It was awesome.

Hannah threw a perfect Bachelorette party which included wine, underwear, fries, brownies, popcorn, and a mouse. Perfect.

The rehearsal was Friday and apparently we picked readings that weren't actually approved...whoops. We thought we pulled them from a Catholic website but we were wrong. But, our priest, Fr. Holdren, called the chancery and got them okay-ed...so there you go.

Besides that, there were no snags, no problems, no issues. Unless there were and I just didn't hear about them. And then we got married.

our teammates, Maya and Leanne

old farts reading by a vineyard

Mendocino coast

Mendocino coast

redwoods

Sacramento Cathedral

Wine tasting at Duckhorn

 We had a wine tasting and it made me realize that I know nothing about wine. Just that I like it and I like it red.

The Oh Hello's in Sacramento

 The Oh Hello's are potentially my favorite band and we saw them live in Sacramentooooo. It was such a gift. In October we saw that they were doing a West Coast tour and we thought, there's no way we would be able to see them. But, oh, we did. And they were amazing. You know when you go and see a band you really love and you are so nervous they are going to be terrible live, or they won't sound good, or they will be jerks and snobs, or they will sound different?

None of that was true. They were humble and gracious and crazy talented.

we got new books for ourselves before our flight out

Inn-N-Out is my favorite

Every experience we had was amazing and we wanted to call it quits because how could it get better? But it always got better. We are so blessed. Then we drove home on Saturday night and when we got home our apartment was arranged, unpacked, and beautifully decorated. Our teammates (and some students) had a key, let themselves in, and spent the day organizing a-TLC-Hoarders-episode level of chaos into HGTV level beauty.

I cried like a baby. It's amazing and such a beautiful gift.

Anyway, that's what happened. It was so great. Let me gush a little bit more.
But not right now.

Thanks for reading, y'all.

Can we just talk about this watch? Please ignore my weird hand shape and how pale and translucent my skin is...look at the waaaatch. It's black and floral! It's amazing. It's got a huge face. It's got Roman numerals, which is my only issue with it. I most of missed the day we learned about roman numerals in school. But, I will figure it out.

Also I'm getting married Saturday. SAT. UR. DAY.

I'm pretty chill about it. Maybe too chill?

Please say prayers and send good vibes to my mom who is less chill.

You guys are great.