Landscaping!

Before

After

With my mother's vision and a little muscle from Dustin and my father, we got our landscaping done! I could not be more pleased with the end result ... it has completely transformed our house. We planted hostas and a spirea, a shrub of some sort and azaleas. Mom gave me the fun bamboo wind chime and the planter with the impatiens. The rocks are courtesy of my uncle's farm, the flower is something cool I picked up at the Art's Festival last year and of course, my bird. I'm so happy that he finally has a decent home! Now he needs a fresh coat of paint and a name!

Hannah & Eric's Wedding

Isn't my husband handsome?

The bride and groom ... and the long awaited picture of pregnant Christi

Hannah and Eric were married on Saturday (this was the wedding that I was able to just attend, no responsibilities!). We had a great time and again, stayed out way past my bedtime.

Big News

I paid off my car today!!!!

Patio Improvements

Dustin and I decided a while ago that we needed to do something about our patio. It's a little too open on the east side and we wanted a little privacy, plus a barrier of some sort for the thousands of leaves that blow onto our patio. So we went to Lowe's. We had no idea if our little plan was going to work, but Dustin set about anyway. It turned out great!! He did a wonderful job installing our little privacy panel of sorts. The next step is planting some ivy to grow up the panels. I love it!!

Old Timer's Day

Volga celebrated Old Timer's Day this past weekend. Friday was filled with rummage sales city-wide ... Dustin and I took the day off to check them out. We didn't find much and spent most of our time at my Mom's rummage sale. Friday night we went to the golf course for, as Mayor Tom calls it, Volga's best kept secret. Food and Fireworks! After a brief rain shower, during which we all crammed into the club house, we enjoyed the fireworks display. It was fantastic!!

The parade was on Saturday. Mom was in the parade (she's on the city council) and Dad drove the firetruck that they rode on. After the parade, we headed to the park for food. There were several food vendors there again and we checked out a few of the craft booths. We were also able to hear my cousin Morgan sing. She's one of nine Sioux Valley band and choir students that will be touring Europe next summer with Midwest Ambassadors of Music (the same tour that I went on in high school).

The street dance was Saturday night and I went for a couple hours before heading to Nichole's to pick up Allie so Nichole could head to the dance.

Nichole and Allie at the parade

Mom and Allie at the park

Nichole's friend Courtney and her daughter Kiera

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the incredible father's in my life ... I love you.

A father is neither an anchor to hold us back, nor a sail to take us there, but a guiding light whose love shows us the way.
George Webster Douglas

Any man can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad.
Proverb

Baby Beringer

Can you see the face? And the thumbs up on the left side of the pic?

Peace!

Stretch!

We went to the doctor today for another checkup and got an ultrasound too. This will most likely be the last one that I have (I had one at 9 weeks, my first appointment). We probably could have found out what we're having but we didn't. We just know that it's a baby and everything is going very well for both of us. The baby weighs 1 pound right now and I'm 21 weeks along. Craziness!

Let the Wedding Season Begin!

Dustin and me

Kyndal, me and Shel (maid of honor)

Cool cake!

Kyndal and Chad were married yesterday and I played piano for their wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony and a great reception/dance. I stayed up far too late but had a wonderful time.
We have another wedding to attend in a couple weeks. This will be the first wedding that I have not played piano for or been in in a long, long time. I'm not quite sure what to do with myself!
My cousin Rachel will be getting married in August (on my sister's birthday) and then I'm playing for another wedding, also in August. I think that might be it for weddings this year. :)

The Weekend

This weekend started off great. We went over to my grandparents new house Friday night and helped them move some stuff and went back on Saturday to help move the rest. It was a great day for moving ... and I probably say this because I didn't have to do much! I unpacked some stuff and Randy came over with Allie in the afternoon so I just chased her around.

Then Saturday night I went to Sex and the City with my friend Lucy. It was amazing. I cannot wait for the movie to be available on DVD. Thanks again for going with me Lucy! And Dustin thanks you too ... Ha!!

Saturday also marked the halfway point of my pregnancy. So exciting!

Sunday was not so good. About a half hour after I woke up, I got sick. I had a brief period where I thought I was getting better and then it got bad again. The last bout of vomiting gave me a bloody nose, so we called Ask-a-Nurse. Upon her recommendation, and the recommendation of my parents and sister, we went to the emergency room. Now, normally I would have toughed it out. But when you're pregnant it's not just about you. Got to the ER and they gave me some anti-nausea medicine and an iv to get me hydrated. We hung out there for about an hour or so and then went home. I felt better than I did before we went, but I still felt like crap. On doctors orders, I'm home resting today. I feel much better though. Just tired and sore. I'm on the BRAT diet and it's going well. I'm just anxious to get back to normal.

Congratulations Wayne!

My cousin Wayne, a staff sergeant in the Air Force, was recently recognized by the Department of Defense with an amazing award. Check out the story here.

Congratulations Wayne ... your family is very proud of you!