gEEse

Eric and I went out for a drive tonight to see the hundreds of geese that are gathered on the lake in Eldora. It was quite the sight. We got there in time to catch a few photos of them on the frozen water and before we knew it they started taking off above us and squawking!! They were pretty awesome. 

Christmas in Iowa

Hope everyone in the blogging world had a Merry Christmas! We are home in Eldora and enjoying some much needed time with family! Hopefully everyone had a chance to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas and the birth of our Savior. We have enjoyed our time in Iowa and are excited to see more family in Utah and Idaho this week. I've been trying to capture as much as I can while we're here. These are a few of my favorites so far...

Cranberry Salsa, oh yes.

Lots of yummy food!

The incredible stockings my mom made.

Annabelle helping Papa making chocolate covered grapes, my favorite!

and sneaking a bite here and there...

Christmas Eve

Baby Lia : ) 

Oh Addi, you're just so funny!

Angry bird Isaac

Merry Christmas!

happy birthday bestie

Just wanted to send a shout out to my best friend Miss Abbie Louise Schwarck who has been my bestie ever since I can remember, we've made a lot of memories throughout the years! Today is her birthday and I'm so happy to call her my friend. Thanks for being an amazing, Abbie! Love you lots. 

Happy Birthday! 

PS: We made it to IOWA and are loving spending time with family and just being able to relax and cuddle in warm clothes and blankets, so i've been too lazy to blog, promise i'll post some pics soon...

a husband

HEY : ) So it's been a couple of days, I've actually had a husband around for the last week. Eric finished up his block exams on Tuesday and we've been soaking up as much sun as we can (when it's not raining, because it's been doing way too much of that lately) and enjoying the beach before we arrive in temperatures that are NOT in the 80's. Only THREE more days till we fly, fly away! 

{Sorry for only one pic, you're lucky I even got one uploaded. Blame the apt. internet}

my baby

No no no, I'm not having a baby! I know this is old news but I've been thinking about my little Sammie Rae lately. When I moved to Salt Lake a while back I was living alone in a cute little one bedroom and was loving life once I got a job, but there was one thing missing and that was a little fur ball running around. My cousin, Jerilyn went to the Humane Society with me and helped me way out the pros and cons while I held a tiny black and white kitten in my arms. After a long struggle with the Humane Society I finally had a fur ball of my very own, Sammie Rae. She was my little baby and I watched her grow from a shy little kitty to a very fluffy cat. After Eric and I got engaged and I realized I'd be living in the Caribbean for the next year or so, sadly it was time to find a new home for my baby. I was so lucky to have a wonderful cousin who took her in with a cat of their own. 

I wasn't ready to say goodbye yet! It was so much harder than I ever expected having to give her away, but I knew she was going to a great home and I knew I would see her again! I'm so excited to be in Utah for a few days and see my fluffy kitty again! I was reminiscing looking through old pics and here are a few of my favorites. 

december...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! 

Seriously though, people have lights up on the homes and the the weather has cooled off into the mid 70's and we're actually sleeping with a sheet at night and wearing a light hoodie to zumba class! Crazy, I know. 

Pretty soon we'll be in freezing cold Iowa and Utah AND Idaho! I better enjoy the beach before we're without it for a whole month! 

This pic is from my Rexburg, Idaho days.

These snow drifts were out of control. There's a sidewalk in there somewhere...

but for 13 more days, I'll just enjoy this...

countdown

I finally gave in and made a chain link today! 14 days till we fly to St. Maarten, 15 days till we arrive in Des Moines and 29 days till we arrive in Salt Lake City! We couldn't be more excited to be back in the U.S.A and spend time with our families over the holidays! 

See you soon! 

photos

Photography has always been an interest of mine, but I've never really pursued that interest until now.

Eric bought me a Nikon camera before our wedding and I've been trying to teach myself to use it! 

I'm far from knowing what I'm doing, but I'm learning a little more each day and I'm hoping Santa will bring me a new lens for Christmas : ) 

Here's a taste of what I've captured lately. . .

Sorry if you've already seen some of these on Facebook or in previous posts! 

It sure helps living on a beautiful island : ) 

smiles

I just love this man.

and his smile :  )

pin! pin! pin!

I'm officially addicted to Pinterest! 

I decided to check it out and see what all the talk was all about. It was surprisingly simple to get set up, I'm still figuring out a few little things, but I'm loving it so far! I love all the great craft and decorating ideas, sure makes me wish I lived close to a craft store! You have to be extra creative on a small island. 

I recommend Pinterest to any and everyone! So fun! 

"Happy Pinning" 

will you marry me?

One year ago Eric popped the question and I said...YES, obviously ; ) 

We love looking back and remembering that day and how happy we were.

I was so excited to say YES, I didn't even look at the ring

but the whole drive home I made Eric keep the light on 

in the car so I could count the diamonds! 

We are so lucky to have each other for eternity.

ERIC + CARA = LOVE 

:  ) 

 

halloween

 Happy Halloween!...yesterday.

there's a volcano on the island...

In case you didn't know, there is a volcano on our island! A few weekends ago I hiked the Quill with a few friends, Eric was busy in the classroom doing his study thing. We have hiked before together and had a blast, it was just as fun the second time around. 

History: The Quill is a volcano located on the island of Sint Eustatius in the Caribbean Netherlands. 

The summit elevation is 601 meters- 1,972 feet above sea level. 

The name Quill originates for the Dutch term "kuil" meaning pit or hole. Makes sense, right? : ) 

QUILL 

 we ran into an entire "herd" of crabs

 termite infested tree 

at the top...but not in the mood for pictures...ha

 us at the top when we hiked the first time 

statia fall

Halloween? What's that? It's kinda hard to get into the Halloween spirit or even Fall spirit when you live on a tropical island. The fact that Halloween does not exist on Statia makes it even harder. Sometimes I really just wanna throw on a pair of jeans and some cute fall boots and enjoy some hot chocolate, but who am I kidding?...that can wait...I'm on a freakin' island right now! I better live it up while I can! To help get into the fall spirit I got a little crafty this weekend and made a fun little pumpkin decor for our little home. And believe me, you have to be real creative around here when not everything is at your fingertips! While most of you are sipping hot chocolate and wearing your cute fall boots, I'll be at the beach : ) 

Happy Fall and almost Halloween!