The Journey Continues

November and December 2011

2011-12-06T08:51:00.001-08:00

We had some beautiful Fall days here in KC in November so we decided to put up Christmas light early. It has shaped up to be a mild winter but we enjoyed having them up!

The rest of the month was full of birthday parties....

and wedding showers!

And since the lovely weather continued we could have friends over and all sit outside!

Congrats to Todd and Whit who are now happily married!

Emily Ann came to visit us before she headed to CA to see my Mom and sisters and the rest. We again had really great weather and a great time exploring KC!

Yummy food at Blanc Burgers and enjoying the Nelson

Adam with Lucy and Jack at his Star Wars/Star Trek themed concert. It was such a great mix of people who wanted to listen to great music and others who liked the movies!

Emily Ann and some of the McCrerys

We had a great group from church come and visit....here is us and the Johnsons!

Emily Ann even joined us for Saturday Morning at the Shelter. This Saturday was a dress up day!

We spent Thanksgiving at the Renos and then the evening we headed to the Plaza again to watch the lighting of the lights and the fireworks.

We took Jack and Lucy to an inflatable indoor playground Thanksgiving weekend. I think we had just as much fun as they did!

Before heading to a wedding in December we got to see Jon and Katy's new beautiful baby!

And then see Laura get married...she was a beautiful bride!

Us and the Johnsons again:-)

Could not resist some photos by the red door!

PA and NO

2011-12-05T20:26:00.001-08:00

End of September/Beginning of October we traveled to Baltimore to see some good friends of Adam's on the way to his cousins wedding. It was great to spend time with Tim and Brianne!

I loved the colorful doors! I hope one day we get to live in the city!

We then drove to PA to Adam's cousins wedding. It was fun to get to meet some of the family and the bride was beautiful!

The whole group of us then traveled down to New Orleans for some good food and fun ~ lots of beignets of course were in order!

Yummy Cafe Du Monde!!

Adam was not so sure about the living statue and we were covered in silver after this encounter:-)

We had wonderful weather and fun exploring the city - It was interesting going back as an adult and fun to get to be in a city I had visited so often as a child!

LOVE those doors! Brothers having fun!

Adam messing around after our cultural experience.

So glad we got to see Aunt Myrtle while we were there. Ate some delicious Po Boys and chatted about old times

This is my Maw Maw and Paw Paws house post Katrina ~ It looks totally different but so glad that someone has given it so much TLC

A very fun part of the trip was scooters all over town - Adam had to ride the pink one as it was too tall for me!

Even took the scooters through City Park ~ so FUN!

We came home and the next big event was Halloween. Adam was lined paper and I was a three hole punch. Very clever:-)

We had several free Saturday mornings - great for making perfectly round pancakes and just hanging around the house!

We had some more friends come with us to Saturday mornings at the shelter (ones that we were not making pancakes;-)) - it was great to have some new faces to love on the kids.

Fall 2011

2011-12-05T18:33:00.001-08:00

The Annual Head for the cure race (http://www.headforthecure.org/) was in late summer/fall and we ran again this year. Pretty fun and Adam and I did OK with our times considering we haven't been running as much because of back issues. More Yoga/Pilates at this stage in life but I still love to run a 5K every several months!

Mom came to visit in September and we had lovely days! One day we spent lunch at Garmin in their Japanese/Midwest Garden complete with fountains and beautiful architecture. A great place to have lunch.

The weather was so great we also spent the evening at the Nelson and had time to have a picnic dinner near the very large badminton birdies:-)

We had a fancy dinner a the Webster house. The ladies at work had given us a gift certificate to the Webster house and we were looking for a special occasion to use it. Had some yummy food and Adam tried Scotch for the first time.

Whenever Mom comes we like to get Bubble Tea at a place downtown (http://teadrops.us/) and this was no exception. We did a hot yoga class which I highly reccomend and then headed over for some bubble tea!

While Mom was here we went to Jon and Katy's baby shower. My camera battery was drained but got just a few shots. It was a lovely shower and we were excited for Ian to come!

We celebrated Adam's birthday with the some friends from church. We had deep dish Chicago pizza and some apple pie. The kids had a great time helping Mr. Adam fill up his new fountain.

Adam was gifted some special artwork that day from his nieces and our friends kids.

We also got to attend the first weekend performance at the Kauffman Center for the Performing arts. It was a lovely night and such a beautiful building. (http://www.kauffmancenter.org/) This is where we will be watching the KC symphony play from now on and who knows maybe Adam will be up there one day playing his violin!

Summer 2011

2011-12-05T10:06:00.001-08:00

Its almost Christmas so I figure I should update some of my photos from 2011. Adam and I made our annual trek to Smithville to go to Justus Drugstore (our favorite restaurant) and spent the night at a great bed and breakfast!

Did some hiking the next day, found this cool replica of an eagles nest and this nasty spider.

Some fun and very bright pictures with our new camera!

We went back to KC that day and celebrated Bill's birthday ~ fun times!

We go to a church that has to be set up and taken down (We meet in the foyer of a school). These are some of the common sites as the men are cleaning up. Kids love a ride on anything with wheels!

Had lunch with Jon and Katy - wish we got to see more of them. In these photos they were expecting Baby Ian who is here now - Congrats Jon and Katy!

This was one of the more traumatic house disasters that we had. It was easily fixed but kind-of scary to have the support in your basement buckle! This also solidified that we are going to try to sell our house again this February/March. We are hoping that it sells this time around!

Neighbors, friends from church and friends from school came to help us celebrate my graduation (officially done with school in August) and my belated B-day. We had Oaklahoma Joes Bar-BQ and yummy cake! It was fun to get to celebrate with everyone!!

We realized at the end we had a photo of Scott and Adam but never got one of the two of us so we snapped this one after everyone left. We had just chased a cicada out of the kitchen so we were red faced and laughing. We are both TERRIFIED of cicadas!!

The Smith family had a 2 hours layover in KCI so we went to the airport to see them on Adam's bread from lunch. The girls were a little excited as they came back from their cousins and also to see us. The feeling was mutual and we were glad to get them whenever they could come!

Funny faces for Abigail and the sisters

At the end of the school year we went out to eat with all the women who had been a part of my graduate class. This is Adam and I with Dr Neuberger who was our professor and an excellent advisor!

Turning 29!

2011-08-27T21:28:00.000-07:00

The day to mark my birthday came in hot! I think it was 114 degrees in some places.

We thought it would still be a fun day to grill out so Adam made some yummy salmon on the grill

And the finished product - this was our small B-day party!

4th Of July

2011-08-27T21:24:00.001-07:00

We bought a new kitchen table. We were obsessed with a counter height table and so convinced that it was going to fit that we set it all up and then realized, this is not going to fit! You might be able to tell by Adam's face this was a VERY long and heavy process. Over now though and we have a regular height table:-) that can seat 6 - So fun!

Adam's parents came for Fourth of July. We went to see Joseph and the Coat of Many Colors at the dinner theater. It was another celebration for our anniversary so we felt really blessed! It was a crazy and pretty funny show!

We explored the WWI museum which provides great view of Kansas city! (http://www.theworldwar.org)

We watched fireworks from Garmin's parking lot and had a great time celebrating the fourth of July!

Summer fun and Weddings

2011-08-13T20:15:00.000-07:00

Since this year is clipping along I figured I should get some updates up and get caught up with the summer. Adam and I started to take advantage of groupon and had some nice dinners out as the weather was warm and sunny!

Bubble tea with Chuck and Linda - Our favorite - maybe not so much Chucks!Had a great but rainy day at the zoo with Jack and Lucy (friends kids) and even got to feed the Lorakeet birds!

Got to take a trip to CA and see my little sister Gail and Ben get married! All the 'Schroeder' girls now have different last names!

Adam and I celebrated our one year anniversary out in CA on the beach where Adam had proposed. It was cloudy but a great time to spend together. We stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast and had a delicious dinner at the Olema Inn across the street ( http://www.theolemainn.com/restaurant.html). We highly recommend it if you are in the area!

When we got home our neighbors baked us a lovely pie and my parents sent some beautiful flowers so it was a great way to celebrate and take a break from school!

Graduation #1

2011-05-24T19:42:00.001-07:00

May was graduation time - I still had 192 hours of clinical but I walked across a stage and commemorated the work that we all had done. Mom came in town and we enjoyed the ceremony on a hot day in KS!

One of my classmates Jan and Dr Neuberger who was instrumental in getting us through the program.

It really was a group effort and Adam and I both were so glad to be done!

Having taught as a graduate teaching assistant for 3 semesters made it fun to also see the BSN students graduate. I was proud they made it through!

Happy graduates and lots of photos!

After the ceremony we had all the Renos over and had a BBQ in the backyard

The kids did a great job playing in the dirt in the backyard and with our one toy- a bus that sings the wheels on the bus go round and round....While Mom was in town we could not resist a trip to the Nelson and a walk around to see the new Roxy Paine instillation outside the building. KC has such a wonderful art museum, we take almost everyone who comes to visit.

Ruth in the shadows behind the dendrite structure....

...and Mom and Ruth in front of the Japanese Lantern themed buildings...

....on a windy KC night!

The Nelson just recently added i-touch headphones to give you a tour of the paintings. Of course we had to try them out and they gave additional information that was not just posted on the sides so they are a hit with the Sidors! We had a lovely dinner at Blue Stem complete with edible flowers! It was wonderful to have Mom here and to get to celebrate Mother's day in the states!

Golf Tourney and Crazy May

2011-05-24T19:22:00.000-07:00

May was a good and crazy month! Another golf tournament but no rain so we were very happy. Ter Bear even came and took a few swings with the golf club with us! Emily Ann was able to attend this year so things felt back to normal - If we saw the other teams behind us we just picked up the ball and went to the next hole! Not very competitive but we had fun!

Some shots of us all attempting to golf - It was a great day! Afterward we went to a Joe purdy concert - an Adam and Ruth favorite. You can check him out at joepurdy.com. It was a late night in Lawrence but well worth it. We got stopped at a check point to see if we had been drinking. I've never seen such an operation; about 35 cops pulling people over. We were happy they are keeping our roads safe!

A blurry photo of all my classmates at KU. Our professor took us out to lunch - A bunch of sweet women who are going to impact the nursing profession.

This was our Happy Mother's day photos for our moms. I'm not even sure that I got to send it out but I guess that is why it was called crazy May!! Our Spring was chilly but beautiful.

Our next-door-neighbors have 4 girls. It has been fun getting to watch them grow up over the past 4 years. They have gone from only girls (including a girl dog) to having lots of boys around. Thats what happens when you have 4 beautiful daughters! Below is a photo of their oldest on the way to prom!

Adam was chosen from the civic orchestra that he plays in to play with one of the local colleges in Topeka. It was a great performance and of course Adam did a super job of it! Lots of driving back and forth to Topeka and I wrote papers and studied on the way:-)

One of our favorite things about the weather getting warmer is getting to eat dinners outside. A strange combo of foods but delicious!

One of our friends from church getting her bike helmet to go with her bike. Kansas does not have helmet laws (even on motorcycles) so I'm always glad to see someone wearing one!

And that was most of May but we still had graduation....

Spring Break #2 ~ Parkville

2011-04-25T10:16:00.000-07:00

We took a little bit of a second Spring Break to Parkville, Mo. It was freezing cold but a fun trip to the North!

Adam enjoyed his big yummy steak!

Our friend Leah turned 30 and we enjoyed celebrating with her!

Linda made this beautiful runner

My roommate Karilee and I went out to dinner with Adam and had a good time catching up!

The Renos have been faithful supporters of Adam's concerts - He played in KC and with Washburn University this Spring so lots of great music!

The White Sox came in town for the first time and we were of course there to support:-)

Another night on the town to listen this time to the KC symphony and afterward Adam got his birthday pie - Only 6 months late but it took a good bit of motivation for me to make it from scratch! He said it was worth waiting for! We are still waiting for some warm weather and hoping it comes our way soon!

March Madness

2011-04-25T09:54:00.001-07:00

So not the basketball March Madness but plenty more snow and a trip to CA to see our beautiful new niece!! Below you can see the crazy bunch. The girls took to Adam right away and proceeding to climb and kiss on him every chance they got! No more shyness from the Smith clan! Caraline the newest addition was 3 weeks old so we were so glad to get to be there around the time of her birth. Dad was in town for a bit of the time we were there so that made us one big happy family:-)

And a crazy family:-)

Caraline really seems to be a great baby and she is well loved! Below is the 3 sisters and their spouses/soon to be spouses. Gail gets married this summer to Ben on the far left. Their wedding is the day before our one year anniversary so we are excited to spend our anniversary in the same place that Adam proposed!

The girls LOVED to watch Adam play super mario brothers and Olivia LOVED to attack him. She had us all in stitches and left Adam a slobbered on but very happy Uncle.

We had a shower for Gail and her friends in Davis and I got to see Mom for the first time that trip. Dad says we look like twins:)

This is the shower crew! I got to see my good friend Abigail from Kansas City with her two kids who now lives in Sacramento. Cousin Marcelle came up and Gma was able to come so lots of fun faces. I think Caraline really enjoyed her first real outing!

Adam and I got her the ridiculous bow she is sporting above. We loved it when we went shopping with Liz and just had to buy it. You can see below how much my mom likes being near to the new baby!

There were quite a few rainy days and Kathy Dean, a good friend of the family, let us come hang in her basement. The kids had plenty of toys and the big kids loved getting to play some pool.

Back and the homestead - Adam and Caraline - He is already a natural with the baby and computer!

We miss our neices and can't wait to see them again this summer - check out Lynn's blog at http://www.thecaliforniasmiths.blogspot.com/

February 2011

2011-03-05T21:28:00.000-08:00

February was a fun month but a cold month! Adam performed wonderfully in another orchestra concert. I got a orchid plant for him for Valentines day.....

.....and he got some wonderfully smelling lotion for me!

The snow was a significant part of our winter - Lots of shoveling and a really cool dragon made by our neighbors.

Fun Times in January!

2011-03-05T20:56:00.000-08:00

Mom came to visit us in January and she did not have the warmest weather to greet her! This was one of our warmer days while the sun was shining!

We had a blast thought with indoor games:-) bowling, basketball and good food!

We had a lovely lunch with Fran and Al and it was good to catch up! We also got to spend the morning with friends from church who just had triplets - it is a full and loving house!

Of course a trip to Oklahoma Joes was in order - Yummy Yummy fries!

We spent an evening at the KC symphony listing to good music and had a delicious dinner at Michael Smiths

Bubble tea, cupcakes and Moroccan food - a great last night while my mom was visiting!

Christmas in PA

2011-01-22T21:13:00.001-08:00

We spent the beginning of the Christmas holidays in Philadelphia with Adam's brother Rob. We ate some good food and got to see where Rob works at DiBrunos. Very fun and very yummy food!! Adam and I spent some time touring the downtown and got to do a little window shopping at the Macy's downtown.

Bob and Liz picked us up from Rob's and we got to see the new house they are building outside of Phili and then headed back to Hershey to decorate the tree. I loved these pictures of Adam and his mom!

Adam's height made his a perfect candidate for putting the star on the top of the tree!!

We enjoyed Christmas morning all together!

Mike came over several times during the Christmas break and we loved having him around. We spent an afternoon at Gettysburg. It was cold and windy but a great way to learn about the battle. They really have done a wonderful job making it educational and interesting!

We met my Aunt Linda, Uncle Merritt and cousin Amanda at a winery outside of Hershey. We ate a little cafe and then did the self-guided tour around the grounds and where actually they make the wine.

Fun times in Hershey:-)

The Cold Months

2011-01-22T21:01:00.003-08:00

Since the cold months should be coming to an end I figured I should go ahead and finish this post:-) The winter months were so fun with ice-skating and lots of fun Christmas events!

Dinners out and orchestra shows!

Christmas baking at Susies - tons of cookies!!!

Adam is a happy camper with cookies!

We got a new kitchen island to replace the one with the blue top. It made the kitchen an even more fun place to make those perfectly round pancakes!

Turkey Time 2010

2011-01-22T20:41:00.000-08:00

Right before Thanksgiving Adam and I went on a date to celebrate the middle of the Semester - Yea! We ate a delicious meal at McCormick and Schmicks (www.mccormickandschmicks.com) and then enjoyed looking at a photography exhibit at the Nelson. I still just love looking at photos! We had a great time with the Renos at Thanksgiving - Yummy food and good family time. The kids love climbing all over Adam and getting him to hold their dolls. He is quite the 'gentle giant.'

Around the same time we sold/gave away Will's truck - it has gone to a good home in Colorado to his brother-in-law Doug. We were happy to have someone else be able to enjoy it and hope it works for many years of fun four-wheeling! The Sidor family sent us a delicious basket of goodies from Dibrunos (http://www.dibruno.com) where Adam's brother is working. Don't worry, he didn't eat the whole sausage at once!

Adam had a lovely orchestra concert while everyone was in town and we had quite an audience including Bill and Jill (not pictured below) from church. They did a great job once again!

Thanksgiving night Adam and I went downtown to see the lighting of the plaza lights. There were a TON of people and although it was so cold, with frozen fountains and all we had a blast. I still love being around large crowds of people and was glad that Adam will take me! I am still working on a trip to New York one New Years to watch the ball drop!

First of the Semester and CA Trip

2011-01-22T19:56:00.000-08:00

The school semester began with me getting to meet all of my friends from work's babies! There were 4 friends from the KU GTA position who had babies and it was so fun to get to meet the little ones!
Then it was off to California to see the family! Mom and Dad went on a date and we got to hang with the grandparents while they were gone - fun times! Grandma and Granddad still have us cracking up at their jokes and funny antics!

Over the weekend that Adam and I were visiting - Gail got engaged to Ben! The Wilson family had a party in the park and it was typical fall CA weather - a bit foggy and cold. Abigail stayed close to the grandparents and was loving the starbucks hot chocolate!

I am not sure what this face was for but it might have been that Granddad got a look at the chocolate cake. Chocolate remains both of my grandparents favorite food! Lynn is pregnant with my third neice and yes we are going to have another little girl! My favorite photo from the day has to be below with Mom and Olivia - She loves to play - even in the dirt!!!

The almost newlyweds! (June 25,2011)My Cuz and former roommate come in to celebrate with us! It was so good to see the Marceloni!

Abigail loves all the crazy aunt kisses and of course we could not resist a group photo below! I love how my husband stands out in the crowd! Handsome guy huh:-)

Adam was able to take an extra day off work so we could fly back together. We mostly just hung around with the kids and grandparents. My dad is commuting back and forth to Bangladesh at this time (quite a trip I know) so we stayed a few extra days to smooth out the transition a bit.

Abigail propping Uncle Adam up with pillows

One of our jobs while we were there was to cover the motor home. This vehicle hold some fun memories from childhood. We picked another cold and rainy day but got it on the top and hopefully it will be good for a few year to come!

One last photo with grandma and the newly engaged Ben and Gail. Then it was back to Kansas City for Adam and I!

The rest of September 2010

2010-10-29T13:55:00.000-07:00

In September we celebrated Adam's B-day. First we went for a weekend get away to Branson. We spent the night at a really nice lodge playing putt putt golf, eating good food and just hanging out. You can maybe tell below who won one of the games of putt putt!

It was a really nice lodge but run by bass pro shop so there were LOTS of stuffed animals - Watch out for bears!

We made a stop at Lamberts - home of the throwed rolls - Yummy! Don't enter a contest with Adam to see who can eat the most. I guarantee that Adam will win! (http://www.throwedrolls.com/)

We began the acctual day of Adam's birthday with breakfast on the "You are Special" plate and then dinner with friend at a local Mexican restaurant. You can tell the babies did not like the screaming Mariachi band:-) They let me play the bongos and smeared whipped cream on Adam's face - we still don't know why they did that!

Here is my strong husband trying out his new set of weights he got for his Birthday!

We had several sets of friends over in September/October. Below are just some photos from one of those times. Adam and I do like to play games and just enjoyed time in the fall to get to enjoy time with friends!

Chicago!

2010-10-29T12:05:00.001-07:00

September brought a fantastic trip to Chicago! We spent the first night just eating pizza of course and then headed off to Wheaton to see where Adam had spent most of his childhood. We got to see some old friends who Adam had been good friends with their son (photo below).The pictures below are the house that Adam grew up in. We did not get to do inside but it was special to see where he had spent Christmas and summertime for many years! We even got to see where he had gotten his hair cut since he was a kid! Above is a photo of the elementary school where Adam and his brother Rob went - Aren't they cute!

Of course we visited the Garmin store in Chicago. Below is Adam next to the bike device that he had a big part in creating! Go Adam the engineer!

We were there the weekend that they had Jazzfest so we spent one afternoon touring the park and listening to good music.

One evening we got tickets to take a boat ride and see the site - fun times on the water!This is how Adam and Rob look most of the time that they are together - Laughing their heads off! It make for an exciting dinnertime!

And what trip to Chicago would be complete without a Cubs baseball game?

Adam and I spent an extra afternoon just touring around - The aquarium was wonderful! All in all a great time in the windy city!

The Rest of Summer 2010

2010-10-29T10:24:00.000-07:00

Adam said that the summer of 2010 was arguably the best summer ever...I would agree ! We had chocolate fondue, skiing, skiing and more skiing! The Millers are so generous with their boat and we just have a ball every time!

We ran in the Head for the Cure Race to raise funds for brain tumor research again. We love having the warm weather to prepare for these races!

After the Wedding

2010-10-29T09:46:00.000-07:00

So the rest of the summer will be done in a bit of a disorganized fashion but wanted to get some of the fun memories up! We spent part of my birthday with friends at a local Thai restaurant. Mom gave me this bracelet set and I loved it!

This is me "cooking" in the cute apron a friend made for one of our wedding showers!

These are photos of us in our Bangladesh clothing with some of the treats that my parents friends set to us - yummy sugar!

What summer would be complete without jet skiing and skiing with the Millers?! Fun times on the water!

For my Birthday Adam's parents gave us tickets to see Beauty and the Beast a Starlight theater. We had great weather and a good show!

We went out with friends Jon and Katie to thank them for taking care of the sounds and with the Millers for reading and helping out with the wedding. It really did take an army to pull it off.

Also for my birthday Adam took me to a bed and breakfast nearby! We spent the night at a wonderful restaurant - http://www.drugstorerestaurant.com/justus.php?id=1. Yummy! We spent the day at the lake nearby and forgot to put on sunscreen - we were fried!

Fun drinks with egg whites! It was a fun Birthday!

This was a photo from our one month anniversary. I got a special cupcake to celebrate!

We went to test drive a mustang one day just for fun. It would be Adam's dream to own one - Maybe one day!

Our first night out on the town in KC - we saw Despicable Me - highly recommended by us.

Lastly is one of Adam's favorite wedding presents - something edible of course! The whole summer was a great start to our married life together!

Anguilla

2010-10-29T09:14:00.000-07:00

I won't include too many photos from the Honeymoon of course, but I had to include a few as it was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been! Adam agrees and it was just a wonderful, gorgeous place to start our married life together! Adam even went horseback riding for the first time!

Ruth and Adam's Wedding

2010-10-29T08:27:00.000-07:00

The wedding day was finally here. I of course forgot to pick up the flowers so below you can see that Hannah was nice enough to pick them up the morning of and take them to our house. Becky did my hair and Jacob and Leah, Emily Ann and many others helped to set up so it really took an army!

Below are a few pictures from day from our photographer and then some random. My good friend Erica and many others traveled down to celebrate with us so we were really blessed! If you would like to see all 823 photos or just browse you can go to http://weddingphotographysidors.shutterfly.com/#. Videos from the day can be found at http://www.intvid.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=56&Itemid=58/ under Ruth and Adam Sidor. It was a fun day thanks to all those who made it a special day! Hope you enjoy!

Rehearsing for Wedded Bliss

2010-10-29T08:23:00.000-07:00

We had the Wedding Rehearsal at the studio where we were getting married the next day and then he dinner at a local restaurant called Brio. It was delicious and a really meaningful time to get to spend with family. Don' have many pictures but here is what we have!

The Whole Sha-bang

2010-10-29T07:34:00.000-07:00

The week before the wedding included water balloon fights out back and lots of wedding projects like these beautiful banners that my sister in law Susie made. We stayed up late plenty of nights just enjoying being together as a family!

The girls threw an awesome lingerie shower/bachelorette party for me complete with a huge Mexican hat and tiara afterwards. The guys were out playing lazer tag and golf so we all had a fun time before the wedding!

We also had a picnic for all the out of town wedding party and family so we could all just relax and have fun by the lake! The guys played whiffle ball and I forgot my camera so mostly these are pictures that my niece Abigail took! You might be able to tell by the vantage point!

Fun times in the water and then of course Adam the pitcher!

Wedding Preparations

2010-10-27T08:09:00.000-07:00

For those of you who still periodically check the blog I am trying to update to the present! I think this will be done through short photo blurbs so you can see what has been going on in life! Above was at the great wedding shower the the women of Oak Hills had for me. Molly ran it and Hannah hosted in her beautiful new house! Adam and I did a lot of biking during the Spring:-)

I was not the only one with new things happening in life. My friend from work Julie just had a new baby. There were three friends from the lab at KU - Julie, Amanda, Jamie and now Natalie who all are expecting or have had beautiful babies over the past few months. I have been so happy to be a part of this time in their lives!

The above photos were taken at the baby shower we went to on the way to pick up my family from the airport the week of the wedding! We were so happy to be in one place! I love the photo of the two guys working on their computers together. I made Adam laugh in this photo but Dad was holding out!

And here is the whole crew at church - A nice, sunny day in Kansas!

3 weeks before H&H

2010-06-08T19:40:00.000-07:00

We spent the day Sunday with the Selphs, Searles and then the Bealls. I can't believe I did not take any photos of those times but it was great to be with friends! Monday morning we headed over to Emily Ann's Mom's (Mrs. Ramer) place and spent time with Kelley and her two kids. We have known Kelley since we first came back for Bangladesh. I think I was as old as Micah (Kelley's oldest kid) when we first met. Mrs. Ramer has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, a disease that there is no reason that she would have gotten. All of the things they tell you to do to prevent it - exercise, reading, interaction....she was involved in but I guess there are lots of things that I don't understand why they happen. We all enjoyed baby Leah and it was fun to see how thrilled Mrs. Ramer was every time she saw Leah again.

I LOVED this photo of Mrs. Ramer and Leah! Adam spent his morning with the ladies!

When we got home there were several boxes of wedding presents at our front door. Adam and I had a blast opening boxes and looking at our new dishes! Thanks to all those who are blessing our wedding through showers, gifts, prayers and friendship!

Adam took last Friday afternoon off and we went to the courthouse to get our marriage certificate. I loved this sign that said snow and ice were present because it was 93 degrees with 1000% humidity. I had Adam take the certificate out so we could have a picture memory of this 3 weeks before he gains 2 new H's in him life. Adam will become a husband and a homeowner!

We went out later that day to Lydias - one of my favorite restaurants in the crossroads district. On the first Friday of every month the art galleries open their doors and you can see what the artists have been doing. Adam played his violin with a few other guys outside of one of the galleries. It was still warm outside and so fun to hear them play. I love watching Adam play!

These little girls all in pink were their biggest fans! I loved this photo of Adam trying not to smile when I took his picture.

Adam, Katie, John and I after the show - Last weekend marked just 3 weeks before out

Luau and Southern hospitality

2010-06-04T21:29:00.000-07:00

Adam came to Nashville on Friday to enjoy some southern hospitality. Mahalo Emily Ann! We had a lovely and fun shower with all of our Nashville friends! Emily Ann and Betsie had the house decorated beautifully - made it look like a Hawaiian Paradise!

We were able to spend the morning chatting and everyone was able to meet my husband to be!

The Reno/Sidor/Beall clan!

Adam got this awesome apron from the Bealls - we will now be matching in the kitchen! (aprons are different but we both have aprons!)

Adam stiking a pose at Travelers Rest - an older southern plantation. We had a great time touring around Nashville after the shower. There is still a good bit of flood damage but life seems to be continuing on. I was able to show Adam our old house where we grew up - 5009 Meta. It looked older but that street has a ton of wonderful memories from childhood!

That night Adam and I went downtown with Becky and Chuck and enjoyed some yummy icecream. I usually don't want the icecream part but this was over a warm brownie and was homemade so it was delicious!!!

What a gift to be able to show Adam around the south!

KC and Nashville friends

2010-06-04T20:57:00.000-07:00

We did not get around to taking engagement photos until 2 weeks ago. People have kidded us that we should have just done them both in the same day but I am not convinced that 6 weeks or 6 months makes that much of a difference in how we look! It was a bunch of fun and Adam was playful and we both had a great time joking around. We can't wait to see how they turned out! We went to a late lunch after and Adam had bison - I tried it and liked it. I don't think it will be a regular at the soon to be Sidor household but Adam was thrilled to find some red meat I liked. His dream is to get me eating hot dogs but we might be a few years off from that goal:-)

For Memorial Day we took a trip to Nashville to see my friends and family and have them meet Adam - I was so proud to show him off! I went a few days early and was able to have lunch with Stephanie one of my surrogate Moms through the years and Doug (her brother-in-law) who was my youth pastor growing up. Some very special people!

That evening I met Jill one of my good friends from High School - It was so good to be able to sit down and catch up on life!

May showers and the 2010 Golf Tourney

2010-05-15T23:59:00.001-07:00

The Will Reno Memorial Golf tournament was in May like last year but a little more rainy that in years past! We played on a team with Adam Dixon and Matt Brooks. I don't think I have improved an ounce since I started playing once a year four years ago but Adam and I love riding around in the golf cart together and taking photos!

Ashton with a giant hot dog! I wore my ski jacket...it kept me warm all day! I love this picture of Adam in the rain!

Susie with a good swing above and then below the boys decided to all line up and take shots at the island below!

Rain or shine it is always good to be outside! I think everyone took long hot showers that night!

Adam's baseball team is the White Sox. We are lucky because they play KC Royals frequently. We were able to go to a game the Friday before and enjoy the Friday night fireworks - They really know how to put on a show!

The ladies at my VA job were so sweet to give me a shower before my wedding. Aren't nurses great!?! We went to the Webster House which is a really nice antique store and restaurant and we had a lovely lunch. (http://www.websterhousekc.com/) Thanks VA sistas!

Adam took me out to celebrate being done with the semester. I have 3 semester left until I complete my studies to be a CNS - a branch of advanced practice nursing. I could NOT be doing everything without the support of my loving fiance! I feel blessed and very lucky!

April Showers

2010-05-09T23:36:00.000-07:00

The house stayed on the market through April with lots of visitors to see what was in 928 East Elizabeth St but no actual bites.....April was also filled with great time at the Shelter where Adam and I get to tutor and play with kids during most weeks. We went to Science City and the kids loved just running around touching and trying out all of the science games. Afterwards we played kickball and kids from the neighborhood joined us. I could not resist snapping a photo of this cutie!

Adam and I have been trying to implement date nights. We try to go and just to something that would be considered FUN by one or the other person planned by the opposite person (does that make any sense?) Anyways we ended up at the batting cage. Adam loves baseball and we both had fun being outdoors and just playing!

One of the less genius things I did in April was I decided to color my hair and I told the hairdresser that I wanted to go more blond. She asked me if I wanted to go platinum blond. Willing to try anything once I agreed and the disastrous results are below! I was able to put in low lights and it looks fine now but I discovered I do not look great in platinum. Glad I tried it a few months before the wedding!

Easter seemed to come early this year but we had a nice day in KC to celebrate a risen Savior!

Adam continues to play with the KC civic orchestra and the Renos/Susie were able to come to his last performance of the year and then we enjoyed some great carrot cake - Adam's favorite!

March Madness

2010-05-09T23:13:00.000-07:00

March consisted of school - lots of papers and tests and then a trip to Washington to stay with my grandparents for a week. We had a great time including a champagne celebration of Adam and my engagement. The grandparents have moved to stay with my Aunt Diane for a while and when my parents come back this summer they will move back to CA to stay with my parents. It was great to be with them and to get to spend some time with my cousin as well when he was visiting from Colorado during Spring Break!

Grandma still loves to take long walks and we had a beautiful days to walk by the lake!

One of the highlights was to see South Pacific at the local Kettle theater. They did a wonderful job and Grandma and Grandad loved the show! Grandma tried on clothes that my mom sent for the wedding. Doesn't she look great!

Adam picked me up from the airport with a smile and these lovely flowers. It was good to be home! These shoes went all the way to Bangladesh to be re soled and then when we came back the cloth around the outside began to tear and we had to let them go! I thought Mom would like to see these since we went to a lot of effort to have them resoled!

Second Part of February

2010-05-09T17:11:00.001-07:00

The second half of February was home project time! Adam's parents came in town to spend their vacation painting and scraping. We transformed my kitchen from a dark red to a soft tanish color. It looks great and we have not had any complaints about the house being too dark this time that it has been on the market! Thank you Thank you to Liz and Bob for spending your vacation in KC helping me get my house ready to 'sell'!

There was lots of ladder time for Bob!

Another part of what we did was to try to 'stage' the house for showing. We bought new plants, stands, slipcovers for the couches, moved things to the basement, and Adam and his dad installed a pretty chandelier in the kitchen that still looks great. I like the jungle photos below!

We took time out to go to dinner and ate some great food!

This dinner at Micheal Smiths was certainly a treat! Home improvement project continued March and then we took a break to try to sell! Thanks again to Bob and Liz for helping us get the house ready!!

First part of February

2010-05-09T16:15:00.000-07:00

In the first part of February we adjusted to life back in Kansas City. Adam continues to play with the Kansas City Civic Orchestra (http://kccivic.org/) and I love getting the chance to hear him play and see how handsome he is in a tux!

We spend a lot of time picking out the colors for the wedding and settled on blue. I think that I changed my mind a few times before we were decided:-) My sweet Mau Mau (my mom's mom) died at the beginning of the year and my mom was able to come home to see her before she died and then be there for the funeral in New Orleans. Mom then came to see me and we were able to find her a blue mother of the bride dress. It was so great to have my mom in town!

We got to eat dinner one night with the Renos. Fran is a great cook and it was fun to catch up!

Valentines day is the middle of February and Adam and I celebrated with Sushi and a night on the town to hear the symphony.

This was one of the Valentines presents...practical but we are looking forward to getting to use it soon when we are able to live in the same home!

Last days in CA and Snow!

2010-05-09T16:08:00.000-07:00

I dropped Adam off at the airport the next day and then spent some additional time in California just visiting with some friends! One particularly that I love seeing was my cousin Marcelle. I also got to meet the guy she is dating and have a really nice dinner. Made me miss living in the city!

We spent a day in Davis with Gail. You can see where Abigail gets all of her funny faces from!

Adam's Dad works for Carter's baby clothing we have gotten so many cute outfits and many friends in KC with kids have benefited. Thanks Bob! Olivia is sporting one of the cute jackets above! Adam picked me up from the airport in KC and not long after it snowed and snowed and snowed. I think we had 36" this winter!

I have enjoyed several great meals from Adam over the last months. Below is one of his fish dishes. His brother is a chef in Philadelphia so he gets some ideas from him simplified and then some from the Internet. What did we do without the Internet:-) Thanks for cooking Adam!

Heading back to Dhaka and Home

2010-05-09T15:42:00.001-07:00

One of our last outings in Kumerkhali was to have a family photo taken. I do not have the official ones yet as I think Dad is going to bring them this summer but here is from right before we went to have them taken. We bought Adam a punjabi so he would be extra fancy and we are waiting for another chance to use it in the states!

We had fun trying some of the different foods in Dhaka. Above is mom with her mint Lassi and gyro! Adam and I were able to share a straw since we were in the big city! We tried to curb our displays of affection while we were in Bangladesh but could hold hands when we were walking in Dhaka. We liked that part of being in the big city!

The contraption above is called a baby taxi. It does not look terribly safe but it is what we rode around in while we were in Dhaka. Otherwise we used rickshaws.It was very funny to see us all get out of one of these! Mom wears a mask to protect from car exhaust Before leaving I was able to see all of my friends again and Adam felt even more comfortable this time since he had met them before. It was a great trip and an incredible experience for Adam's first time out of the country!

On the way home we stopped in Hong Kong again. We landed in Nepal but were not allowed off the airplane. I think we were only in Nepal for an hour. We decided not to leave the Hong Kong airport and to get some 'American' food so we ordered 9$ spinach dip and chips. A photo of what we got is below. It was Doritos that had been placed in the oven and some variation of spinach dip. It was edible;-) Gail picked Adam and I up at the airport in California and we were able to get a few hours sleep before the crew came back from church:-) We distributed gifts and everyone was happy to get something from Nani and Papa in Bangladesh! Abigail was especially happy with her dish set that might have really been for Olivia but who's counting!

We were pretty out of it with jet lag but Abigail wanted to take our picture!

The happy crew!

Adam and Jeremy were so happy to have pizza - especially Adam who was really craving pizza and burgers in Bangladesh. We ate a lot of great rice and curry but sometimes it is just nice to have what you are used to!

I of course miss Mom and Dad but who could not be happy to see this face! It was a great trip!

Last days in Kumarkhali

2010-05-09T15:30:00.000-07:00

The last days in Kumerkhali (I think I spell that differently every time) were filled with visiting people and making little trips to buy presents. We had a fun time shopping and loved finding things to bring home for people. We spent a day in Kushtia where my parents used to live and were able the visit with our landlord and his family who we used to live with. They cooked a giant spread of delicious food (are you seeing the theme of feeding us:-)) and it was good to just get to visit!

We also spent a day with my mom touring all of the different things that the ladies she works with are involved in. Below is one of the literacy groups that has developed into a savings group. Initially a group of women get together to learn how to read and are guided by one of the ladies that my mom works directly with. After they go through a certain portion of a literacy program they are taught how to start a savings group. They pool their money and give out small loans. As women pay their loans back they are able to give additional loans to give more women a chance to make some money independently. A health care representative is chosen to represent each group and they go to training classes where they learn simple skills to improve the lives of women in their groups. It is a wonderful program and is being used to change lives.

The very happy baby! I loved his smile! Mom and I below and then our guide for the day with Adam. Everyone wanted to take photos with Adam!

Some of the health care representative learning how to take blood pressures!

This is another aspect of the work where farmers are being taught how to use their land to grow vegetables. They are taught how to take even a small plot of land and make it profitable or how to grow healthy food for their families. We had the most wonderful fresh papaya at the house. I think Adam almost ate a whole papaya!

Chilling in Kushtia

2010-05-07T20:05:00.000-07:00

This is a wonderful representation of our time in Kumerkhali with my parents:-) The air was clean and fresh. There were lots of animals wondering about. Somehow everyone seems to know which one is theirs! We took lots of walks and like the photo above shows with my dad, we attracted quiet a crowd. Most people know my dad as Mr. Don. Below is a photo of my favorite animal the moish or water buffalo! How can you not just love that face. The owner said it was OK to touch them but their ears kept slapping me and must have weight 10 pound a piece. What a cool part of God's creation!

This does not even begin to describe the crowds that Adam could draw! In this instance we visited the home of the famous poet. Adam stood in front of the gates to take a photo and then about 75 people decided they each wanted to take a photo with him. It was incredibly hilarious and I wish I had thought to get a video of it but I might have been laughing too hard. We had someone then take our family photo after we snuck off to the side. Adam learned a little about what celebrities feel like when they go out into the general population!

Afterwards we took a walk bu the lovely river. It was cool but sunny and a great day to explore a little more around my parents house! We had lots of visitors while we were there. Below is a photo of Roshan our helper from when my parents lived in Kushtia. Everyone wanted to meet the Jamai (this means son-in-law) which Adam was. In Bengali culture the engagement period is only about 3 weeks so the concept of a 6 month engagement was difficult to translate so to most people he was the Jamai or son-in-law. The Jamai has a very special place of honor in the culture as you want to treat him nicely so he will treat your daughter nicely (not a concern in our case). People continually wanted Adam to eat (again why I was glad he would try new foods) and wanted to give him the best of what they had. It is a very generous culture and they really liked how peaceful and tall Adam was! I of course was very proud to get to marry him and to have everyone meet him!

This is a photo from our Landlord's daughter's birthday party. They love to party in Bangladesh. The power went out a few times but that did not stop the festivities! This was the first day of 2010!

Dad and some of the men

The party crowd!

We spent New Years Day at Jahangir and family's home. We ate a wonderful meal. Jhangir has been working with my dad for years and helps run the arsenic program now as my dad has taken on an additional position as director of the health and outreach project in Kumerkhali that my mom works with. They were such gracious hosts which is a theme you see in so many Bengali families!

This was taken before church one Thursday. There is not really an organized 'church' but it is growing. It was special to be able to worship with brothers and sisters in Christ from across the world. They made a time to pray for our upcoming marriage which was really special to Adam and I both.

We spent our evenings and nights playing games and doing puzzles. There is not really a living room there so most of our time was spent on the porch which is where the photo above was taken. Otherwise were were at the dinning table. Adam stayed in the empty apartment next door. I was glad he could stay so close!

Below and above are just a random assortment of photos from different walks and outings that we took. I loved the goats and how they would be dressed in t-shirts at any hint of a chill. The cows had sacks tied around their backs anytime the temps reached in the 50's. It is normally so hot in Bangladesh that 50 degrees seems like frost bite potential! It is cold when you are taking showers without hot running water. Adam took a few cold but I always heated up water on the stove for a bucket bath!

I loved this view of kids just hanging out in the rice field! Below you can see beans and lentil drying. The women sift through them with they feet. You can see the lines in the beans where their feet have been. These beautiful blue king fishers could be seen all over!

We went out with my dad one day to several of the homes in the area that he has provided arsenic filters to. They were all so excited to have him come to their home and then to show Adam the filters. If the arsenic poisoning is caught quickly enough and the affected individual stops drinking the water they can avoid the end organ damage that causes death. It is amazing how these filters can help change the outcomes of stories and build bridges with people in the community. My dad continues to direct this project and other health care project. Needless to say they are very busy! This photos was taken outside the house with the lady that helps my mom out three days a week. She loves these goats and wanted to take a photo with us and the goats. They belong to our landlord but everyone helps to keep them fed. I love that the little goat is wearing a t-shirt!

Time in Dhaka

2010-05-07T09:53:00.000-07:00

My dad says that every second in Bangladesh there is a photo opportunity. It is true and Dhaka has grow so much since I used to live there with my parents. It is bigger and noisier with more people and you can eat some variation of almost any type of food. In the photo below these goats are waiting to become food for someone. It is a crazy mixture of third world and rural life with those who are try to industrialize the area for some sort of commercial gain. Even so you still have goats waiting for the slaughter.

My favorite part about our time in Dhaka was getting to see my old friends who I have miraculously been able to keep in some touch with and having them meet Adam. We had all either taught together or I had taught them English. They were so thrilled to meet the man I was going to marry and all had progressed in their English skills since I had seen them last. They had also all multiplied with new babies and husbands! It was such a blast! My Bangla was rough at best but they were gracious as always to let me try to remember some! Adam did a great job adjusting even with the jet lag and decided to practice eating with his hands when we got to the village and there weren't so many people watching! That is one thing that is consistant in Bangladesh; people want to watch you do things!

Mom had arranged to have a rice meal so were were able to share dinner and then have some great cha! Adam and I love the cha (it is hard not to love since it is made with sweetened condensed milk)!

Bithi asked me before she left if she was crazy being worried about their transport. I said she was not crazy and should drive safely! Takes talent to ride with four on a motor bike! We left the next day with my parents for the village. It is only about 70 miles I think but it takes 6 hours. You take a bus then a ferry then the bus again. Don't worry - we were on a much bigger ferry than the one below but they really know how to pack the passengers on!

There was a wait to get on the ferry so we decided to walk around. Adam really liked the omlets that they made on the side of the road and then wrapped in bread. I was so thankful that he likes to try so many new foods! I just ate a bannana to avoid bus sickness. There are some crazy drivers in Bangladesh!

The trucks are all painted in vibrant colors. I loved the detail and brightness of this fuel tank!Back on the ferry! Mom and Dad are such good travelers and take time to stop and talk with people. Everyone wants to try their English with you (we stuck out again being so fair skinned and Adam so tall). Adam attracted a ton a attention and had fun trying out Bangla phrases that he learned. He caught on quickly!

When we were done with our trip and arrived in Kumerkhali where my parents live we decided to get something to eat on the way home. Adam tried to eat with his hands and of course everyone in the restaurant wanted to watch. They were thrilled that he came and wanted him to come back everyday. He was a very memorable part of their year I am sure!

This is a typical train scence going through my parent's town. Buisness is conducted on the tracks until a train comes and people just move their stands to the side. Just like the ferry - they know how to pack on the passengers!

Bangladesh Christmas

2010-05-07T09:19:00.001-07:00

After getting engaged (I think just 6-8 hours after) Adam and I were on a plane to Bangladesh. We stopped first in Hong Kong - take a look at their great Christmas decorations! Whoever invented the purple Christmas tree was a genius:-) We looked for authentic Hong Kong food and then after finding it decided we would eat where it looked most safe and clean! Our favorite was the bubble tea! Adam and I had a blast walking around and looking at all the sites. The people there are very high fashion and we just tried to blend, something that we were not able to do very well with my blond hair and Adam's long legs!My favorite place that we visited was the bird aviary. There is a toucan behind me that you can't see. We wandered around for about 6 hours, took a ferry and drank some more bubble tea and then it was back to the airport for the last leg of the flight. Adam had never been out of the country and was a fantastic travel partner - he caught on quick and now has stamps in his new passport!
We arrived in Bangladesh right before Christmas and were glad to be off the plane. I was so glad to be with my family and get to show off my new Fiance. Of course they had met him before but he was just my boyfriend at that time!
Lynn send some sausage bread which is a Schroeder family favorite. We heated it up and had a Christmas breakfast. Adam is new convert to the deliciousness of sausage bread! He likes food in general but this was a great combo of meat and bread! I still do not like red meat so I let my family enjoy the yumminess!

We did other normal Christmas things like rickshaw rides. Adam was a full head taller than most people and I could not resist snapping this photo.
Other normal Christmas things like trying on lungies which Bangladeshi men wear. I don't think Adam has gotten his out since we came home but they practical in Asia! Mom and Dad gave us our first Christmas ornament as a soon-to-be married couple (that is what I am wearing as a hat)

Our Christmas "tree":-) Abigail sent this cute ornament and it was the only one on the Christmas "tree":-)

Dad got to look at the Adventure Book and see what a creative job Adam had done!

The happy couple!

Mom made a great dinner that night and we even had stove top stuffing! Adam had been asleep seconds before this photo but we woke him up for dinner!
We went walking around Dhaka and found this beautiful hotel that was recently built we were able to use their bathrooms and stand next to this giant tree. Since we are Caucasian thought we were rich and staying there (little did they know)!
And what Christmas time would be complete without the single blade shave. Adam made it though with just a few nicks and cuts and was as handsome as ever in the end!

Engaged!

2010-02-11T18:22:00.001-08:00

It has been over a year now since Adam first asked me on a date. A lot has happened in the last few years of my life and I feel so blessed to have Adam in my life now as my Fiance!! As many of you know we are engaged! The picture below is from our anniversary. I left town the next day to go to CA to visit my family. It was quite a semester and Adam and I were just glad to have a break. Adam was suppose to meet me at the airport on the night of the 22nd to begin our trip to Bangladesh. Instead he came in a day early arriving at 1 am so that he could be there when I woke up....It was a great surprise!!!!

We visited with my sisters and then left for the beach. Adam had a day planned and wheels to drive us so we headed to the beach for the afternoon. It was gorgeous, windy and sunny. We walked around the lighthouse and then ate lunch on the beach. After lunch Adam asked me turn toward the wall and ran back to the car. I was compliant;-) It turns out he had been waiting for a few people on the beach to walk by so he didn't have an audience while he proposed. I guess that is the introvert in him that I love!

He then brought out a small guitar from the car that he had borrowed from our friends the Millers. And he sang me a song; Umbrella. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the song some of the lyrics are below. For those of you who are familiar with the lyrics he did sing the Umbrella-ella part;-) I just really liked the beat and the words of the song.

When the sun shines, we'll shine together
Told you I'll be here forever
Said I'll always be a friend
Took an oath, I'm gonna stick it out till the end

Now that it's raining more than ever
Know that we'll still have each other
You can stand under my umbrella

You can run into my arms
It's okay don't be alarmed
Come here to me
There's no distance in between our love

So the picture below is not of when he was actually singing the umbrella song but just had to get one in of my good looking musician!

Next he then gave me a scrapbook that he had put together - Ruth and Adam's Adventure Book. For the past few weeks Adam had been sending me postcards of photos of places we had been together and pictures that we had taken. There was one from Chipotle where we first met, the lake, baseball games and other trips. The scrapbook had a place for each of the photos and then other photos from our times together. While I was looking through the book a giant elephant seal came from the ocean and started coming towards us. I jumped up on the log and Adam I think started to laugh. This guy was huge!

Eventually the sea lion decided to go back in the water and I was able to sit again, dust the sand off the book and look through the rest. I am sure by this time Adam was about to explode but he was calm and waited until I stopped screaming and laughing about the huge elephant seal coming from the ocean:-) When I got to the end of the scrap book it had an empty slot for a postcard that I had not gotten yet.

With this Adam got down on one knee and said that he wanted to spend that rest of his life with me. He said that he wanted this to be the memory that filled the last empty spot in the scrap book. He asked me to be his wife. I said YES with tears, excitement and laughter. We took a bunch of pictures and then enjoyed the rest of the afternoon just taking some photos and enjoying the sunset.

We were and are very excited to start thinking of life together!!

Some answers to some FAQs are: We are getting married in Kansas City on June 26, 2010 at 6pm, so this summer! The address 1828 Walnut, Kansas City, MO 64108. Adam has put together a really great website at http://www.weddingwire.com/ruthandadam. You can RSVP early, learn more about the wedding and keep up-to-date on all the plans. We are planning to have a picnic on Friday before the wedding at Shawnee Mission Park Pavilion 5 (http://www.jcprd.com/parks_facilities/shawnee_mission_shelters.cfm). Come start the weekend off with some hanging out by the lake! We are thankful for your role in our lives and look forward to hopefully seeing you soon!

KC Christmastime

2009-12-10T07:30:00.001-08:00

So it is now officially the Christmas season in Kansas City! I love this time of year and we started it off with Adam's friend Ted's birthday. Dinner was great and while studying for exams it is always a relief to have someone else cook! Happy Birthday Ted and I guess Josh can give you a Birthday kiss?! We spent one Saturday at Union Station looking at Christmas lights and visiting a Chocolate exhibit! I really like chocolate and it was interesting to learn more about it!

This was Adam's favorite tree, the blue one to the left. I liked the one with red bows below and the giant wreath above. There was an enormous toy train station with a ton of kids watching the trains go by.

Later that night we went to the Reno annual bake off. Well there is no competition but they made 12 different types of cookies and Adam and I benefited from the influx of sugar! Susie and Joy did most of the cooking with Fran to help. I think Adam and I rolled a few cookies and opened some packages but mostly just watched and chatted and then did some Christmas shopping. It is fun to go shopping with Adam because he actually likes going!
So Christmastime would not be complete without a trip to see the crazy house with over 15o inflatable penguins. I do not envy their electric bill but totally worth the trip! Adam and Molly were with us but opted not to get out of the car. I think it was only 14 degrees that day so we spend most of our time looking a Christmas lights from the car! So a lot changes in a year. A year ago Molly and Adam wanted to have a baby, now they are having twins. A year ago I met Adam and we are together today. I am so thankful that God brought us together - Adam from Hershey PA/Ithaca NY/Chicago IL and me from Nashville/SF/Bangladesh/KC. It has been a blessing to have Adam to share the last year of my life with and look forward to this new year that we have together - so this is to last year....And to the year to come! Merry Christmas to all and may we remember that the reason we do have hope is because Jesus came to be with us and knows us by name.

Thanksgiving and before

2009-12-03T13:27:00.001-08:00

The next few weeks consisted of a lot of studying and some good times with friends! We went to a 40th Birthday party which means now have friends who are 40.....one day we will be 40, although not too soon;-)

Fall in Kansas City also means lots and lots of leaves at my house! I have 11 trees in my little yard but two of us working this year it went quickly and was fun! Adam became quite proficient with the leaf eliminator!

Another week brought another concert of Adam's which was excellent and another great exposure to classical music for me! Our friends John and Katie came along and then we went out afterwords for John's birthday and ate 3 ridiculously large pieces of pie - they were delicious!!! And then it was off to Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving, it was a mixture of Thanksgiving and Christmas because we are going to Bangladesh to see my family for Christmas. It was a great trip and fun to be with Adam's family again. Adam's grandmother and Uncle came for Thanksgiving and then we put up the tree.
We sat around and opened presents and had a great time laughing. Adam's brother Rob is a chef and he had a real delicacy for Adam for Christmas....hot dogs of course! They both love food from Chicago and Rob had ordered a 9 piece set to make the real Chicago hot dog complete with really green relish! It was a fun gift and one that everyone enjoyed - well I haven't started eating hot dogs but enjoyed looking at everything in the kit! The next day Rob had to return to Philly to work but the rest of us headed to the Hershey museum and took some pictures that would never have been taken otherwise - all of us as kids who would have gone to Milton Hershey's school or maybe worked in the chocolate factory. There is a lot of history in that town and Milton really was a philanthropist. His school continues to help out 100's of kids in need. Not anything you see in the Reese's commercials! (http://www.mhs-pa.org/) if your interested in finding out more!

Tea anyone?
Saturday my Aunt Linda, Uncle Merritt and Cousin Amanda came it to hang out and meet Adam. We ate lunch and had some really yummy chocolate drinks. It had been too long since we had all been together! That night we went to Sweet lights which was a gigantic production of light put on by Chocolate World that you could drive through and listen to Christmas music. We loved looking at all the different creations they had come up with! Then it was back to Kansas City where Adam surprised me with tickets to see the Swell Season who are the artists from the movie ONCE who I absolutely love!! What a great surprise and a really fun way to end the trip! Thanks ATS!!

The Next Weeks

2009-12-03T13:02:00.000-08:00

Over the next few weeks the Fall season came to Kansas City and the leaves changed on the trees to some beautiful colors!
Adam and I tried our hand at cooking some delicious fall type foods. Below is Kima which was a favorite at the Schroeder (my) household growing up. It looks a bit sketchy in the picture but was as good as I remembered and healthy with soy meat. Adam has started to request it:-)
The happy Kima eaters - Thanks mom for the recipe!
The next attempt was by Adam which he got off his iPhone app (aren't we so trendy;-) and it too was scrumtous -Garlic Shrimp with Polenta. We had never really tried polenta but it was a good cool weather food and Adam did a great job cooking; I got to stay out of the kitchen!
Happy polenta and shrimp eaters!
Besides that Adam and I primarily eat out....It has been more difficult with this semesters schedule to just sit down together so we instituted a Tuesday night date near KU so that after work we could meet and just sit before Adam headed to Orchestra practice (he plays violin for the KC civic orchestra and is on their intro to KCCO video - http://kccivic.org/) We ate at some incredible Asian restaurants and they made great carrot flowers - what more could you ask for! Our favorite so far has been Blue Koi; if you come to KC let us take you to dinner!

The Orchid and Family

2009-10-29T22:13:00.000-07:00

For Adam's Birthday present I bought an orchid. Adam loves orchids and I have learned that I do too. Garmin is about 6 minutes away from my house so if I am not working a 12 hour shift then Adam will meet me at my house for dinner. For that reason the orchid continues to live on my dinning room table which I am quite happy for. It has been blooming for almost a month now and we are enjoying the colors!
I had the privileged of taking Ruthie (there are not many of us Ruthies in this generation) to get here nose pierced. She is under 18 so her mom came with us to sign all of the papers. They were very professional and almost intense about checking that she really had her mom and it was not just a pretend mom by photocopying the licenses and having them sign a bunch of papers but the end result was a nose piercing and I thought it looked so cute.
On the lines of cute my niece Brenley just turned 5 and we were able to watch her cheer one Friday night. I was glad that the allowed the girls to wear coats as it was cold out! The next afternoon we saw these clouds in Overland Park. We wondered what made them look like waves but it reminded me of the ocean so I loved it!
Adam played the other night at a benefit for Angel tree. There are a few guys that have formed a band of sorts and Adam has played with them several times in coffee shops and such. It was another chilly night to be playing outside but was really an enjoyable show!Adam's brother Rob came in town and this is the only picture I have but it sure was good piazza. Rob is a chef and Adam is slightly obsessed with hot dogs so they made hot dogs and Italian sausage from scratch. Adam's apartment stills smells a little like meat;-)
Below you can see the shoe throwing-away documented. Adam had worn holes in the bottom of his shoes and his Mom was able to convince him that it was time for them to go!
Adam's parents were in town last weekend and I may be able to post more pictures but here is the one that I have from Adam's Symphony concert. We heard the KC symphony play on Friday and then the next night Adam played with the civic orchestra he is a part of. It was a weekend of music! School continues to plug right along. This is the busiest semester by far! We are traveling up on Pennsylvania to see Adam's family for Thanksgiving and then to Bangladesh for Christmas to see mine. I can't wait.....More about that trip later!

Adam turns 24!

2009-10-29T21:41:00.001-07:00

The night before Adam's Birthday weekend we went to a small restaurant in KC called Lills which was inside of an old house. The food was wonderful as was the service. We would definitely recommend it! Before taking a surprise trip we met Jon and Katy at 39th St Dinner for some pancakes and a ridiculously huge piece of cake.We then traveled to St Louis. On Saturday night we went to a Jazz concert by Sonny Rollins. He is around 80 years old and his body seemed permanently bent from decades of hunching over his saxophone. He was precious and played beautiful music. We stayed with John and Annie Patton who I had know from High School. It was a good chance to catch up and meet their new baby girl Olivia. On Sunday night we went to the Cub vs Cardinals games and 11 innings later the Cubs had come out with the win! We were cheering for the Cubs. It was as close as we could get to a Cardinal's vs White Sox game this season. Adam's team is the White Sox!

On Monday night we ventured home to celebrate with friends at one of Adam's favorite Mexican restaurants, Chapala.

It was a good time and complete with the waiter screaming some sort of Birthday song and Adam having a giant sombrero stuffed on his head!I had a test the next day so I wasn't able to make dessert (we had Hyvee icecream cake at the restaurant) so I made an apple pie on Tuesday and Molly and Adam came over to celebrate with us one more time. Mom, you would have been proud of the crust!