Friday, November 30, 2007

Christmas lights

Ok, I just realized this morning that I haven't posted since we were planning for the wedding. I had to laugh, though. I read my last post about watching the sun set over the waters on the Belize beach...if I had taken the time to think about geography, I would have realized the beach is on the east side of the country. If you remember back to the third grade, you learned the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Ha. Oops. Needless to say, the sun never sat over those waters.

Anyways, I decided as a new husband, one of my first Christmas tasks must be the lights. I decided to consult my first life-line, Mr. Clark Griswold.
















Note: I helped my Dad when I was like 10, but otherwise have no experience hanging lights from
a house.


TIMELINE

0845: Annie is at work and I decide today would be a good day to do this. Nice weather, plenty of energy, full pot of strong coffee.

1005: Decide I should probably do this. Pretty soon.

1105: Ok, ok, I'm dressed and ready.

1115: Make a stop at Big Lots for some supplies. Already have the lights, thankfully.
Supplies needed: Extension cords. Check.
Staple gun with 1,000 extra staples. Check.
Monster energy drink. Check.

1124: I think I'm ready. I remember watching my Dad sort out the miles of lights crammed into a bag, which last year seemed like a good idea. Same scenario. Except I have to sort out the lights he crammed into a bag last year. Or maybe it was the year before. Either way, it was a mess.

1127: Wow, I have way less lights than I thought.

1129: Wow, I have way less working lights than I thought.

1133: I have tried every combination known to man to find the bad bulb and replace it with the little bulb with the red tip. Nothing works. This is going to be a long day.

1134: Trash can full of tangled lights.

1136: I find new boxes of lights, they all work. I checked. Twice. Oh, and I found a box of gutter hanger things that I was trying to find at Big Lots. Wife will be happy to not have 30,000 staples in house.

1140: Fresh cup of coffee.

1141: The world is a better place.

1142: Ok, now time to get to work. I do a hot lap around my house and decide the best mode of attack. I decide people who put lights on the sides and back of their house are show-offs.
1150: Only doing the front. Our house is a rancher with a peaked garage, so I assumed I was going to be able to get all the gutter things up with a step ladder, but there are bushes in front of our living room, conveniently blocking step ladder access.

1153: Really thought jamming the ladder down into the bushes would work. Not so much. Neighbor's dog thought I was trying to break in, suddenly he really cares about the security of my house. I hate that dog.

1155: Make my way around back where I accessed the roof before.

Step 1: Line up 4' tall swamp cooler next to sliding glass door, close to picnic table.
Step 2: Place step ladder on exact center of swamp cooler. Literally, 1/2" to spare.
Step 3: Hop from picnic table to top of swamp cooler. PS it is on small wheels.
Step 4: Reconsider doing this with no one else home.
Step 5: Step carefully on center of ladder rungs.
Step 6: Panic a little as swamp cooler moves an inch to the left. Not much sick time left.
Step 7: Step from top of ladder to roof with no hand rails.
Step 8: Victory! Admire view. And manliness.

1200: So I'm on the roof scoping out my next move. I decide I have to hang a little over the edge of the front of the house and place gutter things without too much concern. Really wish I had some with me.

1202: Descend ladder, hop down to picnic table. I'm good.

1203: Return to ladder assembly with pocket full of gutter things.

1204: Ascend ladder. This time the other neighbor's (to the southwest) dog barks. Neighbor comes out to silence dog and looks at my assembly. "Oh gosh" is laughed from the other side of the fence.

1210: Figure out how these things work and place them equidistantly along roof line.

1220: Descend ladder again. This is getting old.

1230: Have the rest of the gutter things hung along roof line...ladder can't reach pitched garage roof line.

1233: Ascend ladder assembly with staple gun.

1234: Descend ladder. I'm an idiot. You need lights before you can staple them.

1235: Coffee break. I can't afford anymore careless mistakes if I'm going to have this done before that nasty looking snow storm rolls in. Consider moving to California. For two seconds.

1237: Back to work. I get a strand of lights and ascend ladder assemble. Try numerous ways to attach lights to gutter thing. This is a stupid invention. But whatever, I can make it work.

1243: Sneezing while leaning over roof line is fun.

1256: Have all lights routed tightly through gutter things to make a somewhat clean line. I wish I still had my staple gun.

1300: Grab staple gun, more lights, more coffee, extra staples.

1310: Roof line is done. Not bad, I must say.

1312: Plug in lights via a geniusly-hidden cord route. All of lights work. Except exactly half of pitched roof over garage.

1313: Cuss. A few times.

1314: Decide there must be something small wrong. I replace one light, miraculously, it was THE light that went out.

1315: Apologized to neighbor's dog for my language.

1317: Still admiring my accomplishment.

1318: I bet I have enough working lights to wrap windows and door.

Note: One door in the center of the house, small bedroom window to the left side. Large great window to the right side, above those ill-placed bushes.

1319: Measure and plan layout. Warm up and reload staple gun.

1320: Start placing lights around great window. This actually lines up perfectly to connect another line of lights to go around door and bushes make a come-back by providing effective cover for non-needed lights stretching from window to door. (You would think they would make lights where you can take out however many you don't want, and still complete the circuit. We have McDonald's that are run by robots, but this is still out of reach? Come on.)

1342: Decide that the ONE strand of colored lights (Crayola Pizazz Purple to be exact) we have should be centered. These go around the door.

1343: Also decide that the "hard" setting on the staple gun has enough force to penetrate a bullet-proof vest. Wonder what it would feel like for a little while.

1356: The other window is now complete but have two problems.
Problem 1: Once again, because of the design, there are little white and purple lights running along the ground to the window.
Problem 2: I have no idea where to plug everything in.

1403: Decide Problem 2 is of greater importance for the time. Wind is really starting to pick up.

1405: Scope out garage for closest outlet and longest extension cord. I found one that will work, but has to pass under a door.

1406: Try it a few times. I don't know. Looks like a bad idea.

1407: Wrap cord in black duct tape around contact points. I don't know. Looks like a bad idea.

1409: Decide since I own the house, I can make a minor adjustment to the door frame to allow cord access. I mean, I will probably be using this cord route forever, so it seems justifiable.

1412: Get out hack saw, flat head screwdriver, hammer, exacto-knife, sip of coffee.

1414: Start making small cuts to base board by the door in the interior of the garage, cut out more space in door keeper area, and more very careful cut around to exterior to garage.

Note: By cuts, I really mean linear lines of chunks removed. I actually had to go caveman. The hacksaw was too big, so I used the flathead screwdriver as a pick, and hammered out little sections.

1425: Genius!

1427: Take on Problem 1. I use a 3' decorative pine tree, place it by the small window, wrap the lights that would have gone straight up the wall around the tree to cleverly add more Christmas cheer to the front of our house, and wrap the rest of the lights around the window like normal. As for the lights running along the ground. Remember that black duct tape I used to protect the cord? It also doubles as a Christmas light hider. Since they haven't designed lights you can take out, I'm sticking one to them and making my own means of light-concealment. Ha!

1435: Look very carefully at every light, every cord, and every bend.

1436: I really think I smell smoke. Not normal fireplace smoke, an acrid, nasty plastic type of smoke. Great.

1437: Sniff around all the lights. Not all the lights, but enough to feel better.

1438: Go inside. Ok, nothing on fire. Go back outside.

1439: Ok, I visually see haze. Perfect. Trying to think how I'm going to explain this to the guys at work.

1445: Smoke has dissipated. Blame it on smoke conversion from the weather and someone else's house.

1645: Wife comes home. Victory! (after I take down the nice Christmas tree decorations from our little dead Aspen out front).

Pictures to follow.

josh




















Thursday, November 29, 2007

Christmas Decorations

Here is me and my Christmas decorations at work. And my full trash can. :) We will soon post some photos of our Christmas decorations at home! Josh put lights up around the outside of the house and we have done a little bit inside. Hopefully we will cut our tree this weekend!

It is fun to decorate your own house for the holidays!


Love,


us

Monday, November 26, 2007

first thanksgiving

We just celebrated our first Thanksgiving as a married couple. Nothing really changed. :)
Here are some pictures anyway...

Love,
::j&a::




Wednesday, November 14, 2007

The Lord's Prayer

We were challenged this past Sunday at church to pray the Lord's Prayer each day this week.
Which version do you think of when you say The Lord's Prayer?

Matthew 6:9-13

New International Version (NIV)
9"This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11Give us today our daily bread. 12Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'

New King James Version (NKJV)
9 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.


New American Standard Bible (NASB)
9Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10'Your kingdom come Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11'Give us this day our daily bread. 12 'And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13'And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]'


or
Luke 11:2-4

New International Version (NIV)
2He said to them, "When you pray, say: " 'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 3Give us each day our daily bread. 4Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.' "


New King James Version (NKJV)
2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.”


New American Standard Bible (NASB)
2And He said to them, "When you pray, say: 'Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. 3'Give us each day our daily bread. 4'And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.'"

Friday, November 9, 2007

Wedding Photos!

Wedding Photos



Now we begin the oh-so-fun task of picking what pictures we want to print. =)

::j&a::

Thursday, November 1, 2007

call me crazy...

...or lazy. =) When someone calls me to register for one of the events I work with I direct them to our online registration instead of taking their information over the phone. It is just so much easier that way!

This world is becoming an interesting place when everything is so internet-focused.

PS-actual wedding photos are available, shoot us an email if you would like to see them. They are amazing!

Love,
Annie (& Josh)

Thursday, October 25, 2007

photos

Ok so we have some pictures from the honeymoon that you can see and also some pictures that our friends Sarah & Steve took at the wedding. The official wedding photos are almost done and we will give you information on that when the time comes.
Josh and Annie in Belize



Josh and Annie's Wedding

Thursday, September 27, 2007

honeymoon for life

We are back from Belize and getting used to married life. I don't think we'll ever be totally used to it but we are definitely enjoying our life together. We are so excited we don't have to ask questions like, your place or mine, your car or mine, and most of all can you take me home now. :) Instead we get to ask things like, could you please stop snoring, will you put the dishes away, and how should I fold your shirts.

We are so thankful that God brought us together and we are so excited to spend forever together! We are truly better together. Here is a little snapshot from Belize. If you want to see more, just let us know!

Love you,

Annie (and Josh)
Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

100 Hundred Days!

Let the official countdown begin! We will be married in 100 days from today!
Ok, maybe you don't want to join the countdown with us but we are counting down the days. Lots of our friends told us the time would fly by but we have all too quickly realized that the days are actually crawling by about as fast as a snail.
The plans are being finalized and really all we have left are the little details.

An important note to the out-of-staters: please make your hotel reservations soon. We have reserved a block of rooms at The Academy Hotel Best Western. You can call them at 800.766.8524. Be sure to mention you are with the Miller-Easterling wedding when you call them as we have contracted a lower price for that weekend.
A word to you who may not make your reservations in time or try to stay somewhere else...it is also the US Air Force Academy Parent's Weekend so most of the hotels in the city are already booked full. If you don't get in our room block you will probably have a hard time finding another place to stay at a reasonable price. The Academy provides a shuttle from the airport to the hotel and also has an Enterprise rental car counter on site. The reception will be held at The Academy as well so why not stay there?? =)

Ok, have a great day!

a

Sunday, May 6, 2007

Plug

We don't have his permission, so Chris if you are reading this....sorry. I'm going to throw out a plug for Chris Tschamler. He designed our Save the Date cards which most of you have probably received by now. We are really happy with how they turned out and if you are interested in having something created by hand, by a good designer, he is your man. His company is Tscha*ching Design. He puts a lot of time and great care into what you want, so you know you will get great work. Anyways, just want to throw that out there.

Update on the wedding planning...

We are in full swing of getting details ironed out and ready to go. As you married folks know, planning is exciting and very involved at the same, so we're just learning how to deal with everything and have fun in the process. It's going to be fun and we love y'all and everything, but I know we are both going to enjoy sitting on the beach in Belize the next evening watching the sun set over the most coveted dive waters in the world. Yes.

We'll keep you posted!

Josh

Sunday, April 29, 2007

More Wedding Information

For more information on the wedding...
http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/AnnieMiller&JoshEasterling.
You probably got something in the mail recently too and came here to see if you could find some more details! :)


For all you out-of-state folks, some good airlines to check out are American Airlines, Northwest, and United. All of these fly into Colorado Springs Airport. The hotel provides a shuttle from the airport to the hotel and also is the home to a rental car counter.

Some have asked about where we are registered. You can find us at Sears, Bed, Bath & Beyond, and REI.

See you soon!

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

planning

There is much planning to be done! We will be married August 31, 2007. We are totally stoked!
God has blessed us with many open doors so far and we are practically running through them. Please pray that we would continue to be good stewards of our time and finances (and our parents') as we plan.

Look for us in your mail box...soon, we hope. =)

a

Sunday, February 18, 2007

annie's side of the story

Well, since Josh posted his take on the proposal I thought it might be fun to post mine.
We met in August, 2005 when Pierced Chapel had an outdoor service at Ute Valley Park. Our friend Allison introduced us and a few weeks later we went on a group camping trip together. A few months after that we went on our first date. Since then we have worked each day to reach the relationship we now have and God has guided us at each bend in the road.

On Saturday, February 10 I awoke with a sense of excitement for the day. Josh had told me on Thursday that he was planning a special date for Saturday and he had worked on Friday so I was anticipating seeing him at the gym and then our date later in the day. We usually try to plan a special "surprise" date once a month or so so I really was not expecting anything out of the ordinary when he told me he was planning a date for Saturday. The weather had been quite nice the past few days so we were going to start with a hike at our favorite place, Ute Valley Park.

After a good workout at the gym, we parted for a few hours to do our own thing and then meet up again. Josh picked me up at my house around 2:00 and I thought he was dressed kind of nice for going on a hike. =) When he opened the door for me to get in his truck there was a orange-yellow Gerbera daisy on the seat (it looked like fire). I thought it was very sweet of him, he said it had been a while since he'd bought me flowers, even sweeter. We had a few quick errands to run before we got to his house and then he grabbed his backpack out of the back of his truck and presented another Gerbera daisy. This one was peachy-white in color. I started to get even more excited for our hike but I really wasn't thinking he was going to propose. We had talked earlier in the week about engagement and we both had said it would be a few months. As we walked to the park I continued to wonder if perhaps he was going to propose but I kept telling myself no, it wasn't going to happen today and so by the time we got to our spot I was not expecting it to happen at all.
When we got to our favorite overlook, we walked by the rock where Josh was sitting when we first met. I mentioned this rock, (we usually mention it when we hike there) and Josh said we should sit down here. He had me cover my ears and eyes because he said he had a surprise in his bag. So I sat with my head between my knees until he tapped me on the leg and said he was ready. He looked pretty serious and I noticed a Tupperware dish with water and a towel in it. He proceeded to untie my shoes and remove my socks and talked about Jesus washing the disciple's feet. He talked about His love and the model we have to follow and what washing someones feet symbolized. As he finished washing my feet he talked about how God when brings us the person we will spend the rest of our life with He allows us to let down the guard of our heart and as he said that he pulled the towel out of the water dish (a great object lesson) and pulled out something from under the towel as he pulled it out. It wasn't long before I noticed what he had pulled out from under the towel and he held it up and asked, "Annie, will you marry me?" I realized then that he was on one knee and was holding the most beautiful ring in front of me. I managed an exclamatory "YES!" and yelled/laughed/cried as I gave him a huge tackle type of hug and asked, "Are you serious?" =) I don't know why, I just wanted to be absolutely sure I wasn't dreaming! We sat there in extreme joyful laughter for a few minutes as we realized what had just happened. We sat there a little longer to watch the sunset and then began our way back down. I knew we still had more planned because Josh said we had dinner reservations but that was all I knew.

We got to Josh's where I finally could call my parents but my mom was out and hadn't taken her cell so I could only tell my dad and made him keep the secret! Josh got his clothes and we went to my house so I could get changed. We tried to make most of our other phone calls on the drive and it was such a blast. We got to my house and I had Lacey come outside so she could be the first person I showed my ring to and then she was going to help me figure out what to wear. I didn't know that Josh had bought me a dress and coordinating jewelery earlier in the week and Lacey had already put it out on my bed for me! I didn't even have to figure out what to wear, just what coat to wear over the dress but Allison had something perfect for me to borrow. =) We stopped by Josh's parents house on our way to the restaurant and they were super excited. I finally got to talk to my mom right before we arrived downtown and I realized we were going to one of our favorite restaurants, Sonterra Grill. We got to the restaurant and they took us to our table where I saw three more Gerbera daisies and a card from Josh! He had really planned it all out! We ate dinner and then went to Rock Bottom to see some friends and it was so exciting. I really dread being the center of attention so all of this was quite exhausting but in a very good way. =)

The dress fit perfectly, the day was perfect as far as I'm concerned and I could not ask for anything different. I was so surprised that Josh proposed and that made it even more fun!
So that's it for now.

We are hoping to get a wedding date nailed down this week and will let you all know once we have some more details. I guess it's time to start getting engagement photos and all that other fun stuff.

a

Sunday, February 11, 2007

a few pictures










The story

So the number one question I've found to be asked in the 23.10 hours we have been engaged is, "How did he do it?!?". So here it is for you all...

It all started about a year and a half ago when Pierced Chapel had a service outside in Ute Valley Park one Sunday evening. I was sitting on a rock with a couple buddies of mine when my friend Allison brought over a very attractive young lady to introduce to me. We met and didn't really think too much about it, then a camping trip, a pursuit, a DTR, some dates, and that pretty much brings us up to speed.
It was Saturday, February 10th on an unusually warm and sunny day. I had gotten off work that morning and we met up at the gym for a couple hours, parted our ways, then met back up around 2:30 in the afternoon. With a subterfuge based calm, I suggested we take the afternoon easy, maybe go for a hike, and have a nice dinner out on the town. We drove to my house on the west side of town, which is walking distance from Ute Valley, parked my truck, and walked to the park. I brought my backpack/pre-rigged secret cache consisting of: a bowl, two towels, Nalgene full of warm water, ring, iPod, and Bible. We started up the muddy ice/slushy mud laden trail to the very place we met (and had our first kiss/night hike). When we got to a certain rock, Annie pointed out the fact that that was the rock I was sitting on when we met. So, I had her sit down, close her eyes, and plug her ears. (Ps...the sun was just setting behind Pikes Peak) I nervously pulled out the bowl, placed a towel in the bottom, filled it with warm water and prepared a second towel. I had her open her eyes as I pulled off her shoes, hoping she didn't notice my hands shaking too badly. As I proceeded to wash her feet, I explained (neither of us can really remember what exactly I said) how Jesus showed His disciples what service and love means when he washed their feet, which is given to us by the cross. Because of this, we have an example of what love means so we can love one another purely. Then I talked about us specifically (sorry, that stays between us!) As I rounded the end of the "speech" I dried her feet and removed the towel in the bottom of the bowl to expose the ring that had been hiding there the whole time. I asked, she screamed, tackled me, laughed and cried all at the same time and managed to get a "YES!!" in there somewhere. I was PLANNING on having us dance to a little Coldplay via my iPod, but of course it was dead. Even with that, IT WAS AMAZING!!!---definitely recommend getting engaged.
That's not the end of the day, though. When we got back and were making our "we're engaged!" phone calls, we drove to her house, giggling and shaking the whole way. Now we needed to change for our night out. Not really knowing what to wear, she got in her room to find a new dress and jewelry waiting for her. And...it fits! Side note...shopping for a dress was just as scary as shopping for a ring! So, we got all fancied up and made the stop to my parent's house for the announcement and pictures. After that we had an amazing dinner at Sonterra Grill downtown, where there were Gerbera Daisies already waiting for her on the table (I had a busy afternoon).
That's the basic down and dirty on the story. She tells it much better, so you should ask her for the details. Stay tuned for more stories!

Josh