How We'll Remember 2013 | Artifact Uprising Photo Books

Matt and I finally got smartphones in 2013. Late to the game, I know.
We started documenting the everyday moments of our lives with our phones, and often using Instagram to share those little moments with the world.
In January, I decided to try something new with all of the photos we collected during 2013. 
I heard of an intriguing company through Instagram called Artifact Uprising. Their motto is: Off Your Device. Into Your Life.
Exactly what I was looking to do with our photos! 
They are a really neat company. They are based in Colorado and use 100% recycled paper for the pages of their books. They are very progressive and eco-friendly, and are helping bring something tangible into a world where everything is digital.
The software to make the book was pretty simple to use. The only trouble I had was when I tried to rearrange the pages of the book into a different order than I had originally created them in. I think AU is working on making that process easier.
This is their Instagram Friendly Photo Book, and is 8.5x8.5 inches in size. The default is 40 pages, but I think I made ours 73 pages. Remember, in the left photo below, when Remy fell asleep hanging over the edge of her favorite pillow? Hilarious! Look at how TINY she was in the right photo below!!?! Just a teeny baby back then! I am so happy with our book, and love flipping through it to look back on 2013. 
I plan to make this a new tradition, and make one every year.

Remy Turns One! | Happy Birthday, Remy!

On January 21st, our little Remy girl turned One Year Old!
Because let's be honest, she is our baby, we decided to commemorate her birthday with not only a joint party with my dad, but some birthday photos!
Doesn't she look thrilled? We love you so much, Remy! It's hard to imagine what life was like before you joined our family. We are so happy you are ours.

November 2013 - in Instagram Photos

Every month seems to fly by.

Every time I put these monthly recaps together, I'm amazed at how it's already _______ month, and the previous month is already over.

November was no exception.

It started out with getting back in the groove after a fantastic California vacation, and sped up from there. The leaves fell, the temps dropped, hunting season came and went, and we bought the best purchase of the year - a Heat Dish from Costco. That little thing is going to be our [and Remy's] saving grace this winter as we battle the MN chill.

Christmas made an even bigger presence in the stores in November, much to my delight. I stocked up on Christmas socks, and the most darling little elf hat for Remy.

I finished some major branding projects for my photography business, and I finished some awesome books. My sister became an official chiropractor, my mom and I accidentally dressed like twins two days in a row, and we decorated our house for Christmas.

Now, it's December and it's officially CHRISTMAS TIME!

I Am Thankful For... | 2013 Edition

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving so thankfulness and gratitude have been on my mind and heart this week.

This has been an amazing year in many ways, and a very tough year in others. Some really great things happened and some really awful things happened this year. Sometimes I felt overwhelmingly amazing happiness and joy, and others, I simply sobbed out of grief, sadness and despair.

It was a year of ups and downs. A true roller coaster ride.

Through it all though, I know that I am immensely blessed.

Truly, we all are immensely blessed; with simple creature comforts like food, water, clothes and shelter. Things other people wistfully dream of. As well as with greater blessings like health, wealth, freedom, and opportunity.

This year, I'm thankful for:

Matt.

For our marriage, our friendship, and our devotion to making things work, even when life tries to get in the way. I'm thankful for a supportive husband who cheers me on and encourages me to take risks and go for my dreams. I love you.
Remy.

I'm thankful for this 5 pound feisty bundle of joy. Clearly God had a plan when He placed the desire to get a dog on my heart. I was puzzled by the urge since I had never felt the desire to have a dog before in my life. I didn't even know if I really liked dogs. But thankfully, God knew we needed our little Remy girl in our life, and He made it happen. Life has never been more fun.

We love you, Remy!

My family. My parents. Erica and Tony.

I am thankful for the time we get to spend together and for the fun we have when we are together. I'm thankful for the adventures we had this year, like an amazing 4th and 5th of July, and for the adventures that are ahead like our trip to Florida in December.

My in-laws. The California Davis' and the Brainerd Millers.

I'm thankful for Matt's family, who are my family too. For the uniqueness of each family and each sibling. For the opportunities to see and spend time with each.


[We clearly need to take a new photo, Sheila! :)]

My grandparents.

We lost my beloved Grandpa Pettit in July, and I can honestly say life hasn't been the same since. While we are all devastated by his absence and still mourn his loss daily, I am so thankful for the relationship that I was able to form with him and my grandma. Not every granddaughter can say that she knew and loved her grandparents so well, but I can. And I am so grateful.

I'm also thankful for my Grandma Pettit's spirit. Life hasn't been easy in the least since Grandpa died, but Grandma keeps putting one foot in front of the other and living life the best she can every day. She must know how much we all still need her here.

Our house. 

We celebrated one year of home ownership in October. What a ride it's been!

Having a place to call our own, and to fix up just how we'd like to. Landscaping it, and watching the seasons transform the yard and woods. It's been such a blessing to have a home of our own. I am so thankful we were able to buy this house. It truly is HOME to us.

Honestly, that is only the very beginning of my Gratitude List. I could write for days about all of the things I'm thankful for. Things like my business, the freedom to be self-employed, for being gifted with an entrepreneurial spirit, for like-minded friends, and for books. Yes, for books and the authors who write them.

I'm thankful for it all.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. I hope you make your own Gratitude List so you too can see how truly blessed you are.

We are so very lucky.

Radniecki Camping Trip 2013 | Mille Lacs Kathio State Park

About 6 weeks ago, Matt and I took Remy camping for a long 4 day weekend.

It was the only free weekend I had in my 5-weddings-in-6-weeks stretch, and we were determined to take advantage of the fall weather and get some fun in before winter came.

Our original plan was to go down to Forestville Mystery Cave in Southern Minnesota. We had heard good things and we both love caves, so we thought it'd be a good spot to try. However, the day we left was cold, rainy and incredibly windy. We borrowed my parents' Astro van and Matt's family's pop up camper for the trip, and driving that rig down the road was like slithering a snake down the highway. Wayyy to the left, correct wayyy to the right. As someone who gets car sick easily, I wasn't feeling well by the Brainerd Welcome Center, a whopping 12 minutes into the 4 1/2 hour trip...

We thought we'd tough it out and hoped it might get better the further south we got. After passing Little Falls and being ready for some serious dramamine, we decided that we couldn't take this wind/swerving for 4 more hours. I called my mom and she told me about two campgrounds on the south side of Mille Lacs lake that I had apparently been to when I was little. She remembered them as being great spots and thought they'd be fun for us. We looked at the map, called to see if Mille Lacs Kathio had availability and were thankfully able to transfer our spot from Forestville to Kathio, without losing any money.

After checking in, we pulled into our campsite right as a huge downpour started. Ha, go figure!

Thankfully, we'd packed raincoats so we put them on, left Remy in the crate in the van, and got to work. Setting up the camper was easy, but trying to figure out the canopy and a screen tent we brought was not. 45 minutes later with ornery moods, no canopy and no screen tent, we decided to take a nap in the pop up camper.

The rest of Friday as well as Saturday were rainy and wet. We read books in bed, ate snacks, went to archeological day at the nature center, and tried to cook and have campfires with really damp wood.

Then, Sunday came with brilliant sunshine and blue skies. Over the next two days, we took lots of nature walks, went geocaching for the first time ever, let Remy explore, made tin foil dinners and s'mores. We also soaked up the changing leaves. At this time, the leaves were just beginning to change in Brainerd, but they were further ahead at Kathio and around Garrison. It was close to peak and it was gorgeous!

Then, it was time to pack up and go home. Thankfully, we were only 35 minutes from home instead of the planned 4 1/2 hours, so that made the trip home much easier. Since it was a place neither of us had been to [or remembered being at], we felt like we were far from home. But then we'd see garbage dumpsters that said "Garrison Disposal" on them, and we'd be like "oh yeah, we aren't far from home!"

Major thanks to the Millers and the Hensels for loaning us the camper and the van. We made great family memories and were able to get some R&R in the middle of a very busy season. Now, to make plans for next year!
We were driving to the visitor center and we spotted this guy up in the tree. Did you know porcupines have super long, bright red teeth? I had no idea! We kept seeing the paper-like material that wasp nests are made of all over the ground. A day into the stay, Matt points up and says "That's why there was bee paper all over the ground." I am NOT a bee fan at all, so needless to say, this disrupted my mojo for awhile. I couldn't help but stare obsessively at it, trying to see if there were any bees in it. It was probably an older hive, but that didn't make me feel much better. This is one of 3 hives just like it that we saw during our stay in the park.  And that sucker was huge. Like truly basketball-sized. What does a girl have to do to get a good family photo? This is what it's like, trying to take photos of Remy. She won't look, won't show up because she's so dark, or won't sit still long enough for me to snap the shutter. Once in awhile, especially if Matt helps, I can manage to get one with her looking in my general direction. It was one of my favorite 2013 memories.

Remy and the Tennis Ball

Remy has a deep love for the tennis ball. It's amazing that her little mouth can even hold the ball, but don't underestimate the strength or sharpness of little poodle puppy canine teeth. Perfect for holding on to the side of the tennis ball while running across the yard in a dead sprint. The warmer weather means more play time outside, which Remy adores. Spring is here! She continues to light up our lives with her silly antics and high energy. She's growing up and getting bigger and smarter right in front of our eyes.
We love you, Remy girl.