Coconut Robot

Hello to all my friends who are mommies and who read my blog! Just wanted to pass along a great blog + company, Coconut Robot. A friend of ours from Taylor, Kacia, is the brains and beauty behind the most adorable baby booties and other stuff too that she makes. Everything is so sweet and personal for your baby.

Right now she's having a giveaway that you can enter by becoming a fan of hers on Facebook, on Twitter, by subscribing to her blog and by blogging about her giveaway on your blog (like I'm doing now :)

For more information about Kacia and Coconut Robot and the giveaway check out her blog here or just click on the button below.

Enjoy!

Austin + Amy = Forever

This past weekend Rob and I had the amazing joy of traveling to Grand Rapids, Michigan to witness and celebrate the marriage of my good friend from Taylor, Amy Reid, to her wonderful fiance, Austin Knuppe.

But before I tell you about their beautiful wedding, a little background. Amy and I met our freshman year at Taylor when we lived across the hall from each other in English Hall. We became quick friends and spent a lot of time together our freshman year and all our subsequent years at Taylor culminating in living off-campus together our last semester of college.

Amy & I at our sophomore year formal. (I still like that dress Erica :)

This was probably sophomore year too -- four dear friends

My senior year when friends kidnapped me for my birthday

A post-college girls weekend.

Exactly one year ago this weekend we flew to North Carolina to celebrate a bridal shower for our dear friend Erica.

Amy is one of those friends who is such a constant, steady friend. She is one of the most generous, considerate, sweet people I know. And, by God's grace, she met an amazing man who is the most perfect fit for her. It was truly a joy to see them both so happy and excited on their wedding day. Their personalities shone through the whole day -- from Austin's happy, calm greeting to us in the lobby before the ceremony, to Amy's relaxed smiles, to their desire to donate money they would have spent on favors to help build a library at a college to Uganda, to Amy writing a personal note to every person on the inside of our seating cards at the reception. A very personal and precious wedding.

First, Jessie and Amy came to visit me before my wedding almost two years ago...

Then we went to see Amy before her wedding....

You're next Jessie!!

Coming down the aisle to her man

During the ceremony

Yay! The happy and beautiful married couple

Baby B got to come to the wedding too :) Thanks mom for the maternity dress!

An almost Second South English reunion (Shanna on the far left is an honorary member!)

Sarah, Nicole, Jessie and Ashley

Peonies at our table! My favorite.

This was so cool. Amy and her bridesmaids (plus some other friends) practiced the dance from the end of the movie Slumdog Millionaire. It's a really fast paced Indian dance and they were amazing at it. A very cool touch to their wedding.

We're so excited that Amy and Austin are going to be living in Chicago starting the end of this summer because Austin will be starting his masters at the University of Chicago. It will be great to be close to them and be able to see them when we visit Chicago. I know they are the kind of friends we will have for a lifetime and we are so thankful for them and their commitment to marriage and each other on Saturday. We love you guys!

My New Favorite

Hi everyone! Long time no post. Sometimes I just run out of things to say (imagine that!) or I think I want to blog about something and then it passes and life goes on. Oh well, thanks for sticking with me on this boring ole' blog.

Today though, I do have something to say about a new food blog I found that I want to share with you. A girl at work sent a recipe around from it and when I discovered the blog I was hooked. So here's my endorsement (I'm not being paid in cake or anything to tell you about her) for Joy the Baker.

Hello yum.

You will be hooked too. So far I've made her Lemon Whoopie Pies and her Peanut Butter Blondies with Milk Chocolate Frosting. Both times I scored major points with Rob (not that I'm keeping score -- I actually made both things as special treats when he was having a hard time finishing up his semester) and basically secured these two recipes into the Bedinghaus Family Recipe Hall of Fame. Which is something I'm starting asap.

Not only does she make great desserts (she makes other stuff too) and post gorgeous pictures of them, but she's funny and is funny about food and I like that. Frankly I don't really have a sweet tooth so I barely eat any of the stuff I make, but it's fun to try new things and make stuff for the sweet tooth man I'm married to.

Who by the way, finished his first year of grad school today! I couldn't be more proud. He officially wrote 71 pages of papers in the past two weeks and worked his little butt off. I have never seen him work so hard (except maybe when he was wooing me :) and it really paid off. Now he gets to take four months off for some well deserved rest and serious hang out time with his pregnant wife who missed him.

Life is good. And Joy the Baker is pretty darn good too. If you try one of her recipes and it turns out as well as my two did, please share. Rob asked me yesterday what we're making next from Joy the Baker. I'll keep you posted!