Merry Christmas!

We hope you have a blessed and joyous Christmas! We're having a wonderful time in MN, and we'll post some pictures when we get back.

Merry Christmas!

Elizabeth and Ryan

It's Almost Christmas!

Ryan and I have been very busy the past few weeks getting ready for Christmas. We're leaving tomorrow to head up to Minnesota to spend the holiday with my family. We'll be up there for five busy days, and it will be wonderful to see everyone again.

And since it's almost Christmas, I thought I'd post some holiday pictures. The above one is of our little Christmas tree in Des Moines. All of the presents underneath it will be going with us to MN tomorrow.

The following photo is of our stockings. Ryan got his stocking last year. It has little dreidels around it! :) My stocking was made by my wonderful Aunt Debbie when I was a baby. It's something from my childhood that I really treasure. (Thanks, Debbie!)



The following three pictures were taken tonight. Ryan and I went to a holiday lights festival. It was really beautiful. The photos didn't turn out so great (obviously it was dark, but it was also incredibly foggy).





We hope everyone enjoys this time leading up to Christmas!

~Elizabeth and Ryan

Happy Chanukah!

Ryan and I had a very nice Chanukah this year! Here are some pictures from the past week.



Lighting the candles and enjoying the last night of Chanukah:


We hope all of you had a wonderful Chanukah as well!

~Elizabeth and Ryan

Thanksgiving Pictures

We spent Thanksgiving day in MN with my family, and then we went to Chicago for Friday and Saturday to see Ryan's extended family. We got some really good pictures (the one above is of my sweet nephew, Lorenzo) and it was so nice to be with family again!

For those of you who don't know, we've been in Des Moines, IA for about the past month. Ryan had a hard time finding a job for what he does in the Pittsburgh area, so we made the decision for him to take a job in Des Moines. I've been going back and forth, but I'm pretty much here now. We like the Des Moines area a lot, and Ryan really likes his job. We don't know how long we'll be here, but everything will work itself out. So, for all of you in MN, come and visit us! We would love to have you!

Here are some pictures from Thanksgiving:

My brother-in-law Steve and niece Gianna.

My uncle Dan and Aunt Jean holding Peter.


My sister Megan with my nephew Philip (Jenny and Eric's little boy).

My sisters Christine, Megan, and Emily with cousin Matt and cousin Jacob's girlfriend Helen.

Everyone had a good time playing poker and Guitar Hero. My dad's in the basement rocking out below! :)

Me holding sweet Peter. It's my favorite thing to do!

Give Thanks

As we get ready to head to Minnesota for Thanksgiving, we wanted to take a second and wish everyone a happy holiday. God has blessed us so much, and we are very grateful for everything we have, especially our family and friends!

Enjoy Thanksgiving!
Elizabeth and Ryan

Pumpkins

I absolutely love fall and traditional fall activities, so a few weeks ago Ryan and I visited a local pumpkin patch. It was such a beautiful day!

The inside of the corn maze:

On the hayride:

We carved our pumpkins for Halloween. As you can see, we are definitely novice pumpkin carvers, but it was fun! Ryan carved the middle pumpkin, and I carved the other two.

Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!

Elizabeth and Ryan

Fall Festival

Last weekend Ryan and I went to a fall festival in Smicksburg, Pa. Smicksburg, which about 30 minutes north of us, is a really quaint town in the heart of Amish country. While it looked like fall, it certainly didn't feel like it. It was about 85 degrees out!

Seeing the Amish on the road was a common sight throughout the day.


While we were there, we also toured a winery in the area. The wine was delicious, and it was a very fun experience!

Happy Birthday Elizabeth!

Sunday, the 23rd, was Elizabeth's 26th birthday! We went shopping in the Pittsburgh area and then went out to eat at the Olive Garden. After dinner, we watched the second half of the Bears game at a sports bar. I guess my punishment for having her watch football on her birthday was the Bears getting destroyed by the Cowboys. :(

It was a fun day though!

-Ryan

Happy Rosh Hashanah!

Atlantic City

Being the ocean lover that I am, we had to make a trip to the coast while in Philadelphia. We had heard good things about Atlantic City, NJ (about 90 minuets from Philadelphia) and even though we're not big casino people, we had a great time. It was wonderful to be by the ocean again, and the casinos were fun, too. Plus, I won $175 at a nickle slot! :)

~Elizabeth

Philadelphia

This is the last week of Ryan's project in Philadelphia, so Labor Day weekend was our last weekend here. Besides a trip to Atlantic City, NJ (that post coming soon), we did a lot of sightseeing around Philadelphia.

Here we are outside of Independence Hall, and here's a picture of The Assembly Room inside, where both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were drafted and signed.

Us visiting the Liberty Bell.

We also went on a tour of the Delaware River.

Of course, Ryan had to see the Rocky statue and the "Rocky Steps," also known as the Philadelphia Museum of Art. :)

Longwood Gardens

A few weekends ago, Ryan and I made a visit to Longwood Gardens, which is outside of Philadelphia. It is an absolutely beautiful place! They have so many amazing gardens and fountains, and we saw a fountain and lights show that was spectacular. Here are some pictures from our trip:

Ryan's Birthday

Saturday was Ryan's 27th birthday! We went out to dinner to celebrate and then we went bowling. Later this week we're going to a Phillies game, which Ryan has been wanting to do all summer, so that should be fun. Happy Birthday, Ryan!

Wedding Pictures

Here are some pictures from my sister Teresa's wedding. It was a very nice wedding. and it was so much fun to see everyone.

My parents with Peter.

Me and my dad.

Some shots of Teresa.












My sister Maria was the flower girl.












My brothers Michael and Joseph were ring bearers. This was Michael's fifth time as a ring bearer!









Teresa and Dad dancing.