The Great Outdoors

Despite the somewhat strange weather we've been having lately, Matthew and I have been able to spend a lot of time enjoying the great outdoors over the past few weeks.

Memorial Day weekend, we went up to Onawa, Iowa, to camp with our friends the Bocks. I was a little skeptical about the trip since the weather was dreary and rainy, but we actually had a great time! We played games with Scott and Angie, explored the Lewis & Clark park, had a fun cookout with the Bocks and their family friends, and Matthew and I even got to ride a tandem bicycle! It was hard at first for me to let go of control (isn't it always?), but once we got the hang of it, we enjoyed it a lot!

The following weekend, we went to Pella to meet our new niece Natalie and also celebrate Rachel's 2nd birthday (and Larry's and Matt's Grandma's birthdays as well!). As always, it was fun having the whole Van Zante clan around. There's never a dull moment with six little girls under 7, though!

We planned to camp out there, but it was supposed to rain Saturday night. But before the rain came, though, we still got time around the camp fire, just chatting and enjoying the country. And we had some great s'mores: with Reese's peanut butter bars! Brilliant! The Bocks shared this idea when we were camping with them, so when Matt and Ben went into town on Saturday, we sent them after these new Reese's bars, and enjoyed them again that night. So yummy. I highly recommend it!

And finally, last weekend was our one year wedding anniversary. Holy crap! I can't believe it's already been a full year. It was the fastest- and best!- year of my life! To celebrate, we went down to Nebraska City and stayed at the Lied Lodge. I didn't really know much about this place beforehand, but it was so great! We went to a wine tasting, had a nice dinner in their restaurant (which has a great view!), and even got to go swimming and sit in the hot tub for a bit. We had a really nice time. We explored the "Tree Adventure" and they even give every guest a free tree to take home and plant.

And on Sunday, June 12th itself, we enjoyed the Omaha Summer Arts Festival, a nice dinner at Vivace, and then came home and enjoyed some of the top tier of our wedding cake.

I love my husband, and that's all there is to it! :-)

Meet Lucas

I simply cannot get enough of this picture! Meet baby Lucas, who was born last week to my dear Staci Mae (Momma Mae now!) and her hubby Greg:

He is just too cute, and I can't wait to meet him in person later this summer! Congratulations, Staci and Greg!!