soooo.....

the fern died. you probably could have guessed this since it hasn't made an appearance on the blog since october. 

i thought that since the fern died, maybe it was a sign the blog should go too. hence the nearly two month break. but since all of my devoted followers (read: mom and mother-in-law) missed the blog SO much, i decided i should begin again.

i sometimes don't know the purpose of this blog. i don't feel that the world wide web is all that interested in our lives, but it has been a great way for me to remember some fun, random times in our life. it also has been a great place for things i like. 

so, even though i have not been blogging, a lot has been happening. 

• i'm wrapping up my last semester of school. i'm spending a lot of time helping to deliver babies. i love it.
• ryan and i are still happy and still married. just trying to figure out what we're going to do for the rest of our lives.
• i'm applying for jobs like it's my job. 
• i'm working on a diy project that i am very excited about. more on that later.
• unlike the fern, ellie is alive and well. we think she's the best.
• i've been finding some amazing blogs and spaces online that i LOVE. more on that later too.

i really am hoping to get back into regular posting. no more two month breaks! i'll be back SOON!!!

-kelsie.

fern friday.

happy friday friends!

we are excited because we finally bought our tickets to go home for christmas! we will be there for almost two weeks and feel so blessed that ryan's job allows for us to stay for a while. we will be taking ellie with us and are a bit nervous about it. she will be riding with us in the cabin and we have already started saying our prayers it works out ok.... any pet traveling tips you have would be greatly appreciated! 

ellie and i are still loving fall - the cooler weather, the colors and the falling leaves. i just can't get enough of it.

finally, i wanted to take a minute to praise God for the miners who were all healthfully rescued this week. that story is just so amazing and i was even more encouraged to read this story. we have a very strong connection with campus crusade for Christ and it has played a major role in both mine and ryan's life - so we are very proud of their involvement and encouragement of the chilean miners.

please, read the story here.

i hope you all have a beautiful, blessed weekend!

-kelsie

fern friday.

it's been raining here for the better part of this week. it makes for good study weather but it also makes for GREAT nap/snuggle with ellie weather. 

i hope you have a weekend where the weather is exactly how you like it!

and, if you're interested, here is a really amazing story about midwives in afghanistan (found here).

-kelsie

fern friday.

happy friday! 

i'm sitting here cuddling with my cute, little, jealous puppy. she HATES our laptops because they take over her area on our laps. she has really wiggled her way into getting whatever she wants...

i'm back to the reality of school and plan on doing homework for the rest of the evening. ryan's working all weekend long so i am headed to an amusement park with the nursing girls tomorrow. i'm so grateful for a husband who works so hard and who is so good at what he does. 

i hope you have an amazing last weekend of august! fall is just around the corner!

         -kelsie.      

fern friday.

happy friday!

ryan's parents have been in town for work and were able to spend last night and today! it has been so fun to show them our home and the places we've been hanging out this past year.  i'll post some pictures of our time with them soon!

hugh, ryan's dad, knows a lot about trees and plants and things so i asked him how he thought my fern was doing. to say he was concerned would be an understatement. the soil was completely dry. there is one side that is looking quite dead. he said i could possibly bring it back to life with lots of watering. apparently ferns need moisture. so, i'm going to work on that.

also, we had our first family photo taken today! ellie looks so mad! she's really a happy, smiling dog!

we're going hiking tomorrow and we'll be trying to soak up every ounce of summer. hope you have the greatest weekend!

-kelsie.

fern friday.

happy friday my friends! i have had a crazy, weird work schedule this week and will have a weekend filled with work! fun!

but for tonight, we are headed to a "see-you-later" party for our friends, the whelpley's. they were some of the first people we met when we moved out here. they helped us settle into our church and find community there. they're off to florida and will hopefully be back here next summer. they're good people.

i hope you all have a wonderful weekend! 

-kelsie.

fern friday.

the fern is alive!

it's been a while since it has made an appearance, but the fern is still adjusting to the new apartment. it has been a little droopy and a little less green, but i think it's going to survive.

i CANNOT believe that august is here this weekend. it kind of makes my stomach drop to think that summer is coming to a close. how did that happen?!?! i'm itching to do something crazy. to go on an adventure. one last little thing before school starts up again...

but until then, i'm eating all the watermelon and ripe tomatoes i can. 

i'm off now to take a nap. i have my last night shift of the summer tonight! hallelujah! 

i hope you all have a great, summery weekend!

-kelsie.

fern friday (saturday).

(in honor of our move)

last night we had an amazing night with friends in georgetown. we went to an incredible italian restaurant... (could you guess what my favorite type of food is???) it was recommended to one of our friends by some people at the italian embassy... so it was pretty legit. like - they fly in mozzarella every day. it was the best cheese i have ever had. i need to go to italy.

this weekend it will be exactly one year since we moved out here. it's crazy how quickly time has passed, how much we have grown and how much life has changed.

have the best weekend! we have fun plans including ikea trips and barbeques! fun!

happy 4th of july friends!

fern friday.

hi friends!

some things have been happening at the brandt household. good things.

1. we found an apartment! hooray! we're really excited. 

2. that means we have to move. next weekend. we're not really excited about the actual moving day.

3. i've been at orientation all week for my internship. it has been great and it's going to be a perfect place for me this summer. 

we'll have more information about all of these things soon, but we're really excited about our first full summer here in our new apartment with my new internship. 

hope you've had an exciting week and hope you can enjoy some world cup this weekend!

-kelsie.

fern friday.

happy friday!

we are on the strong hunt for an apartment and cannot wait to have a place nailed down! but for the night, we are off to enjoy some jazz in the garden with friends

hope you have a lovely weekend, friends! 

-kelsie.

ps- thanks for reading this little piece of my life. it means a lot.

fern friday.

due to the busyness of nursing school, i did not do a great job of preparing healthy, delicious homemade meals for ryan and i. SO, this summer i am hoping to change that. however, i think i need some accountability. therefore...

i am going to post one meal a week that i made - something i've never made before.

finding recipes is the hardest part for me... apparently ryan and i are fairly picky and in opposite ways. what i don't care for, he loves, and what i love, he doesn't care for. thus, finding something we both enjoy is a bit tough.

where do you find your recipes???

have a good weekend my friends. it's beautiful here in dc. i hope it's beautiful where you are!

-kelsie.

fern friday.

(i think the fern is growing)

friends, ryan found me asleep like this the other night (it was probably like 4 in the afternoon):

bad news: school makes me tired

good news: only one week left

good news: i will be in colorado in one week

good news: new belgium is in dc for a limited time

have the best weekend!

-kelsie.

fern friday.

it's friday!

fridays mean we go to IFECDA (international food eating and cocktail drinking alliance) with good friends we met at the airport. they lovingly allowed us to join them and we have had so much fun. 

most people that go to IFECDA are from colorado. colorado people are good people.

tonight we're going to play volleyball and have a picnic. fun. 

 

i made a square fruit pizza. the icing is cream cheese and marshmallow fluff. yum.

 

 

hope your friday is filled with fun, food and friends!

-kelsie.

fern friday.

happy friday friends!

this week i finished clinicals for the semester. hallelujah. 

today i cleaned our apartment and ate a pound of strawberries. they were so good. i couldn't control myself.

hope you guys have a lovely weekend! go get some strawberries!

-kelsie.

fern friday.

my friends, it's friday. hallelujah.

fridays mean that i am one week closer to being done with this semester.

this week i did these things:

1) spent some time in the ICU

2) saved a robot's life

3) went grocery shopping

4) wrote a paper

5) procrastinated by looking at this, this, and this

i hope your weekend is filled with things that make you smile! 

-kelsie.

fern friday.

 

weekend plans:

dinner with friends.

church stuff with friends.

trapeze with friends.

-kelsie.

fail.

-kelsie.

(good) fern friday

{because it's good friday, of course}

happy almost easter! 

the easter bunny and i go way back. at some point in my childhood i imagine i was scarred by a large bunny at a mall. i think there is a picture somewhere of me with the most terrified look on my face on a bunny's lap.

(by the way, i never made the connection between bunnies and easter? and who decided that sending an adult in a bunny costume into a mall to take pictures with kids wasn't creepy? just my thoughts.)

so from that point forward, i required that the easter bunny not enter our house. however, i am a girl who enjoys her candy and i realized the easter bunny often brought candy - so i had to come up with a new idea.

the porch. 

i'm not sure how many easter mornings the pendley's spent on the porch, but i figured we better be safe than sorry by letting a big, creepy bunny into our home.

i was a very normal child.

so today it was quite appropriate when there was a package from the easter bunny (aka the pendley's) sitting on my welcome mat - not in my living room.

thank you pendley easter bunnies for easters on the porch, believing me when i told you i saw huge bunny foot prints in our backyard, and for all the easter goodies!!

-kelsie.

fern friday.

this week went by f-a-s-t. and that is always good. until summer. 

i hope you have a lovely weekend full of your favorite things. 

i'm off to paint my fingernails pink. because pink things are some of my favorite things. 

[i've finally come to terms that my favorite color is pink. i went through a stage where i was ashamed of caring for such a predictable favorite color. however, all of these pink trees around dc have affirmed my shameless passion for pink.]

-kelsie.

fern friday.

guess what. yesterday i saw the first of the cherry blossoms. 

they were hiding near the lincoln memorial. 

ryan's friend roy is visiting us this weekend. we did some sightseeing yesterday that resulted in blisters and sunburns. it was wonderful. 

-kelsie.