McFest 2013: Part 1

In August Adam and I went to New Jersey for his family reunion.  Adam's family (haha Adam's family...anyone? anyone?) is from Philadelphia, PA and every two or three years they all head to Sea Isle City, NJ for McFest! Don't worry it's not like the "Jersey Shore" on TV, but we had our fists ready just in case.  It was actually like being in Philadelphia, most of the shops sold "Philly" gear and most of the license plates on cars were from Pennslyvania. (More to come about this).


Our trip started on Tuesday August 6, 2013 when we left Vancouver, WA at 6pm to head to San Francisco for our first layover. We decided to take the Red-Eye to get an extra day in on our trip.  We arrived Wednesday and my Aunt Joy and Uncle Gary (who also live in NJ) picked us up and we planned to spend a few days with them before heading to the shore. We headed straight to breakfast at a hotel on the Jersey side of the Hudson river, and man was it good.  I had a plant strong breakfast wrap with freshly squeezed juice and Adam had corned beef and hash scramble. 



 

The next day, after some much needed rest, we headed into NYC for some fun. My Aunt and I got pedicure's while Adam and Uncle Gary dinked around and had some life-changing sushi :) Adam rarely get's to eat sushi at home so it was a treat for him to have some. Later on we went to have dinner at Blossom Cafe, it was a vegan restaurant (since I'm allergic to dairy it's easier for me to eat at a vegan restaurant).  Oh man, this place was amazing!  I got raw nachos and a lentil burger and Adam, Aunt Joy, and Uncle Gary all got things they could share.  I can't remember everything they got, but everything tasted delicious.

 

On Friday the 9th my Aunt had shoulder surgery so we stayed home and took a day off.  Her surgery went well, she came home all loopy which made us laugh. Then on Saturday my Uncle took Adam and I for a day in the city.  We took the Staten Island Ferry and headed to Manhatten.

 



 

We had a wonderful time together, we walked and walked and walked and walked.  Did I mention we walked? We got to see the new Freedom Tower to replace the World Trade Center (it's the tall building on the left in the photo).  We went to the Crate & Barrell in SoHo to visit our family friend Richard, it was his first Saturday at the his new store.  Then we went to Chipotle for lunch, yum! We ended our day by visiting Rockefeller Center and Times Square, we had to be tourists a little bit!

  

 

Before we knew it we were on the subway headed back to the ferry. We had to get ready to head to Sea Isle City, NJ on Sunday morning. 

 

 

More to follow about our time in Sea Isle City...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Will The Real Hygienist Please Stand Up?

This is a blog from Dr. Lolabees - it probably will only be funny to people who are in the dental field, but it gave me a good laugh so I had to share it.  I added in a couple too just to relieve some stress from the week :)

 

10 Reasons Your Dentist Probably Hates You Too

1. The first thing you say when you sit down in my chair is, “I hate the dentist.” Really?!? Did your parents teach you any manners? Did they ever teach you that it is impolite to tell someone you hate them the moment you greet them? What I really want to say back is, “aww, I hate you too.”

2. You come to your appointment, and it’s obvious you haven’t brushed your teeth in days. I’ve had some people with great hygiene come in and apologize because they’ve just eaten lunch and couldn’t brush. This is not what I’m talking about. I mean food and thick plaque everywhere. After 10 years of seeing blood and rotten teeth and some really nasty things, this is still the 1 thing that makes me dry heave. You know when you come to us that we have to be in your mouth. Would you clean your home before having company? Additionally, I have spent hours literally bending over backwards repairing your teeth. Could you at least pretend that you are caring for the work that I have struggled to complete for you?

3. After we have spent hours of meticulously repairing your teeth, you complain about the bill. Would you walk out of the grocery store with a bag full of groceries and expect not to pay? I’ve just helped you to continue to smile and eat comfortably, two pretty valuable things that help your quality of life.

4. I tell you that you have a cavity and you need a filling, and you wait months or even years to get the necessary work done. Eventually the tooth starts hurting. Two weeks of pain go by, and you call me on a Saturday night while I am at dinner with friends because your tooth that needed a filling a year ago and that started hurting 2 weeks ago is suddenly an emergency.

5. You come to me so I can help you, but you make it hard for me to do a good job. You wince and make faces when it’s not hurting. The idea that I’m hurting you makes me just as uncomfortable and stressed as you are. If it hurts, please tell me, and I can help you with that. But if it’s because you don’t like the whole experience, you are only causing me to work in undesirable conditions, making it harder to do my best. And when you push your tongue in the way, or you don’t open wide enough, it makes it physically impossible to get my work done. Don’t you want it to be easy for me to do the best job for you?

6. You call and say, “my tooth didn’t hurt before you worked on it.” You came to me with a cavity. I did not put it there. You did. I am simply fixing a rotten hole that was in your tooth. To do so, I must use a tiny drill to cut the rot out of your tooth. If I took a drill, cut a hole in your femur bone, and then filled it in with a foreign material, don’t you think it might be sore for a while? Same concept.

7. When we try to take an x-ray, you won’t bite down on it. We have to do this to see what is going on with your tooth. Without knowing the problem, we can’t properly treat you. I know, in some cases some people really can’t do it; but some people could and won’t just suck it up for 15 seconds. I’ve had x-rays too, and they hurt and dig into my gums, but I just do it.

8. You tell me that you bought my car for me after having a crown done. Contrary to how it seems, you actually didn’t buy me a car. You bought yourself a crown. I have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on an education, and have spent hours making this crown fit precisely in your mouth, so maybe you helped me make a portion of a student loan payment. But you certainly didn’t buy my car.

9. You no-show an appointment or cancel last-minute. Some things are unavoidable, but when it’s because your hairdresser got a last-minute cancellation and you had to take that appointment instead, this is just rude. Not only am I unable to fill the 2 hours of my schedule that I reserved specifically for you, but someone else who wanted to get in had to wait 2 weeks for his/her appointment. And on that note, when you have the first appointment of the day, and you show up late for your appointment, I am late for every other patient the rest of the day.

10. When I tell you that you grind your teeth, you deny it, as if I am accusing you of having a horrible disease or being a baby murderer. It’s not that bad to be a tooth grinder. I’m just pointing something out and maybe offering a way to prevent more problems in the future. This observation is concluded from signs or symptoms that are based on real science, not myth.
 
11. Why is it when I'm running late and you've been in the waiting room and then once I get you seated with your bib on you decide to tell me you need to use the restroom?  It never fails.
 
12. Why do you think you can tell me what your treatment needs are?  Sure, go ahead and tell me you don't need a deep-cleaning or that you don't need x-rays this time... I forgot that you went to college for dentistry.  Oh and while you're at it write a negative review about how terrible I am because I'm the one who made you neglect your teeth for the past several years, and it's my fault you need more than the routine cleaning.

July 14, 2013

The morning started at 5am at the Red Lion hotel in downtown Vancouver, Washington.  My sister Jessica and my cousin Brittany stayed with me overnight, we had a good time together, we all realized it was probably the last time the three of us would have a slumber party for a long time (we were close growing up and often spent nights together as children).

My mom Joni and maid of honor Krista showed up bright and early with coffee, sparkling cider, and pastries.  My mom even made us custom champagne glasses with the names of all the bridesmaids on them.  Shortly after my hairdresser Charissa arrived and it was time to start hair and make up.

 


 

At 9:30 it was time to head to the wedding venue to get changed into my dress.  My mom and her boyfriend Larry surprised me with a limo!  It was scheduled to take my maid of honor Krista and I to the venue first and then it came back to get the bridesmaids once they were ready to go.  We enjoyed it, and it was nice not to have to worry about driving anywhere.

 

Next, it was time to slip into the dress I was going to wear to marry the man of my dreams. Krista was there to help me put it on, Charissa to touch up any make up crisis, and of course Eryn to capture the special moments.





 

Then it was time! It was time to meet my groom for our "first look." A first look is when the bride and groom pick a special location and see each other for the first time before the ceremony.  It was a private, special moment for us only seen by each other and the photographer.  Adam stood with his back facing me and I walked up behind him, tapped him on the shoulder, and we got to meet face to face. I was racing with emotions, seeing my future husband for the first time and boy did he look handsome!

  

 

 

After our first look we were ready for the bridal party and family photos.  Our photographer Eryn Kesler did an amazing job keeping everything organized and flowing smoothly.  I really appreciated that!  If you'd like to see more of her work check out her webpage (www.erynkeslerphotography.com). Our bridal party consisted of thirteen people, including us, the ring bearer and flower girls. The bridesmaids were: Krista- MOH, Brittany- bm, Jessica- bm, and Monica- bm.  The groomsmen were: Andrew- Best Man, Marshall- gm, Brooks- gm, and Jake- gm.  My nephew Kameron was the ring bearer and Adam's little sister's Grace and Sara were our flower girls.





 

Finally at 1pm on July 14, 2013 at the Historical Red Cross Building it was time to say I do to my Adam. The day was HERE, it was TIME and I was ready.  We were only engaged for five months, but let me tell ya, it felt like the time crept by.  I couldn't wait to spend the rest of my life with the man God had chosen for me.



 

 

 

Our pastor Dave had us write our own vows and we were so happy for this.  It allowed us to really think about what we were promising to each other and to God. Of course I cried when Adam spoke his, and hopefully I made him a little teary too (even if he didn't show it).

 

 



 

AHH I'm officially a Mrs! This moment was just amazing and spectacular! We had worked so hard emotionally and physically to make it to this moment, and we did it.  All of the hard work paid off.  We couldn't have done it without the love of Jesus and our family and friends, so THANK YOU!



 

At the reception we had a wonderful time visiting with family and friends.  It sure was nice to have everyone you love all in the same room! We did the traditional wedding dances... Our first dance was A Thousand Years by Christina Perri, the Father-daughter dance was Daddy Dance With Me by Krystal Keith, and the Mother-son dances were Through The Years by Kenny Rogers and All To You by DJ Keo.

 

 

 

At 4pm my husband wisked me away to Cannon Beach, Oregon for a few days to celebrate a mini honeymoon.  We decided to wear our wedding attire all the way there, I mean it was our only day to wear it! Adam's parents arranged for us to stay at Hallmark Inns & Resorts and when we arrived the receptionists upgraded our room to a King suite! We got there around 6pm and decided to grab some dinner before we settled in.  We went to The Wayfarer restaurant and it was delicious.

 

I couldn't have asked for a more special day and I'm thankful for each person who helped make it that way.  We are blessed with supportive families who love us and each other.

I love sleeping next to Adam at night and waking up to his handsome face every morning.  I still can't believe how much my life has changed in the last year.  All I can do is constantly be thankful to Jesus! We are working through the kinks of being newlyweds and we are having a good time.  We say it's like we're pistons in an engine, we work together...when he's down, I work to bring him up, and when I'm down, he works to bring me up.  Adam is very attentive and works very well addressing my needs and I hope to be as good as him someday.  We try our best not to bring work home and we plan our days so that we can spend our nights together having fun.  That means doing little things like planning our groceries and dinners so that there are NO store trips after work...that's mostly for me because it's a personal pet peeve of mine to make trips after work, I like to have the food and dinner plan ready to go so I know what we're going to make. No guessing and stressing!

We're working on our third month of married life and I know it's going to continue to fly by.  Now I'll sign off leaving you with a sunset view from our honeymoon hotel room...





 



 

*If you'd like to see all of our wedding photos visit this website www.adamandnicole.erynkesler.com  

 













Thankful

I'm laying in bed tonight reflecting on my life this past year and only one word comes to my mind: thankful. I want to scream it at the top of my lungs and share all these amazing things that have happened, so I figured why not share it here.

For the past four years my life has been chaotic, to say the least.  I've moved over ten times...yes ten, my apartment burned down, I survived Swine 09, my cat ran away, I was kicked out of dental hygiene school...then let back in, two car accidents and countless breakdowns, and being so poor the only meal I could eat was the protein shakes my grandma sent me.  Now all of this may sound like complaining, but let me assure you, I wouldn't trade these experiences for ANYTHING.  I have been redeemed!

On August 28, 2012 I went to a conference called HeartChange in Oregon City and it changed everything.  It was four days of intense workshops meant to set you free and experience the love of Jesus.  I'm not here to get all preachy on ya, but I just have to share what Jesus has done in my life!  You remember what you read before about my last four years, well this past year I've experienced every dream I've ever had in my life...all in ONE year! In November 2012 I started working as a Dental Hygienist, I have wanted to be a dental hygienist since I was FIVE!! In January 2013 I went on a mission trip to Nicaragua, which is something I've wanted to do since I was a little girl.  It was life changing to experience another way people live and to see just how blessed we are here in the United States.  In February 2013 I got engaged to the love of my life (our love story is a whoooooole nother blog post...what the Lord has done in our relationship is outstanding!!!!). We were married July 14, 2013 :)  Now I'm sitting here in MY own home and MY own bed, somewhere I don't have to leave in a year and I can walk around naked (hey it's a privledge).  I can not believe how much Jesus has blessed me and Adam this year! It makes me even more excited to see what else he has in store for us.  It was the best decision I ever made to turn my life over to Jesus.  It brings tears to my eyes to experience all the love He has for me, and I know He's not even close to being done with the plans He has for our life.

For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not disaster, to give you future and a hope. -Jeremiah 29:11