In need of an update...in more ways than one!

It's been awhile since I posted, so I figured it was time for an update. Brett is doing much better after having mono and is back at work and doing well. After 7 + weeks we were both more than ready to have him back up and running (okay well, maybe he's not quite running yet, but we are making progress). Nothing super exciting has happened lately, but yesterday, I did a complete "spruce up" of our home. Sarah Officer helped me pick out some great stuff from Pier 1 and also helped me rearrange my whole living room. It came out looking 10x's better than I expected! Take a look...

the before - this fabric was on all of our living room furniture:

the great throw pillows Sarah helped pick out:

the complete look: this chair was also covered with that nasty fabric in the first picture, and look what I was able to make of it!

...and I thought I was going to have to buy new furniture to change the look of our home. You can accomplish so much with a slip cover and some great pillows. Thank you Sarah, for helping me get a fresh new look in our home!

Sterling's first babysitter :)

Tonight I was lucky enough to be Sterling Officer's first babysitter. Sarah and Justin are super busy this weekend with students moving in and freshman orientation, so I watched him for a few hours this evening while they were out and about. For those of you who know of my love for babies, I obviously didn't mind spending my evening hanging out with this adorable little guy. It seems sort of funny to be posting pictures of someone else's baby on my blog, but he's just so darn cute...I couldn't resist.

I also want to add that he is the best baby I've ever been around. He was happy the whole time, barely made a peep, slept when he was supposed to, ate when he was supposed to and smiled at me more than once! I'll watch him anytime you need, Sarah! :)

The school year is beginning...

For those of you who don't know, Brett and I still live on Corban's campus and I manage the on-campus townhouses. I'm going on my 7th year of living at Corban (what?? I've seriously been here that long??) Brett and I both have our off-campus jobs, which we love, but it's been a blessing to still be connected to this place, even in a small way. Sometimes we wonder what it's going to feel like when we finally move on.

Well, it's that time of year again. Students have started arriving on campus, as classes begin next Wednesday. Where did the summer go? It's nice to have people roaming around campus again, and even though it's not as quiet, it's bound to get more interesting. Not only is school starting back up for Corban, but Brett goes back to Lee Elementary next week for inservice and then his little kiddos come back the first week of September.

In light of all this back to school stuff, I thought I would post a picture of me and my siblings on one of our first days of school. Take a look and have a good laugh -

The Swenson Kids - 1992 maybe?

Sam(is that a pink jacket?), Heidi, Me and Sara

Lyndsey's Wedding

Yesterday Lyndsey Hawk became Lyndsey Brown. She was such a gorgeous bride and it was such a beautiful wedding. Everything went perfectly and I'm so happy for her and Andrew. I would have more pictures to show, but my camera kept giving me problems....GRRRR! Hopefully I'll be able to get some more from others who were there.

What have I been up to?

...taking care of my sick husband.

This poor guy...he's had mono for the past 2 and 1/2 weeks and isn't showing much sign of progress yet. Even though he is sicker than he's ever been, weak, miserable, and completely relying on me to help him do the every day tasks, I haven't heard him complain once. He is being so patient and strong and I'm so proud of him!