My Favorite Music

I am not one to go crazy when experimenting with music. Luckily I am married to someone who loves to buy new CDs and try out new types of music. He has introduced me to a lot of great music (and some not so great music). I am going to share with you some of my favorite music to listen to.

1.  Zac Brown Band. We have their newest CD You Get What You Give and I pretty much love every song on that CD. It makes for very easy listening.

2. The Avett Brothers. Their CD I And Love And You, is awesome. Before I met my husband I had never listened to them before, now they are one of my favorite groups.

3. Red Hot Chili Peppers. Love their songs.

4. Foo Fighters. I love all of their CDs.

5. Jack Johnson. He is from Hawaii, and we listened to his music a lot when we were in Hawaii. I love all of his music, his songs are great.

6.  Kings of Leon. I haven't listened to them too much, but what I have heard, I have liked.

7. Ray LaMontange. We picked one of his songs for our first dance at our Wedding. I really like his music.

8. Shinedown.

9. The Temptations. They are an oldie, but a goodie. I pretty much know all their songs by heart. I can thank my dad and his habit of listening to oldies for this one.

10. Weezer.

These are in no way the only groups I listen to, but they are some of my favorites. My husband has introduced me to almost all of these groups. I like being open to the idea of listening to new music, even though I can be stubborn about it at first. If you are looking for some good music, try any of the groups listed above.

A Community I Love

I grew up in Fairfax, a small town in south central Minnesota. It has a population of about 1700, and the best places to eat are the bar or the gas station. The nearest Wal-Mart is 30 minutes away, and everyone knows everything about everyone else.

I currently live in Sioux Falls, SD, which is a pretty big city compared to what I grew up in. I love living in Sioux Falls, in that I am close to everything I need. I don't need to travel an hour to go shopping, or commute half an hour to work. I do love where I am living, but there is a feeling of happiness that I get when I do go back to visit Fairfax from time to time.

When I go back to Minnesota to visit my parents and the community of Fairfax, all sorts of childhood memories come back to me. I lived in this small community for the first 21 years of my life. I know just about everybody that lives in Fairfax, I went to school in Fairfax, and I worked my first part-time jobs in Fairfax. It's just nice to go back to the small community life for a few days and remember what it's like to see all the people I grew up with. There is a special place in my heart for the community of Fairfax.

However, as much as I like to go back to my parent's home from time to time and visit, I am very happy to not be living in Fairfax anymore. It is great to live in a new city where I can meet new people and start new memories. I better get used to Sioux Falls, since soon we will be buying a house here!

So I guess what I am saying is that I love going back to visit Fairfax and remembering the small town life and all my childhood memories. However, I am enjoying this next chapter in my life in Sioux Falls.

House Shopping

We started the process of getting a house a few days ago. We went to the bank about a month a ago and got pre-approved for a loan. Last week, we called our Realtor, and we have spent the last few days looking at homes.

It is so exciting to look at houses, and know that one could potentially be the one we live in for the next 30 years. The process of getting a home is a bit overwhelming, but it is fun. We are taking our time looking, and we want to see plenty of homes so we get what we want.

We have looked at about 14 homes or so, and we have a top three that we like. We will continue to shop around for homes for the next couple weeks, and hopefully we will find one we love, and make an offer. I can't wait to live in house, and have a yard, and plenty of room to decorate and fill with new furniture.

I am having a lot of fun shopping for a house, and cannot wait until we find the right one to make our home!

Family Time

My parents, brother, and sister came to Sioux Falls to visit John and me this last weekend. It was nice to see the family again, as I didn't get to see them for Christmas this year.

My family arrived on Friday afternoon and we visited in our apartment for most of the afternoon, before heading to Falls Park to see all the Christmas lights still up. We ate out at Cherry Creek Steakhouse and then headed to their hotel to hang out for a while.

On Saturday we went to the Norman Rockwell exhibit at the Washington Pavillion, downtown Sioux Falls. I wouldn't call myself an art person, but it was pretty cool to see original Norman Rockwell paintings.

We ended the weekend with a lunch at The Taste of New York, which was delicious. Before we knew it, it was time for my family to head home. It was nice to hang out with my family again, even for just a short weekend. My family is very important to me, and I love spending time with them.

A New Year

Well, it's 2011! That's hard to believe, time is flying.

So, 2010 was a great year. I got my first full-time job as a nurse at Avera. I moved into a new apartment. I married my best friend and began a new chapter in my life.

2011 promises to be a great year as well. We hope to buy our first home. Apart from that, we will just have to wait and see what the new year brings. I'm not one for making new year's resolutions, I just hope to have a great year!

Happy New Year!!!!!