Home is where the coach fits in!

Just kidding! Home is where our hearts are!!!

 Here's a glance at our new abode! After the awaited arrival of our truck and unpacking!!!

Nathan, organizing all of our books :)

Our Living Room

Our dining room where we are surrounded by family!

Our bedroom

Our Guest Room (HINT, HINT... come visit!!!)

 We really enjoy our neighborhood! It's quiet, surrounded by many trees and common areas, and in the background you can hear the trolleys roll by! Here is a view of our kitchen window....during the unpacking phase, and a glance out our kitchen window as the sun sets!

Arising to the Occasion!

The dilemma: modern day, oversized couches, too big to fit in 1940s apartment complex!!!

There are moments in life where I want to give up, maybe even pout, or just ask “why me?”  I found myself in one of those moments when our movers brought the couches, that they had just moved half way across the country, were stuck in our stairwell in our new place in Drexel Hill.  As my interior frustration grew, I looked at Lauren, whose heart might have seemed broken because of the discomfort of the feeling of seeing our couches not make it into our home.  I realized at this moment that there was only one thing to do; I must arise to the occasion and get those darn couches either sold or in our apartment. 

So after posting the couches on Craigslist and seeing what my options were for storing the couches somewhere else in town (which would have be a fun exercise of renting a big van or truck and navigating Philly streets still as a novice east coaster).  After all failed, I tried to barter with the truck driver and sell the two couches to him at what he said was “an awesome deal.”  He called his wife and after conferring with her, the deal was a no go.  We were running out of options!

Finally, I called down to the rental office and somehow got hold of them (this might be a small miracle because they never answer when you call).  In all humility, I told her about our couches and asked what people normally do when this happens (figuring that I wasn’t the first in this predicament),  She gave me some exciting and scary news.  She told me that maintenance would pop out the window and give us a ladder if I could track down a team of guys to help push (and pull) the couches through the huge window that would lead to our living room.  There was only one thing to do.  Lauren and I called every person in Philly that we knew (about four people and one we had just met a night or two before).  But we decided this was no time for the niceties of friendship but a time for action…those couches needed to go up!  After gathering a team together around 5 pm (the moved started around 9 am that day), we were ready to finish what we had started.  The ladder was set, then men in place (prayers to our angels being said by our wives) and within in two minutes we had successfully pushed (and pulled) two couches through our front window.  This was a moment that deserved a fist pump!!!  Our couches were in and Lauren and I could now rejoice that all was well and were finally moved in to our new home outside of Philadelphia!  We can’t think Erik, Jim, Chris, and Jared enough for sacrifice the drive over to our apartment to help with this great endeavor!  Thanks for a great memory and even better story!  

Relief! 

Photos compliments of Beyond the Glass Photography

Drexel Hill, PA to Albany, NY to Stockbridge, MA

This past June I got an exciting phone call from a former roommate (and FOCUS teammate at UW-Madison) Gabriel Cillo.  The best way to describe Gabriel is by where he grew up.  That’s right on the beaches of Ft. Lauderdale, FL…well, maybe that isn’t the best way to describe him, because he didn’t like water and always wore jeans and flannel…Your typical Floridian right?  Gabriel had called to catch up and tell me about his last year in the religious community with the Marians of the Immaculate Conception (Check out their website at http://www.marian.org) and let me know that he would be taking his first vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience on August 15 at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, MA. 

After getting off the phone with Gabriel, I asked Lauren what her thoughts would be if we tried to go up to Stockbridge for Gabriel’s first vows.  She responded with complete excitement, especially since reading St. Faustina’s book, Diary of Divine Mercy, Lauren had always wanted to visit the Shrine in Stockbridge.  We were going!  There was no question about it now!

After reflecting upon the experience more, I was moved by how the Providence of how God plays out in the life of us ordinary people.  Gabriel and I lived in a house of 9-10 men (2 priests, 5-6 college students, and us) in Madison.  We had prayed many days together for God to show us our vocation and help us fulfill his Will for our lives.  Here we were in beautiful Stockbridge, MA; I, a month married and Gabriel living out his call with the Marians.  Lauren and I were both in awe of how God continues to lead us His little children each day, encountering Him in moments like these, spent with friends, with eyes fixed on our true end, to serve, love and know God!  Please pray for Br. Gabriel and all the Marians that are studying to be priests. 

Below are pictures of Albany, NY. We stayed in Albany, outside of Stockbridge, MA because the hotels nearby were all booked. This gave us an opportunity to explore Albany.

The Cathedra of Albany

Lauren's dad suggested we try out the local brewery, there we found ourselves sampling several beers!

Now onto Stockbridge, the reasons for our travels!!!

The Divine Mercy Shrine 

St. Therese, one of our favorite saints!

The Grotto

               Br. Gabriel and Nathan

on the grounds of the Divine Mercy Shrine

Waiting...

So while we were waiting for our furniture to arrive, we tried to enjoy the lovely comfort of our empty apartment & air mattresses, the generous hospitality of the Conrads, and a few nights stay at the hotel! At the hotel, to be resourceful, we kidnapped extra slices of bread and PBJ from the continental breakfast to make lunch!

Traveling East...

On the road, headed east!

Our awesome travel companions! They made the quick fun and easy! Thanks for traveling with us!

We were excited to see this sign, though we were ready to finally get across the entire state! It's like driving across Kansas, but it's not flat!!!

A quaint dinner stop in Pennsylvania

This is a glimpse of our awesome game of Farkel! 

It was a joyous occassion to see these three men laughing hysterically! We blame the amazing Giradelli Brownies, Nathan's mom sent with us on the trip! ;)

We made it! And so to celebrate, we had chocolate, Reese's (our favorite), and homemade Limoncello, given to us for our wedding!

Cheers! At our new, empty home!

Moving to Philadelphia and traveling with three Rocky fans, we had to tour the city the next day! So of course we went to the infamous Art Museum where Rocky trained these set of steps! Rocky also lived in Delaware County, where we live!!!

The three amigos

The siblings

Rocky!!!

The Race between Parker and Nathan!

Who won??

Nathan and I about to race! (we did not actually race, because I was wearing flip flops! Next time though...

Well the Phillies may have lost last night, but we are still proud to be in Philly, especially because former Royals player, Mike Sweeny is on the team...right Nathan? :)

Pictures worth a thousand words!

Since life is busy right now, we are just posting the pictures! Hopefully the stories will be told in time or through the pictures! 


Click on the links below each set of pictures to see more! Enjoy!


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Our Engagement Photos:

Compliments of Adrienne Doring of Magnified Moments

 

http://gallery.me.com/cyjoy#100318&bgcolor=black&view=grid

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Our Wedding

Compliments of T. Michael Stanley Photography

(of course we want to post every picture right here, so please check out the rest of the album because we also want to show pictures our family and friends!)

The link here will allow you to view all of our professional pictures easily, however, beware that these are not of high resolution/quality, so if you sent them to be printed somewhere, they will not turn out clear!

http://gallery.me.com/cyjoy#100326&bgcolor=black&view=grid

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Our Honeymoon to Sonoma Valley

(and small excursions to Napa Valley, San Francisco, the Redwood Forests, 

and the coast on Hwy 1)

We want to post several pictures here, especially of the vineyards and forests, so be sure to check them out!!!

this was Lauren's favorite picture!

This winery had fields of lavender!

http://gallery.me.com/cyjoy#100288&bgcolor=black&view=grid (part 1)

http://gallery.me.com/cyjoy#100295&bgcolor=black&view=grid (part 2)

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Our Road Trip / Move to Philadelphia

(Nathan's dad and brother helped us drive our cars out east)

http://gallery.me.com/cyjoy#100303&bgcolor=black&view=grid

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More posts and updates coming soon!

May you have a blessed day!

Lauren & Nathan