Weekend Recap

This past weekend we headed back to State College for the Penn State vs. Nebraska football game. Even though they lost we still had a great time and got to see both sides of the family!! One reason I love PSU football so much is it always means I get to see people who mean so much to me. Saturday morning I got my first lesson in driving a stick shift and Jameson said I did better than expected. Although lets be real here he thought I would have a metal break down and start crying so the expectations weren't set to high. Considering I was learning on some hilly roads I think I did pretty good. I stalled about 4 times and only smelled the clutch burning once so I will consider that a success!

Behind the wheel!

After my car lesson the boys braved the cold and threw the football around briefly in the front yard. This is the highlight of Milton's weekend, he could chase a football back and forth FOREVER.

Even though it was freezing I made Jameson take a quick photo with me before he left for the game.

Yes you read correctly..I decided not to go to the game because, like my dad says, I am a G.R.I.T (girl raised in the south) and turn into a wimp in the cold. Last year before a November football game I thought to myself: You know what Val you are moving to Michigan very soon and you need to get yourself used to the cold. So I bundled up and thought I would be a tough soon-to-be Northern girl and brave the weather. Needless to say my southern roots took over after about 2 min of being in the stands and I was miserable. I put my best pathetic face on and convinced the boys to leave at halftime. And ever since then I have not lived in down. So I opted out of the 20 degree temperatures this time and enjoyed the game with the ladies from the comforts of home. PSU ended up losing in overtime but we still enjoyed the last home football weekend of the year. 

The New Set of Wheels

The trusty old Acura had a good run but we had to trade it in last week for a new car. The Acura served me well throughout my college years and Jameson and I have some funny memories with that vehicle. Jameson will never let me forget the time I got a flat tire during his very first visit to Atlanta. We were on our way to dinner when I jumped the curb coming out of the GT parking garage and got a flat tire. Lucky for me Jameson knows how to change a tire, so he remained calm and just grabbed the spare from the trunk. But once we got the spare out we realized it too was flat. Who knew you needed to refill the spare tire with air? I learned that lesson the hard way. So without a spare tire we called AAA and then proceeded to wait 3 hours for the truck to come and tow the car. Luckily my sister came down to wait with us (and take us to dinner). I also get reminded quite frequently about the time I crashed the front passenger side into a concrete pole while leaving the parking garage after my last day of work one summer. Are you seeing a pattern here? Apparently driving around parking garages is not my specialty.

The Acura was definitely a southern car and did not appreciate the move up to Michigan. Once it had to suffer through the cold and snow the heat decided to quit working when the car wasn't moving. This means that defrosting your car in the morning was almost impossible. The washer fluid also froze (lesson learned: put the antifreeze washer fluid in the vehicle BEFORE reaching freezing temperatures) and it took lots of rubbing alcohol to thaw it out. Then things really took a turn for the worst. The rear shocks broke, the O2 sensors failed, the steering sensors were off....need me to continue?

Saying goodbye before heading to the dealer

That being said we decided the time had come to say goodbye to the foreign vehicle and become a tried and true Ford Family. So without further adieu I would like to introduce you to our new ride...the Ford Focus!! Jameson is loving that it is a manual and I am loving the awesome gas mileage. I still have yet to learn how to drive it, but Jameson has slowly been explaining to me when to use the different gears. In the next couple of weeks I expect lots of practice in a parking lot. It will be like I am 15 all over again.

The new set of wheels

Life Lately

I thought it would only be fitting to start things off with a little life recap if you will. Here are some of the high points about our new little family.

1.      Jameson and I have been married for just over 4 months now. Pros yet?? I think not. But we have learned a lot about love, patience, laughter and forgiveness. I am so grateful to call him my husband!

2.      It is currently football season and anyone who knows anything about my family knows that we bleed blue. Saturdays revolve around Penn State football and I am ok with admitting that. We have attended the Syracuse, UCF, and Michigan games already and will be heading back out to State College in a couple weeks to watch the team *hopefully* beat Nebraska. 

3.      Milton is still the most handsome chocolate lab I ever did see. He loves socks, squirrels, and cuddle sessions. He is also terrified of the flashlight on the iPhone, the power drill, cardboard boxes, the blow dryer…seeing a pattern here? Yes Milton is slightly scared of EVERY COMMON HOUSEHOLD OBJECT KNOW TO MAN.  But we love that goober anyways.

He also just might be slightly spoiled

4.      Jameson just accepted his admission offer from Purdue University to get his Masters in Mechanical Engineering. The whole program is web based so he will never actually have to go to campus for anything, but we may schedule a PSU vs. Purdue football trip next year just to check out West Lafayette. (see #2)  He is actually pretty pumped to start classes and in his own words “I get to be a nerd all over again!” That boy really does love learning.
5. The holidays are also quickly approaching so I am busy making our holiday door wreath and working on our Christmas card. I feel like a real grown up sending out Christmas cards...well that along with paying bills and having a full time job. Growing up is rough sometimes but fancy, colorful cards sent out to all our loved ones somehow makes it slightly more fun.

In other news we got our first snowfall last night. It was only a dusting but it was a nice little reminder that winter is right around the corner. Bring out the UGG's and snow shovels. UGG's for me. Snow shovel for Jameson, of course. 

Number One

So I finally decided to take the plunge. After years of being a serious blog follower and some persuasion from friends and family (aka Lisa and J) I decided to create my own little space in this big place we call the blogging world. I went back and forth (and back and forth) about starting my own blog.

I had lots of self doubt. I'm not creative enough. I am too boring. I don't cook enough. I don't have a witty sense of humor. The list could go on and on and on. But at the end of the day my desire to start a blog was not so I could document my creativity. Or my cooking. Or my sense of humor. Although I may at some point do some of those things. My TRUE desire for this blog is to simply document life. I want to be able to look back and remember the memories. I want to be able to share with all of our friends and family a small glimpse of what life is like in the Lietzke household.

So here we go! Cheers to the first of (hopefully) many more posts to come.
And I will just apologize in advance for all the pictures I will share of the puppy. Don't say I didn't warn you.