Last Days in Rochester...

Here are a few pics. from some of our last days in Rochester. Sadly we didn't get pictures for everything, but we got a lot.

our small group threw us a going away party! It was perfect! thanks so much everyone!!!

Andi was so excited about her game! :) It was a blast!

Everyone was so excited to watch us open up our gift. They made us an amazing cook book filled with 100 recipes of our favorite dishes that we've made at get togethers!It's filled with pictures, side notes & great recipes! We LOVE IT!

Yummy summer food, drinks & BBQ

Can't get enough of this!

this was 1/2 of the sauce options

John & Kendall pulled the pork apart.

relaxing outside

Later in the week we went with James (Ashley picked up an extra shift), Beka & Justin to the putt-putt coarse in Rochester. It was a lot of fun! The best part was the girls won! ;) Beka & I actually tied overall in the #2 spot...James beat us. This is monumental because it's the only time Beka & I have ever beat our husbands. Thank God there was a camera to record this golden event! :)

Beka awaiting the score...I love this picture. We knew we had done well

That's right...we were pumped!!!

This is a mirror I've had since college that fit perfectly over Just in & Beka's new mantle so we gave it to them right before their open house. I love their new cozy home, it has sooo much character.

The Sunday night before we left we went to one of the free concerts in the park in downtown. We are so mad we didn't take advantage of this sooner. It was awesome! Kansas was coming the next weekend, but were already gone.

Here are some pictures of my very last day in my office. It was a good and sad day all together. I'm going to miss seeing these faces on a daily basis.

Megan pointing to Rochester, Erica pointing to Dalton

This sums up our relationship with our boss, Brian. He completely ignores us and we continue to voice our opinions about whatever is going on at work. haha

Megan gave me so GREAT Rochester gifts for my new office!

I put this frame in Erica's office a few days before leaving & she never noticed it so I finally had to point it out. haha

messin' around, what we do best!

Our favorite book...Fisher's contact dermatitis...blah

some of the customer service gals!

me with Rick. We say he looks like George Clooney.

Bill in shipping

my going away sales lunch at Chester's, which is my favorite restaurant. Madura was on a trip so I didn't get to see him before I left.

Nadia was eager to get to some of my office things...Erica told her she is the husband that dates way too soon after his wife passes away. haha

this was the only picture taken of the crew that helped us move out. We had pizza & the boys loaded the truck (hard work) while us gals cleaned and packed up the remaining "essentials." I wish I would have taken more pictures. Thanks to all for your help & to Erica who isn't in this picture, but cleaned like her life depended on it! Also thanks to my mom who flew down to help us & ride back with me from MN to TN! We COULD NOT have done it without the help we received!

Bummed Out

We are officially back in TN! Things didn't work out the exact way we thought so we're living with some friends that have a 3 bedroom apartment. They were sweet enough to let us take over 2 of the bedrooms so I can have an office. Things with work seem to be going great. I'm able to get as much if not more accomplished during the day. I miss the interaction of others throughout the day, but that was expected.

This weekend we plan to go to SC for Caleb's birthday. My mom will be riding down with us since my dad is gone to Japan again. It's nice to be able to participate in these little things that we normally would miss with family being in MN, but it still doesn't feel like we're actually living here yet. I'm sure that will change with we find a house....well one that isn't under contract. We found the perfect house. It had everything we wanted and more. We both LOVED it. We found out last night that it's under contract and they plan to close next week. The listing agent just didn't put "pending" so we had no clue until our realtor called to get serious. I know it's not the end of the world & that there is another house out there for us, but I'm so so so bummed. I'm trying to remind myself that there are people less fortunate that have real problems, but I'm still sulking.

Keep us in your prayers that we'll find something even more perfect (if it exists) :(

Elevator Disaster

This is an actual event that took place not too long ago on an elevator.

me: smile to the lady & man that just got on the elevator

lady: "well aren't you just a shrimp!!!"

me: laughing it off a bit, "yeah...I'm short" still smiling

lady: "no, I mean seriously, what are you...like 3 ft. tall or something!?"

me: "um...no..." still trying to not make this as awkward as it's getting "you would think I would wear heels, but I hate them so most of the time I just wear flats, but I suppose I should try and get all the height I can huh?"

man: "lordy...you know who you remind me of? shoot...what's that girl's name....um...they gymnasts..."

me: "um...Shawn Johnson?" Thinking surely this guy can't possibly know another gymnast besides the one that was recently plastered all over the TV screen

man: "yeah!! that's the one!! You look just like her...wow like a twin!"

lady: "I just can't get over how short you really are...wow."

me: "yep, I've been short my whole life, I'm pretty used to it now." While thinking the only part of Shawn Johnson that looks like me is our height! What an idiot! I'm also thinking about tackling this amazon woman to the ground & twisting her ear until she realizes how rude she really is, but instead I just hope the doors to this elevator open up quickly so I don't have to do that. ;)

Can you believe people!?

me

my twin

Blue Like Jazz

I've not done a good job at reporting what books I've been reading & my thoughts about them, but I wanted to quickly say that I finally got around to reading Donald Miller's "Blue Like Jazz" and I loved it!

I know it's a little out there for some & might rub a few the wrong way, but I really enjoyed it. Sure there may have been parts that I didn't completely agree with, but overall I did. I think there is a theme in my life right now that has me focusing on what God's love & grace really is and what it means to me and OTHERS & how that should affect my actions. Pretty simple huh? Believe it or not, Jesus is a pretty simple guy...I'm learning that.

Check it out, it's a good read.

Happy Anniversary!!!

Last week while I was in Kansas City John & I met our 3 year mark in this thing they call "marriage!" It's too bad that we weren't together on that day, but I'm honestly not sure that we would have really done anything special since we're in the middle of packing & getting ready for the move anyway. AND we're not that great at celebrating things, but we're working on it! :)

I'll make this short in sweet. I'm so happy that I married John David Turner on August 11, 2006. Our journey together so far has been incredible. I'm thankful for the parts of his personality that make me better. I'm thankful for his devotion and care towards me & that I can trust him with anything and everything. Most of all I'm thankful that it's him that I have by my side for ever & ever. Marriage has it's moments, sure, but overall it's better than I thought it would be!

Here is to many many more, I love you!

Boston

We had an awesome time in Boston. Our company goes to 3 shows a year (2 dermatology, 1 allergy). It's the same thing as when we went to Chicago or Seattle. This time at the summer Dermatology show John got to go with me! It was so much fun because Chris came with Erica too and the boys got to hang out all day, work out, swim, visit neat restaurants for lunch, go to Harvard, go to MIT, go to the Samuel Adam's brewery. They had a blast! Erica & I met up with them after work & went to dinner & enjoyed the city of Boston. Great fun!

Here is a link to the pictures I took that week & also a video from the Red Socks game we went to. Great memories! Enjoy!

Another Chapter...

It has been said by some (cough cough Erica) :) that I don't seem sad about leaving Rochester, but this isn't the case at all. I will admit that I've not been quite as emotional as I thought I would be. I think it's more that I'm still in the shock of everything & in "task mode"-busy packing & getting everything set. I think it will hit me later and most likely more than once at random times. I am so excited about this new chapter of my life & what it holds for John & I, but it's always sad to see another chapter close.

Moving to MN has been one of the best things that John and I ever did. It brought us closer when we didn't think it was possible & brought a new element to our marriage. We had to completely rely on one another and become a little stronger as individuals and as a couple. I highly recommend to any newly married couple to move away from both sides of your family...ok so maybe not 20 hours...but your families will start to recognize you as your own individual family, not daddy's little girl & momma's baby boy. People met and came to know us as "The Turners" instead of people that had known us as individuals our whole lives & it was a blessing to us. It became our own little adventure...something different...something great.

I can look back and see the Lord's hand in our lives from the beginning & I can see how he's moving us forward even now. It's important to note that we wouldn't trade these two years here for anything! Another friend of mine (cough cough Kerri) always says to "bloom where you're planted." She reminds me that it's ok to be upset & sad about leaving Rochester. If we weren't upset than we didn't invest while we were here & that would be such a waste! The friendships that we've strengthened & made while living here have been more than I could have asked for & much more than I would have dreamed when we first got here. There were times of loneliness at first, but they grew into involvement in our church & those around us. There are people here that we know will be intertwined with our lives from here on out. Our daily interaction with them will of course change, but who they are to us & what they mean to us will not.

So....for those skeptics out there here is a little bit of the things I/we will miss:

small group on Th. night

being involved with Autumn Ridge & the youth dept.

Lake Okaboji & Cutty's

Chester's Restaurant

talking long walks in the snow

our neighborhood bicycle gangs

visiting with co-workers on a daily basis

camping trips with the Camps

the Douglas Trail

Thursday's on 1st

Rochester Fest

impromptu cookouts

break time at work with Erica & inside jokes

Newt's burgers

the farmer's market

putt-putt

little kids that don't sound like Joe Dirt

shopping trips to the cities

summer concerts in downtown

our garden with the blackest dirt I've ever seen

wearing scarves for the sake of warmth--not just to accessorize

Hyvee!!

lots & lots of snow!

downtown RST

the beautiful geese

the dog park

our neighbors

PSI Christmas parties

There is so much more that I could go on about, but that was a glimpse of the things we will miss. Our time here in Rochester was a unique experience to us that we will forever look back and be fond of. It may not technically be "home," but it will always be a home away from home for us. We invested in this place & it will forever hold a special place in our hearts!