A White Thanksgiving

Holy moly! Is it really December already?! This year has flown by. This time last year I was a newlywed living in Dallas and the idea of living in Warsaw, Indiana was not even on the radar. Even more crazy is to think that two years today exactly, Scott had just officially asked me to be his girlfriend and the thought of marriage wasn't even on the radar (ok, ok, maybe it was just a little bit). In fact, if someone had asked me two years ago where Warsaw was I would have told them Poland! Now we're married, living in Indiana and trying to get used to all kinds of crazy weather that includes snow before it's even Thanksgiving!

This fall has been so much fun and  filled with lots of family time and a little demolition. Scott and I attended our first Jeep Jam and had a blast. Ok, I think Scott was having a blast while I was freaking out in the passenger seat, but I managed to get over it and we both made it home in one piece. A little mud never hurt anyone, right? The video below is from the rock crawling portion of the event.

We also got to spend several weekends down in Bloomington, Indiana for some IU football. I think its hysterical that you can pretty much drive through the ENTIRE state of Indiana in a little over 3 hours! But at least I've now been properly introduced to several IU staples including Mother Bears, Nick's, and breakfast at the Village Deli. I think I've come to terms with the fact that my children could very likely be Hoosiers instead of Aggies, but the good news is the more time I spend down there the more I like it.  Turns out I happen to come from a long line of Hoosiers myself, so maybe it's just supposed to be this way!

Thanksgiving included a lot of food, wine, puzzles, football, pumpkin pie, and of course lots of family to top it all off. It snowed a couple of days before so I can now say I've had my first white Thanksgiving (is it sad that it came before my first white Christmas?). I must admit, the Texan in me really does love it when it snows! (Although I think I'm starting to annoy Scott with my excitement every time snow falls from the sky... but he loves me so he puts up with it.)

On a more fun note, for some reason, Scott and I decided to go all HGTV on our basement to make the space more usable. So after knocking down some walls, our basement now looks like this:

Unfortunately, since we did this on a whim, it will probably be like this for a while until we get a professional to help us decide where to go from here. But we have some pretty awesome ideas so we will post more photos as we get things done.

Lastly, since Christmas is the season of giving, I want to share the Rodan + Fields love by offering a discount on business kits for all new consultants! As many of you know, Rodan + Fields has been such a blessing to our family and now I want to share this incredible opportunity with others. For the entire rest of the month I will personally put $100 towards either of the top two business kits for anyone who signs up as a consultant!

Honestly, with new products launching in January and international expansion around the corner, now is literally the BEST time to get started in this business! And what could be better than saving $100 while you're at it? This little side business has been so much fun and I am grateful for the extra income it has provided our family. Seriously... Best. Decision. Ever. If you're curious and would like to know more, let me know (sarah.stouder@gmail.com)!

As for the rest of the year, Scott and I are literally counting down the days till our Christmas cruise. I think I'm beginning to forget what warm weather feels like. Stay tuned for a post-Christmas update that includes a cross-country drive to Florida, a Caribbean cruise, and  New Years Eve stop in Atlanta on our way back home!

Fall, football, and the first anniversary

Wow... I'm not very consistent with updating this blog! There has been a lot going on, I think we had something going on EVERY weekend in September.  No wonder it went by so quickly! 

As a Texan and an Aggie, I always love the fall because that means it's finally time for college football. This year was no exception, even if I am too far away to personally witness the wonders of Johnny Football in person. So for now I guess IU and Notre Dame football will have to do, which is how we spent our first two weekends of September. It was so fun getting to explore IU and see for myself a place that is so significant in Scott's life. If for some reason our kids don't end up being Aggies, I guess being Hoosiers is the next best thing:

Go IU!

A night out in Bloomington

Notre Dame football from the very top of the stadium! 

On Notre Dame's Campus

I can say one of the best parts of fall is the Indiana weather! It's been just amazing lately (I can't remember the last time I turned on the AC) and I think my parents enjoyed it while they stopped in for a brief visit during the third weekend in September. It was their last trip to Warsaw for a quite a while, seeing as they are pretty anti- cold weather/snow (and I have a feeling we have a lot of that coming our way SOON). So we enjoyed the lake while we still can, along with some pretty awesome sunsets:

And of course, one of the best parts of fall is the end of September... the 29th to be exact as Scott and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary! I really cannot believe it's been a year already. God has truly blessed me with the person he gave me as a husband and I have loved every single second of our first year of marriage. It's been quite the adventure and I know this is just the beginning! We celebrated the first year with lots of golf, quality time, and a trip to Indianapolis that included some very dry wedding cake, but it was fun sticking with tradition and eating it anyway. It was a much needed mini vacation and we had so much fun, as we always do! 

One year down, forever more to go! 

Howdy, Y'all!

We are finally back from our Texas adventure! While Scott was only gone for a couple of days, I got to spend almost a week and a half in my home state and loved every second of it (except the moments caught out in the 104 degree weather). I have to say I was quite surprised at how quickly my body de-aclimated to the heat. Upon our arrival at DFW airport, I stepped out of the air conditioning and the heat hit me like a brick wall. I almost immediately started sweating in places I forgot I could sweat in! Yesterday (in Indiana) it was 48 degrees when I went to work... FORTY-EIGHT DEGREES IN AUGUST. I'm sure my coworkers just think I'm that crazy Texan that has to bust out her Northface fleece in August because it was too cold for her when she went to work. (Any one who reads this blog can prepare themselves for lots of complaining come December and January.)

But back to our trip to Texas. We had so much fun seeing all of our friends on Thursday night!!  I think Scott would agree that we wish we had a whole day to catch up with all of our friends instead of just a couple of hours one evening. It was definitely some much needed fellowship so I hope everyone knows how much we appreciate you coming out to say hi and spend time with us!!

Friday was filled with family time and doing anything we possibly could to avoid the heat, so we found ourself at the George Bush Presidential Library and of course the mall... I dare you to guess which one was my idea...And if you guessed the mall then you guessed wrong! I wanted to go see President Bush's library before we left Texas place but we didn't make it. It was the perfect afternoon activity and it was awesome. Definitely recommend it to anyone who has a chance to go!

We picked my sister up from the airport that evening and headed to get some Mexican food (finally!)... turns out my Dad was a little thirsty and decided he needed to help my sister with her drink:

Saturday was filled with more shopping with my sister and mom and of course a pedicure (it's kinda our thing... probably because mom always pays, ha!).  We spend most of Saturday afternoon at the hotel pool at the Joule, which was pretty fun but made me realize that the one thing I don't miss about Dallas is the vanity from all the wanna-be socialites taking selfies in the pool all afternoon! But we got to hangout with some good friends and family and had a lot of fun catching up with everyone. Saturday evening we attended the wedding of some very good friends of ours. It was beautiful (I have never seen so many flowers!) and I even managed to get Scott to dance with me! The things he does to make his wife happy :)

On Sunday Scott and I went our separate ways as he went home and I headed to San Antonio. I forgot how long that drive is... it probably didn't help that we took a wrong turn somewhere along the way as we were trying out the new toll road around Austin (but I think road trips are just more fun when I have Scott around to entertain me). We got to see a lot of family while we were there which was awesome. I even managed to find time to have lunch with one of my best friends before we headed back to Dallas:

Of course all good things must come to an end... so we drove back to Dallas where I got to eat with a few of my favorites one last time before heading back to Indiana:

While I was sad to leave Texas, I was definitely happy to get back home to Scott! It was quite the trip but as they say, home is where the heart is and life is just not the same when Scott's not around. And while he kept talking about his "few days as a bachelor," I'm pretty sure he missed me too :)

4th of July & Fireflies

Wow! This summer is flying by. Can it possibly be the end of July already?!? We have been incredibly busy working on the house, enjoying the lake, and perfecting our golf game. This time last year we were two short months away from being married, and now we're on the verge of our 1 year anniversary. I cannot believe how much has happened in the course of a year.

The never ending to-do list known as our house is continuing to get shorter, slowly but surely. Although Scott's already started talking "winter projects" which I haven't quite wrapped my mind around yet. Apparently the winter is so dreary up here that we'll need a whole host of projects just to get us through... lucky me!

So a couple of days ago we finished the pond. Yes, behind all of those weeds there is a pond down there somewhere!

Before 

 After

If there's one thing Indiana does better than Texas, it's their 4th of July celebrations. We spent 3 days on 3 different lakes watching fireworks and enjoying time with friends and family.  Between neigborhood parades, punch parties, wiffleball, boats, and lots and lots of fireworks, we had a blast celebrating our first Indiana Independence Day! 

Oh, and I now have a new found obsession with fireflies. They are everywhere up here and there are SO MANY of them. One of my new favorite things is to go for walks in the evening with Scott and Duke and see all of the fireflies flying everywhere! I think Scott think's I'm crazy, but I love it. 

Side note, I also think it's hysterical when it's 90 degrees out and I get heat advisory warnings on my phone! Like most of the country, Indiana has been pretty warm this past week, but it still makes me laugh. 

Despite an unusually rainy summer, we've managed to get out on the golf course a little bit more. I'm slowly getting better (golf is not an easy game for someone like myself that is seriously lacking in the patience department). As my husband pointed out this weekend, I finally hit few enough balls to get "something with a name" in the game of golf. Unlike most golfers, I was very excited to get a bogey! 

We are so excited to be going back to Texas in a week and a half! We look forward to seeing as many people as possible while we're there, but between a wedding and spending time with my family, we will be limited in when we will have time to hangout. For any of our friend that haven't gotten the memo, we'll be hanging out at Goodfriends Burger and Beer Garden on Thursday evening from 6-9. Please come say hi, we would love to catch up with you!!! Needless to say, we are literally counting down the days because we miss our Texas friends and family like crazy! 

I guess I'll end this post with a little plug for my side business with Rodan + Fields. This "job" has been such a blessing for Scott and I! It was great seeing my paycheck double from one month to the next. On top of that, Rodan + Fields was recently awarded the 2013 American Business Award for Consumer Products-Company of the Year, which is the exact same award that Apple won in 2011. It's great being connected to a business that is getting the same recognition as several other big time companies. And we're just getting started! If you have even the slighted interest in starting your own business with Rodan + Fields, email me (sarah.stouder@gmail.com)! Sometimes I think it's crazy that I get paid to do something that is so fun. But the results speak for themselves. Check out my website for more info!   

After using the REDEFINE Regimen:

A Crazy Spring

Hi friends! Well this certainly has been a crazy spring! With snow falling as late as April 26 and then a very, very wet May, we are ready for what we hope to be a great summer!

I forgot to post on Facebook our Cinco de Mayo pictures so here you go. I don't remember why Scott wanted to take a frowny-face picture but we did...

Memorial Day weekend was a lot of fun (with exception of the cold... first time I've worn a fleece jacket at the end of May!). Scott finally busted out the wakeboard and managed to wakeboard once before busting up his foot (the last picture captured the final moment before his wipeout):

Crazy to think that last Memorial Day we were celebrating our engagement and I was meeting Scott's family for the first time! Of course last year the highs were around 100 and this year I think we maybe got to 65 degrees (hence the wetsuit)? I think God is just trying to convince me that I'm really going to have to get used to this cold weather thing...

We finally made it to Columbus, OH to visit Scott's brother and his family (although we had just seen them for Memorial Day Weekend). My sister-in-law is awesome and threw me a party to help launch my Rodan + Fields business (which was a huge success... THANK YOU, Jeannie!). We had a blast hanging out with them and their cute kiddos for the weekend:

Wind farm on the drive through Ohio

Scott was making sure all the neighbors knew the party had started

Shades on ready to go shopping!

Dinner in downtown Columbus

Oh yes... and new developments on the yard... which now looks like this:

So in Indiana when you grow grass they cover it with hay until it starts growing. Which I'm totally fine with except I'm wondering what happens to all of the hay after the grass starts growing? Surely Scott knows better than to think I'm going to go out there and pick it all up! :)

I can say the first 8 months of marriage has been quite the adventure. We have loved every minute of it and know that God has some great things in store for us! 

Rodan + Fields

As you might be aware, my husband and I moved from Dallas to Warsaw, IN in March of this year.  In order to do so I had to walk away from my job in the Dallas corporate world.  Not one to "rest on my laurels" (as my husband would say) I have decided to go into business with the creators of Proactiv. Having a sister who is a dermatologist in NYC and having family members whom struggle with skin issues, skincare was definitely a business I have a passion for and support.

The company I chose to partner with is called Rodan + Fields, and it was first launched into high end retail stores, like Nordstroms, where it became a top selling clinical skincare brand. In an effort to reach more people, they decided to successfully leave retail and go into direct sales.  I have joined them as an independent consultant.

Instead of working long hours in an office doing tasks that benefit someone else's business, I decided to go into business for myself. Now I get to set my own schedule, sell a great product, all while making my own skin beautiful in the process! To be honest, I can't believe it took me 6 years and over 13,500 hours of working for someone else to figure out that life is so much better working for yourself. 

I first heard of Rodan + Fields on Facebook when one of my friends signed up as a consultant. It sounded great but not something I felt was right for me at the time. And then two more of my friends became consultants and after seeing all the success they were having, I began to wonder if I was missing out on a great opportunity. 

So now I've launched my own website: sbstouder.myrandf.com where I get to offer some really awesome products. Check out the video below:

And if you are interested in becoming a Rodan + Fields consultant, you can check out my business page at sbstouder.myrandf.biz. I'd love to have you join my team! 

That is all for now... We are still missing our Texas friends like crazy!  The weather here has finally warmed up so we can spend more time on the golf course or out on the lake. Scott and I are looking forward to a great summer! 

His & Hers

It's been a fun couple of weeks for Team Stouder! We decided to splurge and get a few extras for the house. Of course what Scott wanted to get for the house and what I wanted to get for the house were a little different, although equally important in both of our minds:

I have to say I have a wonderful husband who was willing to buy me the dining room table even though it wasn't technically a necessity for the house, but you know what they say-- happy wife, happy life! (Ha!) But seriously, it's wonderful have such an amazing and thoughtful man to share the rest of my life with! Ok ok, I'll stop with the sappy newlywed babble... Needless to say we are making progress on both the outside and inside of the house. That is of course until the septic company finally came to fix everything:

It started with a big hole...

 That became an even bigger hole...

That was eventually covered with all of this dirt...

Safe to say Scott won't have any grass to mow on the side of the house for quite a while! But we can now do laundry and run the dishwasher so we are grateful! It's the little things in life that make all the difference.

Other than that life is pretty wonderful. We are enjoying having my parents in town and are glad they brought some warm weather with them from Texas!  Soon it will hopefully be warm enough to finally try out the pool, which is now a lovely shade of blue (hooray!).

In other news, I'm pursuing a business opportunity for myself, but in an effort to create some suspense I'll leaving the details out for now so stay tuned for a big announcement in the next day or two!

Before & After

Sorry for the delay in the blog updates, we have been incredibly busy unpacking and organizing the house! Scott and I celebrated our six month anniversary by moving into our new house. Our movers were awesome, they "unpacked" every box for us and got rid of all the packing paper and boxes for us. But by "unpack" I mean they just took everything out of boxes and put it on the floor... so we've been busy trying to find a place for everything so our life can be a little more organized.

On the bright side... with exception of this week (lots and lots of rain)... the weather has been pretty great! I was finally able to wear something other than sweaters and jackets and even got to a point where I actually thought it was hot out one day :) But beyond that, continued prayer for dry weather would be greatly appreciated as we are still unable to get our septic repaired. This means we are still unable to take long showers, run the dishwasher, or do laundry at the house. But besides that minor inconvenience, we are thrilled to no longer be living in a hotel room!

Other than that, life is pretty wonderful. Scott's job is going extremely well and I have had a couple of interviews myself... But let's be honest, I'm not exactly dying to go back to work just yet! I've been so busy with the house (and reading the entire Harry Potter series... seriously... read it!) that I'm not sure how we would get everything done if we were both working. So we will just wait and see what doors God opens up and go from there. We have found a church that we really love and in a complete and total God thing, we were invited to join another community group of married couples which we will go to next week. God is good!

Alright, for all of you who are wanting to see progress on the house, here are a few before and after pictures for you (keep in mind pictures and curtains still need to be hung, but its a start):

Living Room Before

Living Room After

Entry way Before

 Entryway After

Master Bedroom Before

 

 Master Bedroom After

Master Bath Shower Before

 Master Bath Shower After

Reading Nook Before

Reading Nook After

Guest Bedroom Before

Guest Bedroom After

The fun of foreclosures...

One thing that we have discovered about buying a foreclosure is that it is WAY more work than Scott and I could have possibly imagined. One of the big salvage projects is the pool, which happens to be covered in several hundred pounds of ice and water: The black hose coming out of the pool is the pump that was sucking the water out while Scott and I worked to break up the ice:

Our goal was to get as much ice off the cover as possible in attempt to keep it from stretching out any more:

After about an hour or two we started making some progress! (I did actually help but stopped to take some pictures, I promise!)

Go Scott Go!!!

 I'm not sure if you can tell how thick the ice is but it was several inches! 

Unfortunately, after breaking up all of the ice, the temps dropped back into the 20's two days later (I guess we should have checked the forecast!) and everything froze again. But at least we made some progress getting some of the weight off of the cover. Keep in mind that we have no idea what kind of state the pool is in under the cover. We tried to sneak a peek and all we could see was black... Something tells me I'm not going to like what I see when we finally get that cover off! 

All of the painting on the inside should be finished by the end of the weekend. It is really amazing what  a coat of paint can do to change a room. Here is a preview of one before and after in the dining room area off the kitchen after painting the ceilings and walls (which still is not completely finished):

Stay tuned for more!