Photo of the Week: Sara

We are in the throws of moving so I won't be blogging much the next couple of weeks, but I absolutely could not resist sharing a couple photos of my gorgeous cousin, Sara, who tied the knot with Andrew this weekend in NJ.

We were fortunate enough to be able to steal away some time to make the trip north, & had a great time with our big extended family. I'll share some more photos later... probably in mid-June when I get around to blogging about a host of other things... including Lori's maternity shoot... hopefully I'll beat the baby on that one! Congrats Sara & Andrew!

Wedding season is certainly upon us! In just a few days, Matt's brother Tommy will be marrying the love-of-his-life, Caroline! Congratulations also to Caitlin & Mike (Cait is a Vero friend) and Katie & Matt (Katie is Matt's cousin) who also got hitched this past weekend. Wish we could of been at all of those weddings (Florida, Minnesota & New Jersey).... but alas, we haven't figured out how to be in 3 places at once! Darn!

Photo of the Week: US!

I love taking photos, which means that I am usually behind the camera instead of in front of it. That was the case for most of Saturday evening when I did a (not-so-mini) photo shoot for my preggo friend, Lori, and her hubby, Dave. I had a BLAST shooting Lori & was really pleased with the results (don't worry.... I'll blog all about our maternity shoot later... I have whittled 500+ photos down to my favorite 163, but I still need to get down to a manageable number to share here on the old blogsky!), however, what I was most surprised by were the a few photos that Lori snapped of us at the end of our evening - including the winner above. Maybe I'm biased but....isn't it cute?!?!? Isn't my hubby handsome?!? It's probably one of my favorite photos of us since our wedding! Thanks for letting us step in front of the camera for a few shots, Lori!

Photo of the Week: Fireworks

So.... I wrote this post last week prior to a big-time blogger crash. My draft post disappeared for a few days & then magically reappeared (making this lady very happy). Sorry this is a tad bit outdated, but I hope y'all enjoy the photos!

We went to a Durham Bulls game last Friday night two weeks ago to see my little bro's friend (Alex Cobb) pitch & enjoy what turned out to be a beautiful spring night (after a brief rain delay). Alex pitched a great game (the kid has come a long way since his little league days with brother Mark) & we had a blast, thanks in part to great seats, courtesy of Alex, & wonderful company, courtesy of our friends, Lori & Dave! The Bulls put on a fireworks display after every Friday night game, & I tried my best to take a few fun shots (hello slow shutter speed). I think the photo above was a success! Here are a other few favorites from our fun night with friends....

After a rain delay (our seats were sheltered)...it turned out to be a beautiful night at the ballpark!

I love a night at a baseball park.

The girls.

The guys.

Thanks for the tickets, Alex!

Alex made this Vero Beach native proud!

Bulls homer!

Friends.

I love me some fireworks.

What a great night.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Happy Birthday to Dad Lo who turns 57 today!
(Dad's looking good for a 57 year old grandpa! Truth be told, this photo was when taken when he was a young 53 year old whippersnapper with no grandbabies yet...just a daughter about to get married...)

But seriously.... my dad is a pretty awesome guy. Everybody - & I mean everyone - respects him and the person that he is. He is honest, trustworthy, hardworking, steady, faithful & selfless. Dad also has a reputation for being a planner (where did you think I got it from?!) & has been know to work out the behind-the-scenes details more than once.

Maybe it's because he's the oldest of four, but he also cares incredibly well for everyone in his life - his wife, kids, grandchild (please...if you don't click on any other links...click on this one & this one!), his mom, sons-in-law, siblings, friends, coworkers - and asks for very little in return. Most importantly, my dad loves the Lord & taught us (primarily by example) of what it looks like to be a humble servant of God.

Dad, I hope you have a wonderful birthday! I can't wait to give you in-person (instead of virtual) birthday wishes in just a week! We love you!

Love, 

SJ & Matt, too!

Happy Mother's Day!

We love moms.

You already know how much we love our moms (you can read about mine & Matt's in the blog archive).... so in celebration of Mother's Day, instead of a lengthy post recounting their lovely qualities (hopefully they already know how we feel about them!), I'm just going to share some favorite photos of my favorite moms! Each one of these ladies holds a special place in our heart today.   

Happy Mother's Day to Momma Lo, Momma Mac, Grandma Shirlee, Grandma Gerry, Margot, Katie, Aunt Beth, Aunt Nancy, Aunt Becky, Lori, Shann, Nicole, Carol & Stacy! We love you & are so thankful for you today!!!

Psst... 2 of our good friends are also celebrating birthdays today...scroll to the bottom to find out who!

On the left: 3 generations of Lohuis ladies: my mom (Nana), my niece (Hannah) & my sister (Katie or "Momma" to Hannah!)

 .......

One of my favorite mom-memories: Mom helping me put on my wedding dress [June 2007]

I adore my mother-in-law, affectionately just "mom" to me (I'm lucky to have 2 moms!) [June 2007]

My big sister, Katie, is such a great mom. [November 2010]

Grandma Gerry & I have always been close. I love her to pieces. [June 2007]

Grandma Shirlee holds a special place in our heart, too! [June 2007]

Did I mention we love my mom? [June 2010]

Katie & her girl, Hannah. Aren't they beautiful? [June 2010]

We're also so thankful for Margot today! [June 2007]
 

This photo just melts my heart. Matt loves his momma. [June 2007]

I'm lucky to have Aunt Beth & Aunt Nancy as godmothers! [June 2007]

It's impossible not to love our Aunt Becky... she's a gem. [June 2007]

Another all-time favorite photo of my mom... getting down at our wedding! Momma has moves! [June 2007]

Stacy and her sweet girls (minus their new addition!) [June 2007]

Grandmas :) [June 2007]

Hannah & Nana are best buds, can't you tell? [November 2010]

Heidi & her boys. [September 2007]

I miss my Champaign-mom, Carol. She took such good care of me (& everybody else!) [June 2007]

Liam is oh-so-lucky to have Nicole as a mommy. [November 2010]

...As are Belle & Graysie to call Shann their mom. [March 2011]

I'd be remiss without celebrating mom-to-be, Lori (& one of my favorite NC friends)! I have no doubt that she will be an amazing mother! Her little guy is blessed (so is pup, Rylee)! [March 2011]

Not only is today Mother's Day, but 2 special people are also celebrating their birthdays today! 
Happy Birthday, Mary & Mike!!!!! We love you guys & hope you both have very special days!!!!

I spy Marclar (hint: peaking in the left-hand corner) [June 2007]

"M" is for Mike & Mary. 2 great friends celebrating their birthdays today! [July 2010]

I'm telling you, it's impossible not to love this girl. [June 2007]

Jenny & I are lucky to be married to these dudes. [July 2010]

[I have to give credit where credit is due: Our gorgeous wedding photos were taken by the talented Scarlett Lillian... and our dear friend, Liz Fay is responsible for the photo of Mary! The rest were taken by yours truly! Thanks for stopping by!]

Happy Birthday, Momma Lo!

Happy birthday to my sweet mom who turns 57 today!
(She looks pretty great for a grandma, am I right?!?!)

I am so very blessed to have an incredibly close relationship with my mom (we are two peas in a pod), which has strengthened in the 8 years I've been far from home. We gab on the phone almost daily (Matt tells me we're pros at just shooting the breeze), & I can't tell you how ecstatic I am that we'll be close enough to catch up in person more often! That means I can celebrate her bday in Vero next year! Yippeee!!!

My mom grew up with 3 brothers so she is a tough lady. She has the uncanny ability to calm my girly anxieties, while simultaneously keeping me in check when I'm overreacting. Tomboy tendencies aside, she is also an amazingly caring, prayerful, faithful women of God, who has taught me so much about being a Christ-following wife. To top it off, she's got the "Nana" role down pat. If there is a grandma gene, I'm pretty sure she has it! Hannah adores her Nana (what's not to love?!)

Mom, I hope you know how much you are loved today!!!! Have a wonderful birthday! .... can't wait to see you very soon!
We love you!
Suz & Matt


P.S. I'll be back soon with more celebrations of Mom & Dad in the next couple of months. Mom's birthday is shortly followed by Mother's Day, then Dad's birthday, then their Anniversary, & then Father's Day! Whew.... Hallmark is making a killing off of us in the next month!

Well hello there!

Hello, friends!!!

As you may have noticed, I've pretty much disappeared recently from Simply Suz. Woopsies. That's because I've been a busy bee purging & packing in preparation for our big move!

I hope to pop in every once in awhile over the next 2 months prior to saying "adios" to NC (actually less than that now!), however, I can promise you that I won't be posting quite as often as I have in the past. Blame it on the empty boxes that have yet to be filled.

Also, I'm hoping to soak up as much beautiful Carolina springtime before we head to the Sunshine State. In the few weeks since my last post, we did take a mini-trip to visit our besties, & hopefully we'll squeeze in some more of that before we push off!

In the meantime, I've had a lot of thinking-time while working my way through our closets, so I'll leave you with my (maybe-not-so-blog-worthy) random thoughts as of late!

Thanks for stopping by!
Suz

Susan's Random (& let's be honest...not-so-blog-worthy) Thoughts

1. You may recognize the photo above from my profile. It's one of my favorites taken with our old point-and-shoot in Glacier National Park in Montana (love love love that Park). I could use a vacation right now. I'm counting down the days until we head to the Northwest this summer (Seattle & Portland!). Is it August yet?
2. Speaking of cameras, our Nikon d90 turned one this month! It's been such a fun adventure learning a little more about photography in the last year. If you're ever interested in checking out more photos than what you get to see on the blog, check out our SmugMug page. (Just don't steal a photo without asking first!) One of these days I plan to write a post about "what's in my camera bag" since I've had a few folks ask camera questions in the last year... Don't hold your breath, though!
3. I've spent most of the last couple of weeks shuffling through our treasures junk in our guest room. It's become the repository for "out of sight, out of mind" & has been the focus on my purge.  I decided to take my time on the packing process to allow myself sometime to trim our belongings & get rid of stuff we either never use, or only realize we have when it's moving time. Plus, it's a good excuse to organize - one of my favorite pastimes.
4. There's not a TV in our guest room, so I have watched about every Hulu episode that I have even the slightest interest in while I go through file cabinets, shred & toss old college notes / CPA review books (I can't believe I've seriously been holding onto those for 4 years). It's an interesting exercise to go through the things you hold onto. My favorite part of packing, however, has been going through my old photos & little mementos I've saved over the years. I have been reminded of some great friends, family & memories. I'm a blessed girl.
5. While packing the other day (after I exhausted my Hulu queue), I found myself at the website I Am Second & became officially obsessed. I have watched powerful testimony after testimony of athletes, authors, celebrities, musicians, & regular folks who turned to Christ in the midst of very real struggles. Their stories & authenticity are truly powerful, & I encourage you to check some of them out. Some of my favorites so far: Ashley Rawls, former beauty queen, Christian Hosoi, pro skateboarder, Brian Welch, former Korn bandmember, Anne Rice, author of Interview with the Vampire, Baron Batch, college football player, Bethany Hamilton, pro surfer who lost her arm in a shark attack, Whispering Danny, tattoo artist, Christine Petric, adopted girl-next-door & college soccer player, I could go on & on.... There are so many great stories, each one a testament to the presence, glory, & love of Jesus. Watch them.. Promise it'll be worth your while.

(About I am Second) Second is a movement meant to inspire people of all kinds to live for God and for others. Actors. Athletes. Musicians. Business leaders. Drug addicts. Your next-door neighbor. People like you. The authentic stories on iamsecond.com provide insight into dealing with typical struggles of everyday living. These are stories that give hope to the lonely and the hurting, help from destructive lifestyles, and inspiration to the unfulfilled. You’ll discover people who’ve tried to go it alone and have failed. Find the hope, peace, and fulfillment they found. Be Second.

A Successful Marriage.

2 weeks ago (I know, I know, I'm way behind on blogging....) we jumped in our (new!) car & drove 6 hours west to Murphy, NC for the wedding of our college buddy, John, & his bride, Cara. The nuptials took place at a beautiful farm with gorgeous mountain views, & the Cregers couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. Sunny, clear & unusually warm for March... especially considering we had freezing rain this week!

 

John -- affectionately "Creger" (last-name/nicknames seem to be a theme with many of our college friends) is not only a great friend & a fun guy, but also has an incredibly strong faith. I love a good wedding & certainly the tasty food (barbeque at this mountain wedding...yum-o), dancing (please scroll down to the bottom of this post for some video evidence of a fantastic dance performance by Creger & his mom), & mini-reunions are all part of the celebration, but sometimes, I think couples miss the heart of the day. Not the case with these 2.

Their pastor did an incredible job of celebrating their relationship in Christ, challenging them to keep their primary focus on their walk with God, all the while painting a picture to the family & friends who had come to celebrate with John & Cara of what a successful marriage should look like.

 

One particular statement stuck out to me (forgive me for paraphrasing his much more powerful words): Just because you "make it" 50 or 60s years doesn't mean your marriage is successful. A successful marriage is one that is centered on Christ & reflects His glory. Our marriages should be a testament to the grace & power of God in our lives. After all, the marital relationship is to mirror that of Christ & the Church.

Mr. & Mrs. Creger, it was such a joy to celebrate with you. Matt & I wish you many many years of love, joy & a relationship centered on the God who brought you together. As for everyone else we had the pleasure of seeing in Murphy, get busy. Someone else needs to get hitched so we can all get together again soon!

I took a bunch of photos (would you expect anything less?!?) & won't share all of them on the blog, but if you're interested in seeing more, click here to go to my smugmug album. Here are a few (okay more like 20) favorites from the day....

My gorgeous friend Liz. I'm a tad bit jealous my hair won't do that.

With my main man.

My main man, with another man. How dare you, Tim?! :)

Cbiz & the fellas (Brad & Tim). What lucky men.

(Mrs. Schroeder & Mrs. Miller) These 2 ladies also married their college sweethearts!
Andrea, Jackie & I (plus Cara!) all married Young Life boys... they're keepers!

My aisle seat proved awesome for getting ceremony shots. (Check out that view!)

Lammers fulfilling his groomsmen duties (& apparently enjoying it). I'm digging the peacock feather.

2 of my best girlfriends (sadly, we were minus Jenny).

Matt sandwich (with Brad in the middle).

Cake.

More cake. It was tasty.

Had to share because I did her hair.

Creger & his mom's rendition of Thriller. Please scroll down to watch!

Photobooth fun (this may be my favorite photo of the entire wedding).

Photobooth shenanigans continue. Loving Abby with long, blonde hair! Ha!

Bahahahaha...

Wish I could go back & add a photobooth to our wedding.

Court & I came back with props.

Matt got a talking to after I looked at all of our photos & in 99% of them he's goofing off.

That's more like it.

If Courtney & I had an album cover, I'm pretty sure we'd use this photo (we were both fond of our shoes).

Nah. We'd probably use this instead.

Matt + Matt  = BFFs 4ever.

I miss this girl.

Taking a break from dancing to smile for Jackie's camera.

The whole gang. Our U of I / Young Life family (Missing a few key people...). Gosh, I love these folks.

End of the night. Before the crazy-big-moon made its appearance.

To wrap this up, I have to leave you with this video. In lieu of a more "traditional" mother-son dance, Creger & his mom surprised the wedding guests (& maybe Cara...not sure if she was in on it) by doing the entire Thriller dance. It was both hilarious & awesome. It's no secret where Creger's smooth moves come from anymore.... Way to go, Momma Creger!