Wesley :)

I know I don't update here too much (Facebook is where it's at!) but I figured it would be fun to share a photo or two of our little guy who is now almost SIX months old!

We're Having a Baby!

Wow, it's been awhile hasn't it? Maybe I'll start writing here regularly again. Maybe not. But I figured this was exciting enough to warrant a new post.

Baby Sugden is on the way, due March 2010!!




...here are some updated shots from our 13 week scan!

Sneak Peek Blog

You can find all my latest posts about photography here:
http://www.meganphoto.com/blog

Hope to see you there!

Is This Thing On?

Well my attempt to keep up with the blog at least once a month obviously failed quite miserably! But it's ok, things are just busy, which is good. Maybe someday I'll come back and update more regularly when something exciting actually happens! :)

Our Best Friend

Nathan and I lost our best friend yesterday, our eleven-year-old black lab, Buddy. He was getting old and it finally all became too much for him when he collapsed as he was chasing a ball and didn't want to get back up. We rushed him over to the vet and found out he had some major heart problems along with a failing liver and other issues. We had to make the unbelievably tough decision to put him down. He's been a part of our family for years so this wasn't easy! We both stayed with him until the end, holding his paw and stroking his soft fur. He went peacefully and we know he is not suffering anymore.

I was lucky enough to have so many pictures of Buddy, so I felt like I should share some. We miss him so much!

Springtime Happenings

I realize it's been awhile since I've updated so I might as well make a big post for catching up! We've had my 27th birthday in April, Kajsa and Quin visits, fishing at Lake Bronson, and most recently--tree planting.

Here are some recent shots...

Painting, Nathan's 30th, and other stuff!

Oops! I missed posting in February! (I try to update once a month). However, my last entry was close enough to count, right? Well, where we last left off we had been working on the shop update and painting. So, here are some pictures. It looks so much better now!

(Click on them to see them larger, I have no idea why they are so small!)










And then, Nathan turned 30 on March 3, but we had a party at our house the Saturday before, on the 1st...














And last, but not least... a quick shot of the flowers I got on Valentine's Day back in February. I posted a picture last year, too, so I figured I'd do that again!

The Next House Project!

We have been doing a little spring cleaning. Stay tuned for more before and after picture of the downstairs where there will be a fresh coat of paint and a new look for the entrance of the house. (This is the storage loft in the shop).

On The Road, Again!

The Sugdens pose in front of one of their newest combines--fresh off the factory assembly line! We got to tour the big John Deere Harvester Works factory in East Moline, Illinois and saw first hand how these amazing machines are made, from the first sheet of steel to dipping the finished parts into a lake of "John Deere Green" paint! With the "Gold Key Customer" special behind the scenes tour, it definitely felt like we were on an episode of Modern Marvels (Or Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe, depending on what part of the factory you were in!)

All Ready for Christmas!

We're hosting Christmas this year! Here's a tour of our home all ready for guests!

One Whole Year!

Today marks one year that Nathan and I have been married! Seems like it was yesterday! We have had a great year and look forward to many more!

Scroll down (or click on December 2006 on the right) to see all the fun adventures or even watch our ceremony again.

We also just got back from a fun trip to Mexico with our friends, so I will post a shot from that as well.




Also, check out our fun video!

Our new nephew!

We are now the proud Aunt and Uncle of a new little one. Troy and Elise welcomed Quin Corey Sims on November 6, and he was 7 pounds, 4 ounces. He joins very excited (and confused) big sister Kajsa at home. I think she is wondering when his REAL parents are going to come and pick him up!

View more of their photos over at Kajsa and Quin's blog.

October is Decorating Month!

Or, at least it is in our house.

I also have been doing a little baking/cooking. Here is a photographic journey of the latest happenings...

We (well, I) bought some new bedding and we FINALLY got night stands! Now I don't have to put my glasses on a dusty old chair!




Looks like a magazine shot, right? It was taken right in my KITCHEN!




But, we have a story about the left picture. See that soup? When I took the shot I was all proud of it and looking forward to having the "Crock-Pot Chicken Noodle Soup" for dinner. Do you see any noodles, though?

NO! Because they all dissolved in the pot and turned into a sticky paste the consistency of paper mache! I FOLLOWED THE DIRECTIONS. But, it forgot to mention that you should BOIL the noodles, first.

So, we had to dump the whole thing out!!! Nathan sat at the sink and picked out the chicken pieces so we could save them for our next attempt. It went MUCH better this time. We boiled the noodles separately and it ended up being the best soup we ever made!

So, here's a lesson.... never put uncooked noodles into the crock pot!

Hellloooooo

I think if you could hear me it would sound like an echo in here!

I don't write much, but I see it's time for a monthly check in. Things are going great, Nathan is about to start soybean harvest, and as I mentioned previously I have recently resigned from UND to pursue my photography business full-time! So lots of things going on. Of course, I write more often over at my blog ... but it's still nice to write a little over here.

By the way, does anyone still read this? If you do, I'm calling you to leave a note so I can know who you are! :) Maybe if I had a little feedback, I'd visit more often. Wink, wink.

Back Home

Nathan and the crew are now back home and things are very busy at the Sugden place. Trucks are coming and going and harvest is in full swing. Jodi is back to bringing delicious meals for lunch and we usually eat out in the shop with the door wide open and the late summer breeze floating in. It's been cooling off lately, but the humidity still finds time to sneak in every once in awhile.

I wish I had more pictures to share, but I've been so busy with OTHER people's photos that I'm a bit overloaded! I recently decided to pursue my photography business full-time and my last day of work is August 17! I am so excited to put 100% into my business and things are already looking up. I'm booked three months in advance for portraits, and weddings are filling up already for next summer! I have been busy posting at my other blog, so that's a good place to keep tabs on me.

Until next time!

Just a sneak peek...

Here's one of the many pictures I took on my trip down south to visit Nathan. More pictures and words coming soon!

Off for the summer!

Nathan and his harvesting crew have officially left for the summer, and are headed down to Kiowa, Kansas for their first stop. This year, they left three weeks behind schedule due to heavy rains in the south that had prevented the wheat from ripening. But now everything seems to be a go, so off they went!

I'm staying back, however, to take over as master of the house, with responsibilities such as watering plants, feeding the dog, keeping the garbage from overflowing, and exercising the air conditioner. I will definitely keep busy my photography business (with plenty of weddings and portraits!) and of course driving to Grand Forks for work a couple times a week for work. My first planned trip out to see Nathan will be over the 4th of July, so only a few more weeks to go!

In the meantime, you can check out the new Sugden Harvesting Web site I put together for them before they left! Who knows, eventually they might have their own blog, too!

Twin Cities Trip

We just got back from a fun weekend down in the cities with Troy, Elise, and Kajsa. It was a whirlwind trip, including a day at the outlet mall in Albertville (and many, MANY new outfits purchased), a Twins game, and of course you can't leave without a trip to the Mall of America!

Here are a few photos. Most are from the Twins game, because it's kind of hard to take photos while you're shopping 100 mph.


The lovely couple.





He got a jersey with his name on the back! (Well, his name, and Joe Nathan, one of the players).





Twins win!!





The Metradome's version of a "small" popcorn. We ate the whole thing. Hard to believe, since we had to stare at that guy's hairy neck in front of us the entire game. Yum!





Baseball stuff.





Santana!





"Is it hot in here or is it just me?"





Pretending to enjoy the 5 hour car ride home.