Two years ago...

Labor Day two years ago, Nathan picked me up at the Omaha, NE airport from a trip to see my friend Dani in California. On the way back to Lincoln, he suggested we take a walk through Mahoney State Park. I was all for it because we had driven by the park many times but never stopped. So we drove in and walked down on this deck by the water. It was about 9:30PM and the moonlight was reflecting off the water. :) We were talking about our weekend away from each other and then all of the sudden, Nathan takes both of my hands in his hands and starts saying my whole name, "Amanda Marie Patten..." As he is saying my name, he starts getting down on one knee and grabbing for something in his pocket. He proceeded to say something about how much he loved me and wanted to spend of the rest of his life with me (I would love to recall the direct quote but I was a bit overwhelmed at the time) and then asked me if I would marry him and become his wife!!!!!! Of course, I started squealing and smiling and jumped into his arms. He then showed me the beautiful ring he had chosen for me and I was floored! It was so beautiful and I was so excited to be marrying a man of God who loved & respected me!

Yes, two years ago on Labor Day, Nathan asked me to be his wife. I am so blessed to be married to such an amazing, humble, Godly man. I can't believe that we have already been married for over a year! It goes by so fast!

August has been a fun month! As you know from our previous post, we added a nephew to our family! Cliff Hudson Barry was born early on August 13th!



Riah is a very proud big brother and turned 2 a day before Cliff was born! Cliff was also born on Holden's birthday!



We attended our first Fries Family Reunion as a married couple so that was fun! It is a every 3-5 year reunion so alot of family travels to Nebraska for the weekend! Most of the guys went golfing while the girls hung out and went to the pool! It's nice because my best friend since sophomore year in high school Chelsea also happens to be Nathan's first cousin....so I got to hang out with Nathan's family and my best friend :)

Nathan & I really enjoying helping with our church's youth group each Wednesday night! To kick off the school year, we had a MINUTE TO WIN IT game night! Here is a picture of the kids trying to get Oreo cookies from their forehead to their mouth using only their facial muscles....no hands.



We are currently studying the book of Revelation with them and they are really stepping up and digging into the Word! We really need to be praying for all teenagers....they are facing so much every day in their schools. Many teens, even if they attend a youth group, may not have parents who challenge them spiritually. That is hard for me to believe since I had such encouraging parents...

Labor Day weekend, I was able to travel to Kansas City with Chelsea and pick up Dani from California on the airport on the way! We had an awesome girls weekend hanging out, shopping, and laying out by the pool! Nathan was able to go to the first Husker game in Lincoln with his best friend Zane. He also did some four-wheeling with his family in Halsey, NE.

I LOVE the changing of seasons! The days are getting cooler and I am so ready to pull my UGG boots out of the closet! :) Hope everyone is enjoying the change of season as well!