Engagement is Sweet!

I'M ENGAGED! I'M GETTING MARRIED FEBRUARY 24, 2007!!!

October 16, 2007 was a special day ladies and gentlemen! Andrew Gregory Nuetzel prosed to me in the ring of fire on this date and I said yes! :) He was at my house when I got home that night a little before 9pm. The house was decorated with 175 tealite candles (he said 200 was too many) and rose pedals all over the place. We talked for a bit and then danced in "The Ring of Fire" where I asked if he could take his shoes off because he's so much tallen than I am. After he took them off he stayed down on one knee and told me pretty much this: "I am confident of two loves in my life. One of the loves is with Christ, I know he loves me and I love him. The other love is you. I know you love me and I love you. I believe that God wants to bless us with a marriage together, so will you marry me?" Needless to say I freaked out and attached him with hugs, it was like 5 minutes later I calmed down enough for him to put the ring on my finger. He shared with me the story of his 5 hour drive back to my parents house to ask for their blessing - what a guy! :) It was exactly a week from today, right now exactly that he was proposing to me and we've gotten a lot of stuff accomplished already. We've set the date for February 24, 2007 and are very excited for this day to come! Please pray for all of our preparations not only for this day but for our new life together...I'm going to be a Nuetzel! :) Here's us at his parents house afterwards sharing our good news!

Whitney's Senior Diving

Whitney's senior swimming night was a treat to be at! Wearing our very loud SHS Diver shirts to cheer her on (because you have to be totally silent while she's diving) I got to watch her for the first time live and in person. She's amazing! Never would I be found first of all in public in a swimming suit with everyone staring at me but also doing flips, twists, turns and other acrobatic moves off the board into the water. Way to go Whitney! She is such a trooper too! She basically attended any and all sporting events of mine as she was the baby child who got dragged to all my events and so I was past due to come and watch and support her during one of her events. She didn't know that Jenn, Nate or I were coming so not only was she happy to see us but also surprised - good plan mom! :)
Another great thing about going home randomly in the middle of the week was that I got to have lunch and hang out with my best friend, Johnna as well as her husband Derek and their daughter, Madison. Isn't she adorable?!?!? Johnna has been my best friend since I moved to Sterling, Illinois when I was in elementary school. It has been fun to go through all the phases and stages of life together so far. In junior high we battled together on the basketball court with the JohnTor Kingdom, in high school we continued to play basketball together and also grow up together, always encouraging, helping and having fun together. The college years distanced us just a bit but nothing could ever completely seperate our friendship. After I graduated college we got to live together although it was only for a few short months until God brought me to Indianapolis. I knew it had to be God calling me otherwise I'd still want to be living with her right now. She has shared with me so many of her special moments like getting married in Mexico, having Madison and now buying a house! Johnna, you're a huge blessing in my life and I can't wait to share my moments of marriage and children with you! :)

Mr. & Mrs. Pitsch for 30 years

Happy 30th Wedding Anniversary Mom and Dad! :)

October 9, 1976 was a great day for Andrew J. Pitsch and Nancy J. Johnson as they were married in Sycamore Illinois at the young age of 20 and 19, respectively. Who knew what the future held for those two young lovebirds? They have made warm and loving homes in Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois and had a few kids along the way...Ethan in 1979, Victoria in 1980, Jennifer in 1984 and Whitney in 1989. Their marriage survived and perhaps even grew stronger in 1989 when mom was pregnant with Whitney and dad spent that whole school year commuting 7 hours from Indiana to Illinois working his new job while mom raised their 3 kids and was pregnant with the 4th. This is only one example of the many sacrifices they have made for their kids throughout their marriage - mom stayed in Indiana so the kids wouldn't have to switch schools mid-year - thanks mom and dad! Their marriage has remained strong and faithful and although they put their kids way up on top of their priority list their marriage comes first. They have been faithful in daily evening walks for years so they could have time together to unwind and talk about their days without the kids around, and also stay healthy and active! Although dad hates coffee he has made my mom's coffee for her every morning since at least 1993 and brought it up to her bedside so she can wake up to the smell of it. Their marriage has set an unprecedented standard for us kids on what a healthy relationship and marriage consists of: unconditional love, sacrifice, forgiveness, understanding, grace and compromise. Because of their great example we all have been confident in the high standards we have for our relationships (as we should they say)! Thanks mom and dad for loving each other as you do - your marriage is not only a blessing from God to each of you but also to your 4 kids who got to grow up in a healthy and happy home full of love. Enjoy your anniversary! :)

The Lumberjacks

Time to cut some Firewood!!!!

Last Saturday afternoon Andy and I enjoyed the gorgeous weather at a friend's cabin down in Brown County chopping and splitting firewood. God blessed us with many resources and used many people to make this day happen. Scott allowed us to go down to the cabin and cut up the fallen logs, Andy's older brother, Adam, let us borrow his pick-up truck, Paulg lent us his ax, Andy's dad, Al, gave us the chainsaw and wheelbarrow for the day as well as some of the essential pieces in Andy's above priceless attire. We worked hard for about 4 hours with only a tiny break to picnic and let the splendor of God's creation astound us. We had a chance to work hard alongside each other and swop stories of other firewood chopping experiences, most notably for me was when I used to help my dad back in Connersville. I don't remember much but I do remember my dad wearing his green with yellow stripes hat and I got plenty of wheelbarrow rides! :) We departed back to the southside of Indianapolis with empty stomachs, depleted energy, sore muscles but with a full load of firewood and a sense of accomplishment. After unloading the wood and returning most of the items back to where they belonged we cleaned up and headed to the northside to have dinner and hang out with AngB and Dan. When I laid my head down on my pillow that night I fell asleep instantly - what a great day it had been but boy was I tired!