New Blog!

After pretty much every life change possible (with the exception of children) in the past year, I decided it was time to renovate my blog. And with a new last name, that also included changing my domain name. So, without further ado, I give you:

Two newlywed's adventures in home renovations, traveling and experiencing life together.

Check it out, and please switch your bookmarks, RSS feeds, etc. to lauraellerbroek.blogspot.com. I will be posting over there from now on. Enjoy!

Cake Pedestals

After my post about the mobile cupcakery, my friend Steph offered to pick up some cake pedestals from Costco for me. Here they are...





How adorable are those!?! And the best part... They're only $20 for the pair! Now I just need to find a fantastic cake recipe so I have something to put on them!

Gorgeous Photos + Adorable Cupcakes = Drooling Laura

Check out these gorgeous photos shot by Jose Villa of the Enjoy Cupcakes mobile cupcakery. These images just make me happy. And hungry...

For real this time...

Ok, so I think it's time I jump back on the blog bandwagon. Philip and I have been super busy working on our house, so I have tons of projects to post about, complete with before and after pics. And we have also been doing quite a bit of traveling, so I'll have some fun reviews and photos from all those trips! But before I dive into all that, I'm feeling the need to update my blog a bit, including the name. I would love to hear any ideas you come up with, as I'm terrible at naming. Please share your thoughts, and I'm looking forward to sharing what I've been up to for the past year! Cheers!

I'm BAAAAAAACK!

Hello all! Sorry for the long furlough. Apparently getting married and planning a honeymoon to Europe takes a significant amount of preparation :) Now that I actually have some time to breathe, I can get back to my blogging. Over the next few weeks I'll update you on everything that happened over last six amazing months. Until then, I'll leave you with this passage that's been working on my heart this morning.
Mrs. Ellerbroek :)

John Ashcroft wrote that in order to clean up New York City, "Rudolph Giuliani started by going after the little things. 'I am a firm believer in the theory that "minor" crimes and "quality of life" offenses are all part of the larger picture,' he explains. Among the first elements to go were the 'Squeegee Men,' drug-addicted and shady-looking riffraff who personified New York's rough edge. Armed with a soiled rag and a dirty bottle of watered-down Windex, these men would bully and badger motorists for money.

"Giuliani said, 'We're not going to put up with this anymore,' and he brought this intimidation to an end. He then declared war on graffiti, subway panhandlers, loitering, broken windows, and petty vandalism - minor offenses that would have gone unnoticed in days past while the police force was overwhelmed with homicides and violent crime. But Guiliani had a hunch: If you send out a signal that you won't tolerate these minor offenses, people will get the idea that the major offenses will be treated even more seriously.... It worked. Giuliani has been successful in reducing crime beyond all expectations."

What if we began the same policy concerning the "city" of our hearts? If we declare war on the "minor" sins, surely the major sins won't be able to lodge in our cities and defile the quality of our walk with God.

Live Fearlessly - A Study in the Book of Joshua
Lenya Heitzig and Penny Rose

Wedding Website

I recently put together a fun little website containing wedding details for our guests, using a WordPress blog. (As a web development sidenote, I'm loving WordPress as a content management system!) We're still adding content, but feel free to check it out at www.lauralovesphilip.com. Enjoy!

Engagement Photos

Phil and I just had the pleasure of having our engagement photos taken by Kimberly Bee of Kimberly Bee Photography. I absolutely love her work and have followed her blog for awhile now. She has such a creative eye and incredible Photoshop skills. I'm so thrilled that she will also be flying to Sioux Falls to take our wedding photos for us! So, below are a few of our photos, taken in Carefree, Arizona. They have yet to be edited with Kimberly's fancy Photoshop skills, but you get the idea. Love, love, love!