Valentine's Day With My Soon-To-Be Hubby

Since mine and Dan's wedding is coming up in 129 days, we decided to stay in and save our money this Valentine's Day. No matter, we still managed to have a romantic day without spending lots of money.

I kinda took over for Valentine's Day this year. I fixed Dan a delicious meal with BBQ ribs, red skin potatoes, string beans, and dinner rolls. I dressed up the dinning room table, used my parents' fine China, lit some candles, and turned on some Michael Buble. When Dan came down for dinner he was surprised to find a gift waiting for him on his seat. It was a homemade card and a 2009-2010 calendar I created using shutterfly.com. I didn't break any rules... the calendar was free! I got a coupon from David's Bridal after I bought my wedding dress. The coupon was about to expire, so I had to act fast. The calendar is a celebration of our relationship and it starts with July 2009 (just after we are married) and goes until December 2010.

My folks went out for dinner that evening. When they returned Dan and I surprised them with some dessert. A bottle of our favorite dessert wine and some Dove ice cream! So good!

After dessert, Dan and I went downstairs where I had a few more surprises for him. The coffee table had a lovely red tablecloth over it and some candles. We sat on the couch and I pulled out another gift from under the coffee table. It was a 12x12 photo book from Shutter Fly... another freebie! He was so surprised! After we looked through the book I whipped out one final surprise (the only thing that actually had to be purchased)... P.S. I Love You on DVD! I'm sneaky, I know. We watched the movie and that was our Valentine's Day 2009. It was a wonderful day!

Monday, my Aunt Tamie and Uncle Ron came over for a visit. Well, actually Uncle Ron came over to help my dad install a new water heater. It was very nice to see them! Oh... and I don't think that I have mentioned the news yet, but my cousin Jessica is getting married this summer as well! She just got engaged about 2 weeks ago. They're looking to have their wedding on July 25, 2009. Congratulations to Jessica and Andrew!

Today I started work at Williams-Sonoma at 6:00 a.m. We were working on a new floor set. Once I was done at the mall I came to church to continue my busy work day. This evening I had Bible study and hopefully I'll manage to squeeze in some editing time. I hope.

I should sleep good tonight...

Smells Like Spring

The past couple of days have been wonderful... weather-wise. It smells like spring and I don't need a jacket (for most of the day). While working at church I even walked out to the mailbox to get the mail during the afternoon. During the winter I usually drive up and get it on my way in. Of course this weather isn't going to last. Nope... I'm sure we'll see some more snow and frost before spring is actually here. Come to think of it, we'll probably even see some snow and/or frost when spring is really here! Gotta love this Chicago weather!

In other news, I picked up some video work this past weekend. Woohoo! Dan helped me with the filming and I'm on my own for the editing. I had about 6 hours of footage to capture. I have about 1/2 of it synced up. I'm hoping to have it done this week... if not this week hopefully by next week. The sooner the better!

Nine Years

Nine years... hard to believe it has been nine years since Jessie passed away. In keeping up with tradition, I baked gingerbread cookies in her honor, went to visit her resting place at Pleasant Hill, went out for dinner with some friends, and then we all went over to the Troyers' for a nice visit. This tradition has remained strong after all these years... and for that I am pleased.

This weekend Dan and I took care of a few more wedding details. Here are some updates.

1. All bridesmaid dresses have been ordered and are due Friday, March 13th.

2. Made some updates and adjustments to our registries.

3. Updated our wedding website.

4. Today, Dan booked our flights for our honeymoon!

143 days until the wedding! Wow... it'll be here before we know it! As of right now our current tasks include editing our guest list, flowers, and invitations.

In other news, I spent over 12 hours at Williams-Sonoma yesterday... working! Well, I got a lunch break, but still, it was a long day (that started at 6:00 a.m.). We were doing inventory. Boring, but not too bad. I really appreciate the hours! I'd do it again.

Back On My Diet

Since the holidays have come to an end I have been back on my diet. It wasn't easy but I'm back into the swing of things. In fact, I'm already seeing some positive changes! Woohoo! With my wedding less than five months away I'm energized and ready to shed some more of my winter padding.

I try to work out at least three times a week and I only have junk food one day a week (most of the time). Situations vary, but for the most part I'm maintaining control. As long as my waistline shrinks and my clothes get loose, I'm happy.

Getting More Wedding Stuff Done

Dan and I are moving right along with our wedding plans! We got so much more done this past weekend. We're on a roll! Here are the updates...

1. Started registering at Bed Bath & Beyond. Still updating and changing some stuff around, but over all we are very pleased with our selections. It's kinda tricky to register when you're not sure where you are going to live. However, we've made a lot of selections that we will be able to easily build off of.

2. We did our cake tasting at Tipsy Cake in Chicago this weekend. Let me tell you... if you want a delicious cake with frosting that is absolutely heavenly then this is the place to go! Dan and I are very excited about our "Disney" wedding cake!

3. We started planning the schedule of events for our wedding day. It's tricky, we've got a lot going on. How do we fit it all into one day? Eh, we'll figure something out. We've got a good start.

That's all the wedding updates I've got right now.

In other news, after our meeting at Tipsy Cake, Dan and I stopped by Swedish Covenant Hospital to visit my Aunt Vera who (at the time) had been there for just over a week. It was very nice to see her and she was very happy with our surprise visit. She was released on Sunday but still needs prayer for various health issues.

Wedding Plans

Finally, here are some overdue wedding updates!

1. We have a date! Friday, June 26, 2009... it's right around the corner!

2. We'll be getting married at our church.

3. The reception will be at Woodbine Golf and Banquets.

4. I have my bridesmaids and Dan has his groomsmen. On that note the bridesmaid's dresses have been selected and most have been ordered.

5. I have my dress, slip, and veil.

6. I'm working on our wedding website. It's not done, but you can see what I have done so far. Click on the following link: www.ewedding.com/sites/karolynanddan.

7. I'm in the process of booking a DJ.

8. We've started registering. Our first stop was Williams-Sonoma (of course). This weekend we'll begin registering at Bed, Bath, and Beyond.

9. We've booked our Videographer and Photographers!

10. The honeymoon is booked, thanks to Dan!

Hmm, I'm sure that there are more things that I have done or are close to being done... I'm just not thinking of everything right now.

Today, Dan and I are planning on checking out our wedding bands. We have some money savers from when Dan bought my engagement ring and they recently became usable.

This Saturday we'll be going to check out wedding cakes at Tipsy Cake in Chicago. I did some filming there in September 2007 and they were a wonderful bakery! Very delicious! The owner remembers me, so it'll be nice to see her again. She's a real treat!

I also may have found where I'll be getting my flowers. I still have to figure out where I'll be getting my hair and nails done, what sort of invitations we'll be sending out, and how we will decorate the church and reception hall. I'm sure that there are other things that will have to be decided, but that's all that is on my mind right now.

156 days until the wedding!

America Has a New President

I know I've been slacking in the blog department, but wedding stuff has been keeping me pretty distracted. In a good way though. I've gotten a lot done. I will share more another day.

Today, I watched the Inauguration from my desk at work. I was in awe of how many people were present to watch Barack Obama and Joe Biden get sworn in as our new President and Vice President. The crowd went for miles and those who were not able to be physically present watched from home, work, and other areas around the world. I wonder how President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden felt. Tomorrow, will it all feel like a blur or will they relive each moment like as if it happened yesterday, years down the road?

Congratulations to both President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden! I pray that you will lead our country with much wisdom and humility.