And they lived happily ever after...

Where oh where to begin? Wow, it has been so long since I've updated my blog... and of course so much has happened over the past couple of weeks. I'll first backtrack to my Bachelorette party.

On Friday, June 19th - Saturday, June 20th I had an amazing Bachelorette party, hosted by my sister - and Maid of Honor - Kathleen. Most of us met up at my house and then we all drove over to Hog Wild, a local BBQ restaurant. After dinner we all went to a hotel in Tinley Park and stayed the night. There we relaxed in the hot tub, I opened some fabulous gifts, and we ate junk food and such into the wee hours of the night. I couldn't have asked for a better group of girls to spend the night with! We had a blast!

The next morning my folks slipped in and out to drop off coffee and donuts from Dunkin' Donuts. Once all the girls were up, we met up in one room and had breakfast. All together it was an awesome party.

The week before the wedding was pretty crazy-busy - as expected. However, everything got done and we were all very efficient with our use of time.

Wednesday, June 24th my family and I started to decorate the church and get things organized. It was nice to finally see all of my plans fall in to place. Plus, doing most of the decorating before the rehearsal gave us a chance to see if anything appeared to be missing or needed to be adjusted.

Thursday, June 25th was the day of the wedding rehearsal and dinner. That morning I went and got my nails done with Kathleen and Carrie. Finally, a chance to relax! After lunch people started to gather at the church. Dan and him mom started working on flowers that morning. That evening the flowers were pretty much all ready to go for the wedding.

At the rehearsal we did some filming for our wedding DVD and practiced the wedding ceremony. It was nice to see our entire wedding party together at last! Everyone was super helpful and supportive. They helped the whole evening go very smoothly.

After the rehearsal we went to P.F. Chang's for dinner. Of course it was delicious! We were all very well taken care of that evening... and again, it was nice to relax and just enjoy the company of loved ones.

That night, Dan and I parted ways. The next time I would see him would be in my beautiful, white wedding dress! It was a wonderful thought.

The next morning things got busy in a nice, steady pace. I got my hair done with most of my girls at 10:00 a.m. and after that we were off to the church to get dressed and dolled up. During lunch our Photographers and Videographer showed up. Dan and I took pictures together before the wedding... so the Photographers and Videographer were there to set up a lovely meeting spot and captured the whole thing. It was such a beautiful moment seeing him for the first time! We both got tears in our eyes and just held each other.

It got pretty toasty in my dress, but it was worth it! I was so grateful for the sunshine and the cool breeze that day. The weather was great... I'd rather have hot sunshine than cloudy rain any day!

The ceremony was a hit! Again, everything went according to plan and we got a lot of compliments on our originality and creative ideas. The whole experience was like a fairytale come true! I was very proud of my dad that day. The only time he really cried was when he walked me down the aisle. Even then, we laughed and goofed around before we made our grand entrance. It was a magical experience!

The reception was a blast! The food was delicious, the music was fun, and the company was exquisite! Our first dance was to Michael Buble's "Everything," the Father/Daughter dance was to Rascal Flatt's "My Wish," the Mother/Son dance was to The Backstreet Boys' "Perfect Fan," and the Wedding Party dance was to Dionne Warwick's "That's What Friends Are For."

Dan and I had no set plans as to when we would leave, we just figured whenever the evening started to turn "slow" we would change clothes and depart. Honestly, there was never a dull moment and people were dancing and having fun up until the final moments... and since these were all people who came to spend time celebrating with us we defiantly stayed to party with them!

No professional photos back yet, but we've been enjoying the photos that our family and friends have been posting on Facebook and e-mailing us. The photo of Dan and I was taken by my Uncle Ed - while we were posing for photos.

Well, that's quite a bit to read for now. I shall update everyone about our Honeymoon in my next entry.

Exiting the Double Digit Countdown

Today we had to give our official head count to the reception hall for the wedding. How exciting! We never did get all of our RSVP cards back but that was expected. We did come very close though and for that I am grateful.

My list of "Things To Do... Before the BIG Day" is finally shrinking. Dan and I got our marriage license the other day. That's a pretty wild thought. Everything else is slowly happening. Something things get done in chunks while others take a bit more time. No matter... I'm pleased with how things are going. There are some uncertain factors, but that is also expected.

I've got to get going. I've got some editing to work on.

Only 10 days until the wedding!

Where has the time gone?

The wedding is rapidly approaching and sometimes I feel like I'm totally lost. Where has the time gone? Feels like I blinked at the wedding is right around the corner. Others told me that this would happen and I knew it was true... but still, geez!

I think that I have everything under control. I'm working my tail off to stay organized and to get as much work at the church done ahead of time. That means preparing the weekly bulletin and PowerPoint presentations for the announcements and sermons. Seems easy, but I am short on time and am already staying way past my scheduled hours working on other stuff.

Well, I can't write much more. I have to go edit a wedding... another project I'd like to have done before the wedding. I don't want to have any work waiting for me when I get back. I want my mind to be clear and trouble free. I am going to relax and have fun with my husband on our honeymoon! Yep, it's going to happen!

Only 15 days until the wedding!

Something from Jessie 2009

This year's Something from Jessie Memorial Scholarship Spaghetti Dinner was a huge success! We had amazing weather (so the moonwalk and beanbags were up and running), delicious food, a wide variety of sweet desserts, and an awesome praise and worship band! We were greatly blessed in every possible way that evening.

The dinner started at 5:00 p.m. and about 30 minutes into the dinner Jessie's family was trying to quickly put up more tables and chairs in the gym for guests! We were overflowing with support! Then, during the special program (featuring music, door prizes, and a brief statement from Olen Johnsen, the Associate Director at Phantom Ranch) many stuck around to participate. Over all, it was an amazing evening!

I would like to give a special shout out to everyone who supported this special event! To Jessie's family - Thank you for organizing such a blessed event every year! To our Parker Road Bible Church family - Thank you for bringing so many delicious desserts, I'm sure I ate too many, they were all amazing! To the Praise Band- Thank you for coming early to practice and for putting your heart into every song, I had a blast with each of you! To the Youth Group - Thank you for volunteering your time and energy into serving at the dinner, it really helps us a lot! To everyone who made a contribution through prayer or financially - Thank you for helping us change lives for God's glory!

We are still waiting on an official dollar amount raised [money is still coming in]. While the recession may have effected our numbers, we are still confident that God has provided every penny needed for the campers he wants us to send to camp.

Now that the dinner is over my focus has returned to the wedding. I've got a lot of little details to take care of and sometimes wonder if I will actually get everything done. I guess I waited too long to take care of a lot of details, but I've seem to have a grip on everything now. At least, I hope so.

Only 17 days until the wedding!

Gettin' Up Off the Floor

Another big step for the future Mr. and Mrs. Nelson... we now have a new bed! That's really good news for Dan, he no longer has to sleep on the floor on an air matress. He is very happy about that!

We did some shopping around before we made this purchase (yesterday). My folks put us in the right direction when they brought us to Back to Bed in Tinely Park. It's the same place my folks and I got our matresses about two years ago. The sales man actually remembed us! He was very helpful and got us some great deals. Dan and I are very happy with our new purchase. We even bought some super sweet pillows that we got a special price on as well.

We purchased the matress yesterday and it arrived this afternoon. I had to bounce out of work for a moment to go and let the delivery guys drop everything off and set it up. Dan and I bought some organice sheets from Target last night... thanks to Mandy and Cale for their gift card from our Wedding Shower. They fit great and are super soft! For right now Dan's twin-sized comforter in on th bed until we can pick out some new bedding. As long as it is just him, it'll do just fine.

In other news, this past weekend was my cousin Jessica's Bridal Shower. It was held at her house on Sunday, May 31st. I had a wonderful time with friends and family at this shower! I made my special punch for the event... it turned out great and there was very little left after I made two batches. Kimmy (Jessica's Maid of Honor... as well as one of my Bridesmaids) did a wonderful job throwing this special party! Jessica and Andrew are getting married on July 25th of this year. Kathleen and I are both Bridesmaids for Jessica.

Looking ahead, Friday, June 5th is the Something from Jessie Memorial Scholarship Spaghetti Dinner. Everyone involved are super busy as we finialize the details before the big day. We are so excited to see how many students from the inner city will be able to attend camp through this blessed ministry.

Here are all of the details...

When: Friday, June 5th
Where: Parker Road Bible Church
Dinner: 5:00 - 7:00 PM
Special Program: 7:00 - 8:00 PM

Featuring...

1. Full Spaghetti Dinner with Beverages
2. Delicious Desserts
3. Live Praise and Worship Band
4. Door Prizes
5. Moonwalk for the Little Ones (Weather Permitting)
6. All Donations are Tax Deductable
7. Every Penny Goes Directly to Benefit Students

How can you help?

1. Pray for the event and the students who will be positively effected by each donation.
2. Attending and participating in each of the events that will be taking place on Friday, June 5th.
3. Bring a dessert to be shared at the dinner.
4. Make a donation.

Here are some helpful links...

http://www.somethingfromjessie.com/
Something from Jessie Homepage

http://www.phantomranch.org/
Phantom Ranch Bible Camp... the camp that students will attend through this memorial scholarship fund. Jessie was a camper and staff member at Phantom Ranch.

http://www.prbchurch.org/
Parker Road Bible Church... where the dinner is being hosted. This is Jessie's home church.

I know that I've had a lot to say in today's blog, but there is just some many wonderful things going on! I'll be sure to share more later.

Only 24 days until the wedding!

Memorial Day Weekend

This past weekend was pretty busy. On Saturday, May 23rd I went to my cousin's for his to celebrate his graduation from high school. Congratulations, Kevin!

Sunday, May 24th was a long and busy day. I had to run AV at church, lead the praise and worship, and spoke about the Something from Jessie dinner. After church I went to work at Williams-Sonoma. I worked there until close. Once I got home I had dinner with Dan and the family and then went for a nice, long walk with Dan.

Monday, May 25th (Memorial Day), Dan and I both had the day off so we took the time to run errands and then met up with his mom in Wisconsin. We played some golf (my 3rd time playing) and then went out for dinner and rented a movie. The weekend was full and busy, but also very nice!

I still have so much to get done for the Something from Jessie Spaghetti Dinner, but things are really coming along. I will share more later. but right now I've got to run.

Only 30 days until the wedding!

Dan's Graduation from Lewis University

On Sunday, May 17, 2009 Dan graduated from Lewis University! A day that once felt so distant has quickly snuck up on us. It was a great day... the sun was out and the weather was warm (in the sun at least).

Much of Dan's family was able to attend his graduation. Below is a picture of his mom (Carol), Dad (Dan), and one of his sisters (Mandy). Mandy's boyfriend, Cale, was in attendance as well.

Congratulations to Dan and the entire Lewis University Class of 2009! Dan, I am so very proud of you! You never cease to amaze me with how hard you work and remain dedicated to each and every project to take on! You're awesome!

Another shout out and massive Congratulations go to my sister, Kathleen! On Friday, May 15th she graduated with her Masters from NDSU. Unfortunately, I could not make it to her graduation, but I proudly looked through photos that were taken by my father. Way to go, Kathleen! You're the best and I am super proud of all that you do! Now... please come home soon! I miss you!

And... as promised... here are a few photos of mine and Dan's new apartment! These were taken the day that we signed the lease. As of right now, Dan is all moved in.

Our fireplace in the living room! It's a gas fireplace, so it turns on and off with a switch.

From this angle you can see our dinning room and part of our kitchen. To the right is the rest of the kitchen and our pantry/laundry room and to the left you'll see the door that leads into our master bedroom and master bathroom. How nice!

Here is a view from the dinning room so you can see the rest of the kitchen. Through that white door is our pantry/laundry room (with a full size washer and dryer). We got lucky, not all the units have a washer and dryer in them.

Our apartment consists of two bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen, pantry/laundry room, balcony (we're on the 3rd/top floor), dish washer, walk-in closets in both bedrooms, and lots of other little goodies.

While Dan is all moved in, there really isn't much furniture, but we'll have some more once I move in and we are planning to buy some new furniture before or after the wedding (depending on deals that we may find).

I'm still waiting on quite a number of RSVPs from guests. I'm not really stressin' over it. They're due Saturday, June 6th. Wow! Time is going by so fast! How exciting!

Only 36 days until the wedding!