40 days and 40 nights

Not on a arc with stinky animals but until we begin our married life! :)  I couldn't resist the biblical reference because we've been searching for the perfect bible verses for our ceremony today -- it's about time we make a decision on this!  Anyways, I'm happy to report that disaster was averted and my wedding gown is restored to it's original beauty.  Thank God.  Now those busy bees at the bridal boutique are working to make it fit perfectly. We're getting so close, I can't wait for Kurt to see it!  We've been traditional and he doesn't know a single thing about the dress.  It'll be cool to see his face that day.... Can you tell I totally have bridal brain right now?  I'll snap out of it.

We enjoyed another weekend at home (that's right... 2 in a row!!!) and even had the chance to hit the town with some buddies.  Check it out... 

Edgar visited and he came armed with loads of mexican food to throw on the grill. 
** it.was.awesome. **

We had some drinks on Main Street in Cedar Falls...
Aren't they cute?

Kurt & I kicked Edgar & Chad's butts in pool.  More than once.

Yes, we sometimes coordinate our outfits.  We are that couple.

Note to Self:  Don't bring men to a Martini Bar.

Aside from our weekend fun we also had car trouble x 2.  Kurt's truck broke down on Friday and still isn't running... so it remains in the parking lot at work.  My car had some sudden (sort of scary) braking issues so I dropped it at the shop this morning.  Hopefully we're back up and running soon!  Car crap can be so annoying...not to mention expensive!   At least the sun is shining out there -- gotta love spring!! 

Adios for now.  Time to throw some brats on the grill, yum!

No 'Zilla Here!

I've said before how this past year (and then some) has been a roller coaster ride as we make plans and preparations for our wedding.  If you've planned a wedding, you know I'm not kidding.  Ever since we hit the double digits time is FLYING by, too.  We're absolutely ready to make this commitment to each other, totally stoked to celebrate with our family and friends and looking forward to seeing all the hard work and little details come together on the big day.   But this week I had a defining moment... and I will admit that this is first time I've really felt pressure that everyone warned me about!  Here's the story:

My first dress fitting was on Monday and I was so excited to put that beauty on again (it's been like 6 months!).  To top things off my mom and Kurt's mom arranged to car pool up to Waterloo and Emilee came along to share this fun experience with me!  (Yay!)  I love my dress more and more every time I put it on ... but we noticed a problem, well lots of little problems actually.  The seamstress poked around and confirmed that the manufacturer neglected to properly clean the dress before they sent it our way - which means that there are yellow chalk lines all over it.  On every seam and every crease.  Yikes.  My stomach dropped but she assured us that this should not have happened and that she'd call the manufacturer in the morning to rush in a new dress.  Long story short the manufacturer refused and now the seamstresses at the boutique are working hard to save the dress.  Ahh, nerve racking!

So that’s the DL on my first defining moment as a bride.  That’s what I’m calling it – defining moment.  Because I’ve seen this type of thing play out on TLC way too many times and although they usually pull through with a fixed gown on the wedding day, there’s always the sob story for the one dress that couldn’t be saved.  That’s a scary thought… no dress a month before the wedding?!  But, there’s no bridezilla here!!  I’m feeling confident that this will work out because the Bride’s Corner staff has been extremely friendly and after a little chat mid-week they reassured me that with some seriously meticulous and diligent work they will make sure that it’s perfect by June 25^th. 


My first fitting is now schedule for Tuesday so keep your fingers crossed! 

There's No Place like Home.

This past weekend was our first full weekend home in 2 months. Boy, did we need it!  It was really nice to finally have a full weekend when neither one of us had to work and we weren't traveling anywhere. =)  We made the best of our time at home and were especially happy that some decent weather pulled through!

We managed to cram alot into the weekend...  We gave the house a good cleaning and had some friends over on Friday.  Got to sleep in Saturday and then hit the town for some shopping and errands.  I fell victim to all that Target offers (sigh, so many cute things!) and couldn't resist a trip to the mall, and Kurt retreated to Menards for landscaping supplies (and anything else he could get his hands on).  We came home with all sorts of stuff crossed off our lists! 

• Rehearsal Dinner outfits - CHECK!
• Golf themed attire for my Bachelorette Party - CHECK! (still searching for the perfect argyl socks though...)
• Gifts for the kiddo's in our wedding - CHECK!
• Mulch - CHECK!
• Solar lights for the landscaping - CHECK!

After a long productive day on Saturday we were ready to blow off some steam when Sunday rolled around.  We hit up a Car Show at the Casino in town which was fun but it was so darn windy we were barely able to make the rounds before heading in for the free coffee!  A couple hours later we walked out about $40 richer... NICE!  Our gambling luck revved up our motivation again and we decided to dive in and tackle the landscaping.  Let me tell you... this is no easy project.  One thing we've learned as homeowners is that curb appeal does not come easily!  When we re-roofed the house last fall we were a little rough on the landscaping and yard so we're trying to give our flowers, plants and grass some extra love this spring.  We worked for 5 hours (until we ran out of sunlight) and we still have 1/3 of the landscaping to finish...luckily we finished the prominent areas and only have a couple smaller sections left.  It's fun to stand back and see our hard work pay off. :)

digging out all the old stuff. 
We even moved a couple plants that we didn't like to fill in other spots around the house! 
What a difference!

 

Can you tell where we stopped?? HA!

We're anxious to get this project finished...just need another nice weekend or evening! 

Until next time....Enjoy the little bit of sunshine we're getting!! =)

Where are you Mr. Sun?

Rain, rain go away!  Give us some sunshine to brighten the days!

....This gloomy weather is seriously robbing me of my motivation to be productive.  We have a ton of little projects going at home but we've totally been slacking on them for the last week (blaming the rain...since it's literally been raining everyday we've been home).  One thing we did accomplish is the wedding invitations!  We were just too excited to wait any long and decided to drop them in the mail a couple days for before our 8 week mark. YAY!!  I really spent a lot of time on those babies so it's been really fun to hear/see people's feedback. Plus, it's like Christmas in our mailbox....everyday. We love getting the RSVP's in the mail, especially when they have fun little notes from you guys!! :)

Last weekend my aunts put on a beauitful shower in my honor.  I was truly in awe of the creativity that went into everything -- it was so fun to celebrate with both sides of my family.  Of course, we also got to see all sorts of family on Easter Sunday which is always a good time.  Kurt worked on Saturday but made it back to WL in time for the Easter service which was really nice.  We also enjoyed brunch with my Dad's side of the fam, an egg hunt a la my parents (yes, they still hide eggs even though we're 24 and 14) and then a big Easter bash at G'ma & G'ma Simon's complete with tacos, kites and more egg hunting!  The jam-packed day slowed us down a little and we didn't make it back home until after 11pm which probably didn't help with the lack-of-motivation we've been fighting this week! ha!

Due to the astounding generosity of our family and friends we now have a basement full of shower gifts that need to find a permanent place!  This is really fun "problem" to have but I need to focus some time on rearranging the cupboards and closets to find these beauties a home! :)  We've been getting all sorts of advice on this sort of thing lately... advice to wait until the wedding to break out the gifts, advice to dive in and enjoy them, advice about the items that will hold up and the ones to use with caution...and the list goes on.  We're pumped about it all -- but more than anything we're just loving it that our family and friends are sharing our joy at this exciting time in our lives! 

Alright.... a little less talk, a lot more action.  Time to get something done!

Living in Fast Forward.

These past couple weeks have felt like that movie "Click" where the guy's life is stuck in fast forward -- I feel like I took a deep breath and another week was gone!  Our weekends have been busy and the weeks have been packed with preparations for another big event at work... except this happens to be my favorite event, QUASH!  (Sounds fun, doesn't it???)

QUASH is the Quest to Unravel Alzheimer's Scavenger Hunt, a totally unique and high-energy scavenger hunt that takes place all over UNI's campus and the nearby "Hill" area.  It's one of the few perfect events where you can actually have a really good time, for a really good cause!  I love it because it allows me to spend time on campus, working with emerging leaders (college students) and put my two favorite things together... UNI and events!! :)  This is only the 2nd year that we've done QUASH at UNI and we were really shooting for the stars.  After a very successful first year (2010) we were unsure how much growth we could count on...but I had an amazing group of student leaders on the planning committee this year and they really ran with it!  It's been really fun (but a lot of work) to ensure that QUASH was even better than last year, but we did it!!  QUASH was this past Saturday and even though it was a ridiculously freezing April day (literally...snow on the ground) we had a record turnout and raised even more funds for the cause than last year!  Here's a few pictures to give you a taste of what QUASH is all about...

QUASH raising funds and awareness for Alzheimer's disease.

It requires teams of 2-4 people to complete physical and mental challenges, while racing against the clock and eachother. Oh, and we encourage crazy costumes.

Yes, that is a pool of pickles...and Yes, they are digging for 38 cents.

One of the many challenges out on the QUASH course.

Emilee was on the Q-Crew this year!

This is 2011 Planning Committee (aka the Q-Crew).  They rock!

I had my wrap-up meeting with the committee tonight and I'd have to admit... I kind of have mixed feelings about QUASH being done for another year.  It's great to have another successful year under our belts but I'll miss working with the great group on such a fun and outrageous event. :)  I'm sure next year's QUASH will be here before we know...until then it's time to focus on Walk!

Now, that's not the only excitement around here... the weekend before QUASH we hit the road to WL to spend some time with our families and for my very first bridal shower!  Things are all falling into place now and I can't believe how real the shower made it feel.  For some reason, when we registered for all these great things I didn't actually occur to me that we'd be getting them... SURPRISE!  Everyone is so generous and it's so much fun to have all these friends and family members joining in our excitement.  Kurt's aunts threw me a really great shower and I'm feeling uber blessed to be marrying into such a big loving family. :)

Talk about living in fast forward, the next shower is already this weekend!  These last 2 months before the wedding are really going to fly by.  I'm so excited to see all of my family this weekend as my aunts are putting together this shower.  I love having everyone together (no matter what the reason) - so we're looking forward to slowing down for a weekend and seeing all of the people we love over Easter.  ....Time to pause, and switch to "Play" mode.  *Sigh*  That's better.

PS.  Can't forget about the fur babies.... Max is rowdy as can be, but he's learning to listen pretty well.  Pita is looking fabulous (you can't tell us that they didn't cut his hair at the shelter...he's like a whole new dog now that his coat is back to normal!).  If you put them in the same place it's a constant game of "catch me if you can".... but they seem happy, so we're happy too!

Isn't he getting BIG?!

This is how Pita travels (above) ...

...And this is how Max travels (below).

Let the Craziness Commence!

Well, March didn't exactly go "out like a lamb" so we're anxious for what April has in store!  We've had a lot going on the last couple weeks and it looks like our schedule will be that way until about..... June 25th. :) ha!

Not this last weekend but the one before I was lucky enough to have the help of my bridesmaids and my mom to tackle a whole slew of wedding projects!  We gathered in WL for a full day of craftiness and let me tell you - it was intense!  I seriously could not have done all of the cool little things that we have planned without the help of these amazing women.  I've got an eye for details and a soft spot for anything handmade so the DIY list has continually grown since we began planning the big day.  I'm SO excited about all the fun stuff that we've put together and I hope you (our guests!) enjoy the personal details too! :)  After that oh-so-productive weekend with the girls I am happy to report that invitations are fully assembled, addressed and ready to be mailed!  Now we're just waiting for that 6 week mark (ohhhhh wedding etiquette, so precise).  As for the other projects...you'll just have to wait to see what we were up to!  Less than 3 months to go, I can't believe how quickly everything is going now.  My first bridal shower is this weekend!  We're really getting excited now that the wedding is getting closer -- we're in the double digits, crazy!

Speaking of crazy... I was once again hired to coordinate volunteers at the USA Wrestling Folkstyle National Championships at the UNI-Dome this year and the tournament took place this past weekend.  In a word, it was CRAZY.  But surprisingly not as crazy as the last 5 years so there is definitely progress being made.  In order to accommodate the 2,300+ wrestlers we run 25 mats for 3 days straight.  ...Lets just say I'm still recuperating!  It's a long and stressful weekend but at the end of it all it's worth it - the extra cash is nice and it's so cool to see huge events like this come together!  Kurt even volunteered and learned to use the new high-tech TrackWrestling program....fancy stuff - it sure beats paper score cards!

Between our busy weekends we've been doing some yard work, playing with the pups, baking lots of goodies (because that's the best way to handle stress) and putting in some extra hours at work.  There is so much going on that we've been making a conscious effort to sit and relax together every day or two... what a difference that makes!

Well.... I think it's time to relax!  Have a fabulous week.   <3  J&K

Photo Update

I've been slacking on the pictures lately so here's a few to catch you all up!....

This one is old -- from last month... look how small Max is!

We bought our shoes for the wedding... currently being dyed.

A typical night ... sleepy boys!

Max has a friend over (Tuff) while the Collins' family was in town for Super Pee Wee State Wrestling!
The dogs loved to wrestle, too!

Drake-man ready to wrestle!

Uncle Kurt w/ Briggs -- cheerin for Drake!

Engaged for 1 year - 3 months to go! :)

All tuckered out after throwing fit for being left outside... *Sigh*

Look how BIG he is now!! He used to sleep under the couch... Ha!