Quick Update

We finally took pictures of the puppies!!  It's been a while since I've blogged (or uploaded pictures from my camera)... oops!

Rockie's puppies are doing fabulous! They're all healthy and growing like crazy. I can't believe how chunky they are!!  Since they're staying at Jim's house we only get to see them once in a while but Rockie is doing a great job of taking care of them and their dog house is nice and cozy.  Last time we were home they still couldn't walk -- pretty much just layed in a ball looking cute. There are two boys and one girl pup! We're excited to see them again next weekend! :)

Again, please help us find homes for these cute little guys! They look just like Rockie did when she was a pup (only healthier) so I'm sure they'll grow up to be wonderful pets.  Rockie is a GREAT dog, we really wouldn't change anything about her.  She's the perfect size, very friendly, easy to train and she loves her owners. So yeah.... please give us a call if you think you or someone you know might be interested.  We just want to be sure they're all in a loving household. 

  Awww, Rockie! What a good mama.

Hmmm other than the puppy update we haven't had much going on lately (except juggling a million wedding projects).  We've pretty much been huddling inside away from the cold winter weather...just dreaming about spring!  We did manage to catch a couple movies lately... in case you're wondering here are our reviews:

No Strings Attached - 4.5 stars
This is a good date movie!  I'm a sucker for anything romantic and this had a great comedy element so Kurt liked it too. Plus, Ashton Kutcher is fun to look at.

Country Strong - 5 stars!
We both really liked this movie.  It was not what we were expecting based on the previews (which is nice for a change).  We loved the music in it and characters were great.  Overall it was definitely a movie we'd see again or buy for at home.  Go see it. :)

Ta Ta for Now!

Oh what a week...

This week has been an adventure of it's own!! 

As some of you already know, we had a serious scare this week.  Kurt spent a night in the hospital with severe carbon monoxide poisoning (which he was exposed to at work).  He was finishing a floor in a sealed basement with one other guy -- he called around 9:30pm on Wednesday complaining that he was feeling really sick so I went to pick him up from the job site.  His symptoms (severe headache, chest pain, vomiting, drowsiness) were scaring me so I called my dad (who is an EMT) and asked for some advice... after that we were off to the ER!  Rather be safe than sorry, right?  Turned out to be a good decision.

It didn't take long before they had him on 100% oxygen to speed up the de-tox process.  They did blood work and found that his CO level was at 24 (normally it would be 2.5 or less).  They also administered an EKG and found some abnormalities in his heart including a strained enzyme.  They kept a close eye on him until the CO in his bloostream was finally down to a safe level (after 6 hours on pure oxygen) and consulted with a cardiologist before they let me take him home at 5:30am.  It was a long night for both of us!

We had a follow-up appointment the next morning and the workman's comp doctor said he could return to work already (hmmm a little odd if you ask me).  He's working with his boss to make sure this type of thing doesn't happen again, to anyone!  And we know one thing... he won't be finishing any floors this winter!  Plain and simple... risking your well-being is not worth the extra hours.  :)

On a very different note...

We kicked off this last week by heading to Chicago!  I was being sent to the windy city for some meetings at the Alzheimer's Association national office and Kurt decided to tag along because (get this...) he's never been to Chicago! (GASP, I know it's hard to believe.)  Anyways we had a nice 5 hour drive on Sunday morning and then, of course, got lost and frustrated when our Garmen went bonkers downtown Chicago.  After some U-turns, honking and a little bit of screaming we successfully found the hotel, gave the valet our keys and didn't even think about driving until it was time to leave.  Ha! :)

Since I had a jam-packed schedule on Monday/Tuesday we tried to cram most of the fun stuff into Sunday afternoon --- we grabbed lunch with some old classmates, hit the Sears Tower, wandered down Michigan Ave (right as all the stores closed...just our luck), and had some over-priced cocktails at the hotel bar.  It was a good time!   While I brainstormed ways to expand rural reach Kurt got to relax and roam around the city... he visited the Navy Pier and the Field Museum!  Plus, my cousin Christy and her fiance Wayne brought us to a delicious Chicago-style pizza joint -- yum!!

By the time we hit the road for Iowa we were pretty much "over" the city.  It's fun to visit... but we were anxious to be back home! 

Lets hope next week isn't such a roller coaster ride...

Wedding Progress

We are now less than six months away from our wedding day!  Whoa. Time has flown by and we still have a lot of details to hash out and plans to be made.  It'll be here before we know it!  I thought it was about time for a wedding update since we haven't mentioned it on here in a while...

We recently finalized and lauched our official wedding website and we hope you'll check it out!!  Don't forget to sign the guest book.. we really love reading the messages from everyone!

  Click here to visit our wedding website. :)

We've been doing really good with the wedding plans lately.  We've got the photographer, the cake, the flowers, the gown, the bridesmaid dresses, the caterer, the vows, the DJ and the wedding party all ready to go!  But if you've planned a wedding before you know this is just the tip of the iceberg.... the big stuff is crossed off the list but all the little decisions that follow the big ones are actually the most time consuming and overwhelming.  Luckily, I thrive when I'm "overwhelmed" so this is just my kind of task.

I'm beginning to wonder what the heck I'll do with myself when I no longer have a wedding to plan.  It's become quite the hobby these days!  Since Kurt is usually working on upholstery in the evenings I spend at least a couple nights a week working on centerpieces or invitations (I've taken on a lot of DIY projects because I just couldn't resist the change to be crafty)... I've been working on the guest list for what feels like forever... we pretty much always have a tab in our browser open on some sort of wedding website and Hobby Lobby has officially become a routine stop on my drive home from work. 

Kurt has actually been setting aside some time to help tackle the decisions and tasks that require his help and opinion, too!  Although he's not too worried about the little details he's been pretty good about brainstorming ideas and agreeing with the decisions that I make. :)  Of course, my mom has been very helpful and active in the planning process as well.  She's really organized too and it's so nice that we are one the same page about things.  We're just really blessed that our families are so great!  It's fun to have people to share our excitement with.

I can't believe how fast things are going.  This is the year we get married!  In fact, I picked up the save-the-dates today.

I'd post some pictures but we want everything to be a surprise! Muhahahaha (yep, evil laugh). Stay tuned for more updates...

TGIF!

What a year!

As we celebrated the New Year last weekend I couldn't help but to feel blessed and so hopeful for what 2011 has in store.   Kurt & I have grown immensely in the last few years but I think 2010 in particular sparked some big changes in both of us.  We've grown up in many ways and have grown closer in even more ways... it was a great year!

2010 marked the first full year that we were not students.  It came with new responsibilities and new possibilties all the same.  It was full of excitement, opportunities, successes and yes, some challenges too.  We tackled some really big tasks this past year and it's hard to imagine a year with more significant happenings... we made our first apartment a place we'll never forget, we got more involved in our church, we made the decision to spend forever together, Kurt became an entreprenuer, we committed to the Cedar Valley by buying our first house, welcomed a new nephew, became pet parents when we took Rockie home, fell in love with Pita and had to adopt him too, started a retirement fund, and we began planning our wedding... whew!  What a year!!!! 

Since 2011 is the year of our wedding we're pretty sure it's in the running to top 2010... but boy, it might be tough!  =D  With that being said... so far, 2011 is the best year yet.  We had a really fun NYE with our friends Lauren & Kevin... they took us out in Cedar Rapids. We learned the next morning that we're not as young as we used to be. lol! 

Thanks to everyone who helped make 2010 a special year for us!  We can't wait to see what 2011 has in store...

"May all your troubles last as long as your New Year's resolutions."  ~Joey Adams

Let there be PUPPIES!

We have some exciting news... Rockie is now the proud mother of THREE!!  We are pleased to report that she successfully delivered her pups yesterday and everyone is healthy (and seemingly happy).  Unforunately we don't have any pictures of the little ones yet...

We decided it would be best if Rockie stayed at Jim's house for a little while due to the cold weather and her not-so-good history of traveling.  I want to make sure that we clarify that we are taking full responsibility for our new puppies.  We're a little limited on the amount of care we can provide in our small house within city limits so we're lucky that Jim has been so great about helping out.

I recently posted a question about caring for new pups on an online question board and was pretty much attacked by a slew of crazies that assumed I abuse my dog and am not caring for her because she lives outside.  So not true.  She has a nice underground dog house at Jim's (or igloo like I like to call it) fully equipped with a heat lamp for this time of year! As far as outside pets go she is living the dream right now!!  She also has an insulated dog house within our garage at home but we wanted to be sure the new puppies had an even cozier home while they are so small and fragile.

Of course, we're fully aware of the current issue with pet over-population and we're not proud to be counted as part of the problem.  That being said, what's done is done and we realize that our dear Rockie needs to be spayed... pronto.  We're on it and we've done the research to pin point the appropriate time period for a new mama to be fixed.   We're on a mission to make sure our new little beauties stay healthy, are properly weaned and safely placed in a loving home... Please let us know if you or a friend/family member would like to adopt a new pet!  :)

6 Christmases

No, we're not kidding.  We managed to cram six Christmas celebrations into a 3 day period this year! Lucky for us it wasn't TOO much like the "Four Christmases" movie (ha ha!).  We are lucky because our families have different Christmas traditions and we're able to attend all of them without having to choose between them. 

My family has always celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve and Kurt's family goes the traditional route with Christmas morning.  As of now, Kurt & I are pretty flexible about starting our own traditions so we kicked off the Christmas festivities with our own gift exchange extravaganza on Wednesday night.  It was really fun!  Although Kurt was a big slacker at wrapping gifts he did a really nice job picking out things that I would like!! I'm impressed (brownie points!).   =D

See that stack of boxes swaddled in a blue blanket?
Yeah, that's Kurt's idea of "wrapping presents". ha!

His favorite gift -- HDflip video camera!

 In an effort to beat the snow storm we both took off work on Thursday to head back to WL (very good choice because once Friday rolled around we got dumped on all day).  We enjoyed Christmas with Kurt's mom on Christmas Eve morning, followed by the Stucker family get-together.  Then it was time for the BEST meal of the year...shish-ka-bobs at my Mom & Dad's house!  YUM!  This is our tradition.... making shish-ka-bobs, playing games, going to church & opening gifts on Xmas Eve. :)  It was a fun night (although Kurt barely stayed awake during church)!!

The first couple Christmases knocked the Collins kids out!

Yum, shish-ka-bobs!

at the Kelly Christmas!

We spent Christmas day with the Simons - first with Kurt's immediate family at his Dad's and then with the whole clan at his Grandparents house.  It's always fun to be surrounded by family, plus with all the little kids right now there is tons of entertainment to keep us laughing. :)

Kurt & his youngest nephew, Truvell. SUCH a cutie!!

Desi & Drake playing with Pita.

Nice shirt!!

Marley & Me - of course, when she smiled so perfectly I didn't look at the camera!

With my future sister-in-laws! :) YAY!

Last but not least we ventured to Holiday Lake to enjoy some Christmas fun with the Westra family (my mom's side).  We (continued to) munch on goodies all day, do a little gambling and swap some presents.  Yes... I said gambling.  My Grandma & Grandpa always have little packages of quarters ready for each of us so we can play a few rounds of LCR.  I've never won.... but it sure is fun!  I think this is the first year that Matt hasn't taken home the winnings!!  ha!

All the cousins at Grandma & Grandpa Westra's!

Overall we had a wonderful holiday.  We're so thankful we were able to spend so much time with our loved ones. Plus, it's not so bad going back to work when you have new outfits to wear (LOL)!

Fur Babies

We got a little surprise this weekend...

When we go back to WL we've gotten into the habit of bringing both our dogs (which is an annoying hassle but obviously necessary).  Pita travels really well, stick his kennel in the back seat and he'll snooze the whole way there but traveling with Rockie has always been, well... a little rocky.  I don't think she's ever made it the entire drive without getting sick at least once (yet, Kurt is convinced that "she loves car rides"... LOL).  Anyways, the pups get to stay at Jim's house (Kurt's dad) that way Rockie can hang out outside with her mom and Pita can roam the house.  As we dropped them off on Friday Kurt reminded his dad to tie Rockie up so she doesn't wander around and get knocked up... Jim took one look at her and said "She's already pregnant". 

*GASP*  I guess that's what we get for not getting her fixed quick enough!  We did some thinking and remembered that Rockie was roaming the countryside on Halloween night (she ended up joining us at the bonfire at Kurt's grandparents down the road) which would mean she's due right around New Years Eve.

I know what you're thinking... how did we not notice, right?!  Well Rockie has filled out a lot lately and we've noticed that... her fur thickened up for the winter (this is her first winter with us) and Kurt starting feeding her more to fatten her up for the cold weather.  We've joked a couple times that she looked pretty fat and might be pregnant but now there's no question.... Nipples don't lie.

On that note... lets take a look at how cute Rockie was as a puppy! 

Rockie - a couple weeks old

Rockie - a couple months old

Rockie - about 2 years old (this summer)

Although this will be a handful for a while it will be kind of fun to have a puppy or two around... BUT we won't be keeping them.  If you or anyone you know would like a puppy (for FREE) please let us know!!  :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS --- 5 more days!

PS.  Watch the Sing Off tonight on NBC, it's our guilty pleasure show for the holiday season and it's sooooooooooo good!!