So today was the first time I have actually READ an entire bridal magazine from cover to cover! Yes, you read that correctly!!! I have flipped through the pictures numerous times and read certain articles countless times but have never (until today) sat down, opened a magazine to page 1 and started reading. I didn’t just look at the pictures, I read where the clothing was from; I read why the bride was accessorized the way she was; I read about why the groom was in navy; I read about flowers, honeymoons, do’s and don’ts; I read about something blues and which shade of “white” looks best with which skin tone; I read about bridesmaids, horror stories, happily ever after’s; I read about the right shoes, the right make-up, the right hair styles; I read about where to go in Illinois and Europe and the Caribbean; I read about favors, scents, themes and gown shapes; I read about rings, engravings, and the dangers of including children; I read about cakes, cupcakes, sweets tables and tastings; I read about 1,000 different time lines and checklists. Holy Moly is there a lot to read! And this was just ONE magazine!!!!!!!! One magazine with approximately 608 pages (not including the covers) all of which I read! Phew! One down about 17,000 to go! I purchased (and was given) so many wonderful magazines from which to draw inspiration…now I just need the time and ability to go through them all! I’ll admit…it was so wonderful to have NOTHING to do today but read and write! I didn’t bring any work here with me…which is a welcomed change for this worker bee! I’m not sure what I’ll do tomorrow though…I’ve finished the book Dave and I are reading (Inviting God To Your Wedding…it was wonderful and helped me from the start remember what the day we are planning is truly about!) and now I’ve updated the blog and read through a huge magazine! I did bring my nook with a few books as well as “Chicken Soup for the Bride’s Soul” (but for some reason that book just makes me cry (happy tears) all the time!).
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Spring Break in London
I have decided to give Cheltenham another chance! And how glad am I that I did! The weather is just wonderful! I’ll be honest…my heart was not set on coming to the UK for Spring Break. I wanted to see Dave desperately but after the eh weather of the summer it was tough to pass up a trip to Florida to come spend time in a potentially very rainy, cold climate. But I have been proven wrong! Everyone said that last year April was the best month for weather in the UK. It was warm then, little rain, sunshine and flowers. Sure, great, but what about the summer…oh yes, that summer was the wettest, coolest summer in a long time. Wonderful. So here I am. Back in Cheltenham to try it for a second time (and yes, there will be a third! (July and August)) and what a change a few months make! It is b-e-a-utiful!!! I’ve taken so many pictures of tress and flowers it’s incredible! It’s very cool in the evenings still (getting down into the 30’s) but amazing in the daytime…I’d guess high 60s-mid 70s! I’d even venture to say that as I sat outside to write this I got a tad bit of color! Hehe! So I’m a little late with the daily updates that I was so on top of this past summer…so I’ll fill you all in briefly on my whirlwind few days thus far…
Saturday was the day that felt like it would never end. All I wanted to do was be on the plane but it took forever to get to take off time. Seeing that my flight was in the afternoon we left my parents house at 1:30…we were at O’Hare by 1:55 (it never takes that short of a time to get to the airport!!!) holy no traffic batman! I commented on how quickly we got to the airport and my mom said “just wait until we get to the terminal” (I was flying United which is out of Terminal 1). Well, I waited, and again…we pulled right up…in fact we really got our pick of where we wanted to put the car! There was NO ONE there! Since I didn’t have any baggage to check (HOLLA!!!) I was able to scan my passport, print my boarding pass and head to security. I talked to the men working the security line…made a couple jokes and some friendly conversation (again…there weren’t many people going through security) while waiting for the like 7 people before me to go through the body scanner. After I had put my things on the belt, asked about my blazer (you can keep those on) and my ring (you can keep those on too…I checked! And I told them if they made me take it off it was going in my mouth because I wasn’t letting it out of my sight! They actually laughed!) I was able just to walk through the detector…no body scan for this girl…this time at least!
As I made my way to the gate I noticed a large group of high schoolers all wearing the same shirt and listening to a man with a booming voice announce what time HIS watch said…and asked (well, really it wasn’t a request!) them to synchronize their watches to HIS time. Hmmm…I was curious! It turns out these 40 high school students would be on my plane! Oh joy I thought as I remembered the excitement I felt going to Italy the first time…couldn’t sleep, talked all night, giddy, etc. I was prepared for a slumber party kinda night. I found my seat on the plane and a nice young man wearing the matching tee took a seat next to me (I was seating in front of 2 of the chaperones). I struck up a conversation and asked what this group was (thinking a)foreign exchange b)social students group) and found out that they were all from Huntley High School and they were part of a Travel Club. This club fundraises for a year and then takes a big spring break trip (this year it was the UK and Ireland, last year it was Italy and Spain). What an awesome club! Well, the gentleman next to me was a very well behaved sophomore who quickly fell asleep and stayed that way expect to each or change the playlist on his iPhone. I’m thinking I should write a compliment letter to the school on how awesome these students were!
The plane ride was uneventful, expect for my lack of sleeping…I was just too excited! I navigated my way through Heathrow and found the station I needed for the coach (bus as it’s known to us). Got the correct ticket and waited until my bus was called. I slept for a while on the coach and arrived early to Cheltenham! ***SIDENOTE: my plane took off ON TIME and landed EARLY; the coach was ON TIME and got to Cheltenham EARLY…I had some awesome travel luck!!!*** I didn’t see Dave at the bus station so I started to walk…I knew the way…and then I saw the love of my life walking towards me!!! <3 <3 <3 Oh such a wonderful sight!!!!
We had just enough time to put my things in the flat, change, eat breakfast and head to the park for a fundraiser 5K. I told Dave we had to run my pace…not his! Later that evening he claimed his calves hurt from going so slow! It was worth it though! We finished those 3 miles with smiles on our faces…and I only snapped at him once! (Considering how tired I was…that’s pretty decent!)
Monday Dave was off to work so I went for a run around the College (high school) and hit the shops! They have wonderful linen skirts and jackets on sale right now so I picked up a few things. I also needed some clothing for the amazing weather! I was thinking about the temperature and climate of the summer and packed mostly long-sleeves and pants while I really needed tanks, tees and capris! Oh well! Now I have a few more things to leave here for this upcoming summer! Oh yes! I almost forgot…I also finally purchased the tall Hunter boots I’ve been eyeing for 2 years now! They were majorly on sale and cost much less than they would in the States (probably because they are a British brand).
Monday night Dave surprised me and told me he would go see the Hunger Games movie with me. Having not read the books I made sure to fill him in on some parts that weren’t really described as well. We both enjoyed the movie, as it was very action packed for a PG-13. I don’t know if I would have liked the movie as much if I hadn’t read the series but I personally can’t wait for the 2nd one…and Dave even said he would see it (just probably not in the theater…which is fine by me!). We had a lovely salmon and asparagus dinner with some candies and popcorn for dessert!
Tuesday I was once again left to my own devices. It was a nice leisurely run in the morning (well…maybe not leisurely as I ran one of my fastest paces) but it sure felt good (3-3 on running over Spring Break…not a bad record if you ask me!). Grabbed a quick shower in the box that the English believe is an acceptable amount of space to bathe in…HA! Then I headed out to do some grocery shopping. We are heading to London for the weekend so I picked up some extra sandwich fixings so we could bring some of our meals to save some $$$.
As I write this I am waiting for Dave to come home from work! We are headed to dinner with our friends Will and Vanessa (they have the cocker spaniel Charlie you may remember from last summer)! They recently got married so I am excited to hear how the wedding went and catch up as I haven’t seen them since August.
St. Patrick's Day...Chi-Town Style!
A few years ago Dave and I headed into the city (Chicago) to take part in the St. Patrick’s Day festivities…well, mainly just to watch them dye the river green! We did all the research of where to stand and how to get there (Metra…the way to really fly…hehe) and had a delightful day in the city. We didn’t get to see much of the parade, but that really wasn’t our reasoning for being down there. It was also unseasonably warm (upper 50s) so a hoodie was really all we needed. With neither of us truly having much Irish blood in our bodies we still had a fun day of it!
Fast forward a few years, Dave is in London, and I’m headed to Wrigleyville to once again partake in festivities that I really don’t have any reason to…other than it’s super fun and my best friend is in town from Arizona! YEAH!
Katie (my roomie) and I were to meet Lindsey and her fiancé Billy at the P-Town train station to take the 6:30 train into the city. Would have been a fantastic plan had an outbound train not accidently hit a pedestrian…delaying all trains in either direction. Whoops. Back on the phone to another couple who was planning on driving into the city…meant the boys in one car and the girls in a second. And we were on our way. We hit the local bars around 10 and then the greasy food place around 2! We got home in time to get a good night’s sleep before the big day!
I called to ask Linds what the attire was for Saturday and she said people were going all out…so I went big…I didn’t want to go home! I guess I was a tad over-dressed but that did not stop me from making friends and having fun! It was a great weekend and we could not have asked for better weather! I don’t think I can remember a March where the temperature for St. Patrick’s Day was in the 70’s!!!!! PERFECT!!!!!!
And then there were three!
Bridesmaids that is! :)
For those of you looking (or hoping) for a wedding update…here it is! We have decided on a date (7.13.13) and a place (Boulder Ridge Country Club) for our upcoming nuptials. My mom and I went out one Saturday morning and looked at 2-3 possible reception venues. Knowing we were planning a larger wedding we knew we may be limited on venues…so mom and I checked out a few we knew a little about…and the I made appointments at 3 other places to visit once Dave was back in town (before we headed to Colorado). As we were eating lunch (dinner?) I was looking through a real-estate brochure and noticed a home I really liked in the Boulder Ridge neighborhood. Mom and I looked at each other and thought out loud…what about the club there??? So we quickly googled it and I was so impressed with the ease of their website as well as the detailed information it included…I quickly sent an email to see if Dave and I could get an appointment. And let me tell you! It was even better in person!!! It was the first of our stops when Dave and I went “venue hunting” and I could tell as soon as we left that I loved it there. But we didn’t want to be all excited just because it was the first place we visited together…so I held back my excitement as we continued on…but at the end of the day…I was still liking it over any of the other places (with one exception…but that venue would have been tight to fit our reception into…and it was only a venue…it didn’t come with anything else (bar service, food, etc!).
More news…we went back and forth on how many attendants to have on each side. Dave was feeling 4 and I had my heart set on 6. We knew there were going to be things we disagreed on and areas where we would need to compromise but we didn’t think it would be on one of the first things we discussed! That being said, when I explained my rational for the 6 women I would like by my side as we pledge our love to one another he agreed that there wasn’t a way I could cut my 6 down. Soooooo, I have had the lovely pleasure of asking 3 of my 6 bridesmaids either in person or over Skype! I have asked the woman I have known the longest and one of my dearest friends Kendall (she currently lives in Amsterdam…so she had to be asked over Skype…but it was still just as fun!), I have asked my best friend from junior high/high school Lindsey (she currently lives in AZ but was home for her own Spring Break…and some wedding planning of her own…her wedding is in July 2012…so it’s super fun to throw wedding ideas back and forth!), and I have asked one of my sorority sisters Carrie (who lives in basically St. Louis but was back “home” for a work trip. I can’t wait to ask my other three ladies…hopefully in the next few months…and then I’ll be able to post just how I did it! I have to say…although not totally original…it was very sweet (but I’m a little biased!)!!!
A bit about T$ (Tucker)
**I'll try to post pics tomorrow...I've exceeded my photo limit for now I guess! :( **
Now it has been brought to my attention that I have been neglecting my little furry friend in my updates on my blog! Poor little (well…if you can say that 17 pounds is little!!!) Tucker has been doing sometimes sweet, sometimes funny, sometimes silly things now for the past two years (yes, folks, our silly kitten will be two in May!!) and I haven’t updated his following on some of his latest antics!
So here are a few things to get everyone up-to-date on life as a cat:
Figuring out the humidifier…when I first go the humidifier neither cat was too sure of the noisy devise. They would run away each time I turned it on, only to come slinking back towards it with a little more courage, each time getting just a little bit closer! Well, finally, scaredy cat Tucker made an attempt at figuring it out. While it was off he would bat at the water tank, sniff around the dials, nudge it with his nose to make the water move, look through the water (not really sure at what). Well, finally I had my camera around when he got up some major nerves and climbed up on top! I was so very tempted to turn it on with him up there…but that was just animal cruelty if you ask me!
Baking helper…So it’s probably no secret that as much as I try to avoid the temptation of giving Tuck any people food…his sweet little face is just too hard to resist!!! Plus, he is learning to use his little cat voice now (which really just sounds like an old man cat!) and it melts my heart. Now you would think that he’d like tuna or chicken or beef…but nope…not my cat. He prefers sugar…go figure! He LOVES frosting…and since I enjoy baking he comes running into the kitchen when he hears the foil being torn off the frosting can.
Potty Training?…experts say that you can train a cat to use a toilet…I think we just started too late…but here are some funny attempts that were made one rainy afternoon!
Playing in the snow…Tucker loves to chase the snowflakes! He is so funny…he tries to hunt them! He hunches down and wiggles his little butt back and fourth before pouncing on the ground towards where one landed or leaping into the air to catch one between his paws. He has been known to catch quite a few and will lick his paws following a catch or conquer. I’m not sure if he knows what he is doing or if he realizes that they melt…but he does love to play in fresh snow. He doesn’t get to experience much openness with fresh snow as he is confined to the 3rd floor balcony…but it’s his own little wilderness that he doesn’t seem to complain about exploring!
Office Temp…I FINALLY (after 2+ years in a box) but together my wireless printer for my room. Oh what did I do without it!?!? Oh yea…never printed things at home! But seriously, what a new reality I have found…being able to complete things at home and drop them off for copies on my way into work! Oh the joy!!! Well, if you all remember from his time spent on Parkplace Drive last summer Tucker got quite good at working the printer/scanner/copier! And he has been putting his talents to work on Palatine Road.
Snuggles on the couch…in the rare occurrence that both kittens are tuckered (hehe) out we can catch them snuggled up together. This typically won’t last too long though. One will undoubtedly just licking (just enough to relax the other) and then BITE out of nowhere, prompted a return attack complete with some cat calling! But they really are darling when they are together!
Stretching out…in case anyone doubted the size of this little kitten…here are a few pics of him all relaxed and spread out!
I know there are many many many more Tucker stories to tell…I really don’t want to be deemed “the cat blogger” so I will have to limit my tales! But rest assured…there will be more to come! Especially as both he and Dave get used to cohabitating!
Valentine's Day in Colorado!
I have to admit…I was terribly sad when Dave returned back to England following his trip home for training/Christmas and New Years. Although, I have to say…I was very excited to be FINALLY purchasing bridal magazines for a reason. At least! I don’t have to feel like a creep, flipping through the pages awkwardly telling people “oh no, I’m not engaged…just looking for ideas” anymore. Now when people ask (and maybe I just look friendly or excited or something because people ask me all the time!) I can tell them that yes I am engaged and we are getting married next summer. When we first began to look at dates it was top priority that we look far enough into the future that my future husband would be back in the US when we start married life together. I never thought I would have wanted a 19 month engagement…but with Dave living on a different continent and us wanting to do as much planning together as we can…we may need all those months!!!
As sad as I was to see my fiancé leave in January I took comfort knowing that he would be returning to the states in the beginning of February. 4 weeks…not a whole lot of time…and it went quickly! We (his parents, Dave and myself) got to celebrate his birthday in Colorado this year. (His birthday was in January…but better late than never!) This was my first “family vacation” without Peter (Dave’s older brother) and I have to say…I missed him! He couldn’t take the time off of work for the long weekend we were planning (sad face here) and I was reminded of how much I truly enjoy his company!
I was surprised on our first night in Colorado with a sleigh ride up the mountain for dinner. It was colder than I expected (what was I thinking…hello! It’s Colorado!) but I was warned to dress warm (and I got to wear my cute new earmuffs!). What a fun experience!!! The next few days were filled with wonderful skiing, amazing food, friendly (wedding) conversations, laughter and memories. On our first day out on the slopes I questioned Dave about a run that the lift went over. It looked a little steep but not so steep that I didn’t think I could do it. We looked at a map to be sure but Dave was correct…that was the black portion of a green run! Imagine his surprise when I said…Let’s do it! Now, I’ll remind you…up until this point I had only skied black diamonds in WI and IL…which are like icy greens in Colorado! I’ll also point out that up until this conversation we had only been skiing the greens up at the tippy top of the mountain. So here I am, all confident because I could ski the greens well after taking a year off from skiing, trying to convince my fiancé that I could totally manage the blacks. Since it was relatively empty on the slopes at that point we went for it! I remembered the fundamentals and took my time…and felt such a wonderful sense of accomplishment!!! Dave is such a patient, tolerant man…I am truly blessed to be marrying him…because if any of you has been around a freaked out, nervous, slightly scared Katie…you can attest that it might not be the best of times! Yet at the end of it all…we were both all smiles! (I didn’t even take my skis off and try to scoot down the mountain this time!)
Again, it was difficult to say goodbye (on Valentine’s Day) but knowing that I would be seeing him in 6 weeks for Spring Break made it slightly easier! We just have to take out absences from each other one day at a time and it doesn’t seem so menacing! <3
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