Monday, July 28, 2008

Andrea’s copycat blog re: name changing

After reading Kelly’s blog about giving up her last name, I just had to chime in. I’m having some identity issues. Well maybe not my “identity” per se, but I’m longing for a sense of individualism and uniqueness.

My dad’s name is Andrew, so growing up I was always confused with him (on paper anyway). Same address, same last name, and first name was only off by one letter.

Now I’m marrying Andre, which is even more closely related to my name. So once again we’ll have the same last name, same address, and first name only off by one letter. We even have the same nickname… our friends call us “The Dre’s” or “Dre 2.”

I want my own identity! But I’m not really a fan of the hyphenated name. It makes things too complicated, and in my case it would be like straddling the fence between being confused with my dad and being confused with my husband. It’s hard enough being confused with just one at a time. Andréa

Friday, July 25, 2008

Kelly: Changing Names

I was instructed to write a blog about changing last names. I am definitely changing mine. The end.

It's never even occurred to me to keep my own last name. My mom and aunts hyphenated their last names. That's cool too. It's just not for me. I want my man to completely own me and I want to lose my own identity. That's ridiculous. It's not like my name is changing to "my name isn't important only Jake's is." It's just a last name.

I went to this name combining website once to see what kinds of last names it could come up with for the two of us. Because its not bad enough that just one person changes their name, now two can do it and make it even more complicated for the rest of their lives. One of the answers it gave me was Warty. I do not want to be called Kelly Warty ever. So guess I'm going to be a Wambold. Besides, if I did become Kelly Hagerty-Wambold, no one would ever call me that. They'd just call me Kelly Wambold. Then I'd have to correct them. I'm too lazy to waste my breath correcting people about something that I really dont care about. I also just remembered my mom said not to give out my last name. Well, I'm pretty sure if anyone ever wanted to find me, it's not too hard to figure out who my mom is. Then you could figure out my last name. Well maybe not since she's got one of those hyphenated names. Kelly

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Kelly: Deal Breakers

The other day my mom asked us what were some deal breakers for us. Like what things could Jake do that would make me dump him. This was not including the obvious things like cheating, beating, things of that nature. I was having a hard time thinking of legit things that could make me break up with him. I found a few.

Those things are:
  • Pinching my nose. He did it once and I'm pretty sure after the reaction he got, he will NEVER do it again
  • Run at me from real low to the ground (or run up the stairs at me) This is probably the biggest deal breaker. It might sound ridiculous but I am terrified of little things running at me. So if you get low and run, I will scream and cry (literally).
  • Tickling me. I dont even need to explain this one. It is a form of torture. For real.

Those are my deal breakers. I'm assuming if he had to write the same blog he'd say "There's nothing she could ever do wrong. She's absolutely perfect in every way." I'm obviously not 14 and wouldn't for real break up with him for any of this but don't tell him. I need to keep him on his toes. Kelly

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Dré checks in: Home Sweet Home….the countdown begins

On July 29th we will become homeowners for the very first time. Andrea (Drea) and I have been trying to find a place since January, but it kept falling through for whatever reason. The first place was honestly just too expensive. Guess our eyes were bigger than our paychecks. Nice place though, new construction, granite countertops, two levels, fireplace, garage etc.

The second place never really excited us, but I was ready to move out of my bogus apartment, so we figured any place would be good enough for the time being. So when Drea’s mom’s cousin’s friend said she was trying to unload some property, we thought it sounded cool. (Big mistake.) So we took a look at the place, it didn’t have all the amenities we wanted, but it seemed livable (except for the bubble gum pink wall in the dining room. Drea can’t stand pink.) We made an offer, got a counter offer and accepted it. The realtor was pretty old, and the building was pretty old, but for the most part the condo seemed cool….until we had the inspection done. Drea hired this extra obsessively thorough inspector guy (we call him Home Inspector Gadget), and he found all kinds of stuff wrong. Roaches, mice, and illegal electrical hookups. BOGUS! So we got our money back and started hunting again.

This time we went with a realtor we know. One of Drea’s friend’s from grade school works for Remax, and she set up and account for us on MLS so we could find some stuff in our price range, and tell her which ones we wanted to see. The first few places looked a little scary. One condo felt like you were in a time warp back to 1972 with the shag carpet and old school appliances. Another spot looked okay, but I still had a feeling we could do better. So we went back online and found another condo that looked good. When we walked in this place, we pretty much knew this was the one. It’s got a beachy summer home sort of vibe in the middle of a wooded lot….and walking distance to the Metra.

So here’s a little advice to young home buyers: save money, know your credit history, don’t get property hook ups from your mom’s cousin’s friends, hire a good inspector, and sign up for prepaid legal services because they come in handy when you need to find a real estate lawyer, and let your girl do all the decorating…it makes her happy and makes your life easier. (Guys can just set up all the electronics. And maybe help assemble some furniture.)
Dré

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

From Kelly on PreCana, Bridal Gowns, and Being Church-Famous

So I guess I'm supposed to be writing a blog about what it's like to be getting married in the Catholic Church. I won't be able to tell you exactly what that's like until April 18th, 2009 but for now I can tell you about what we're going through in order to get married in the church. And I can talk about all the other fun stuff that has nothing to do with the church.

Like last week my mom and I stopped at David's Bridal on the way home from Costco. I had once again spilled my Starbucks frappaccino all over my shirt as I do every time I go to look at wedding dresses. Or every time I go to Starbucks while wearing a white shirt. Anyway, we go into David's with me looking like a slob. I tried on a few dresses and found one that made me look like less of a slob. My mom cried and I fell in love with it so we bought it.

Saturday was our PreCana. I should say I didn't know what to expect but that's a lie. My mom told me what to expect. She said expect no air conditioning and really uncomfortable chairs. She was half right. I was cold most of the day.

We got there at a time that no human should ever have to be up yet most humans are already up. 8:45 AM. I would have preferred to sleep another 5 hours but that's just me. Keep in mind I am not lazy, I just have a job where I have to work until 2 or 3 AM (and I'm lazy).

If you're getting married in the church you really have no choice, you have to go. Don't have this be something you dread. You'll like it. I guarantee it. If not, you'll get your money back (just kidding). If you're not super religious or not Catholic it doesn't matter, faith is definitely talked about, but it isn't jammed down your throat.

After feasting on our gourmet doughnuts and nutri-grain bars that were provided, the day started. Well it started after we were instructed to turn off our cell phones. I can guarantee that everyone turned their phones on silent. Who really ever turns it off when they're told to? So anyway, it actually was really fun. I don't want to give away too many details but there were a lot of exercises for us to do. Not the kind that will help me fit into a size 4 dress but the kind where you fill out a workbook that smells like 3rd grade (you'll see what I'm talking about when you go). Hopefully you're able to tear the pages out of the book better than I could. My inability to tear in a straight line lead me to not be allowed to even try anymore. Then you discuss it with your fiance. And it really helps. I'm not doing too good of a job explaining it.

We were there from 9-4:30 and the time flew by. Jake talked through the entire thing. Not to me, I mean he participated in the discussions. He likes to talk. He says he really enjoyed it too. That was his input for this blog.

So basically to wrap up this 10,000 word rambling blog, go to your PreCana expecting to have fun. You will. If you are at St. Bernadine’s the chairs will not be comfortable but they're not THAT bad. Also read the first page of the workbook thing. Two of my relatives wrote it and one edited it. I'm church famous.


From Andréa On Rules of Engagement

So who made it a rule that an engagement isn’t official until there’s a ring??? Andre (Dre) and I have been ready to get married since the first week we met…we’ve just been waiting for the rest of our family and friends to buy into our little plan. And now that our first anniversary is coming up, (August 9th) everyone is surprisingly disappointed that the wedding isn’t THIS September! I mean, it’s great to have everyone on board finally, but now we almost feel rushed. And with all the buzz and excitement, people are appalled that we’ve already completed FOCCUS, set the date, booked the hall, reserved the church, and are buying a condo prior to getting “officially” engaged with a ring and a proposal and whatnot.

My coworkers are the worst offenders. I’m beyond being just “The Girlfriend” and after the wedding, I’ll be “The Wife.” So after much discussion, they decided that because there’s no ring, I’m not “The Fiancé,” I’m “The One.” What’s with the labels?

Our friends are happy for us, and both our families are VERY excited. No one seems to have a problem with introducing Dre as “The Fiancé” even without the finger bling to show off. Dre told me that he’s glad the family is so supportive, but it kinda ruins the element of surprise with the “official” engagement announcement…whenever he has it planned for.

Honestly, I don’t really think about it until I mention the wedding to someone, and they immediately look at my left hand. Then I go into my spiel about how we’re saving for the condo, and I’d rather have a roof over our heads than stare at my gorgeous diamond ring while living at home with mom and dad. So yeah, I’ll take the condo, thank you. The ring can wait.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Meet the Bloggers Part Two: Andrea and Andre

Names: Andréa & André
Age 27 & 26 (respectively)
Employed by Andréa: Advocate Christ Medical Center, Oak Lawn, Illinois. André: Computershare, Chicago, Illinois
Ethnic background African-American (AKA American Mutts)
Place in family Andréa: First born of two, only girl. André: First born, one younger half brother in Chicago, three half siblings in California (one boy, two girls)
School Andréa: All done as of December 2004! Went to Grand Valley State University in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area. André: Went to University of St. Francis and Joliet Junior College, planning to go back to school for broker’s license.
Religion Roman Catholic
Wedding Date 9/19/09
How did you meet? At a friend’s wedding in August of 2007
How did you propose? It was relatively low key, but André surprised Andréa by going ring shopping and ended up buying it on the spot.
How did you know this is the right person? Andréa’s opinion: His personal “resume” fit the job description. Basically, he had all the general qualities I was looking for (religion, height, hobbies, lifestyle, etc.), and as soon as I realized he was a great guy too, I was sold. Only took 5 days from the day we met! André’s opinion: Yeah, pretty much the same thing.
What’s your couple name? André(a)
Wedding details Getting married at our new church home in Joliet which just happens to be ten minutes from the botanical garden where our friend got married in 2007…so naturally we’re having our reception at the place where we met. Also, doing some non-traditional things i.e. no official bridal party, and no veil.
What are you nervous about? The invitation list! André’s list is manageable, but Andréa could probably fill Soldier Field with her list…so narrowing it down to fit the 250 person limit in the reception hall was an interesting challenge. We hope everybody understands that space is limited, and doesn't get their feelings hurt. Other than that, I think we’re fine….just ready to start married life together.
Anything else? We’ve been ready to get married since the first couple weeks we started dating....so now we're taking time to enjoy each other's company and learn each other's talents, skills and quirks. Oh, and we've already picked out our children's names even though they won't be here for a few years.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Meet the Bloggers Part One: Jake and Kelly


Name: Jake
Age: 26
Employed by: Hagerty Construction
Ethnic background: German
Place in family: Oldest
School: Fife High School
Religion: My grandparents are Lutheran.
Wedding Date: April 18, 2009
How did you meet? My band used to stay at one of the people’s house that worked for the record label we were on and Kelly was friends with the guy’s roommate and Kelly happened to be hanging out with her one night and we met.
How did you propose? Kelly surprised me in Europe when I was on tour and I had planned on asking her when I got home but since the Eiffel Tower is her favorite place on earth I had to take advantage of the situation and make her cry her face off by asking her to marry me on the tower.
How did you know this is the right person? Sounds cliché but I just know.
What’s your couple name? Brangelina
Wedding details: April 18th at St. Celestine
Anything else? Hi Mom!

Name: Kelly
Age: 26
Employed by: Cubby Bear
Ethnic background: Irish
Place in family: Current oldest (ask me about it if you want to feel really uncomfortable)
School: Grade School: St. Pascal, High School: Trinity
Religion: Catholic
How did you propose? I didn’t. I flew to Europe to surprise him while his band was there. While we were in Paris we went up on the Eiffel Tower and he totally surprised me by proposing. I responded by crying like an idiot for two hours straight.
How did you know this is the right person? He liked me during my pink hair disaster. He is hot. He’s the nicest human alive. He’s still fun even though we stopped drinking. I just know.
Wedding details: April 18 at St. Celestine. You’re invited.
What are you nervous about? Going to jail. I probably never will. I don’t really do anything wrong. I’ve never even had a detention. Oh, you mean about the wedding? I’m nervous about having to dance. I can’t dance.
Anything else? I’m very excited about writing these blogs. I will write a lot. I hope you get my sense of humor and his sense of humor.