Growing Up by Kelly

What a weird year it's been. I got promoted to manager, got married, and now am buying a house. Yup, it's finally time for Jake and me to get out of the parents' basement. We can't go too far though. We are buying a house about 3 blocks away from them. If we go too far than we can't have a free dogsitter.

We have this house I think as long as everything goes right with the mortgage and all that stuff. I still don't have a clue what we are doing. They did an inspection and everything was great. So now we just have to close or something? Who knows. Hopefully we will have a house in about 3 weeks though.

I tried to find a picture of it on my computer but couldn't find anything. Basically find a pic of my parents house, it's the exact same style. Just pre remodel. I can't wait to totally remodel it ourselves. This is so fun. And a house is super big for just two people. Well two people and a dog. Kelly

Days Together and the Swine Flu by Kelly

Last week my parents and bro went to Houston to spend time with my dad's sister and her fam. We stayed home because I had to work a lot. Jake has a few weeks off right now. So I was so excited to have a few days off with Jake. So excited. We never have days off together.

So we decided to go on a lunch date then go grocery shopping. Which is always fun. We ate a ton so we were tired and decided we should go home and bring our bed into the living room so we could watch tv out there in comfort. Oh there was no comfort for me.

I felt weird and took my temp when we got home. It was a 99. No big deal. I felt way worse 20 minutes later and retook it. 102.6. So I just tried to die all night with no luck.

Went to the doctor the next am even though I didn't feel as bad. Thank God I did. I've been swined. I refuse to call it H1N1. It' swine flu. The doctor didn't tell me I have H1N1 He said I have swine flu.

So he basically put me in quarantine. I can't leave my couch. Can't go within 3 feet of Jake. Can't do anything but be bored out of my mind. FOR 7-10 DAYS! This is a cruel joke. I am so bored. I should spend this time doing something productive but I am dizzy and just don't feel like it.

This stinks. Kelly

New furniture by Andrea

I'm so excited for our new bedroom furniture! We've been living out of laundry baskets, suitcases and shopping bags for a long time, and now I feel like we're finally grown-ups. I was trying to be patient, save money, and determine when would be the best time to get the bedroom set....but I couldn't wait anymore when I lost my "sock drawer" one morning (it's really just a plastic Target bag that I kept my clean socks in) and I had to wear some kinda blah looking socks to work that didn't match my outfit as perfectly as I wanted.

So later that night, Mom and I went shopping at Darvin and found an awesome ebony wood set in the clearance section. So now my socks are happy to be out of the Target bag....and the bed is pretty gorgeous too :) Andrea

Fun with the Inlaws by Andrea

I've always found inlaw relationships fascinating. I've heard so many horror stories, but my mom has a great relationship with her mother-in-law, so I always assumed that would be the same for me when I got married someday. But mine is a much more complicated situation. Unfortunately, I don't have much in common with Dre's mom, so I've had a tough time bonding with her, even though she lives close by. However, Dre's dad lives in California with his wife and kids, and we all get along great! They're just awesome people, really easy to get along with. And my "California Mom" is the type of mother-in-law I've always dreamed of. We go shopping together, we can talk about current events, sports, music, movies, God, you name it. And we all have fun together going on road trips, hanging out at Six Flags, family dinners, backyard barbeques and all those wholesome family bonding activities. I just wish they didn't live so far away. :(

Dre, on the other hand, has the best Chicago in-laws ever! My parents love him to pieces, and we have a lot of fun together. We go to church and have Sunday brunch together every weekend, and every Tuesday we go to 1/2 price margarita night at Pepe's Mexican Restaurant. Some of our friends think we're so sweet to invite Mom and Dad to the party scene...but what they don't know is that my parents started the weekly tradition back when I was in Junior High. We're just following their lead. The same goes for our favorite bar/club downtown Chicago. We were so excited to be on the VIP guest list because we know the DJ, but found out my parents won the Bump contest at the same bar back in the 70s....and they were also friends with the DJ. Go figure. Andrea

On the wagon by Kelly

I finally got back on track working out. Only took me 6 months of complaining about being fat to finally get unfat. Ok well I haven't done it yet, but it will be done soon. I mean the getting unfat part. I am definitely working out probably close to a billion hours a week. With Cubs season being over I have tons of free time to go to the gym.

I know the main reason for the fatness is the 800 lbs. of whiskey I drink a week. So I decided to re-ditch that lovely habit. There was a reason I quit drinking for a year and a half. I tried to ignore it but that reason came back with a super vengeance and I am super back on the wagon again. It's on right? If I was off I would be drinking? Wasn't that a Seinfeld episode?

So I have lots of time to go to the gym and even more time to hang on the most comfy couch in the world. Jake pulled a couch out of the alley, super cleaned it, and put it in our living room. I've never sat on a more comfy couch. Once I sit, I'm done for the night. I wrap up in my lovely Snuggie (don't watch infomercials while drunk kids!!) and watch horrible reality TV all night. It's amazing. I am living a dream life right now.

I said super a lot in this blog I think. Kelly

Competitions by Kelly

I am in total shock.I was sure at the Celebration of Marriage thingy I was going to win the 2nd honeymoon. How dare they not pick my number? I can't believe it. You mean I will have to pay for it? With my own money?? They must think I am rich. I also must think I am rich if I am planning on going on a 2nd honeymoon after being married for only 6 months.

Although it would look a little suspicious if we would have won it. We were the ones selling the raffle tickets. We decided to have a contest. There wasn't any type of prize, I'm just into making everything competitions.

Jake sold like $1500 worth of raffle tix. I sold $500. I had to let him win. I took a break to go eat. While I was eating, I went to the buffet and made him a huge plate of food so he could have something to eat when he finished. I'm assuming in the time it took me to do all of this, I easily could have sold another $4000 worth of raffle tickets.

I just didn't feel like it. Kelly

Oh. Em. Gee. by Andrea

It's been a whole month already! Time really has flown...but literally since the moment we said "I do" people have been going nuts over us. "Oh, em, gee, you're married! Oh, em, gee, I'm so happy for you! Oh, em, gee, let me see the ring! Oh, em, gee!!!" Even when we try to hold conversations, they all seem to have trouble talking about anything other than us being married. It's such a blessing to know that we have support, but it's a bit overwhelming...and since we've been consumed with our wedding stuff since July, we really would like to know what's new with everyone else, ya know?

We've also been getting tons of questions...usually the same 5, so not much variety. And people usually ask the questions while wearing the biggest cheesiest grins, smiling incessantly. 1.) So...how's married life? 2.) So...how was the honeymoon? 3.) So....when can we see pictures? 4.) So... where are you living now? 5.) So....when's the baby coming? I think #5 is the hilarious. A baby?? Really?? Can't we spend some time alone first? We're planning for a couple years from now, but my friend Denise gave me a great answer to the baby question. If anyone asks when the baby is coming, just answer "9 months after we get pregnant." Genius. Andrea

New Name by Andrea

It's official.... I have a new last name. I went to the social security office (which smelled like alcoholics and stale cigarette smoke) and applied for a new card, then went to the DMV to get a new drivers license. I reeeeeally hoped they wouldn't make me take a new picture...my old one was pretty cute. I begged and pleaded, but apparently when you change your name, they assume your face changes too. So I guess I look "married" now. My hair was horrible, but my lovely Mexican suntan made the picture much nicer than I expected. Then I went to the bank to change my name in the system, and I kept forgetting how to sign my new last name. The banker told me that after 20+ years of marriage, her maiden signature still pops up on occasion and makes her wonder where the heck that came from. It's just something that takes some getting used to, and my fingers will need to be re-trained.

Speaking of new names.... since Andre and I have pretty much the same first name, and we both have wedding couple photos as our profile pictures, I realize that our Facebook accounts were almost identical. So I tried adding my middle initial to help distinguish the two, but some folks still were confused. So now I have my full first, middle and last name posted on Facebook. Good thing I like my middle name...because if it was Bertha or something ugly like that (my sincerest apologies to anyone named Bertha who might be reading this), I would just have to let our Facebook friends guess which Dre they're leaving messages for. It makes social networking more challenging and interesting, I think.

El Sol de Mexico by Andrea

Picture: Wedding band tans
Hola Amigos y Familia! We are back from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, tanned and happy. I'm not going to go into detail about all the honeymoon activities (I'm making Dre write that blog since he's been noticeably absent from all the engagement blogs LOL). But we had an AWESOME time! We decided that honeymoons are not just a nice little vacation for the newlyweds....no, the honeymoon is a mandatory requirement in order for the bride and groom to recover their sanity and apologize to each other for any mean streaks or otherwise unloving behavior during the wedding planning process. We NEEDED this vacation. It was a chance for us to talk about the ceremony and the reception...our thoughts, our feelings, what we think went well, and what we think could have been done better.

The overall conclusion was that we really wish we could go back and attend our own wedding as guests. We've been hearing all the buzz about how much fun everyone had, and that they really enjoyed the day....so we're kinda jealous that we couldn't just sit back and watch the show :)

But thanks to everyone for posting so many pictures on Facebook!! We didn't have our camera the whole day, so the paparazzi really came in handy. We are so blessed to have such an incredible support network...we both really felt the love in the room :)Andrea

Other people's weddings by Kelly

A week from Friday Jake and I will be going to my friend's wedding. I am super excited for it. It will only be my 2nd friend wedding that I am going to. I don't have a clue what is going on with work, I hope I can get out early enough to go to the actual wedding. I hate hate hate when people just go to the reception. It seems like they just want free food and drinks. I mean obviously if you have a legit reason, it's OK to just go to one. But if you are perfectly capable of going to the wedding, go. Although honestly, I don't have a clue who was at my wedding and who wasn't. Not a clue. I like watching people get married. It's nice. I usually cry at other people's weddings. I definitely didn't cry at my own. Whoops.

I also can't wait to wedding dress shop. OK, I can't wait to buy a new dress to wear to the wedding. I already have a wedding dress that I don't know what to do with. I was thinking about making it a habit to just wear it out on Saturday nights. Then I can pretend it is my wedding day all over again.

Unfortunately I work most Saturdays so customers might think my boss is a jerk for making me work on my wedding day. And repeat customers will wonder why I have so many husbands. Kelly

Relaxed by Kelly

That was perfect. Just spent two days at my aunt Laurie's house in Iowa. I can't get over how relaxed I am there. I walked in the door and instantly felt great. We didn't do anything too crazy. Ate dinner and then hung out and talked. Me, my mom, and my cousin went to garage and estate sales on Friday. I found my dream couch. Unfortunately you can't fit two leather couches inside of our corvette (or minivan). So my dream couches remain in Iowa.

Now I am back home. Actually I am back at work. We are having a fashion show here today. Only a few hours until a model "accidentally" is injured and I have to take her place. I am every modeling agents dream....short, chubby, and refuse to wear shoes other than converse and nikes. Kelly

Forks by Kelly

I think I have managed to do a pretty good job of convincing people that I am almost 28. I have a decent job, seem grown up enough. Unfortunately I am actually a 13 year old. I have a disgusting Twilight obsession. It keeps getting worse. It was really bad when I first read the books. I happened to be at Jake's place at the time in Tacoma. So I begged him to take me to Forks (where it takes place). Forks is only 3 hours away. No big deal. But he didn't. The obsession calmed down a bit.

Until about a month ago. I decided to read all of the books again. Then we went to Tacoma to surprise everyone a few weeks ago. One morning I woke up and asked Jake what we were doing. He looked at me like I was an idiot and said "going to Forks."

So off we went. The two of us plus his brother Troy and his girlfriend Ashlee. Troys girlfriend, not Jake's girlfriend. It was quite a long drive. When we were about a mile away a truck sent a boulder into Troys windshield. That wasn't cool.

I won't bore you with the details on how I geeked it out all day. But it was amazing. We went to Port Angeles, Forks, and La Push. La Push is a ridiculously nice beach. it was supposed to be about a 2 mile walk to the beach but we learned if you take some weird off the path trail (which was a tsunami evacuation route) it only took about 7 minutes.

So Jake is by far the best husband ever. He put up with that crap for an entire day. We left about 9am and got home about 10:30pm. He wasted an entire day of his vacation just to let me be the worlds biggest (almost) 28 year old nerd.

Did you notice all of the 28 year old business? 50 shopping days left til my bday! I like shoes. Size 8 in converse, 8.5 in Nikes. Neon. As neon as they come. Kelly

Iowa and birthday by Kelly

I have two days off in a row tomorrow and Friday. Am I going to spend the time hanging with my hubby? No way. He has to work anyway. I am going to one of my favorite places ever. Bettendorf, Iowa. Totally not kidding. I love it there. It's so relaxing. I feel like it gives me an excuse to go shopping and waste a ton of money. It'll be great.

Yesterday was Haylie the dog's 5th birthday. I forgot to wish her happy birthday. I bet she's so mad. Jake asked if he could buy her the new Halo game. I told him he better since the day before I had bought her 7 magazine subscriptions and 4 pairs of jeans. He's decided to just buy her a telescope.

I Need a Vacation by Kelly

I need a vacation. I can't get it out of my brain. I want to take a second honeymoon. You can do that at 6 months right? Normally people take vacations every 6 months...that's what I've heard. Heard...made up...same thing.

Hopefully in February we are going to Italy for one of my bridesmaids' wedding. Our original plan was to go to Italy, France, and London. If we are going to go on that long of a flight...might as well make it worth it. That gets insanely expensive though. But yesterday I decided I just want to go to Italy. then head off to somewhere tropical. Work won't let me take off for 2 big trips. So I'll just take one extra long trip. Actually work won't be happy with me taking off any time but that's ok. I will make it happen.

I just want to lay on a beach somewhere. Maybe I will make Jake move with me. To some lovely all inclusive place. Maybe we can own a place. OK good, new life goal.

Also congrats Drea and Dre!! Now hopefully we can all do karaoke soon. Kelly

On the altar

On the altar at Sacred Heart

And she didn't wear a veil!

The Senegals

Waterworks by Andrea

So Wednesday officially starts my vacation....and the last week or so at work has been way more stressful than usual, so I'm more than ready to be gone for 2 weeks.

On 9/9/09 in the middle of another crazy day at the office, I got an unexpected delivery. Dre sent me a gorgeous bouquet of colorful mixed flowers with a note that said "To my wife to be. This is to make the rest of your days at work a little more enjoyable." I cried. And then my coworker asked how I would make it through the wedding if a bouquet of flowers makes me cry.

Honestly, I think I'll be crying a lot on the big day....too much happy emotion flowing at once. Good thing I'm investing in some quality waterproof mascara. Andrea

My Brain Is Mush by Andrea

For some reason I can't seem to be able to retain information anymore. If its not written down, chances are, I'll forget completely within the hour. And sometimes even if it is written down, I'll forget where I put the Post-It note. I don't think I've ever been this stressed for this length of time...and I've never had so many things on my to-do list at one time. Even besides all the wedding stuff, I've got several major projects that I'm working on at the office, and one of my coworkers is out on vacation so I'm picking up her project list too. Far too much for one brain to hold. I wonder if stress causes permanent memory loss?? I'm really hoping this is all temporary and that perhaps this is just my mind's defense mechanism preventing it from exploding from the information overload. Honestly, I'm surprised I remembered to blog about it....Andrea

What we're looking forward to by Andrea

“What is the one thing you are most looking forward to?”

I’ve been thinking about that a lot over the last few weeks. There’s so much to do, and plan, and consider for wedding day…I really just want to be done with all this logistical stuff and get to the party. But the wedding is day one of the rest of our lives together, and I can honestly say that I’m mostly looking forward to just being with my husband. Dinner for two by candlelight, watching movies, grocery shopping together, watching HGTV and Food Network on Saturday mornings, going to Mass on Sundays, playing video games together (or me watching Dre play video games)...you know, all the stuff we already do, but as an official little family of two.

When I asked Dre, he told me the number one thing he’s looking forward to is me having his last name. His grandma actually told me that same thing last week; that Dre is excited about the last name. Their family is pretty small, and with various marriages and remarriages and whatnot, there are very few people left with the family name.

So eventually when we’re ready to add to our little family of two, we’ll be starting our own branch of the family tree and carrying on the last name. Now that’s really something to look forward to and get excited about! Andrea

Bridal Shower by Andrea

My friends are awesome. Last Sunday, Parian and Steph planned and hosted the most beautifully fabulous bridal shower a girl could ask for. We had good wine, good food, and good…no, GREAT company. The only questionable element was the “hideously fantastic” veil they forced me to wear. It had a giant cardboard diamond ring perched on the top of a fuzzy silver headband, with that obnoxious fishnet stuff flowing down the back….(wait, it gets worse) to which my crafty little friends attached several fall-colored maple leaves to enhance the theme of the wedding. Yikes and a half.

But despite the insanely ugly headgear (which will become the new tradition at all future bridal showers), the shower was a true blessing. I literally felt the “shower” of love from all the wonderful women who love me and are part of my support system. Four of Dre’s co-workers came, and even though I’m sure they like me, their presence on Sunday was really a testament to their affection for and support of Dre.

Overall, I really don’t have words to describe the love I felt… I just hope I don’t cry again on the wedding day! :) Andrea

Advice to couples married 50 years by Kelly

Tomorrow is the Golden Wedding celebration. It's for couples who have been married 50 years. I think that Jake and I will renew our vows. It has been over 4 months already. I am probably an expert in marriage. I bet all of the couples who have been married 50 years will ask me for advice on marriage.

My job is to make sure no families hang out in the church. Its for jubilarians only (someone fix the spelling on that). I get to kick people out. It's probably one of my favorite things to do.

Afterwards we will all go out to eat and I will have to break my diet and eat a ton of pasta. I also decided to break my diet today because I have to work 19 hours today. I will probably break it on Monday because it is Monday. I am so fat and lazy. I am in a wedding in February which is in Italy. I should maybe get skinny for that. Probably won't. Oh well. Kelly

Reunion by Kelly

Tomorrow we are having my grade school reunion. Normal schools would have this every 10 years. Well, we forgot so we are having a 13 year reunion. I am really excited. I had hoped to lose 10 lbs but since I put no effort whatsoever into that, it didn't happen. I still think I see quite a few people I went to grade school with but it will still be fun.

I just want to show off Jake. I probably wouldn't even go if he wasn't going to go with. He is hot and everyone always loves him. I am usually lacking a personality so that is his job.

He will probably get real jealous since me and my friend Mike never technically broke up after we dated for a week my freshman year of high school. Ok, I guess we didn't date for a week, I guess we have been dating for almost 9 years.

Note: Text from Kelly on her way to the reunion to her mother: Are you still up and how do you feel about giving us a ride ? No bus..no cab. Next text a few minutes later: Phew. Found a cab, Mom doesn't have to drive us to a reunion. Kelly

The Battle of the Veil by Andrea

Ok, so I don't like veils. I never have, and I doubt I ever will. They might work for someone else, but not for this bride. Sorry, all you traditionalists out there....but I really really hate veils. My feelings are quite opposite of my mom's, but dad assured me that there is no official church rule/regulation that says I'm required to wear one. So with the house divided, I'm sure you can imagine the frustration on all sides. And thus began Battle Veil.

Fight 1: Choosing my dress. Once I found "the" dress, the sales lady brought some silly fishnet with a comb on it (aka veil) and stuck it in my hair, which in my opinion ruined the whole look of the dress. Mom was tickled pink, and started looking through all the $150 fishnet-comb thingies trying to get ideas. I told her then that I don't like veils. She must have thought I was talking about just THOSE veils. Mom:1, Drea:0

Fight 2: Picking up my dress. When my dress finally arrived, I went to the salon to try it on, and I was thrilled that it fit perfectly with no alterations needed. I truly felt like a rock star princess in my gown......until that darn sales lady showed up again with that stupid veil. I politely asked her to take it back from wherever she got it, because I wouldn't be wearing one. Mom tried and tried, but couldn't convince me that wearing a fishnet on my head would be elegant. Mom:1, Drea:1

Fight 3: Bringing my dress home. When I came home from the salon with my gown in the garment bag, I was greeted with smiles and hugs from my dad and grandma. Since mom beat me home, she had time to brainwash dad and grandma into agreeing with her about the veil. So then I had all three of them telling me how it's tradition, and how a veil distinguishes a bridal gown from a prom dress, etc. I was cornered. Mom:2, Drea:1

Fight 4: The final showdown on the way to the caterer. Mom and I went to the caterer's office to finalize our details for the reception. On the car ride there, mom said she called her coworker's mom (who happens to be a seamstress) and arranged for her to make a custom veil for me. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. I told her that I hate veils, and if this lady was going to make one for me, she might as well embroider "Mom, this one's for you!" on the back so everyone knows that I was forced to wear a fishnet on my head against my will. (In retrospect, that was kinda mean...and I apologized later.) Mom was thoroughly offended, and tried to guilt trip me by saying she only wanted me to be happy and didn't know the veil repulsed me so.

After the big blow up, we discussed the root of the veil drama. I explained that the veil would ruin my hairstyle, and it isn't the look I want for my wedding. Mom explained that it was disrespectful to have my shoulders out in church, and the veil was supposed to give some modesty to my strapless dress. So I suggested that if we could find some sort of shawl/shrug/jacket to cover my shoulders, it would be the perfect compromise. Final score....Mom:2, Drea:2. It's a tie! Finding some middle ground made us both feel like winners, and we're both glad the other is happy. :) Andrea

Getting Married Makes You Fat by Kelly

Getting married makes you fat! I came to this conclusion about 30 seconds ago and decided it must be blogged. I have gained 15 lbs. since Jake and I got engaged. So maybe being engaged makes you fat too. I lost most of the weight right before the wedding. But then gained 7 lbs. on our honeymoon. How is that even possible? We were only gone 7 nights. There is a slight chance it had something to do with the ridiculous amount of food and drinks we consumed. I am a fan of all-inclusive resorts.

We are home now though. There really is no other reason that I am so fat other than I am now very lazy. I work a million hours a week and eat like crap. I feel like I don't have something hanging over my head anymore to keep me skinny. Like, I don't have to fit into a certain dress, so why lose weight?

I don't like this way of thinking. Soon I will have to be fork lifted out of the house if I don't cut this crap out. Today is day #1 of the diet. Ok, diets don't work. A commercial told me that. So today is the start of crazily working out.

I need to stay super pretty if I want to keep a husband! Good thing I'm so conceited.

Oh no. Just remembered we are going out for sushi tonight. Maybe it will start tomorrow.............Kelly

Hellllllooooo remember me? by Kelly

Oh hey, how are you doing? I may or may not have forgotten my wifely duties of writing blogs. Let's see, what is going on in married life? I'm still married. That's a plus. I wasn't sure we were going to survive the basement remodel but things are looking much better. The thing still isn't done. Maybe by the time we have grandkids it may be done (because of course we will still be in the basement. It looks amazing though. We got a 58 inch tv and a ps3. So shockingly sometimes Jake is distracted and plays video games instead of working. But that's ok with me. Sometimes I sleep instead of working. It evens out.

We had our second reception in Tacoma. It was so nice. I'm so happy we were able to have another reception for everyone who couldn't travel. I will post some pics when I get some pics. (The one posted is Jake's dad having a good time...)

I'm pretty sure we are going to go somewhere for our six month anniversary. I don't care at all about anniversarys but we just want to go on vacation. I want to go back to Mexico. I can't go anywhere until the end of the Cubs season though. Oh well. Kelly

Life is Fragile by Andrea

Sigh.... I'm often shielded from the harsh realities of working in a hospital because I'm in the marketing department and I rarely interact directly with patients. But today I got a reality check when I called a nurse to see how one of the pediatric patients was doing (he had a very serious heart condition and we were planning to feature his story in our magazine and the annual report for the kid's hospital). She told me "the patient expired" and I could feel my heart break. I can't imagine what the parents must be going through...

Dre and I have already discussed how many kids we want, picked our kids' names, and all that good stuff.... I love my kids already and they're not even here yet. I don't even want to think about the prospect of having a child who isn't healthy. All the surgeries, the testing, the medications, etc., It's all so scary. Or what if we have trouble getting pregnant?? That's a huge issue right now with a lot of couples I know, and I feel so bad not being able to help in any way. So just like that family who lost their son, and my friends who are waiting for their little ones to arrive, all we can do is pray....let go, and let God. Andrea

"The Hiiiiiiiiiiills are Aliiiive...with the Sound of Muuuuuusic" by Andrea

Sorry... I've been in a strange musical theater mood today. Anyway, last night Dre and I had a meeting with the music director at our church to discuss the wedding music program. I was so excited to finally get something solid on paper versus the half-baked ideas floating around in my head. Dre, on the other hand, was a little less engaged in the process, and eventually uttered the man-phrase "Whatever you want, sweetie." which roughly translates to "I really don't care because [insert girly wedding related activity] is of little or no interest to me and my manly lack of detail orientation, so please just pick something that makes you happy so we can leave and get some [insert food/drink]." This same man-phrase was also used when we looked at flowers a few months ago. I'm not offended by it though...Dre tends to be quite agreeable unless he absolutely hates something. So I'd rather get the official green light to pick whatever I want, rather than pick a bunch of stuff and find out later that he hates it all.

Overall, I think the meeting was very productive, and we can both envision our big day a little more clearly. Music is such a huge part of the mass at our church, so hopefully all our guests will get a little taste of the musical flavor we enjoy every Sunday. Guaranteed good times :)
Andrea

Sunny California by Andrea

Ahhh....Southern California! 15 days of perfect weather in the upper 70s everyday, sunshine and the promise of coming back to Chicago with a nice sunkissed glow. Oh wait. That was last year's trip to Cali. This year, my trip to LA was cut in half so I can save up my vacation days for the wedding and honeymoon.

Of the 7 days I spent there, only 1 was actually warm and sunny. The other 6 days were cool and cloudy just like the crappy weather I left back home in Chicago. Dre stayed for another week to spend more time with his family and be with his dad for Father's Day. The day after I got home, Chicago was under water in a random Midwestern hurricane, and the sun finally decided to come out in LA.

I tried not to be bitter about it, but when I'm cold, wet and miserable in Chicago and Dre is out West enjoying the sun, I can't help being a bit annoyed/disappointed. But Dre gave me some encouragement. He told me that the Cali trip was not meant to be the highlight of the year... and there would be plenty of sunny weather for our wedding. He's so sweet :) Andrea

It Takes a Village by Andrea

With the divorce rate being at 50% in the US, it's a bit discouraging for young couples starting their new lives together with all the hope in the world that it will last forever. Even with the great examples I have in my family of successful lifelong marriages, I had some eye-opening conversations with 4 friends in the last couple months... 2 are getting divorced, and the other 2 called off their engagements.

Obviously I'm doing everything I can to be a good friend to everyone, and be there for them if they need support. But to be perfectly honest, it's a bit scary to have these conversations while I'm planning our wedding. Sometimes I think, if they couldn't make it, what makes me so special? So I guess this is where "the rubber meets the road" so to speak...when we say "I do" and promise to keep God in the center of our marriage, I'm praying that He will give us the strength to hold on during the tough times. And when even that doesn't seem to be enough, we've gotta trust that God will keep our support network close to us to push us forward when we've run out of energy. We can't do this alone. As my parents have always said about raising kids AND sustaining a healthy marriage, "It takes a village..." Andrea

Sick by Kelly

So I'm sick for the first time since we got married. I never get sick. I imagined when I did that Jake would be there to wait on me and do whatever I wanted and just hang out while I puke and keep me company. Hang on, I mean keep me company after I puke, not during the puking part.

I think I got food poisoning. Not sure but I don't know what else it could be. I'm not pregnant. Stop thinking that. It's not possible right now. So I was kind of looking forward to being able to hang out with him. Weird, I know.

It didn't happen. At all. He is working far too hard on the remodel. He works from 9 AM-3 AM every day down there. He is getting a ton done which is amazing. It's coming along much faster than I thought it would. So I didn't get to hang out with him at all. I don't blame him. I felt awful and had puke breath. I didn't want to hang out with me either. Kelly

Dre Just Loves Me for my Sketti by Andrea

I like to cook. My menu is pretty short, but the few things I can make are pretty darn tasty. So far, it appears that spaghetti is my specialty. I know, it seems simple, but I try to make my meat sauce from scratch and it takes some serious skill and patience to get the flavor just right. So I came home from work and browned and seasoned the ground turkey, sautéed the onions, green peppers and garlic in olive oil, and boiled the whole wheat pasta. By the time Dre arrived, the garlic bread was in the oven, and the whole house smelled like the kitchen at Balagio's Italian Ristorante across the street...yummm :)

Dre just smiled and said "I don't care what advice anyone gives you on Facebook about using canned tomatoes vs. fresh ones. Do EXACTLY what you did the next time you make it. I liked it just the way you made it." I asked him what he liked about it, and he said ,"Everything." I asked him to be more specific; was it the meat sauce or the pasta? He said, "Everything." So apparently I'm a culinary genius in my man's eyes. I really think Dre just liked the "sauce" since it was mostly meat. Typical guy. But I must admit it was really good. Even the leftovers were mouthwatering. I think I really outdid myself this time....let's just hope it tastes that great the next time I make it! Andrea

Newlywed dilemnas by Kelly

It's remodel the parents' basement time. That's our big project. It's going to be amazing. It will be like living in someone else's basement! I have to give Jake little incentives to keep him working hard. Such as, he isn't allowed to buy his 73 inch TV until the front room is done. He isn't allowed to buy the 50 inch TV for the bedroom until the bedroom is done. And he just isn't allowed to get a surround sound system and a PS3 until we come up with a lot more money.

Actually we went on a date to ABT last night and realized a 73 inch TV is a waste of money. We will have to survive with a 58 inch. Kelly

Our wedding by Kelly

So this is the part where I tell you about how I finally got nervous somewhere around the wedding. I didn't. I never once was even a little bit nervous. So now I don't believe anyone in the world who says you get nervous before weddings. I did manage to randomly lose weight like two days before. Unfortunately one week in Mexico brought the weight plus some back. I have to stay super skinny for awhile because we have reception part 2 in Tacoma in two months.

Anyway the wedding went perfectly. We opted to get some extra exercises in and walked a random lap around the church mid-wedding. It's too long of a story. Just pay attention to your priest or deacon during the rehearsal so you don't try to leave before the wedding is even over. Kelly

New wheeels by Andrea

So, my car died last week. It's a 2000 VW Jetta with 143,000 miles and needs Botox to help with some cosmetic issues. But despite the dents and dings, this car was AWESOME. Leather heated seats, 6 disc CD changer, moon roof, cool blue and red interior dash lights, premium sound, 1.8L Turbo engine....just awesome. But as it turns out, every car needs a functioning alternator. Go figure.

So now it's sitting in my parents' driveway, dead as a doornail. I still owe money on the car loan (that's what happens when you work at the mall and only pay the minimum) so I'm hoping to sell it to someone who has the ambition/skill to fix it up. There are plenty of people on Craigslist who would buy it...I hope.

So with the passing of the Jetta, I grieved for a bit, but quickly got over it when I realized this is the perfect opportunity for me to get something new. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage....and that baby carriage was never going to fit in the Jetta. So I knew that my next vehicle needed to have some decent cargo space to accommodate our future kids and all their stuff. Also, I try my best to be eco-conscious, so a Hybrid car/truck was pretty high on my list of priorities.

After lots of research and side-by-side comparisons online, I decided several months ago that I wanted a Ford Escape Hybrid. I found a used 2008 model on Vehix.com for a pretty good deal, and decided to buy it last Friday. It's amazing how a new set of wheels can change your attitude...I'm suddenly obsessed with gas mileage and watching the Hybrid Battery gauges to make sure I'm at optimum performance (which means no more zipping around with my 1.8L Turbo). I don't feel invisible anymore...the Jetta was so small that other drivers would often not see me and change lanes while I'm still in it. I swear it has a "Batman stealth" button that I accidently pushed on several occasions. It's nice to sit up high, to see and be seen. So R.I.P. Jetta, you served me well for 5 years...but spring is a time for change and new life in the Escape. Yay! Andrea

Six days ago by Kelly

Saturday, April 18

Yikes by Kelly

It's a little after midnight. So technically I am getting married tomorrow. I can't wrap my brain around that. We've had some out of town guests since Tuesday. Currently only Jake's brother and his brother's girlfriend are here. I like it that way. We don't have a big enough house for six people.

Last night we had 10 people sleeping here (that's including my parents). Yesterday was the bachelor/ette party. It was amazing. I've heard rumors that I was there.

So I am getting married tomorrow. TOMORROW. That means today is my last day as a Hagerty. My mom spent a lot of this afternoon crying. The only time I've almost cried is when I watched Father of the Bride. I am just rambling.

Tomorrow I am getting up early to go get my nails done. I guess technically that is happening today. I have to be in bed by 10 tomorrow. My hair girl is coming at 5:30 AM. Yikes. Kelly

Dre's "Nothing Box" by Andrea

I know, I know... men are from Mars, women are from Venus. I've read "Theology of the Body" and I understand the differences between us. But men always manage to find new ways to baffle me. Last weekend, Dre spent two whole days playing the same video game. I just can't understand how he can run around shooting things in a virtual world for almost 36 hours. But after church on Easter Sunday, Dad showed me this video that explained EVERYTHING: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuMZ73mT5zM So now I see that Dre was in his "Nothing Box" for those two days, ignoring everything else around him so he could have his chill time. I'm not too much of a nag, but this "Nothing Box" will eventually turn me into one. Apparently there's nothing I can do to destroy it, so my goal is to shrink the size of the "Nothing Box" to keep him from spending so much time in there. No, I don't have an actual game plan in mind just yet, but I'm still determined to pry him away from the Playstation and make him clean the bathroom sometime before the wedding. Wish me luck! Andrea

What a cruel world by Kelly

It seems my mother is mad at me. I'm not sure why she said I can't blog anymore. And I'm not sure why she posted pictures of me looking very fat. And I'm not sure who is holding scissors cutting the ribbon*. My nails are sparkly red so that's not me. I guess I'm being punished for dying my hair black again and not blogging everyday like she tells me.

At least it's good to know that I don't currently photograph well. I still have a few days left to starve myself. I'm not sure how many days. Maybe like 5 or 6. Tomorrow is my bachelorette party. I think I'm going to end up showing up very late to it. I didn't want to have to take off work. The party is at my work at 6 PM. But I probably have to work until like 8. There is live band karaokee that starts at 10. Anyone that lets me get up there and sing will be immediately uninvited from the wedding.

I'm still not stressed. I still don't realize it's a few days away. Once that last shift on Wednesday is done I will probably have a heart attack. Kelly

*Editor's note: Kelly's aunt Kathy's hand is seen cutting the ribbon on a gift so Kelly will break the ribbon when she opens it (She didn't.). There is an old tradition that each ribbon broken on a shower gift means a baby for the bride. Presumably someone will let Kelly know soon if that is the way babies are made.

4 Days to Go for Kelly

Kelly can no longer blog so here are pictures from her shower.

10 Days to Go by Kelly

Only 10 days to go. Soon we will be in the single digits. I don't think I am freaking out yet. I've decided that I don't have time to freak out. I'm too busy. I'm assuming Friday night while I am trying to go to bed I will start. I mean a week from Friday. There is no reason for me to freak out this Friday.

So in the past week I've had a hair and makeup trial. They both looked awesome. Unfortunately, since I tried to take the black out of my hair, it looks like I am wearing one of those disgusting hair pieces. Like the cheap kind you can buy at claires. The top half of my hair is totally brown and the bottom is blacker than I realized. So looks like I'm going back to completely black hair this week (sorry mom). I can't afford for them to strip all of the black out right now anyway. No time.

Today I guess is a sort of day off work. I don't have to be in until 3 for some meetings. It is currently 8am and I have been up for an hour and a half already. What is that about? I was going to sleep in today. Thank God Target is open. Kelly

New Hotel by Andrea

We've decided that it makes more sense to have our guests stay at a hotel closer to where we live vs. staying close to the church which is 30 minutes away. The only activity happening near the church is on wedding day...all the other fun is in our hometown. So we found out that a brand new hotel is being built 5 minutes from my parents' house, and it's close to the highway too.

I spoke to the sales manager a few weeks ago, and he sounded VERY enthusiastic about giving us a tour sometime in the first week of April when the construction was scheduled to be complete. Today I called him to see if he was available to show us the rooms, and now he's saying they won't have their certificate of occupancy for another 2 weeks...so unless we want to wear hard hats and sign accident waivers, we have to wait until April 20th.

I'm a little nervous because we have lots of out of towners who will need to start making travel arrangements soon, and the hotel doesn't even have a paved parking lot. I'm trusting that this is just a minor delay, and that the hotel will be open by the end of the month, and all the issues will be worked out before September. Cuz we don't have enough space (or sleeping bags) for our guests to sleep on our living room floor. Andrea

Shower non-worries by Kelly

So you'll be surprised to hear the shower went perfectly. I mean obviously it would go well, but I got over my present opening fear. It wasn't awkward at all. In fact, it felt completely normal. I think there should be more parties like that. Anyone else want to throw me a shower?

Since the shower I've had to work every single day. Haven't had a day off in ten days. Well today is technically a day off but I still have to go in for a meeting. That's fine though. I need the money.

Plus, it's distracting. The normally non-stressed bride-to-be is starting to have mini panic attacks. I have to completely turn off my brain.

We only have 18 days to go. 13 days until Cubs season starts. This is going to be a crazy month. Kelly

Shower worries by Kelly

For as much as I want attention, I sure hate to be the center of attention. Just the thought of people sitting around looking at me sends me in to panic mode. One of the worst things in the world is watching people open presents. Ok, one of the worst things in the world is when people watch me open presents. I feel so awkward. Because even if I genuinely love the present, my smile and thank you comes out so phoney. I am just an awkward person.

I went to my cousin Ashley,s bridal shower last Sunday. It was great. I haven't been to a shower in quite some time so I wasn't sure what to expect. I thought it would be a good trial so I could know how to act when it is my turn. Well all it did was make me even more worried! I don't think she could have been more gracious while opening gifts. Her thank yous sounded so sincere and the smile seemed real.

My shower is Saturday. I am so excited/terrified for it. I hope people don't get offended by the ridiculously awkward faces I know I'm going to be making. I will also use the phrase "Oh yay!!!" way too many times.

How did she do it?? I wonder if inside she was terrified. Or maybe she practiced. I spent years in front of a mirror perfecting my smile. I probably should have practiced gift opening etiquette. Kelly

Too simple? by Andrea

Is there such a thing as being "too simple" when it comes to a wedding?

I'm really pleased with the way things are going with our planning...but I almost feel like I'm oversimplifying everything. I've always had a fear of becoming a Bridezilla, so I think I tried to combat that by making things super simple. I apply that same logic to my personality too. I never wanted to be perceived as a high-maintenance chick, so I end up wearing little to no makeup, ponytails with a super quick 15 minute morning routine. I do clean up nicely when I do decide to put the effot in, but that's only for special occasions or if I happen to feel motivated in the morning after my 5 minute shower!

I like that there's very little stress involved in this wedding, but I sometimes wonder if it wouldn't hurt to have just a few more details added in for fun. But then again, I've never heard of a bride looking back on her wedding and think "Gee, if I could do it all over again, I would have been a high-maintenance Bridezilla." Usually I hear about the psycho brides going back and apologizing to the bridal party for the insanity, just trying to salvage their friendships. So now I'm actually a little bit bored. Everything is so low key, and we started planning so far in advance, that now we're way ahead of the game and I've got nothing to do. Everyone keeps telling me to enjoy the down time, but I'd rather be busy than bored....it helps the time pass faster. And like I mentioned in a previous blog post, I'm ready for cake NOW. Andrea

STDs by Andrea

I've had these STDs for almost a month(That stands for Save The Date....geez, get your mind outta the gutter!) but needed to figure out how we would mail them out. So last weekend my friends and I decided to do a little arts & crafts project...we bought blank notecards and envelopes, rubber stamps and ink, and fancy pens.

I'm sure we could have found some pre-decorated cards, and even pre-printed the inside wording to save tons of time and effort. But hand stamping and writing out each card by hand really gave us all a sense of pride with the project...and it was some much needed bonding time for me and my girls. The guys kept themselves occupied with Street Fighter IV and pizza while us girls developed carpal tunnel syndrome. But the pain was well worth the final result.

Some ended up in the "jankie" pile...those will go out to the people who won't care about questionable handwriting, or will find the mistakes "artsy and charming." So if you happen to be one of the people who gets a jankie STD from us, please know that it was given to you with love. :)Andrea

One month and one week by Kelly

I'm getting very excited. We are down to about a month and a week before the wedding. Everyone says during that last month you loose a ton of weight because you are so stressed. So maybe I can spend the next month loading up on carbs because I will lose it all anyway. Yeah, I'm not going to risk that.

My bridal shower is next week. I'm pretty excited for that too. Not even because I get presents. I'm excited because my aunts are nice enough to throw a party just for me (and Jake but he won't be there because no boys allowed!) It's like the start of the wedding month. I can't really describe why I'm excited. It's just something to look forward to. Then when it's done, I can go back to non-stop stressing.

I'm not even sure what I'm stressing about.

While I was on Target.com yesterday I searched for the word pink. Then I registered for most things that popped up. Jake is going to be so excited to have an entirely pink house. Kelly

Mail and throwing up (in a good way) by Kelly

I love getting mail. It's so much fun. I don't even mind getting bills. Not saying I like having to pay the bills, but opening the envelope is fun. I am easily amused. I just like opening mail.

We just sent out our invitations so all of the response cards have been pouring in. Or trickling in rather. But it's super exciting to be getting all of this mail.

Aaaaand now we are getting presents in the mail!! That is super fun. Jake told me to wait to open them. I told Jake no. My shower is in about two and a half weeks so I think some of the gifts are shower gifts, not wedding gifts. So those are safe to open, right?

Now I am in Seattle for a week (we came here to surprise Jake's brother) and I can't get mail for an entire week. I might go crazy.

Sometimes I think "Oh my gosh, I am getting married next month!!" Then I get so nervous I almost throw up. In a good way. Kelly

Too blessed to be stressed! By Andrea

Dre is always relaxed. Always. I've been worried about credit card bills, student loans, and car notes and a tanking economy while trying to plan a wedding...it just seemed like an overwhelming amount of stuff to have to pay for and it was stressing me out. Dre kept telling me to chill and trust that everything would work itself out. But even though I tried to be calm I just couldn't get past the feeling of uncertainty. So when tax season rolled around, I started gathering everything I could think of that could get me some extra deductions. Dre filed my taxes, and I was very pleasantly surprised to hear that new homebuyers get an extra refund! Who knew?? (Ok, I'm sure plenty of people knew about it, but I didn't.) So I used the extra money to pay off the stuff I've been stressing about and Dre is just sitting here all cool and relaxed saying, "See? I told you not to worry about it." My great uncle, Archbishop James P. Lyke, once told my dad that you can't worry and pray at the same time. So I guess while I was busy trying to balance the prayer and stress, Dre was "too blessed to be stressed." Andrea

Seven weeks from the wedding by Kelly

This is what my mom's kitchen table looks like. Kelly

More Wedding Drama by Kelly

This wedding drama never ends. I decided I wanted to add more items to my Macy's registry. So I was having trouble trying to log in and I decided to just search for our registry. Nothing comes up if you search for my name. So I guess I don't exist. I decided to check under Jake's name....and I found two entries. There are two Jake Wambolds, and two Kelly Hagertys!!! And one is getting married on 11-11-09. Which I know I don't even have to bother telling you that's my birthday. I know everyone knows.

Now I know some people out there might be thinking that it is just a typo. Who gets married on a Wednesday? But I know the truth. That other Kelly Hagerty is me. I am just in another dimension. The other Kelly Hagerty lives in the world where everything, in fact, does revolve around my birthday. How nice. Kelly

Update from Jake!

First off I would like to apologize to all the readers out there. It’s been quite some time since I graced this lovely website with some Jake Gospel. It’s hard to use the computer when Kelly is always hoggin and bloggin. So on with the show.

It’s almost wedding time and it has arrived very, very fast. We had like 8 months just yesterday it seems. And weddings are expensive! So to all those out there getting married and you think you have tons of time, YOU DON’T! Get what you need done right away. It will just save you a headache later.

Kelly and I did a pretty good job I think when it came to getting stuff done asap. Well I say we but it’s probably like 70/30 me to her. She’s done a little work but very important things so it evens out. I kid; she has been amazing and working so hard. And my beautiful future mother–in-law has been handing writing every single invitation. That’s like 4,000 envelopes. I had no idea the nuns back in the day
turned her into a professional calligrapher. She has been working so hard and I want to say thank you to her.

So to recap hurry and get what you need done done before it's too late, save your money, be nice to your future mother-in-law, and don’t drink her last Diet Coke...ever! Jake

Dana's second wedding by Kelly

The daytime is so boring. I only have to work at night so I sit around all day dreading about how I have to be at work. Today I get to go in at 2 and am excited.

While working a seminar last night about home buying, I wrote down all of the money we've spent so far on the wedding, and all of the money we still have to spend. I almost died. We still owe like 4 billion dollars. Four billion is a lot to come up with in two months (how is it already two months away?).

It's not like we are having an expensive wedding either. I'd like to say I researched for hours about all of the cheapest places to have the wedding at, and the cheapest flowers, djs, everything....but I didn't. My friend did. Dana got married about a year and a half ago. So she gave me all of her info. She managed to have a beautiful wedding for not a lot of money for 400 people.

So lucky Dana, she gets to have two weddings. She will have to be a spectator for the second one though. Kelly

Jake and Erica by Kelly

Registering last week was a lot of fun. Jake had Monday off so we took advantage of it and went to Crate and Barrel and Macy's (it's under Hagerty or Wambold if you want to buy us things).

I got an email from the woman that helped us at Macy's. It read "Dear Jacob and Erica, I really had a good time working with you on Saturday."

What am I supposed to do with this? Apparently two days before he registered with me, he went to Macy's and registered with what I can only imagine to be his other fiancee Erica.

How weird that the same lady helped both Jake and me, and Jake and Erica. Kelly

Flower girl by Kelly

Here is Grace who has been in 342 weddings.

Flower girls by Kelly

Finding a wedding dress was fun. Finding flower girl dresses was much more fun. Actually finding them wasn't fun, giving the girls the dresses was fun. I have two flower girls. We don't have anyone that can be a ring bearer in either of our families. So we are having two flower girls.

Grace is 8. She has been a flower girl in about 342 weddings. So I know she will be a pro. Annie is.....3 or 4, I can't remember (see picture. Grace's will be posted tomorrow). She was so excited when we brought the dress over. She explained to me that she is a flower girl in a wedding, and gets to walk down the aisle, and gets to hold flowers!!!!!!! Her mom told her she would be beautiful but not as beautiful as the bride. She then said, "What's a bride???"

I didn't ask Grace to be a flowergirl until yesterday because I haven't seen her in months. She couldn't have been happier (or at least is a good actress). I gave her her dress as a birthday present. She instantly tried it on and I don't think she was too happy when she had to take it off.

I saw ruby red slippers at Target and decided that if the little girls want to wear shoes like mine, that would be cute. If they don't, That's cute too. Kelly

FOCCUS by Kelly

We finally took the FOCCUS. About two weeks ago we were with the deacon just doing a pre wedding checkup and asked how we go about doing the FOCCUS. He said, "Want to do it now?" So we took it.

He left us in the room together which made me think that Jake would try to cheat off of mine. I was tempted to cover my answers with a piece of paper. He should have been the one covering his answers because I definitely looked at his paper. Not to see the answers, but so I could see how far he had gotten. I am a very fast reader so obviously I was a little ahead of him. It's not like it was a contest to see who get done faster (I was done much faster).

Well apparently I should have taken a little more time to read the questions carefully. My brain forgot to work a little and I answered ridiculous questions with ridiculous answers. Apparently I said that Jake and I don't agree on proper party behavior. I think we need to get invited to parties in order to find out what proper party behavior is. Kelly

Ready for the Party by Andrea

Everyone keeps telling us to "enjoy the moment" and "savor all the little details" while planning our wedding. But for some reason we just see this as the biggest most expensive party we'll ever have...and we're ready for the cake and dancing. I know I only get to do this once. I know I should be taking mental (and digital) pictures of everything to capture the experience. I know I should be taking full advantage of all the bridal events and promotions because I'll only get to be a bride one time. But when I think about it, I really just want cake. I'm not excited about the flowers, the makeup and the dress. Well, I am...but that's just the celebration for one day...I'm really excited about married life!

I'm looking forward to all the fun we'll have when we're married. Cooking dinner together, staying up late watching movies in our pajamas, you know...all that cute fun couple stuff that we do already, except we won't be two single people; we'll be a family of two. That's the important part. The wedding isn't the goal, it's just a big party to kick off our new lives with a bang. So anyway, I think my point was that I want cake now and September is a long time to wait for baked goods. Andrea

Weddings are too expensive by Kelly

Weddings are too expensive. I am having a very cheap wedding and it's still too expensive. I used to be very against having a dj. I figured I would use an ipod. Then I realized that was a very dumb idea. How would we be able to time what songs get played when? And I don't want to have to create a playlist. That's no fun. So we hired a dj.

I went to go look at flowers last Sunday. I didn't think to check to see if they were open though. I guess you need to make appointments to look at flowers. Who knew?? So hopefully I can take care of that this week.

I bought our invitations. I highly suggest getting your invites through PaperFavors by Kim. It's an Ebay store. She is incredible. And definitely not a lot of money. Like it's so cheap it's insane. Cheap in a good way of course. Not cheap like tacky. Kelly

Progress by Kelly

I woke up way earlier today than normal. I woke up around 11 AM (I don't go to bed until about 4 AM so I am allowed to sleep late). I debated on going to Target for no other reason than wandering around because I was bored. Instead I came upstairs and my mom and I worked on wedding details for about four hours. I feel much better now. I think we got a ton done. Originally I had said all of our single friends could bring a date. After realizing our guest list is already at 350 I decided noooooo way. Single people can meet other single people. So no guests for the single people. Sorry. For the record, there is no way all 350 people will show up. Jake's parents are throwing us a reception in Tacoma so I am inviting all of the people that are going to that one to Chicago also. Now it is 5:30 PM and I'm once again bored. I think I will now go to Target. Kelly

Withdrawals by Andrea

For Christmas, my grandma got me the coolest coffee/tea/hot cocoa machine EVER. It's one of those uber modern single-cup brewers with a menagerie of flavor options that come in these cool little pods that you can order online. I am in love! So for the last couple weeks while I've been spending a lot of time at the condo, I've been sufficiently caffeinated and overly hydrated...hey, I had to make sure it works. But this entire week I will be staying at home (mom & dad's)and I'm already going through withdrawls. Not so much from lack of caffeine, but just the comfort of knowing that my fabulous hot beverage miracle machine is sitting at the condo...lonely and unused. Dre isn't a coffee/tea drinker. He'll occasionally have a cup of hot cocoa, but he's just as happy with Swiss Miss or Ovaltine as he is with the fancy expensive double chocolate Godiva gourmet mix that I bought especially for the new machine. So now I'm sitting at my parents' house staring at their complicated grind 'n' brew contraption, confused and thirsty.I miss my Keurig...and my memory foam mattress. I guess this is what happens when you start nesting before you actually live there full time. Le sigh.... Andrea

FREAKING OUT!!!!!!! by Kelly

So I've been very carefree about this wedding. I don't see the point of getting stressed out. Or I guess I should say I didn't see the point. As soon as New Years hit, I realized I'm getting married this year. Not only this year, but in 3 and a half months!! That's so soon!

How am I gonna lose all this weight? Why haven't I ordered invitations? Why don't I have flowers? Why haven't we registered? WHY DON'T I LISTEN TO MY MOTHER??????? Kelly

Fitting In by Kelly

I just spent the last two weeks in Tacoma with Jake's family. We have been going there for the last three years for Christmas. Normally we go to Florida for New Years to be with my family but this year we didn't. The two weeks flew by. It feels like I never left. It took us three days of sitting around the airport to finally get out of Chicago. It was right when the ridiculous storms hit and it was negative 40. Gotta love the weather here.

There were also storms in Seattle so between the two places it took us awhile to get out. So I guess gotta love the weather there too.

Christmastime is nice around their house. All of the grandparents come over on Christmas Eve for dinner and we open a few presents. Then on Xmas day, we go to his grandma's house and open some more. Then it's nap time (for me anyway). After nap time we go to his aunt's house for dinner. Then back home to do whatever.

It was nice. His family is amazing. I feel like I fit right in. I tend to be pretty quiet which works out nicely. They all talk so much it's hard to get a word in. His grandpa and I usually just sit around watching people and laughing.

Every year Jake and I say that no matter what, we won't get each other anything. Last year he gave me a Blackberry and a Nintendo DS and said it was for my birthday. I'm happy this year he didn't cheat. Kelly