June 27, 2009

I didn't do anything too exciting this week. I got a lot of errands done and wedding stuff accomplished. On Thursday night Debbie and I got our CPR certification. We had fun making fun of the guy on the video and also learning CPR/AED. Her arms are sore and my hand is bruised though. :-) We are wimps!
On Friday, Nathan and I drove to Springfield to drop off some stuff to get engraved and check on progress of our wedding bands. Nate's is done already but mine is still getting made. Hopefully its done soon lol. We dropped off the name plate on our cake topper, our cake serving set, and some groomsmen gifts to get engraved. We will have to head back in a week or two to pick everything up. We got to see his brother for a little and meet his friend Jason for lunch at this yummy sushi restaurant.
Friday night, my mom and I got some ribbon to decorate the unity candle, an ivory toss garter, some ivory paper to put hotel info on and stuff in invitations, and a few other odds and ends things. I also ordered some silk ivory carnations online to attempt to make the bridesmaid's bouquets. I'm not a very crafty person so we'll see how those turn out lol. Nathan is going to pick out a unity candle holder this week and order that at work. I love that he wants to be involved and helpful. I've heard so many brides complain about the guys just not caring. I think Pt and Bridgette also decided on Sept 12 and 13 as bachelorette party/bridal shower weekend so that's good too. Nate and I got our new laptops today (mine is pink YAY). We were playing on them today and trying to get things loaded on them. I still have to transfer pictures and music which is going to suck.
My work is still down, so I'll be reading and watching Lost and One Tree Hill. Fun Fun! Nate and I are almost done with Lost season 4, which sucks because we will have to wait 6 months for season 5 to come out on DVD AHH!! I don't think I'll be able to wait, so I might have to watch it online at home. Our flight itinerary for our honeymoon randomly got changed today, which I got really worried about. They just changed our layover to be in Atlanta instead of Miami now so that's not a big deal I guess. Kinda random though.

June 23, 2009

I figured while I was waiting for my sample to finish sonicating that I should write my blog for this week. I've been putting it off all weekend even though we have NOTHING to do at work. The plant has been shut down for almost a week and we have just had a few odds and ends things to do. In between, we have been watching Lost, One Tree Hill, and reading. I finished From Baghdad, With Love. It was only 200 pages and a really good, quick read.

Tuesday's slowpitch doubleheader was cancelled once again (6 weeks in a row now). I didn't really mind though, because I'm always exhausted on Tuesdays. I went to the Mexican grocery store to get arrachera meat and lime juice and then got a pedicure with my mommy before going home and mowing. Nathan and I watched Lost until we fell asleep (which was at like 930 lol). Nate worked from home on Wednesday and we cleaned up the house and tried going through some books in our office piled up that we want to donate. Shaun and Samantha came over for dinner and we watched the new friday the 13th movie that just came out and then played guitar hero. After that we went to the theater to see The Hangover which was HILARIOUS!!

Nathan took a vacation day on Thursday which I was kind of suspicious of until a package came with a new Canon 50D 15 megapixel camera in it for me!!!! He is soooo sweet. It was such a wonderful surprise and as soon as my battery was charged we went out taking pictures at this conservation place on the river. I got lots of pictures of toads, turkeys, deer, flowers, etc. I'm so excited about my new camera!! He also spoiled the surprise that he ordered us both new laptops which are coming in about a week. Mine is pink! YAY! Both of our laptops are at least 4 years old and about to die on us (his already did). He is so sweet! I love him and am so glad we are getting married in 4 months!!! AHHHH. I'm getting so nervous that I'm not going to have everything done on time or that I'm going to forget something. I got the invitations and reply cards printed and my mom is going to get stamps and stamp them all. Then I'll just have to go buy labels and print them all and send them by mid-July. After that will be the rehearsal dinner invites which me and my mom are making. I got the unity candle bought this weekend along w/ a cubs garter (something blue and cubs for nate). Nathan ordered napkins today too and is trying to get a copy of an engagement picture so we can post announcement in the newspaper. Things are moving right along. I still have to figure out this mess with the bridal shower and bachelorette party and see if they will be on same weekend or what's going on. Other than that, nothing much new in life. Jenn got to bring her baby home which I'm so excited about!! I can't wait to see pictures of their family at home!

June 13, 2009

WHEW! I just finished 3 crappy drug chem samples. I'm glad those are over with. Now hopefully I can enjoy the rest of my night and catch up with Debbie and watch One Tree Hill or read Angels and Demons in my free time. I'm officially hooked on OTH and Lost. It's fine now b/c I have the seasons on DVD but when the fall comes I need to make sure I'm caught up so I can watch them when they are on TV. Then that'll be two more shows added to the list I need to watch every week. It's been fun watching Lost with Nate and guessing what's going to happen and who will die and this and that.



Not a very eventful week. Softball was rained out AGAIN and Nate and I cooked quesadillas for dinner and watched Seabiscuit...an old movie, but I'd never seen it. Nate bought us a bluray player for our bedroom which is exciting. I can't believe how clear the picture is! It's crazy. So I bought Night at the museum and Da vinci code on blu ray because they were on sale for 12 dollars. Nate bought me Bride Wars too :-) yay. He got a whole bunch of blu rays for cheap at best buy this week also, now that we have two blu ray players we aren't as limited of where we have to watch them.



We went out to dinner with our neighbors (Rich and Kathy) on Wednesday to this Chinese restaurant on Olive. It was yummy ( a lil spicy but good) and then went to an asian grocery store afterwards and bought some candy and different sauces and stuff. Ohhh I also bought those fun bowls and spoons you use for soup at Chinese restaurants. They were like 10 bucks for the set so I couldn't resist. Kathy gave us authentic chopsticks from Japan to match our set so that was pretty cool.



I bartended Thursday. It was pretty slow and uneventful, but once again it was fun and good easy cash. Nate worked Fri and Sat and there was a huge fight and he had to jump over the bar and tackle this guy because he had the door guy pinned against the wall. It was pretty crazy. I got there around 11 and hung out and just wanted a few drinks and then I ended up helping close out tabs and clean b/c Nate was kicking ppl out and the cops were there too lol. We got out of there at 2 on a friday night which is like a world record tho :-0.



We didn't get too much accomplished wedding-wise, but we got our readings and songs figured out for the ceremony which will be good for when we meet with our officiant.



Here is a picture of my niece Maia. :-)

June 7, 2009

Not really in the mood to type a blog right now, but I know if I don't do it now it won't get done for another week. Our slowpitch got rained out on Tuesday (my raindance beat you Debbie!!) and I was so looking forward to a relaxed night at home to catch up on shows and movies and snuggle with Nathan. Well, guess what!? The storm made our power go out. There went that plan! Nathan also forgot his key and the garage door wouldn't work without power so he went and wandered around Target until I got home to let him in. We sat outside with our neighbors and drank a few beers and then went to Ruiz for dinner since our lasagna plans wouldn't work without an oven. We started a new TV series this week....LOST! It's really good so far. Castro let us borrow the first two seasons and we are about half way through the first season and we both really like it. I'm excited for the upcoming seasons to see what all they put in it to make up 5 + seasons. I'm intrigued. Nathan's sister Emily left for Utah this past week, and her and Devon found an apt out there until they start their camping/job shindigs. We went to see Night at the Museum 2 on our date night wednesday with Sarah and Bronson and went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. I loved the movie and can't wait to buy it. Not a very eventful week. I had my alumni Extreme Fastpitch game today. It was sooo great to see everyone and I got to pitch and play 2nd. It was fun. I felt pretty old and fat though with all those college softball players in their prime. lol. oh well....

We had rehearsal dinner drama last week. The lady double booked us on accident, but its all squared away now. We have the room for an hour less than we were supposed to, but she isn't making us pay for the room fee now b/c she messed up. YAY! Nathan took care of booking our hotel room at the renaissance by the airport for our wedding night and we blocked off rooms at the Hampton Inn for everyone else on friday and saturday night. My mom also helped me book hair appts for me and her and all the bridesmaids. YAY! I feel like I'm getting things accomplished with the help of my mom and Nate. Porscha is on the task of bridal shower and Bridgette on the bachelorette party so things are moving along well. The cake is ordered and we found the perfect cake topper. We just have to make a trip up the springfield soon to get everything engraved.

Jenn's baby is doing better by the day. I'm so happy. I sent them a gift on friday :-) woot. Can't wait to see a picture. And my brother BJ and his wife had their second baby....Maia. So now I am an aunt to 2 ppl...scary i know. I can't wait to meet her!!! Well, I gotta get back to work since we are super busy without my partner in crime Debbie here tonight. She is at Nico's recital! Can't wait to see the video tomorrow. Here are some pics. The first is the crappy tile I talked about last blog with the things peaking through the grout. The second one is of the different tile with accent pieces. And the third pic is of my boys hanging out together....so adorable!

May 31, 2009

Gosh, this month has flown by! Monday was Memorial day, so Nathan and I rounded up Dexter and went to my parents for some porksteaks, kabobs, and brats..... YUM! We hung out with my mom's side of the family for awhile and then we headed up to Target to get the rest of the cardstock and thank you's needed for wedding invites. Now I just have to figure out what to put on them and get them printed. I went into work at 10pm that night which was nice, except I left my keys in Nathan's car and had to take my mom's jeep which didn't have my work badge or an umbrella. So I had to get a temp badge and was soaking wet. It was horrible!!

Tuesday was slightly hectic, and I'm glad softball got rained out. I got my nails done and my mom dyed my hair to even it out more. It's all bleached out from being in Arizona and the few times I tanned before Kristy's wedding. I had to go home to drop Dex off and get dressed to meet Nathan at PF Changs for Kelly's going away party (girl from double D). Then 270 was closed at my exit so I had to go all the way around. It was a pain. Dinner was amazing!! We had so much food and wine it was crazy! I think I'm still stuffed!!

On Wednesday my Dad came over to put up backsplash tile in the kitchen and I cleaned up the house and mowed and helped him in between. Nathan went in work half a day so that was nice, b/c the three of us got to go to Pirrone's for lunch. My dad came back the next day to grout the tile and we realized the big glue dots that connected the 2 inch tiles were so thick they showed up through the grout. It was a huge mess and my dad ended up ripping down all the tile and buying new that was connected on the back by a mesh. It looks really nice now and I appreciate all his hardwork!

I bartended my first real night with Sarah on Thursday night. It was fun and a nice easy way to make extra cash with things being tight now with all the wedding stuff. Nathan came up and drank too which was nice. His friend Joe met him and decided to throw up all over the floor....neat huh!? lol. I didn't have to clean it up thankfully! We went and got taco bell after the bar closed and went to Schnucks to get groceries for camping. We got up at 9 (only 4 or 5 hrs sleep) and packed the car to go camping at Cuivre River State Park with Debbie's family. We hiked and layed out at the beach. We also played catch, washers, drank some beer, took pictures, etc. It was a blast! It was so relaxing to get away even if it was only one day and one night. That night we cooked burgers on the fire and ate s'mores. Dexter took such a liking to Luca...it was adorable!! I'll have to post pics when I get them loaded on the computer. This is a cute one of Nico showing his little brother how to build a sandcastle....priceless. Saturday morning it stormed sooo hard, but it was kind of for the better b/c it pushed us to get our butts up and get moving. We helped Debbie get things cleaned up and followed her home to make sure she made it up the hill!!! Her house is soo huge and awesome! I wish I lived way out there if it wasn't for the long drive and being so far from my parents!

It seemed like my four days off were soooo long which is awesome!! It was nice to get out and get some fresh air and sun and hang out with good company. I'm looking forward to plenty more camping trips this summer. :-) I'm also pleased to hear that Ella (Jenn's newborn) is off her ventilator today and doing much better. It's been so hard for Jenn to go home without her little girl and she has been in my thoughts and prayers constantly!! I wish I could just up and go to NC for a week and see her....I just don't have the vacation or money right now. I miss her and can't wait to see her new family member!

May 23, 2009

Whew!!! This week flew by! We went to 3 Cards/Cubs games (tues, wed, and thurs) and the cards SWEPT the cubs WOOHOO!!!! It was great. Nathan and I had a lot of fun together and met up with his friends and ex-roomies Joe and Ryan before the game on Wed at Mike Shannons for some beers. We also sat by a very interesting drunk guy that night. He spilled a half-full beer down my leg and then told me that baseball was like football but w/ Kobe Bryant. WTF!!?!? Apparently he was really confused if we were watching football, baseball, or basketball lol. We had to miss our slowpitch games this week, but they still won both games without us.

My mom and I went to the Fox to see the Chorus Line on Thursday at 1. It was really good. It was a short show....only 2 hours with no intermission. Very good though. We ordered tickets to see Hairspray at the Muny in August too. We are excited.

My parents and Nathan's mom and grandma came over for dinner last night. We sat outside and grilled Aracherra (mexican skirt steak) with the yummy white mexican queso on tortillas with grilled onions and green peppers.....so GOOD!! Then Nathan went to bartend and my dad and I went to Home Depot to get tile for the backsplash behind the kitchen sink. It just gets too much crap splashed back there. I also want to get all new tan paint for kitchen and hallway b/c the guy before us put flat matte and its disgusting and nothing wipes clean off of it. GROSS! We tried one color but when we got home it looked to peachy colored instead of tan so I think we are going to use it in downstairs bathroom maybe since the paint is non-refundable. My dad and I are going to put up the backsplash on Wednesday, if we find a tile cutter in time.

I'm still into taking pictures with Nate's camera. These are some I took this week.

May 17, 2009

I'm a day late writing b/c I didn't work last night. This week we managed to squeeze in both of our sball games before the storms and won them both. Our umpire was horrible this week, and Nathan almost got thrown out for saying Jesus Christ lol.

Wednesday night we went out to eat with Sarah and Bronson (from DD) and then went and had drinks at DD (way too many for me). I wasn't feeling so hot for work at 6am Thursday morning but ended up leaving early b/c Dexter decided to step on a picture frame leaning against the wall waiting to be hung up. I went home and tended to him and then my boss said I didn't need to come back b/c Ron came in. Nathan and I met his brother for lunch at Pirrone's. Yum!! Thursday night, Nathan's sisters and a few friends came over for dinner after Emily's bachelorette party, while Josh and Nathan went out taking pictures downtown at the arch and Keiner plaza and other places. They were gone forever and seemed to have a lot of fun taking pictures all night and grabbing dinner.

Friday we dropped Dexter off at my parents and went to Jacksonville for Emily's rehearsal dinner. It was at a nice venue (Buena Vista Farms in Chapin, IL) but everything was pretty unorganized and it rained during the rehearsal so nobody seemed very ready for the wedding the next day. That night we got a hotel room (Nathan can't stay at home b/c he is allergic to cats and his mom has like 6) and let Josh and his gf stay with us since they didn't want to stay at his mom's either b/c Brittany is allergic to cats too.....and Nathan's other sister has mono and strep. We had fun hanging out in the hotel room and Josh and Nathan left the next morning to get pics while Brittany and I hung out and got ready together. She is really fun....I hope Josh knows she's a keeper lol. The wedding was really nice and they had punch and cake afterwards. I got to use Nathan's camera for the first time and loved it!!!

Today we woke up and got ready for our engagement session at Forest Park. It was a lot of fun except my hair kept blowing around in all the pictures. Our photographer got in a fight with a biker (harley not bicycle) and that was pretty funny. After our session my parents met us with Dexter and Bella to take some shots on Nate's camera w/ the dogs. It was fun!! I took my first HDR picture!!! Its the pink tree in my blog! YAY!! And now I'm at work and need to go do some stuff lol. It's Debbies birthday too!! HAPPY BDAY DEBBIE!!! We gotta go upstairs and have some DQ ice cream cake too. :-)