Movin' Day!

Moving Day!

Today is the day all my stuff goes into storage and I officially move in with Neil. I spent a good deal of time at his place throughout the past few years, but now it becomes official.

I'm a little torn because I do love my J*bun and I'll miss living with her. She has promised me girls nights and movie time anytime I want... so that makes me feel a little bit better.

As we were packing up all my things and taking apart my bed yesterday, I just sort of thought... this is then end of my single life. Today I get a for-life roommate. Good thing I know I made a good choice!

In other news... fiance and I are now under contract for a great little townhouse in NE!! We had our offer accepted yesterday morning, and we couldn't be happier. I am not going to get super excited, though, until the inspection is done, the appraisal is finished, and the keys have been handed over to us after closing. THEN I will get sooooo excited! I've already started thinking about how to decorate... weeeee!!

Well.. wish me luck on moving today. Last time I moved was a HOT MESS. Fiance is here this time though, so life should move smoothly today. Keep your fingers crossed! :) <3

Survival

I've survived the lone weekend.

I cooked, cleaned, baked, watched girlie movies that fiance would have hated, and did my nails. It was a great weekend.

But boy am I sooo happy the boys are home. Well, most of them. Fiance is traveling again tonight, but he will be home tomorrow.. Anyway..

I learned a few important things while the guys were out :

*I can lock the front door. All it takes is a running head start and a few curse words.
*The house is bigger than it looks. And it will take 5+ hours to clean completely.
*I will have a dog (big, well trained dog) before fiance takes a job that requires a lot of traveling.
*I love those boys (roommates) like they are my brothers. And I love fiance even more than I did last week.

Now that the bachelor party is officially over.. Neil and I get to focus on taking care of the little details required to pull off a fab. wedding. I did a lot of online ordering today... whew. I also started the wedding to do list.

This list compiles all the wedding details we still have to complete... and its a big longer than I thought. Anyone got any FABULOUS ideas for "Welcome Baggies" for our outta town guests (like 60% of the wedding guests) or parent's gifts?? If so, do tell.

Anyway.. I still feel like time is flying by and I am not getting much of a chance to enjoy it. I'm just wishing that I could stop time and sit here for a second - remember what it feels like to be engaged and happy. I'm sure I will look back on these times when I am living with fiance and his 2 male roommates and smile. I do love those boys...

Ahhh... but for the time being.. I'm exhausted on this fine Monday night, and am really looking forward to the fiance coming home tomorrow so we can spend some time together. A week apart seems like a long time all of a sudden.. ha .. after years of long distance.

In other news, the banks came back with a counteroffer on the condo. 250000. Ugh. We've countered their counter. And.. we found a great other place to check out on Wednesday. Do me a favor and keep all your fingers and toes crossed.. I am just waiting to have a home again.

Night loves.

Do You Ever :

Do you ever just feel like life is moving so quickly and you've packed your life with so much that life is moving at warp speed ahead and you just can't take a second to enjoy it?

I do.

I went for a bike ride yesterday (training...) around Lake Calhoun and Lake of the Isles, and realized that summer is almost 1/3 over and I haven't even taken much time to wander to the lakes to read.. people watch.. eat a taco @ Lake Calhoun. Holy crap. I mean, I'm only going to be in Uptown for so long before fiance and I move (and those days might be more numbered than I thought).

So this weekend... in the middle of packing, training, moving things into storage, searching the internet for bridesmaids gifts, guest books, placecards, ect... I'm going to take a few minutes to just enjoy life.

*A trip to the farmers market in St. Paul - one of my favorite places in the twin cities I think. I know its kind of far away, but I'd rather make the trip and just hang out on an early Saturday morning. I think its better than sleeping in....
*Head to Lake Calhoun with a book (maybe a magazine.. lets be real here) and just people watch. Perhaps snag a delish taco from the little restaurant right on the water.
*Take a nice long relaxed bike ride around all 3 lakes.
*Kick off the weekend a little early with dinner tonight with one of my favorite people - Jess. We are trying out the new place in Calhoun Square - Uptown Cafeteria. I'll let you know what I think, don't worry.

Well until next time.. make sure to take a second and enjoy whatever you're doing.

Missin' my buds...

I miss my friends.

This happens pretty often, and has happened since I moved away to MN. Don't get me wrong, I've made some great friends here, and its wonderful to have my fiance here with me... but I do miss all my friends ALL THE TIME. I didn't really realize how great the group of friends I have was until I moved again. One of those "you don't know how great ya got it 'til its gone" type of things I suppose.

It isn't like I've lost my friends... I just don't get to see them as often as I'd like or as I'm used to. Some of my best friends have grown up with me... and so its hard to not see them everyday!

I think this is happening lately because I've moved in with fiance. I'm lovin' all the time we get to spend together, and I have been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. Buuuut I miss my roommate Jess. She is my maid of honor, and seriously one of the greatest people you could ever meet. However, we both have crazy busy schedules, and lately the most I've gotten to talk to her has been online. I miss that lil' lady!

The only remedy to this is to see her a little more. Which I will.. next week. But still.

Thanks for listening to me whine!...

Do You Ever...

Do you ever just have one of those days....?

Because I did today.

I woke up this morning and my first thought (okay first real thought after fffffff this alarm!) was today might be such a great day.

Oh crap. Any time I wake up with that thought... it turns into a craptastic day. I'm sure its really just me... messing with my mind... but still. So I get up, get ready, make my lunch, and head off to work. Fiance and I bicker on the way to work, and that makes me a little sad... I just hate it when we bicker (and I say bicker, not fight for a reason!), but it isn't a huge deal. I know we are fine. I get to work, and the day is hectic.. which I sometimes like.. but we also had some unhappy clients and it was a bit of a challenge to smooth things over. I suppose that its all relative, but still. Unhappy people make me unhappy. It is like the domino effect, you know?

After work, I headed for home. I made the usual phone call to Neil to see if he wanted a ride, but he was planning on working late.. so I jumped on the highway and settled into some fabulous traffic. After chatting with the madre for awhile, I arrived home, wandered into the house and down to fiance's room to change for the gym thinking I would be able to make it to a spin class (woohoo!). Eh, not so much. I walked in, turned into the closet, and realized that his hanging rack and shelf had COLLAPSED! Oh crap. Do you have any idea how many clothes fiance and I have as a combo. A LOT. We could open a mall. Okay.. a little dramatic... but still.

Soo.. instead of the gym.. I called fiance and told him my discovery and he said he was on his way home to call his landlord and help out with the clean up. Now everything is cleaned up and reorganized, and Neil's pool table is our temporary closet. Not ideal, but it will work just fine until the landlord comes and fixes the closet. The worst part... fiance pulled out his stud finder... the closet thing has been screwed into the wall.. not in the studs... but a few inches away from the studs. WHO DOES THAT!? Even I know better.

Not the worst day.. but its just a crappy day, you know? And I am just jonesin' for some quality time with just my fiance. Where we aren't watching Chelsea Lately right before bed or watching sports with his roommate. Perhaps a date night is coming?...

We will see.

Calling All Bloggers! Advice Needed!

Fiance and I had a busy wedding night tonight - we picked out wedding bands annnddd we went in search of the perfect tie for the boys.

The guys in our wedding are all wearing black suits. Fiance said... every guy in the wedding will have a black suit.. and if they don't .. they should. I said fair enough, and the decision was made. I thought finding a tie would be a breeze. Oh boy was I wrong! I've been searching for the perfect tie for awhile now. You would think it would be simple.. there are millions of ties out there.. and black suits will coordinate with any tie, right? It would be easy.. if I hadn't picked this bridesmaid color (its shamrock):

 

So this color is perf... I'm irish, fiance graduated from MSU, and the other colors in the wedding are all neutral (my dress is light gold with an ivory overlay, which makes it look ivory), and we have some brown and some champagne colors mixed in. So I thought the green dresses would be perfect. Each girl got to choose the dress they wanted, all that has to be the same is the color and the designer. So life is easy right... wrong! The tie is killing me. So now I look to you for advice. What color tie will look best?!

Leave me comments! 

<3

The post with all the pictures*

Okay... so needless to say its been a busy wonderful life around here! As I type this fiance is feverishly cleaning his place (okay.. he is actually doing it in a pretty laid back fashion) because his sister and her boyfriend will be arriving in Minneapolis tomorrow and will be staying with us allll weekend! I am so very very excited to see them!! Weeee! And fyi... I helped clean a little bit.

Anyway.. I've been promising to post some fabulous pics from events past.. so here goes :

Toni's visit:

 

Neil and I... with the gifts!*

Cute Cousins! 

All the bridesmaids sans Neil's sisters

This is fairly typical of brother and me.

Me, soon-to-be sister, soon-to-be MIL, and my momma

Neil and I will the greatest homemade blanket ever! I am actually looking forward to cold weather.

And last but not least... a mini pic of the bachelorette party!

Perhaps what they say is true : Mom really does know best. My mom and my soon to be MIL talked me into having a shower, promising me that I would be so happy if had one. They were right, and more importantly, I wouldn't haven't known what I was missing. It was a great day and I'm really glad I got to experience it. I am so truly grateful for this crazy life.. and all the people in it! Love you!

Farwell Erin & Scottie!

My buddy Erin is leaving the U to take a job back in MI. Her and her hubs are so excited to be heading back to the mitten, as that is where her family is, and I am SO SO thrilled for them. Her last day at the U is Friday... and I have to admit.. I'm a bit bummed! I have so enjoyed our time here together... farmers markets, lunches, tequila, and lots more. Ahh the memories. Best of luck to her & Scottie... I love 'em!

Cheers to the both of you.... keep comfy blankets and a couch nearby... I'll be visiting!

I wish you both the best of luck in whatever adventures you begin in MI, remember to make sure that it is a wonderful life!

<3

Katie

It's A Wonderful Life: A teaser and a HUGE thank you!

It's A Wonderful Life: A teaser and a HUGE thank you!

A teaser and a HUGE thank you!

Fiance and I drove home this past weekend for a fun-filled few days! While the drive wasn't our favorite part, it did give us some quality "just us" time to talk and think about all the big things coming up in our lives. My mom and Neil's mom threw me a FABULOUS bridal shower (which was our reason for heading to MI) and I just have to say THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.

Not only for throwing a fabulous party, but for spending quite a bit of time talking me into having the shower in the first place. You two were right... it was amazing and I loved it! It was also SO GREAT to see all my ladies again - and have a few of them take me out on the town for the bachelorette party. I miss those girls already!

I am already excited to see all of them at the wedding... let the countdown begin!

I've got plenty of fabulous pics to download.. so more coming soon!

<3