Tru Sophistication: Our Wedding Invitation

I finally picked out our invitation! This was probably the most drawn out wedding decision yet! I found it challenging to find the "it" invitation. At first we were drawn to the very traditional rectangular ecru invitation. One requirement was that it needed some sort of border around it. and Curt also said no way to any elaborate floral design. We found a few that we liked, but nothing really completely echoed the formal yet relaxed chocolate-brown-fall-wedding theme. hee hee.

until yesterday...I met up with Bev at Carlson Craft and poured through some books. We came across a 5 x 5 square invitation that was not over the top, not fussy, but perfect. The size, color, and texture was perfect. sorry I don't have a picture, but if you are reading this blog you will probably get an invite in 6 weeks. hee hee.

here's a description of it online: Our heavily textured paper includes nature-inspired accents and opens to reveal your wording in a color that coordinates with your choice of satin ribbon. how fun!

here is something I read from a magazine, "as the main introduction to your event, the wedding invitation sets the tone for your wedding style." well...this is probably why I got extra finicky when it came to picking out the invitation. I can say this though...the brown satin theme will be played out in the bridesmaid dresses, invitations, the cake, unity candle, and possibly the favors!

go wedding!

Urban Wildlands Half Marathon

My plan for Saturday is to successfully finish the half-marathon on a 2-week running plan! This morning I took out my Garmin GPS device. The last time I used it was on Oct 1, 2006 for the Medtronic TC marathon! I've been intentionally relaxed with running the past year.

I decided to register for the race 2 weeks ago with having my longest run be 6 miles so far. Yikes! I'm not in the greatest running shape. But I have a lot of determination to finish...and finish in good health.

Thursdays at the U of MN Arboretum

posing in the grass

Curt being very GQ like in a swamp

Us posing in front of a piece of art made from an old canoe

Me excitedly exiting the shrub maze

One thing we rediscovered this summer was the beautiful Arboretum in Chanhassen. It's a 7 minute drive away and entrance is free on Thursdays. A month ago we packed some snacks and decided to do a few things: try to navigate the tree/shrub maze, enjoy the beautifully landscaped grounds, and take our own session of "engagement pics".

Do it Yourself Unity Candles

Simple ideas for do it yourself candles. I think I would like to use some brown ribbon and some vellum. I have to remember to keep it simple though! Instead of using white candles...we may consider using ivory candles to go with the chocolate brown theme.

Dress Alterations

Last week I brought my dress to Kristen Olsen at The Dressmaker in Edina to get it altered. She has a tiny, comfy shop on 50th and France. In some ways she reminds me of Anna of Cakes by Anna in Mankato. They are both very skilled at what they do, but have more of a reserved and quiet personality. Well, the total cost of the alterations is like $200! I'm getting the dress shortened, adding a bustle, taking the chest area in so that it fits tight, tight, tight, and getting bra cups sewn in.

i won't see the dress again until October. for a split millisecond i was a bit sad, but am fine now. I have one more fitting and she is going to press the dress for me about 1-2 weeks before the wedding.

one thing I learned...she also makes custom couture wedding gowns for the bride who simply can't find anything that she likes in the stores...maybe there is a specific style, color, size, or material that a dress is lacking...she can make it!

Bike/Picnic date

Picture of Curt at the Lifetime Triathlon

Many of you know that I got a new bike. I am anxious to take it out. Last week me and Curt had a little picnic date where we biked out to the Carver Park Reserve with our cute picnic backpack, which we got as a gift from Curt's folks. After some minor highway crossings we got onto the best path ever...seriously...and cruised to a grassy and secluded spot that overlooked more grassy and tree-filled land. Very romantic. We nibbled on some cheese, carrots, a sandwich, and sipped some wine. Some ants kept us company too. After our mini feast we biked back. I'm guessing that the total route was 18 miles or so. very fun! i have no pictures because Curt said that we wouldn't need a camera for images that "will forever be etched in our memory." hilarious.

Reunion and Triathlon success!

Us at the finish rejoicing

The entire tri crew at the start of the swim...i'm very nervous at this point.

Last night we celebrated our high school 10 year reunion. It was lots of fun and super cool to see classmates come back. Curt helped out with the music set-up and my friend Angie came at the beginning to help check people in.

In other news...a week ago Carolyn, Shanna, Brent, Doug, and myself competed in the Heart of the Lakes triathlon in Annandale, MN. It was a blast. Curt has a very nice summary of the race day. So check out his blog for a race recap and a picture of us at our own family sponsored awards ceremony. Everyone came away as a winner. Can't wait to see the video footage of everything as Curt and my dad were out taping!!!!

Anyway, after finishing my first tri I have a new appreciation for what Curt does with his training and races. Him and all the other really good triathletes makes going super fast look way too easy!!! unreal.

Our engagement pictures are in!

Two weeks ago we had our engagement photos taken by Becca Dilley. We went to the Lake Harriet Bandshell. The place is special to us because it is where we took a walk for our 2nd date and of course where we got engaged. This is just a small sampling of the many shots she took for us. We are so excited to look at them. The photo session was so much fun.

5 more days until my first tri!

Well, I can't believe the triathlon is almost here. The triathlon crew had a practice swim on the 4th when we were at Lake Riley. It is so hard swimming in a lake! You can't see anything and there are weird, leafy things in a lake that get onto your face, legs, arms, etc. We all survived the practice swim despite our nervousness and me being afraid. The slightest bump with another swimmer totally throws me off. I'll have to expect that I will be bumping into a lot of swimmers that morning. Yikes!

My very 1st lake swim was with my sister at Lake Nokomis about a week earlier. Same thing...you have no visibility and no sense of direction. All I can say is that finishing the triathlon will be a huge accomplishment for me.

Happy 4th of July!

I hope everyone had a nice 4th of July. Our independence day celebration this year was complete with awesome weather, traditional picnic and bbq food, family, and some boating activities. Curt's family was able to come up and join my family for a nice afternoon out on Lake Riley in Eden Prairie. Thanks to my dad, who was out at the lake at 7 am, for finding and saving our well- shaded spot. I also ran into my friends Shannon, Steve, Laura, and Sean.



We concluded the evening with a dinner of kabobs and rice at my parents house. Some of us then went to see some fireworks!

Other Photos

Silhouette of me and Curt before Lake Waconia Tri
Snapshot of leaves taken during a storm
Rocks during a storm

Nature Valley Bike Race Pictures