Name Change

Update in wedding news. We are 97% done with registering for gifts. My oh my! What a long task. We decided to add a 4th store...REI...for some camping essentials like a tent and a sleeping bag. So the four stores are REI, Macy's, Crate and Barrel, and Target! Fun!

Also, we are looking forward to being done with addressing invitations! I plan to send them out during the 1st week in September!

Finally, last night I practiced doodling my new name in cursive and print on paper...kind of like how kids like to write and see their name repeatedly over on paper. I perfected the cursive "w".

The last few weeks of summer have been so fun and busy. We really packed in some quality times with family and friends. Last weekend we biked around the Grand Round with Curt's folks on a beautiful day while managing to meet up with Josh and Carolyn for lunch at Annie's Parlour. We also celebrated Curt's birthday with a dinner with his family. Finally, we've had some friends over for dinner like Anton/Nicole and Nate/Nikki/Claire.

Summer is pretty much over for us...we had to mentally prepare for school. One night this week we spent the entire evening consoling each other after realizing school is just around the corner. Yes, I have to see 150 kids everyday for an hour and have something prepared for them everyday while communicating with parents and staff, maintaining a good classroom environment, providing feedback to students in a timely fashion...so that they can become self-sufficient learners and prepared for the future. at times it is a bit daunting.

Be the Turtle!

Brent and Curt participated in the Turtleman Triathlon in Shoreview. Curt did it as an individual. Brent did it as a relay. Despite biking extra miles on the course, Brent's team was able to do pretty well. Curt did well too....finishing his very full racing season.

DIY Unity Candle

The unity candles! My mini DIY project with the help of IKEA candles, Michael's ribbon, and the Kachelmyer's candleholders!

Less than 90 days until wedding bliss!

That's right...only 90 more days until our marriage celebration. We are getting very excited. The month of August has been fantastic. Curt decided to take some time off from work before student teaching. Now we get to hang out a lot. It's really relaxing and fun.

We've been occupied with wedding planning as you may guess. We have officially registered at Target, Macy's, and Crate and Barrel. This by far has been the most time-consuming step in the planning. I can say that we've made at least 5 trips to Target, 2 to Crate and Barrel, and 1 trip to Macy's.

Target is where we registered for the majority of our items...lots of kitchen gadgets for prepping, cooking, and serving. At Target we also registered for small appliances such as a coffee grinder, coffee machine, and the classic KitchenAid mixer in pistachio green. Target is the place where we picked out a paper shredder, lamps, and the coolest ultimate cooler ever (it has wheels and a hole for letting out water at the bottom). And I can't forget about the shop vac!

secondly, we tackled stuff at Crate and Barrel. Crate and Barrel will be outfitting us with our classic white dinnerware, knife set, and espresso maker. I also picked out a table runner, placemats, and dinner napkins. We are so looking forward to entertaining!

lastly, we went to Macy's for our flatware needs. We found a very nice set of Oneida stainless flatware that will work well for our daily use as well as formal entertaining. Also, for our cookware Curt suggested that we choose a stainless steel set versus nonstick. We also found a down comforter and duvet.

We are very excited about everything. Just a heads up. Some of the items we selected are on super clearance and may not be available online...just in the stores. So sorry for the inconvenience. We will try to update the gift registry often.

Half Marathon Update

I was able to finish the race! I felt great and happy before the race even though I was a bit scared about what was ahead of me...2 hours of torture. Curt came to watch too! It was super nice to have him there. I was able to see him a few times on the urban/wildland course. My race day strategy...stay calm and rely on muscle memory from other race experiences. Everything worked out perfectly as I was quite grateful and happy to finish. My time: 2 hours and 3 minutes!

Here is what my training consisted of the week before the race. I get a kick out of this.

Monday: 2.5 mile run
Tuesday: torturous 8 mile run, my longest run of the year
Wednesday: walk on the treadmill and a few laps in the pool
Thursday: nice 4 mile run
Friday: swam 1/4 of a mile in the pool

thoughts on the bridge collapse

last night we watched the events unfold on TV and were completely shocked like everyone else. after hearing from family and friends who may of been in that area I was able to worry less.

i'm thankful to hear about people helping other people. I'm also thankful to hear that all agencies were able to work together to provide help where it was needed.

Off to College!

Yesterday my dad drove my youngest brother off to school in Milwaukee. It seems quite early to be leaving, but I guess his obligations to the soccer team prompted such an early departure. Going away to college seems to be an emotional strain for parents. In our case, the baby is going away from the nest!!!! Calvin's dog Speedy even felt the sadness. Apparently Speedy was crying and whimpering and needed consoling. My mom told me that he spent the entire day at the edge of the driveway looking out into the distance.

We had a going away dinner for Calvin at Chino Latino in Mpls last Thursday. It was quite fun as we were able to enjoy some yummy dishes and the drunken table of celebratory people next to us.