14 more days how can it be!?!?!?

I've ordered the packaging for the wedding favors (it's a surprise) and some things to enhance the reception decor. This weekend will be devoted to working on paper projects for the wedding. I have my bachelorette party too!!!!!

Anyway...14 more days until the wedding! i'm starting to get a bit anxious. i had problems sleeping a few nights ago...it's pretty exciting!!!!!

Curt's excited because he accomplished 2 out of his 4 wedding projects. We have the marriage license and he has his wedding ring! It's super cool.

signing off!!!! cm

17 days and counting

hair trial 1...i'm not quite a fan

Yesterday I went in for a dress fitting with Kristen of the Dressmaker in Edina. After squeezing into the dress (it was alarmingly snug) i was able to look in the mirror and got super excited! I got even more excited when i completed the whole look with the veil. I'm happy about how everything looks together.

I also was able to see my dentist for a pre-wedding cleaning. My teeth will be extra sparkly for all the wedding pictures....hee hee.

The picture is from my 1st hair trial. The experience was fun, but i'm not super happy with the end result. It's a bit busy looking...which isn't quite me. What I had in mind was something a bit simpler....hope it all works out on THE day!!!!!

Shower with the Asleson Aunts

Sandy, Judy, and Linda
The Group

The two pictures are from my 1st shower in Mankato hosted by Curt's aunts. This happened late September. We played some fun games (a word scramble and a guess the cake game) and enjoyed some really yummy crossiant sandwiches. Curt's cousin Katrina was really helpful in helping with gifts too! Before the shower I met with Irene from Country Inn and Suites to do more planning for the reception.

we were once wee ones too

kindergarten
kindergarten

My guess is that we would have been friends....hee hee.

Back from Dallas!

What a whirlwind!!!! It's hard to believe that just one week ago we were in Dallas, Texas. Curt has a super nice recap on his blog. After a very logistically packed triathlon wknd we were back home in MN for a shorter, yet busy week of school. Both me and Curt had long nights of parent/teacher conferences. Since being back i've been recovering from a lingering cold...i can't believe how much mucus moves around in my nasal passages.

In other exciting news...we went to the Carver County offices to apply for a marriage license. We had to swear by oath that I was a woman, he was a man, and that we weren't married to anyone else living. While our right hands were raised I kind of thought...geez this is somewhat official now.... where's the music and celebration? In about 3 weeks we will be married!

Off to Dallas

It's been so long since i've blogged! Life has been great! The past month has been filled with lots of wedding festivities! Think lots of showers! Three! All in Mankato. I'll have to post pictures soon.

My days are spent making lists, crossing off items on my list, and making more lists. Between our wedding celebration and school it just never ends!!!! I'll have to give updates about the wedding prep soon...

In the more present moment....we are headed off to Dallas just for a few days. Curt has a triathlon. We're pretty excited to have a mini-vacation in the midst of this structured chaos!!!!

Other news...I got my flu shot yesterday...i'm feeling a bit worn down today...could be a combination of many things...right now I'm so tired my face feels like it's going to explode!!!

Photos from Now and Then

We are in the process of rounding up photos for the wedding slideshow. It's so entertaining. The newborn, infant, toddler, little kid, and awkward teen stages in both of our lives are endearing and funny at the same time. We both came to the conclusion that we look much better now after we moved out of the teen years. Weird hair and braces didn't help us much back then.

In other news....I bought the garter!!! Let's get excited now! Seriously, I don't understand the tradition behind it, but I figure it's a wedding essential. And it might be fun to have prizes to give away at the reception. Anyway, from what I can gather the garter isn't very functional. It's like wearing something around your leg that can or can't be comfortable depending on the material and how tight the spandex is. The label on my garter says that the French started the tradition for good luck. And there you have it!

Fall! My favorite season!

Josh and Carolyn

Me and Curt coming in from the jet ski

Cooler weather, colorful leaves, apple crisp, pumpkin spice, Twin Cities Marathon, Thanksgiving dinner, and of course...the start of another school year. I love fall! The transition from summer to fall is one of my favorites. And I am so looking forward to the next few months...a trip to Dallas, some bridal activities, MEA break, and of course the wedding!

After being so nervous and edgy from the anticipation of the 1st day of school, I was finally able to get back into the swing of things last week. I met my students and I can say that it was a good a first week. We did a lot of mini-labs right away which got some kids excited. I am really hopeful for a great year.

Read Curt's blog for his thoughts with student teaching. I am really excited for him and proud of his efforts already. And now we get to share successes, classroom horror stories, and other school gossip. hee hee.

We were able to close out our great summer with one last lake lot get-away with Carolyn and Josh in Alexandria. It was really fun and super relaxing. I was able to enjoy some fishing, kayaking, swimming, jet skiing, and a bonfire.

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.