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.

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.