"Life Under Construction"

New Vehicle

2009-10-19T11:53:00.000-07:00

Last but not least Matt and I just purchased a new to us but used vehicle. It was a private sale that worked out great for us. I will put pictures up when I get some but it's not even at our house yet. We bought a 2002 Trailblazer. We are excited about it since we knew we needed something with a baby on the way. My two door car that I have been driving for almost 10years just wasn't going to do the trick with having a family.

Working on the barn

2009-10-19T11:47:00.000-07:00

As most of you know we have been working on our house as much as possible and we rebuilt a barn last year. The barn has been sitting there with a roof on it but no metal on the sides. This last week my dad replaced his shop roof and gave us the metal that was on his. Matt of course was very grateful and those of you who know him know that the minute the metal got to our house he was outside working on it. I am pretty sure he had the barn done within a week. I will get some updated pictures to show here soon. He built doors and got everything closed in. Hopefully this winter we won't have to deal with the snow drifts inside the barn and our hay ruined like we did last year. We want to say a big THANK YOU to our brother in law Rich and Matt's best friend Aaron for coming and helping. They worked in the pouring down rain. By the way Rich you looked great in my pink tool belt!

Our Family is Growing

2009-10-19T11:34:00.001-07:00

Yes, Yes you are reading that right. Matt and I are very excited to share that we are adding to our family. This time we are not adding another dog but a baby! I think we went through every emotion when we found out but excitement was defiantly what we felt most. So, this is not the normal story of someone finding out they are pregnant. It was a Sunday morning Aug 9 when Matt comes into the bedroom. You can tell he has been up thinking for a little while and of course I am still laying in bed. He walks in and tells me to take a pregnancy test. He tells me that I am a week late and I am thinking he is crazy to know when I should start and besides that I think I am suppose to start the next Monday. I waited for Matt to go back outside, take a test and jump back in bed. I waited for him to come back in and then ask him how he feels if it's negative and then positive. Once he tells me I tell him he's going to be a Daddy. I think we were both in shock a little but very excited. We decided that we wanted to keep it a secret until we hit the 3 month mark and we did. The only person who had to find out two weeks before that is my Mom since she had planned a cruise in April and that is when I am due. I need my Mom there so I had to ask her to cancel her trip. She of course said no problem and that she wouldn't miss this for anything. So at the three month mark we told our secret to family and friends and here I am on week 15. I know I have a long way to go but am finally at the point where I am feeling pretty good again. I am pretty lucky and though I felt like throwing up I never did. The hardest part is that I was sooooo tired all the time. Our due date is around April 15 and so far on all my ultra sounds the baby is moving like crazy. I think it might get the energy of Matt which scares me a little bit. I can't wait to get to feeling it moving since I have to say it's kind of crazy knowing you are pregnancy but not feeling anything and having to wait a month between each time I see it's there and moving. Keep us in your prayers that everything goes well for us. We have a lot to get done before the little one gets here. We hope you are all as excited as we are. I will try and keep you updated on everything through out the next several months.

Ellensburg Rodeo

2009-10-19T11:17:00.000-07:00

Okay once again I am way behind on my blogging. I really need to get better about this or set some time aside to actually keep it updated. So for this blog I am going to go back to the beginning of September. Matt and I went to Ellensburg Rodeo with my parents. We drove my dad's truck over while my parents were in the motor home. We had a great time and even kept our spirits up when it decided to rain through the whole rodeo. Luckily my dad was thinking and went and got us all rain gear before he left for the East side of the mountain.

You should have seen how many people cleared out of the stands and there we sat. It was cold but we were dry and loving it. Saturday night we had tickets for extreme bulls. If you are ever at the rodeo defiantly go to extreme bulls. It's some of the top bull riders riding for large amounts of money.

A quick picture of my hottie husband and me before heading to the finals rodeo.

My parents brought their moped to ride since they were staying a day later then us. Though the weather was not the best we couldn't bring the moped and not ride it. Of course once we went to start it, it wouldn't start. It would drive my Dad crazy if he didn't fix it so Matt and Dad sat there working on it for awhile and when they were done, it worked.

We had a great time at the rodeo with some great seats. You could see the guys getting ready in the chutes from where we were. They have some of the top bulls there, and once you are close up it's amazing how big these bulls are. Thank you to my parents for inviting us!

San Diego Trip

2009-09-01T11:38:00.001-07:00

Our tip to San Diego started out with showing Matt what the life of an airline employee is all about. If the seats are full you don't go. Of course it has been crazy busy out of Bellingham so I watched the seats fill up one after the other just to realize that there was no way Matt and I would be getting on. We talked to the car rental companies and we at least get a deal with them so we were off in a car headed to Seattle to catch our San Diego flight. Out of Seattle we got on no problem, even got to sit by each other. We arrived in San Diego at 8:37p, called the hotel just to be told that they stop picking up at 8p. We just took it for what it was and had to tell ourselves we were now on vacation so things were going to be okay. We decided that Thursday would be our Sea World day. The hotel has a free shuttle leaving at 10a and pick up is at 5p. We of course being dutch took advantage of the free ride.

Sea World was great! It was super hot that day and soon we would find out that it was a heat wave going through for the weekend. We went to every show and through all the exhibits. We actually picked a good day since it wasn't to busy. First picture is of a California Sea Lion. Though it may look like just a simple picture it was actually where you could feed the Sea Lions and let me tell you, think of 30 kids screaming and that is about what it sounded like. This sea lion would make all kinds on noise and dance around on the rock until someone would throw him a fish.

A quick self photo in front of Shamu's aquarium.

We went to the dolphin show which was one of Matt's favorites. They did a pretty cute planned out show. We probably liked them because Matt and I both really want to swim with dolphins. Someday hopefully.

Of course we had to take a picture of Shamu!

Matt was petting a sting ray! The sting ray would put his head right above water where we were standing and wait to be petted.

We had a great day at Sea World!!

We met a couple on the shuttle to Sea World that was also wanting to go to the zoo the next day and since there was no free shuttle we decided to meet up the next morning and share a taxi or the green ride, a much better deal.

You have to imagine it is about 97 out and we decide we want to see the whole zoo so we are going to walk. Little did we know that there are hundreds of stairs and steep hills to climb. They do have a great zoo though. A lot of the animals are outside instead of in cages, they are blocked off but still you can see them so much better.

Matt loved the elephants and even wanted to go back and see them a second time.

We got to get pretty close to some of the animals and the apes were friendly next to the windows.

After the zoo we went back to the hotel and took an hour to rest our feet. Then we were off to Mission Beach. We had heard about this beach from a couple people and wanted to go to a place called the wave house that is suppose to be cool.

The Wave House has a special pool with a wave that surfers can go and show off while everyone is watching and eating. They let kids go on boogie boards and it doesn't matter if you are a beginner or pro. I thought my nephew Jalani would have loved it there.

Just before we were headed it out the sun was going down and it looked awesome.

Saturday we were not sure what we were going to do. We had thought about the beach but once again it was going to be around 100 and we were not sure we could handle being in the sun all day. After looking at a map we decided to walk to a place where we could catch a trolley and go to the piers. As soon as we got there we saw a Carnival Cruise ship docked and of course a huge navy ship. Once Matt saw that it was a retired Navy ship after Dessert Storm and we could tour it he was in. I wasn't sure about it at first but I have to admit it was quite interesting and I really enjoyed it.

If I could have only got the whole ship in one picture.

The bunks where the sailors slept. There is not much room at all so I think I gained a lot of respect for our Navy, though I already felt highly of all our military and what they do.

A picture from the tower on the ship. Matt kept talking about top gun the whole time in there since it was where the "fly by" takes place.

The Carnival Cruise ship next door!

San Diego was a great trip and we had so much fun. We are off to the rodeo on Friday so I am sure we will have lots of pictures and stories when we get back. Have a great Labor Day!!

Busy Months

2009-08-13T13:43:00.000-07:00

Well I should have all kinds of things to update you on since it seems that life has been so busy. Matt has been a little slow at work so we just keep praying that everything picks up soon, mainly for his own sanity. My schedule changed at work so things have been a little crazy for me. We haven't been able to work on the house a lot but have some projects coming up in the near future. Matt did make a little bench right when you walk in from the garage where a small closet was. I wanted it to be open with a shelf and some coat racks and of course he made it happen. Once it gets tiled I will take pictures and show you all. Our bunk bed room is done, just waiting on the bedspreads. It actually even got used when my cousin Dena and her 4 kids all came and stayed with us for two nights. I think it's going to work out well for us to have company since most of our friends have kids and we love to be the babysitters. I think I am drawing a blank of everything else that happened in the month of July. The only thing that stands out is that our good friends Brandon and Rebecca got married! Their wedding was beautiful though we did have to miss out on my cousin Julie's wedding since they were the same night. We wish both couples all the happiness in the world.

We have a lot coming up in the next two months. We have the fair this next week! End of August Matt and I are heading to San Diego for a few nights and going to do the kid stuff like the zoo and Sea World. We are pretty excited for that. Labor Day weekend we are headed to Ellensburg Rodeo with my parents for the weekend. I am pretty sure that is going to be quite the fun time. Late September we are headed to Idaho to spend some time with the Tatarka's and hopefully get to see my friend Tory get married while we are there. So, here soon I will have a lot to blog about with all these trips.

Reception Pics June 2009 (A little Late)

2009-08-13T13:17:00.001-07:00

Wow, so I am really late on getting Reception photos up for everyone to see. I told myself I was going to get better at blogging and have really been slacking. Our reception was actually June 26, 2009. For me being someone who likes to wait till last minute on getting things done I think the reception actually turned out quite nice. At lease I know that I had fun and hopefully so did everyone else. Though it was just going to be a reception we all dressed up in the same clothes that we wore for our wedding and had our hair done the same. We decided to make it a dessert reception since it was a Friday night and it didn't start till 7. I think that worked out quite well. We had slide shows, speeches and dancing. Here are some pictures for everyone.

This was everyone in our wedding party!

Matt and Aaron with what they love best (Coors LT) and of course my two beautiful sisters.

My Step sister Robin made our cake which turned out amazing. I can't thank you enough Robin!!

This is all my siblings and their spouses with our parents. This picture doesn't happen very often so it was something I really wanted at my reception. Thank you all for making it happen.

Becca and Braeden. Becca Loves her Uncle Mac!!

My In-laws

My Family

Matt and I!! I Love my Husband!

Update

2009-06-10T14:17:00.000-07:00

Since once again it's been a little while since I wrote on our blog I thought I would catch everyone up. We have been working hard on the reception stuff trying to get it all put together. Hopefully everyone got their invite and has RSVP. Besides the reception we have been working on the house like always.

Matt has been working on his "Man Room" whenever he has a spare moment. He's starting to get there and a couple weeks ago we even moved all his tools from the garage. Every weekend something else has been done to it. Here's a few pictures to see where he is at right now and I will update in a month and we can see the changes.

We planted a new front lawn at our house. Though it is on it's own time it is starting to grow.

I also got some bunk beds for my spare room so when our family and friends come to stay we now have one room with a queen bed and one with bunk beds. With the bunk beds I still have room I can have the air mattress in there if need be for more people. Matt and I love having guests and seem to get to be the chosen babysitters.

Flowers for sale

2009-05-27T09:30:00.001-07:00

Hello All, I am really late at getting this out since I have been so busy trying to get things in order for my reception. I am involved in Relay for Life again this year in Lynden. Last year was my first year and I had such a good time I am doing it this year even though it is the week before my reception. It is such a good cause and so many people around all of our lives have been affected by cancer so to help do something about it is quite the experience. For a fund raiser we are selling these flower hanging boxes. Each year we try to raise a certain amount of money to donate and we try to come up with different fund raisers. If you would be interested in buying one of these hanging baskets or donating please let me know. The proceeds go to such a great cause. Thank you so much!!

Farm Visit

2009-05-27T09:02:00.000-07:00

In the last two weeks I have been busy with farm life. First Matt and I welcomed little Wesley our newborn calf at out house. I looked out the window and there was nothing then about an hour later I looked again and there he was. This is within a few hours of him being born. He is already really entertaining, he runs all over the field at sun down.

My next adventure was with a few of my girlfriends. I happen to have my niece and nephew that day so Anne & Sarah and Jenny & Jalyn along with Ann's cousin and her two girls decided we would meet for a McDonald's and Farm Day. We met at McDonald's for lunch at 11 to make sure that the kids would be full and ready for play time. I had called my in laws to make sure that it would work for them that we all came over and they were great. My father in law had a calf on a halter so they could lead a calf like a dog, my nephew thought that was great.

We had 4 girls all around the age of 2 so we were busy chasing them. Luckily we had the help of my Mother in Law to chase my niece since she is fearless and walks up to any of the cows. I was busy with Sarah climbing to the top of the hay mound since she wanted to make it to where ever the dogs were. Sarah also has no fear and loved to jump off everything. All the kids let the cows lick them and I even made the parents put there hand in a calf's mouth. We had so much fun with all the kids so Thank you to the Kortus farm for letting us all come visit.

My friend Loralei has been saying for quite sometime that she needed to go to a farm since she had never been to one before. To prepare her I took her to get some new boots to be styling at the farm and we caught Wesley so she could touch a cow first. On Monday Matt decided it would be the perfect day to take her to his parents. So we put on the boots and headed out the door. I am not sure what she thought the whole time since she was kind of quiet but she also put her hand in the mouth of a calf and even pet a few cows. She got daring enough that she even leaned down and pulled on a teat to try and get milk out of it. She took a cow wiping it's snot on her like a champ and did good till we had to run from a cow poohing. I am pretty sure she is ready for anything now.

Museum of Flight

2009-05-27T08:16:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday Matt had this great surprise date for me. He told me how I needed to dress, which for me he knows me enough to say layers and comfortable shoes. The alarm went off at 7am which I was sleeping like a log since I have been so tired lately but I got up and ready and we were off. I only knew we had to drive a couple hours and then would be there. Here we are ready to leave that morning.

Off we went headed south. Things were going good when at about 8am Matt gets a phone call from work asking if he could come in. He lets them know we are headed south and tries to see if he can come in later or the next day. We end up having to take the exit where you head to Anacortes and have to wait for him to make a couple phone calls and see if we need to turn back or not. After another half hour goes by we find out he can keep heading south so we are on our way again. We made it out of Mt Vernon and were just to where it goes to 3 lanes and 70mph when we thought some crazy car was going to pass us only to realize we needed to shoot across a lane and get to the side of the freeway with a blown tire. Of course it was the driver's side back tire and we were right next to a guardrail so we could pull off the freeway anymore. It was a little scary when the semis went by.

Matt changing the flat tire and putting on the spare. He had no clue I was taking pictures of him at the same time. After the tire got changed and we were headed to Les Schwab he wasn't sure he wanted to keep going since we had already had a couple set backs. After telling him that this is life and we can laugh at it later he had a smile on his face and we headed on. Once we made it through Seattle I did guess where we were going and it was the Museum of Flight. They had all kinds of things going on since it was the long weekend. Matt and I both love airplanes so I knew it would be a fun day.

We walked around and looked at the airplanes and toured whatever planes were open to tour including the old Air Force One.

We even took the opportunity to go into two different flight simulators since neither of us have even done that before. I saw the name of the "Big Stud" and had to take Matt's picture. We had such a great day. On our way home we called up my friend Heather who lives in Mt Vernon and met her at Red Robin for dinner.

Thank you Matt for a great day!!

Save the Date

2009-05-05T10:56:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, Matt and my reception is coming up. We are working on something special for the invite so you may not get them till 4-6weeks in advance. I thought I would just let everyone know what the date is so you could mark it on your calenders. June 26 is the date and it won't start till 7p except for our immediate family, you all will be needed before that. It's going to be a dessert reception so plan on eating your dinner before you arrive. If anyone wants to help out on making some kind of dessert I am open to any one's help. I am not the baking type so I am asking for handouts this time. Hopefully you all can make it!!

ACM's in Las Vegas

2009-05-05T10:37:00.000-07:00

Okay so I am a little behind on blogging right now. I was trying to keep things in order so I was waiting to download pics and realized my camera had a dead battery and somehow I lost the charger and had to wait for the new one to show up. On that note, the first weekend of April I took my friend Loralei on her first Vegas visit. We got tickets last September for the Academy of Country Music Awards show. I have been to it before so I know how much fun it is but it was Loralei's first time even to Vegas. The night we got there they were having free country concerts on Freemont St so we of course took advantage of that. We had quite the blast checking out all the people walking by and looking at all the great jeans:) Loralei and I both love jeans so it's kind of our thing to check out. My friend Tory and her fiance Eric met us down on Freemont so I could get my quick once a year visit in with them. It is always great to see them. We actually went back to our hotel before all the concerts were done since we were up early and starting to get a headache. We were both not to into going to the club scene so we spent our days just going into the different hotels and looking at the tourist stuff which was fun. We went down to the mall and did a little shopping to see if we could find something great to wear for the show. It didn't quite work out but we were still feeling good for the main event. The show is hosted by Reba every year and usually has quite a few entertainers. It's like going to a concert with all the top hits playing. We had a great time and I am pretty sure we both put dibs on tickets for next year.

By the way, Loralei was feeling good since we gave her Lynden hair!!

Miami

2009-04-27T12:27:00.001-07:00

After leaving the ship around 9am we headed to our hotel in Miami North Beach. The hotel was right on the water. Our room was on the 11th out of 12 floors so we had quite the view. We went swimming in the ocean since we knew it would be our last time for awhile. We also took the chance to sit in the hot tub for awhile. Matt and I were excited since the pier you see in this picture is used for CSI Miami.

After we were done on the beach we all went back to the room to clean up and find somewhere we could walk to for dinner. Matt and Aaron didn't want to be in the picture with us to we did the best we could to get ourselves in the picture through the mirror.

After dinner we knew this would be our last chance on the beach and seeing and feeling the water so we walked the beach home. We stopped at a couple places on the beach to take pictures for our last photo opportunities.

My mom and I sitting on one of the lounge chairs that are covered with a little grass roof that of course you have to pay for during the day. Part of the group decided we should take one last picture also.

Matt and I wishing we had just a couple more days to play in the sand. It was a wonderful trip and at this time, I am starting to not feel the best. Little did I know that by 4am I would be sick with the flu and struggling with a fever.

To end the night we saw that "Cars" the Disney movie was on so we all layed on the bed to watch it. Jalani is laying at our feet but since Matt is taking this picture we couldn't fit Jalani in. It was a great tip, an amazing wedding thanks to everyone involved.

Day 6 A day at sea Day &

2009-04-22T07:53:00.000-07:00

Day 6 was a day at sea so we spent most of the day just laying out and trying to get that last bit of sun before it was over and we all would be heading home. We had a couple things on the agenda for that day though.

We did hear that the newlywed game would be playing on the ship with the ship guests as it's contestants. There were four couples that went on stage to try out for being the newlywed couple. You had to make out onstage and the couple that looked the best doing it would win. It was all fun and games till Matt and I made the top two and then I wasn't so sure I wanted to win. Don't worry, we lost to another couple and after hearing the questions I am kind of glad we did.

At five we had an hour long free cocktail party. I think it was my brother who decided that we should make the FREE worth it. The waiter would come with a tray full of drinks and Rob talked him into telling us that every time he came with a tray he wanted to take a tray full of empties back. Things got a little crazy but we danced and had a great time. Though take it from some of us that night, we had to pack by 10p and drinking and packing are not a good combination.

Matt like Ray's hat from Jamaica so he wore it for quite awhile. I think we were all feeling happy by now.

You know the boys had a couple when they are on the dance floor dancing with a pole but it was pretty entertaining. Mom was even out there dancing, but don't worry Mom was still the responsible one of the bunch.

Oh wait, does this look responsible? Mom double fisted!! Okay so she really didn't drink all these or even that much but I love this picture of her and love to make it look like she was the life of the party:)

Day 7, well that was the day for getting off the ship. We had breakfast and waited for our numbers to be called so you could head off the ship. A few of us were way before the others so we took a taxi and headed for our hotel.

Day 5 St Maarten

2009-04-14T15:42:00.000-07:00

The next stop was St Maarten. I have to say this was one of my favorite islands. Between St Thomas and St Maarten I could probably go back to either. We had a couple things that we knew that we wanted to do on this island but really didn't have a plan. We decided to find a taxi and get advice on where we could go para sailing since that was one of the first things we wanted to do. We ended up with a van taxi that said he would just stay with us for the day. It was great since he had lived on the island for quite some time and seemed to know the history. St Maarten is owned half by the French and the other half by the Dutch. We wanted to see both sides of the island and that happen to work out well. We started with heading to the french side where we could para sail and go jet skiing. It was beautiful, though a little cloudy and windy when we first got there. Matt and I were first for the para sailing, it was both of our first time doing this. We had such a great time and have pictures but they are not online yet so I will have to share those later. Tami and Jalani also went para sailing after Matt and I. Rob wanted to rent jet skis so Rob and Jalani shared one and Loralei and I shared another. It was awesome, jet skiing on the ocean is a whole other experience then on a lake. Though the salt water would get in your eyes and it was really hard to see.

Did I mention that on the French side it's a clothes optional beach. I think we were a little shocked and had forgotten until the first person to walk in front of me was a 65yr man with nothing on. Aaron was not sure what to think of all this and kept trying to take pictures, though I am pretty sure the only one to turn out was a lady with her boobs hanging down to the fanny pack she was wearing. He would take a picture then stick his head under the towel to see if it turned out. It was quite entertaining!! After half the day on the French side we really wanted to head to the Dutch side to visit Sunset Beach. You can find it on U-tube for some great views of what we saw or visit my sister Angela's blog since her husband took video but I will explain it the best I can. Sunset Beach is known since the Airport is right across the street from the beach. Airplanes land right over top of you and take off where you feel the jet blast, or should I say sand blast.

The beach was absolutely beautiful. Matt and I were in love with the color of the water and the fact that you could swim in it:)

This does not do it justice but here is one airplane landing and then I tried to take a picture of me being under one but you forget they are still going a 100mph. I also was trying to take a picture of the sand blast that you get. There is actually a bunch of people running for the water there but since the sand is a good 10ft high you can't see them. The pilot was actually waving at them when he went to turn and take off, that is how close the airport is. We finished our day at St Maarten headed back to the boat.

Wedding Night

2009-04-08T11:35:00.001-07:00

Still feeling beautiful with my hair and makeup done we changed for dinner with everyone and a night of celebrating. There was a show that night that we were all going to. At dinner they made us feel very special and sang to us, along with a lot of toasting and kissing. We had time to spare after dinner so we headed for the karaoke lounge where there were not very many people. One girl was a very good singer and before I knew it my brother stood up and asked her if she would sing a song for Matt and I to do our first dance to. She sang "God Bless the Broken Road" for us.

Matt and I dancing on stage.

Going to the show with everyone still looking good!! Jalani called him Uncle Matt so he gave in and bought him the Virgin Margaritas that he was always trying to score.

When I went back to my room after the the night out, here is how it looked. All the happy honeymoon stuff was still up but now there was rose pedals all over the bed!! In the end I found out my Mom was behind the happy honeymoon stuff and Matt was behind the rose pedals!! Thank you everyone for making my big day so amazing!!

Back to the ship

2009-04-08T11:27:00.001-07:00

Everyone on the way back to the ship. Papa Bear stopped at a shopping center for those who wanted to get off the taxi and shop. Of course I couldn't stay and shop since it was quite a walk back and in a wedding dress it didn't look that fun. I stayed on with some of the others in the group and went to my room to change and just shop around the port.

To my surprise when I got to my room it was decorated with Happy Honeymoon stuff and two swan towels kissing. My mom made me a dress that was white and like my sisters that I could change into and still feel like the bride.

Onto the Lookout

2009-04-08T11:14:00.001-07:00

Once we got to the lookout it was amazing. You could see all the cruise ships at port and all over one side of the island. Of course we took a moment for some photo ops and also realized Papa Bear had put a "Just Married" sign on the taxi.

There was entertainment at the stop also. Ladies selling all sorts of stuff, a gentleman playing music, which happen to be little mermaid "under the sea" when we were there.

Even got to do a little dancing with the other taxi driver that happen to be Papa Bear's buddy. Carl being the good friend he is made sure Matt wasn't thirsty at all.

After the wedding

2009-04-08T10:58:00.000-07:00

Sorry about my last couple of blogs, not sure why they did that. After the wedding and all the pictures we headed to a restaurant called the Indigo for some lunch and of course a few more pictures. They were not warned that a large group was coming in so there was only one guy on duty and 23 people. We had to wait awhile but we got some good conversation time.

After lunch it was time to say Goodbye to my Dad, Step-mom, Chris and Rick! Once again a little bit of a teary occasion for Matt and I. Papa Bear taking care of us once again let us know that there was a great look out he would take us to instead of us paying to take a gondola ride.

Random wedding pics

2009-04-07T15:01:00.000-07:00

Here are some random pictures we took after the wedding!!!

wedding day part 4

2009-04-07T14:43:00.001-07:00

Following the wedding ceremony we had sparkling cider on the beach with all of our guests. We were so blessed that we had 21 people attend our wedding. My sister Angela and Ray and Patti, Matt's bosses all gave us a toast to wish us well with our future. Matt decided that he wanted to toast everyone and say Thank you to all those who made it, but I think we all ended up in tears after Matt's. Unfortunately Matt's family could not attend our wedding and it was defiantly a very hard moment for Matt and I. We are understanding to their situation but they were greatly missed that day. Matt shed a few tears knowing they were not there and knowing that it was hard on them also.

We took pictures with all the groups of people that were there for our wedding. Along with one group picture to show everyone. Then it was family pictures for quite sometime till we let everyone loose to do what they wanted while Matt and I tried to smile pretty for the camera.

wedding day part 3

2009-04-07T13:53:00.001-07:00

We arrived at Megan's Beach looking for a purple balloon where Colleen would be waiting. She had taken care of a few things for me such as Matt and my flowers and bringing glasses for our sparkling cider. I had been keeping in touch with her through emails and a couple phone calls so I had no clue what I was really looking for.

Collen did a wonderful job picking out the flowers!! She gave us a quick walk-thru of what needed to happen and then we were onto the wedding.

The waves were crashing that day so even though my brother was holding a radio playing the song I chose to have us all walk to you couldn't really hear much. Matt chose his best friend Aaron VandeHoef to be his best man. I of course chose to have my two sisters stand for me. My dad, step mom, stepsister Chris and her husband Rick were all at the beach waiting for us since they were not on the cruise but were part of our wedding.

Aaron walked my two sisters down while Matt waited patiently for my dad to walk me down.

I have to say that I did good until the final hug from my dad then the tears came a little bit but I got it back together quickly.

Everything went awesome. This is one of my favorite pictures of me looking at Matt. I just pray that I look at him this way for the rest of my life. Our vows were awesome even though we are the only ones that heard them or said them since the water was a little load.

Our exchanging of rings!!

A few pictures during the wedding. Our first kiss after the ring exchanging.

Since we could not do a unity candle we decided on a sand ceremony. They say that unless you can separate all the grains of sand back to their original containers you have to stay united. Matt had a glass with black sand and I had one with white sand. I had the glasses all engraved. Matt's had his name and mine had my name then the one we both poured into has two hearts and the saying "two lives become one" with the date of our wedding (March 10, 2009).

The new Mr and Mrs Matt Kortus

Yeah, we are married!!!!

Wedding Day part 2

2009-04-07T12:56:00.001-07:00

It was just before 9am and we headed off the boat to find our taxi and driver. By this time the clouds were starting to break and the sun was starting to come out for what looked like it might be a beautiful day. Our taxi driver was right there on time waiting for us.

We had a great taxi driver who played music the whole time and also talked to us about the island. Here's some of the wedding party on the taxi.

Our first stop was the courthouse in St Thomas so that Matt and I could sign papers and have the documents to sign at the wedding ceremony.

Once everything was signed it was off to finding out taxi that was driving around with the rest of the group and then onto the wedding site.

We had to go over quite the hill to get to where our wedding would be taking place on Megan's Bay. Along the way our taxi driver (Papa Bear) said there was a great look out that he would stop at so we could see the beach where we were headed.

Megan's Bay

We took the opportunity to take a few more pictures with great background. Papa Bear even joined us for a couple pictures so we could remember him. If you ever go to St Thomas I recommend him, he's with Move My Group. We were off to the wedding site and to meet my wedding planner.

Day 4 St Thomas/Wedding Day Part 1

2009-04-07T12:23:00.000-07:00

Day 4 was the big day. We had heard that there was a storm going through St Thomas so I was a little worried about that. Once we left San Juan it was decided that Matt and I should not see each other till we were dressed and ready for our big day. Melissa and Carl being the great friends they are decided that they could part for the night so Carl went and stayed with Matt while I stayed with Melissa. Melissa decided she would start on the first persons hair at 545a and got herself ready before that. I saw us coming into port while I was waiting for my hair to be done, it was a little cloudy so I had to start praying it would all turn out okay. We had told Matt that we would meet him on the 12th floor outside at 8a but to not be looking.

Angela was great on being my assistant and making sure that I looked perfect for my big day. My other sister Tami was in the next room getting my mom and Jalani ready to go. We spent some time trying to figure out how to tie a good bow but gave up after awhile realizing that we were late to meet Matt on the top deck.

Here I am headed down the hall to see my man, the nerves were starting to come by this time, not worried about being married but hoping he would think I looked amazing like I felt. After climbing the last step and going around a corner there was Matt looking out the front of the boat. It was 8:15 so I was fashionably late and it was cloudy still but not to cold.

Here's my man waiting for me to tap him on the shoulders and reveal myself to him. By the way, Matt had never even seen what my dress looked like. Matt had a ring for me for over a year and I never peaked since I wanted it to be a surprise and I had the dress since September and he never looked. At this moment, my heart is beating and I am trying not to cry!! I tapped him on the shoulder and he turned around, I can't describe the feeling and the look on his face. Tears came out of both our eyes and we just hugged.

By this time everyone in our group on the boat had shown up. We decided to take pictures on the boat since there was a great view and since we could not leave the boat for a little while yet. Our taxi was to pick us up at 9am to head to the courthouse and then onto the wedding site.

My siblings and of course a picture with my two beautiful sisters who were also my matron and maid of honors.

Day 3 San Juan, Puerto Rico

2009-03-31T12:42:00.000-07:00

We spent the day laying out and arrived into port at San Juan around 5p. We were to leave at 12a. My mom and Jalani were off for a evening of kayaking so that left the rest of us not really knowing what we were going to do but we were excited for whatever the day was going to bring. I was actually surprised at how many high rises there were in San Juan. It was a fun place to tour around for the day but not the first place I would choose to go back to.Here's some of the group waiting for them to give us permission to get off the ship. It was fun to watch us pull into the ports.

We are ready to head off the boat. We have decided at this point that we are going to go to a place called the fortress. It's a fort that goes down the one side of the island. We were going to have to walk to it but once we were there it had awesome views of the water and the island. You could see the cruise ship from one side of it. Rob decided since there were all sorts of signs when you come off the boat that had names of tours and taxis that we would be "team pink". Rob of course was wearing a pink shirt but was the leader.

Matt and Angela modeling the sign of where we were headed to!!

The family

The boys hanging out at one of the spots that had a great view of the water. Though it was a little scary since there was nothing blocking you from falling into the water from there. After touring the fortress we decided to check out the shops around town and then meet up at Senior Frogs for dinner and drinks.

Everyone got a "yard" drink and then we all had to take turns of taking our picture in front of them all. We headed back to the ship after dinner but not before some of us ladies decided we needed the temporary tattoo.

Loralei's tattooMy tattoo, it's hard to see but it has a flower with a MK on the bottom since it is Matt's initials and it was soon to be mine.

Day 2

2009-03-31T12:33:00.000-07:00

The first couple days we were on the boat it was a little cool. It was a little cloudy and the wind was blowing but we tried to lay out anyway. My little sister wanted a tan so bad she layed out with a sweatshirt and a towel.The second night on the cruise was a formal night. It was pretty fun seeing everyone getting dressed up. It's not something we get to do everyday. To top off getting to dress up we had 2 hair dressers in our party so we all took turns going to Melissa's room for some hair fixing and poofing. Loralei thought having "Lynden" hair was great by the end of the cruise. Aaron thought he better join in on the hair fixing and got a turn also.

Day 1 on the ship

2009-03-31T12:16:00.001-07:00

After making it to the ship, the cruise line got us all checked in quite quickly. We were off to tour the boat and of course get our first drink. Matt was excited that he got his first drink with an umbrella in it. Those farm boys are so easy to entertain:). Lunch was served as soon as we got on the boat so we all ate and toured the boat a little more, and of course we tried to get a little sun while waiting for the boat to leave port. The Bride & Groom

Siblings

Once we left Port of Miami it was a little hanging out and then dinner was at 8:15p for us every night so we all headed to our rooms where our luggage was waiting and got ready for dinner. Being the first night we all had a couple of adult beverages and we were ready to start the vacation.

Feeling better

2009-03-25T15:26:00.000-07:00

Okay since I am finally feeling better and back to work I thought I better get to catching everyone up on the trip and of course wedding. Yesterday was already two weeks for me being a married woman and I haven't even got to talk about all the fun we had. There are so many things to talk about so it may take a couple weeks and a few posts to inform you of all the fun we had and great pictures.

We left for Miami on the 9:10a flight on March 6 out of Bellingham. We had 6 of us in our group on the first flight. Tami, Jalani, Melissa, Carl, Matt and I were traveling all the way to Miami together. Brandon and Rebecca were on the first flight with us and then went on to other connecting flights. It was quite the send off at the Bellingham airport since I work there. The girls at the counter were excited to see us, then when we went through Security (TSA) they got me really good with quite the funny prank. When heading out to the plane I saw one of my favorite Horizon Pilots who happened to be taking us onto Seattle. By the time we left Bellingham we had all kinds of announcements made on the plane congratulating us. I think everyone else on the plane was getting a little tired of it. Tami and I were crying on the plane laughing so hard at a lady who kept falling asleep in front of us. By the time we got to Seattle we were all ready to start our vacation. I happen to know a lady in the board room in Seattle so we got to sit in there and wait for our next flight. We were on our way to Miami at 1:20p on a direct flight. Melissa and Carl were in first class on that flight so they made it known that we were getting married and Matt and I were given some free adult beverages thanks to our friends in front. The flight felt really long but we finally arrived in Miami at 10p their time. We all headed to our hotels and then met at Denny's for dinner. Saturday was our day to head to the ship. It felt like forever for our shuttle to get there to pick us up.

Sneak Preview

2009-03-18T22:00:00.000-07:00

Okay so here is a sneak preview of the wedding with a lot more to come. The wedding was awesome, the cruise was great. I have lots of pictures to share and I haven't even received Melissa's pictures yet. Everyone made it home safe but we have quite the group of us that are sick including me. So when I feel better I promise to be on top of getting you more pictures and all the stories. Enjoy the few I posted!!

Bachlorette and Bachelor Parties

2009-02-23T15:20:00.000-08:00

Okay so sadly I have no pictures of Matt's Bachelor Party but I can tell a little bit about it. Matt, being the guy who likes to stay home didn't want or think he needed to have a party so being the nice fiance that I am I made him have one. I helped him decide that he should at least go to Tony's Tavern in Custer with all the guys instead of do nothing. A few guys met up with him and from the sounds of it he had a great time till he got home that is. I think he might have got a little sick but I am sure it was all worth it. He kind of wishes that he would have made it more a all day thing and done more but still glad that he got some "Man Time". Thank you all for taking him out he had a good time.

As for me, well I of course had my sisters and friends to put mine together so I knew I was in for a good night.

I got to start it off with getting my hair done from my amazing friend Melissa. She is way to good to me!Then I was off for dinner at Billy McHale's. Every time there is something to be thrown for me it just reminds me of how wonderful my friends are. I sat at the head of the table looking down at amazing people who have been there for me and so supportive. I thank you all for that!

We had a great dinner and of course a couple great drinks with a few things to make it a bachlorette party.

My sister's displaying out fun "Manly part straws!!

Me displaying the Hottie Whistle I was given along with the shot glass! I even had to bust out my new "Pink" shoes, that I have to say are a little slippery so I had to be careful!

I knew that not everyone would be able to make it to the whole night so it worked out well that it was kind of split between a few things. After a couple hours at Billy's we were off to my friend Jen's house for home made drinks and some great gifts. Of course we can't show all the gifts but I thought I could show a couple.

Every bachlorette needs a sash or two!!

Every couple needs some Love Bird Pillow Cases

Melissa had a little dress made for me that I can wear on the cruise! I can't believe it's almost here and I get to be the bride:)

My friend Jen actually had John Deere thong and bra made for me!! It was great, I love it and I am sure Matt will too when he sees me in them.

After opening gifts we were off to the Fairhaven for some dancing and hanging out. I think everyone had a good time.

My red boa was a hit at the bar, I think a lot of the girls took a minute to wear it but I thought this picture of Laura was too cute to pass up.

I am not sure who these people are but their dancing was really entertaining so I thought I would dance with them without them knowing.

I think that concludes my bachlorette night, thank you all sooooo much for being a part of it. Loralei, thank you for getting us home safe, and for driving me through taco bell on the way home:) Matt, I sorry I just had to know how your night was so I woke you up and it made you sick all over again.

Annual Ear Cleaning

2009-02-23T15:07:00.000-08:00

Okay so every year my Bother in law Rich, Sis Angela, Matt and I do a annual ear cleansing. Everyone comes to Matt and my house and I cook tacos and we laugh at each other while getting our ears cleaned. My mom happen to be here this year so I let her take my place and I will have to have mine done at a later date. I know this may look funny but I do have to say that it really works, or at least we think it does. Angela had an ear ache before we did the cleansing she went to the doctor and was told that it doesn't work, yet when the doctor looked in her ear she told her they were totally clean so I am thinking there may be truth to it.

First up was Mom, this was her first experience and we haven't heard anything back yet!!

Ang was second, the boys were busy watching tv!!

Rich and Matt like to go at the same time so Ang works on her man and I work on mine then it's a contest of who has more junk in their ear! Kind of gross I know but still a fun night.

Prayer

2009-02-23T15:00:00.000-08:00

So, we are two weeks away from our big day and I just thought that I would ask that everyone being praying for us. Pray that first and foremost we all have a safe and fun trip. Pray that the Lord truly is there with Matt and I and that he look over us and bless our marriage. I need prayer to have a peaceful heart with things that have really taken a Tull on Matt and I since our engagement. Of course I think it's been dealt to us to make us closer and for that I am thankful that sometimes we have to face tough times. I need prayer in entering into a new family and being accepting in them as I pray they are accepting of me. I pray they are thankful for their son finding someone who loves him as much as I do as I know my family is so thankful that I have found an amazing man like Matt. If you could just pray that we start on our new journey with open hearts. I thank you all for the support and prayer that you have already given us.

Blog Slacker

2009-02-23T14:58:00.000-08:00

Okay so once again I am way behind on blogging. So, today I am going to post three blogs to catch everyone up. I do have a good excuse though, I am getting married in the next two weeks and you really don't realize how much you have to get done till you are two weeks away. So, I am sure there is lots I need to catch everyone up on but there is a few things that stick out the most that I am going to catch you all up on.

Update

2009-01-17T10:27:00.000-08:00

Okay, okay I admit that I have been horrible the last month with keeping up my blog. I am going to do better this year and besides that I should have a lot to blog about. So to give you an update on the last month: Matt, well he was the good neighbor and since we got a lot of snow he made sure that we and the neighbors could all get out of our driveways. Of course it was like a kid in the candy store for him since he got to do it all while on a tractor. BP gave them a lot of days off due to the weather so if you all can imagine how bored Matt was. On top of bored starting to stress about the little paycheck that would be coming in. For all of you who don't know Matt has quite the softer side to him and during his bored time has been cross-stitching a cloth that has to do with our wedding. He loves to show it off since a lot of people just don't know how talented he is with that kind of stuff. For me in the last couple months, things have been a little hard in my industry. This Christmas at the airlines was one of the toughest I have had. It was emotionally draining. I think I told over 200 people that they were not going home for Christmas. On top of that it was a lot of deicing and weather problems. I made it through it and decided that this year was going to be a good year. I have a lot to thank God for and am truly blessed with all the exciting things coming up in my life. Matt and I had a crazy Christmas, I guess that is how it is when you add another family on top of the one you already have. Christmas Eve we went to Church Service and then onto Matt's grandparents house and had a great dinner there. I of course had to be at work at 4a on Christmas so no hanging out to long for us. Christmas Day I was working while Matt and his family started at his parents and then onto his other Grandparents house. By the time I was done with work (late) we made our way over to my Stepsister Chris and her husband Rick's house and had fun hanging out with the family as always. My niece Becca loves Matt so much that when I had my arms around him she got mad and took them off. It was way to cute, Matt is the one on the floor playing with all the kids and they love him for it. Friday night after Christmas we had my family over to our house. We had a lot of fun, ate a good meal, played a few games that the kids could play. We recovered from Christmas and for New Years we went by the neighbors and my Brother's but didn't make it up till 12 since I of course had to work the next morning. We are starting the new year off with craziness but loving every minute of it. Matt is working a lot now, last week he worked 7 days and this week it's looking like maybe Sunday off. I have been working extra between the two jobs and really realizing that I do still have a lot to do before the wedding. I had one Bridal Shower and one more to go. I have a bachlorette party coming up this next month. We are getting more and more excited to think that we will be leaving in just over a month. I think that's all for now, I will have to make sure that this year I stay on top of things a little more. Thank you all for being such a great part of our lives.

tribute to the woman of Horizon in Bham

2008-12-20T20:18:00.001-08:00

Okay so most of you know that us Horizon Girls in bellingham have to work 365 days of the year in all weather. Though it is my choice to work the job I work, it can actually be a very tough job. So, for this post I thought I would just thank the girls I work with (and 3 men) for being as tough as they are and taking on the weather no matter what we are dealt with. We make it to work at 4am and work till whatever time it takes to make the customer happy. On the days we are at home, and thanking God for the day off, we truly are thinking and feeling a little guilty for those who are at work. So, for those of you who are flying this Holiday Season, take a moment to thank the men and women on the front line of the airlines. We like to say we are Goddesses but not God, so when the weather is bad, think about how you want to treat us for something out of our control. We truly are doing the best we can and want you to get where you need to be. I thought I would show you all a couple of pictures of some of the weather we have been dealt with and though we have a smile on our face and are trying to make it look easy, it really is tough.

Bob's Xmas Party

2008-12-17T10:29:00.000-08:00

Monday night we had the Bob's Christmas Party. I had to work early the next morning so we knew we would probably miss out on the excitement of the late night had to much to drink action we did at least make an appearance. They held it at Northwood Hall in Bellingham and combined it with 4 Bob's total. Matt and Aaron had quite the time people watching. There was a girl with the shortest skirt the boys had ever seen and one of my girlfriends was very blessed in the chest area and really showing it that night so the boys were of course in heaven!! Aaron, Loralei, Matt and I started our table and then our good friend Meaghan and her man Ben joined us. Our table was quiet and just the six of us but we really had a good time just laughing and talking.

Weekend Fun

2008-12-15T12:17:00.000-08:00

Matt and I had a fun weekend even though it was freezing!! Friday night started out with meeting my friend Heather and her boyfriend Kenny for dinner at Red Robin. We met at 6:30p and ended up staying for 3 hours just catching up on life. I think we realized that our men are a lot alike. It's always nice to be able to go out with other couples and we really enjoyed their company. Saturday was a day of running around for me but the biggest and most important thing I had to do was go to my sister Robin's and help bake a cake for the baby shower I was throwing on Sunday. Robin is awesome at decorating cakes! For those of you who have gone to one of her kids birthday party's you know what I mean. So, as much as I would want to really help her, my talents do not include cake decorating so I actually watched the kids when needed and just sat and kept her company. Of course the kids had to take their part in helping also! I think the cake turned out great, it was a hit at the party. After pretty much most of the day at Robin's and the challenge of getting the cake from her house to mine I was pleasantly surprised by the visit of my cousin's wife Dena. We don't get to see her or the family very often now that they live down south so it's always nice to catch up. It's great how now that we are all getting older and into the marriage stages of our lives you start having more in common again. Sunday was the day of the baby shower. My friend Lisa, who I work with is due the end of this month. The horizon crew always likes to throw a work baby shower so I decided to host it for her. Of course we had bad weather that night so I was a little worried about the turnout but in the end we had a room full of women drinking wine, and I think it turned out to be a great day.

Lynden Trib

2008-12-12T14:56:00.000-08:00

Okay so to all of you who saw the Lynden tribune and are wondering why my Mom's name was not in the paper, here's the story: The tribune messed up really explains it all!!! I did put my mom's name of the sheet I had to fill out and somehow they missed her name. The sad thing is they did the same thing to my sister Angela. I would have maybe let it go if it were just my posting but two people in the same family!! I called and it should be re-ran next week with all the parents names. When I called the tribune it wasn't the greatest experience coming from a girl that works in nothing but customer service but as long as they fixed their mistake I will try to do the right thing and forgive them. I am hoping for better luck in the Bellingham Herald which should have our announcement December 21. By the way, if you don't get the tribune you can go to www.lyndentrib.com and check it out.

Saturday Night

2008-12-07T09:02:00.000-08:00

Saturday started off with both Matt and I having to go to work, we both had some extra hours we picked up. It threw me off to what day it is since we are both usually sleeping in, so when Matt's little brother Mikey showed up I asked him why he didn't have school that day and he told me he doesn't go to school on Saturdays. I was all messed up! Mikey stayed for awhile playing the wii. Later was the lighted Christmas Parade in Lynden, even though I have been to it many times, I still like to go every year, rain, shine or snow. It was raining this year but my friend Loralei and I decided that water won't hurt us. We bundled up and headed for Lynden. The parade was good and we got to see people we knew of course, we actually spent a lot of time walking since we wanted to see people at both ends of Lynden. After the parade Loralei came over and Matt's friend Aaron was here. We have all hung out a few times and seem to love playing games and hanging out. We started the night off with getting them both set up on the wii fit. They have both been here so they already have characters on the wii but you have to get the initial training out of the way to get started with the fit. There was some entertaining times watching the guys trying to do yoga, but I must say that Aaron was more flexible then most guys I know. We took a break from the wii and played Apples to Apples and a couple of card games, then someone got the wild hair that we should play twister. Twister was quite entertaining and Loralei tried to win so hard that she even split her pants at the knee. We of course ended the night with a few tennis matches and a bowling match on the wii. It was a great night, we love having people over and just getting to laugh and enjoy friendship. Matt even admitted that he is really happy that we got a wii, no regrets:)

He said yes:)

2008-12-05T11:45:00.000-08:00

Okay so I have been begging for a Nintendo Wii and a couple of weeks ago Matt gave in. We have been playing it almost everyday since at this time we really are not into anything on TV. I figure at least we have to be up and moving around, not just sitting there. Besides for a guy that was against me having a wii I have to say that I think he's on it as much or more then me. He's already a pro on tennis. As if I didn't love my new wii, I of course just needed one more thing to go with it, a wii fit. I can't always make it to the gym but I am sure going to try and put this to use. I did my first wii workout this morning for about an hour. I know it's all new now but I need to get myself ready for my wedding so wish me luck on continuing my wii workout. It keeps track how much you do so I have some accountability since Matt can check it. We had a couple friends over one night for a wii tournament, if anyone ever wants to play, you know where to find us and we always love company:)

Compare

2008-12-02T19:59:00.001-08:00

Okay so to give you all something to compare to, this is a couple pictures of our kitchen before. The pantry doors that are now white use to be the dark brown. The old dining room table is what my dining room looked like before. The picture of the door to my front entry way closet is where you see the yellow room in the other pictures. Hopefully this helps even though they are not side by side with the new pictures.

Xmas Lights

2008-12-01T16:43:00.000-08:00

Okay so I feel like they look a little better then the pictures but I am no expert either. So, as much as I love my Man he isn't so into putting Christmas lights up so I did them myself. I was pretty excited to hang the blue icicle lights that we got last year only to realize that they would barley cover the front of the garage. No worries though, my mom had given me some that she had that were also blue. Once I was hanging them all up I realized how blue my new ones were and that they were not ready to hang all the way down but still wanted to be bunched up like they were in a box. My mom's old lights however were looking a little weathered and hung down just fine but didn't look so blue. So, yes my lights look a little funny but maybe by the end of this year things will even out. I decided that I would add some big blue lights along the walkway and got some cheap plastic stakes to hold them up. It really turns your day the wrong way when you buy two packages of 25 stakes and that is exactly the amount of lights you have, only to find out one bag only had 24 stakes. Yep, I was robbed a stake. I guess being engaged to a handy man that always finds a way to get around the things we do not have has taught me something. I went out and looked for a stick, made it so one end would stake into the ground and made it so my light would notch onto the top. I should have taken a picture since I am quite proud of it. Anyway, I think this year is as good as my house gets for Christmas Decor. I am sure someday when kids are in the house I will want to do more but for now it just seems like a lot of work. Happy Holidays to all:)

Is it March yet????

2008-11-30T10:21:00.000-08:00

Here it is raining again and all I can think about is that in 3months and some days I will be setting sail. Not only am I so excited that it will be the week I get married and one of the biggest days of my life, but also the fact that I will be on ship with all my family. This is the biggest family vacation we have ever been on. I thought I would post a few pictures of the fun we will be having while we are on the ship. Here's the casino, some of the rooms, a picture of our ship, the water slide we will be splashing on and the lobby we will all be meeting up in to go on our next adventure of the day. I hope my family is prepared for all the games they will have to join me on when we are at sail.

2008-11-28T21:45:00.001-08:00

Okay another post on the same night, I have to since it's an update on our house. I thought I would share with you what our front entry, dining and kitchen look like now. Though, we get the doors to our cupboards this next week so don't mind that mess in the pictures. Matt and I worked all day on getting trim and floors done and I think they turned out great. I even took some time when I couldn't help Matt and put up my country Christmas tree and a John Deere tree for Matt. You can't really tell in the pictures what they are but you can still see the lights at least and know I have them up. I can't wait to finish decorating the finished rooms and then to decorate for Christmas also. Anyway, I will have to find some of my pictures from when we bought the house so for those of you who have never been here will understand the change.

Thanksgiving

2008-11-28T21:36:00.001-08:00

Hopefully everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Matt and I have been so anxious to work on the house I think it was harder this year to sit and chat and spend time with everyone, okay actually that is Matt that it's hard for, me, well I can visit anytime and love it. We started at Matt's family which was great food and I actually sat and talked to his Aunt that I have never really talked to before. We left right after lunch since we wanted to make a stop at everyone's house. Thank goodness my Mom works around everyone's schedule and doesn't always have our celebration on the actual holiday. I don't think we had time for one more stop. From Matt's family we stopped by Chris and Rick's to say hi to everyone there and then onto my Grandma's 85th birthday with all the VanDiest side. It was so good to see all the cousins. It's not very often that we all get to be in a room together and yet when we do we always have such a good time:) It was a little crazy to see all the kids and just think about how it could be our family in a few years. There are just so many things to look forward to as the years go by. Life is just such a blessing.

2008-11-24T10:45:00.000-08:00

So for all of those who have to listen to me talk about my remodel, well starting today our kitchen cabinets are going in right now along with counter tops on Wednesday and hopefully the following weekend we can work on the floors. My goal is to be able to have my side of the family Christmas at my house. When I get pictures I will show them all to everyone. Should be pretty exciting to get to actually use all my drawers in the kitchen ( I can't wait)

2008-11-24T10:39:00.000-08:00

We took some family photos last month when the leaves looked awesome outside our house so I thought I would share them with everyone. Those are my dogs Molly (black face) and Jersey.

Love of My Life

2008-11-21T15:56:00.000-08:00

I am a little new at this whole blogging thing but I thought I would give it a try. So, to start things off I thought I would tell the story behind Matt and I since that is my life these days. Matt and I met in 2006 while playing co-ed softball. Okay actually Matt remembered that he was a pick up player on my team a couple years earlier and I remember him but it's not like we talked or anything. Anyway, we were playing ball against each other and he kept stopping at first base (where I was playing) and talking to me. He asked me to meet him at home plate after the game because he thought he knew me. Yes, ladies, I fell for it. He gave me his number and I had to run over to my mom and ask for something to write with so I wouldn't forget it. I actually wrote it in pencil on my mitt. I chickened out on calling and sent a text message "making sure I had the right number" We talked for hours that first night and things have blossomed since then. After almost two years and me wondering if he was ever going to ask me, May 2008 he finally popped the question. He took me to dinner at the nuthouse in Lynden and after blindfolded me in the truck. He drove me around while I was blindfolded and then made me get on his back and we walked a little while. Once I took the blindfold off I was standing on first bast where he met me and Matt was on his knee. One of the greatest nights, yet I know there is so much more to come. We decided on a destination wedding so March 10, 2009 with family and friends Matt and I will be standing on Megan's Beach in St Thomas saying our vows (yeah). No worries though I will keep the updates on the wedding posted. That's our story for now.