Well, I was on a blogging roll for awhile there.

Maybe it will return.  Sometime.

For now, I continue working and wife-ing and mom-ing.  Lots of learning and adjusting

Josh was off all last week for Fall Break.  He had a birthday.  We enjoyed free "hot donuts now" at Krispy Kreme "late" one night.  Because we could.



We went to Indianapolis for a mini family vacay (cross that off the summer to do list) and my sister-in-law's sister's wedding.  I cried at the wedding and danced at the reception.  I recalled my own wedding.  It's amusing how some of the details are so sketchy (Did we partake in the tradition of kissing when glasses are tapped?  Did we have anything glass at the reception?).  And some details will never leave my memory.

Catherine with her cousins

s'mores as wedding favor

We stayed at a great hotel and had dinner at Cheesecake Factory.  We ooh'ed and ahh'ed over items at Crate & Barrel, and then I informed my husband that I'm very content living a life that does not include spending $5100 on a sofa, just in case he needed reassurance.

Date Night

Catherine's birthday party is quickly coming up - less than two weeks.  So, I'll need to be thinking more about that soon.  We're having the party at a local restaurant/cafe/bakery.  I kept the guest list very short.  It will be a short and sweet - and salty - party.

But of course I can't do anything simply.  So, I plan to make goodie bags/favors for guests.

I'm currently working on a Moms Night Out for my weekly moms' group and planning our church's ladies' Christmas party.

Our washing machine quit working 2 weeks ago.  Mid-cycle.  Just to keep things interesting I guess.

We'll see what tomorrow brings.  And the next couple weeks.

This man.



Husband.

Hard worker.

Dedicated teacher.

Life changer.

Hope giver.

Encourager.

He directed two middle school musicals this past weekend.  This photo was taken between the two.


This is his 8th musical in the last 9 years (wisely, he took a season off the year Catherine joined our family).

It was a long season of seemingly endless and increasingly long rehearsals.  It was hard to get through it.  Hard for all of us.

When the finish line was in sight I asked him, "Could you at least take a day off work after this is all over?"  But do you know what my husband is doing with his "day off" this week?  And his "free" periods over many days.  And his before school time...

He's voluntarily going to all the music classes for all the 5th grades of all the elementary schools in town.  He's basically giving his best sales pitch on why middle school choir rocks in the hopes of recruiting for next year.

He's using his free time and vacation time to do more work.  Going above and beyond.  Reaching well past minimum requirements.  Giving extra effort and superior excellence.

My husband.

Sure, he drives me crazy.  Trust me, not every day is peachy.  Marriage is HARD.

But I snagged a good one.  And I'm not letting go.

Had a GREAT 4 day weekend in Wisconsin!!  I love being back there.

We went with Jen and Andy and of course the girls.  It's awesome when we can borrow my folks' mini van and all ride together.  Well, except for the fact that long car trips with babies are hard, and sometimes they just take turns screaming and crying.  But other times they are quiet and content.  :)

We stayed with family friends the Kemna's the first night in Fort Atkinson where I used to live.  We actually didn't get to see any of the town, as they live in the country.  I love, love, LOVE staying with Kemnas.  Mrs. Kemna was my 1st and 2nd grade teacher, and she has long been someone I admire - largely for her amazing gift of hospitality.  It always truly feels like a retreat when I am in their home.  Such a treat!!

We enjoyed reminiscing and visiting in their farmhouse and eating ice cream sundaes on the back deck admiring the gorgeous view of farmland.  Ahhh, Wisconsin...


We then headed north to Marshfield for my cousin Leigh-Ann's wedding.  What a beautiful bride she was!


We had a nice time visiting with extended family, enjoying good food, and rocking out on the dance floor.

We also enjoyed the pool at the hotel we stayed at!  Catherine's first time in a pool.  She was a bit hesitant at first, but we all ended up having lots of fun!


Saturday we continued north to Wausau to friends Tammy & Michael's house.  Their son was celebrating his 5th birthday with a big space themed party.  Tammy did a great job planning, organizing, and throwing the coordinated party.  She also fed us lunch and dinner and let us hang out there for the day.  It was great to visit with 4 of the 5 Richmonds!


We stayed at another hotel with a pool so the babies could enjoy more swim time, and we then traveled to visit friends Sean and Ali in Chicago suburbs.  We picked up Giordano's (YUM!!), gobbled down freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, and spent a good time talking and giggling - two guaranteed activities around Seanners.


 And now back at Home Sweet Home, for at least a few days!  :)

Since I got so much love from posting yesterday (and since I have the time) I decided I'd write again today.

I received a lot of feedback about the color combo of red and turquoise. I must admit I did not come up with this gem. My friend and co-worker Tobi did. She designs scrapbook layouts so she is creative like that. She briefly mentioned the combo in class to some of our students, one of whom promptly used those two colors to design some geometric shape he was creating for math class. It looked great! And inspiration struck!

I was planning a bridal shower for my friends J & J last month and wasn't sure what colors or theme to use. I had just picked up a set of porcelain stands with red ribbon woven through the edges (seeing the picture below is better than me trying to describe them) over spring break and wanted to use them somehow in the spread. Knowing their wedding color is similar to turquoise (I think it's official name is oasis), I realized I could decorate with the theme of those two colors.

It was super exciting to put together my serving pieces or partyware as I like to call them. Partyware is kind of something I collect I guess you could say. I feel like it's been too long since I've gotten much use out of them, but I know that will change once we have more space to entertain. I kid you not, I finalized the shower menu based on what partyware I wanted to use. Reminds me of the days when I used to plan an outfit based on what purse I wanted to carry that day.

Warning: if you have zero interest in entertaining you might want to skip over the next section. However, I burst at the seams when it comes to this kind of stuff. So, here's what we ended up with (you can view it larger by clicking on the picture:


We set the table with Mom's red tablecloth and added turquoise placemats, which were a wedding gift. From the left we have red plates (sale at Meijer) and turquoise napkins (leftover from our wedding reception, bought them from a great place in Elkhart), a crockpot of meatballs (they tasted as if I actually knew what I was doing when I made the sauce to go with them!), pigs in a blanket (hadn't made these in ages!) on a red platter. Oh, and the spoon rest for the meatballs is turquoise (got it in Broad Ripple in Indy with Charissa a couple years ago)! Next in the back is the new stands that started this whole spread (scroll down for a close-up). I got those at Home Goods (my new favorite store) in Schaumburg over spring break. The fab cheese ball was on sale at Martin's! The fresh strawberries were perfect in my turquoise colander (I think I squealed when I realized I could use that as partyware!) from Maine. To manage water drippage (and make the colander pop) I placed the colander on a platter that contained, among other colors, red and aqua diamonds - one of my very first partyware pieces.

Next is a great square shaped bowl set on a platter with an aqua and white Celtic design; this held a seasoned Chex mix. I didn't want the menu too stuffy or fancy as it was a co-ed shower. In front of that were fresh veggies on a red platter (I got those red platters on clearance after Valentine's Day or Christmas one year) along with a light dill dip in a turquoise bowl (I got a set of these at the fabulous Junk Evolution for our wedding reception dessert and candy buffet). Stay with me; I'm almost done. Finally in back is red cups from Meijer, a spread of sodas, and a turquoise pitcher (wedding gift) with water with lemon. In front is a glass turquoise platter with cream puffs. This platter I normally use for decor, not food. I had a set of votives on it, but I/Josh made sure to wash it real good. I got it at a cute store in St. Joseph, MI and later went back and got a matching square one as well. The rectangular one is on display in our office; the square in our living room. It worked out well that a lot of our home decor and wedding decor is/was aqua.

Here's a close-up of the new stands.

The cake was great too; the couple requested a boston creme style. It looked and tasted fabulous! I have THE best cake lady! (The bride's and groom's nicknames are J-La & J-Stan)
And I just had to throw this in as well. Yes, I wore turquoise to match the decor. And the bride-to-be noticed! :)

We rented the community center at the couple's apartment complex to hold the shower. Had a nice turnout, good visiting, a fun game where the bride tried to guess the groom's answers to questions such as "How much cash are you carrying right now?" and "What brand of deodorant do you use?" and the groom tried to answer questions for the bride such as, "What did you wear on your first date" and "If you could get rid of one of his things, what would it be?" I must say they did quite well! We did cake and gifts and wrapped it up. Easy peazy and fun!

Congratulations, Jen and Jonathan!

Hello & Goodbye.

Just wanted to post in the midst of all the Wedding Weekend festivities a quick hello (things are busy, obviously) and a quick goodbye (I will be on honeymoon!).

It's great to have my closest family and friends all together to celebrate Josh's & my commitment to one another!

I couldn't be happier!

Today has been a great but exhausting day! We moved stuff of Josh & Jeremy's to Jeremy's new house, then stuff of Josh's to my brother & sis-in-law's, and then stuff of Josh's to our place.
We were SO blessed to not have the thunderstorms they were predicting!

Speaking of weather, we can now see our wedding day on the long-term forecast. Those things change sooooo much this far out, it's amusing to see them go from cloudy thunderstorms one moment, and then to perfect sunny, back to thunderstorms, and then back to sunshine all within a few hours.

I'm glad we don't need to worry about a back-up wedding or reception location in case of rain. However, we plan to take numerous photos outside all around downtown South Bend. If it's thunderstorming, we cannot do that. Also, if it's sunny and 85, we cannot do it either. I will die of the heat.

This girl is happy with 75 degrees, and that's about it. I just know that if we are outside longer than a minute, my dress will be soaked with sweat and all the makeup dripping off my face. Not pretty. It's something we will play by ear. We have a couple indoor locations, but I'm not sure how many will randomly be open on a Sunday holiday afternoon.

After the move today I was spent. All I could think about was sleep. Before I was even on my way home, I was planning out my nap. But instead I have a lovely telephone conversation with my friend Kate in Florida and then went to my friend Kris' to sample some of the desserts she is making for the reception. YUM! Seriously, if you're coming to my wedding, come hungry!

Oh, we will have so many fun fabulous things are the reception; I am so excited!!

We are transitioning "my apartment" to "our apartment". Rooms have been rearranged and repurposed. The guest bedroom is now our office. But we will still make room for a mattress during the wedding weekend. I promised my college roommates a place to sleep. There are random boxes and piles throughout the place, and I'm quite uncertain what happened to a lot of stuff. But we will adjust. We will organize and get situated over time, and I'm looking forward to doing that with Josh as we establish our first home together!

I've got to head out. I'm meeting mom & Jen for the final dress fitting! And I'm treating them to frappe's!

I'll try to post some pictures, as I realize it's been awhile since I've uploaded many.

What's goin' on?

1. Voting: my college classmate Troy is competing to win a trip to the Tony's. Great voice, great talent. Very easy to vote, and you can do so repeatedly here. Voting ends Tuesday, June 1 at 3:00 Eastern time.

2. Nervous tummy: Since high school I have had a lot of stomach problems, especially while under stress. Needless to say, I'm under a lot of stress currently. But in 5 weeks, I will be on our honeymoon and will hopefully be feeling better then!

3. Researching music: We have yet to come up with a first dance song. This just adds to my #2 above.

4. Enjoying a long weekend: Holy cow, this Memorial Day weekend has been awesome.

5. Accomplishing much, but still so much more to accomplish. It feels never-ending, but it will be much better after the wedding. Isn't it funny how the wedding seems like the end, but really, it's just the start of the marriage? So bizarre.

6. Receiving rsvp cards. I LOVE getting these in the mail, but I'm always sad when people decline.

7. Rearranging the attic, making room for Josh's stuff, etc.

8. Dress fittings: I think I have done 3 so far. The 4th is tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

9. Hair & makeup: I did a trial run-through and had a great experience with the salonist.

10. Coughing and having a raspy voice: Apparently I'm allergic to cottonwood. You see it floating around all the time lately. It's giving me a runny nose, itchy eyes, a sore throat, a bad cough, and a weak voice. My mom is going through the same thing.

A day with no plans actually makes me freak out. I can't not do anything. Not when so much needs to get done. I can't relax. I can relax in a little over 6 weeks. And I will. We have reservations all set for our honeymoon. We are staying at really nice places; I'm so excited!!

It was nice to sleep in this morning and nice to just kinda laze around in pj's for awhile. I caught up on The Office; although, it seems like maybe I missed an episode somewhere in there. Who was that IT guy? Where did he come from??

I made blueberry coffee, which I was THRILLED to discover recently at my fave coffee bean store in farmer's market. I sorted through stuff, looking for gift certificates that I purchased a few weeks ago and promptly lost. Grrr, restaurants love gift certificates because of people like me. Boo! And I took care of emails that needed to be sent and phone calls that needed to be made.

I need to work on thank you cards. Oh, I'd better not get started on my list of what I need to do. What's the point of just repeating what needs to get done when instead I could be working on actually doing what needs to get done? Which reminds me, I need to find a birthday gift for my dad.

Well, I'm about to head to Old Navy to see what remains from their $1 flip flop sale, if anything. I heart flip flops. Hoping for a brown pair. And then I meet up with Josh - yea!

I close with this: last night I dreamt I was watching a Notre Dame football game with a large crowd but was distracted by sweets. There was a massive spread of desserts (think 10 big church potlucks worth), and I bypassed everything for wedding cake. I'm so looking forward to cake!

It was great to come home after work today, walk up to the front door and realize I had just short of an entire hour to myself. At home, where I could do what I want even if that meant doing nothing. I didn't have to scarf down a meal in a limited amount of time. I didn't have to re-pack bags or work on wedding stuff for an hour or get in touch with different people. Even though eventually, yes, I do need to return some calls, make some calls, send emails, plan some details, I just don't need to do that now to fill up my one hour of free time.

I've never been so grateful for one hour.

Oh my goodness - I'm dreaming about the guest list! More like nightmares actually. We have over 400 on the guest list. The dream was that I discovered a list with over 50 more people we had to invited. Argh!

That was a dream, but the reality is we are at over 400, and I keep thinking of more I'd like to invite.

The next reality is that I just won't be able to invite everyone I want to invite. Sigh...

In other news, the weather this week is BEAUTIFUL!!! Sunny and warm!! I'm getting a pedicure tonight (it's been over 3 months since the last because who needs a pedi during winter when you never show your toes?), and I'm so excited!!

I was up early before dawn today. I'm sooooo not a morning person, but I was able to accomplish much. And it is kinda nice to see the sun rise.

It's been an insanely busy week where I am constantly rushing from one commitment to another and I can't focus on one because I'm so focused on what I have to do next. I've been totally not myself. My fiance was so concerned, which I appreciate. It's just a crazy time. Fortunately, things should be a bit better tomorrow (fewer commitments), and then Friday morning we get to leave town and leave all wedding duties behind for a few days, yahoo!

We are heading east, exploring new territory together. Attending a wedding and spending time with friends. Hopefully getting to do some site-seeing as well. Can't wait to get away with my sweetie!

It's supposed to rain all day. And I am fine with that. It's a light rain. Tomorrow sun should return. And it's NOT SNOWING!!!

I am looking forward to being out east soon. Josh & I are going to our friends' wedding, and we couldn't be happier for them. It will be my 3rd wedding within 4 weeks, which makes me deliriously happy. I've always loved weddings. Going to them now while being engaged makes them even more special. And of course I'm observing all the details while I'm at these weddings, taking pictures, and taking notes!

Also, while we are out east, we will be so blessed to visit my old friends Peter and Lisa-Jo! Josh hasn't yet met them, but I know he will fall in love with them. It's been YEARS since I've seen them, as they've been literally all over the globe.

In 101 days I will become Josh's wife. I am thrilled. The other day someone asked me when the big day is. I answered. And then he asked, "Are you ready?" I did this laugh/sigh combination while I shook my head. I clarified my response verbally and said, "Am I ready to spend the rest of my life with him? Yes. Am I ready with all the details of catering, decorations, flowers, invitations...? No."

Tonight we are meeting with a caterer. I feel absolutely unprepared and clueless. And yesterday, all the stress that both Josh and I are experiencing (wedding, work, living, etc.) hit us hard. I pray things will get better after this weekend after one big work thing is over for him. There's still plenty more coming up, and it pains me to think of the work events I will have right before the wedding. Oh well. We'll get through somehow!

Looking Forward To . . .

• jean day(s)
• free pastry day at Starbucks
• Jason & Gail's wedding
• a day off
  
• meeting with the caterer
• adding more states to Josh's & my "states we've visited" list
• watching Josh's kids sing this weekend
• gettin' more wedding stuff done
• getting to see friends & family fourth of July weekend
• seeing old friends out east
• spring & summer
• the flowers coming up in the front yard
• my house being purged, organized and clean again