Zumba

I tried Zumba last night with my mom. She has been to other instructors and likes the other class she normally takes better, but I L.O.V.E.D. it. I will admit that I wasn't always on track with the movements the instructor was doing, but I never stopped shaking my hips!

I can't wait to try it again! I want to try other instructors to find the perfect one and then make it a weekly thing. Working out in any way has always been a 'hobby' of mine, but I think Zumba is going to jump to the top of my list quickly of favorite work outs.

If you haven't tried it yet, DO it!

Happy Friday!!!

Engagement Bliss

249 days to go... 

Lately I have been adding things on my list to do three times faster than I am checking things off my list as completed. The following is what is currently on my to-do list:

-Reserve a room block at a hotel near the reception venue (Golden Valley Country Club)

-Reserve a limo/ shuttle to transport the wedding party to the reception from the ceremony (Lord of Life Lutheran Church)  I completed this task TODAY! Woo hoo!

-Research centerpiece ideas before my meeting with the florist in a couple weeks (Hollie's mom, Penny, is our AMAZING florist)

-Plan when/ where to register for wedding gifts... I am thinking Target, Crate and Barrel and Macy's

-Finish scanning pictures for our slideshow

-Look at veil, shoes and jewelry options for me

-Find a friend to be our videographer

-Plan our ceremony music and contact musicians (possibly my cousin, Matt Martin, who is very talented on the piano and violin)

-Finalize the guest list 

-Buy Corey's wedding ring and have Jared design a wedding band for my ring

Of the more exciting things to do, I have been working with a friend of the Nelson's, Debbie, who just so happens to be a travel agent, to plan our HONEYMOON! This has to be, by far, the most exciting part to planning a wedding. Thinking about our week long escape from reality the Monday after our wedding has me bouncing off the walls excited. Corey and I have never traveled with just the two of us. Today we chose a honeymoon destination--- Secrets St. James Montego Bay, JAMAICA! 

I am so excited. Check out the beautiful blue water and white sandy beaches. This trip is going to be unforgettable! 

Another exciting thing to check off our to-do list was taking engagement pictures. We took those last weekend at the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis. The weather was unbeatable and we had such a good time during our session with our photographers (The Third Image). They gave us this 'sneak peak' to hold us over for the four weeks we have to wait to see all the images. 

I just love him so much. I am so happy with this photo!

I really don't know why they took this photo with my right hand. This shot would have been better if it was my engagement ring showing. Oh well. Still LOVE this picture!

Well it felt good to get what I need to get done typed out. Now to actually move forward with doing it! I know these next 8 months and 5 days are going to fly by so fast. I just want to soak it all in as much as I can. I am really enjoying being engaged and planning our wedding day. I am sure the stress will come out eventually, but as of now I just feel so happy and good about where our plans are at! 

:)

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

Last week Corey emailed me saying he had a homemade spaghetti sauce recipe he was so excited to make. He found it online and was 'so pumped' for Sunday Dinner. Corey wishes he was Italian. He totally could be too with his dark features and his love for any Italian food. 

The week passed and Friday and Saturday came and went and before we knew it, it was Sunday morning and Corey was so excited to get up and go to the grocery store to get all of his ingredients for his homemade sauce. I won't lie, I kept forgetting he was planning on making this and I never even looked at the recipe. I was in for a shock/ treat when I realized just how much work he was about to put into this sauce. 

Corey came home from the grocery store just as my mom and I were arriving back at our house from MOB (Mother of the Bride) dress shopping. We both were amazed to see so many ingredients on the counter and Corey starting to cook. I don't even remember everything he did- he made bread crumbs, chicken wings on the grill (to put in the sauce for taste), and homemade meatballs from three meats: Italian Sausage, Ground Beef and Pork. A whole lot of chopping of onions, garlic, parsley, pepperoni, etc was completed. After the meatballs were in the oven, it was time to add everything to the pot to cook for 3 hours. 

Corey decided since he was going to spend hours making this sauce, he might as well make a lot of it. He bought a lot of sauce...

Corey checking on the meatballs before mixing everything together

It might not look like it, but everything is in and cooking

After seeing how much work Corey had put into this sauce, my mom suggested she and Don come over for dinner. After we moved in, Corey and I thought the perfect way to thank our parents for all the help and support they gave/ give us would be to give them each a 'Dinner Certificate for Two' for them to come eat at OUR house. It wasn't planned, but Sunday was the perfect chance for my mom and Don to use their certificate on such a great meal! So we had our first dinner guests at our house. 

Table set for four :) 

You can't tell, but these bananas are on fire!!! We made Banana Flambe for dessert. 

Corey's recipe was so good that my mom wanted the recipe!

All in all, it was a successful meal. Two thumbs up for Corey's first attempt at homemade spaghetti sauce. I am so proud of him for taking the initiative to do this! I am a lucky girl to have a fiance who is a great chef!!! 

He even thought to pick up some roses while at the store. These flowers are so beautiful!!! Once again- I am a lucky girl. 

First Day of School

Corey had his first night of class tonight at St. Thomas. His class is Organizational Behavior. He was really excited to tell me all about it that he called me on his way home. I reminded him that we live together and he can just tell me about it in twenty minutes when he gets home. I just love that we are living together now!

While Corey was at class tonight I had a very enjoyable evening. After work I went to Lifetime and had a great core workout. Shannon came over after dinner to venture around my new neighborhood with me. Our walk was great and we saw a lot of gorgeous, new houses. After Shannon left, I put a disk of Friends in the DVD player, plopped down on my couch with a glass of milk and two delicious peanut butter cookies and pressed play! Three episodes later, I heard the garage door open. Yay- Corey is home!

Since I didn't see Corey before he left for school today, I decided to take a few pics of him tonight when he got home from his first day. I just love the cheesy first day of school poses he gave me.

Happy hump day everybody!!! I love a four day work week.

Home Sweet Home

It's been awhile... I know.

Corey and I finally have a home together! It is a townhouse in Plymouth off Vicksburg and County Road 47 in the Legacy Park neighborhood. I am going to give you the virtual tour right now. We still have a lot to do, but it's getting there! 

From the front door- living room, dining room, kitchen

We are going to paint the bar stools black to match the kitchen table and chairs. We still need wall hangings everywhere too. 

Corey loving our new couch

Table and Chairs from Becker 

Hallway from the kitchen to the powder room, utility closet, and garage

I painted the little key rack hanging on the wall in the hallway. I got it a few summers ago in Ely at the Blueberry Arts Festival with Shannon and Hollie. I remember buying it thinking/ hoping I would have it for many, many years! 

We love our kitchen

Corey and I have really enjoyed making our first meals together. Tonight we had Shake n Bake pork chops and red potatoes with onions. I can't wait for many more meals to come. Corey enjoys trying new recipes and perfecting old recipes. I am lucky to have a guy who loves to cook! I just bought the fruit bowl on the counter today from Home Goods! 

Let's go upstairs :)

The Loft- we will have a desk up here shortly and this is where Corey will spend many hours studying in the next few years!!!

Guest Bedroom (bedroom set came from Corey's room at his parent's house)

Guest Bathroom

Our bedroom aka Heaven

This was one of our biggest purchases to date in our relationship (minus my engagement ring). We purchased this bedroom set from Schneidermans and bought the bedding from Bed Bath and Beyond. I am in love with our mattress (a king- who wouldn't love it!?) and our room in general. We have big walk in closet and an awesome master bathroom. 

Dresser and Entertainment Chest

Well that's our house!!! We are so happy and excited to begin this exciting part of our relationship together. We moved in Friday, so this extra long weekend was perfect. Tomorrow it's back to work we go and Corey starts SCHOOL on Wednesday at the University of St. Thomas. I am so proud of Corey for pushing himself to get his MBA. Moving in together couldn't have come at a more perfect time as I know how busy he will be once school starts. It will be nice to live together so it is easier to see each other. 

Hope everybody had a fabulous Labor Day weekend. :)

Day OFF

Yesterday afternoon at work I took this deep breath to let some pressure off my shoulders. I’m not sure what is wrong with me lately. I feel anxious. Days and weeks have been going much faster than they usually do. This year feels weird not having a summer vacation or time to relax in between school years. I didn’t feel this way last summer because I started my ‘big girl job’ toward the end of August which felt the same as heading back to school. I think I just realized how much life has snuck up on me. I am going to be 23 in about a month. I used to think that sounded old, not so much anymore. How does life go so fast!!!?

I miss the days of scraped up knees, tangled hair, one can of pop a day and endless hours of playing outside in the summertime. Life isn’t about being carefree anymore. The constant thoughts on my mind lately include: am I able to get a workout in today, what do I need to plan next for the wedding, do I need to contact our mortgage officer or realtor for our townhouse closing, how can I advance at work, how can I improve in my relationships, when can I have a moment of peace to myself. 

I’m not trying to complain or anything. I love all the positive things happening in my life right now. It’s just weird how you learn to appreciate different things as you get older. No longer am I counting down the days until my birthday or Christmas vacation, but rather the days until Corey and I move in together or the days until we get married. Believe me these things are just as exciting as what I used to get excited about, but it’s a different kind of excited. When you’re a kid everything just works out and you don’t have to put any of the work in. Being an adult is just so different. I can get excited for things like our wedding and our townhouse, but it takes a lot of work to get to those things. I guess I’m just feeling like life isn’t always easy… but it is well worth it.

Among the many things I am appreciative of, today I have the day off!!! While Daina is home and Chad and Jamie's days left in Minnesota are getting fewer, a day off to spend time with Daina and Jamie is very necessary and exciting! The weather didn't quite cooperate for us to have our planned day at the pool, but we will make the best of it. It is so nice to sleep in some this morning, get some laundry done, get a good workout in and have a fun day ahead!! 

Happy Thursday!!! 

A Perfect Evening

Today was a fast drive home- it only took me 40 minutes to get from work to Lifetime in Maple Grove. I quickly changed into my workout clothes and whipped through my ten minute ab routine before hopping back in my car to park near Rice Lake for a walk/ run. I have to get to the gym 12 times/ month in order to receive the $20 off each month, so I like to swipe my card and do something fast in the gym but leave my cardio routine for the outdoors. I can't get enough of being outside when it is SO beautiful like today. 

Rice Lake is about 3.2 miles around (a 5k) and I ran about one mile of that tonight. It felt good to get my heart pumping and work up a good sweat. There were so many people on the trails tonight. I love seeing everyone in great moods- walking their dogs, biking with their kids, running to some tunes, walking hand in hand with their S.O. (significant other)- it all just makes me happy too! 

After my walk/ run I went to Target. Oh how I love/ hate Target. There is something to say about a store that has everything (I love) and a store that I can never walk out of without spending about $40 - $50 (I hate). It was a quick trip and I got everything I went for, and of course my total was $43.20. 

I had a workout done and my errands finished by 6:30 tonight! Corey was waiting for me to finish everything so we could get together for a bite to eat. After a brief moment of thinking we might make something ourselves, we decided to go out to eat. I am feeling like we are going to be in trouble when we live together if we can never think of what the eat. We will have to get better at planning meals. Anyway, we decided to have Solo's Pizza for dinner. If you haven't eaten there, you need to try it! Corey gets The Big Tony- red sauce, meat and other goodness. I usually select a red sauce pizza as well, but tonight I decided to go with Chad's favorite and recommendation-- The White Hen. This is made with Solo's white garlic sauce instead of red sauce and has great flavor. 

I suggested we eat on the patio, but Corey had a better idea. We took the pizzas to go and ate on the patio at his house. Corey's parents live on Fish Lake. It was a perfect night for dinner outside. We turned on K102, grabbed something to drink (me an Arnie Palmer, Corey a beer) and sat down to enjoy our pizzas! The weather was perfect so we refilled our beverages and sat for about an hour outside just enjoying the night and talking. 

Now it is almost 10:30 and I am in bed ready for a good night sleep. I just can't say it enough- tonight was PERFECT and I am so happy. That's pretty good for a Wednesday. Tomorrow it is supposed to rain, so Corey and I are going to a movie. It is still a toss up as to what movie we'll see- Bridesmaids or Transformers. We are still debating on who got to pick the last movie we saw in theaters which will determine what movie we see this time. 

Goodnight!!! 

Life is Good

There is so much going on recently- and it is all good things. This coming weekend we have a wedding to attend in Northfield- that's where St. Olaf College is where Corey attended college and met Matt Nelson and Jess Levin- the bride and groom at the wedding this weekend! Matt and Jess also met at St. Olaf. I remember their sophomore year, we joked about us four being/ becoming The Nelson's. Now it is actually happening! Matt and Jess will be married at Boe Chapel on St. Olaf's campus and their wedding reception will be held at The Grand- an old theater in Northfield where some infamous dance parties went down throughout their four years at STO. Corey is an usher in the wedding- can't wait to see him all spiffy in a new suit!!

We are excited to spend a couple nights in Northfield and then get up early on Sunday to head to my grandparent's cabin for the 4th of July with my family! I LOVE 4th of July at the cabin and am excited for another year up there.

On the list of amazing things happening right now in our lives:
Corey was accepted at St. Thomas to receive his MBA. He starts this fall and the program is part time for three years. It is going to be busy, but I am SO proud of Corey for not only being accepted, but for being so motivated and determined to be successful. I love that about him and am so happy he decided to get his MBA.

Corey and I made an offer on a townhouse in Plymouth and it was accepted by the builder. Yes builder- the townhouse is brand new and hasn't been lived in, so the builder is the seller. We are signing a purchase agreement on Thursday!!! I can't believe after the year of living at home post college, (two years for Corey) we are FINALLY moving in together! We will be closing at the end of August. I can't wait to begin this chapter of our life together. We have been together for six years, so living together for the first time is going to be a major adjustment. I am sure we will have our share of arguments, but I am just SO excited for it!

My wedding dress has arrived!!! I am so excited to go back into the Wedding Shoppe to try it on again and take it home with me. I  am especially excited for the timing of it all because I think my step-sister, Daina, will be able to come with to see it. We need to make an appointment for her to be measured for her bridesmaid dress, which is also from Wedding Shoppe, so I plan to make it an appointment for both of those things!

Lots of family in town in the next couple months and I am just so excited for everything happening right now!!!

Catch Up

I am just so happy these days. It's amazing how much your mood can be altered based solely on the weather being nicer. I like the warm breeze. I like not wearing socks. I like working out outside. I like that my freckles have popped out all over my face. I like that my hair and skin isn't dry anymore. I like the bright colors and flowers everywhere. I just like it all!

Every day (or almost every day) at work, Jackie, Ashley and I walk a couple laps around the building. There are quite a few people who have always done this at my work, but we just started this spring. Corey walks around Prudential every day too with his friend, Cameron. I think it is good that people do this. Get the blood flowing! I can't believe we all sit at a desk for 8 hours every day. I wonder what damage all this sitting is going to do to my body one day? I mean I sit 45 minutes in the car on the way to work, 8 hours at my desk, another 45 minutes to an hour in the car on the way home and then when I get home I sit some more. How disgusting. That's a lot of sitting. I have to say, I really wouldn't mind if I had a standing work station. I know some offices do that these days because it has been proven that too much sitting is not good for the body. Anyway, I like the walks around the building.

I'm pretty excited for this weekend. While Corey is away in Las Vegas for a friend's bachelor party, I am going to catch up on 'me' time again! Weekends can get so jam packed with plans that it is nice to have a weekend with not as many plans. Friday I can just come home from work and put sweats on and relax all night. Saturday will be a girl's night! I am going bridesmaid dress shopping with three of my six bridesmaids and then going out in Uptown with Jamie and her sisters and some friends. I haven't had an all girl's night out in a LONG time! I am hoping for the weather to cooperate on Sunday as I want to lay out by the pool at my dad's house before I pick the boys up from the airport that afternoon. Now if only it was 4:30 tomorrow afternoon.

Happy Friday tomorrow! Woo Hoo!!!

Bring on the Sun

My face got sunburnt on the way home from Siren, WI today- have I mentioned how much I love that Corey's new car has a sunroof??? The entire hour on I35 I had my seat reclined and my head positioned so every angle of my face was getting the sun. It felt SO good.

Now that my freckles have popped out I have this overwhelmingly happy feeling about summer officially being on its way! I am sitting in my room, the sun is pouring in through the blinds, I hear a neighbor's lawn mower and I can hear little kids playing outside. I LOVE this time of year. Everybody is just so happy and it's kind of unbelievable how fast you can forget how miserable we all were just two months ago thinking this season would never arrive. Minnesota has dreadful winters but the most amazing summers!

Time for a run (okay walk) around Rice Lake! Then burgers on the grill with the fam for dinner.

time can move faster now

I went wedding dress shopping this weekend for the first time. This was so exciting. We went to Angelique's in Blaine and Glenrose Bridal in Plymouth. The ladies we worked with at the two places were named Deb and Debbie. Funny that they had the same name!

I had my mom, Corey's mom, Jamie and Shannon there with me. It was the perfect size group to have for my first time dress shopping. I loved trying on dress after dress! It definitely did not get boring for me. In fact, I think I found the dress I want, but I still want to go look at The Wedding Shoppe in Saint Paul to be absolutely sure I have picked the right dress.

I am loving being a bride. I feel ready to do more planning now!!! I wish it was June already. That is when my timeline that I planned out shortly after the engagement tells me to start doing more planning. Next on my list is choosing the florist. I am almost 100% positive I am going to use Penny, Hollie's mom, for our florist. She is doing Sarah's wedding in October and I couldn't be happier to have our florist be someone we already know and can trust will do an amazing job. I bought my mom yellow Calla Lily's for Mother's Day and I think I want to use them as one of our wedding flowers.

Corey and I had decided a long time ago to move in together in September. I begged him today to push it up a month to August. I think he said yes. I don't know for sure, but I think I am just going to start talking like it is going to be August and hopefully he will just jump on board completely with my new plan. I started getting in contact with realtors and people selling townhouses to see if they would be willing to rent it out instead of selling. I CAN NOT WAIT to live with Corey. Some days are better than others, but at times when we are both super busy it would be nice to live together so we could at least see each other in passing rather than not at all.

Corey is studying for the GMAT exam to get into the MBA program at St. Thomas. His test is scheduled for May 24th and I am so excited for him to have this done so we can really start enjoying this beautiful weather together. We have planned to go to the Twin's game that night after his exam, and I can't wait for it! Not only will we be enjoying an evening at the ball park celebrating our six year anniversary (which is May 23rd but close enough), but his exam will be over and he can finally relax.

Here's to this week flying by and another great weekend ahead- Shannon's birthday and a wedding!

Happy May Day

Well Spring hasn't fully arrived yet, but it seems like we will be having better weather soon. I am so excited to go on a walk with Sarah tomorrow around her new neighborhood and then go on a walk with Jamie on Tuesday around Lake Calhoun. Walks are my favorite part of spring and summer. I love to be outside and feel fresh air! Especially now that I am bottled up inside all day for 8 hours at work. 

This coming weekend I am SO excited to go wedding dress shopping for the first time!!! I can't wait to finally start the most exciting part of wedding planning. 

Kyle, Kristine and Mia are coming home this coming weekend too. I can't wait to see little Mia- she is 10 months old already. We haven't seen her since she was 6 months old at Christmas. 

Five days of work and then a very exciting weekend! Happy Spring :)  

Loving Life

Despite waking up to a coating of snow everywhere, I just can't stop being excited for Spring. Spring is only my third favorite season (1st- Summer, 2nd- Fall, 4th- Winter) but that just means we are getting that much closer to another great Minnesota summer. And that makes me a very happy girl.

Corey left for a bachelor party weekend yesterday and to be honest I could not be more excited to have him away for a weekend so I can get things organized that I have been putting off for WAY too long. It is Saturday morning and I already feel so good about what I have accomplished this weekend.

First thing on my list this weekend- BE LAZY- and last night I did just that. I had a gym bag packed to go to Lifetime after work yesterday, but I decided to skip the workout and come straight home to scarf down the second half of a 'Love It' cup of Cake Batter ice cream with graham cracker crumbs and strawberries from Coldstone. I dropped my gym bag, purse and lunch sack and climbed into bed with my ice cream and watched five episodes of Friends. It was just what I needed!

On the master list of things to do today:
-Wash my sheets and duvet cover (I love fresh clean sheets)
-Workout (a hard one- gotta get ready for summer)
-Switch out the winter clothes to spring/summer clothes in my closet and drawers
-Donation pile (rule of thumb- if you didn't wear it this year, you won't wear it next year- DONATE)
-Shop for jeans and capris
-Feed cats at Dad's house (Milo will be waiting for me at the door, Stormy will be nowhere to be found)
-Scan old pictures for our wedding slideshow (I can't wait to page through the countless albums at both my mom's house and my dad's house)

Time to get started! Enjoy your weekend everybody!

It's been awhile

Hmm last post was on March 25th? Woops. The great roller-coaster that is life has grabbed a hold of me once again and this time I don't know if it is ever going to slow down! I have slowly realized since graduating college that each week and each day is just going to go faster and faster. Instead of trying hard to make things slow down, (because at this point having control of my life seems impossible) I am going to live each and every day to the fullest, accept invitations to do things whenever possible, forget about getting eight hours of sleep a night and try to enjoy time doing things I love with people I love. 

Last weekend was our four day AMAZING trip to the Big Apple. We saw many of the prime spots in New York. Corey's favorite location was Times Square. I must say that my favorite part was seeing all of the hidden spots that people without a sister for a tour guide would be able to see. We were able to see so many things without the wasted time of not knowing which subway train to get on and what stop to get off at. A special thanks to Daina who showed us so much! We had a wonderful trip! 

We got home late Sunday night and this past week flew by. I can't believe it is the weekend now and already Saturday morning! We have had great weather in MN and we are taking full advantage of that. Corey's friends, Brent and Lauren, live in St. Michael. After work yesterday, we headed to their house for our first BBQ of the spring season!!! We hung out outside all night and ventured to the bar later on. It felt so nice to just be outside and feel the fresh air all evening. 

Another plus to the weather being amazing- I can start going on a walk (and attempted run) around Rice Lake today! I am so excited for it. 

Have a great weekend everyone! 

Scary Movies

Corey and I saw Black Swan tonight. I know this movie isn't necessarily 'scary' but it was definitely creepy and made me scared! Besides that I thought it was really good. Natalie Portman was well deserving of Best Actress. She did well.

Whenever I see a scary movie, I am always jumpy and on edge when I am alone afterward. It usually lasts a few days and even more for a really scary movie (Paranormal Activity and The Sixth Sense for example). Corey would normally come inside and hang out for awhile on a night like tonight, but he isn't feeling very well so he went home (yet another reason why I am so anxious and ready to move in together). It is now 11:45 and I am wide awake- mostly due to a two hour nap I took when I got home from work. Corey asked if I wanted him to come inside and I told him I would want him to but I understand that he wants to get home and go to bed.

I would have felt silly telling him that I want him to come in because I was scared to walk in by myself. I want to get over this fear of being alone after a scary movie. I found myself scurrying to the front door tonight to turn the outside light off (as I was the last one home for the night) because I felt like somebody was right behind me. I am also afraid of opening the bathroom door after getting ready for bed. I always feel like someone is going to be standing right outside the door. I am not sure if I am expecting a ghost or a murderer or just someone that I know. Regardless, that intense moment as I hold my breath and squeeze my eyes shut right before I open the door is never fun.

I am going to watch a few episodes of Friends now to get my mind off feeling scared. That always does the trick.

Facebook

Is it weird that I decided to set my home page on my laptop to Facebook? Throughout college I had my gophermail site set to my homepage, but now that I use a Mac and my email is an application I didn't know what to set as the homepage, so Facebook it is.

Some day or week I want to track exactly how much time I spend on Facebook.

If time allows before work I usually jump on Facebook quick just to see if I have any updates and to look through the news feed quick. Throughout a work day I usually check the news feed through my phone at least twice. As soon as I get home I check it as well and that's when the serious creeping occurs.

I can honestly say that I have no desire to deactivate my Facebook account to 'see if I can live without it.' Let's be serious here, I can admit that I am probably addicted, but I have no desire to quit! Besides the annoying ads on the side that think they know me or something, I have no complaints! I love Facebook. It makes me happy.

That's all.

Busy busy busy

Wow life has been moving faster than usual lately.

Just a little catch up.

This past weekend was full of spontaneous fun! On Friday night, after one of the busiest weeks at work for both of us, we were really needing a low key night. And that we had. Chad and Jamie weren't up to anything either, so they came over to Corey's house and we made Juicy Lucy's (a veggie burger for Jamie) on the grill! I LOVED my first burger on the grill of the spring season. We had a cocktail and just laid low after dinner. I was in bed by 11:30 which felt amazing! Saturday night, after an intense workout and much needed laying around, we got together with Corey's work friend, Cameron, and his wife, Leah. We went to Canterbury Casino. Corey and I played BlackJack and ended up coming out ahead $80! Woo hoo!!! Sunday was spent catching up with friends for me. I had breakfast with Briana and went shopping/ ran errands with Sarah and Shannon in the afternoon. So much fun! I had a great weekend before another overwhelmingly busy week at work.

Speaking of work. I really don't want to let work control my life. I don't feel I get paid enough to have that happen to me. A coworker of mine, who is on my team with me, has decided to move on to bigger and better things and put her two weeks notice in a week and a half ago. That leaves her with 3 more days left at our company and there is still so much to do before she leaves! I have taken over on her stuff on her 'desk/ plate' and I still have all my work I had before I took her stuff. This leaves me with two full time jobs to do and only 40 hours to do it. With that said, our client and my boss have decided to authorize overtime for me. I am pretty excited for the larger pay checks to come, but I must say working 10 hours today when I am used to 8 was very tiring. I wonder how I will ever handle a real stressful job that is more than 40 hours/ week. I found myself thinking all day about how nice it would be to just win the lottery so I can volunteer and do something more meaningful with my life.

Wine, Guac & Conversation- in no particular order

Hollie, Sarah and I had a girl's night on Friday. After doing some shopping and eating dinner, we went to Sarah's apartment with the plan to watch a movie. Well the movie never happened.

We made some guacamole- enough to feed 6 people- but we had no problem practically finishing it. We poured ourselves generous glasses of wine (3 Buck Chuck might I add) and didn't move from the couches for three hours. I absolutely love having friends that I can talk to about anything and everything. We talked about so much from past, present to the future. It is so great to have friends that I know I will continue to do this with for years and years to come. Normally Shannon would be with us too, but she had other plans. We used to call ourselves the 'Core Four' in high school. Sarah had something on Friday about how we have known each other for 8 or 9 years already. It is hard to believe that the four of us have been friends for almost a decade. I love having these girls as my friends and wouldn't know what I would do without them!

Experience Joy

Do you experience joy every day? I hope so.

I would like to consider myself a happy person, but I can often let myself get too wrapped up in the negative aspects of life. I know New Years was awhile ago, but I have decided to start a resolution now. I am going to try hard to experience joy every day. I also am going to reflect on my day before going to sleep and remember the things that gave me joy throughout that day.

I think this will help me become a more peaceful person.

How did I experience joy today?
- I laughed a lot at work today. My cube- mate, Jackie, and I were seriously meant to be friends. We find the most random things to talk about and always seem to make each other laugh everyday at work. It makes work more fun which I know is hard to do for a lot of people.
- I worked out and it was a good one. Somedays I am just not excited about a workout. Today was not one of those days. I put my ipod on shuffle and I was in the zone flying through 10 minutes on the elliptical for a warm up, interval training around the track (running/ walking) for 20 minutes as well as 100 lunges around the track followed by a great ab workout and ended with a 10 minute walking cool down on the treadmill. I am loving the endorphins right now.
- Corey and I ate Chinese food for dinner and watched Jersey Shore. I love just hanging out on weeknights.

Tomorrow is FRIDAY! Woo hoo. Excited for the weekend.

It's Pictures Time

I need to take more pictures. The last picture I took on my camera was from Valentine's Day. I used to take pictures ALL the time. I wonder if Corey's constant ("ugh Katie... another picture, really???") complaining has caused me to take less pictures of stuff. Well Corey, I am whipping out the camera a lot more now!! Get ready :)

(Corey is laying next to me while I am writing this and he just groaned and laughed about what I am writing)

Next post I hope to have some pictures included. More than just the one we took on photo booth just now! I am thinking since Spring is coming I will be more excited to take some pictures. Plus- New York is coming up and I know I will take MANY pictures there. Can't wait for that trip. Woo hoo-- 25 days!

Flat Tire

Poor Corey. He got a flat tire on his way home from work today.

Corey and I were planning on going out to dinner at Noodles and then going to see The King's Speech tonight. We were both looking forward to our date. Corey called me when he left work after 6 and was in such a great mood. He said he had to go fill the front tire before picking me up because it was low and his dad thought there was a slow leak. We got off the phone and a couple minutes later he called me back and said he had a flat tire and had to pull over.

An hour and a half later a cranky Corey called me to tell me he was on his way home.

After he soaked his freezing feet in the tub for a few minutes and changed into a new pair of jeans, new graphic shirt and new sweatshirt (that I bought for him at American Eagle today and surprised him with) he was back to a good mood- despite being extremely tired. We finally went to Applebee's at 9 to have dinner. Turned out to be a great dinner and added bonus everything was half off as it was after 9pm! I love good deals!!!

Turned out to be an okay night! Flat tires are never fun though.

Double Date Night

Last night Corey and I had a great time on a double date with his friend from college, Coty, and his girlfriend, Kristin.

We ate dinner at Mongo's Grill. Last time Corey and I ate there I must've mixed some weird sauces because I did not like it. This time I followed one of the recommended sauce mixtures and really liked my stir fry! Leftovers on Monday will be delicious.

After dinner we decided to go to Dave and Busters. We had a lot of fun playing the games and cashed in our tickets at the end for two shot glasses. Drinks are expensive there, so we only stayed for one drink. We headed to Wild Bills next and pushed our way through many twenty something's who were drunk and dancing and finally reached the bar. Ladies got one drink free and the boys paid $2.50 each for a Rum and Coke. Better prices, but the crowd was a little unbearable as we were hoping to sit down and chat. After downing those drinks while being pushed and shoved, we headed across the street to Malone's where we got a table, cheap drinks and a late night snack- wings and waffle fries! Third times a charm.

It was fun to bar hop around Maple Grove and our double date night was a lot of fun! We had a great time getting to know Kristin better too.

Minnesota

One of the greatest things about Minnesota is the change of seasons. I also find humor in the unpredictable weather we seem to always have. It can be 50 and sunny one day and 20 and snowing the next. Change is a good thing and you certainly get it here.

Last week we had high temperatures in the 40's. It was so great! I can finally see over the snow banks on the roads to make sure cars aren't coming whereas a couple weeks ago I just had to hope nobody was coming as I pulled out onto a street. I love the signs of Spring on the way. Snow melting, birds chirping, happier people, etc.

Well all of that changed in a matter of 24 hours when we got 16 inches of snow yesterday! Corey and I were at a friend's cabin on Leech Lake this past weekend. We left early which was a good decision because we didn't hit any bad roads until we were almost home. I was home at 2pm yesterday and didn't leave my house again!

More often than not I get really upset when we have a huge snowfall. However, today being President's Day, I have the day off! Hopefully the roads are all cleared up before tomorrow's commute to work. This winter I have had many bad drives to and from work. The record was just under 3 hours it took me to get home when it normally takes me 45-55 minutes (30 minutes with no traffic). Needless to say, I am excited to move in with Corey before next winter- somewhere closer to work.

Back to the cabin weekend. There were 15 of us at Lauren's cabin. On top of that-- 5 dogs. I LOVED it!! Five dogs of different breeds and ages. I love Jer and Sarah's dog-- an Old English Mastiff- Bella who is 115 pounds. She towered over the other dogs- Lauren's is the next biggest- a black lab named Millie. I am realizing that I like big dogs much more than little dogs. After living with Luka, a 100 pound German Shepherd, for a school year and spending the weekend playing with Bella, I have decided I would want a big dog. We had a great time at the cabin- ice fishing, small town bars (in which the locals liked to call our group 'cidiots'), a keg of ice cold beer, good food and lots of laughs!

I always love getting away for a weekend and having fun! By Sunday, though, we were excited to get home to shower and sleep in our own beds. My mom has a saying on the wall in the kitchen that says "The best journey always takes us home." It is so true. I enjoy getting away, but I LOVE coming home.

Time to get up and enjoy my day off!!!

Love makes everything lovely

This is the first Valentine's Day that I really realized how many haters of this day there are. I guess I've never thought of Valentine's Day as a day to celebrate only the love between your significant other. Valentine's Day, in my opinion, is a day for everyone to celebrate the love they have in all of their relationships- family and friends included. I suppose I feel everyone should be able to have their opinions and express them freely, but don't disrespect people who do find happiness in this day and more importantly don't make them feel silly about liking it.


♥ If you're not willing to sound stupid, you don't deserve to be in love ♥  This little saying I found on Hollie's facebook wall. I love it and completely agree. 

Saturday night Corey and I had a perfect Valentine's date topped with stuffed bellies from Benihana, a Disney classic, The Lion King, and a beautiful bouquet of flowers sitting on my dresser right now. It was one of those nights in which conversation was great and we had a lot of fun just being together. I sometimes forget how in love with Corey I am. He is my best friend and I feel very lucky. We decided to celebrate on Saturday due to it being impossible to get a reservation for actual Valentine's Day at Benihana. That was okay though. I enjoyed our date night and that left tonight open for a quick dinner (Taco Bell) and a movie (No Strings Attached). I really enjoyed the movie and another fun night out with Corey! 

My first blog post

Well this is it!!! I am starting a blog and am really excited about it. I just got done telling Corey that I am feeling bored lately and he suggested I take up a new hobby. So here it is-- my new hobby-- I am starting a blog. The purpose to me writing this blog is to let out anything/ everything I am feeling at the present moment. I think it is a good thing to write out your feelings. For me, and I am sure for many other people, it really lifts a weight of my shoulders to get things out of my head and onto paper or in this case a computer.

I have titled my blog Love the Moment. I have grown to love this short saying in the few years. Corey is a 'live every day to the fullest' kind of a guy and I adore that about him and want to live my life the same. One of my college roommates, Anna DeBower, got each of us roomies a coffee mug for Christmas one year. On the inside of the mug near the rim it says 'love the moment' and that is when I heard it for the first time or at least paid attention to it. Stacy had one of her friends make me a glass frame with 'Love the Moment' painted on. Basically I really like the saying. Okay enough about that. Just wanted everyone to know there was a purpose to my blog title-- because I want to live and love each and every moment!


Corey and I will be getting married in 490 days (1 year, 4 months and 4 days). We are not doing any more wedding planning until spring/ summer, and I have been extremely bored this winter. I think starting a blog will be good for me. I like to be creative, so I hope this will help me be more creative.

I love Saturdays. Actually I love the weekends. This morning I woke up shortly before 8 (felt good to sleep in). I picked up my room a little, had some breakfast and a cup of coffee then headed to Lifetime with my mom to do our favorite class- Cardio Kickboxing. It is a great way to start the weekend off getting a good workout in. I plan to get some cleaning done today and hopefully put a good dent in the book I am reading- The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult. Tonight Corey and I are going on a Valentine's date- Benihana!! Yum yum. I am excited for it and excited to go on a much needed date with my fiance.