Books, We Read 2 Books

Many people claim that reading marriage books before you get married causes great conversation and moments of honesty. I would have to side with them. Caleb and I read two books: "Things I Wish I Would Have Known Before I Got Married" and "Real Marriage". We were planning on more but two books for two kids who do not appreciate the leisure of reading did mighty good for two.

It seems like forever ago that we read Things I Wish... by Gary Chapman but I do remember the moments and exercises we did at the end of every conversation. We did really learn a lot about eachother. How does mom do things? What expectation do you have of me in A, B, C? Why do you need to be in charge of finances and not me? Do you want me to mother the children at home or shall I be a working lady? Things some of you read and think, "heck, don't live in that mentality. You are a woman with RIGHTS."  Peeps, I am pumped to "submit", I am excited to be dependent on someone. I have lived life depending on those around me but knowing at the end of the day I am independent in my decisions; It is all about me. Well, surprise... marriage is about us, we, the other one. I learned how that can look without being terrible and how it can look and actually be a natural feeling. We know what chores are to be done by whom and we know why it is a smart idea for me to have an allowance like a 2nd grader so I don't "lose" money on accident due to shoes and the GAP.

Real Marriage by Mark Driscoll was a'ight but seemed long and too over our heads. The struggle the Driscolls go through are for married peeps and not wannabes. The Sex section harmed us and didn't help us. We were put into the spot of "Is the birth control that you use abortive?" Ours is semi-abortive. What the crap!?!? (Another day, another blog post), we have not looked too far into it and we still use it so I think we are just fine for now. Mark and Grace, his wife, talked about how communication is crucial and WANTING to know you spouse is life or death for a marriage. We learned that going beyond the book and doing the "homework" is needed in order to take the book home. Caleb has done the homework, I am still working on it. Homework is answering questions, doing the hard work to figure out what a marriage is to look like from "A's" perspecitve and then seeing how that goes along with "B's" perspective. I think it will be great. We did learn about the stagnant moments of a marriage... they happen and we are not supposed to sulk in them but find a way out. Life is crucial to be done together if your marriage is to work. I believe that to be true.

So my takeaway...
I love Caleb with a lot of my heart and I know I have found my gameday buddy, my forever pal. He truely makes me the happiest and is the one to know me better than anyone else. I love that man. I love him. A lot. Soon and very soon I can hold possesion of him and no one else can even think about him without thinking of me. We are going to be one. Hoo-Rahhhh.

Final Dress Fitting - WOW!

Life is dwindling down, singleness I mean. I am LOVING spending countless hours with my man but thinking about that being my future has hit me. I am fully prepared to endure the trials and to embrace the triumphs but I don't think I know what everyday life will be like with him quite yet. I thought I had it all figured out and that we were going to be like we have been for the last 2 years. I am starting to think it will be a big change. Because I am with him for bfast, I take him to work, I come to his place right after work, I stay at his place until I am ready to go to bed, I feel like all I am missing is the nightly sleepovers. I have found out with all this time with Caleb that we do not see eye-to-eye on EVERYTHING and we get quite frustrated at each other for the SMALLEST things. It is kind of a blast to blog about but not so fun as we are knee deep in muck that sin has brought to each other and ourselves. Life is fun, huh?

So... on to the topic for the day. Bridal fitting. I have gotten some worries from those that have read my recent (a month ago) blog and I would like to say... I went to my final dress fitting and I LIKE MY DRESS A LOT! It is so ironic how much something can change in your mind when you look at it from a different view (and you change some things, ha). The dress is so beautiful and I think the day will not feel perfect with my dress in it. I was thinking about giving a sneak peek but then I decided, "I am so close and I love surprises, I will just keep it a total secret." I bought my birdcage veil and I have gotten some photos of what I want my hair to look like. I also lost my wedding shoes for a good month and now I have officially found them and they are perfect still. Caleb looks incredible in his suit and he has found some shoes to wear on our day. The flower girl dresses are close to being done, the bridesmaid dresses fit great on the girls and their shoes are adorable still, I have my jewelery picked out, the hairdresser is in place, the make-up lady is all about my day, the bands know what to play, the MC has gotten the music to play on the IPOD, and finally... the details are ALL coming together.

I am getting so close to be a Klinge is a a lil nerve-racking.

2.5 week from tomorrow. Bah!

Songs for the Wedding!

Caleb and I are diligently listening to music on the radio to create a playlist for the wedding. We have regulations though… it has to be considered oldies, it needs to be danceable, and it needs to be about love. Ha, ha. Writing those out seems super cheesy but I am smiling from ear-to-ear thinking about the songs we have already thought up.

Thus far, my faves are “still the one” and “baby, hold on” Do you know these ones? GOODIES!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTE12zOHuFI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbH_sDyWZqo

Have I told you guys about our first dance song? Well here it is according to Ingrid Michaelson who took it from Elvis Presley BUT Caleb and I will be fortunate enough to dance to the melodies from his two sisters doing THEIR rendition. I am literally more excited about that moment of hearing and dancing the song than I am for the rest of the dance time. The moment of being just Caleb and I looking into each other’s eyes and being serenaded is beyond exciting. Sheesh!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0xcgpb_4QA

Are there songs that you all do not want to miss that fit the criteria? I really want to get all good songs at least play for a moment. You too?

A FANTASTIC weekend in WI

Two weekends ago I went home for not only Wha-Zha-Wha festival, my caterer appointment, but also MY FAMILY BRIDAL SHOWER. I took two of my besties with me on this trip and we had a GREAT time.

Wha-Zha-Wha is a Dells festival put on for the community full or carnival rides, craft fair, flea market, tractor show, beer tents, food stands, and the parade. The city is shut down and the residents come out of the woodwork to participate. Tourists have caught the draft of fun and also seem to arrive to partake. Yes, there are residents that stay far away from the mayhem but me? I run home to be apart of the action. I FOUND MY KEYS AT THE FLEA MARKET. It was truly a happy day. Thanks for looking everyone, I so appreciate it. We went on the Tilt-a-Whirl for a round, does anyone remember that thing? Kinda still fun for grown-ups too. The parade is the main event and I was very pleased to say, the parade was a huge hit for us. We loved it.

The catering appointment was a hit for us. We tasted some really great food and we are now 75% secure for the menu. I am very excited for you all to try the food. You will have some surprises that I am pumped for you to see. The only bummer that we found is that the tables for the wedding may be a bit squished so think small peeps, we WILL fit.

The Bridal shower was just so nice. We decorated with my childhood artwork and it was at my favorite cafe, The Blue Spoon. The food was delicious and so was the company. I really enjoyed being able to be with my family members and to just spend the day telling stories and reminiscing. My friend, Jill, came too. I have not seen her in SO long. She truly holds a special place in my heart. I just feel so blessed to be apart of my family.

Well, on to writing thank yous and preparing for my wedding (in a month from tomorrow, wow). Next week, how about I talk about our books we read through our engagement!

Real Life: Dress Fitting

So on 9/6/12 I had my first dress fitting. I thought for sure this was going to be the day of my dreams. I had been waiting for this moment for months. I thought for sure I was going to write this day down in my life book as a day to always remember. Well, this day turned out to be one of those days that did not work out to be the most easy days through other circumstances so my dress fitting had a sense of weight on it.
So...I get to Posh Bridal on Franklin in downtown Minneapolis at 6:30. I arrived to meet who I thought is a sales person but is really the seamstress. She walks up to me with an awkward hand shake and a presence of chain-smoker beaming from her. She shows me the room and I wait. I wait. I wait. The anticipation is lurking over me and I start to think my dress has gone missing. Nope, the seamstress apologizes and mentions she needed a smoke break. Really, lady? Really?

So she puts the dress on the hook and unzips my bag for the dress. At first look, I remember the day putting it on for the first time... All the memories come streaming back. As she pulls the dress from the bag, I gasp. A gasp for breath and also a gasp for nervousness. This dress is not what I remembered... It has the basic features but I do not remember it having a certain spec to it and I immediately think that I have made the wrong decision. I agree to try it on and when I walk out of the dressing area and see my self in the mirror, I immediately see myself as a short, stocky girl. I want to cry, the dress I have been dreaming about looks like a total fish out of water experience on me. The dress is completely gorgeous but on me it features all the things I live to hide of my body. There are things a girl would love to forget they have and buy clothes to hide those things. The thing about the dress that did work out is that it fits GREAT, the size is like a glove; just a too-tight-in-certain-areas glove. There were only two non-fitting fixes I had to pay for. So, needless to say, I left the shoppe paying for changes for a dress I did not appreciate.

I ran to my car and balled to my mother. She was so scared at the thought of needing to come 6 months later and help me find a filler dress in a matter of a month. We talked over the issues and and we decided that I was going to wear my dress for my day and stick to the plan. She saw some live pictures of me in it and told me that all the thoughts I had were strictly flesh-sin and that I looked simply beautiful.

So, since my wedding dress fitting.... I have been on a slim fast diet and given myself a pep talk daily. "i will like my dress and I will not think about myself being fat." If you can't change the way the dress fits, then you got to change the way you fit the dress. Right?

Well, true life, this is what some brides go through. My day will be perfect and I feel like on October 6, at my final fitting, I will look at the dress in a different light and feel like I made the perfect decision. Pray for me peeps, this is like the icing on the cake.

Welcome to Temperance Street

As you walk in the door...

Here is one view of the kitchen,

Here is the other view!

As you walk in the door, looking to your left.

Here is our bathroom, shower is shown through the mirror.

Standing at bathroom door, a look at bedroom.

The bedroom. (a walk-in closet to the left) NOT PICTURED.

A look into the living room.

Here is our balcony.

And finally a view into the city. We are DOWNTOWN St. Paul.

Hello Downtown St. Paul

Last weekend consisted of moving and moving some more. We are very excited to move in and I cannot wait to move in after the wedding!

Caleb moved in on Friday instead of going to work and all he could say when I came after work was, "you have got a lot of stuff, love." so what... I have a lot of things, I am sure I will get rid of half the stuff. Peeps, I have not seen these boxes in months and years. When you are 19 years old, your practicality is out the window.

We traveled to the WD for the weekend to get the rest of the things and it was actually quite fun to be part of a big thing in the process of becoming one. Sunday we rented the UHaul and went packing mad. I have to mention... I did watch the whole season of Downton Abbey his weekend in between moving and I do not feel bad about it. We filled that lil 14 footer full of VERY nice things. We made a trip to the famous shed and got some real good things while being there. My mom was such a servant and so giving to us. I will show you photos of the new apt in a different blog.

On Monday we left the house at 6:15p for the big move to MN. Craziest part of the whole thing: It took 30 min for the boys to unload the truck at 10p at night. We were so blessed!

I have found out since the move-in that my boy is not much (at all) for clutter. He has unpacked all the boxes, rearranged the whole apartment, and cleaned a tad too. I am not one to care if things fall to the floor and don't get pick up for days BUT my boy is not like that a tad. Oh the journey we have ahead. Ha.

Well folks, this journey step was quite a blast. Next week? How about I tell you about my dress fitting. It is a story to tell.