In Other News...

I forgot to mention an important detail.

About 2 weeks into our wedding planning, we discovered something interesting.


That was about 5 days before we were scheduled to leave on a two week cross country trip. So, we were SUPER excited, but barely had time to process:)

At the time, we had been planning on the same surprise wedding, only during our annual winter trip instead. We decided to move it up a few months and have an Oct wedding instead which had been our second choice:)

Even though we were ecstatic, I was also nervous. We decided to wait until Thanksgiving to tell our families and most of our friends just in case something went wrong. It turns out we were slightly impatient and didn't make it quiiiite to then:)

I have much much more to write about the pregnancy so far, but here's a few stats in the meantime:

17.5 weeks along.
Gained 6.5 lbs.
Due May 2nd.
Still contemplating a homebirth, but seeing midwives in SLO.
Had one ultrasound at 11 weeks which was crazy awesome.
Find out the sex in about 2 weeks.
We've picked out names that I'll be sharing later:)
Haven't had any morning sickness and overall feel great.
Jerad is going to be an adorable dad.

The Ceremony

The Wedding of Stephanie Brown and Jerad Hutchinson

Sunday, October 25th, 2009, at 2:00pm
Yosemite Valley, Yosemite, California
Officiated by Taylor Odenwald

Taylor begins:

Welcome and thank you for joining us as we celebrate Steph and Jerad’s commitment to one another.

They are delighted that you have come to share in their joy during this special day.

By your presence, you celebrate with them the love they have discovered in each other, and you support their decision to commit themselves to a lifelong relationship.

As much as today is a celebration of their marriage, it is also a celebration of their love, which is built upon the last four years they have spent together and all the experiences encompassed by that time.

They have invited you to this beautiful place, to Yosemite National Park, and show you a glimpse of an important piece of their love. To share with you these mountains, these forests, these waterfalls because during their years together, they have come here many times, on days like today, together. So humbled and awed by the purity of their surroundings that Yosemite has become a shelter, a respite, and a very special place to them.

They wanted to show you the beauty of these fields and these cliffs because this is where their hearts have made their home.

They have invited you here because their love is connected to this place. Their time spent here has always been a time of peace, of connectedness, and of a deepening respect for the divine, for nature, and for each other.

They ask that you open your hearts and minds to the timelessness of this place and to the love we are here to share through this ceremony.

Marriage is a bond to be entered into only after considerable thought and reflection. By making this commitment today, Steph and Jerad’s relationship will become stronger, better, and deeper. Today, they demonstrate their devotion to each other by dedicating themselves to a life together. And they show their respect for each other by setting forth to honor the vows they have created. Today, their lives, which began on separate paths, will be joined as one.

As French writer Marcel Proust said, “Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.”

You are the people who make the souls of Steph and Jerad blossom. We want to acknowledge and thank all of you for your support and participation today.

“Friends,” a famous writer once wrote, represent “a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.” Each of you has been invited to participate in this commitment ceremony because you have, in some way, brought about a new world in Steph or Jerad.

Steph and Jerad, today you are surrounded by your closest friends as they gather to witness your commitment and share in the joy of this happy occasion.

Life is a story. It has a beginning, a middle, and an end. And, like a story, it is best experienced with the people you love. Everyone in this circle is here because they’re a part of Steph and Jerad’s story. Some of you are participating by holding things, some of you will be adding your voices to the ceremony, and some more will be participating by laughing and crying along with us.

Nevertheless, everyone’s active participation in this wedding begins now. Jerad and Steph will be wearing rings as a sign of their commitment to one another, and as the ceremony proceeds, they invite you to take part in the warming of these rings. Each guest is asked to hold them for a few moments, warm them with your love and make a silent wish or prayer for this couple and their future together. When these rings come back they will contain, in their precious metal, that which is more precious, that which is priceless; your love and hope and pledge of support for their marriage.

[The rings will make their way around to each of our guests as the ceremony proceeds.]

So, now that we all understand our roles here today, we will begin the ceremony.

First, Tina, will make a blessing:

Tina’s Blessing:

May your marriage bring you all the
exquisite excitements a marriage should bring,
and may life grant you also patience, tolerance,
and understanding.
May you always need one another - not so much
to fill your emptiness as to help you know your fullness.
A mountain needs a valley to be complete;
the valley does not make the mountain less but more;
and the valley is more a valley
because it has a mountain towering over it.
So let it be with you and you.

May you need one another, but not out of weakness.
May you want one another, but not out of lack.
May you entice one another, but not compel one another.
May you succeed in all important ways with one another,
and not fail in the little graces.
May you look for things to praise, often say,
"I love you!" and take no notice of small faults.
If you have quarrels that push you apart,
may both of you hope to have good sense
enough to take the first step back.

May you enter into the mystery which is the awareness
of one another's presence - no more physical than spiritual,
warm and near when you are side by side, and warm and near
when you are in separate rooms or even distant cities.
May you have happiness, and may you find it making one
another happy.
May you have love, and may you find it loving one another!

Taylor Continues:

Albert Einstein said: “Strange is our situation here upon Earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to a divine purpose. However, there is one thing that we do know, that we are here for the sake of others. Above all, for those upon whose smile and well-being our own happiness depends, and also for the countless unknown souls with whose fate we are connected by a bond of sympathy.”

And now Tyson will do a reading of The Key to Love:

“The key to love is understanding …
The ability to comprehend not only the spoken word,
but those unspoken gestures,
the little things that say so much by themselves.

The key to love is forgiveness ….
to accept each others faults and pardon mistakes,
without forgetting, but with remembering
what you learn from them.

The key to love is sharing …
Facing your good fortunes as well as the bad, together;
both conquering problems, forever searching for ways
to intensify your happiness.

The key to love is giving …
without thought of return,
but with the hope of just a simple smile,
and by giving in but never giving up.

The key to love is respect …

realizing that you are two separate people,

with different ideas;
that you don’t belong to each other,
that you belong with each other, and share a mutual bond.

The key to love is inside us all …
It takes time and patience to unlock all the ingredients
that will take you to its threshold;
it is the continual learning process

that demands a lot of work …

but the rewards are more than worth the effort …
and that is the key to love.”

Taylor Continues:

Marriage. It ranks right up there with birth and death as one of the three biggies in life. But it’s the only one that we’ll celebrate with a conscious awareness. Very few of you remember your arrival, and even fewer of you will attend your own funeral. Pick a society, any society: Jewish farmers 100 years ago in Poland, English émigrés to Canada, San Franciscan hipsters ... What’s the one thing they all have in common? Marriage. It’s like a cultural handrail. It links us to the past, and guides us to the future.

Marriage is the union of disparate elements: male and female, proton and electron. What we’re talking about here is the very tension that binds the universe. When we look at marriage, we’re looking at creation itself.

And now Beth will read Union by Robert Fulghum:

You have known each other from the first glance of acquaintance to this point of commitment. At some point, you decided to marry. From that moment of yes, to this moment of yes, indeed, you have been making commitments in an informal way. All of those conversations that were held in a car, or over a meal, or during long walks – all those conversations that began with, “When we’re married”, and continued with “I will” and “you will” and “we will” – all those late night talks that included “someday” and “somehow” and “maybe” – and all those promises that are unspoken matters of the heart. All these common things, and more, are the real process of a wedding.

The symbolic vows that you are about to make are a way of saying to one another, “You know all those things that we’ve promised, and hoped, and dreamed – well, I meant it all, every word.”

Look at one another and remember this moment in time. Before this moment you have been many things to one another – acquaintance, friend, companion, lover, dancing partner, even teacher, for you have learned much from one another these past few years. Shortly you shall say a few words that will take you across a threshold of life, and things between you will never quite be the same.

For after today you shall say to the world –
This is my husband. This is my wife.

Taylor Continues:

Now we will hear the reading of the marriage certificate.

(Tom)

On this the twenty-fifth day of October in the year
Two thousand nine
In the town of Yosemite Valley, California

Stephanie Renee Brown &
Jerad Louis Hutchinson

Took each other by the hand and joyfully declared themselves married, promising to be loving and equal partners as long as they both shall live.

As confirmation and celebration of this commitment we set our hands.

(S & J Sign certificate)

And we, as members of their loving community, set our hands in witness and pledge to celebrate and support this union.

(Guests Sign certificate)

Taylor Continues:

This is the point in the ceremony when the officiant usually talks about the wedding bands being a perfect circle, having no beginning and no end. But we all know that these rings do have a beginning. Rock is dug up from the earth. Metal is liquefied in a furnace at a thousand degrees. Hot metal is poured into a mold, cooled, and then painstakingly polished. Something beautiful is made from raw elements. Love is like that. It's hot, dirty work. It comes from humble beginnings, made by imperfect beings. It's the process of making something beautiful where there was once nothing at all.

Each of you has enhanced the beauty of Jerad and Steph's rings with your love and hopes for their future. Steph and Jerad, when you look down at your rings, remember that you are literally surrounded by all of the love and well-wishes that were given to you today. In addition, love is not only given; it has to be received and accepted to be truly beautiful.

Now, take hands. And all of you who love each other, please take each others' hands as well. To reach out to someone and be acknowledged and loved is a human need. Taking the hand of one who loves you is a powerful symbol of that unspoken bond.

Your hands are also the part of you that you use the most. As you go about your daily work and play, your ring is a tangible reminder of the promises you’ve made to each other. It will always be with you, visible, worn openly and with pride.

With that in mind, may I have the rings?
Taylor (to J): Jerad, please repeat after me: As a symbol of my commitment to you and our family, I offer you this ring.
Jerad: As a symbol of my commitment to you and our family, I offer you this ring.
Taylor (to S): I accept your gift with joy and gratitude.
Steph: I accept your gift with joy and gratitude.

Taylor (to S): In return, I offer you this ring as a symbol of my commitment to you and our family.
Steph: In return, I offer you this ring as a symbol of my commitment to you and our family.

Taylor (to J): I accept your gift with joy and gratitude.
Jerad: I accept your gift with joy and gratitude.

Taylor Continues:

Steph, please hold Jerad’s hands palms up, so you may see the gift that they are to you. These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and vibrant with love, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as he promises to passionately love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness. These are the hands that will work alongside yours, as together you build your future, a family, as you laugh and cry, as you share your innermost secrets and dreams. These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow and tears of joy. These are the hands that will comfort you in illness, and hold you when fear or grief engulfs your heart. These are the hands that when wrinkled and aged will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch. These are the hands that will tenderly lift your chin and brush your cheek as they raise your face to look into his eyes; eyes that filled completely with his overwhelming love and desire for you.

Now Jerad, please hold Steph’s hands palms up, so you may see the gift that they are to you. These are the hands of your best friend, smooth, young and carefree, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as she promises to passionately love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness. These are the hands that will massage tension from your neck and back in the evenings when you complain that your body is falling apart. These are the hands that will hold you tight as you struggle through difficult times. These are the hands that will comfort you when you are sick, or console you when you are grieving. These are the hands that when wrinkled and aged will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch. These are the hands that will give you support as she encourages you to chase down your dreams.

Together as a team, everything you wish for can be realized.

God, bless these hands that you see before you this day. May they always be held by one another. Give them the strength to hold on during the storms of stress and the dark of disillusionment. Keep them tender and gentle as they nurture each other in their wondrous love. Help these hands to continue building a relationship founded in your grace, rich in caring, and devoted in reaching for your perfection. May Steph and Jerad see their four hands as healers, protectors, shelter and guides. We ask this in your name. Amen.

Steph and Jerad have elected today to begin a new tradition, a custom which now becomes uniquely their own.

Jerad:
Stephanie, I give to you this flower. Because this beautiful flower grew from a tiny seed, it symbolizes the way my love for you has grown. From the first faint tingling of its inception, it has become stronger and larger until today it blossoms for all to see. [He gives her the flower]. Each year on our wedding anniversary, I will give you another flower. In so doing, I will remember this day and renew the vows we’ve made. I am confident that each year my flower will be symbolic of ever deeper and more beautiful feelings of love.

Steph:
Jerad, I give to you this vase of water. [He takes it and holds it.] Because water is the one element without which we would surely perish, it symbolizes the importance of your love in my life. Water, like love, can take many forms. Sometimes it is steam, sometimes ice. But no matter what happens to it, even if, for a time it seems to disappear, it always returns. Each year on our anniversary, I will refill this vase, offering it to you as a symbol of my ever renewing feelings of love. [She puts the flower in the vase and they both hold the vase together.]

Jerad:
Without water, the flower would die.

Steph:
Without the flower, the vase of water would not be beautiful.

Jerad:
My gift is enhanced by yours, just as my life is enhanced by yours.

Steph:
My gift is lovely because of yours, just as my life is better because of you. [We hand the rose and vase to Taylor.]

Taylor Continues:

On each anniversary, as you re-enact the giving and receiving of the flower and the water, may you remember with joy this day when you pledge your love and lives to each other. May this be only the first of many cherished traditions in a home filled with happiness.

Remember that a relationship is a progression; your love will have seasons like Nature itself. There is an old Chinese proverb that says: “The Journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, “ and now your journey has begun, and a new chapter has started in your story.

Dom will now read a Native American Blessing:

Dom: I would now like to end this celebration with this very special blessing used in Apache wedding ceremonies:

May the sun bring you new happiness by day;
May the moon softly restore you by night;
May the rain wash away your worries
And the breeze blow new strength into your being,
And all the days of your life
May you walk gently through the world and know its beauty.

Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter for the other.
Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other.
Now there will be no loneliness, for each of you will be companion to the other. Now you are two persons, but there is only one life before you. May beauty surround you both in the journey ahead and through all the years. May happiness be your companion and your days together be good and long upon the earth.

Treat yourselves and each other with respect, and remind yourselves often of what brought you together. Give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness and kindness that your connection deserves. When frustration, difficulties and fear assail your relationship, as they threaten all relationships at one time or another, remember to focus on what is right between you, not only the part which seems wrong. In this way, you can ride out the storms when clouds hide the face of the sun in your lives -- remembering that even if you lose sight of it for a moment, the sun is still there. And if each of you takes responsibility for the quality of your life together, it will be marked by abundance and delight.

Taylor:

Steph and Jerad, in the presence of your closest friends who have joined you to share this moment of joy in your lives, you have declared your deep love and affection for each other. You have stated your wish to always be open to a deeper, richer friendship and partnership. Your have formed your own union, based on respect and honor. Therefore, it is my joyful responsibility to officially acknowledge your union as "Husband and Wife". You may now seal your marriage with a kiss.

The Road to the Alter

AKA, how our surprise wedding came about.

After dating about a year we started talking pretty seriously about getting married. Originally, we both had different ideas of what a wedding meant to us. I wanted something intimate and personal, Jerad wanted what has become the traditional wedding. Ceremony in a church, indoor reception, centerpieces, toasts, bouquet toss, garter toss, cake cutting, all that jazz. We did both want "small" with only immediate family and then all of our friends. We wrote out a guest list, over 180 people. Hmm, not very small.

After another year or so went by, we both changed our minds and decided we wanted a big wedding. In a barn. With twinkle lights and candles, and Santa Maria Style BBQ. So we began planning, researching different venues, colors, all that jazz. Meanwhile, we went to more and more weddings as all of our friends began to tie the knot. Although they were all different, they still felt very much the same. We decided we wanted something different, something more "us." About that time I discovered this blog post all about a surprise wedding. I decided that was the best idea ever. Surprising all of our family and friends, minimal hassle, SO US! Jerad was about 90% gung ho on the idea. He worried that planning something so big, all by ourselves, without ANY help from anyone would stress me the hell out seeing as how I'm such a perfectionist. He was 100% right, I just didn't want to admit it. Still, I told all my best friends about the idea and tucked it away.

I also had really been studying my Quaker heritage and had been going to Quaker Meetings so I wanted to include something of that in the wedding. We both decided that having a Quaker Ceremony would be amazing. It would be something that most people weren't used to, and so personal. Instead of boring toasts at a reception, our friends and families could voice their hearts during the ceremony. I also like the idea of walking down the isle together instead of being escorted down. Since I'm already grown up and have been living on my own for 7 years I didn't feel like I should be "given away."

During the next year, we finalized our plans. We would be getting married in the Valencia Town Hall (ADORABLE!) with the reception at Quail Hollow Ranch. The reception would be outside, with more of a family reunion feel than a wedding feel. We would have lawn games, picnic tables, picnic blankets, and all our nearest and dearest as long as it wasn't more than 80 people (picture something like this). It would be a weekend event with fun things to do and we wanted to find a rustic lodge type place that everyone could stay at.

We both loved the idea, but putting it into practice was difficult. First of all, just our immediate families, aunts/uncles/cousins/grandparents came out to almost 70 people. By the time we each picked a few friends to be in the bridal party, we were already at our 80 person limit. It was also just crazy expensive. Neither one of us buy into that "your wedding is the most important day of your life" mentality. We wanted it to be fun for sure, but not consume all of our thoughts/time/energy/ There are a lot of things we were more excited about, like building a house and starting a family.

Nevertheless, we made lists of ideas and links, the invitations we would have, vendors, everything. Now all that was holding things up was the proposal. In the beginning of this year we talked about getting married by the end of the year. As time ticked by, it started seeming more and more like that was NOT going to happen.

I wanted to get married in October, when the weather was still nice, not too hot or cold. Jerad said he "didn't want to share his birthday month." At first I thought he was kidding, but he explained that in the last 4 years of us dating he has had more fun than ever on his birthday and was worried that if we had an anniversary around the same time that the birthday planning would cease.

During the summer we went to 4 weddings, a ton of concerts at the fair, bought a car, reorganized the house, and Jerad started doing AutoCAD side jobs fairly frequently. We were so busy we sort of just stopped talking about getting married any time soon.

Then about 2 months ago when we were in the living room one night Jerad asked me "tell me again what you would want for a wedding if you could have whatever you wanted." I said that honestly, after going to so many weddings (13 since we started dating 4 years ago), and knowing all the stress and tension they cause, I would want SMALL as in not more than 20-25 people, and LOW KEY. A wedding that was about the marriage and not the decorations. About us as a couple and not trying to please everyone else.

He asked me how I would feel about eloping. I said I would love it, as long as it was somewhere that was special to us. Yosemite was the obvious choice. We go camping there multiple times a year (this last camping trip was the third time this year and we're going back in December as well). We love everything about it. We love going with our friends and have SO MANY memories there.

We talked about going and getting married just the two of us. We both felt like we couldn't do it without our core group of friends. They are the people we talk to whenever we have something important and need support, and they are the people who have gone to Yosemite with us year after year as our relationship blossomed. At this point I brought up the surprise wedding idea again and it sounded like a blast. Honestly, I think Jerad was just as excited about surprising everyone as he was about getting married:)

We thought about inviting just our parents, but decided that our siblings would feel left out. We knew that Jerad's sister that lives in Nebraska and just had a baby couldn't make it, and his other sister might not be excited about camping with 3 toddlers. IF everyone could come, it was up over 30 people. We also knew there was no way we could invite our families who had never been camping with us, and everyone not know something was up.

Now we had decided where, who, and how, but needed to figure out when. I really wanted a fall or winter wedding. We had also been getting more serious about starting a family and wanted to wait until at least a year after we were married. If we got married next fall/winter and then waited a year, we were talking 2 years before we even started TRYING to have kids. So.... my answer was "if it was up to me, either now, or when we're done having kids."

He asked what about October.
I said I would love that, but what about his not wanting to share his b-day month? Apparently he was over it.

We already had plans the first 2 weekends of the month, then the 3rd was his birthday, and the 5th weekend was Halloween. That left one weekend free. Oct 24th-25th. Which gave us about 8 weeks to plan a wedding.

Stressful? Yes. Doable? Stay tuned!

What we did last weekend:

So, sorry for the lack of posting lately. Planning a surprise wedding takes up a considerable about of time apparently.

Hey guys, I'm still here!

Wow, over a month since I last posted. How out of character is that? I guess June was such a blur and I needed awhile to return to normal.

July has been a pretty crazy month too. We've been to the beach a few times, drive-in, waterslides, wine tasting, Avilla Barn, girls nights, boys nights, and taken up tennis and frisbee golf. It turns out I'm pretty bad at tennis, but I'll keep trying. Actually I'm pretty bad at Frisbee Golf too so good thing Jerad has a coworker to play with:) We also bought a new car and are leaving tomorrow for Arizona. Phew, I'm tired just from typing that! And that was just the last 2 weeks on top of both working 40 hours a week!

Sometimes I feel like all we do is "go go go" and I never have a minute to catch my breath. We are always doing something. So, for my birthday this year Jerad and I decided that we wanted to do something calmer, something just the two of us.

We have a tenative plan to take a road trip through Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and Nevada then home. I know "road trip" doesn't seem relaxing to most people, but to us it sounds like heaven. We'll do a lot of camping and visiting national parks on the way. It will be nice to set our own pace and itenerary and build some new fun memories together.
We're planning on spending the majority of our time in Colorado. It is such a beautiful place, and because (Beth and Tina stop reading) we've been talking about moving there. Nothing too serious, just if Jerad were to get a promotion he's hoping for at his job he has a choice of moving to a different office if we'd like and out of all the states that would be available, Colorado is the most appealing to both of us. Plus its only a 13 hour drive from here so not too far from our friends and fam. Before you start freaking out, there is like a 2% chance we would actually decide to move, BUT just in case we wanted to spend some time in the area.

Well, now that I broke my blogging silence, maybe I'll get with it and post some pics tonight before we leave for Arizona. Don't hold your breath though:)

Progress

Yesterday I got home to find a collections notice in the mail from our former internet provider. "Pissed off" would be the under statement the year. We switched from them to another company for a few reasons, but one of them was that they kept on billing us for renting a cable modem when we owned our own. I'd call them, they'd credit us back the rental charge, then the next month they would charge us again. Finally enough was enough.

Guess what the account when into collections for? $23.17 for failure to return a rented piece of equipment. Ohhhh I was NOT HAPPY. That was the first notice we had about the whole thing. Nothing was ever said when we canceled, no letters were ever sent that they were going to send it to collection. Ugh. We have worked like crazy since January to pay off all of our debt. We finally have no more credit card debt (yeay!!!), and are well on the way to paying off Jerad's bike and my car. Then this little gem.

I called the cable company and after going from department to department, and person to person they are going to fix it and promised it would come off of our credit reports. Supposedly. I wrote down everyone's names and user numbers just so I have some sort of reference... still, crappy way to start the night.

Well, we managed to finally put away our laundry. Its so sad that somehow that became a blog-worthy event in our lives. We also went through and cleaned out our closets and dressers of all the clothes that didn't fit, we have hung onto but never wear, or we just wanted to donate. Now we actually have the room to put away everything which is nice.

We did sleep in the guest room again. We sort of had to because we are addicted to Here Comes the Newlyweds. Did you watch last season? Loooove it!!! They had a challenge this time where they had to run into this house and pick up as many bugs as they could, then run back outside and fill up a jar with them. Anyways, it didn't get over till 11, then we watched an X-Files rerun. Also about bugs. Needless to say we both had creepo insect dreams and tossed and turned all night.

Getting up at 5:45 was not my bff this morning.

On my lunch break I am running to SLO to the dealership where I bought my car to cancel my Gap Insurance and Extended Warranty... yes I am one of the people who actually bought those things... so that will take off more than $1,500 of my car loan and get me closer to being debt free. My car isn't even 3 years old and has 33k miles on it. I plan on getting a small SUV before I would ever need the extended warranty. I have it paid down enough that I don't need the Gap anymore so its def worth the hassle of canceling them.

I can't imagine how crazy it would be to *not* have a car payment.

PS: the most wonderful news evah, PBR is back at the fair this year. The Challenger Tour. I can die happy.

My 'get up and go....'

Got up and went.

I had a list of a million things that Needed To Get Done this weekend... ya, not so much.

Friday morning I met Beth in Atascadero at the gym for a Step class. I'm def going to have to go back a few times to get the hang of that one... or take some speed first to have the energy. After that we did a 30 minute "Core" class that is mostly ab exercises. As a reward we headed to Cafe Vio where Carly was working and had lunch and iced lattes. We talked and visited and it was a GREAT way to start the day.

When I got home I decided to fold the 4 loads of clean laundry that I had been putting off and putting off. I folded everything and left it on our bed so that we couldn't go to sleep without putting everything away. Since Friday I have washed 3 more loads of laundry, and they have also been folded and added to our bed. Instead of putting the laundry away, we just started sleeping in the guestroom instead. Ya. That was basically the tone of the weekend. We might never end up putting said laundry away either because we are getting quite comfy in the other room!

Neither one of us are pro TV in the bedroom. But we have one in our guestroom. And a DVD player. And Satellite. Its been niiiiice. Also the bed is right against a window so if you open it you can feel the breeze. Its been a nice little vacation, except every morning when I go back in our room to get ready I see the HUGE pile of laundry taunting me. Its so not me.

We worked in the garden and finished transplanting everything where we wanted it to go. Jerad rigged up a sweet contraption complete with a pulley to raise and lower our upside down tomato plants. I planted lettuce and broccoli seeds and some more radishes and green onions. Jerad put up trellises for our squash plants. Since we don't have lots of room for them to grow all over the ground, we're making them grow vertically instead. We made tuna for lunch on Sunday and got super excited because we were able to use a radish and green onions from the garden. For dinner we made pizza and went outside to pick some fresh cilantro to put on top. All our hard work is starting to pay off! I can't wait until the tomatoes, onions, tomatillos, and peppers are ready and I can make salsa!

Saturday we went to Maddie and Abby's first birthday party. I can't believe they are a year old already, crazy. After that we got a bunch of stuff done for Tina's wedding which is now only 5 days away. I still have a few more centerpieces to make and then print out programs/ photo scavenger hunt cards and make them purdy. I also need to get my dress hemmed. I think I'm going to have Jerad do it... hopefully it comes out okay because it was a $300 dress. Tina is letting the bridesmaids wear whatever they want (thank you!). Before I bought a dress to wear for the ceremony I decided to look through my old dresses and see if I had anything that would work. I found a red dress (which is one of her wedding colors) that I wore for my ex and my 3 year anniversary. As in, almost exactly 7 years ago. I didn't think it would fit but it is such a beautiful dress and I had only worn it once so it would be nice to save some $$ and wear it again. It fit. With room to spare. I was sooo ecstatic. I remember trying it on a few years ago and not being remotely close to having it zip up. It is really long though, I hope its not a hard material to sew? I don't want to be out dress shopping the day before the wedding, but I also don't have time to have it professionally done. We'll see!

After almost a year of on again off again work, our back bathroom shower is a little closer to completion. Jerad and his brother Joey put up all the rest of the Hardiebacker except for the curb, and the two pieces where the shower heads will go. Tonight he's going to bring home a hole saw from work and get those done. Then it will finally be ready for tile!!!

Our next big project is finishing landscaping the front yard. Last year we overhauled the front yard, built a window box, and built a new fence. Now its time for a planter along the fence. We have talked about a lot of different options, and finally decided on gravity blocks sort of like this:



It will match our neighbor's yards the best and we won't have to worry about staining it or nicking it with the weed eater like we would have to with wood. The issue is those stupid little blocks are expensive! At least we only have to do it once right?

Tonight I'm Spinning after work again then lifting weights. And even if we decide to sleep in the guestroom again, I will NOT go to bed tonight until the laundry is put away... its getting embarrassing.

Weekend warriors

Why is it that the only posts I can manage to muster these days are weekend updates? To be fair I always have 3 days weekends, so technically thats already almost 1/2 of the week...

This 4 day weekend thing really messed me up. How is it Wednesday already? Anyways, I'll take it! Saying we had a busy weekend would be an understatement. Thursday night our friends Tina and Tom came down and stayed with us to finalize some wedding details for their wedding that is 2 weeks away.

Tina and I got up bright and early and met Beth in Atascadero for a 6am Spin class Friday morning. Holy. Crap. I had never done Spinning before. I knew Beth hated it, and that it was a really hard work out... but I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. For the rest of the weekend I wished I had a donut to sit on because my butt hurt so bad. After the class we went to Beth's house and had some coffee before Tina had to go to pre-marital counciling. Ahh the fun.

I went back to Beth's a few hours later and we washed our cars together. I NEVER wash my car. The dealer always does it for me for free when I get my oil changed. Beth whipped out all of these amazing car washing products and had all these tips... after an hour and a half of cleaning, my car still had dog hair and dust in it and spots on the outside. Next time I am paying someone. After her car was clean and mine was clean(er), we loaded up her kids and a few of the neighbor kids and headed to Trader Joe's and went grocery shopping. Because we are both domestic and brave like that.

Since one workout wasn't enough, us girls decided to go to a "Groove" class at the gym that evening while Jerad and Tom played Basketball. Beth and Tina did a pretty good job keeping up with the dance moves and I got repeatedly kicked by the not so nice girl beside me. That night Beth and Ty, Tina and Tom, and Jerad and me had a bbq with waaaay too much yummy food just to make sure we weren't getting too healthy.

Saturday Tina and I took an afternoon Cynergy class which is basically a mix of Yoga, Pilates, and Tai Chi. Then we ran wedding errands and got dresses for the Reception. Jerad spent most of the day working overtime trying to get a project at work done, but he got off in time to hang out with us and Tina's brother. And the pizza. That night Jerad and I took our poor lonely dogs to the beach. At 10 pm. In my clean car. They had so much fun. It was pitch black and we could barely make them out, but they tore around for 45 minutes or so until they were nice and worn out and wet and covered in sand. We drove back home the long way, Santa Rita Rd. We saw about 10 deer. It was maybe the best night of the dog's lives. The next morning it looked like we had cut open a bag of sand in the back seat, and then sheared a few sheep. Jerad was nice enough to re-wash the car (without being asked!)

After T&T went home, Jerad met his bromance Tyson in SLO and they went flying.

I'll eventually post some pics of that, in the meantime Beth wrote about it here. In the evening we went to Atascadero Lake and rented a Paddle Boat.

I think the paddle boat was more of a workout than the spin bike. We had fun trolling around chasing the ducks though and the weather was BEAUTIFUL!

Monday Jerad worked a side job and I stayed home and cleaned, and washed towels, and changed sheets and did all the things you do after having company. After I got bored of that, I decided to paint the kitchen. I had bought paint a week or so ago and it was calling my name. About 15 minutes into the painting I realized I should have waited for Jerad because all the cutting in around the windows, cabinets, counters, and million outlets was a LOT of work... but it was too late. It came out pretty good!

Tuesday Jerad tried out Spinning with me after work and liked it (well, thought it was a hard enough workout) enough that we are going to go again today. Our goal is to start going to the 5:45 classes before work starting next week, we'll see if that happens:)

Sleep is for the weak.

I have been more tired (I can't figure out a this moment if that is grammatically correct or not) these past few weeks than I can ever remember being. I have taken numerous afternoon naps, evening naps, after work naps, after dinner naps. I don't know who this sleepy person I've become is.

Its a good thing I've been stocking up though, because I needed it for last night. I went to bed around 11, a little later than normal. Around 11:30 I got woken up by a text message. Thanks. After drifting back off, Bailey woke me back up about 12:45 because she needed to go pee. BAILEY, the dog that will hold it for an entire 3 day camping trip. Around 2, Buddy is in a panic because ohmygoshheneedswaterthissecond. A few hours later its Wyatt.

Our dogs sleep through the night. Hello, that's WHY they're allowed to sleep in the house. Every now and then one of them will need to get up. NEVER all of them.

5:00am I get a phone call, wrong number. Fuc^er.

5:30 Tobee is scratching on the door and meowing because he decided that breakfast needed to be served 45 minutes early.

6:00am, time to take a shower and prepare for the workday. Not the best night's sleep.

Some body's wife made made banana bread at work though, so its going to be okay.

Le wonderful weekend

Despite temperatures in the triple digits, I had a FAB weekend! Friday while Jerad was at work, I put on some Bluegrass and whipped (or attempted) my house into shape. Having my 13 year old sister living with us all week was messier than our 3 dogs. After a little bit of cleaning, I got all dolled up, put on a cute top, earrings, lipstick and some foot ware that didn't consist of Uggs or flip flops. For me, that was huge!

I went downtown and walked through a few Antique and Vintage stores. Heaven. I found an adorable vintage quilt that I was planning on making our new picnic/beach blanket, but when I brought it home later it matched our living room so perfectly it now resides on the back of our couch. After antiquing a bit, I walked over to the theater and got my geek on:

I also got popcorn AND a diet coke. Rare treats. After the movie I picked up Addy from school and we made dinner and worked on crafts. I made some flowered headbands, and she made a necklace. Jerad worked a double shift and didn't get off until after 11pm to fund my frivolousness.

Saturday Jerad was working and Addy had a b-day party so I puttered around the house.

When Jerad got off work, he scooped me up and took me out to dinner. He told me I could choose ANY restaurant I wanted. I chose Chili's. Who am I lately? We NEVER eat out, and I pick something like that. It just came out. Anyways, we printed out all of the menu's nutritional info before hand and had fun trying to come up with a dinners that were under 2500 calories. Soo hard! I had the guiltless cedar plank tilapia (199 calories), seasonal veggies, 60 calories, and kettle black beans. Jerad had the half rack of baby back ribs (something like 400 cals), spicy lime shrimp 130 cals, and seasonal veggies, 60 cals.

We were looking at the dessert menu when I mentioned that really what sounded good was Foster Freeze ice cream. So, we drove all the way to Morro Bay at 8:30 at night for soft serve ice cream. We drove over and parked by Morro Rock and talked and ate our ice cream and had a lovey old time, then drove home. It was a nice surprise for a Saturday night.

We are normally the couple that goes our own ways or divides and conqueres in social situations and people always remark "oh, they're dating?" not the couple that takes moonlight ice cream walks on the beaches. Especially sans our dogs. That was soooo 3 years ago in our relationship. It was a fun change.

SundayI woke up craving In n Out. Random, we go there maybe once every 2 months? I kept mentioning it to Jerad. He went to the Paso Gun Show with a friend then we went and picked up my parents from the airport. I ditched that party in favor of my lsm Beth. My lover Beth who texted me out of the blue asking if I wanted anything from In n Out. Mmmmm. We went to a "designer inspired" purse party where I scored 2 new purses that I am in love with. My sister Melinda met us there and we all decided on some Fro Yo. It was really depressing watching Beth navigate the millions of topping in search of "sugar free" but she managed. When I got home I took a 2 hour nap. Love. Jerad worked on sewing cloth napkins for Tina's wedding and didn't bother to wake me up because he was so happy to have total control of the remote control. He watched some car/nascar/race/something or another *yawn.*

Since we had cheated so much by eating out all weekend, we had Subway for dinner too. But seriously, when its over 90-100 outside, its hard to motivate yourself to turn on the over or stove top right? Somehow even with all that deccadent food, I lost 1.2 pounds. Just over the weekend. I think it was all sweat. Gross.

Movies, shopping, food, purses, girls, FroYo naps. Life is good.