MN for a second time this Winter

Kerry and I traveled to MN again for Krista and Jesses wedding as well as Christmas with my family. Kristas wedding weekend started with a rehearsal dinner at Bucas in St. paul. Ker and I were able to spend some time with my family prior to the event. It was a blast reuniting with Steph, Mike, Kristie, Jared, Dana, Adam, and all of the boys. We stayed the night at Travs house in East St. Paul.

Saturday morning, the morning of the wedding, we awoke to over 12 inches of snow plus gusts of it dumping. Adam saved the day by picking us up early (our rental car was NOT going anywhere) to go to the salon. After a brief detour to the liquor store the girls all got their hair done and the boys drank beer.

Then off to the church to get ready. The boys were again kind enough to shovel the stairs periodically so those that were able to attend the ceremony could get up the stairs. During the rehearsing and the wedding Dana, Lora and I played damage control. With the storm dumping over 2 feet over the course of the day, there was no transportation running and the vendors started to cancel. Luckily the Boat Club still hosted the reception and everything else fell into place. Kudos to the emergency DJ service that took over for the vendor that cancelled. Oh, and to the amazing photographer who was out there with the girls and guys snapping pic after pic in the beautiful snow!

The wedding was spectacular and we all walked away with a unique and memorable time.

CONGRATS JESSE AND KRISTA JACOBSEN!!

Bahamas and getting engaged

Well, here I am, newly engaged. I am a fiance now, no longer sharing the title of "gender"friend with Kerry. Let me tell you a little story of how a girl and a boy started sharing their lives together. Well, I guess "started" isn't quite right, after three pups and a house. How about accelerated. Yeah, that works.

Bahamas was meant to be a vacation to get away from 60 hour work weeks. Complete luxury. That it was. We stayed at the Atlantis on Paradise island. The day we got engaged we went swimming with the dolphins, had a couples massage, took a nap then started getting ready for dinner. Perfect day of relaxation. As we were getting ready I asked Ker if he could go grab some ice for ice water. He took the bucket and left...for about 30 minutes. I didn't think anything of it as when he came back he said he couldn't find the ice machine. We then got ready and went down to the lobby to go to our steak dinner. Kerry noticed the photographers loitering in the main part of the lobby and suggested a small photo shoot down by the indoor aquarium, stating it would be a "nice spot for some pictures together." He grabbed one of the women and we all went down to the steps and found a nice spot. She started snapping pictures, Ker initially next to me, then he stepped behind me. Next he got down on one knee (!!!) and I turned around thinking he wanted me to sit on his knee for a 'dancing with the stars' type shot. Low and behold, the beautiful ring in his hands! "Will you marry me?" he asked in a bit of a shaky voice. It felt like forever when I finally said "Of course!" Total shock, disbelief and joy. We hugged and stood up together, cried together a bit, and proceeded to talk about our new engagement for the rest of the evening. Its amazing thinking about what this means. We are going to be family. We are both gaining another family. We will be united as one. Needless to say, we are overjoyed and amazed at the newness of this, happy and ecstatic.


So, some side notes.
1. The sneaky boy has had the ring in his bedside lock box for about 6 months. For those of you who know me, anticipation and surprises drives me bonkers. I dust that box once a week!! (ok, once a month) Its been literally 2 feet away from me for...lets see...8 hours a day for 6 months which is roughly 30 days times 6 equals 180 times 8 is like eight hundred and some more hours!!! Ack!

2. At 5 am on the way to the airport to start our Bahamas vacation I see that my cute boyfriend has a new suitcase. It has four wheels instead of the standard two and...wait for it...a lock. Hmm, I think, a lock? What could that be for? All the women who are reading this; you know what I was thinking. Luckily I had no chance to snoop (though I thought about it the entire flight) and also I spilled my suspicions to Ker after a lucky 20 minutes at the Black Jack table (we won $200!) and he convinced me that under no circumstances was the suitcase used to smuggle a diamond. He was merely testing out the four-wheel feature. I believed him, again most like me.

3. The only other person in the world that knew Kerry had shopped for and purchased a ring months in advance, awaiting our luxury vacation in the Bahamas to utilize for the setting of our engagement was Matty P. Kudos to him for keeping it in, that's a tough one. Not to mention nice work Ker, I think it was a surprise to everyone!

Gusts of Winter Start

MN twice in one season; this girl could not get any luckier! Its funny; I have been away now for 4 years, I have lost some and gained some and maintained the most important. There is no way to predict how one is going to do with a life change such as I had four years ago and yet it turned out as well as I could have hoped. I am happy to report that maintaining friendships over 1500 miles is pretty damn easy if you want it to be. Yes, I am not there for many of the day to day but at least when I see those I have known for 10 years or longer I know that I can be myself, nothing more nothing less, and always be welcomed.

So first off Krista Neumann will be no more. She will become a Jacobsen shortly. I spent a very short weekend in MN with the girls sending her off into wedded bliss. I have never had an opportunity to be so actively involved in a bachelorette party as I have with hers and am glad to say that this one was tasteful, silly, and really not as overwhelming as the media makes them out to be. I think she may be glad one only gets a single of those! We spent the afternoon at her and Jesses house playing obscene games and eating. Everyone was decked out in black and red, two of Krista and Jesses wedding colors, and the bride herself was of course in white. The rest of the night was spent cruising around the Twin cities in a limobus with a stripper pole and LED lights. One would think six hours of this would feel like forever, but we all stayed the course and had a blast doing such. Everyone made it home safe and sounds and no worse for the wear, except Dana, our dear sweet paper-substitute-for-the-real-thing. (traveling halfway across the country with Dana paper at my side was interesting to say the least) Next month marks the wedding month. Kari is the maid of honor, sister of the bride, bridesmaids Angel, Kristie, and Steph, and Bridal attendants Dana and I. So far the pictures of the selections Jesse and Krista have made are spectacular, so it should be a fabulous event. Not to mention they get a week of vacation in Jamaica after the wedding!

My sister, mother, Krista and I hit up a botique called Wedding Shoppe on Grand in St. Paul to do some more dress shopping for ideas for the dress my mom has already started for me. The girls sat in the main room in front of the double wide mirrors while I put on and took off maybe 12 dresses. We have all agreed on the shape and type of dress; now its time to start creating. I am ever thankful to have a myriad of opinions on the selection of dresses. Not only has my idea of the perfect dress evolved into something specific for me and my personality, but everyone else seems to concur and we got to a point where I could just walk out and there would be a resounding "NO!" Thus, with the shape of the dress chosen and with how many dresses I have already tried on and have not found one that is "the one," I think mom and I are completely reassured that we are proceeding with her composition. Thank goodness shes been watching Project Runway for the past few seasons :) Truth be told, if anyone has seen her past creations, you know that there is no way this woman can make anything that is less than fabulous, and I have full confidence in her abilities.

My mom and I stopped in on Jake, Erin, Addison and Ryder while I was home. Ryder is the new addition to their family I mentioned in my last blog. Ryder is a perfect little specimen...He is beautiful. Jake and Erin had a few baby pictures of each of them and Ryder looks exactly like daddy - good sign as daddy is as handsome as can be! (Moms pretty gorgeous as well ;) Addison is a proud big brother who gives many kisses to his sibling and seems happy to have someone new in the house. Ryder spent the time in my moms arms (of course!) and stared non-stop at dad. Hes smiling and laughing already at three months with blue eyes and little chubster legs. Mom, dad and brother are all doing really well and I look forward to seeing them again in less than a month. Candace has already gotten to see her new little nephew and apparently he gets a ton of visitors - rightly so, many people have been waiting for his presence! I think Auntie gets to come back for Christmas too; Im selfishly hoping we can coincide our trips.

Amongst all the work and travel Kerry and I have also managed to finish the upstairs bathroom. Ker had already replaced the tub and toilet and completed the tiling in the bath; now we have a new vanity (with granite!), new paint color, new window treatments and new fixtures all around. We also put in a fan to protect the walls and ceiling. So this is room 4/9 finito. I think next will probably be the dining room then the kitchen. A lot of the finishing we have to do is just painting and installing the indoor shutters, and sanding and painting the crown molding that was installed last year -- the boring parts. Then I suppose Ill have to try and vacumn the basement of all the sawdust....ick.

Kerry and I also finally made it to the Bahamas for our trip. There is another post next enlightening those who care about our engagement. There is some more pics below from the rest of the trip. We were able to stop by the Sheraton on Nassau and chose that hotel for our wedding! We were lucky enough to swim with a dolphin named Icaro. We learned how to scuba dive in the pool then went for a dive in the ocean where we saw a sea turtle, two lion fish, and a ton of other types of fish. We had some spectacular dinners at Nobu and Mesa and a day was spent hanging out on the water slides, lazy river, and by the ocean. This trip was 6 days of pure rest, relaxation and brainless fun; exactly what was needed. I cant wait to come back in a year and a half!

November 28th our daughter Mabel turns 2. Cant get cuter than that folks

Fall arrives

Highlights of this fall:

1. Laura is home!

My friend Laura was in Ecuador for two years for the Peace Corps and has just made it back to the US. We hosted a "You are a star" Welcome home party for her and her fiance Frankie which had a great turnout. There were a bunch of old friends there supporting her return as well as a bunch of new friends we have acquired ready to meet the infamous world traveler. She currently is in the of job searching whilst nannying her two nieces and has also been busy cleaning out her parents house. There is also a ton of planning she has been doing to get ready for her wedding next year. She was lucky enough to find a wedding dress (she cried) the first time we went looking for them at Madelines daughter. I have to brush up on my Spanish again for some more future traveling to and around Ecuador. The Cd's are going back in my car.

2. My family came to visit!

Yep, Allison, Mom and dad were all in town for a long weekend this fall. Some activities included apple picking, visiting a flower garden by the beach, scrabble, making an apple pie, shopping for wedding dresses, going to a psychic. Yes, we fit all of that in. I was sad the boys could not make it this time, but I will be here for awhile, Ill have to catch them next time! Oh, and the psychic told mom she would not be moving THIS YEAR, but maybe next year....hmm. (She also told Allison she would be dealing with a lot of baby stuff in the next 6 months....do I hear illegitimate child??!!! yee haw!) I was really sad they had to leave, it was really nice having the house full of people doing fun things with me.

3. Lauren is home!

Lauren, Ker's sister is back from Colorado, bringing Mike her boyfriend and their year and a half old great dane Slate. I look forward to taking walks with her, doing pottery again, and convincing her boyfriend to become ordained as a Justice of the Peace to conduct wedding ceremonies. ;) Surprise Mike!!!! She will be starting at the new company Paul Mitchell of Northern New England alongside her brothers soon. She learned a ton of marketing and sales techniques through her job in Colorado so I am excited to see her flourish and grow with her new position. Oh, and I'm glad to have her back for selfish reasons too - shes a partner in crime when it comes to planning and scheming our lives out together :)

4. Jake and Erin had their baby! Little boy Ryder, perfect little child. Apparently they had a ton of visitors at the hospital -- everyone in the Hase' family has been waiting for years for a little one to fawn over. I get to meet the little guy this winter.

And that's the new

headlines for the early fall. As for me? Well, I have completely taken over the kitchen table for my new "crafts" aka wedding gear. Yes, I am not engaged. Nope, not yet. But I figure, it will happen soon enough, and until then I am going to start creating. It was either that or acquire a new puppy, and Kerry quickly put the kibosh on that one. (I had one picked out and everything...)

I just ran the Hampton Half Marathon which runs along the seacoast. It is the most flat run in NH, precisely why I picked it, and thus it went very well thankyouverymuch. I will never again run hills are mountains. We don't have those in MN. Mountains are what happens when you have to jump over a pothole in MN. Kerry came to the race and brought Simon to cheer me on. It went very smoothly and I am currently looking for another to do. Halves are much easier on the body; I think I will stick to those for another year or two. At least until i have no muscle memory of the Twin Cities Marathon I did two years ago; then I may subject myself to that torture again, you never know.

Other than that I am just trying to keep it together this fall; between the extra work I have with my job and the long hours Kerry is pulling with his new company its been tough to keep the house in shape. We are looking to put in some wooden shutters and a new vanity in the upstairs bathroom, stay tuned. Of course, it would be nice if I would finish painting the beautiful crown molding we installed last year. Ah, nah,

another year :)

Oh yeah, I cannot resist some photos of our babies :)

Summer days and nights

As summer closes and starts fading away, here are the spoils of my time. I spent many hours in the gardens trying to get things to grow, flower, and fruit.

At the side of the front of our property there is a little niche that I had thought I could sneak in a vegetable garden. Kerry and I cut as many branches down as we could from the neighbors trees that block out sunlight and I put in an above ground garden were I was able to plant tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, peppers and a few herbs. The herbs have done very well, especially the basil. I have some tomatoes that are still green and a few tiny red peppers that are not even close to being big enough for a mouse to eat. I know I planted late this year, but I have a feeling the lack of vegetables is from the lack of light. Next spring Ill have to get Kerry up on a ladder with a chain saw to let in some more sun.

Near our driveway I had cut and filled one flower garden and have been rearranging it all summer, adding things, moving things, and killing things occasionally while I was on vacation. Last weekend I even cut a new bed and planted a whole new set of flowers and shrubs. I have a feeling next year will look even more spectacular especially when i figure out how to organize the first bed. I have three different kinds of hydrangeas (blue, pinky winky, and incredibal), weiglas, summer wine, chocolate, sedum, mums, pansies, impatients, stargazer lilies, pink and white lilies, some shrubs that flower red and purple....next year: perennial hibiscus.

In the back we have really made a spectacular spot for dinners, grilling, having people over, and sitting for hours having girl talk. I love sitting out there in the morning with my pups. Next spring I am going to try growing grass. I extended the patio this summer to include some of the slate pieces I had found over next to our fence on the side of our house. Its able to hold all of our lawn furniture which is great, and we want to make the patio even bigger next summer. Not sure if we are going to do more slate or do an imprinted cement. Stay tuned.

I spent four days in Situit, MA, with two of my girlfriends Sharon and Katrina and their kids. They had rented a beach house right on the shore. Sharon and I went for morning runs along the ocean and daily we were able to sit out and relax in the sun. We then of course would get a bit punchy and silly and have dance parties in the house in the afternoons with the kids. The weather was spectacular, ocean freezing though.

Many of my days off this year I have spent at Hampton, at the beach. My friend Ann has gotten me into bike riding and was so kind as to lend me her bike for the summer. I bought some click-in shoes and off I went. Its really not that hard as long as you remember when you stop at a stop sign that you have to turn your heels to get your feet out of the pedals. The amazing thing is seeing how much farther and faster you can go without any extra effort with your feet stuck to the pedals! I haven't done any competing for a few years; though I had signed up for a triathalon this year, I decided to forgo it in exchange for the time spent in my garden and working on other various crafts around the house. I am always doing a lot of running and am thinking about the November half marathon.

We also had a manch-vegas style Birthday party for Tarrah who turned the dreaded treinta anos. She appreciated the tanks I made and I know Kerry appreciated the fabric spray that is permanently applied to our dining room table. The party was complete with purple streamers and an icecream cake. Heather, Tarrah and I sported the message and the boys tagged along; we all ended up at the deck which is a norm for all of us.

Lola has graced us with her lovely presence this summer quite a bit too. She is the daughter of my girlfriend Arlyn and friend Marc. She is just three now, and can talk up a storm. Happy little girl, smart and smiling and always looking for hugs. I usually get to take her for a day or two every couple of months when she is here. So far we have done the park, swimming, store. Next up - baking cookies.

Kerry has had a very busy summer with Tyler and his dad getting this business up and running. They are officially open for business September 1. The distribution company is called Paul Mitchell of Northern New England. Kerry's role has been hiring and setting up the sales force. The office has been in shambles since John put in beadboard so I spent two days of my summer painting and getting it back together for ker so he has a place to do his work until their office building is complete.
now our family is trying to facilitate his working; including Linda who is helping a ton with dog care. Kerry and I are totally in work mode these last few months; we are very lucky to have this spectacular home to relax and unwind in! Oh, and sleep with our babies. Simon is now 7 months old and is probably not going to get much bigger. We took all three to the dog park at the beginning of the summer. The three of them went around the perimeter smelling and peeing on everything and then played with eachother. They love other dogs but did not know the etiquette at the park so did not do much mingling.
Simon and Mabel have established themselves as best friends and has a few friends in Tarrah's dog Sammie and Heathers dog Tucker. The two of them come over about once per week on days we all have off and play in the back yard, at the baseball field or in the house all together. I had thought
dogs was insane, but its not much different having 5 running around. Hmmm....... Sure is nice letting them occupy themselves while the three of us enjoy our adult female time.

A few weeks ago we had a BBQ in the back yard and invited everyone. Its become a 2nd annual birthday party for one of Kerrys friends Chris. Kerry cleaned up the garage and we had two tables of Beruit going, and then Marc taught us a new game involving moving dollars around a table based on dice results.

Summers ending, now to decide which halloween costume to use this year!