Happy 1st Birthday, Kirby!

It is our other puppy’s first birthday today! Yay for our sweet puppy dog!

We got Kirby from the pet store in the middle of last November. Getting him was kind of an impulsive thing.  I mean we had discussed getting a second dog many times but had thought we would wait until the spring.  However, like Kevin, once we got to the pet store and I saw him, sold.  I couldn’t wait to bring him home!

Kirby is a Springer Spaniel (3/4) with a little Shitzu (1/4).  He looks just like a Springer with short legs and he is cute as a button! I grew up with an English Springer Spaniel, Ginger, and I loved her so.  I always wanted to get another Springer because I loved their energy and then freckles on their noses!

Kirby really was a smart puppy but he gave us our fare share of puppy frustrations.  He was potty trained really quickly! But funny story, he was potty trained when there was snow on the ground so when the snow melted in the spring, he was so confused! It was very funny, he would have to go and find patches of snow to be able to go to the bathroom.  “Go to the bathroom” although ironic is the phrase he is trained to and will almost go on command. 

Kevin took awhile to warm up to Kirby but they are just like brothers now and get along very well.  Kirby is kenneled during the day while we are at work and Kevin is not.  I know this may sound unfair but Kirby still acts like a puppy and gets things he shouldn’t to chew. 

Kirby loves to cuddle until he is too hot, just a heat rock that little one! He is always wagging his long tail that looks like a feather pen! He will play, play, play until he crashes.  We are still learning Kirby’s quarks but so far he is a pretty normal dog.  He loves to pick up sticks on our walks and carry it with him.  You can tell he has that hunting bread in him, birds- bunnies-squirrels drive him crazy!

I’m quite sure Kirby will keep us entertained and on our toes! Even though he is a year old, he is still very much a puppy.  We love you Kirby! Happy Birthday!

Much Love, 

Liz 

Loving On Autumn

I'm currently loving on all things Autumn! Leaves changing color, crisp weather, changing up the house decor, football parties, sented candles burning and even new fall television premiers! I'm so thankful we live in a place were we get to experience all the seasons (even though winter sometimes stays a bit longer then its welcome).

Typically I would be getting ready for the skating season, since I skated and coached for many years but this year I am trying something new and not coaching.  I will miss the girls, being around the ice rink and even the mama drama but I am happy with my decision right now and that is what matters! I'm excited to think of all the things I will be able to accomplish with my free time and at the top of that list right now is enjoying fall!

I have painted my nails a nice new Essie Fall color: Essie Cashmere Bathrobe. Loving it!

I have also put away the summer decor and brought new autumn decor for the house.  One thing that is nice about newlyweds is that we don't have a bunch of this stuff already and its fun to get new things.  I think I may be enjoying fall even more this year since last year it was all wedding planning and fun having.  We didn't get to do any of this festive fall activities like pumpkin carving or dressing up for Halloween.  Which means we have to make up for it with EXTRA fun this year! So the house has been put into full autumn theme. 

CandyCorn Yellow Candles & Pumpkin Candle: Target

I also made this Autumn Wreath which was super easy! I got everything (on sale of course) at Michael's.  I purchased a stryrofoam ring, brown sparkly wide ribbon, fake fall leaves/berries. All I did was use the hot glue gun to secure the brown ribbon and wrapped it evenly around the wreath.  Then with the hot glue gun I attached the leaves/berries.  I'm really happy with it and it is a perfect replacement for the summer/address wreath.  

 This weekend we are heading out to the lake for my Dad's birthday! It always seems to smell more like fall out there then in town, yum! Then we have a UND football game on Saturday, talk about fall activities.  Can't wait! 

Much Love, 

Liz 

Meet Kevin

Kevin is our wonderful dog.  He is three years old, 20ish pounds and honestly the best dog Chris and I have ever owned.  He is a mix of pug and toy poodle. He has become a huge part of our family. 

Chris and I started dating in October of 2009.  In the spring of 2010, Chris went to the pet store to pick out Kevin. So needless to say he has been around for almost entire relationship. 

For those of you that know Chris, when he puts his mind to something—he wants it—like yesterday! So that spring, Chris has decided he NEEDED a dog. Period-end of story. 

As he talked about getting a dog, we got into the subject of naming. I had one rule, no people names for dogs.  It just always seemed a no-brainer to me, I didn’t want someone coming into my house with the same name as my dog (for the human's sake).  So Chris would just tease me with human names: Paul, Kevin, Walter… it was a running joke. 

One Friday evening, Chris dragged me to the pet store despite me saying maybe he should wait for a while.  But oh those puppies get me every time, soo cute! And there were little tiny black & brown pug/poodles.  When the pet store worker brought out a puppy for us to play with, sold. As we played with him and got to know the puppy, Chris teased and called him Kevin. (I just laughed and thought I could convince him of a different name later).  He said he would sleep on it and come back in the morning…

He went back in the morning.  As he walked into the store, he heard the young pet store worker ask, “Are you here for KEVIN??” From that point on, it was a done deal! Chris’ new dog was named Kevin.  

Being that Chris and I didn’t live together but he had to travel a lot for work, it was like we shared joint custody of Kevin. We just loved him, very smart puppy.  Chris kenneled him during the day for the first few months and thankfully Kevin picked up some tips from Chris’ roommate's dogs.  Kevin moved with Chris into his apartment and then into the townhouse before we got married and then I moved in. 

Kevin is a great dog! He has a HUGE personality and under bite. He is so sweet and kind.  He does have a few quirks though.  Such as he watches tv.  No joke, he watches the tv for animals! We did not train him to do this and it is as bazaar as it sounds.   He is very smart. Kevin’s only downfall is barking—ugh, barking.  Kevin also has a huge before and after when he gets his haircut! Too fun.

There are so many stories about Kevin and I’m sure I will share them over time but for now… say hello to Kevin. 

Much Love, 

Liz

The Omaha Zoo

We LOVE to road trip! Our favorite one (that we would like to take every summer) is to Denver with a weekend pit-stop in Omaha.  My aunt Lisa, my mom's sister, lives in Omaha and we always have so much fun there! I have been going to the Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo since I was a little girl.  It seriously is in my top ten places to visit.  

Last summer, Chris and I switched up the road trip to go to Kansas City to see Chris' family and to celebrate his Grandma's 90th Birthday.  We brought my mom along for the trip to visit her sister in Omaha.  We all had 2 days of fun in Omaha and then Chris and I continued on the Kansas City leaving my mom with Lisa. 

During our 2 day stop in Omaha, We had the BEST zoo day ever! It was such beautiful weather and all the animals were out to play! 

We spend the morning walking around seeing the cute monkey families, the skyfari, the aquarium and then left the Zoo gates for a picnic. It was so yummy and a perfect break from the people at the Zoo.  After lunch we headed back into the Zoo-- saw the gorillas put on a show, some animal nap time, fed the fish from the bridge, look at some BIG cats and with the grand final--the bears! This polar bear was the perfect ending to the perfect Zoo day! 

Recommendations for a visit to The Omaha Zoo

-If possible go on a week day, weekends are more crowded but do-able

-Try for a day that isn't too hot, the animals won't come out to play if its scorching hot

-Bring a lunch, snacks, drinks with you! Zoo food is expensive!

-Leave the Zoo for a break during the day

-Take the skyfari ride to the other side of the park, explore that area and then head back using the second part of your skyfari round trip ticket.. its a lot of walking at the end of the day

-If you are short time, skip the Desert Dome, its really not a highlight of the visit but a quick walk though would do the trick if interested

-Take your time! If you can don't rush, its easy to get caught up with all the other people running around but just watch and enjoy the animals.. that's why we go after all! 

Much Love, 

Liz

Amanda Mae's Bridal Shower

It was time for a PARTYYY! As I mentioned before, one of my best friend got married 3 months before we did.  I was her Maid of Honor and she was my Matron of Honor, pretty awesome huh? 

I was holding Amanda's Bridal Shower at our place, so first things first, here are the invites I made to invite everyone to 'shower Amanda with Love'. 

A few other projects I made for the party were pink hanging tissue paper pom-poms, chalkboard wine glasses, and of course her gift. For her gift, I got her a basket full of wine to help her get through the first year of marriage.  

Everyone had a great time and the weather was just beautiful! One of Amanda's cousins was in charge of the games and she did a great job.  

Later that night we went out to have her bachelorette party. The group of girls went downtown and enjoyed an evening out to celebrate Amanda! Such a fun weekend : ) 

Much Love, 

Liz

Wedding Planning

Okay so here I go! My goal is to get this blog caught up on our life by the end of July… aka if you are not interested in pre-wedding life skip to August.  Here are my thoughts on planning a Destination Wedding. 

First decision, location! So if you don’t know already, I’m a little indecisive on things that don’t truly matter. I knew any place we would choose, it would be absolutely wonderful (I mean come on—your closest friends & family all on vacation in one tropical location plus you get to marry the love of your life—seriously brings a smile to my face just thinking about it) BUT a small part of me worried the hotel would be dirty/falling apart and not ‘good enough’ to be up to everyone’s standards. 

After lots, lots, lots of debating & research…. We decided on Moon Palace Resort!

Moon Palace Resort has something for everyone and the prices/reviews fit just what we were looking for.  Plus it had some wonderful offers going on that gave us great deals! On top of that one of our groomsmen is a ‘member’ of Palace Resorts, which means we could all us their membership number to get those rates. 

I did lots of research on how to make this wedding what I wanted.  Here are a few things that helped me along the way…

Best Destination Wedding Website-- http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/

Okay this is a seriously great find for anyone planning a destination wedding.  Tons of brides and businesses post information... I read ALL of the 2012 Moon Palace Brides posts.  Never had the guts to post my information but I so enjoyed hearing people going through the same struggles and triumphs that I was. 

Wedding Magazines/Books—

I read so many magazines, I couldn’t even come close to guessing how many.  I was obsessed! I don’t know why but when you are planning a wedding that is the only thing you think about!  Here are a few of my favorite books on wedding planning…

Left: Everything Destination Wedding Book

Middle: Knot Guide To Destination Wedding

*Seriously read this book cover-to-cover when I started planned.. I even read some of it out loud to Chris on a road trip (I'm sure he enjoyed it as much as I did, right?)

Right: The Everything Wedding Book

Wedding Look-Book—

I ripped and printed out things that I LOVED about other weddings.  I put them in sheet protectors and a HUGE binder... it became my wedding look-book! It was great to help me organize my thoughts and what I liked.  After it got so large, I put in tabs with sections on location, dress, bridesmaids/groomsmen, inspiration, gifts, etc.

Friends & Drinks—

Okay so I was really lucky to have one of my best friends, Amanda, planning her wedding at the same time as me.  So thankful because it just so happened that many of my friends moved out of town (graduation from college and starting new careers will do that to you).  Amanda and I would have girly-drinks, looking at wedding magazines and chat about our excitement and fears.  What would a girl do without her friends?!?

For anyone out there planning a destination wedding, I know it might not be the most enjoyable all the time but it is SO worth it! 

Much Love, 

Liz