Boo!

NaBloPoMo 07

I'm going to give this a whirl this year!!!! I hope I can figure out how to put it in the sidebar now. I'm not too handy with anything other than posting on this blog! Wish me luck!

Autumn

I am so happy that it's fall. There are tons of things about this season that I love....

the outside smells

leaves on the ground

the nip in the air

beautiful colors

getting out fleeces and down coats

holidays

thinking about buying presents

lots of birthday celebrations

enjoying the first holiday season in our new home

decorating inside and out

sunny, cool days, the best Michigan has to offer

It's such an inspiring time of year. I have so many projects and ideas that I want to do!! My favorite is when I get ready to leave in the morning and the puppy needs about 5 minutes to play outside. We go out and there's the chill in the air, the one that wakes me up and just feels good. Soon, it will be replaced with COLDNESS, but for now, I cherish those quiet moments in the morning, when the street lights are on, it's still dark and quiet, and I can run around and play with the puppy, while she's still little. Ahhh, I love this time of year.

Star-Spangled Banner

Sometimes, just sometimes, I let Kenny sing. Outloud. And he sounds decent. He will tell you that he sounds amazing, and that he missed his calling as a singer. Then I tell him to make sure he keeps his day job because he's not all that, and then he pouts and I appologize and that's when I have to let him sing for me because I feel bad. And really, he's not that bad. He compares himself with Pavarotti. Listen (please remove your hat):

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5 Year Anniversary!!

Yesterday was our five year annniversary (of dating) and I surprised Kenny with Red Wings tickets!! It wasn't a total surprise because I had to tell him about so he didn't schedule appointments, so the surprise was when I told him:)

Anyway, it was an AWESOME game with some back to back goals! This is only my second Red Wings game ever, so I still get excited about the arena and being there and all that. Kenny grew up going to see the Wings play, so it's not like that for him, but he sure does love to watch hockey!!

Our five year anniversary just happened to be the exact date that marks 6 months to our wedding. How cute is that?

I promised to talk about wedding plans and I will even include pictures too!! Keep in mind that nothing is definite, but these are the things that I REALLY like.

Here is the dress that I really love for the maid of honor and the bridesmaids:

And here is a picture of the bouquets that I'm thinking I will make:

I don't know if I'll carry white flowers or the colored flowers or if the bridesmaids will carry what flowers, so if you have any advice on the bride carrying white flowers versus a colored bouquet, send it my way!! I love both, the white and the colored ones, so I NEED advice! I'm having a hard time deciding. And I have lots of time to decide, so I don't need to know right now.

I haven't even started looking for a wedding dress yet. That will be soon though!

These are all the plans we have so far, plus the church and the hall are booked and we have a couple appointments with photographers lined up.

We were playing around outside today with the puppy and took some cute shots.....

And then my favorite is when she sits in front of my on my feet and looks up....THOSE EYES!!!!

I have a ton of cleaning to catch up on today. So that's where I'll be, with the windex, pledge, and vacuum. Have a great weekend!

The Proposal & What I was reminded of

------This post has 2 parts.....that really have NOTHING to do with each other!------

I know these pics are a little delayed, but when they aren't on your own camera, you know how it is!! Here is a picture of Kenny proposing!!

Click here to see the others. And we now have a confirmed wedding date....

April 26th, 2008!!

-----------------------------------

I had an interesting experience last night. I went to get my hair done at the same place I've been going to for almost 4 years. The girl who always does my hair recently moved, so this was the first time I had my new stylist do my hair. I don't get anything fancy done....highlights, lowlights, trim, whatever it needs. Anyway, most of the women who work there are Romanian or Armenian. They all have very thick accents, but also speak English rather fluently, so I always thought they were 2nd generation Romanian-Americans. Veronica, my new stylist, starts in on my hair, and asks me all the normal things they usually ask the first time they style your hair.....where you work, what you do, married/single.... Then the conversation turns to the news with all the horrible fires in Southern California. I made the comment of how awful it would be to lose everything you have....your cherished items, pictures, and just everyday items that make your life YOUR LIFE. Veronica says that was what her life was like when she and her family fleed Romania when they were told they would be killed because they were Christian. I was shocked!! I asked her how old she was, and she said 11 years old, so she remembers every minute of it. They had to just up and leave, they didn't take anything but a few pictures and clothes from the only home she had lived in at a moment's notice. I was still in shock. I have been going to this place for 4 years and even though Veronica has never done my hair before, I have seen her there every time I've been there. It was just hard to imagine her going through that. It just goes to prove that you never know what other people have been through until you ask. She said that seeing all the people forced to leave their homes in Southern California and then the people that have lost everything brings back the memories of how hard it was to just leave home when she was a kid. And that's why she became a hair stylist, to be able to being joy and happiness to people as they generally feel good when their hair looks good. When she said that, I got goose bumps!! What a story. Just when you think you are getting your hair done, and you get a dose of reality like that....I tell ya, all day today I just was so thankful that I have what I have. Kenny (my fiance!!!!!-I just love saying that!), our families, the house, our pup, jobs, income, heat. All the things I take for granted every day that some people don't have, or did have and not they don't. This is a dose of reality that I need.

So now I'm going over to my blogging friend Mary's site to give her some much needed love because she lives in Southern California. Click over there and pass on some happy thoughts.....

PS-I have so many wedding details to update on...this weekend...check back this weekend!

Not another one

I have ANOTHER sinus infection. That makes 4 in less than 12 months. I called in sick and went to urgent care this morning instead of waiting until late this afternoon to get into the doctor's office. I couldn't take the facial discomfort. I just can't believe how many of these nasty things I get. The doctor said the only real preventative is washing hands, drinking lots of water (got those both down), and using a saline nasal solution multiple times a day. I am doing that too, just in the morning though. I need to be doing it several times throughout the day. So I bought another couple of bottles so I can have one in the car, my purse, my desk. I am so TIRED of this!! If I get another one before Christmas, I'm going to an ENT doctor. Enough is enough!!!

In other news, I started playing around with colors and flowers for my wedding. I LOVE hydrangeas and roses, so I'm sticking with those right now. I love the way they look together. Here's a pic of an experiment.

I don't like the baby's breath in there, but you get the picture. I plan on making all the bouquets, boutineers, and anything that requires flowers. I'm just crafty like that. I'll post more pics with the next round of experiments. Michael's is just gonna love me with all the returns I'll be making when I decide I don't like something!! I have a question for anyone....if red is the color of the bridesmaid dresses (plain red, not dark red), and this wedding is going to be in the spring, what other colors can I use in these bouquets?? And be specific with colors, like LIGHT and DARK. Thanks!!! I have found examples of the kinds of flowers I want, just not the right colors yet.

I have to go back to bed now. Nurse Kenny is on his way into the computer room and he'll be upset to see his patient vertical and at the computer. Until I feel better....

Hump Day Catch-Up

A while back I wrote about a particular student in my class this year, Little H, who pulled at my heart strings. She does that every day, while at the same time consistently driving me crazy. One minute she's a tiny genius, and then next minute I'm writing her name down on the behavior chart for disrupting/talking/yelling/out of her seat. But this one takes the cake. A couple weeks back in art class, the teacher was discussing circles, and what you could make with circles. So she has all the students trace a circle on their paper and then make something out of it. Most of the kids made scarecrows or something Halloween related given the time of year. Cute, huh? Then there's little H. Now when you look at this picture, keep in mind that I had just showed the kids pictures of my puppy and they were all excited that their teacher had a new pup. So all their journal entries were about my puppy, and apparently Little H wanted to draw her too. So here ya go.....

Did you catch the poop? My puppy is pooping the picture. How funny is that??? Here's a close up in case you missed it the first time.....

When I picked the kids up from art class, the teacher pointed this one out to me. She asked me if I think we should call home about the picture. I told her no, I had a pretty good idea where the idea came from. Little H had asked me (all the kids got to ask me one question about the pup) if she poops like a person does. Obviously, she doesn't have a dog at home. So I answered that yes, dogs poop like people do, just outside. Of course that brought the house down....imagine your first/second grade teacher saying the word poop. Anyway, this child has yet again stolen my heart. Because, whether the picture is inappropriate or not, it's darn cute.

I talked to the lady at the church we are going to be married in. I will know Friday the actual date of our wedding. I'll go into LOTS of detail about her, but later. I don't want to jinx it. Let's just say it's not easy dealing with that church AT ALL. But we WILL be married there, for sure. Other than that, I haven't started planning much yet except the bridesmaid dresses. I think those have been picked out for a while, way before we were engaged. You know how a girl dreams....I guess I should really get moving because we're getting married in about 6 months. Yikes!! Even though it's been over 2 weeks since Kenny proposed, I'm still in shock. I keep looking at my hand and thinking, "Oh my gosh I'm engaged!!!" And every day I come home and say, "Hi Fiance!!" to Kenny. I love this feeling, and I'm actually very excited to plan all the artsy stuff for the wedding. I just LOVE to make stuff, as if you couldn't already tell!!

Back to the puppy for a minute...she is getting bigger EVERY SINGLE DAY!!! She's huge!! We already had to buy a bigger collar for her. I can barely pick her up and carry her without hurting myself. She's a mini-cow now!! But I just love her so much. Here she is lounging in the bed while I get ready for work. She's not really allowed up there, only if I invite her, and she won't jump up there on her own. She knows I'm about to leave for work so she's trying her hardest to look cute so I'll stay home with her. Wish I could!

Rainy Morning

Ahhhh, Monday morning. What a feeling!

I spent a LOT of time driving and on the phone this weekend. Practically the whole time, in fact. I caught up on me-time and talk-time. And puppy-time too. It was nice.

Yesterday after church Kenny and I met with the pastor to "interview" for pre-marriage counseling. That was very interesting, to say the least. I guess we passed the interview, because soon we'll be setting a date with the church. I asked the pastor if he ever failed anyone, and he said yes, so I guess we're fine. He said in January we have to take this 8 hour class on a Saturday (I know I can handle 8 hours, but Kenny? No way!) and 4 of those 8 hours are to take a psychological evaluation. Hello? What? I was shocked. He said that this test came from Harvard back in the 20s, which REALLY makes me want to take it. Hmph. We'll do whatever we need to do to get married in Kenny's family church. It's beautiful, offers a ton of things, and is only a couple miles away. Plus, it's his family church. I just can't get over the psych eval. Shouldn't that be something that you do when you first start dating?? Oh well. I asked him if we fail the eval (I just wanted worst case scenario) will he still marry us. He said, "Of course." And that's all I needed to know. I don't expect us to fail at all, I just wondered what the protocol was for that. So hopefully this week we'll have a date nailed down. And then I can tell my blogging world when I'm

GOING TO GET MARRIED!!!

Other than that, things are very calm here. The puppy is just fine, she spent a lot of time with me in the car visiting people this weekend, which she LOVES. Kenny is busy and cute as usual, and I've booked myself silly already this week doing things after work, which I always do and then bitch about not having any time to relax. Typical!!! And none of it is wedding related! I know that will be changing very quickly! Have a marvelous Monday!!

Thursday Thirteen

Yay!! It's Thursday finally!! That means getting through today and then tomorrow and then the weekend!! I can't wait to sleep in. For some reason, my eyes have burned with sleepiness every single day this week. I look at my students through half-open eyes. Good thing they keep me on my toes. If I had the kind of job that kept me in a chair, I'd never make it without a nap!! I actually fell asleep yesterday in the car-ride home. I was in the backseat because sometimes 3 of us ride together, and I was out before we hit the freeway. It felt SOOOO good. When I woke up, I couldn't figure out why I was in a car or what time it was. Then I remembered I was almost home....RELIEF!!!! You ever have those days where you work all day just to come HOME and stay home?? That's me this week.

Thirteen Things I'd Rather Be Doing Instead of Going to Work

1. Sleeping

2. Working out

3. Hanging out with my fiance (OMG!!)

4. Shopping

5. Meeting Tasha for dinner (during the day!!)

6. Did I mention sleeping?

7. Sewing

8. Scrapbooking

9. Getting pics developed so I CAN scrapbook (I'm so behind!)

10. Doing NOTHING!

11. Visiting my parents and my brother

12. Starting to plan this wedding

13. Watching reruns on TVLand

The BIG 92

The last few days have been a whirlwind!! I'm still on cloud nine from Kenny's proposal. I don't think I've ever been so excited and happy in my life!!

We are just barely starting to make plans. I think our wedding will be in the spring...why wait? It's already been five years! I have lots of phone calls to make on my lunch break every day, that's for sure!

Today was my grandpa's 92nd birthday. We celebrated last night with some of the family....

92 years is definitely worth celebrating!!

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

Drum Roll Please.....

This has been one hell of a week.......the news????

WE'RE ENGAGED!!!!

Kenny proposed on Tuesday night and of course I said yes!! This has been a long time coming and I'm so excited!!

Here're pics of the ring......

I had no idea that Kenny had bought the ring and had it all planned. He did so good. Last week he asked my parents for their blessings and they were so happy to say yes! We were at a big benefit dinner on Tuesday evening, and Kenny had told me to invite everyone I knew around here, including my parents and his and a couple aunts and uncles and cousins and friends. So they were all gathered and KNEW WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN, and as it turns out, I was the only one who didn't!! I was helping Kenny display some things and when he had everyone's attention, he asked me to pick up this basket of mums and I was thinking, what in the world is he doing? I was actually getting irritated with him. So I turned, picked up the basket of flowers, and turned back towards him and he was on one knee. Oh my gosh! He says, "Lindsey, will you go to the Tigers game with me?" I got soooooo nervous and instantly had dry mouth, which, by the way, is NOT LIKE ME AT ALL, and I said, "Yes, Kenny, I'll go the the Tigers game with you." And then he says, "Are you nervous about something?" And I am dying at this point, my face was all red and sweaty and I said, "Are you nervous about something?" and then he whips out the ring box and opened it and said, "Will you marry me?" I was soooooooo red at this point. I OF COURSE accepted and made him stand up real fast so I could hide my face because I was shy....I WAS SHY! That never happens!! I guess when you are proposed to in front of 100 or more people, it's bound to happen! Then our families rushed over and started hugging and taking pictures and it was just awesome. He had it all planned out perfectly. I still can't believe it!! So that's the story of our engagement. I don't have any other pictures yet, but they are on their way, and I'll post them as soon as I can. For once, I didn't have the camera!

I still can't believe it!! I'm engaged! We aren't sure of the date yet, and haven't really started planning things, but seriously, after five years of dating, there isn't much planning to do. I think we've talked about our wedding enough to know what we want by now.

The last two days have been a blur of phone calls and emails....if I haven't told you in person, I'm sorry! I sent emails and honestly, the battery on my phone has been dead more than charged, so if you find out the news here instead of a phone call or email, I'm sorry!!!

Happy Friday!!

Yesterday Kenny and I took the puppy to the pumpkin patch on a farm. It was adventurous, that's for sure! The dog ate dirt and pumpkins....yummy. Anyway, it was really funny watching the puppy in action on the farm. There were a ton of animals for her to sniff out, including goats, which were SCARED OF HER!!! She's still little!! The goats took one look at the puppy and froze. It was great. I wish I had a picture of them! Here are a few more pics from the pumpkin patch....

Then we went back to the lake house to relax. Or so I thought. Kenny thought it would be a great idea to get the puppy in the water for the first time to see how she can swim. I wasn't hip to the idea at first, but then I thought, what the heck, she's a lab, her little web feet can do anything. And she did a great job! Her tail was wagging every time she got out of the water and kept coming back for more. I guess she's a true lab. I'd still love her even if didn't want to swim.

And then tonight my friend Niki came over to hang out for a while, and the puppy got ahold of her purse. Check this out and tell me it's the cutest thing ever!

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