December 2012

December was a busy busy month for me.  My best friend got married on December 8th, I finished up my Fall semester, and of course had many Christmas festivities.  I know its a little late to update you all, however I don't have many projects going on now due to school. (And I must keep busy otherwise I will worry too much about Grad School.)

Bailey and Travis were married on a gorgeous day.  I was blessed to be the Maid of Honor in this lovely marriage.  As you can see, Bailey was a lovely Bride.

 Top Left: Helping Bailey into her wedding dress so she can marry her other best freind.

Bottom Left: Bailey with her Bridesmaids and Flower Girl at the Groom's Supper.

Right: With my best friend on her wedding day.

Top Left: During my Maid of Honor Speech at the Reception.

Middle Left: Hugging the Bride after I bawled my way through the entire speech.

Bottom Left: The wedding party outside in the snow!

Right: The amazing Bride and Groom.  What an wonderful couple.

After the wedding of the year, I went off to the library to study for finals.  Dreaming of my Christmas break. (Crazy how that time flew by).  I was busy scrap booking {I printed off 555 photos to be scrapbooked), sewing, making goodies, and working on christmas presents.

I also visited my favorite 4 year old in the world..  Ava and I played "Santa" and watched movies.  I just love spending time with that girl.

Since all of these are from December, I must update you soon about the present.  Next week I will be on Spring Break, which will consist of sewing, learning how to knit, and scrapbook with the greatest, Kailee.  I will also be traveling to Hillsboro Oregon with my mother to scope out the school there and hopefully nail my interview.  Stay tuned for photos!! {Hopefully those will be up within days or weeks and not days}

-M

Bachelorette Party

For those of you who know me well, know that I LOVE to host parties.  Recently, my best friend, Bailey got married.  I held her Bachelorette Party at my parents house.  Planning, decorating, and cleaning were all on my to-do list.  We planned the party for a Friday night in November.  I knew that I would be busy with finals during that time, so I planned quite a bit of it during the summer.  I'm very glad I did this.  I didn't have to worry about last minute games and decorations.

Together, Bailey and I made the plans and the guest list.  We decided to stick around home and go bar hopping to the local bars.  I found it was easiest to make an excel spreadsheet for EVERYTHING.  From the guest list to the items I needed to get.  Everything was color coded and strategically placed.  (I love excel).

After we made the guest list and the plans I started on the theme and invites.  With help from my friend, Kailee we decided on the theme, "Get out your Boots & Pearls."  Which fits Bailey so well.  I had another friend help with the invites, she's an AMAZING graphic designer.  See her work {here}.  She made two per page, therefore I could print out both on one piece of off white 8.5 x 11 paper. {purchased at Walmart}

LOVE her work!!

While Allie was working on the invites, I made a board that I wanted to have by the doorway.  I found this on pinterest {of course} 

I loved this, so I decided to make my own!

In the process....

 Bailey & I next to her sign!

After buying all of the supplies {bachelorette decorations, food, napkins, plates, table cloths etc} I needed to make a MILLION jello and pudding shots.  If you need the recipe for jello shots check out this {website}.  I found it extremely helpful, considering I don't like jello-shots.  Once those were made, it was time to start the decorating... here are a few pics of the decor and the party!

Since the house was decorated nice, I decided the bus would be full of condoms, balloons, streamers, and undies!  I wish I would have gotten a picture of it all, but the night FLEW by and I had no time to take a picture.

All of us girls who helped Bailey celebrate her last night as a single woman.  {I love the undies behind us!}

This was taken at Kegger's, singing Karaoke.  {I HATE KARAOKE}

I could not have gotten through any of this without the help of my dear friends Kailee & Meghan.  I'm so thankful that Kailee was there for me through it all, the phone calls, planning, games and decorating.  Meghan was an amazing helper with all the last minute decisions (choosing which underwear to buy for the games) and for helping me clean, make jell-o shots, and decorate!! I couldn't imagine what this party would have consisted of if it weren't for them!  Thanks girls!!

 ooh...sorry Meg finger slipped ;)

You two are sooo AMAZING!

Overall, it was a great night and I couldn't have asked for a better night and group of girls to spend it with.  Bailey has an amazing support system.  She is one lucky lady! I'm soooo happy for her and her new married life! Stay tuned for pics from her BIG day and my first time being a Maid of Honor!

I also need to thank my WONDERFUL parents.  They were there to help with all of the planning, cooking, and cleaning.  Thank-you for opening up your house to us girls for the night.  We all appreciate it.  You both are so amazing and I can not thank-you enough for everything that you do for me.  Love you!!!

-M

road trip to Pennsylvania

Hey all--
As many of you know, I have been preparing to go to Graduate School for Audiology for quite some time now.  There aren't too many schools in the U.S. with Audiology programs, so I've been doing lots of research on schools in the country.  I LOVE Pennsylvania!  I always wanted to live on the East Coast, so I've decided to apply to schools in Pennsylvania.  Recently, Geoff and I took a road trip out there to look at three of the schools there.
I've never taken a road trip before so I tried thinking of different ways to save money throughout the trip and fun things to see along the way.  I packed a TON of food for the care {too much food} and also sandwiches so we wouldn't have to stop and eat along the way.  We also traded off drivers every 5 hours.  It worked perfectly.  I have to say though, the best thing I thought of for the trip was to pack plastic bags, for laundry, garbage, wet swimsuits, etc.  We used sooo many of them!  I'm sooo glad I thought to pack them!

We drove straight through from Mankato {leaving at about 8pm Friday} to Pennsylvania. With only one little mishap! {my car stalled in Wisconsin, but started up again and we took off!}  We arrived in Pennsylvania around 11am Saturday morning.  Our first stop was our hotel in Philadelphia.

I was so excited to see this sign.

I thought this bridge was gorgeous.

After getting settled in at the hotel and cleaned up, Geoff and I went to Salus University.  I was really looking forward to this.  It was a beautiful site, however was not the University I had in mind.  There were only 3 buildings, and it was located next to a bad area in Philly.  Needless to say, I will not be applying to Salus, but I'm so glad I got to see it.

Sunday morning we woke up and left our hotel, to see Philly and make our way back West to Bloomsburg, PA.  Geoff wanted to get a Philly Cheesesteak, so we went to Geno's.  Little did we know that driving in that area of Philly was CRAZY.  {I'm so thankful Geoff was driving}

The roads are one ways, with very little room to get through on each side.  We had to park about 4 blocks away, and then needed to eat in the car due to limited space at Geno's.

 People were waiting inline on the street.  They had the BEST cheese fries!

Our next stop was to see the Liberty Bel.  I LOVE history {was a history major for awhile} so I was really excited to see such a historical city.

                     

After the Liberty Bell, we went to see the National Park and Independence Hall.

                   

Front and Back of Independence Hall.

Inside Independence Hall.

On a bench at the National Park.

A Beautiful Sunday afternoon in Philly.

Not sure what building this is, but I thought it was worth taking a picture of!

After we left Philly, we headed Northwest to Bloomsburg.  I had an appointment to look at Bloomsburg University Monday morning.  After my tour, we left for Easton to watch our favorite D1 basketball player hoop it up.

Here we are waiting for the game to start. Go Lafayette Leopards!!

 GO SETH!

After our night out at the game, we headed back to the hotel, to pack up and get ready for the morning. Tuesday morning we headed to Pittsburgh for another tour at the University of Pitt.  I LOVED it there. I had the best tour and pray that I get accepted into their amazing program.  {I guess we will wait and see!} After my tour Geoff and I went out to eat for his 26th birthday and headed back to Minnesota. 

Overall, we had a wonderful trip.  Lots of bonding time and we learned so much more about each other.  I'm so thankful to have gotten these opportunities.  I know many do not.  

Well, I'm off to work on grad school apps!! Hope everyone has a great rest of the week!

-M

To a New Year

Many changes are coming our way! And more to come for the BLOG! There are many more pages on the blog, I'm planning to do some changes and become more organized! I LOVE ORGANIZATION!!!

New Year's Resoluations
I've always been bad at making resolutions, and even worse at keeping them.  But, I've decided I need to focus on my goals, and pick resolutions that I can truly stick with.  Making resolutions are difficult for everyone, but I believe that if its something that you want/need to change you will stick with the resolution longer.  Making a resolution should not be a quick decision, it should be thought out and well planned.
Now, to my resolutions.  I've decided to blog more! {yay!!} AND I've decided to do some form of exercise every day and to start eating healthy {not eating past 8pm is going to be difficult}.  I decided that exercising and eating healthy will hopefully help me lose weight.  But, due to NEVER weighing myself I don't need to worry about how much to lose.  Just so I feel comfortable in my own skin.

Hope everyone has a SAFE New Years!  I hope your 2013 is wonderful!
{work on those resolutions!}

-M

more pillows

WOW!! I have not been good at blogging lately.  I have been busy studying and preparing for grad school.  Next weekend I will be taking my GRE (fingers crossed).  Two weekends ago I went antiquing and wine tasting with my mankato girls.  Wine tasting was awesome, I can't wait to go again sometime.  Antiquing was fun, but I had no luck finding anything.

As I mentioned before I made pillows for Geoff.  He had told me that he wanted some pillows for his room, so I let him pick out the fabric he wanted.. {btw Geoff does not know how to match} He chose striped pillows thinking that that would match his bedroom.

 He loves them so even though they don't match, that doesn't matter.

 The small blue one was one of the first pillows I made

 Geoff's early birthday gift...I believe he was more excited about this than the pillows I made him.

At Indian Creek Winery in Jainsville.  It was such a gorgeous night to relax on the patio and sip wine with these amazing girls.

Hope everyone has a great week!! I will hopefully have time this week {in between study sessions} to upload my recent photos over the last couple weeks.  Wish me luck on my GRE!! 

dad's birthday gift

Hello my people!! (If I still have followers...) I have been very busy working, studying to take my GRE :( and trying to get ready for school to start :(  I have had a very busy summer with weddings, events, being at the lake, and swimming lessons!  (tomorrow is my last day of swimming lessons for the year!!!) Anyways...yesterday was my dad's birthday.  Due to getting ready for school to start I am now broke and have no money to spend..so I decided for my dad's birthday I would make him something.  Of course I had no idea what to make him...I mean if my dad wants anything, he could probably make it himself.  So...I recently went to crafts direct with my best friend, Nichole and she showed me this cute quote that she put on an old piece of wood for her dad for father's day. It said, "Any man can be a father, but it takes a special person to be a dad."  I then knew I needed to do that for my dad.  Of course crafts direct had a sticker of it, but it was $15 which I was not spending considering I could just paint it myself.  I decided that I could just find a piece of wood in the garage and paint the quote on it.  It turned out great and my dad loved it.  I'm just curious where he decides to hang it.  I'm thinking he will hang it up in his garage...I'll post pictures later of where he decides to put it :). 

Its such a perfect quote for such an amazing father.  I'm truly blessed to have him in my life and could not have asked for a better father.  He's such a great man and I have learned so many valuable lessons from him. (I'm sure I have many more to learn as well)