Gorge-ous wedding celebrating Ashley & Ketler 09-29-12

Upon our first meeting, (Mike) Ketler instantly became one of my favorite friends of Taylor's. The two played football together in college, and we've never had a dull moment when Ketler's involved.

Less than a year ago, the Jesus-loving mountain man met his match in Ashely, a delightfully sweet and spunky girl from Texas. The two met on a church league softball team. How cute is that?

Though the couple lives in Hood River, and we don't get the chance to see them often, we loved celebrating their union in Stevenson, Washington last night. Congrats to the Ketlers! 

And of course, this Mike's one of my favorite friends of Taylor's, too. Of COURSE!

Groupies! T, me, Kat, and Mike. 

Wind River Ranch, Stevenson, WA.

Program in candy bag for later. Cute! 

I tried to take a pic of what Ketler said about Taylor in the program, but it came out pretty blurry. He did mention how Taylor always provides a place to stay when Ketler is in town and also gives good tax advice--ha! 

This guy (Sam) tried fetching a receipt out of the man-made pond for a good 15 minutes before the ceremony. Once he finally fished it out, he got a rousing round of applause.

GREAT USHERING SKILLS, TAY!

These two really worked it. Catwalk style. 

So many cute buddy pics of the two of them. 

The bride's family is from Texas, and her dad was a true Texas gent with his black ten-gallon hat. Of course I loved this.

Tried snapping a shot of this girl and her boots, along with the boots on the dude next to her...this was the best I got.

The kiss lasted FOREVER! Ketler really got after it. 

Doing WORK!

I LOVED this cake. 

Checking football scores, I'm sure. 

More posing. 

Chocolate-covered gummy bears, eh?

I caught the river view at sunset. 

Whoa Nelly. Getting down on the dancefloor. Take a look at Tay!

We got in some great practicing for May 3! 

Who thinks of these things?

I broke my daily blog streak for good reason.

We unplugged Friday and Saturday for the Ketler wedding in the gorge. We spent the weekend with our friends Mike and Kathleen, and Taylor and Mike served as groomsmen together in the wedding. It was nice having Kat for moral support as I didn't know anybody else at the wedding. (I mean, I'm no wallflower, but still...it was nice to have a friend to chat with through the whole thing.)

Months and months ago, Mike and Kat signed up for the Color Run in Portland, before they knew it was the same weekend as Ketler's wedding. And, since Mike was a groomsman, he and Taylor had to head back east for a buddies breakfast and other pre-wedding "duties." So, I took Mike's race entry and ran walked the 5K with Kathleen and her parents.

OK. So. The Color Run. Have you ever heard of this thing? It was absolutely nuts. Swarms of people. Totally random concept. Every quarter-mile or so, a handful of people sprayed the runners with one singular color. It wasn't paint. It was like a powdery dye mixed with cornstarch or something like that. Powdered paint, I guess. By the end of the race, people were covered in color, and they partied like it was totally natural to be decked out in several shades of powder paint. Hmm. Only in Portland. (Except not, because I guess this is a national thing.)

Before.
Kat, Lori, and Brodie.

After.

Just the colorful ladies. 

Just when you think it can't get worse...

Oh man. 

This condo is out of control right now. 

It's now time to clean, sort, store, and GIVE AWAY HALF OF MY BELONGINGS.

I kind of had to hurry out of my apartment, so instead of going through everything there, I now have my own personal Goodwill sorting station set up at the condo. 

The "after" pics are going to knock your socks off. 

That is, assuming I make it through this organizational phase. Ugh. 

Aerial view. Sorry it's so dark. 

Happy Birthday baby Schady!

My partner in crime's little nugget is no longer an x-month old. Tomorrow, Leslee's baby Andee Grace turns 1! Woohoo! 

Little Missy is walking and talking. Well, not really, but she does say "bye bye," "Bare bare" (Barron), and "bah bah" (baby). Actually, all of those kind of sound the same, but she's sort of talking!!! 

She can wave, and she can WALK! Also, she can pull/crawl herself all the way up the small play structure to the slide, turn herself around, and slide down backwards. It's terribly impressive. 

Leslee was going to order a cake from the store with a baseball and a snowboarder on it. I told her not to do that because I wanted to make Andee a girlie sporty cake. She is super girlie, after all.

Here's what I came up with. It turned out kind of lopsided, and the only snowboarder the cake supply store had was a dude, so instead we've got some pink John Deer hats, baseballs (per Barron's request), a scooter, a skateboard, and...some lady hoopers!!! :) Can you tell Auntie Kate made the cake? 

I know what you're thinking. Shouldn't I be unpacking instead of baking? Yeah. That'll happen. But this...this first birthday happens only once!

Happy Birthday, Andee Grace!

Love, 

Auntie Kate  

We are Hoarders

The big move just sort of happened. But, if it weren't for my best girl Leslee, it probably would be in-progress still.

Leslee is insane. She worked all night at the hospital, asked me if I wanted to run stairs, and then she just said, "We're doing it. We're moving. Let's go." 

We had about two-and-a-half hours (and powered by venti pumpkin spice mistos!) to move all the stuff out of my apartment and over to Taylor's before she had to pick up her kids at the sitter.

Other than some lingering clothes, my dishes, and the kitchen table and chairs, we moved everything. 

Then, just tonight, we used Leslee's hubby's truck to haul the couch, bed, and box spring to the Salvation Army. 

What would we do without Team Schady? Lifesavers and the best friends ever for sure. Thank you, thank you, thank you!  

And now, I present to you what Taylor's living room looks like currently...

So who wants to help unpack??? Just kidding! I love cleaning and organizing, and I'll take this as my biggest challenge in that arena yet! 

Dramatic before and after!

It's not really that dramatic, but I've been watching so much HGTV lately, and dramatic sounded like an appropriate adjective.

Classic House Hunters one-liners just cycle through my brain these days...

"But these counters aren't granite!"

"Love the stainless steel appliances."

"Great natural light."

"I'm looking for an open floor plan."

Maybe that's why we (and by "we" I mean I) decided Taylor's bathroom needed a paint job. Nothing against the burnt red and butter yellow two-tone (or ketchup and mustard as Allison called it), but I just thought a fresh coat of paint would be a nice change as we merge our lives together in his humble abode.

We talked about it for weeks. Taylor thought he might want to redo the tile and the tub, but with the wedding around the corner, we compromised and decided to give the tile and tub some serious elbow grease (but not enough to give me tennis elbow--remember that deep cleaning session?!) and change the paint. We looked at about four shades of gray and two tones of brown, but we decided the lighter the better since the bathroom does not have a window, and the dark color might make it seem smaller.

I wanted Taylor to trust me with this project, so I encouraged him to go fishing for the day while Allison and I had at it. I know what you're thinking...twist his arm!?!

I love the layout of Taylor's condo, and the main paint color throughout is a perfect neutral green tone. I'm not sure why the previous owner decided to take a detour in terms of paint choice in the bathroom, but I appreciate the fact that he/she limited his/her colorful side to the loo.

Here are some before and afters of the bathroom, although there are many more in-progress shots...I just have no clue where my camera cord is, and these are from my phone. Tell me what you think.

The gray (called "Praise Giving" from Miller Paint) turned out a shade darker than I anticipated, but I think I like it. Allison brought the perfectly matching towels!

I had this shower curtain up in my apartment bathroom. I'm not super sold on it remaining in "our" bathroom, but I just love the print. Do you think a solid white curtain would be better? Anyone?

It's not completely done yet. We'd like to hang the Alaska print, and I have a similar print of the Oregon Coast that compliments the style of Alaska one (seen above).

Words to live by

During her recent visit to Portland, my sister Elizabeth gave me three adorable miniature books filled with quotes. And, if you know me like I think you know me...well, I think you know how much I love quotes.

I'll share a few from the Encouragement book, just to spark a little enthusiasm for the week ahead.

"Love the moment and the energy of that moment will spread beyond all boundaries." -Corita Kent

"Whatever you are by nature, keep to it; never desert your line of talent. Be what nature intended you for, and you will succeed." -Sydney Smith

"Success is going from failure to failure with enthusiasm." -Winston Churchill

Here's to a productive and optimistic week, y'all!

Long list of projects

I'm a huge list-maker. I write lists everywhere--at my desk, in the kitchen, in my car. I looove lists.

Right now, I have a long list of projects I'd like to complete personally, as well as some projects Taylor and I would like to complete as we prepare to merge lives.

I felt an overwhelming need to check-off a project today. But, since the weather was so wonderful, Taylor wanted to get in a solid day of fishing at the coast. So, we compromised. He took off for salmon city and agreed to let me paint his (soon-to-be-our) bathroom. I think he was pretty hesitant in this agreement, but he proved his trust by letting me take the lead on this cosmetic update. 

One of my besties, Allison, brought her enthusiasm, painting skills, and free labor to help me out. She's the best! She also brought over brand new towels that match the "new" bathroom perfectly. I can't wait to share the before and after pics once we get everything together.

Hooray for checking that off one of my many lists. I can't thank you enough, Al! XO

Unemployment equals...

• Time for breakfast, lunch, happy hour, and coffee dates
• Stressing about money
• A constant roller coaster of emotions
• Optimism at its peak
• Pessimism trying to slip through the cracks
• Refocusing on budgeting 
• Time to read
• Time to write
• Time to breathe
• Time to sleep
• Gym dates at any hour
• Long runs with no time constraint
• Being on time to commitments again 
• Meeting wonderful strangers
• Not commuting across town
• Having to move out of my humble abode
• Connecting with the long-lost and "if only we had time" crowd
• Time to talk, which equals...
• Cell phone minute overages
• Daily blog updates
• Time to think 
• Time to plan for the wedding, the future, etc. 
• Applying to lots and lots...and then lots more jobs
• Self-motivation 
• Pep talk from friends 
• Constant texts from constant friends
• Dreaming up the next big adventure 
• Making pointless, but feel-good bulleted lists 
• Sleeping in
• Homemade hot breakfast, just like my mom would create
• Time to cook
• Time to bake

One of my favorites and a recent week-night meal: stuffed peppers. 

Autumn is in the house!

Today's weather was crisp-crisp-crispy. So much so, I almost contemplated a long-sleeve on my early evening run. But I didn't. I sort of refuse to embrace fall fashion before the calendar flips to October. I mean, there are so few months to don shorts and flip-flops here in the Great Northwest.

Moving on to more important things: Fall food. Though I might love summer the most, almost nothing beats fall food. I mean, hello! Can you say Thanksgiving? A whole holiday in which the food is the focal factor.

Enter this evening's main course: Butternut squash macaroni and cheese.

I got the recipe from the newest issue of Better Homes & Gardens, and I just couldn't wait to try it. It was our "splurge" dinner of the week as it called for several ingredients including gruyere cheese, a true treat for my budget-conscious-meal-planning-self.

I was going to share the recipe so I could find it easily next time I want to make it, but it was pretty intense and time-consuming, so I wouldn't recommend for a week night dinner. But hopefully it inspires any of my five or so blog followers to make something autumn-esque to usher in the new season.

5-3-13

Well.

After more than a month of thinking, calling, asking, contemplating budgets, aligning the church and my high school pastor and the reception venue, oh and calling, calling, and calling, we are set!

Taylor and I will be saying, "I do!" Friday, May 3, 2013.

Though I kind of thought a winter wedding would be neat, with our families and many friends traveling during the holidays, the holidays themselves, and then that little thing called Tax Season, it just wasn't feasible. May is our first possible chance to tie the knot, and it also happens to be the same month in which both of our parents were married.

Though I have to admit I am a bit of a secretive bride, not wanting to share too many details of anything with anyone other than our families, I will share some planning on the blog as it transpires.

Here comes the bride!

To think, just a few days after catching this bouquet at Allison and Andy's wedding, I met my future husband. Nuts!

Little bird's big birthday bash

While we were celebrating engagement bliss, my sister and brother-in-law threw the most elaborate garden party ever. It's hard to believe one year ago, little miss Hazel Diane made her grand entrance into the world.

I know everyone wished they could be in two places at once Sunday. Happy Birthday, Hazey Dee! XOXO

Meet the parents

That title is a pinch misleading as Taylor and I know each other's parents. But, the parents met the grandparents yesterday.

My mom and dad hosted a little get-together (I think my mom called it a "luncheon"--love that word) to celebrate Taylor's and my engagement. I know it's hard to believe my mom wanted to throw a party or publicly celebrate something like this, but Taylor and I agreed to indulged her obsessive party-planning disorder, although we asked that she just invite siblings, parents, and grandparents. We tried to keep it simple with the guest list; of course the food, decorations, and festivities were anything but.

Taylor's lovely parents, sister and her boyfriend, and grandparents drove up from Albany for the afternoon. Conveniently, one of my sisters was in town, and of course, Joe and Sara walked up from their home to get in on the bridal BINGO and fabulous parting gifts.

We feel so loved, and I guess you could say it feels pretty official now. Since I've unexpectedly had a bit of time on my hands, I've started to make some plans and gather ideas about the wedding. More details on that in future posts. Ohhh the suspense.

Snowberries = an ode to Stefanie's Sunriver wedding. Poofs made by Elizabeth.

Bobby and his oldest grandson.

Leo wearing his sweater vest, making Big Poppi proud. 

My favorite salads including broccoli salad and rice and chicken shower salad. 

Dessert buffet. Unbelievable. She made mini-raspberry pies for Tay as she knew how much he loved pie and mini-coffee ice cream sundaes for me because ice cream is a real fav of mine. Oh! AND! Can you see the petit fours? The pastel-y little individual cakes? My mom said she's wanted to make those for a party since she was young and first saw them in the Better Homes red-and-white-check cookbook. So special!   

Not such a great shot of me, but check out the petit fours!!! Mmm.

Craft time with Nanny and the girls! 

Nanny, Taylor's grandma Gloria, showed all of us how to make her adorable little matchboxes. Crafts are always a hit in my fam.

And what would a Benz party be without some game like Bridal BINGO?! The Lady loves a good ice breaker, and everyone loves prizes! 

Not the best photo, but my mom made bride and groom chocolates. 

"Taylor and Kate" gum. :)