There's just a little over three months now until the wedding. Sometimes it seems like way behind on planning, other times it seems like we're ahead of the game. We go in spurts, really.
Hana (one of Amanda's bridesmaids, friend from U of Iowa) was in town this weekend and she was helping us with the music - she brought two burned cds with everything from Lady GaGa to, well... other things that will make you want to dance (even if you're Dutch and you know you full well have no rhythm!).
Amanda enjoyed her first three day weekend in quite a while. She's been working for over a year at an assisted living community on Saturdays (in addition to her 9-5 job at the University of Colorado) and this was one of the few weekends she took off to spend some quality time with her friend. Between planning the wedding, working and sleeping she hasn't had much time for anything else... except researching the new diet we're on and cooking meals that will keep me around longer! (More on this diet in another post)
At any rate, she's enjoyed some well deserved rest. And next weekend I'll be taking her away from her job again up into the mountains, weather permitting, for a little birthday adventure :)
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Date Night
Our typical Friday night lately has consisted of watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. Last night we had every intention of returning home from our date night to watch the show, but our artistic side got the better of us... or maybe it was our lack thereof which led to a three hour painting extravaganza!
We went to a craft shop called Color Me Mine where you can paint clay pottery of many shapes and sizes. Amanda painted a plate while I decorated a vase, which was obviously hand selected by Amanda, with the less than subtle hint that something needs to go inside it! Anyway, despite our collective grumblings about a lack of creativity we managed to produce two pieces that we were moderately proud of. Now we have to wait a week before we can pick them up, to allow time for them to fire and glaze them. Soon enough we'll have some decorative pieces to match our blank walls...
At any rate, our outing was very much worth the cost of missing our weekly program. Now I'll have to surprise her with flowers soon... conveniently, her birthday is less than two weeks away :)
We went to a craft shop called Color Me Mine where you can paint clay pottery of many shapes and sizes. Amanda painted a plate while I decorated a vase, which was obviously hand selected by Amanda, with the less than subtle hint that something needs to go inside it! Anyway, despite our collective grumblings about a lack of creativity we managed to produce two pieces that we were moderately proud of. Now we have to wait a week before we can pick them up, to allow time for them to fire and glaze them. Soon enough we'll have some decorative pieces to match our blank walls...
At any rate, our outing was very much worth the cost of missing our weekly program. Now I'll have to surprise her with flowers soon... conveniently, her birthday is less than two weeks away :)
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
SNOW DAAAYYYY!!!!!!!!
This is no April Fool's joke... I am currently enjoying a sunny snow day in beautiful Denver, CO! We got 2-3inches of snow last night - most of which has since melted - but my school district felt it good and right to let us have the day off. I think this is more a gift due to sympathy for teachers' stress levels, having to deal with restless kids who already seem to be mentally checking out for summer break... still 8 weeks away!
Anyway, I got to finish off my paper (for my Saturday licensure class) and catch up on grading, so it wasn't as if I was outside all day building a snowman and making snow angels... oh wait, the snow's already gone so I couldn't do that even if I wanted to!
Amanda's birthday is only a couple weeks away now - she'll be my age for just over a month! I'm still trying to think of how I can top last year's gift of spa treatment... any ideas?
Well, I'm currently sitting in the library at University of Colorado (I know, it was so sweet of me to drive Amanda to work in these "treacherous conditions"!), and it's bringing back some fond memories of the time I spent in school. Almost makes me want to go back... minus the loans and late night study sessions :)
Anyway, gotta go pull up the car so we can get out of here shortly!
Anyway, I got to finish off my paper (for my Saturday licensure class) and catch up on grading, so it wasn't as if I was outside all day building a snowman and making snow angels... oh wait, the snow's already gone so I couldn't do that even if I wanted to!
Amanda's birthday is only a couple weeks away now - she'll be my age for just over a month! I'm still trying to think of how I can top last year's gift of spa treatment... any ideas?
Well, I'm currently sitting in the library at University of Colorado (I know, it was so sweet of me to drive Amanda to work in these "treacherous conditions"!), and it's bringing back some fond memories of the time I spent in school. Almost makes me want to go back... minus the loans and late night study sessions :)
Anyway, gotta go pull up the car so we can get out of here shortly!
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Bachelor Weekend & Dog Sitting
Last weekend, Rob, Randy and Eric (friends from Calvin) came out to Denver for a bachelor weekend. Granted the wedding is still 4 months away, but this was the best time to meet up with just the guys since I was on Spring Break and the guys were all able to take off for the weekend. We did the usual tourist things like visit the Coors brewery, check out Red Rocks, go hiking, and wander around Boulder etc. We also went up to Copper for a day of skiing and had some beautiful weather! All of these activities were naturally accompanied by intellectual conversation, most of which centered on Libertarianism and Rob's new Paleolithic diet. We toasted to crony capitalism as we tuned in live to the health care reform vote in the House on Sunday evening.
All the while Amanda was dog sitting for her boss at our house, so she was able to keep a close eye on us :) Oliver is a combination of a Yorkie and a Terrier and weighs only about 5 lbs, but tries to act as if he's a tough dog... even though he was afraid of his own food dish! It was fun to have something resembling a dog in the house for a weekend. If anyone else has a dog that they would like us to dog sit for a while, I think Amanda would be happy to do so. Plus, if we do this often enough then we won't feel the need to buy our own dog and have to deal with all the extra expenses and hassles that go along with the pleasures of owning a dog!
Anyway, my Spring Break is now coming to a close, and I'm trying to get ready for the coming week. My parents are in town for the weekend as well, although right now they're down in Texas visiting my brother Justin for his 30th birthday. Only nine more weeks till summer break, but who's counting!
All the while Amanda was dog sitting for her boss at our house, so she was able to keep a close eye on us :) Oliver is a combination of a Yorkie and a Terrier and weighs only about 5 lbs, but tries to act as if he's a tough dog... even though he was afraid of his own food dish! It was fun to have something resembling a dog in the house for a weekend. If anyone else has a dog that they would like us to dog sit for a while, I think Amanda would be happy to do so. Plus, if we do this often enough then we won't feel the need to buy our own dog and have to deal with all the extra expenses and hassles that go along with the pleasures of owning a dog!
Anyway, my Spring Break is now coming to a close, and I'm trying to get ready for the coming week. My parents are in town for the weekend as well, although right now they're down in Texas visiting my brother Justin for his 30th birthday. Only nine more weeks till summer break, but who's counting!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Playing host
Last weekend Amanda and I played host to Justin and Ginny, friends of Amanda's from Wisconsin. Some highlights of the weekend were a mystery murder dinner and an Avalanche game - not to mention some stellar meals (thanks Amanda and Ginny!) and stimulating conversation.
The murder mystery dinner production was called 'Murder at an Irish Wake'. I somehow got roped into being the pall bearer, and couldn't help but laugh the whole time cuz the actors were hilarious... I guess that rules out a career in acting for me! Anyway, this was a first time for all of us, so we had a blast. At the end of the show each table had to guess who the murderer was and decide what the punishment should be. Amanda's medical expertise helped us solve the case - acute radiation was the cause, and Dr. Murphy was guilty... kinda felt like a live game of Clue really.
The Avs game was equally entertaining. Justin's dad pulled some connections and got us club seat tickets. It was great high-scoring game, and we had some really good seats as well as a few free drinks! We capped the night off with a riveting game of Monty Python Fluxx... if you've never played it, I suggest... no I command thee to go forth and purchase it post haste.
We're looking forward to playing host again very shortly... tonight that is, when our friend Adrian stays over with us before returning to Portland. , then again in about a week when some of my college buddies come out for a pre-bachelor party and spring break trip. That will then be followed by a visit from my parents.
Gotta love living in an extremely popular city!
The murder mystery dinner production was called 'Murder at an Irish Wake'. I somehow got roped into being the pall bearer, and couldn't help but laugh the whole time cuz the actors were hilarious... I guess that rules out a career in acting for me! Anyway, this was a first time for all of us, so we had a blast. At the end of the show each table had to guess who the murderer was and decide what the punishment should be. Amanda's medical expertise helped us solve the case - acute radiation was the cause, and Dr. Murphy was guilty... kinda felt like a live game of Clue really.
The Avs game was equally entertaining. Justin's dad pulled some connections and got us club seat tickets. It was great high-scoring game, and we had some really good seats as well as a few free drinks! We capped the night off with a riveting game of Monty Python Fluxx... if you've never played it, I suggest... no I command thee to go forth and purchase it post haste.
We're looking forward to playing host again very shortly... tonight that is, when our friend Adrian stays over with us before returning to Portland. , then again in about a week when some of my college buddies come out for a pre-bachelor party and spring break trip. That will then be followed by a visit from my parents.
Gotta love living in an extremely popular city!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Does this sound kosher to you?
Amanda had yet another productive wedding planning trip home to Wisconsin last weekend. I felt my weekend was equally productive, however mine involved less wedding bells and more soap suds and sponges :)
Besides hand making all of the invitations with her mom and several bridesmaids, she also found our musicians and planned most of the music with them. The way she found them was rather unconventional – but when you’re planning a wedding from such a long distance you need to get a little creative. She was at her parents’ church Sunday morning where there was a small musical performance. After the service, Amanda boldly introduced herself to both a trumpet player and a violinist and quickly proceeded to ask what their plans were for July 30th of this year. The trumpet player (and vocalist) agreed almost immediately and he and Amanda spent the afternoon picking songs and talking about plans for the ceremony. So, while we don’t have a strong personal connection to this artist, Amanda did already hear him perform and was impressed.
Staying behind in D-town while Amanda was away, I took advantage of the opportunity to roll up my sleeves and clean house… literally! I reached a new high of male domestication with this; the second half of my valentine’s gift to Amanda. She was delighted to return home to a clean bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom - yes, I even scrubbed the toilet and shower! In case you’re wondering… I’m not planning on renting out my cleaning services just yet – I’ve got plenty of work to keep me busy for now, between the new house and Amanda’s apartment :)
Sounds kosher to me!
Besides hand making all of the invitations with her mom and several bridesmaids, she also found our musicians and planned most of the music with them. The way she found them was rather unconventional – but when you’re planning a wedding from such a long distance you need to get a little creative. She was at her parents’ church Sunday morning where there was a small musical performance. After the service, Amanda boldly introduced herself to both a trumpet player and a violinist and quickly proceeded to ask what their plans were for July 30th of this year. The trumpet player (and vocalist) agreed almost immediately and he and Amanda spent the afternoon picking songs and talking about plans for the ceremony. So, while we don’t have a strong personal connection to this artist, Amanda did already hear him perform and was impressed.
Staying behind in D-town while Amanda was away, I took advantage of the opportunity to roll up my sleeves and clean house… literally! I reached a new high of male domestication with this; the second half of my valentine’s gift to Amanda. She was delighted to return home to a clean bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom - yes, I even scrubbed the toilet and shower! In case you’re wondering… I’m not planning on renting out my cleaning services just yet – I’ve got plenty of work to keep me busy for now, between the new house and Amanda’s apartment :)
Sounds kosher to me!
Monday, February 8, 2010
An early Valentine :)
Since Amanda will be heading home this coming weekend to take care of some more wedding business, we decided to officially celebrate Valentine's day on Friday (and unofficially every other day of the year).
Since I'm terrible at keeping secrets, and Amanda doesn't like having secrets kept from her, I told her to keep Friday evening open but didn't actually plan anything until that morning. Where else would you look to find a good idea for a date but craigslist, right? So I found some tickets for a wine tasting, dinner and theatre production, and arranged to pick them up after work. The play didn't particularly have a Valentine theme, but I figured it would work anyway.
I left work a little late to be able to pick up the tickets before meeting Amanda and heading downtown, so we had to pick them up on the way. After a seemingly shady, yet smooth transaction with the seller of the tickets (he met me on a street corner, but it was a nicer part of town...), Amanda saw the tickets and started to piece together where we were going. I was still a little skeptical at this point whether or not the tickets were real, or some high quality reproduction made with an expensive printer.
Thankfully, we were admitted into the tasting and dinner. It was a delicious meal with a knowledgeable host who explained many things about various wines. We faked our way as we talked about the various components of each wine, as did the other amateur couples seated at our table! Then came the interesting part – the play…
Our tickets said wine tasting and play, however everyone else at the dinner had a separate ticket to get into the play. Acting completely ignorant (which wasn’t hard to pull off since this wasn’t far from the truth), we approached the box office staff and said that we paid for the dinner and play, but that we didn’t have the tickets for the play. They kindly printed off tickets for some of the best seats in the house – honestly, we were front and center!
After the play we began thinking that we might have just gotten a little more than we paid for. The play was extremely well done – like, we’re talking almost Broadway quality! It would have been a reasonable deal if we had only gotten to do the wine tasting and dinner (which apparently was all that we were supposed to have done!). We got home and looked up how much the tickets should have cost, and let’s just say that we paid one fourth as much – oops!
Since I'm terrible at keeping secrets, and Amanda doesn't like having secrets kept from her, I told her to keep Friday evening open but didn't actually plan anything until that morning. Where else would you look to find a good idea for a date but craigslist, right? So I found some tickets for a wine tasting, dinner and theatre production, and arranged to pick them up after work. The play didn't particularly have a Valentine theme, but I figured it would work anyway.
I left work a little late to be able to pick up the tickets before meeting Amanda and heading downtown, so we had to pick them up on the way. After a seemingly shady, yet smooth transaction with the seller of the tickets (he met me on a street corner, but it was a nicer part of town...), Amanda saw the tickets and started to piece together where we were going. I was still a little skeptical at this point whether or not the tickets were real, or some high quality reproduction made with an expensive printer.
Thankfully, we were admitted into the tasting and dinner. It was a delicious meal with a knowledgeable host who explained many things about various wines. We faked our way as we talked about the various components of each wine, as did the other amateur couples seated at our table! Then came the interesting part – the play…
Our tickets said wine tasting and play, however everyone else at the dinner had a separate ticket to get into the play. Acting completely ignorant (which wasn’t hard to pull off since this wasn’t far from the truth), we approached the box office staff and said that we paid for the dinner and play, but that we didn’t have the tickets for the play. They kindly printed off tickets for some of the best seats in the house – honestly, we were front and center!
After the play we began thinking that we might have just gotten a little more than we paid for. The play was extremely well done – like, we’re talking almost Broadway quality! It would have been a reasonable deal if we had only gotten to do the wine tasting and dinner (which apparently was all that we were supposed to have done!). We got home and looked up how much the tickets should have cost, and let’s just say that we paid one fourth as much – oops!
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