Monday, November 28, 2011

OH CHRISTMAS TREE


It all started with a phone call this afternoon. We were getting a Christmas tree. It will probably take the cake for best thing to happen to me this week! I could hardly contain my excitement.

Kitty in a box!

Armed with gift cards from the wedding and a Target coupon, we went shopping! I wasn't thrilled at first. I thought it was too skinny. But it turns out that it was perfect for our tiny apartment. And I love it so much!

Mom, please add the three wise men to my Christmas list!

We put of the rest of the decorations and our apartment is now complete, decorated, and full of Christmas cheer. Now, who wants some egg nog? And where is that snow I asked for?

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

OLD MAN


Andrew's birthday is this weekend! Sometimes I think that he has the best birthday. Because his birthday is on the 27th, it's always around Thanksgiving. That means that he gets to spend his birthday with friends and family, gets an awesome meal, and unlike Christmas, he doesn't have to worry about it getting overshadowed with other things. Everyone is always up for celebrating a birthday around Thanksgiving!

The downfall... I almost never get a chance to celebrate with him as a couple on his birthday. For example, this Sunday we will be driving for a good part of the day, and I'm sure after a weekend for of celebrating we will just want to crash when we get home. Because of this, I always plan his birthday during the week.

Last night, we celebrated! After a killer birthday surprise last year, I had to step up my game. My original idea was to make a choose your own adventure book to take us from dinner to, to an activity, to dessert. And it morphed into this little book! Andrew still got to make all the choices, and I got to just sit back and let the fun unfold.

Let's start from the beginning.



Tonight we celebrate,
my favorite man!
Let’s get started,
on the night’s game plan.

You will decide
the route that we take.
Your birthday will be determined
by the choices you make.


The decisions won’t be hard
and should  be made with ease.
Don’t get worried now!
This will be a breeze.

Turn the page,
to let the fun begin!
The first choice will be,
where we go for din-din!



I hope you are hungry.
It’s time from some grub!
We could be going anywhere,
from a dive to a pub!

You won’t know the location,
until you take your pick.
But I’m already hungry!
So make your choice quick.


A. Steak
B. Italian
C. Exotic

The last pic is an older couple celebrating their anniversary. Cute!

He chose steak! So we were off to Brother Sebastian's. I had never heard of it until a coworker told me that she and her husband were going there for their anniversary. The decor and theme was so cool. It felt like we had stepped into a monastery. The servers even wore robes! The food was good, but not as great as I had hoped, but I think we would go back just for the atmosphere.

While we were eating dinner, Andrew went through the rest of the book to determine our activity (that we are going to save for another night) and his gift.



The wait is over,
and it’s time for your gift.
Although there’s no rush,
this decision will be swift.

Each choice is a desire,
you have voiced before.
So I’m sure your selection
won’t be a bore.


A. Clothing
B. Housewares
C. Media (He will be getting the new Zelda game for Wii)





Because the night is short,
and tomorrow is a work day,
we don’t have the time
to go out and play.

Try not to cry,
as this date is not done.
We will save the activity,
when we have more time for fun.


A. Movie
B. Ice Skating
C. Hockey Game

I was so excited when he chose ice skating. Con Agra opens an outdoor rink in December, and I think it will be so much fun.


Because we were done with dinner sooner than expected, Andrew picked our a movie for us from Redbox. Bridesmaids! I know... I'm a little late to this party. But it was so good, and sad. How come no one told me that I would laugh AND cry? C'mon!

I think Andrew really like his early birthday. I'm already excited to see what I come up with next year!








Tuesday, November 22, 2011

THE NAME GAME

How sweet is this beard alphabet? And some other cool ones too!

Well, it's official. Last week, I got my drivers license with my new last name. Everything else might take awhile (reward clubs, online accounts, etc...), but I am now legally a Flater. (Pronounced like Slater)

Recently, I have been signing my new last name but forgetting to cross the "t" and still dotting an "i" that is no longer there. I guess it's just going to take some practice.

So let's all cheers take an Apple Pucker shot in celebration of my new name!

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

WEDDING RECAP

Now that life as returned to normal in the Flater household, I thought it was about time I give a recap of our wedding day.


Let's start with Saturday. With coffee in hand, we head to our nail appointment while the guys are probably just waking up. Their weren't enough nail techs available when we first arrived, but it gave us some time to sit and chat.


While we were there, I learned from Mallory (she is awesome.) that the bulk flowers for the reception still hadn't arrived. After making a few phone calls, I learned that the company we had ordered them from forgot to change the delivery address to Mallory's home after delivering the wrong flowers to her work address the day before. So while Mallory was off on a flower adventure, I went to get ready for the music rehearsal before the wedding rehearsal. Because it had been raining all day, we moved the music rehearsal inside along with the wedding rehearsal. Rehearsal went smoothly, I walked too fast, and the music sounded great.

Why can I not find any rehearsal dinner pics? I know there are more out there somewhere!

The rehearsal dinner was another story. Because of the down pour, it rained on our parade bbq/cookout/rehearsal dinner. We had no lawn games, lots of warm clothing, and an umbrella to keep the grill dry, so I guess we managed. After the dinner, I headed to Mallory's for a sleepover. We played with Bob (her cat), I made a belt for the wedding (Mallory was skeptical the whole time!), and we hit the hay.

Sunday: I slept surprising well until I barely woke up at 6 am and realized it was the big day! After a quick shower, Mallory and I loaded up the car with buckets or flowers and headed to Ames. On to hair appointments! Because I didn't stick with the style we tried at my hair trial, I was anxious to see how everything would turn out. But Hayley is amazing and she did a great job with hair and make-up.


Immediately after hair, I went to pick up the bouquets... (This is where you would play a sad trombone.) They were so much smaller than I had imagined (and what my picture looked like), some of the flowers were neon, and the billy balls were all bunched in the middle. (I actually don't like to talk about this because it makes me sad...) I almost tossed them and had everyone go without. Who needs bouquets anyway?!?


Luckily, I had made the guys "button"ineers, and they looked awesome.


We were then off to the reception site to decorate...


While the guys set up the chairs for the ceremony. Easy enough? Too easy...


We then went back to the hotel, everyone got ready, and before you could blink it was time for pictures. Cassie Garnet was our photographer for the day, and she is simply wonderful. I think this is the point where Andrew started getting anxious/nervous. He wanted to look over the marriage license, he realized he had forgot to set-up the table for the remembrance flowers (let me just say that I hate flowers at this point in the day) and programs (Sarah K and Laura A to the rescue!), and he needed a minute alone. I, on the other hand, popped some bubbly and just relaxed with my girls. The ceremony went swimmingly.

Andrew's aunts played the music for the ceremony. It was exactly like I had imagined, and I am so grateful for their help.


Andrew got teary when he saw me walk down the aisle (the first time he had seen me since the night before) and it was over in a flash (no really, it took maybe 10 mins) After a few more photos it was time to eat, drink, and be merry!


The reception went smoothly, the food was good, our DJ was great, and we had a great time on the dance floor.


The shuttle bus back to the hotel was even a good time! We did head to the bar for a nightcap at the nearby bar before we headed back to the hotel, ordered Fighting Burrito, and passed out.

All in all, it was a good day. If I had to do it all over again, there are some things I would do different
- Choose the outfits for the bridal party  
(The mismatched motif just didn't turn out the way I had imagined.)
- Make my own bouquets
- Spend more time worrying about what I'm going to look like 
(Making the belt the night before the wedding?!?! Crazy bride... Also, the only thing I forgot to bring from home was my cardigan. Oops.)
- Spend less money 
(DJ, dress, etc...)

My favorite parts of the day:
- The vows
- Food
- Toasts
- Dance party!

Least favorite parts of the day:
- Waiting until 4 pm for the ceremony
- Trying to avoid seeing Andrew

I think that sums it up. I promise to never-ever-ever-ever write another post this long!

Monday, November 14, 2011

WEEKEND RECAP: NOVEMBER 11-13

Check out the awesome broach bouquet!

Well, this was the last wedding for awhile... It's bitter sweet. I love weddings, but I think I have had my fill for awhile. Kyle and Amie's wedding was beautiful! Everything went smoothly, the food was great, and it was so nice to see ALL of my family in one place! We were able to kick back and catch up with everyone at the rehearsal dinner on Friday and the wedding and reception on Saturday. I only wish it could happen more often!


Sunday was quieter. Andrew and I went to a play at the Omaha Community Playhouse. We saw Flyin' West. It was a great Sunday afternoon activity to tear us away from our regular football games. We are really looking forward to going to A Christmas Carol next month. I can't believe Christmas is almost here!

Next weekend will be a quiet one. Andrew will be going hunting with my family, and I will be staying at home doing nothing! It's going to be great!

What did you do this weekend?

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

CHOPPING FOR CHARITY

My thoughts leading up to the big chop.

Wednesday night: Oh, crap! Tomorrow is my hair appt. It's too late to back out. I'm going to miss my hair. I think I am going to ask Andrew to come with me. I hope I don't regret it. Ouch, ouch, ouch! (My hair got caught in my sports bra...) I hate this hair. I can't wait until it's gone.

Thursday: It still hasn't set in yet. Oh crap, I forgot to ask Andrew to come with me. I hope I don't hate it.

Haircut Time: So nervous. So nervous. (cut) I'm so glad it's gone! It feels so light! And fresh! And short! And amazing! Hooray!

Thank you Photo Booth for the terrible photo quality. Much appreciated.

Friday: I wish I would have done this sooner!

TV TIME

Lately, Andrew and I have been struggling with the number of tv shows that we regularly watch and follow. Just this last week, we added another one to our roster, American Horror Story (highly recommended!). But every time I turn around, someone is recommending that we add this show or that show to our weekly agenda.


Currently we are watching addicted to:
Breaking Bad
Dexter
Walking Dead
American Horror Story (we watched 5 episodes this weekend to get caught up...)
Game of Thrones


Shows we were watching and want to get caught up on:
Parks and Recreation
30 Rock
The Office
United States of Tara (this show was cancelled... but we are watching it through Netflix)


Shows we talk about watching:
Mad Men

Sometimes I feel like all we do is watch tv.... So I'm wondering, how many is too many? How many do you watch? But whatever you do, please don't entice me to add another one to this enormous list.

Monday, November 7, 2011

WEEKEND RECAP: HALLOWEEN & NOV 4 - 6

You can two weekend in one post this week! Lucky you!

I will start with Halloween. Last weekend we went to Andrew's parents after work on Friday. Unfortunately this meant that we couldn't watch game seven of the World Series, but we were able to listen to it on the radio for most of our six hour drive. Go Cards!


On Saturday, we spent the day hauling salt for Jim and Steph, having lunch with Andrew's grandparents, and carving pumpkins. I love carving pumpkins! Before I knew it, it was time to get read for the scavenger hunt! Are you ready to see my costume? Drum roll....


Mary Poppins! Early that week, my friend Mallory told me that she didn't know who Mary Poppins was. Unspeakable! After I told Andrew about this, he confessed he hadn't seen the movie either. What is wrong with you people?!


The other cosumes were: Jenny and Chris as meatballs. Jim and Steph as hippies. And another classic costume by Andrew, he went as his dad.



The scavenger hunt was fun and cold! I hope we can go back for other events at the local country club. Those people really know how to have a good time.

This week, we got to stay home! Freaking yes! No driving. Have I mentioned how much I hate all the driving we have been doing. The amount of gas and miles we have put on Andrew's car is disgusting. And it's all over for awhile. So, I'm thankful when Mat and Ashley said they wanted to come visit us!


Friday: Jason and Laura joined us at our apartment for some beers and games. I think we all forgot how old we were for a minute when we thought it was a good idea to play drinking games. I will never ride that bus again!


Saturday: We went to the Joslyn Art Museum! It is free on Saturdays until noon, and I really loved it! You know what else I love? Lunch at Wheatfields. YUM! Followed by a stroll around the Old Market and then a nap. Then I was off to babysit, while Andrew showed them one of our favorite hole-in-the-wall bars, Mai Tai Lounge. After getting incredibly freaked out while babysitting after the power went out...twice (thank you Paranormal Activity and American Horror Story), I met them at Crescent Moon where I was serenaded by Mat, Ashley, and Andrew singing Wonderwall by Oasis. What a great way to end the night.