The countdown continues...

22 days until the wedding! I can't wait! Thursday evening mom and I were able to get some of the decorations and reception logistics taken care of, so that's one more thing I can knock of my "to do" list. There are still several things I need to do, but the list does keep getting smaller and smaller.

Tonight marks the end of a week of testimonial traveling. I spent the first part of the week in Michigan and then headed home on Wednesday night to spend the rest of the week at home. I ran to Champaign with mom on Thursday morning to have a horse scoped for ulcers and worked from home the rest of the day. Then, today, I ran up to Galesburg and Iowa City to interview a couple of veterinarians for testimonials.

I'm headed home to Nebraska tomorrow so I can have Sunday to rest before I have to head back to work Monday. I have to say, I really have missed home and David. He has spent the week at home by himself because he had to work this week, so I'm anxious to get home spend the rest of my weekend with him.

David and I are headed back to Clinton again next weekend to finish up a few final things that need to be done before the wedding (i.e. marriage license)....and then.....one final weekend...and it's time.

WOOHOO!

Ann Arbor is a Whore.

Ahhhhhh, it's great to be back in Big Ten country, even if I am in the stomping grounds of two schools I completely dislike.

For the past two days, I've been in Michigan collecting testimonials for work. Tomorrow, I'll be in Michigan and Indiana, then headed back home to collect some testimonials in Illinois and Iowa. I really enjoy traveling and talking with customers, but I'm still ready to go home and spend a day relaxing.

Anyway, I'm going to keep this post short; I just wanted to throw up some pictures from today's travels.

Nothing special, but still a little bit of something for everyone to look at - that way at least I won't get yelled at for not posting!

T Minus 27 Days

That's right, folks. David and I are officially 27 days away from our wedding - I'M SO EXCITED! I can't wait to see how it all comes together. This weekend, David and I met with our wedding coordinator and went over a lot of the little details for the rehearsal and the ceremony; going over all of that made it so real. But, it also reminded me of all of the things I still need to get done. While there is still quite a bit that needs to be finished, I think we're doing okay and I'm sure everything will work out just fine.

This weekend, David and I headed back to Illinois for family pictures for my Dad's side of the family. It was nice to see everyone; it was also nice just to be able to spend some time at home and get some extra wedding stuff done. As I said earlier, David and I met with our wedding coordinator on Saturday. I was also able to get my hair cut and run to Lincoln to get mom's wedding gift (I think all that I have left to get is Scott and Ted). I was hoping to run in and talk with our florist, but he was closed.

After running to Lincoln, we headed to Bloomington for dinner with the fam. Sunday afternoon we headed to the dealership for family pictures, then I went home and took some pictures at the farm.

I actually have some more pictures from the farm this weekend, but I'm having trouble getting them to load; I'll try to remember to put them up this week. Additional pics from this weekend can be seen on my Facebook profile.

Tomorrow I'm headed to Michigan for work. I'm excited to meet with veterinarians and producers up there and of course, I'll make sure to post pictures of my travels when I get time this week.

I think that's it for now - can't wait to see you all in 27 DAYS!

This is your brain...

This is your brain TOTALLY STRESSED OUT! Remember the, "This is your brain...This is your brain on drugs," commercials? Well, I actually think my brain looks like it's on drugs right now - I'm totally freaking out.

This week (all two days of it) has been absolutely nuts. The office has been busy with clients visiting and new projects for me. And then, there's that little thing I like to call A WEDDING.

David and I are still trying to get the wedding favors and programs done. But, on top of that, I'm also trying to track down decorations, figure out how I want to set up the reception hall, finalize flowers and figure out what kind of gifts to get the bridal party. It will be a miracle if this thing ever comes together - I swear. The good thing is, David and I are headed home this weekend and we'll have most of Saturday to get some things done. The bad thing? That list just keeps getting longer and longer.

We have to meet with the wedding coordinator at 9 on Saturday. Hopefully, we can get the rest of the wedding ceremony details nailed down and take a look at the reception hall to figure out how we want to set it up. Then, it's off to get the oil changed in my car and pick up my rental car for my business trip next week. I also have an appointment to get my hair cut and colored and I'm hoping to have enough time to run to Lincoln to get some gifts for the wedding party. David and I already took care of the gifts for the ushers and David has taken care of the gifts for his groomsmen and his dad. I have emailed Aunt Cheryl about some gifts for the little girls in the wedding and David's mom. So, that just leaves my parents, bridesmaids and Ted (help me out here, Cheryl) and Scott. After all of that, if there's still time, I'd love to run out and say "hi" to Grandma Shirley. But, David and I will have to run up to Bloomington Saturday night for an anniversary dinner for Grandma Margie and Grandpa Dick.

Sunday should be really...interesting. I think David and I are going to go to church with Grandma and Grandpa, then to lunch at Aunt Steffi's. Finally, it will be time for the big, bad family picture! After that, I think David is going to head back to Lincoln and I'm going to head up to Michigan for my business trip. The good thing is, I'll be headed back through Illinois at the end of the week, so I can spend the following weekend at home finishing up anything else that will need to be done.

Now, here's the kicker: pictures are this weekend (Oct. 18), I get back to Illinois after my business trip the next weekend (Oct. 25). Then, it's back to Nebraska for a week of work and back home that weekend (Nov. 1) to do last minute things like experiment with hair and get last minute decorations, etc. The following weekend is Nov. 8 (David's birthday) and David and I will be staying home in Nebraska. THE NEXT WEEKEND IS THE WEDDING. THAT MEANS, AS OF TOMORROW, THE WEDDING IS ONE MONTH AWAY.

Now you know why my brain probably looks like it's on drugs. You know, maybe drugs would calm me down.....

We have reached that point...

That's right; I have finally reached that very interesting point on the calendar where I can say, "No, I don't think that will work - that's a week before my wedding so I know I can't be here for that."

Isn't that crazy? David and I ran into that today. I've been planning one final trip for work before the wedding and it unfortunately ran into a week that David and I were planning on having his mother out here. So, in the midst of David and I trying to work the situation out, he said, "Don't you usually plan your own trips? Can't you just move it?" After I thought about it for a minute, I realized that there was no way I could really move it back any further (I'm planning it for the week of Oct. 20) because that would be cutting it really close to the wedding and I wouldn't have time to get all of my trip stuff wrapped up before I left for a week and a half. YIKES!

Continuing on the wedding notes: I talked with our wedding coordinator tonight and things seem to be coming together nicely. She asked me a few questions about the ceremony and people in it so she could finish up some odds and ends and we set up an appointment to meet the weekend of Oct. 17 when David and I are home for family pictures. I'm really excited to meet with her and get a few of the last odds and ends wrapped up so I don't have to worry about it anymore.

Well, I mentioned last night that mom was planning on coming out here today - obviously since I' taking the time to blog, that didn't happen. For a lady that doesn't have a 9-5 job, she sure stays busy. Plus, she said that she's old. Well, she didn't say that - I just kind of deduced that myself. She actually said that she just couldn't stand to drive eight hours straight through and it would take her too long to get out here. So, I don't know when she'll eventually make it out, but I hope she can get it planned for sometime soon. Being so far away from home, David and I obviously don't often have visitors, so I get so excited when we do.

Other than the ususal boring wedding stuff (I know a couple of you guys that read this are probably really ready for the wedding to be here and be over so you can read about something new!) I don't have too much new to report. David's at work and I'm off to bed!

Time for a change.

Well, what do you think? I decided I needed to switch from the ominous dark blogspot to a new, fresh and friendly layout.

And, the blog wasn't the only thing that needed a change. I decided I needed to change a little, too. Not drastically, obviously, but a change just the same. Instead of white, I'm now more of a lobster color.

I have recently decided that if I'm going to wear a white dress in November (long after the sun has retired from it's tanning days) I need to get a little color. That way, I don't look like one big, overweight ghost walking down the aisle. So, as of Thursday of last week, I have started tanning. I never thought I would pay money just to be roasted like a Thanksgiving turkey, but I have to say, I do like being a color other than white. And, tanning is very relaxing - it's all warm and cozy and makes me want to take a nap. On the other hand, there are hidden perils - including burning. That's why, right now, I look more like a lobster than I do a human being.




Anyway, this weekend I headed over to Iowa to visit my best good friend Rachel and the rest of my pledge class from 4-H House. All of the girls that I pledged with are seniors this year, so they decided to take their senior walk-out up to Ames, Iowa for a little tailgating and to have a little bachelorette party for me. It was so great to see them and just get to hang out and catch up with them this weekend.

Needless to say, when we haven't been together for a long time, things can get a little....awkward.

I finally got to Rachel's house at about 11 Friday night and the rest of the girls got there a little after 12. Saturday, we spent our morning and afternoon at the Iowa State football game - partaking in the tailgating. I wish I had taken pictures of the tailgating festivities to put on here (if you would like to see some, check out the "Blog List" box on the right side of my page and click on "The Meating Place."), because, let me tell you, those Iowa State fans really know how to tailgate. Rachel tailgates with several boys on a regular basis and earlier this year, they got together and bought a retired ambulance (yes, you read that correctly) to take to tailgates. They even had decals made for the side of the ambulance that says ISU 911 and has the ISU Cyclones logo on it. Very original.

After a long morning of tailgating and partaking in tailgate festivities (you know what I mean), we headed back to Rachel's house for a little nap. Unfortunately, napping wasn't as successful as I hoped it would be. I did get a couple of hours in, but the Illinois-Michigan game was far to exciting to sleep through (ILL-INI!). Finally, we grabbed some supper and headed out for a night on the town to celebrate my last remaining days of being a single gal. And, anyone who really knows me, knows I've actually been settled for about 5 years - so, I wasn't much of a bachelorette. But, I had fun just the same. For additional pictures of the festivities, check out Facebook.

That's pretty much the most excitement I've had in a while. Today, things were back to normal. I got home, went to the tanning salon, got some groceries, came home and worked out with David, and then made supper. Then, David and I settled in for a little movie watching - Forgetting Sarah Marshall. If you're a fan of "stupid-funny" movies, this one is a must watch.

Tomorrow mom will be here to help me finish up a few of the wedding things that need to get done. She'll probably end up staying through Thursday. And, her arrival can only mean one thing: I need to wrap up this post so I can clean my entire house.

I know - this is lllllloooooooonnnnnnnggggg overdue. My apologies.

I inteded to write last week before I headed home for Gordyville, but it just didn't get done. But, on that note...

Last weekend, David and I went home so I could announce one last show at Gordyville. It was nice to go home, but when you have to announce a two-day show and still fit in 16 hours of driving, it makes for a short weekend. On the up side, I did get to see mom and Janell and watch Janell show all weekend. In fact, I took a few pictures while I was home.

That's a good friend of ours in the top picture; she leases my horse, Linny, so I had to snap some pictures of her, too.

I have to say, I would give just about anything to have a camera like the one I used this weekend. The camera I had this weekend was a Nikon D70 - they don't make them anymore, but a Nikon D80 is nearly the same thing and they are just wonderful cameras. One of these days, when I can save up a boatload of money, I will have one of those cameras!

Anyway, while we were home, David ran over to Champaign with his dad and brother to get fitted for his tux for the wedding. He was hoping to have a few of the other guys that were in the wedding come with him, but with harvest everyone is so busy. So, instead of going out for drinks in Champaign, he just headed home and invited a few guys over later that night.

In terms of other wedding items, we're actually doing pretty well on the "to do" list. We still have to get gifts for the wedding party and take care of some of the decorations, but most of the big stuff is done. And, it's a good thing considering the wedding is less that two months away - I can't believe it! In fact, David and I got our first RSVP cards back today.

We're thinking the next trip home is going to be the weekend of Oct. 18. Grandpa and Grandma Baum want to have family pictures done for their 60th wedding anniversary, so David and I are planning on driving home to participate in that. The pictures aren't until Sunday, so Saturday is going to be packed full of wedding things that need to get done. Hair cut, dress fitting, flowers and meeting with the wedding coordinator are among them.

Other than that, I don't have too much to report. David is still working part time for the Journal Star, and so far, seems to really enjoy it. Of course, we're still looking for that perfect full time job - keep praying that something comes our way soon. Mom was thinking about heading over to Nebraska to see the apartment and help me finish up some of the wedding stuff - last time I talked to her she was thinking about coming next week. I'm really looking forward to that because I'm hoping that will give us a chance to get some of the little things done like picking up some decorations and getting odds and ends like the pillow for the ring bearer and such.

Parting words for tonight's entry? 44 days until the wedding!