- Bedroom Furniture -

Yesterday I made two new friends AND got a bedroom full of new furniture; yesterday was a great day for sure! 

I spent months and months and months doing lots and lots and LOTS of online and store browsing for a bedroom set; I had a very specific mental picture of what I wanted our bedroom to look like. Just when I was about to settle for something that was "close enough," I heard about Kettle River Furniture. Five seconds after walking in, I spotted the perfect set and couldn't leave without it!  Many many thanks to Cheryl for being such a wonderful sales associate and to the two moving men for setting up our room!  All I had to do was stand in the corner and point my finger... How awesome! ;) 

I love the way it's coming together! ...Now for some wall decor...

 Goodbye house, hello home! 

- Lights and Shower Heads -

*Ahem*... We have lights and shower heads in both bathrooms! Progress! :)

- Visitors! -

Our first gift-bearing visitors!

[Minus my mom with the flower pot...]

Thanks, guys!  Come visit again soon! :) 

- Blackouts -

Hanging the blackout curtains was HIGH on the priority list...

...and they're up! 

This makes for one happy happy night-shifter! :) 
[Well, I mean, as happy as you can be after working a 12-hour night shift.]

- Moving Day! -

5:47am:  We're wide awake staring at each other across the bed.  [Seriously, I'm a whole new woman without my beloved blackout curtains.  No more sleeping in 'til 8 or 9; we rise with the sun!  KSDK's officials sunrise time = 5:44am. Awesomeee. There is no worse feeling than being bug-eyed before 6am. Whose idea was it to pack those a few days ago......???]

5:55 am:  We realize we aren't going to fall back asleep after ten minutes of desperate trying.  Brian hops up and says, "Let's get out of here!"

So we did.

We grabbed some breakfast from the gas station, loaded up the last few things left in the apartment, and did one final broom sweep through the place. [There was double the dirt and dust bunnies this morning? I don't understand how this place gets so dirty...?!]  Brian checked all the drawers, cabinets, and closets for forgotten items while I took out the last load of trash.  

Finally, it was time to say goodbye.  And in saying goodbye, we did fist pumps and jumping jacks and cartwheels in the living room. So stoked to get out of this tiny place! 

I'm really actually kind of sad there isn't a picture of us lugging the queen mattress three blocks down Oakland Avenue towards the trailer... We looked freakin' awesome. And the sunrise would've been killer in the background! 

After tossing the keys through the apartment company's mail slot and stopping at McDonald's for some coffee, we crossed the river into Illinois and made it to the house. 

It's moving day???! Oh, I'm having so much fun I almost forgot! ;) 

"Babe, this couch is way to heavy for me!!"

10:00am: Our families showed up at the house [the time we planned on before realizing the sunrise was an issue...] and helped us move the remaining furniture from the trailer. 

Mom brought lunch...

...and I kept everyone busy with random jobs! [Last minute wall-fixing, closet primping, and towel folding to name a few!]

We have a functional guest bedroom!

Mucho thanks to our families for helping today!  We're living in survival mode without countertops and dishes and vanities and lots of other things, but we are so so happy to be here! :)

- Doors, Trim, and Handles -

It's fine when your husband comes out of the bathroom...

...but not right when your dad "comes out of the closet!"

Hehe, just kidding. [That was not even a good joke.] 

These two worked on hanging doors for several hours last night. [One blinked and one is blurry; they can't even stay still enough for a 1-second photo op.] 

And not only do we have doors, but now also [some] TRIM!

And [most] HANDLES!!!!!

#thatmomentwhenyourhouseactuallystartstolooklikeahome

So excited! 

Goodbye house, hello home!  

- Housewarming Gift -

Our first housewarming gift!  Love it!

Thanks, Mom! :) 

- Moving Day {Eve} -

There is NOTHING I hate more than packing and moving.

Hate it.

Hate it.

Hate it.

My mom absolutely loves the tornado scene, so she always kept the mood positive during past college and apartment moving days.  I wasn't sure how this move out would go without her, but thank goodness she volunteered to come down and help me pack while Brian was at work!! 

It's moving day eve, and we are packing machines!! Taping off the last few boxes...

Brian and Garett moved everything down to the trailer except the mattress! [Even my change of clothes and deodorant for the morning got packed away.....yikes.] What a glamorous way to spend our last night together in the apartment! ;)

Tomorrow morning kicks off the long-anticipated moving day... Let the nightmares commence! Zzzzzzz.....

- Emily's Graduation -

Sum-It-Up Sunday

SHE DID IT! 

My best friend earned her Doctorate of Physical Therapy!!!

I was so excited to be at her graduation this week and so proud to watch her walk across the stage! [Although I have to admit, it was a little strange being back at SLU for commencement ceremonies! I'm so freakin' old.] 

Congratulations, pretty little Emmy Mo!  I love you and know you are going to be a great doctor! ;) 

Hooded! 

Other week highlights: 

-- SLU's massive Baccalaureate Mass is now in Chaifetz Arena...??! WHAT! A lot has changed since 2011 when I cantored our graduating class's Baccalaureate in College Church. The choir was a little sparse due to undergrads already being on summer break, so I joined up again this year! It was strange to have the Mass outside of the traditional College Church, but it was a spirit-filled production nonetheless. So fun to be a part of that fun-loving group again. Of course, there were celebratory drinks at Humphrey's after the Mass with the usuals... ;) ;) Thanks for inviting me and thanks for a great time!

-- Lots of packing, lots of cleaning, and LOTS OF MOVING! [Oh, did I mention that Brian and his brother were moving boxes out of our third floor apartment while I was at the bar with my Mass Choir buddies??! Good planning on my end.] 

-- We were officially evicted from our apartment this weekend.  Not excited about the moving process, but SO STOKED to be living in our new house! More posts to come...

- Piper: 1 Day New -

I got to snuggle the sweet [super brand new] Piper Corrine at work last night! 

What a beauty!!

Love her already!!

Congrats JC, Lori, and big sister Charli!! Can't wait to come visit during maternity leave! ;) 

- Kitchen Appliances [Installed] -

Here come the long awaited appliances! They have been chillin' in the garage since mid-March; now that the cabinets are finished, it's finally time to move them in. Woohoo!!! 

I'm so glad my men have such big muscles... ;)

First the microwave [which must've happened on a day I was not on site with the camera...?!]...

Then the oven + range...

Next, the dishwasher...

And lastly the fridge! 

[I think this was actually a few days later judging by the wardrobe change?]

They look so clean and pretty! I love our new kitchen!!! :) 

Goodbye house, hello home! 

- Dirty Work -

Crumpled up in a corner behind the refrigerator doing some kind of dirty work for Garett...

Thank goodness somebody found me! ;) 

Gar - you can go ahead and start calling me sister-in-law of the year!! Hehe! 

- Kitchen Cabinets - Part II -

Check out the end result of several more days of kitchen cabinet-ing! It couldn't have been done without lots of deep thought and intricate measuring from Brian's brothers and both of our dads! Thank you, everyone!!!

Finished cabinets [with appliances!]!

- Mother's Day -

Sum-It-Up Sunday

During my short career as a labor and delivery nurse, I have observed many things.  Mainly, it's ridiculously easy to look at a pregnant woman and conclude that "her body is not her own" during pregnancy.  Morning sickness, swollen feet, stretched skin, squished bladders, and sleepless nights are just a few of the oh-so-fun things... Really, there aren't a whole lot of physical changes that sound appealing during the nine months that a woman has a watermelon-sized kiddo crammed in her belly! ...Her body is not her own.

But then one random day after the nine month gestation, the woman labors and the baby is delivered. As a nurse, I continue to recover the duo for two hours and then ship the new family off to postpartum. Everything seems adorable and fun and sweet and cute and perfect. But what's the reality now?  Pregnancy was the easy part; this is just the beginning. Hungry screaming baby, poopy diapers, minimal sleep.  Where is the manual?  Does this momma know what she signed up for? ...Now, her life is not her own. 

Child-rearing is hard.  First you lose your body, then you lose your life?

I'm twenty-four years old. And I'm quite positive that, for the last twenty-four years, my mom's life has not been her own.  After Blake and I were born, she suddenly became more than a wife and a new mom.  

She was a nurse, a chef, a maid, a chauffeur, a teacher, a cheerleader, a best friend.

She stayed up late at night to help us finish our homework, wash our P.E. clothes, and pack our lunchboxes for the next day.

She struggled for us, cried for us, hoped for us, believed in us, and prayed for us. 

No matter what, she was our biggest fan. 

When we were kids, I remember both of us inquiring one time about why there was a Mother's Day and a Father's Day but no special "Kid's Day."  My mom's answer was simple: "There is one day a year that is all about me and one day a year that is all about Dad. And every other day of the entire year is all about you." 

Her life was not her own. 

And it's still not, because a mother's work is never finished.  [Just last week, she was helping me scrub showers and floors in our new house!]

So happy happy Mother's Day to the best mom there ever was!  I can't think of any other woman in the world who I could ever trust and love more than my sweet momma, and I think Blake would say the same. :) 

Xoxo! We love you! 

Other week highlights: 

-- Brian and I celebrated our six month anniversary!  [And by celebrated, I mean we non-excitedly acknowledged the six month mark and then continued to clean at the new house all night.......]

- Touch-Ups -

Oh, you thought all the painting was finished? 

Yeah, so did I.

But apparently there is always a need for little touch-ups!  

I couldn't take the chance of ruining my pants, so I decided to [chance] ruin[ing] Brian's red crab boxers instead! 

#soclassy 

PS - No, my legs aren't painted white. Pale is the new tan, didn't you know? ;) 

- Shower Scrubbing -

Happy early Mother's Day...

....now keep scrubbing my new shower! ;) 

- 6 Months! -

Six months later and we're still married...

...And damn happy about it. :) 

I couldn't help spending a little time today watching our video and reminiscing on some of my favorite pictures!  I never got a chance to post any of the professional wedding photos on our blog after the big day [seriously, how ironic considering it started as a "wedding blog?"], so I thought I would share some of our top picks today! [Pun sort of intended.] Better late than never, eh?

-- Wedding photos by Kelly Manno Photography --

  

 

CLICK HERE to see our wedding day video by Complete Video! 

Cheers to six months! I love him more and more every day!