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I made a list of things we need to start for the wedding. And, there is a lot on the list! I mean a lot. The past two nights I sit down to attempt to mark something off, but I just get so overwhelmed I end up doing nothing for the wedding. It’s a little overwhelming.

This week there is a lot going on work wise. Not only is a shorter week, but my store is having an amazing event on Friday with many people from our home office, brand representatives, and other stores. We will be serving appetizers, drinks, and educating our staff and our customers on certain seasonal trends. We’re also putting in new windows, and of course everything has to look perfect merchant wise.

I think the idea of trying to accomplish anything wedding wise this week is out of the picture. But I really want to. I really do. On top of that my throat started hurting this afternoon, and I am so sleepy. Ugh. I guess I can do wedding stuff next week, but then I’m in New Hampshire for 4 days and I have to do wedding stuff. I need to make a list of what I need to accomplish when I’m in NH.

I really want to see the house.
I need to buy serving supplies for the food.
Map out the possible sights for ceremony/reception after I see the house.
um…and I don’t know what else because I can’t think.
Oh well.

I bought myself peonies today. They are pretty.

So I thought I’d write a little bit about how the family has been doing in the week we’ve had Miss Belle. I can’t believe it’s only been a week! Has it been two? If it has I have no idea.

Things are adjusting well, and I am very pleased. Miss Belle has a very nice temperment, and loves people! She is such a people dog it can almost get annoying at times, but she is endearing. She and Tucker love each other, though Tucker is still a bit of a bully when it comes to treats, toys, and love. I’m sure they are working it out on their own, though. Miss Belle and Tucker wrestle all the time! It’s funny to watch because she goes right for his legs which Tucker hates, and Tucker goes right for her long ears! Her ears used to be so soft and floppy, and now they are always wet and crusty! So sad!

She doesn’t like to be outside as much as she should. While she and Tuck get along again, she always wants to be around people. She loves walks, but it is IMPOSSIBLE to walk them both at the same time. That is 190 pounds of dog that I just cannot handle! She’s a really good leash walker, but with Tucker nearby she is too excited and likes to pull a lot. Luckily our neighbor Igor loves to walk Tucker so he’s going to help me out with that during the week.

And, the best news of all she doesn’t care one bit about Greta the cat! Greta has picked up on this and we do not have to have the gate up at all times separating the two. Greta spends time in the living room with all the dogs! Belle is very food motivated though and has eaten Greta’s food once. This we have to watch, and put back in our bedroom. But other than that they are all good brothers and sisters.

Belle definitely needs a little training with commands, listening, and not begging for food! Usually once she realizes she isn’t going to get any of our food she will lay down and wait patiently for us to finish. She has the cutest wag in her tail, too. It goes around and around like a helicopter!

All in all we are very happy to have her in our family. I think Tucker is much happier, and Greta is coming around.

So a few weeks ago I posted about how I was planning a fun, romantic getaway for Nathan and I to coincide with our James Taylor concert. And, I have to say it was amazing. We had so much fun, everything I planned for us to do lived up to my expectations AND Nathan was completely surprised.

We of course left the house a little late, and then I forgot my debit card at the house so we had to turn around (thank goodness we were only 3 blocks away at Dunkin Donuts - need that coffee for any road trip!), but then we were on the road. I just love riding places in the Jeep with Nathan - maybe it’s because we are never in a car together much. Thank goodness for the Iphone, too because I don’t know if we would have found all the locations with the directions I wrote down. We did manage to get “lost” a few times.

We pulled up to the Lakefront Brewery first. Nathan and I both have never been on a brewery tour, and we found out this is unlike most. For six bucks they give you 4 tokens upon entering for 4 beers to drink at any time - before, during, and after the tour, and a free glass beer pint! It was funny when we finally realized this, and we got super excited. Chicago seemed to have followed us to Milwaukee though - the Cubs were playing the Brewers that weekend so there were a lot of obnoxious Cubs fans there. The beer was good, though and by the end of the tour we were a little buzzed. I would highly recommend anyone in the area checkin it out - I kinda want to go again.

We packed a lunch of sandwiches, animal crackers and fruit to bring, but somehow could not remember where we put it! Our plan was to have lunch next along the river or in a park down town. We wondered, “did we leave it on the top of the Jeep? did we leave it at home?” We couldn’t for the life of us remember, so we decided to check in to our hotel.

We stayed at the Iron Horse Hotel pretty close to the Harley Davidson museum. It was so sleek and sexy. I have never stayed in a nice hotel, and Nathan and I realized we have never stayed in a hotel together! We were greeted by valet - weird, and unecessary - and then a multitude of doors being opened for us. I realize now we didn’t walk around the hotel very much, and we had decided to get a drink the bar later that night after the show but it was practically a hopping club on Friday night at 11 when we got back after James. The room was very nice, fresh, and masculine. The shower was amazing, and I really liked the robe, too (haha).

We received a coupon for a free beer at a couple different restaurants from the Brew tour so we decided to go to one of those. We had dinner, and a beer and then we’re off to see James Taylor! I mean I cannot even begin to tell you how amazing this show was. I am so happy that I got to share it with Nathan. I started crying as soon as James came out on to the stage. It was just unbelievable, and something I have been looking forward to all my life I feel. He played two sets with an intermission. During the intermission I went up to the stage and got my ticket signed by him. Again - couldn’t believe it. I was so calm, and just stood up there for the longest time waiting for him to come my way. So cool!

Saturday we slept in, then went to the Art Museum to walk around the grounds and admire its beauty. We walked to the river front and had coffee, then we headed back to Chicago. Oh, we also got a note from some Wisconsinite telling us to go back to Illinois because we parallell parked too close to their car. Funny!

On the way back we stopped at an apple farm and in a dandelion field for fun and pictures! I can’t wait to go back to the apple farm this fall for apples of course and pumpkins!

I love going on little excursions with my boy.

They painted their brewers with the faces of Larry, Moe and Curly.

Our hotel room.

The art museum.

See more photos here!

So it seems as though my blog went down a few days right as I was going to post about our Save the Dates. I have a few minutes before heading off to work very early and so I will attempt to post them now as I think everyone for the most part (except my brother, and maybe Kat?) has received them!

Also coming soon some pictures and details from our little getaway last weekend to Milwaukee. It was a wonderful time, and Nathan and I did a lot! He was surprised by most of it, too which is always exciting.

So Save the Dates:

We wanted something unique, vintage, old world, interesting, and gave a little preview of what New Hampshire and our wedding will be like. We went with using all old 1930s/1940s postcards from the White Mountains! Nathan created a stamp with all of our information on it, and last minute we decided to create our own Postmark stamp with the date of the wedding. I think we will be able to carry that forward throughout out our wedding invite suite somehow.

We then slipped them into recycled butcher paper envelopes and sent them off! We decided to go with envelopes over mailing the postcard itself because we wanted to preserve them as well as we didn’t care for how the addressess looked next to the announcement.

Voila!

After Nathan and I met I decided to write him a book. I found this notebook full of rescued paper, and started writing, and collecting little things to tape inside of it to give to him one day. Of course, somewhere along the way I stopped writing. It doesn’t matter so much that I did because there is still paper inside of it to write on, and so I can begin again. I think I could even give it to him on our wedding day.

Nathan found it the other day while he was organizing my stuff. So I just picked it up from his office and started flipping through it. I came across this entry…

You know, I think I said I fell in love with you under the tree, but now I know, it was the moment I woke up from my nap.

After I read that I just started to cry. I am a lucky girl.