Another One Bites the Dust

Well, we did it again. And yes, we are completely insane. This weekend we officially started Home Improvement Project part II: The Basement. I packed, Rod pounded, broke, pulled, and otherwise destroyed every piece of drywall or ugly panelboard, cabinet, and light fixture out of our guest bedroom, laundry room, bathroom, and storage rooms. Now they are just one big connected room. In six weeks (only two weeks before the wedding), they will be a bigger guest bedroom, finished laundry room, a bathroom we are not embarrassed to have our guests use, and finished, usable storage space. We are SO excited for it to be done, not so excited to have to move two weeks before the wedding.




After our our hard day, I made tacos and Rod and I ate out on our front porch to admire the great view of our giant dumpster.

Wedding season is officially underway

Today, it is exactly two months before our wedding. AAaack! So much to do, so little time. Going to other weddings, though, has made me start to get anxious.

Two weekends ago, Rod and I went to the wedding of our good friend from law school, Tracy. On Saturday May 3, she re-married her ex- (now current) husband, David. It could not have been a more perfect ceremony. Tracy and Dave incorporated traditions from many different religions into their vows. Tracy was glowing, she could barely contain her excitement. I am so incredibly happy for Tracy and Dave, and glad that they re-found each other and confirmed that they got it right the first time.

Birthdays and Raw Fish

I know I'm a couple weeks behind, but I've been a bit occupied lately. Rod's 29th birthday was a couple weeks ago. We have been so busy lately that we decided to do a very low key celebration, really small and no cooking. Here is what we came up with.







Roll your own sushi.

The Roommates

While I was at USU, I had the coolest group of roommates. I kind of adopted them from one of my current bridesmaids (Alicia), who lived with them our freshman year. Alicia left my sophmore year to move to Washington, and I moved in across the hall from her old roommates. It wasn't long before they couldn't kick me out of the apartment.

Autumn, she's the glue that holds us all together, is the most generous person I know. She kept us all fed during undergrad. She made rice krispy treats NIGHTLY and I loved zucchini season because that meant endless loafs of Autumn's zucchini bread. She moved to Minnesota a couple years ago. Now the only time we get together is when she's in town.


Val is the coolest! She's such a cute, fun girl. We lived together my junior/senior year. We would go running or hiking and talk for hours about our crushes and the roommate "drama". She was the best roommate EVER. She now lives in Idaho Falls, where we both grew up, with her handsome husband Todd and her three adorable girls: Macy, Riley, and Shiloh.

Kristine: I actually knew of her my first week of undergrad when she won a scholarship drawing during survival week. Much to my surprise, she moved in the Glenwood apartment during my junior/senior year. Then we both started working at the Royal Garden, Logan's best chinese buffet. She always knows how to make me laugh. She lives so close to me now, but we still almost never see her. She has two cute little bundles of energy: Josh and Ian. Ian never stops bouncing (which is why he is blurry in all of my pictures).



Rachel, she was the studious roommate who we could always count on to make us feel better. She was also the reason we made hundreds of late night trips to Wal-mart. Yeah, Logan is a happening place. Her new husband Casey is such a cutie and you can really tell how happy they are together.

Nat is the unstoppable ball of energy. Her dating stories kept the whole apartment entertained, and her presence ensured that there were a steady stream of guys. She ended up marrying one of our regular visitors: Pete, and now they have three boys and a little girl on her way.

Anyway, last Friday, Autumn came to town and we all got together. I was a short visit, too short, and not all of the roommates were able to make it, but it was still so much fun to see everyone. I hope they can all make it to the wedding.

The Colors

I can't find the exact colors on the web, but our colors are Cocoa Brown, Spring Green, and Robbin's Egg Blue with splashes of lilac

Wow, this is really happening

This weekend it really hit me that I'm getting married. Even though I've been spending all my weekends (and most of my weeknights) planning, the wedding didn't seem real until my bridal fitting. It was the first time I had on my dress, slip, and shoes all at the same time.

I also got my first invitation to a bridal shower.

Let the countdown begin.

We're so Fortunate

I'm sorry that we have been MIA for the last few weeks. We have been so busy spending time with our friends. It has really confirmed how lucky we are to have so many people that we consider close friends.

Of course there was the two weeks I spent with Regina in Honduras. I met Regina in the middle of the Bolivian jungle during my trip to South America. We ended up spending about a month traveling together through Bolivia, Peru, and Colombia. It is still amazing to me how close we got in such a short amount of time. It was no different this time. We travel together so well and always have so much to talk about.

After I got back, there was a Roaring 20's party for Jess and Sarah, who just got married this last weekend. It was so fun to see so many of our law school friends. Since we graduated from law school, we just don't get together as often as we did.




The next week, Alex, my friend from business school, had a birthday. His parents hired a professional to cook for us. OMG! It was SO good.



The next Saturday, I spent the day with my bridesmaid and one of my best friends from high school, Carley Anne, for some wedding errands. She helped me make the very difficult choice of to veil or not to veil. That night we went to see Patty, our very talented friend, in Cabaret. She was one of the kit-kat dancers. It was not a very uplifting, but still very entertaining. Although I didn't know I had it in me, we headed to a birthday party for Tracy and Cass in Bountiful. It was one of the wildest parties I've been to since law school. When we got there, everyone was dancing. Our entrance was announced on a megaphone so that everyone could hear. I didn't know I still had it in me.

This last weekend was a lot more drunken debauchery at Sarah and Jess's wedding in Cabos San Lucas. We stayed at a very opulent all inclusive resort that, I kid you not, had liquor dispensers in the room. It was a beautiful wedding. I can think of no two people who are better suited for each other than Jess and Sarah. It was an incredible bonus too, to go on vacation with twenty or so of our close friends.

Accomodations

If you’ll be traveling from out of town, here are the hotels for the wedding.




We suggest the Residence Inn Cottonwood. This hotel is near our house and the wedding venue on I-215, and it offers a shuttle to the wedding. Please let us know if you’ll be staying here so we can coordinate shuttle logistics. If you’d like to make a reservation, call (888) 825-3164 and say you’re with the Smith-Tomchak Wedding. All rooms have a kitchenette, and they come in studio, 1-bedroom, and 2-bedroom options. The 2-bedroom option also has a pull out couch. The group rate we have negotiated for each option is $100, $120, and $160 per night, respectively (excluding tax).








For those who are looking for a more budget-friendly option, here are some more hotels that are close to our home and the wedding venue:




Extended Stay America on Fort Union
This hotel is not too far away on I-215. Rooms also include kitchenettes. The rate should be $59 per night (excluding tax).






Candlewood Suites
This hotel is also not too far away on I-215. Rooms also include kitchenettes. The rate should be $76 per night (excluding tax).



Econolodge
This hotel is downtown, which is not as convenient to the wedding, but it is still not too far away. The rate should be $69 per night (excluding tax).





P.S. This is Rod's first submission to blog!

Gone traveling

Until March 24, you can find me on my travel blog.

Something Blue

I know what you're thinking, I've already read this one. Well . . . keep reading. This time I had to pick out another kind of blue. After several late-night rendezvous at Home Depot and Lowes and not finding anything we could agree on, Rod and I found the perfect tile at Tile for Less. It was another thing to add to list of things I never thought I'd do: get excited about tile. It was not quite like finding the perfect pair of shoes, but I knew it as soon as I saw it. It's called ocean blue, and it is perfect.

Stay tuned

Well it only took me a year, but I've finally finished blogging about my trip to China. Check it out here. What was my source of motivation to (finally) finish . . . I am going to Honduras in 4 (FOUR!!!) days!

Sweet Flower Girls

Rod's cousins Lainey and Catherine have just agreed to be our flower girls (we'll post pictures soon), and we are so excited! They are such cute, sweet little girls. Unfortunately they live very far from us so we don't get to see them often. Because they are so far away, their mothers will be picking out the flower girls dresses. Here are some simple styles that I like.



1. Children's Boutique
2. Cotton Candy Dress - Ivory Shantung 204 (Don't worry the sash and flower are removable)
3. Snippet and Ink
4. Cutie Clothes - Sage Girls Dress
5. Cutie Clothes - Blue Girls Jacqueline
6. Cotton Candy Dress - Ivory and Lilac Victorian (Don't worry, the sash and flower are removable)