photos, photos everywhere

we're slowly getting in wedding photos from family and friends, and are posting them online: http://picasaweb.google.com/jadean

we also went to see the progress on the townhouse and took some photos of it. they are on the same site.

we'll let you know as soon as we get the pro's shots of the wedding!

-jason

Townhouse Update

So here's a little update on the townhouse... As of July 3rd, the foundation has been laid and they have begun framing!! :) We don't know if this means they might finish ahead of schedule or not, but we're keeping our fingers crossed. We're planning on taking some pictures of the progress and we'll make sure to keep you all updated with the developments! :)
- Meg

honeymoon photos

we don't have any pictures from the wedding yet, but when we do i'll be sure to post them. until then, enjoy the pictures from our trip to the smokies and the honeymoon.

Photo Album

we're heading to georgia for justin and lesley's wedding. so much traveling!

-jason

The Wife's Take...

Just some additional thoughts, or side comments, however you want to look at them :)

First off, before the honeymoon began we of course had a wedding. It was absolutely beautiful and wonderful! I walked onto the grounds and was taken back by the beauty and detail that had gone into everything. The table settings were just as we had planned, and the flowers were GORGEOUS!!! I think at that point it all became real. Practice runs were held, pictures were taken, guests arrived and before we knew it the music was starting and the ceremony was underway. Jason and I were both very nervous, as we had not seen each other beforehand, but once we were both together the nerves relaxed. Scriptures were read, vows said, and finally we were married!! The reception was wonderful. The food was great, and the twinkling lights in the mason jars made the night complete. All in all, I could not have asked for anything to have gone better or for anything to have been changed!

THEN we went on the honeymoon :) Jason laid everything out in great detail so I'm not going to go into specifics, but let me just say that Maine was very pretty, quiet and serene. We were able to relax and see some great sights. I was very nervous to go into Boston- it's HUGE and scary and busy and.... I managed though! :) I rode my first subway (yes I know this sounds crazy, but Iowa just doesn't have the need for mass transport!), rode in maybe my 5th taxi ever, and experienced a lot! I really enjoyed the Freedom Trail and recommend it to anyone who travels up there. Fenway was fun to see...Jason is a bit more of a Sox fan than I am, but I'm sure I'd feel the same childhood excitement he felt if we were at Wrigley :) Overall it was a great honeymoon, but I too am glad to be home :) We'll try and get some pictures of the honeymoon out soon!

Oh, and I am now officially a 'Dean'- at least according to the social security office and the DMV! :)

Honeymoon 9: Heading Home

We woke up very slowly, packed our things, and had 3 different hotel employees wanting to do something to the room they thought was vacant. In the desire to save money, we hiked to the subway station with our luggage, and again I was very sweaty. High school kids were taking tours of Boston University as we boarded the crowded train and said goodbye to the Charles River and our home for the past few days.

We lugged our bags up and down steps and found our way to the airport and its chaotic way of running passengers through security. We had some good hot pressed sandwiches, and sat at the terminal reading the USA Today and an older edition of Rolling Stone that I found in the hotel’s gift shop. Eventually our flight got called onto the tarmac, and we were happy to be heading home. We bounced around a nose dived through some storms just north of Nashville, then landed in another steep descent. It felt wonderful to be back home, back in the south, back in my truck, and on roads I didn’t need a map or GPS to navigate my way around. We had a great trip, but it’s so sweet to be back home.

We got an e-mail that Phase 1 of our townhome is complete, and the next step is to pour the foundation. We’re really looking forward to that. Until then, Meg’s waiting in lines at the social security office and the DMV to change her name, and I’m getting together the final bits of paperwork for our mortgage loan application. We leave in 2 days for Georgia and Justin and Lesley’s wedding, and before we know it the summer will be over. It doesn’t feel like there will be any slowing down from here.

Honeymoon 8: Fenway and the Science Museum

We woke fairly early, ate some granola bars, and hopped on the subway for Fenway. We jumped into the end of a tour just as it was getting started. Fenway is surprisingly stark. The player's parking lot isn’t large enough to fit all of their cars. The upper deck walkway is paved with concrete squares sitting on top of the tar that keeps the roof from leaking. Those give way to plywood walkways, more tar, and cheap shower drains to prevent pooling.

That's the beauty of Fenway. You can't look at the field and not picture Carlton Fisk waving his homerun ball fair with both arms. You can't be there and not feel the history of baseball being played there for almost 100 years. The ballpark doesn't have all the extras of modern ones like in Atlanta -- it doesn't need to. It feels so pure, and I wish we'd been able to catch a game there.

We grabbed a hot dog on Yawkey way, then got back on the subway to see the science museum. They have a baseball exhibit, which ended up being the only part of the place we were interested in. Well, that and the “Archimedean Excogitation” kinetic sculpture. We watched for probably about 20 minutes as pool balls traveled around the contraption, mesmerized like kids at how creative and fun the whole thing was.

The baseball exhibit followed baseball from its start, to prominence beginning in the Civil War, to 9-11. They had everything from bats made by POWs in camps to Robert Redford’s Wonderboy in The Natural. There were letters of both appreciation and hate to Hank Aaron, and thankfully no mention of Barry Bonds that I could see.

Today was a baseball day. As we wind down to the end of our honeymoon trip, it feels like we've been gone longer than a week. It feels like Maine was weeks ago, and that I know my way around Boston and have been here for days and days. We're both ready to be back home. All this has been great fun and I'm not looking forward to coming down from this high.

But I am looking forward to being home and comfortable in my predictable surroundings, with a dog, 2 cats, and a wife--a partner who I get to spend the rest of my life with.

Honeymoon 7: The Freedom Trail

The Hyatt’s pillow top mattress hugged me until almost 10 am when Meg finally woke me up with a towel on her head. We had the breakfast buffet and unfortunately couldn't eat $20 apiece worth of food. The concierge working this morning was much more helpful and gave us a map that had all of the subway stops along with the points of interest very clearly marked. We walked to a closer (yet still good distance away) subway station and got to ride for free (it was so crowded the driver just told us to get on the back).

We got off at Boston Common, the country’s oldest public park, and were overwhelmed with tourists, the homeless, and a very conservative (plainly dressed) religious group of singers performing old hymns and passing out literature. We opted to save money and bought a guide book to the Freedom Trail rather than taking a guided tour.

The trail weaves its way through parks, cemeteries, historic sights, and even a street market. Here's a list of things that stood out to me:
1. Old churches didn't allow visitors. Your family had to own a box seat (pew).

2. The tombstones have skulls on them, and literally say things like "Here lies...". They are all crammed so closely together and have been moved so many times that there's no way they know who's buried where.

3. The vendors at the farmers market were very particular about people messing with their stuff, yet I saw their compassionate side too. I watched a couple different people tell them they didn't have money. One vendor gave a man a banana (which he turned in his hand and stared at like it was a crystal vase) and another gave a girl a pear. We lost the trail at the market, but because of the detour experienced a lot. It seemed like most of the patrons were foreign, so I guess this method of shopping was more like home for them.

4. Bunker Hill wasn't Bunker Hill. It was Breeds Hill. The orders were to fortify Bunker Hill, but after thinking about it, the commander chose Breeds Hill instead.

Bunker Hill marked the end of the trail. We were tired and had been standing for a very long time. Boston is gorgeous in the historic parts, and MIT and Hahvahd seem to have beautiful campuses. I can't wait for Fenway tomorrow. I hope we make it on a tour and the weather holds up for us.

We had dinner in the cheapest pub in a string of historic ones built in the 1700s. It was a great way to end the day.

Honeymoon 6: You Said Y'all & Hahvahd Squayah

Neither one of us felt like getting out of bed this morning. The combination of feeling mattress wires and unsupportive feather pillows has gotten the best of us and we're not sleeping well. We moved really slowly and beat our check out time by about 20 minutes.

Once again canoeing got passed over.

In the elevator on the way down I heard a woman say “y'all,” and I couldn't let it go unremarkably. I touched her on the shoulder and excitedly said, "You said y'all!"

"Why yes." she said sounding like a typical old-money southern woman (think Paula Deen). They were from South Carolina, and one of them went to UGA years ago. I said, "Y'all have a safe trip home," emphasizing the y'all.

We grabbed some Dunkin’ Donuts (they have them on every corner up here, even the tiny towns) and continued on to Boston, hoping the GPS wouldn't steer us wrong. The city played a cruel joke on us. Just as we exited I-95 the roads clogged and the bottom dropped out of the black clouds. Visibility was maybe 10 feet, and the windshield wipers of our poorly designed box of a car couldn't keep up. We finally limped into the hotel like wet dogs and checked in. We hurried to haul our bags to the room before the bellmen valet parked the car for a $35 a day fee.

We did better negotiating our way back to the airport than we did leaving it (after looking at a map we saw we had ended up very east in Boston instead of heading north to Maine). After dropping off the car we asked a few people the finally figured out Boston’s mass transportation system. Get it? Mass. transport. It's quite a walk from the nearest subway station, so I was drenched with sweat. We made a few wrong turns and agreed that we'd either take a cab to the airport or at least to the subway station Monday.

Back at the hotel we relaxed and I showered before we headed to dinner. Our concierge was foreign (probably an MIT student) and just showed us a binder of restaurants. We elected to take a cab to Harvard Square and pick a restaurant there. We chose some burger place that was pretty cheap. There was an eclectic mix of patrons varying from students to blue collar workers to families. We walked around, bought a Sox t-shirt and a cap and then went to a newsstand. I bought a USA Today, Spin, and Rolling Stone and plan to read them tonight. It’s funny how I get more into reading when I'm on the road.

Tomorrow looks like the only decent weather, so we're going to walk the Freedom Trail to see famous historical spots like Revere's ride. Meg and I don't do well with big cities, so we'll see if things improve tomorrow.

Honeymoon 5: Lighthouses, rain, and Cabela's

We woke to a weather forecast of afternoon thunderstorms and decided we'd rather not get stuck in a storm in a canoe. Instead we headed back to Portland to see the lighthouses up close. The Portland Head Light (deliberately 3 words, like our boat captain told us) was our first stop and the most impressive. It was very tall, and was commissioned by George Washington. After that we went to find Two Lights, but instead found a seafood restaurant the concierge had recommended to us. This time we got fried shrimp -- something we knew we'd like. We had a view of the lighthouses from there, but they were among the giant homes of the rich and famous down private roads. We went to the Two Lights State Park (where there are no light houses) and walked along the rocky shoreline. The tide was coming in, and we had been warned about rogue waves, so we stayed at the top of the rocks. There were plants growing on the rocks and it was only slippery near the water. The rocks looked like giant petrified trees and it was really pretty.

After the walk through the rain we headed for Cabela’s. First thing we see in the door is a large Columbia tent. It a really good price so we try to think of ways to get one home. As we're walking around the Bass-Pro-Shop-on-steroids, we find a kiosk that allows you to order from their catalog like you would on their website. So we bought a tent and it might beat us home.

Tonight's the last night in Maine, so we watched the wedding video. Mr. Henderson was a hilarious producer, and that more than made up for his lack of cinematographic skills on my Wal-Mart tripod.

We hope to canoe tomorrow on our way out of Maine as we head to Boston.

Honeymoon 4: Mt. Washington and Grafton Notch State Park

After bacon and eggs, Meg and I headed toward Gorham, NH and Mt. Washington -- the highest point in New England. There are 4 ways up: hiking, driving, taking a guided van ride, or taking the cog rail. The train left from the other side of the mountain and was the most expensive, so we elected to drive. Weather conditions at the base were 76 degrees with 10 mph winds. At the peak, we were told to looks forward to 45 degrees, 30 mph winds, and wind chill of 34 degrees.

The drive up was quite an experience. It reminded me of roads in Colorado: steep, long way down off the side, and no guard rails. The difference here is the roads were narrow. Meg felt confident to drive so I dizzily watched as we climbed toward the peak and the fast moving clouds. The road went from paved to not, and we had to drive around a parked truck where guys were filling in a spot on the edge of the road where some of it had slid off the side.

We made it nervously to the top and quickly threw on our thin rain jackets. At least they cut the wind. We took wind-blown, teary-eyed photos on the peak, almost falling over when gusts surprised us. The views were incredible, and apparently we were very lucky to be at the peak on a clear day. We had lunch in the car staring off to the nearby mountains. I drove down and felt a lot more comfortable being in control.

We visited the museum of wagons, cars, and vans that have been used in the 150+ years that the road has been used. The guy working said there has only been 1 fatality on the road in that incredibly long time, and that guy was driving drunk. We smelled some hot brakes, but for the most part people were driving cautiously in their lower gear. They give you a CD to narrate your tour and a bumper sticker proclaiming "This car climbed Mt. Washington."

Mt. Washington claims to have the world's worst weather, and recorded the highest measured sustained winds at 231 mph. The record high on the peak is 60 degrees. It was quite an adventure and we enjoyed it very much.

After that we headed toward the resort then north to Grafton Notch State Park. We saw some waterfalls cutting through glacier-carved boulders, and some cliffs on the nearby peaks. We still haven't seen any meese, not even at Moose Cave, named for a moose that fell into a crack in the boulders and died.

We saw some gorgeous views and I was able to take some great pictures. We're hoping the Dawgs win it all tonight and the river's low enough to canoe down tomorrow.

Honeymoon 3: Portland, Boats, and LL Bean

We woke up fairly early today. I fueled up with Pop Tarts and a green banana. Meg had a bagel. We drove to Portland, but stopped at a New Balance factory store on the way. We had a coupon, so after we found some really cool shoes, we ended up getting an additional 20% off. We drove to her friend's house in Portland. Driving in was very pretty. All of the homes look like you'd expect to see in New England -- old, large homes with wood siding and simple colors. Even the bums look like they’re supposed to – like washed up sailors with salt and pepper beards and leathery skin. Her friend rents a floor in an older home, and the owners live above her. It looks like most of the larger homes are broken into smaller apartments.

Portland is a very cool town. It looks like a mixture of Savannah and San Francisco. I asked if it was a liberal place because we saw an article in the paper about the 23 annual gay pride parade last weekend. She said it is "very liberal and very gay.".

We started out with lunch at an Italian/seafood place. Meg got the lobster roll (like chicken salad with lobster) and I got the crab roll. I've never been a big crab fan and definitely don't like it cold. The lobster was a little better, but again I think we would have been better with something warm.

After lunch we boarded the Islander for the harbor tour. Our captain gave us some insight as to how the tour would go when he told us he enjoyed talking and it would be obvious to us that he enjoyed it. His safety speech about life jackets and railings lasted over 10 minutes. From the time we got on the boat until after we got off, the heavy Boston accent faded in and out as he filibustered about everything from ships to Portland to John Wayne, all while failing to hold the mic at a constant distance from his mouth.

We got to see some lighthouses and pretty homes, as well as some old sail boats. As we weaved through lobster trap buoys it became very apparent we were underdressed, and the incoming thunderstorms weren't going to help. We huddled under the wool blanket, embroidered with the ships name and a number for identification while we prayed we didn't get struck by lightning. I took a ton of photos. The only thing I regret is not walking to the port side of the ship to get the old homes and shops overlooking the harbor on our way -- it was raining when we came back in. A few lighthouses, seals, a loon, and some stinky birds later, we stepped off.

We walked in a few souvenir shops, bought Eric a birthday present, then headed to Freeport. Freeport is a funny little town. At first it looks like a historic city, but when you look closer you notice the main drag is all outlet malls. The city ordinances are so strict, everything had to look historic. McDonald’s isn't allowed to talk to you through the drive thru speaker. They have a sign that says "Order, we can hear you." Luckily they use that screen that tracks your order to make sure it's right. After working drive thru before, I'm sure it’s very frustrating.

We went to Freeport to go to the L.L. Bean factory outlet. It’s a massive compound, complete with a massive bean boot. There are 4 separate stores -- an outlet, hunting and fishing, retail, and boating. We bought some rain jackets and I bought a day pack.

After grabbing dinner at Mickey D's and its unique drive thru, we headed back for Bethel. The Dogs are winning 5-1, but with the bases loaded I'm a little worried... Must watch!

Honeymoon 2: Massages and Tucker Carlson?!

Surprisingly we were up and feeling refreshed at 9:30. We went through one of our complimentary Starbucks coffee/filter packs (we have 2, additional ones are $3), looked through the guest info binder, made a list of things we wanted to do, and found our way to the hotel's Northern Lights Cafe. There was no one else there, so the lone cook/waitress/cashier was nice enough to cook us breakfast after breakfast hours. Meg had a sausage eggs and cheese sandwich, and I had eggs, toast, potatoes, and sausage. The sausage wasn't great, but everything else was delicious. We looked through yesterday's paper and saw that the flooding in Missouri unexpectedly got worse. It showed Hannibal, where we drive through to get to Iowa, and it was all under water. I hope her family and friends didn't have too hard of a time getting back. This year's been crazy for weather, especially in the Midwest.

After breakfast we explored the hotel. The concierge took a break from her lunch to show us where to go for scenery, sightseeing, shopping, basically answered all or our questions. We've got a lot of great ideas, including lighthouses, state parks, shopping, and of course lobster.

Today is massages, grocery shopping (we have a kitchen so we'll save a little money), and hopefully find a sports bar with the College World Series. The are a ton of microbreweries around here so I'm looking forward to sampling what Maine has to offer.

* * *

We went to dinner at Suds Pub. It’s in the basement of an inn, and felt like a hole in the wall where it was about 50/50 tourists to locals. About half way through our meal, this guy who looked like Tucker Carlson walked in. I probably stared a little too much, but when I heard him talk was almost positive it was him. I wanted to ask him what he thought of Jon Stewart (after Stewart called him an expletive live on CNN and seemed to be the downfall of the show "Crossfire"). Megan said I had to leave him alone. What I thought was really funny was he talked just as animated to his kids as he does on TV. He seemed... interesting.

The food was excellent. I had baked haddock with rice and veggies, and Megan had alfredo pizza with chicken and broccoli. It was awesome. Add to that local (well Maine and Vermont anyway) beers on tap and it was great. As much as I love Sweetwater 420, the Long Trail pale ale I had up here was much better.

After dinner we swung by a tiny grocery store to grab some essentials. It was so small they didn't even sell frozen pizzas. We're going to eat breakfasts here and pack lunches on our sightseeing trips.

Well the Dawgs are on so I'm gonna see if they can beat the other bulldogs from Fresno St. in the College World Series. Tomorrow is Portland - lighthouses and boats and lobster!

Honeymoon 1: New England here we come!

Our honeymoon began with a slightly delayed flight and a mechanic fixing something that "needed to be taken care of" but was never disclosed. We flew around a giant thunderstorm that looked incredible from our altitude. Sunset turned all of the clouds various shades of red, and at twilight it looked like we were sailing on a misty lake. The descent into Boston at night was one of the most peaceful things I've ever experienced. Lone cars winding down 2 lane roads, amber street lights twinkling like fireflies, Fenway glowing in bright white light.

Apparently the captain was in a hurry, because I swear we landed nose-first. He slammed on the brakes, threw the engines in reverse, and finally got the commuter jet to stop at what felt like the end of the runway.

The Boston airport was empty, and we watched multiple empty Alamo Rental Car buses circle while we waited for our bags. Of course, once we got our bags, there were no buses for about 30 minutes. We got our Chevy HHR (not at all what we expected, but it's roomy and handles the tight tunnel turns of Boston like a go cart). GPS didn't do so well at getting us out of Boston, and impatient drivers were whizzing around us to make it that much more stressful. It felt like we went around in circles, and after $10 in various toll payments, we finally found I-95 and headed north.

New England interstates at 1 am are quite possibly the most boring roads on earth. Gas stations and restaurants are quarantined to plazas and only come around every 20 or so miles. This allows them to get away with charging $4.23 for gas. It’s right around $4.00 everywhere else. Ridiculously high, but that's the way this year is going.

We finally winded our way through the mountains to the Sunday River Resort, finding the hotel at about 2:30. I parked the car next to the only other guy who had to use the overflow lot down the hill from the hotel. We stumbled into the room and were finally able to rest. MUST GET MASSAGES TOMORROW! It will be our lazy day.

5 days

wow. it's coming. fast!

we took a long weekend to go camping with my family in our annual trek to cades cove. it was a good time to relax and be outside in the gorgeous smokies, but now that we're back, the wedding is pretty much here.

megan's in training all day and tomorrow, which means i have long to-do lists. everything's pretty much done. but like when you're moving, just because you've gotten the furniture and big boxes moved out, you've still got a lot of small stuff to do.

1. coffee
2. walk dog
3. to do list
3a.
3b..
3c...

-jd

catch you up

wow, we haven't blogged in forever. sorry 2 loyal readers!

to catch you up, we're getting down to the wire. we spent the past couple of weeks unwinding from the school year. we took a trip down to the georgia coast with my brother, his fiancee, and some of their friends. it was a lot of driving, but very worth it. megan finally got to see savannah. no, we didn't eat at paula deen's restaurant, but we went on a trolley tour and know all of the places we want to explore when we go back.

after some begging, we've gotten most of the rsvp's back and have some sort of idea as to how many people will show up. do we pay for more food and expect everyone to show up? do we suspect some folks will back out at the last minute? will more people come than said they would? we're gonna let that decision run down to the wire.

megan says she's got her dress all ready to go. i haven't seen it of course, but it's supposed to fit just right and there are some numbers and some buttons and loops for this thing called "bustling..?" that's why she's the woman and i'm not.

we went over all the final wedding planning with cedarwood today, and are meeting with the minister on monday. i'm so glad God put him in our life. he's such a cool guy, and is going to be the perfect person to marry us.

i never dreamed that there would be so many little details that we have to take care of at the end. meg's getting a little stressed out by them, but everything's going to come together just like it should.

that's about it for now. we're going camping with my folks next week. in the meantime it's going to be a mad dash to get everything done on time. if you wanna see what's going on in my nerdy little head, you can read this.

-jason

new and improved website!

i know, i should be resting my sinus infection and cough, but i got started on this and couldn't stop until i was finished. i present the new and improved website. i'm guessing there may be a few bugs to work out, but i think you'll like it much better than the first. enjoy!

-jason

for our loyal reader

apparently there are people out there who read this thing, or at least 1 future sister-in-law anyway! ah let's see what we need to catch you up on...

• we bought a townhouse in brentwood! it's 3 beds, 2.5 baths, 1 car garage, about 1500 sq. ft. we're super excited we could afford something like that, and can't wait to move in. it hasn't been built yet, so we got to customize everything and pick our own upgrades. we'll put up with apartment dwelling until november and then we get to move to the first place we can officially call "home."
• invitations were mailed out yesterday. a whole lot of stuffin, lickin, and stickin. now you get to send them back. don't worry -- we addressed and put the stamp on them for you! just fill out the card, donate some saliva, and drop it in the box.
• the dog/cat merging hasn't progressed at all. i have scratches on my arm, and blue has scabs on his nose. i don't know what we're gonna do. anybody want some cats?!? (hopefully meg won't read this either!)
• i love wedding showers! megan goes away for a couple of hours and comes back with a car-full of stuff. then i get to put that year of unloading chick-fil-a trucks experience to use finding the best way to fit everything into a tight space. there need to be showers for men, except you'd call them something manly like... i dunno. but you'd get tools and man toys.

that's all i've got for now. we're under 2 months away, so a lot more will be happening in the next few weeks. we'll try to keep you up to date!

jason

oh, and i want this to be our first dance song! it's on the right hand side, click play!

showers, fittings and houses

So, it's been awhile since we've last posted...sorry for the delay! In that time we have traveled to both Iowa and Georgia and attended 2 showers. In my opinion, showers are great wonderful things where old, embarrassing stories are told, but you get wonderful presents out of the deal! I thank everyone for the wonderful gifts that we received!

Meanwhile, we travel ever closer to the wedding day! The blogger has it all marked out, but I believe we're at like 9 1/2 weeks!!! That is absolute craziness! Everything is coming together though, and I'm really not stressing too much. We have to finalize tux selections, address and send out invitations, and have one last planning session at Cedarwood before it's all said and done.

I have my first dress fitting this week, so that's pretty exciting! I'm not exactly sure what takes place at a dress fitting, but I'm taking along a good friend who also has no idea what's going on so it'll be a good time!

In other news, we're working on buying a house. Round one didn't go through as planned, so we're back to square one and ready to start looking again. I have to say, for being a buyers market things aren't dropping as much as you would expect. But, we've found some good possible contenders so we'll see how that all goes!

Other than that, there's not much new...maybe Jason will post with more interesting stories!!! :)

Megan

Smokey stoves and Crispy ovens

Well... this post isn't so much about the wedding except possibly as a glimpse into the future. On Saturday, I decided that I was going to hurry and prepare a pork roast to put in the crock-pot before heading out to a couples massage with Jason. The part about me hurrying was my first problem....the recipe called for me to heat the roast in hot oil before transferring it into the crock-pot, oh and I also had to trim the fat off of the roast. So I am thinking that pork has about as much fat on it as beef (it doesn't, it has much, much more) so I put oil into the pan and turn the burner up quite high. As I'm busy trimming up the roast I start feeling really hot; I finally turn around and notice that not only has the entire apartment filled with heavy smoke, the little tray under the burner is on fire! :) The fire went out as soon as it was exposed to air, the smoke however, lingered. Thankfully it was a beautiful weekend so I was able to open up the doors and windows, and I am able to say that the smoke (and smell) is out of the apartment. Based on this episode Jason nicknamed me 'Smokey'.

You would think this story is over and I would have to live the rest of my life with that nickname, but not so.... after returning from the massage, Jason and I decided to get Papa Murphy's take-and-bake pizza. He heated up the oven (at his apartment this time) and we waited for it to pre-heat. We weren't really paying attention to the time so the oven was probably pre-heating for about 20 minutes before we both started smelling a horrible burning smell. I got to the oven first and opened it to find the biscuits Jason had made (and left in the oven) earlier that day still in the pan burnt to a crisp and probably just a few minutes away from igniting. So his nickname is now 'crisp' and he's a little upset that his moment of glory for embarrassing me lasted all of 3 hours.

Needless to say, I am banned from cooking on the stove for awhile, and the oven is off limits to him! Thankfully we were able to laugh about the whole thing, and more importantly we didn't destroy an apartment! :) Cooking classes here we come!

Oh, and on a wedding note... our invitations are back from the printer!!! I haven't seen them yet, but I'm excited to pick them up! :)

Megan

less than 4 months and counting

megan sent me an e-mail at work on thursday that said "4 months!!!" that sounds so close, and my heart skipped a beat, but it can't get here soon enough. i'm so excited to see what the next few months has in store for us.

after trying on my ring a few times i realized i knew nothing about rings when we bought it, and it probably wasn't a good thing that it took me 5 minutes and a lot of pain to get it off. that might be the way megan wanted it to be, but we took it back to shane co. to get it stretched out a little. a ring looks so weird on my finger, but i'm looking forward to getting used to it. in addition to taking the ring in to be re-sized, we also went to 2 stores to look at tuxes. we've pretty much picked it out. now it's just a matter of getting measured and coaxing justin and eric into getting fitted for theirs. mine will look the same, just with a white vest and a white tie. i'm hoping that the weather is going to make wearing a tux tolerable for about 45 minutes. maybe we're crazy.

megan and i have been attending a baptist church in the area that we really like. we're in a "nearly/newly wed" class that is a good fit for us. it's taught by a christian counselor and his wife, and will serve as a great starting point for building a strong foundation for our marriage. it's good for both of us to be attending church on a regular basis again, and building relationships with others who are in the same boat as us.

Snow Days and Rings

So we had a snowday yesterday... I think this one was warranted as we did get ice and snow! (Granted, being from Iowa, no snow day here would ever be considered up there, but I will take my 1/2 inch of snow- snowdays!!) Being that we didn't have school, I decided it would be a great day to get some errands done and Jason was a great sport about me dragging him around!

After registering at yet another store we decided to go look at wedding bands for Jason. I hadn't intended on buying a ring yesterday, but he found one he liked and the saleslady mentioned that this exact ring may not be there for too much longer so I went on ahead and bought it. I think it's a very good choice, white gold with a little detailing and Jason has asked if he can keep it until the wedding and wear it around from time to time so he can get used to how it feels on his finger. :)

Let the Planning Begin!

So my mom was in town this weekend for planning and let me just say I think almost EVERYTHING was accomplished!! We first finalized the bridesmaid dress selection and then it was off to Cedarwood for cake tasting and planning.

The cake was excellent, and we decided on a variety of flavors (to keep some surprises I'm not including specifics!!) :) We chose everything from napkins to tablecloths, invitations to flowers, decorations and music, and even fantastic ideas for the tuxes... we got it all planned out!!

Our menu for the night is absolutely spectacular- this I will fill you in on!!! We are starting out with a cheese board and crackers and a signature drink, yet to be determined, for the cocktail hour. We will then be eating mixed baby lettuces, romaine and herb salad with accruements, chef-carved baron of beef with au jus, loaded new potatoes, grilled garden veggies with balsamic drizzle and freshly baked rolls.

We have been busy this weekend working on guest list addresses (so you'll see those save-the-dates here soon) and remaining odds and ends planning, but it is so wonderful to have this much of it planned out!!!

Anyways, we'll continue to keep you posted as more details emerge!!! :)
-Megan

Hotel & Save-the-Dates!

hey y'all! (that's right, jason's writing this!)

megan's been hard at work getting things set up. she's blocking off some rooms at the hotel preston, so by the time you read this, you should be able to reserve your room. it looks like a really nice hotel, and very convenient for those flying in. there aren't any hotels near the wedding site, and this one puts you in proximity to orpyland (grand ole opry, opry mills, and a host of other touristy things).

we also went out and shot some photos for our save the dates. it was a gorgeous day today, and we really enjoyed it. you should be getting those in the mail by mid-february. we also drove around a park where we're hoping to have our rehearsal dinner bar-b-que to scout out which shelter we liked best. the one we're hoping to get is close to a playground and a creek, and the restrooms aren't too far either.

other than that, not much is going on. i made another huge connection to the music biz, so i'm excited to see where all this will go. i'm not the best at networking, but hopefully i can figure it out and give this music thing a chance.

we'll keep you updated, hope you had a great weekend!
jason

5 months

5 months... that sounds so far away, yet so close at the same time. i'm excited, i'm nervous, i'm... ready.

i've adopted a slogan to guide me in the next few months:

babe, it's our marriage, but it's your wedding.

that makes things so much easier. i'm glad megan is so into this planning stuff and enjoys picking out colors and cakes and all the other little pointless things that guys never think about. planning the honeymoon, now that's my kind of planning!

her parents have been gracious enough to give us a week of their timeshare time, and so we've decided to use it in maine. we're going to fly into boston, get some sort of detroit-made rent-a-car, and trek up to bethel, me. we're staying at a resort that has all kinds of things to do. on my list of must-dos are:

1. whitewater canoeing
2. horseback riding
3. hiking
4. boat tour at acadia national park
5. couple's massage at the resort spa

i'm sure there will be some dining on fresh lobster and looking in every "cute" shop as well. lots of photos will be taken. we're also going to spend a couple of days in boston, and (if at all possible) catch a red sox game. the problem is, they've been sold out for who knows how long and i'll have to buy tickets on ebay or something.

anyway, this is our blog so leave a comment or 2 to let us know someone's reading it. i'm off to work on my day off.

jason

New Website...

Hello to everyone!
Jason (with my help) just created a website for us, and he told me that I HAD to blog if he was going to make it. So, this is my first blog...with more to come.

I'm pretty excited about the website, it helps to make things even more official! :) We'll try to keep it updated as things continue to get planned. As of Monday we will be 5 months away...craziness!!! :)

Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well and you'll hear from us soon!!
Megan