Goodbye 2008!
It’s been a truly wonderful and busy year. I’ll take a moment to reflect on some of the things we’ve accomplished this past year:
Personal
- Andy learned to play the guitar
- Planned one heckuva wedding (if I do say so myself), which included completing a bunch of fun wedding projects, and most importantly marrying my perfect match and the absolute love of my life
- Was featured on Tip Junkie for the jewel case calendars I made for my wedding girls. (I also created a little 2009 calendar freebiefor all you crafty DIYers who wanted to make your own.)
- Managed to successfully complete NINE (Andy) and TEN (Laura) whopping MBA classes out of the 15 required for our degree!!
- Andy (re)discovered his talent and love of cooking
- Bought a new Yukon which, was unfortunately only because I crashed my beloved Jeep
- Sent out a BUNCH of Christmas cards! (Primarily b/c they doubled as wedding thank you cards)
Professional
- Served as Treasurer for Quad City Business Referral Alliance, one of my networking groups
- Added custom wedding invitations and vinyl decals to my list products offered by my small business elle Z designs
- Got a nice plug from one of my woodworker customers on his blog
- Got promoted at work
House & Home
- Gave the dogs a haircut…and decided Petco does a better job
- Finally found the best way to trim the dogs’ nails
- Refinanced my house to save a little when the rates dropped
- Then we bought and furnished a new house just months later
- Thankfully sold my other house shortly after; two mortgages is NOT a good deal…I’m speaking from experience.
- Andy somehow, someway managed to move a shed all by himself
- I actually sort of got into decorating for the holidays
I’ll have to ask Andy if he has anything to add that I may have missed. I think the biggest accomplishment would be the MBA classes. Andy and I have really worked this program at an aggressive pace. We’ve sacrificed time with our friends, our family, together, as well as our own personal free time in hopes that this will help solidify a foundation for a better future for ourselves and our future family. It’s been tough at times, but not THAT bad. So if you’re even considering it in the least bit, start now! (Kudos to Kim for taking the plunge!) Even if you just take one class at a time, who cares when you finish? You’re never too old, too young, and you’ll probably never have the time, so just do it anyway; The time is now. Carpe diem!
Looking ahead to next year, let’s start by saying I haven’t been a big fan of the title “New Year’s Resolutions” for some time. Don’t get me wrong, I love the idea of them, but it seems I’ve had the same resolutions for the past 10+ years – eat better, exercise more, do more, be more, etc. Blah, blah, blah. That being said I am a huge fan of goals, which is basically the same thing but without the self-imposed calendar year deadlines attached to them. Goals can start and end any time of the year and I like that idea better. So, in lieu of resolutions for 2009 I’ve started a page for my 2009 goals. I will add to the list and cross off items as the year progresses.
What have you accomplished in 2008? What do you hope to achieve in 2009? If you don’t want to list them here, please link to your own site!
Happy New Year to all!
Speaking of Weddings…
Desipte the fact that I never did settle on a cake topper design for my own wedding cake, (a big thank you once again to Aunt Pam for taking care of that for me!) I’ve been working on some new designs for other brides. These nifty new creations are available in my etsy Shop and just might be featured at a local Hy-Vee. (I’m in good with one of the bakers :::wink:::)
The first one is a simple, sophisticated heart design personalized with the names of the bride and groom, or could accomodate a short verse too. I think I’ll add a nice border to accent the heart shape (like in the next example).
Acrylic Heart Wedding Cake Topper
The second is a more custom piece that features a photo and a 3D cutout of the couple’s last name.
Acrylic Photo Wedding Cake Topper w/3D Cutout
**My apologies as clear acrylic is quite difficult to photograph well. I promise they are much more stunning in person!
Hot Off the Press!
If you recall awhile back I mentioned that some of our wedding details may be featured in the local QC Magazine. You can now pick up your latest copy to read the article or you can view it online!
Quick Easy Storage Solution
Andy got tired of my messy cupboard so he fixed it with a rod, some screws, and a handful of hooks. Have I mentioned how awesome he is? Yeah, a few times? Well, mark me down for another.
Now our fabulous Rachel Ray pots & pans won’t get all scratched up!
Final DIY Christmas Gifts
I found this cute little idea from this blog so I had to try my hand at them.
All you need is:
1 Snack Size Baggie
1 Regular Size Baggie
1-1/2 Cup Krispies
1-1/2 Cup Mini Marshmallows (Or I used 5 large ones)
But I didn’t really measure…I just poured. Believe me, I tested this method (twice) and they taste just fine.
Merry Christmas!
Bedroom Makeover Update
Here’s Andy’s latest mockup of the girls’s dollhouse bunk bed. Super cute! And I really like the purple and green. I’m going to have to talk with my sister & niece and explain that pink, pink, a little purple, and more pink is probably NOT their best option.
I cannot wait to get started on this project!
The Dogs Play Hungry Hungry Hippos
Listen closely for the hilarious snorts!
What a Small, Small World!
I’ll have to respond to your story in a little while – but in the meantime – I HAVE to tell you something. You’re going to laugh. It’s a VERY small world.
LOL – I just got your Xmas card (it’s beautiful by the way and you made a lovely bride). As I i was reading to my Amy over the phone – Amy IMMEDIATELY started laughing when I described your images. She’s been reading your blog for MONTHS now – without knowing that you and I had any association whatsoever! She loved your designs for the wedding and has been telling me how inventive and cool your ideas were – neither of us knew that she was talking about someone I knew!
lol
But here’s the REALLY funny part. I saw your video trailer a little while back – Amy showed it to me – I JUST DIDN’T RECOGNIZE YOU with your hair up!!! And by the way – our wedding reception WILL ALSO be at the Mark. lol. We’ve got the same lights above our dance floor too!.
I thought you’d get a kick out of that. Lol. I can’t believe i didn’t put the pieces together, and they were right in front of our nose.
G
* * *
Amazing isn’t it?? So Amy, if you’re still reading, thanks for being a loyal reader and I can’t wait to meet you next time you’re all in town!!
Handy Andy Saves the Day for USPS
On the way home from work we turned the corner to see this:
The first mail-lady got stuck and called another mail-lady to help her. Well, then they both got stuck.
Of course, Andy jumped on the opportunity to pull the monster truck out of hibernation and yank them both to freedom.
Absolutely Amazing!
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, hiring MediaInnovations was one of the best decisions we made for our wedding. I just have to brag again about the wonderful job they did for us. They captured so many wonderful little moments that still shot photos simply cannot match.
Please note that the page takes some time to load, but do have a look: http://www.mediainnovations-online.com/wedding_videography/andyandlaura/
