The "I Do" To Do List

We've accomplished lots of I-Do To-do's this week. Tables and chairs have been rented, the wheels of the invitation bus are rolling, a possible location for the rehearsal dinner has been determined, accommodations for out of town guests are in progress, wedding rings choices have been narrowed, registries have been created, cake has been tasted and a baker selected, and all of this with no bridezilla breakdowns! This is nothing short of a major feat.

Hope you all have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

Grueling Drudgery

AH-HA It is I the Galloping Gaudy Groom checking in to see what’s up in the Blog-O-Sphere. Erin and I spent all afternoon working on wedding this and wedding that. We went to five or six jewelers (lost track due to retinal blindness brought on by the B-LING) looking for the perfect wedding bands. Much to my horror I have discovered that I have larger-than-normal fingers… imagine that. Apparently a jewelry store is not like a shoe store where they have a few sizes lying around in the back room for you to try on. NOPE! The jewelry store must special order size 13.5 rings and that takes four to six weeks. There is special lighting in jewelry stores that could make the bottom of a beer can sparkle. This lighting also puts out a lot of heat so it was with sun burnt foreheads and in the early stages of dehydration, Erin and I had to stop for a soda.

Erin’s day started off early with a trip to the summer wedding extravaganzoo. Erin and Gail fought off the other would-be brides and came home with many cake samples for me. THANK YOU!!! We have narrowed the cake bakers down to two. We will be making appointments with them in the near future as additional taste testing will be conducted. YUM.

We finished off the day – just prior to the day finishing off me, with a romantic dinner at Chilli’s. Nothing says romance like me singing over and over:
“I Want My Baby Back-Baby Back-Baby Back-Baby Back…. Chilli’s Baby Back Ribs”

Peace out my fellow blog-nation brethren.

dd

Meet Me in Margaritaville

The Ellis-Downing pets got a surprise in the mail this week! It was a small box wrapped in brown paper - addressed to Tuley, Gracie, and Henrietta! Hmmm...what could it be? I pulled out a lei, a little beach ball, a palm tree, bracelet, magnet, another lei, and finally, an invitation. To a party! For us! The Houge Family is hosting a pre-wedding party with a Jimmy Buffett theme in September. It's going to be a great time! I can't believe the time that must have been spent painting, packing, and wrapping each little box. We are lucky to have such wonderful friends. Henrietta picked a favorite of all the little treats. She really liked the little palm tree. Such great taste for a cat! :)

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

This past weekend was the annual Lake Weekend with the Stobbes. We look forward to it every year and it was fun as always. Hopefully pictures will be added later.

For those who wanted the recipe for the twice-baked potato casserole, here tis:
5 pounds (+/-) of baking potatoes, baked, cooled, and cubed
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pound of bacon, crisp fried and crumbled
24 oz. container of sour cream
1 bunch green onion, chopped
4 cups shredded cheddar or colby cheese

Place a single layer of potatoes in a greased 9x13 pan. Crumble 1/2 of the bacon over the potatoes. Mix sour cream, soup, and green onion. Spread 1/2 of the sour cream mixture over the bacon and potatoes. Layer 2 cups of cheese over the mixture. Repeat layers, ending with cheese. You may want to save a little bacon and green onion to add as garnish on the top. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes.

Islands in the Stream

My mom and dad got us an island! It nearly doubles the counter space in our little kitchen and adds some nice storage. And it's darn cute! Gracie is pretty sure every picture should star her, so here she is , posing with the new island. Thank you David for putting it together!

New Picture

Thank you Todd for the new picture above our profile! David and I took it on our way to KC last weekend on Highway 71. The arrows on the sign point in opposite directions, but we thought pointing toward each other was more appropriate. Todd to the rescue! Using his magic photo skills, he changed the direction of the arrows. Thank you!

Countdown Begins!

Today marked the beginning of the countdown to the Olympics in Beijing. Even more exciting...today marks only 4 months to our wedding! I can't think about it for too long or I begin to realize how much is left to do. Does anyone else feel short of breath and panicky? No? Just me? Hmmm...

Dress...Check! Reception Location...Check! Wonderful Afternoon...Check!

So, I thought you'd like to see a picture of me in the dress... Here I am! I'm wearing the dress in the picture. What? You didn't think I would post a picture of the dress and have David see it, did you?

It was a great afternoon. My mom, aunt Connie, and Kelly met at McDaniel's to try on and pick up my dress. It's a little big, but that's easier corrected than being too small! It's just as pretty as the day I picked it out. We took lots of pictures and had a wonderful time.

We took a break to eat lunch, then went to look at the Discovery Center. I think it will be the perfect place for our reception - it's fun, plenty big, good parking. Oh - and there's a pterodactyl hanging from the ceiling! What more could you ask for?

Here's a sneak peak inside the Discovery Center. The crazy tubing on the floor will be gone. Look closely at the top of the picture and you can see the pterodactyl. :)

Fair Weather

We tried the fried ribs. Not bad, but I don't think we'll try to recreate it at home!
Me, Chuck, and Kelly enjoying some of the delicacies at the fair.
David and me on the mid-way

The fair with our friends was fun as always! There's never an end to the people watching, especially since Saliva was playing the night we were there. Saliva is a metal band, according to Chuck and Kelly. As middle and high school teachers, they tend to know a lot more about pop culture than the rest of us! It's a good thing - someone has to keep us from becoming out of touch geezers!

Last night we went to the ballgame with Todd. Cardinals lost, but that didn't dampen our enjoyment of the game. Plenty of people watching there too! I don't think I really watched much of the game as there was just too much going on around us!