Less than 365 days away...

I'm finding it hard to believe that our wedding is now less than a year away! It seems crazy to think that Scott and I have been engaged for 9 months now! I'm becoming more anxious then ever for our wedding, I get butterflies in my stomach when I think about standing up at the alter with Scott. I truly believe that my life will begin on that day. It's been an incredible journey so far, I just can't wait for the next chapter to start.

We've been very busy the last few weeks! Last weekend we signed our lease (we move in on July 3rd), bought a tent and went to a friend's graduation party. We also celebrated our -1 year anniversary (we're dorks, we know) on Saturday, May 30th. We went out to dinner in Denver and spent a night on the town, just the two of us. We talked about the past 10 years and what the next year will bring. On Sunday we went to Estes Park for an open house at Della Terra (where we are getting married). They had finally completed the facility and had it completely set up! We were able to walk through each of the guest rooms and pick the room we will be staying in on our wedding night. All the rooms were amazing and beautiful! We really didn't want to leave! We also go to do some wine tasting and sample cakes. We had a wonderful time and walked away more excited for our big day. Della Terra is beautiful and we are so lucky to be getting married there!!! It's going to be perfect for us!

This past weekend was another busy weekend for us as. My Dad came out for the weekend and stayed with me. My Aunt Clare and Uncle Rick also came out for the weekend, they stayed with my Mom. Scott, my Dad and I hung out in Boulder on Saturday. We went to the farmers market, Pearl Street and the Harley shop. It was great spending time with him! I'm so happy that my Dad and Scott get along, I think my Dad enjoys finally having a "son". They enjoyed talking about cars, Harleys and "boy stuff" as I drove us around this weekend. On Sunday we went up to Estes Park and met my Mom, Aunt and Uncle at Della Terra. My Aunt Clare is doing the decorations for our receptions so we wanted to show her what the site looked like. Everyone thought it was amazing! My Dad said that he can't wait for our wedding and thought that Della Terra was perfect for us! My Uncle Rick, a man of few words, even expressed his excitement for our wedding and kept going on and on about how beautiful Della Terra was. Once we toured Della Terra we all headed to check out Lake Shore Lodge, where our rehearsal brunch will be, and then we heading to Village Pizza for lunch. We had a wonderful day up in Estes Park with the family, even though we got snowed and rained on a little (got to love Colorado weather).

This coming week and weekend is less eventful, but we need that! We still have a long list of "To Do" items so hopefully we can start checking those off. This summer will go by fast, and with so much to do it's going to be hard to enjoy our first Colorado summer together, but we're going to try. We have plans to go camping and hiking in the next few weeks and we're hoping to get some pool time in, if the weather ever corporates! We have so many things to look forward to and get ready for, we need to remind ourselves to slow down and enjoy the moments we're in. Hopefully Scott and I can remember to do that, not just during this summer but throughout our lives. Life is too short to live in the future or the past...the present is the most important time in our lives.

Love,

Heather

Big Steps...

What a weekend it has been for Scott and I! It's finally beginning to seem like we are making a life together out here in Colorado. This was the first weekend, since Scott moved here, that we were able to spend the whole weekend together and not have any plans! We found ourselves wondering what to do...but it was a good feeling!

Saturday was our biggest day of the weekend! The day started by buying ourselves a grill! We are so excited to have a grill now...we have so many plans for it! We tested it out last night and Scott showed off his grill skills. Tonight we are having our friends Stephanie, Jon and their boys over for a little Memorial Day BBQ. Scott is excited to finally have a grill so he can show off his skills to our friends. I think Scott feels like a "real" man now that he has a grill, it's really cute!

Also on Saturday, Scott and I found an apartment! We sign the lease next weekend, and we are very excited!!! It's a lovely 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment in Superior, CO. We can move in on July 3rd, which gives us plenty of time to move both of our apartments into one and clean our old apartments. The location is wonderful and the price is right (which is really nice!). The apartment complex is only 4 years old and the interiors are really nice. We are both so excited to set up our new apartment! I know we won't have any problems decorating it! Our styles are very similar. And, I believe I made Scott's day when I told him we could decorate our second bedroom with airplane stuff! I found some really great old fashion airplanes at Hobby Lobby that I think will work perfectly in there. I'm looking forward to getting started in our new place! It's a very exciting time for us.

Besides our two big steps this weekend, we just enjoyed time to ourselves. It's been great not having to spend all my time doing homework! We can finally enjoy our time together! :-)

This week is full of fun as well! Tomorrow night I am getting together with several of my girl friends to have dinner. It's been forever since we've all gotten together, so I'm really looking forward to that! Scott and I are going to the No Doubt reunion concert on Wednesday night! We are both very excited! My best friend Krista is coming to visit on Thursday, so I'm looking forward to seeing her and taking her bridesmaid dress shopping! Saturday is our 1 year anniversary to our wedding! I can't believe it! We are going to celebrate by going out to dinner in Denver.

Well, that's all for now. I hope you are all doing well! I'll give another update next weekend!

Hugs & Kisses,
Heather

What a weekend!

Well, like I had imagined, this weekend was busy, productive and exciting! My Mom and I spent all day Saturday in Estes Park running around the town with our list of questions seeking out answers. Along the way we meet some very helpful, friendly and interesting people. They helped answer our long list of questions and even gave us some fun facts about Estes Park. For example, did you know that Estes Park is the #2 spot in the country to get married? In 1st place, Las Vegas.

The first item on our list: Find a place to hold the rehearsal reception. I had done some research online before this weekend, so I had a pretty good idea of where I wanted it to be. For those of you who have been to Estes, and those of you who haven't, you know that Estes Park is all about the view! Well, let me tell you, the place we are having the rehearsal reception has one of the best views in the town! Lake Estes Lodge, located on Lake Estes, is not only beautiful on the inside, it is also beautiful looking out. Windows frame the lake and Longs Peak, creating a picture perfect view. The rehearsal reception will be held around 11:30 on Saturday morning. We have yet to decided weather we will have brunch or lunch...both menus look great!

After checking off item #1 on our list, we moved on to the second item: Cake Bakeries in Estes Park. While at a Bridal Show in February, my Mom, Scott and I taste tested cake from a locale Estes Park bakery. My Mom and Scott raved about the white cake (I don't like white cake) and I really enjoyed the chocolate. We are thinking that having a local bakery do the cake might be a good idea, given the winding roads most caterers would have to travel on to get to Estes Park. So we stopped by the bakery and meet with the women who does the cakes. She was friendly, excited and very passionate about her cakes. I loved it! 20 minutes later, with a list of prices and a list of flavors and were on our way. I have a good feeling about her cakes and am looking forward to taste testing them with Scott in the future.

Our next stop was at Della Terra. This was the first time my Mom had seen the place and the first time I had seen it complete. It is more beautiful than the pictures! I couldn't stop smiling while we were there. I can just picture our wedding/reception and know it's going to be wonderful! We managed to get all of our questions answered and worked out some wedding day details with Pam, the Della Terra wedding planner. She is a lot of fun to work with and seems to have so many great ideas for our wedding. Scott and I will be back to visit on the 30th, so he can see it completely finished as well. We'll be sure to take pictures and posted them on our website.

Finally, the last thing on our list was to look at hotels and lodging in Estes Park. Estes Park is not lacking the in hospitality field. Hotels and lodges are everywhere, the key is finding the ones with the best amenities and prices. We are going to pick a few hotels in Estes and block rooms at them, hoping this gives our guests the opportunity to get stay at a great hotel at the best price.

After all of that, my Mom and I headed home with our heads full of information and even more questions/things to do on our lists. I had a great time with my Mom this weekend. I'm so happy she is here to help me plan my wedding and that she gets to be a part of it. I know she is loving every second! A wise person once told me, "You may have been planning our wedding since you were 5 years old, but you're Mother has been planning your wedding since the day you were born." I think that's true, so I am happy she can be a part of it.

That's all for now. I hope you all have a wonderful week!!!

XOXO

Heather

Just an quick update...

What a LONG 2 weeks it has been. Finals are over and the semester is finally done!!! After every semester I look back at all of the late nights, long days and hours I have spent on projects, homework, papers and studying and wonder how I managed to get through it. It seems like it will never end while in the middle of it, but when it's all said and done, I walk away with a feeling of accomplishment and success. Especially after this semester. And with only one more semester to go, I ended this semester with a smile on my face!

On Saturday, May 9th my good friends Amy and Dave welcomed their little boy Rylan Thomas Carahasen into this world. Mom and Baby are doing wonderful, and I hear Dave is the happiest father in the world. I wish them the best and can't wait to meet little Rylan in July.

Also last Saturday, my Mom and I had to put down my 14 year old cat Sami. She had been sick for a few weeks and wasn't getting any better. We found out she had a tumor on the left side of her face that caused her to stop eating and become blind. It was very hard to say good-bye to her. I got her when she was just 6 months old for the Boone Human Society, I was 11 years old. Sami Jo helped me get through my adolescent years and was very much my cat! She slept on my bed from the first night we brought her home. After I went away to college, she would always come sleep with me whenever I was home, and would continue to sleep there after I left, as long as my Mom didn't make the bed. She was wonderful and I am going to miss her.

This weekend starts my summer vacation! To kick it off I am spending the weekend in Fort Collins with my Mom (Scott is in Cali until Monday). We have a full weekend planned! Tomorrow we are going to Estes Park to done wedding stuff! :-) We are going to visit Della Terra tomorrow afternoon, I can't wait!!! If you haven't done so already, check out their website (http://www.dellaterramountainchateau.com/) and look at the pictures. This place is magical!!! We're also going to check out locations for the rehearsal brunch and a few bakeries in the area. I'm sure I'll have plenty to blog about on Sunday!

I believe that is all for now. Check back often, as I'm sure I'll have much more to blog about now that the wedding planning has officially started! I hope you and your families have a wonderful weekend!

Miss you all!!!!
Heather

My "To Do" List.....

I can't believe it's May 1st already! It seems like this semester has flown by! We are now 12 months away from our wedding, which made me think about how much we have to do between now and then. I'm not feeling overwhelmed just yet, however, my "to do" list has grown!

The first thing on my list, finish this semester. Finals are a week away! It has been a rough few weeks for Scott and I, as I have been very busy with homework and projects and have little time to spend any quality time with Scott. He has been a great help though! He makes me dinner at night and coffee in the morning, really the only two things that matter during finals! I couldn't ask for a better guy!!! It's such a great feeling to know that I only have 1 last semester to complete before I have my Masters Degree! I have a feeling we will be having a big celebration in December!!!

The next few things on my "to do" list involve preparing to move in July! Once again, I'll be packing up my belongings and moving to a new address. This time however, we hope it will be more of a permit address for the both of us. We have found a wonderful two bedroom apartment in Superior, about 5 miles East of Boulder, and are both looking forward to the move. As a part of moving in together, we have had to decide on who's furniture, coffee pot, dishes and decor we will be using, it's been a good lesson in compromise! However, we still haven't figured out who's bed we will use....mine is more comfortable but Scott's is larger. I have a feeling he will win this one! Once we move we will send out our new address, so look for that come July.

The next thing on my list is to get our wedding website up and running. Knot.com has become one of my favorite websites, although I haven't had much time to spend on it in the last few months. It's my goal to get our website up and running by the end of May so you all can go check it out! We'll have links to where we are registered, lodging information for the wedding and other important information! I'll give you a heads up when it's ready to go!

The rest of my "to do" list involves the wedding. Sending out Save the Date cards, visiting Della Terra in it's completed stage (the last time we saw Della Terra it was under construction and only framed inside), finding a caterer, picking out a cake, figuring out what the groomsmen are going to wear, pick out Scott's tux, ordering the bridesmaids dresses....and the list goes on! We have a lot to do, however, with help from my Mom, Scott, Stephanie, Krista, my Aunt Clair and whoever else wants to help (just let me know) I think we should be able to get it all accomplished by the time Fall semester starts up.

Besides our ever growing "To Do" list, Scott and I have some exciting things to look forward to this summer! The first exciting thing is the birth of my very good friends Amy and Dave's baby. Baby C should be coming into this world very soon (we're talking days), so I have been patiently waiting next to my phone for any news. Scott will be in California in a few weeks to go to an airshow with his Dad, something he has been looking forward to for a very long time. While he's gone, I'll be hanging out with my Mom in Fort Collins. I'm looking forward to a girls weekend. My Dad is coming out to visit in June. July is a busy month! Scott's Mom and Step-Dad will be stopping in Colorado on their way to Vegas, John and Vicky will be in Estes Park for a vacation and we're moving! August is a less eventful, so far, with only Krista's graduation from DU! Between all of our events, Scott and I hope to do some hiking, play tennis, go on bike rides, spend time with friends and explore our new community. Whew, what a summer!

Well, I am off to work on homework. I hope all is well with you and your family!!!

Love,

Heather

I'm a bad blogger....

I know it's been a while since I've updated our blog, but believe it or not, I've been busy! :-) I'm not sure where the time has gone, but all I know is that I'm 4 weeks away from being done with school (for the semester at least) and 13 months away from our wedding! Wedding excitement is starting to take over, and it's beginning to be a challenge to focus on anything but wedding details. I don't know where the last 6 months have gone, but I remember thinking that we had all the time in the world to plan our wedding...well, now we only have 13 months! But, before I go in too much more detail about my excitement, let's go back a few months and get you all caught up on what Scott and I have been doing...

In March we headed back to Iowa for a long weekend. It was the first time Scott had been back to Iowa since he moved to Colorado last fall. It was a much needed home visit for the both of us. We were busy, spending time with family and friends, but it was a nice break from our busy lives out here. We enjoyed spending time with Scott's Mom, Step-Dad and Sister, as well as my Dad and the rest of my family. We also got to spend some much needed time with our Iowa friends! Overall the weekend was a blast! We are sorry that we didn't get a chance to see everyone...but there's always next time.

Since we got back, life has escalated past busy to hectic! I started a new job in April at the Colorado Center for Community Development. I am a student design intern there and have been working about 20 hours a week. I am also still working at the pool in Boulder as a Manager and TAing for an undergrad class...oh, and let's not forget school. With everything going on, I have barley had time to sleep! But it will all be over soon! :-) I have 4 weeks left of classes and am looking forward to relaxing in May.

So, back to wedding excitement! I am starting to realize that the next 12 months will go by very fast! This summer we will be looking for caterers, cake bakers and rental places...just to name a few! We are hoping that most of the details will be figured out by the time fall semester starts. With that being said, I can guarantee that there will be more blogs starting as I want to keep you all in the loop of our wedding adventures.

I hope all is well in your life! Please keep in touch, we'd love to hear from you!

Love,

Heather

It's been a while....

It's been awhile since I've sat down to write anything.  To be honest, I just haven't felt like there is anything to "blog" about.  Life for Scott and I has been a bit boring lately, not that boring is a bad thing, but I just haven't felt that there is anything worth writing about.  Then, the other night Scott and I were talking about my lack of "blogging" and he made me realize that it's okay to blog about nothing.  So here I am....

I still don't have a "real" job.  I'm teaching swim lessons and lifeguarding at the City of Boulder aquatics center to have some kind of income coming in.  I'm also a teaching assistant for an undergrad class at CU Boulder.  Both keep me busy, however, I don't consider either one a "real" job.  (For anyone who doesn't think that times are tough, talk to me.)  I visit craigslist.com on a daily basis, looking for anything, but the truth is unless you have a degree in nursing or accounting there's just nothing out there.  I'm trying to stay positive and just get by right now, but a positive attitude is hard to keep when it just seems like there is no hope. I'm not the type of person to give up, so I'm not going to, but I am a realistic person.  I'm realizing that for the next 6-12 months I may have to have 3 different jobs, not relating to architecture, just to get by.  I have to be thankful though for Scott and my parents.  They are cheering me on and offering advice and support.  Without them I just don't know where I would be.  Hopefully something will come around sooner than later.  But until then, I'm just trying to stay positive and keep a smile on my face.  Things could be worst.....

On a more positive note, Scott and I are busy planning our wedding.  Even though it's still 15 months away, I have been brainstorming and planning for our big day.  My Mom and I spend most of our conversations talking about the wedding and even my Dad is always wanting to be updated every time I talk to him.  It seems like they are more excited, at times, then we are!  They have really stepped up in offering to help Scott and I with the wedding costs.  I don't know how I will ever repay them or thank them for everything they are doing.  I have been blessed with the most amazing parents a girl could ask for!!!  In order to keep costs down, I have been doing my reading on "recession weddings".  It seems that Scott and I are not the only ones trying to plan a wedding during the worst economic times in 50 years.  I think what this has taught me is that it's all about Scott and I and our family and friends.  We want everyone to enjoy themselves while they are a part of the biggest day of our lives.  We look forward to seeing everyone there!!!

Scott and I will be back in Iowa in March.  My Grandmother is turning 80 years old so we are going back to celebrate with her and the rest of the family.  We will only be back for a few days, but have every intention to make the rounds and see everyone.  We will keep you all updated on our plans as the time gets closer.  

I hope everyone is doing well.  We miss you all!!!

Love,

H&S