tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82524467844854794622024-03-05T01:42:14.337-08:00two little birdskate + brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09728774534339999572noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8252446784485479462.post-52972111854388171262013-01-10T12:34:00.001-08:002013-01-10T12:34:10.630-08:00a letter to little p<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGJ2r79WDE2ANDc7zg2l9yJuz7sijhinyLtNVMN4Q7LhOXbfI6qn1jNGht6xfbFak56KJ4J3gG60AESxvFYygosOvxPqWxaoxNRlf-KaD4PvxpNYQAmsTxUQEZ7IawtVSKVTtcW5C0MZMH/s1600/little+p+second.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGJ2r79WDE2ANDc7zg2l9yJuz7sijhinyLtNVMN4Q7LhOXbfI6qn1jNGht6xfbFak56KJ4J3gG60AESxvFYygosOvxPqWxaoxNRlf-KaD4PvxpNYQAmsTxUQEZ7IawtVSKVTtcW5C0MZMH/s320/little+p+second.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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dear little p,<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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mommy and daddy are bursting with anticipation to
meet you. each week we look forward to seeing what size of veggie/fruit you'll
be compared to as we learn about your rapidly developing body inside mommy's
tummy. you've been a pea, blueberry, raspberry, olive, prune, plum, peach and
this week you're a lemon! even though you're still relatively small, the joy
you bring to our lives cannot be measured. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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we want you to know how much we love you already!
since we found out you will be joining our family, you have given us a new
perspective on life and this world. many of the things we used to worry about
seem silly because now we're focused on giving you the best life we possibly
can. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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we want you to know we won't be perfect - as your
parents we'll make mistakes. your mommy and daddy are a little goofy and i
assure you there will be plenty of times when we are "the most
embarrassing parents in the world."
please know we will always support you and want what's best for you. we
want to teach you to laugh at yourself - a lot (we laugh at ourselves daily and
it makes life fun ). treat others with respect, even if they're different or
you don't understand them. always be kind. although it may be hard sometimes,
try your hardest not to judge. be brave enough to stick up for yourself and for
others. have the courage to try new things, meet new people, eat new foods,
adopt new beliefs. travel often. seek truth and meaning in this world. never
stop learning. read real books (i promise we'll save some for you even if they
become extinct). explore your creativity. never lose hope.<o:p></o:p></div>
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we don't know if you're a little boy or a little
girl yet, but we already feel the need to protect you. we want you to know life
will be hard sometimes. you will feel disappointment, and anger, sadness,
sorrow and pain. just know things will get better and we're already with you
every step of the way <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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hold on, to me as we go<o:p></o:p></div>
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as we roll down this unfamiliar road<o:p></o:p></div>
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and although this wave is stringing us along<o:p></o:p></div>
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just know you’re not alone<o:p></o:p></div>
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cause I’m going to make this place your home<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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settle down, it'll all be clear<o:p></o:p></div>
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don't pay no mind to the demons<o:p></o:p></div>
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they fill you with fear<o:p></o:p></div>
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the trouble it might drag you down<o:p></o:p></div>
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if you get lost, you can always be found<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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just know you’re not alone<o:p></o:p></div>
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cause I’m going to make this place your home<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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settle down, it'll all be clear<o:p></o:p></div>
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don't pay no mind to the demons<o:p></o:p></div>
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they fill you with fear<o:p></o:p></div>
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the trouble it might drag you down<o:p></o:p></div>
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ff you get lost, you can always be found<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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just know you’re not alone<o:p></o:p></div>
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cause I’m going to make this place your home<o:p></o:p></div>
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- home | phillip phillips<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #45818e; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #45818e; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">hugs</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #45818e; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #45818e; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">♡</span></div>
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kate + brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09728774534339999572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8252446784485479462.post-84317896065138673492012-05-17T16:45:00.001-07:002012-05-17T16:49:33.360-07:00home sweet home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0bHeqiZajSOxzvCXfdhORehsT1WfPhT7MfYmFVF0mzXAhLustcDjsZ_Oo0Ya2JDnYwJ9gDooEytHYYML4sFMlFHT6rHDdbI4_OvhXeJ0BgnY01QDQJSgH75St9z_lG9IRdmr2WefHOUDo/s1600/205899014183325862_DaSn2a0Z_f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0bHeqiZajSOxzvCXfdhORehsT1WfPhT7MfYmFVF0mzXAhLustcDjsZ_Oo0Ya2JDnYwJ9gDooEytHYYML4sFMlFHT6rHDdbI4_OvhXeJ0BgnY01QDQJSgH75St9z_lG9IRdmr2WefHOUDo/s320/205899014183325862_DaSn2a0Z_f.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>
as most of you know - b and i are officially homeowners yippee! considering my last post was in january (seriously?) i guess i have a lot of updating to do - warning it's going to be a long one!<br />
<br />
house hunting: was definitely not what i expected but well worth the ups and downs. the first thing we learned - do not trust photos! that ridiculously huge kitchen/living room/dining room/etc you instantly fall in love with -9 times out of 10 ends up being an 1/8 of the size. boo! i remember the very first house we saw - it was adorable and spacious in the photos and i was certain it was the one. "how lucky are we to find our home on the first try" i thought. not so much. although the home was indeed adorable it was also tiny and didn't make much sense for us! the second thing we learned - the total square footage isn't always the total liveable square footage. 300 upper square feet and 400 lower square feet (even unfinished) sounds perfect on paper - potential bonus rooms for the future kiddos sweet! but when you can't stand up straight in the attic and really can't do anything but laundry in the basement, you're realistically left with the square footage on the main level (in some cases smaller than our apartment).<br />
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the location was the most important factor for us. we love being in the heart of portland - specifically northeast - so we were definitely picky when it came to neighborhoods. we also love the rose city neighborhood (our current/b's childhood neighborhood) and ideally wanted to stay relatively close. other than that, our list of "have to haves" included 2 bedrooms (although that eventually switched to: 3 would be really really nice) at least one bathroom (hey you never know one foreclosure we saw was robbed of it's toilets), and really great bones! <br />
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there were several times we thought the right house in our ideal neighborhood just wasn't out there and expanded our search farther east to the argay neighborhood. we fell head over heels with the beautiful mid-century ranches. they were some of the coolest homes we had ever seen - one in particular was in perfect original condition (one owner)! although we left argay feeling excited we knew in our hearts we would miss walking to the dive bars, tiny coffee shops and sweet cafes that have spoiled us the past few years.<br />
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making an offer: was extremely competitive in our price range - again, something we weren't expecting. everyone said the first offer(s) they made didn't go through and they were so happy it worked out that way. our friends and family encouraged us to hang in there, everything happened for a reason and we would find our perfect home. offer number one was up against 6 others - two of which were over asking price and all cash. we were a little bummed but got over it pretty fast. offer number two was a different story. house two was incredible - a huge house, built in the early 1900s, with beautiful built-in cabinets next to a cozy fireplace. i could almost smell the wood that would be burned in that fireplace. the icing on the cake for me was that it happened to be on the same street my grandfather medak built a wonderful home (just a few blocks north). "the mallory house" my aunts uncles and parents still talk about that house. i was certain this had to be a sign. i even posted the news on facebook after we made the offer (which i seriously debated doing). i didn't want to jinx ourselves but I also felt like "this is it" - all we really needed was that medak magic from heaven and lots of prayers from our friends and family. we put our very best offer forward and came pretty close (we ended up being the back up) but again there were multiple offers and someone else blew ours out of the water. to say i was devastated doesn't even come close to describing my disappointment. i cried and cried - and cried some more. in my eyes that was <b>our</b> house - i was even convinced the accepted offer had to fall through because someone else was going to be living in <b>our</b> house. again, everyone told us it wasn't meant to be and ours was still out there. i didn't believe them - i thought we were the exception to the saying we kept hearing over and over again "we're so glad we didn't get that house." <br />
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third time's a charm: we're so glad we didn't get that house!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! yep i said it - you were all right - and we'll accept each and every "i told ya so" with a smile. don't get me wrong house 2 was a gem. but i grew up in a 1909 house with a leaky roof, and old windows, and terrible insulation. considering we offered everything we could, that house would have taken the term "house poor" to a whole other galaxy! we love our 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath (yes we have a half bath - what a life!!!!), 1950's home and can't imagine living in any other. the added bonus - it's only 1.02 miles from our apartment so we get to stay in the same neighborhood we love so much. we owe so much to my incredible uncle who happened to be our realtor -because of him the stars truly aligned with this one. our friends and family also deserve a world of credit for the unending advice, support and especially the words of encouragement when we were really bummed and frustrated.<br />
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homeowners: i can't begin to describe how it feels to own a home - happy, excited, pumped - nothing comes close to this feeling! when i just finished school, moved back to portland, and realized how high the prices were i wasn't so sure it would be a reality for me. it still feels like a dream - especially since we're working on projects before we move in (i promise i'll update with the progress). life has been really good to us and we're definitely ready to "pay it forward." so, without further ado, may we please introduce you to our home sweet home!<br />
<br />
before pictures (there are tiny white numbers on each photo - descriptions below):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdpAqmX408iQyuIMP4UYDOy9JIug3aD0zYn2wwlHlWfQLhTnZ_gtQHqrmxIK9YTKS4I5KRl8krp7QY7ztYblXxTw_47VAbHp_eNO1nXak0Oqe0WpoLheMMkqIJs5UXSJer27IjeHNLpdES/s1600/home+before1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="626" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdpAqmX408iQyuIMP4UYDOy9JIug3aD0zYn2wwlHlWfQLhTnZ_gtQHqrmxIK9YTKS4I5KRl8krp7QY7ztYblXxTw_47VAbHp_eNO1nXak0Oqe0WpoLheMMkqIJs5UXSJer27IjeHNLpdES/s640/home+before1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>row one:</b> 1. front of house 2. living room tv wall 3. living room long wall into dining room (hi b!) <b>row two:</b> 4. stella's room/office/craft room (technically the 3rd bedroom right off of the living room) 5 stella's room looking into living room. 6. full shot of living room (standing in dining room) 7. hallway<br />
<b>row three:</b> 8. dining room (you can see the back yard - it's huge) 9. kitchen 10. full bathroom <b>row four:</b> 11. master bedroom from the door 12. master bedroom from the corner 13. half bath 14. 2nd bedroom<br />
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we've been hard at work - stay tuned!<br />
<br />
hugs<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia,Utopia,'Palatino Linotype',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">♡</span><br />
<br />kate + brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09728774534339999572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8252446784485479462.post-17934548393294326132012-01-27T17:01:00.000-08:002012-01-27T17:06:20.656-08:00home is wherever i'm with you!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEzR0muUs1H0vry51Ty16tafTXvrlYsqZebQtaxPQjLok6XeRH_KvPA1rdiIPE0Iyazc-x_Qo4EdpWUEeCscNP5Uj9hSKRsfH2HNBtSwM-QvHWhK364rYtwxkkc47vt5JSQx0VlSMVh3yD/s1600/key_art_house_hunters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEzR0muUs1H0vry51Ty16tafTXvrlYsqZebQtaxPQjLok6XeRH_KvPA1rdiIPE0Iyazc-x_Qo4EdpWUEeCscNP5Uj9hSKRsfH2HNBtSwM-QvHWhK364rYtwxkkc47vt5JSQx0VlSMVh3yD/s400/key_art_house_hunters.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>when we first got engaged and decided to set our date 18 months out, most people told me it would drive me nuts - and they were right. when you have that much time to plan you tend to think about things too much. i can't tell you how many times i changed the "theme," the colors, the decorations, etc. i changed my mind a million times until the planning just wasn't fun anymore. the great thing about having a lot of time to plan, is it allowed brandon and i to really think if a big huge wedding was what we wanted. as most of you know by now, it wasn't. we eventually couldn't justify spending that much money on one day and decided to put the money towards a home instead.<br />
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it was actually a really tough decision. i am fortunate to have an extremely large family - and the weddings i have attended over the years for my cousins and siblings have been truly epic. so much so "when's the next wedding?" is a question you always hear at my family functions. when i was little i couldn't wait to have a huge wedding. the hardest part for me was realizing i've grown out of that "dream" and the guilt that came with disappointing our friends and family who were so looking forward to our big day.<br />
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what i didn't expect was the incredible amount of support from our friends a family! i'm blown away by the love we have in our lives - we are really lucky to be surrounded by such wonderful people.<br />
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for now the wedding we be extremely intimate in my parents backyard. an evening ceremony and cocktail party a sunset. this is perfect for us - brandon and i are pretty simple people, we don't like a lot of attention, and now that we're not overwhelmed we feel like we can breathe again.<br />
<br />
so now we're officially house hunters! we've been addicted to the tv show for quite some time, and now that we're officially hunting it puts a whole new spin on things! it's quite the experience and i still can't believe we're going to be homeowners this year! we have a lot to learn and a lot of houses to see so we're definitely preparing ourselves for a wild ride!<br />
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considering my last post was in june (i'm obviously the worst blogger ever) i can't promise i'll be making regular updates - but thanks for hanging in there and visiting. you guys are the best!<br />
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hugs<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">♡</span>kate + brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09728774534339999572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8252446784485479462.post-91177795172443942782011-06-27T12:14:00.000-07:002011-06-27T12:24:38.186-07:00making a list and checking it twice<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbFONkbweI4mlSwu_GmHvdPLK72-XlUltOCTwXICHlzSmyvqbKvLJQX29u8_k3FJLei4uFJMUU_32hc_kdjVhFxVm2Qyp0SUpybfeW_Eaxva6ua12SXH8bixsOvc9EgYx0CkcQrOEfSYUi/s1600/toDOPad.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbFONkbweI4mlSwu_GmHvdPLK72-XlUltOCTwXICHlzSmyvqbKvLJQX29u8_k3FJLei4uFJMUU_32hc_kdjVhFxVm2Qyp0SUpybfeW_Eaxva6ua12SXH8bixsOvc9EgYx0CkcQrOEfSYUi/s320/toDOPad.gif" width="243" /></a>no, santa clause is not coming to town...but we're finally starting to check some items off the wedding "to-do" list!<br />
venue (check), wedding dress (check), wedding colors (check), bridesmaid dresses (check), florist (check), photographer (check), caterer (eh...semi check). my goal is to get the big items booked and out of the way so i have the little things to focus on next year. i attended a family graduation party this weekend and i received fantastic advice from my aunts, uncles and cousins. one cousin told me that none of your vendors want to talk to you until 1-2 months before your wedding and then all hell breaks loose. i can't begin wrap my head around the stress level i'll probably be experiencing 2 months away from the wedding day...but at least i have been warned.<br />
<br />
brandon and i attending a wedding two weekends ago and have another one coming up on the 3rd. it's so much fun watching other weddings, to see how things flow, to get ideas, and make mental notes of what you might want to do and what you might not want to do. the last wedding we went to was for brandon's co-worker. we sat with two other couples from his work. one couple was married a year earlier (to the day - it was their one year anniversary!) and the other couple is getting married in less than 30 days. as we were watching the ceremony and reception we kept asking each other questions and advice. at one point during the night i seriously felt like i was on an episode of 4 weddings (tlc)! we all had a good laugh at that, considering every single person at the table knew exactly what I was talking about...even the guys (who all proclaimed they were forced into watching the show...but secretly i think they all get a kick out of it too). I think the craziest part of attending other weddings, when you're engaged and planning one of your own, is thinking "wow that's going to be us" it makes me so excited!<br />
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last on the list of updates for today, we got our engagement photos back! i think we were both a little nervous about how they would turn out. like i mentioned in the previous post it's a little awkward walking around downtown portland with a photographer snapping photos of you for two hours and we were praying the photos wouldn't reflect that. we were relieved to see they didn't and i think elijah really captured our personalities in the photos. i'm so excited to work with jessica and her team and i can't wait to see how the wedding photos will turn out.<br />
<br />
without further ado, here is a sneak peak to the photos (the very last photo is one of my favorites). please stop by jessica's website to view her incredible work <a href="http://jessicahillphotography.com/blog/2011/06/kate_and_brandon_portland_enga.html">jessica hill photography - kate and brandon </a><br />
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hugs<br />
<br />
♡<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7jTNFe6bR5aPlDdhXGqBPh_GBwHllsTRlUw2kIH28zYDhDZ6SakSCZ6mC5YkYYZ0twojsoLowd09u7DUlAn4oy-kntLS1nKzC5sTeojEssgJAgnH6qItwsaT1xIQJKVPWoUOVvDs6Ab3S/s1600/Portland_Engagements_EH-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7jTNFe6bR5aPlDdhXGqBPh_GBwHllsTRlUw2kIH28zYDhDZ6SakSCZ6mC5YkYYZ0twojsoLowd09u7DUlAn4oy-kntLS1nKzC5sTeojEssgJAgnH6qItwsaT1xIQJKVPWoUOVvDs6Ab3S/s640/Portland_Engagements_EH-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizXzkn1mRJ4aEMpwwSHnolRgz1oPIuKw8B_v7C-Er0X_5vNiJZ-CjzFP3EBT26in725As7qbTPhwWosVAyXOCmYkG8xkoEsWu52wX8D-6es87Fel5kwW3zB1e-4PFsDFBoE5zsCLyaF-34/s1600/Portland_Engagements_EH-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizXzkn1mRJ4aEMpwwSHnolRgz1oPIuKw8B_v7C-Er0X_5vNiJZ-CjzFP3EBT26in725As7qbTPhwWosVAyXOCmYkG8xkoEsWu52wX8D-6es87Fel5kwW3zB1e-4PFsDFBoE5zsCLyaF-34/s640/Portland_Engagements_EH-10.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwjUAWgyp7V8Lfmxb5_31o0wSZ13NnBAA3uu5czUd0Ow4g8_3ZxuP2txRt5Hy_Jq4_VjbKFj1IwSbqdb3-369uGu7ZHW5mredEZ7wrxzVep2eRlWrlV5LeM4RreWcOAwIl3N30aRsknIBj/s1600/Portland_Engagements_EH-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwjUAWgyp7V8Lfmxb5_31o0wSZ13NnBAA3uu5czUd0Ow4g8_3ZxuP2txRt5Hy_Jq4_VjbKFj1IwSbqdb3-369uGu7ZHW5mredEZ7wrxzVep2eRlWrlV5LeM4RreWcOAwIl3N30aRsknIBj/s640/Portland_Engagements_EH-11.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfoQK3wv1pyNLFg21X_3xonJ3G4e2pskdEaTwP8UShseMtv-VML9NSeyoMMRULzg8XVE-HiSW4xKs55Z1OIX0HPxxc2Xx09caJWvw97n6EcPTb0uvj7Uc5m-qwRPf2zIL7ZvUh4iTToBlS/s1600/Portland_Engagements_EH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfoQK3wv1pyNLFg21X_3xonJ3G4e2pskdEaTwP8UShseMtv-VML9NSeyoMMRULzg8XVE-HiSW4xKs55Z1OIX0HPxxc2Xx09caJWvw97n6EcPTb0uvj7Uc5m-qwRPf2zIL7ZvUh4iTToBlS/s640/Portland_Engagements_EH.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsL9TuowTw6rzqPJIfGl1bOUHjp5G0UQlHguGZCo7GnG5F_0VJslJ541NJ4fx9RScWeCWiz2zAu-tSLfhOlM-kyHR3Rjp-fyIUYGklFUNgggnXPD_zgEZEQ1TqE7AVl7BhPABESHlTa3lj/s1600/Portland_Engagements_EH-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsL9TuowTw6rzqPJIfGl1bOUHjp5G0UQlHguGZCo7GnG5F_0VJslJ541NJ4fx9RScWeCWiz2zAu-tSLfhOlM-kyHR3Rjp-fyIUYGklFUNgggnXPD_zgEZEQ1TqE7AVl7BhPABESHlTa3lj/s640/Portland_Engagements_EH-5.jpg" width="425" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_PzKWks1Tf6_hiMRpsDnHjm73M15Zzwt-TuoqNurkE7m9rMF_3p84YycCr-aA5xwQGG1H87i1D8-xL2NiHTxRo9Z5nSlHfVoM6bebsM9BP-cVpepiQOlyXAfPNwTD27C7ERrTo2Th-5d-/s1600/Portland_Engagements_EH-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_PzKWks1Tf6_hiMRpsDnHjm73M15Zzwt-TuoqNurkE7m9rMF_3p84YycCr-aA5xwQGG1H87i1D8-xL2NiHTxRo9Z5nSlHfVoM6bebsM9BP-cVpepiQOlyXAfPNwTD27C7ERrTo2Th-5d-/s640/Portland_Engagements_EH-9.jpg" width="425" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhncZge91c0l4jOnLmP4Yj9XrnufhI4TY_xA4pEura2dd0FM3YQFtdLyqPHcZtULpdnchMwYmrma9ldBTz2kcUJ97LYTYkwfULW4doiElfns7fyed186CMmoHytvoK1lFOD-hVGPTBW1lh/s1600/Portland_Engagements_EH-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhncZge91c0l4jOnLmP4Yj9XrnufhI4TY_xA4pEura2dd0FM3YQFtdLyqPHcZtULpdnchMwYmrma9ldBTz2kcUJ97LYTYkwfULW4doiElfns7fyed186CMmoHytvoK1lFOD-hVGPTBW1lh/s640/Portland_Engagements_EH-7.jpg" width="425" /></a></div>kate + brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09728774534339999572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8252446784485479462.post-41891006504047825412011-05-13T17:16:00.000-07:002011-05-13T17:17:42.551-07:00the rules of engagement...photos (and other updates)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7yauV0ADKrhi2D9loS9OZwL4hVSpWYyqQqeGQ9xG79WERaXI8NhV0ABgRveTEMGRCVK3If6HhXKNwIdqunKShXE0Gc7LYDtLWSNheVNsG2vDeLrDPDjJ68HVwvOtLJq7YdPUDtYRdJM5A/s1600/361659.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7yauV0ADKrhi2D9loS9OZwL4hVSpWYyqQqeGQ9xG79WERaXI8NhV0ABgRveTEMGRCVK3If6HhXKNwIdqunKShXE0Gc7LYDtLWSNheVNsG2vDeLrDPDjJ68HVwvOtLJq7YdPUDtYRdJM5A/s400/361659.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>these two little birds sure have been neglected...was my last post really all the way back in feb? well i guess we have a lot of caching up to do. <br />
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first thing is first...i finally said yes to the dress(es)!! i found the one i will wear on the big day yippee... and actually not too long after my last post. it really couldn't be more perfect. when we last left off i found two dresses that i loved but neither one of them felt just right (ha it's like right out of goldilocks and the three bears...except with dresses instead of porridge/chairs/beds...and there's no bears involved). i knew i had to find a dress that was a combination of the two i couldn't decide on..and i did! it is so perfect it's scary...when i found it (valentine's day) and where i found it (sorry this one's a secret only a few close friends have seen it and know where it came from) are literally 2 more pieces of evidence proving to me that things really do happen for a reason! it's beautiful, it's perfect for the venue and it completely fits my personality! i just can't wait until brandon sees it on our day.<br />
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what's even more exciting is the dress i chose completely flipped the script on the whole theme and tone of the wedding. now i'm going back through my bridal magazines and finding incredible inspiration i completely looked over just because it wasn't "in your face" or "modern"!<br />
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i found (well actually my mom found) the bridesmaid dresses as well and again it's a secret! i guess i should probably mention mostly every thing is going to be a secret from now on...no more inspiration boards or sneak peaks...we have some big plans in the works and i don't want anyone to see anything until it is all put together. okay, back to the bridesmaids - do you have any idea how hard it is to find a bridesmaid dress that doesn't look like a bridesmaid dress? it's really quite ridiculous and time consuming! By the way, if you're a designer there's a huge market for non-bridesmaidy-ish looking dresses...so get on top of things before someone else does. challenge #1: it's outside, at a farm, in august...so silk, or satin, or charmeuse, or chiffon, or taffeta is either going to be way too dressy or way too hot! challenge #2 the maids range in ages from 19 to late 30's so finding something that isn't too young or isn't too mature was a little difficult. challenge #3: it's pretty obvious that everyone is a different shape or size so it was really important to find something that would not only be flattering on everyone but most important it has to be comfortable!! i want the girls to have fun and i don't want them to have to spend the day tugging or pulling or thinking about how ridiculous they look in a dress that is all wrong for them. being a bridesmaid is quite the experience and every maid knows that it is the brides day...but every single bridesmaid is such a beautiful part of my life i want them to feel beautiful too! I really think they will in these dresses and as an added perk, *alert-i am about to say one of the biggest bridal cliches known to man kind* yes...i do think the girls could wear the dresses again! ha! i just said that out loud and couldn't help but giggle at that statement.<br />
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what's next...oh the engagement photos!!!!! brandon and i won a free engagement shoot from the photographer we fell in love with. i really wasn't too worried about engagement photos to begin with so because we won the session our main goal was to just have fun with it....and we did! the main photographer was shooting a wedding that day so we actually got to work with elijah hoffman, a wonderfully talented photographer that was so awesome to work with!! it was a little awkward in the beginning...mostly because brandon and i had absolutely no clue what to do. do we look at the camera? do we gaze into each others' eyes? do we stare thoughtfully into the distance? yeah...no clue but once we got the hang of things it got a little easier. elijah was so great about giving us direction and didn't get mad when i literally could not stop laughing when he wanted me to get "moody" (i'm a full teeth smiler so even a half smile feels extremely uncomfortable to me...imagine how hard it was to produce my most extreme stink eye on the spot). all in all it was a really great experience! we had fun, we got to see some really kick ass parts of downtown portland, we took some weird photos (which is fitting because brandon and i are freakshows about 75% of the time), and i'm sure we got some pretty great pictures in there as well. I'm anxious to see them and I am so glad we did it. <br />
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well that's about it for now. i won't leave you hanging for too long. we are creeping up on being a year out from the date...so it's time to get rolling!<br />
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hugs<br />
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♡kate + brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09728774534339999572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8252446784485479462.post-7378059790722630172011-02-08T13:21:00.000-08:002011-02-08T13:23:38.348-08:00say "yes" to the dress<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwcieWUSwV28Bcx2ijumoFKzwIOvz4CiII4pVGOrRHIjd6oA0FGI5byV4-vZAU-lSAkr7SWKzpXpOUqmMb2gg_Vt4g67pb4sAW_v3KTV40PB7SDx3Xyq0h4dNRm9PkucB5pbQoaGHNT6w8/s1600/jason-wu-wedding-dresses-sketch-590sc111010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwcieWUSwV28Bcx2ijumoFKzwIOvz4CiII4pVGOrRHIjd6oA0FGI5byV4-vZAU-lSAkr7SWKzpXpOUqmMb2gg_Vt4g67pb4sAW_v3KTV40PB7SDx3Xyq0h4dNRm9PkucB5pbQoaGHNT6w8/s400/jason-wu-wedding-dresses-sketch-590sc111010.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>i guess i've always done things a little different (when you look at the way things are done in a pretty traditional catholic family)...so why should this wedding be anything but nontraditional. since the engagement i've been determined not to be that crazy bride i see all over reality tv shows. i am overwhelmed by the massive bridal shows, i am painfully uncomfortable when all the attention is centered on me, and i think it would be easier to find my wedding dress on my own rather than with an entourage. but a few weeks ago i had the most "bridey" experience and my reaction to it surprised me!<br />
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i have been searching the web for the perfect wedding dress. i found one and, of course, it wasn't your typical wedding dress. i tried it on and fell in love but before purchasing i still wanted to get that whole dress experience. the more i started talking about this dress the more people wanted to see it so i rounded up my "entourage" and headed for the dress. even though the people with me were family it was still a little awkward having all eyes on me. i don't know why but oohing and awing makes me cringe. everyone loved the dress...apparently "it's so me." but i still wanted to see what was out there before making this big decision. we went to an adorable boutique in sellwood and that's where the magic happened. the 4th dress i tried on made me feel like a full on white wearing', bouquet tossin', "i do" sayin' bride! there i was standing on a little pedestal while they kept adding things making me feel even more bridey! hair up, hair piece here, sash there...it was incredible...and i actually liked the feeling. it made everything seem more real like this is really happening and i'm so excited for our special day.<br />
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so you would think this dress that made me feel like a bona fide bride would be the one right? oh no that would be too easy. truthfully i still can't let the first dress go. the two are completely different and each one would give off completely different "vibes" to the wedding. this would be an occasion where i would hold the first dress in my right hand, the second in my left, look at brandon and say: "okay pick!" and he would totally tell me what he thought of each one with 100% honesty. well i can't do that in this situation so i'm having a little bit of a hard time. the good news is that i have a year and a half to look and now i know what i'm looking for: a blend of the two! i'm confident i'll find it...and when i do i'm actually looking forward to getting another taste of that bridey feeling. <br />
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hugs<br />
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♡kate + brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09728774534339999572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8252446784485479462.post-86189622310883830352011-01-05T16:30:00.000-08:002011-01-05T16:32:05.530-08:00inspiration board #3-mellow yellow<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRiEfucpsaF1Su0r4jFoe6JTxRUDTHnpc51Lp-sGw2sro1vgKQi1UK-8GUADAmIg3dmXMK1rWz13GoppOYNug0D34TGqxe6hhWnAaBl9O18ih_LB_s6ORrJEvwjJNc2rKO6t-z7_w_Zmzq/s1600/Inspiration+Board+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRiEfucpsaF1Su0r4jFoe6JTxRUDTHnpc51Lp-sGw2sro1vgKQi1UK-8GUADAmIg3dmXMK1rWz13GoppOYNug0D34TGqxe6hhWnAaBl9O18ih_LB_s6ORrJEvwjJNc2rKO6t-z7_w_Zmzq/s400/Inspiration+Board+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>we're back! brandon and i had a fantastic holiday season and i'm hoping you all did too! it was nice to take a break from all things wedding. a week before christmas we went to zoo lights with friends and the next day attended two family parties...and there were a ton of wedding questions at each event. i had to stop and giggle a little because it literally hit me again "oh yeah we're getting married"! <br />
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so it's back to reality now that the holidays are over and it's actually nice and refreshing and exciting...and one more "year" closer to the date :) i've had a lot of fun revisiting websites i love and i've been getting a few more ideas. i'm literally obsessed with this color combo: gray and yellow! it's fun and beautiful and unexpected and i just love it! i've been playing around with the idea of having yellow burlap. i love texture and i love pattern but i want to combine the two in a way that's not overwhelming and chaotic.<br />
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i am 99% sure gray and yellow will be a part of our colors...but i can't forget about the rest of my friends on the color wheel. i keep going back to the picture of the necklace...and the lanterns on inspiration board #2. maybe we will use white and gray as neutrals...yellow as the main color...then the bold colors in inspiration board #2 as accents: white table cloth, yellow burlap runner, bold farm fresh flowers in simple white or clear vases with gray ribbon? i'm not sure (i keep changing my mind) and the great thing is we have a lot of time to make these world changing decisions :)<br />
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there is one thing i'm sure of: i don't want it to look staged. having props seems to be pretty popular according to the wedding blogs. desks, and suitcases, and sofas in the middle of fields and barns cluttered with little odds and ends. it's cute...but there is a point where the theme and all the stuff that comes with it becomes overkill and that is the complete opposite of what i'm going for. i think i've told everybody at this point (or maybe i just keep saying it over and over to myself) i don't want it to be a production. i want it to be fun and effortless and i want to make sure people enjoy themselves!<br />
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good bye for now friends brandon and i will keep updating as we get inspired...or stressed which ever one comes first :)<br />
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hugs<br />
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♡kate + brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09728774534339999572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8252446784485479462.post-80765891110003477602010-11-30T22:40:00.000-08:002010-12-01T13:26:31.941-08:00save the date<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMRC_1R8Cfj9YSQMkXTdygAqlcQaA6b6gXOMj-QogvaQzS_uMJxHds0al2n-Lwxa7t7lgd3Um14xNVnhjvpAbcrJ5jXIuVOIzv74CokSlv2Zh7i-7iYnOtc8d69IVHXhdWGeajwBNtdtmI/s1600/save+the+date.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMRC_1R8Cfj9YSQMkXTdygAqlcQaA6b6gXOMj-QogvaQzS_uMJxHds0al2n-Lwxa7t7lgd3Um14xNVnhjvpAbcrJ5jXIuVOIzv74CokSlv2Zh7i-7iYnOtc8d69IVHXhdWGeajwBNtdtmI/s400/save+the+date.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>we have so many updates to share and i feel like i have been neglecting our poor little blog. update #1: first thing's first: we found our perfect venue and set a date! 8.18.2012 is the day we're going to get married whoop! we went to the first (and only) venue a few weeks ago and absolutely fell in love. even clouds and drizzle couldn't hide the beauty of this special place...i can't imagine what it is going to look like in the summer. our venue is a perfect fit for our personalities and vision. now i can't wait to create the little touches that will really make it our own on our big day.<br />
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update #2: the big medak/smithey/prazeau family dinner was a success...and i was right...our two families completely hit it off. it was so much fun to have everyone together and it was pretty cool watching our families finally get to know each other. i'm looking forward to many more occasions just like this. seeing two wonderful families together makes us feel so blessed to have been raised in loving and supportive homes. now that i'm older and getting ready to start a whole new chapter in my life i find myself naturally adopting and adapting the traditions, morals and values that each family has raised us with. how lucky are brandon and i to have amazing examples to learn from as we start a life and eventually a family of our own!<br />
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update #3: mom and i went to my first bridal fair...and i was 100% completely overwhelmed! the fair started off with a fellow bride getting a little ticked because she thought we were trying to cut her in line. mom and i just looked at another and couldn't help but giggle! there were so many vendors and by the end of the event my brain felt a little foggy from all of the information i collected and important details i hadn't even thought of. i just needed a little time to let everything sink in...and soon i totally realized there were lot of great ideas i would like to use for our big day. the best part was talking to a few photographers and caterers that had experience working with our venue. one photographer gave us a wealth of information we will definitely use as we continue planning. i'm still not sure if the whole big huge bridal fair/expo thing is for me...but i'm glad i got to experience one and i'm so happy my mom was there to ask the important questions and keep me smiling! oh i almost forgot: i entered a ton of drawings and brandon and i won a night at the fabulous elliott hotel in astoria! woo hoo!<br />
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update #4: one of the great things about the internet is that we have access to so many fantastic ideas and examples to make our wedding day unique. i have been madly obsessed with the wedding blog world. some of the thing people come up with are so incredible and i'm naturally drawn to any and everything diy! at first i had a shmorgishborg of ideas/colors/decorations/themes swirling around my head. it's fun for me to begin to narrow down those ideas and really see a theme of my own start to develop.<br />
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update #5 (last one i promise): these are NOT our official save the dates. i really just wanted a fun picture to post and this project gave me the opportunity to develop my very limited adobe illustrator skills (this topic is long enough for a whole other blog in itself so i will spare you the design program details)!<br />
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time for bed...and i hope to update this a little more often. life has been a whirlwind and i'm sure it's going to get even crazier for everyone now that the holiday season has arrived. so tonight i'm signing out in the words of sue:<br />
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hugs<br />
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♡kate + brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09728774534339999572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8252446784485479462.post-10769379964497036272010-11-09T23:36:00.000-08:002010-11-09T23:39:38.605-08:00inspiration board #2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXn3yUENctdmlw6kPwohrSaZrteREaK44XG0Xbr8N7owteV9c-xPpD-i8WrwcHlZniP9qKhWwI_A7i8ZvA6TxudJ1Bpym8hCEK_Z-uNDtYhYAxRsz512zBSDRPFim5-3F4J8vwvEMTdlMX/s1600/inspiration-board.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXn3yUENctdmlw6kPwohrSaZrteREaK44XG0Xbr8N7owteV9c-xPpD-i8WrwcHlZniP9qKhWwI_A7i8ZvA6TxudJ1Bpym8hCEK_Z-uNDtYhYAxRsz512zBSDRPFim5-3F4J8vwvEMTdlMX/s400/inspiration-board.gif" width="400" /></a></div>things are happening this weekend: 1) i am finally get my ring sized saturday morning. it's starting to make me a little nervous because it's too big and i would literally die if anything happened to it (knocking on wood). i'm also anxious to look at the wedding band options. i told brandon i didn't want a wedding band but he and his mom both said "believe us once you see them, you'll want one"! i also get to see what brandon wants for his ring...although i think i have a pretty good idea of which one it is. i love yurman the "coil" is what i'm so in love with and i love that brandon has fallen in love with yurman as well. 2) we are celebrating our engagement with both of our families at my parent's house for dinner!! this will be the first time everyone will meet and i'm so excited. the great thing is our families are so similar and i know once they all get together it really will be a total blast! 3) we are looking at a venue this weekend whoooooop! family and a few of our close friends are aware of the venue but i'm tempted to keep it a secret to internet land because i think it would be kind of fun to surprise everyone when it's closer to the date. speaking of the date...the venue is pretty much booked through 2011 (unless we want a friday or sunday) so we're thinking it's going to be a 2012 wedding. i think brandon would like to "get it over with" but i don't mind a long engagement. it means more time to create the decorations! if we love it, if it can handle our 250 guest list (which just so happens to be giving me daily heart attacks), and if the price is reasonable then we're booking it! how exciting! bill and sue are coming with us just because after 3 weddings they're pretty much pros when it comes to this stuff. honestly i wouldn't even know what questions to ask...and i think they have a more "realistic" idea of just how massive this wedding may be. <br />
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another inspiration board with ideas. how lucky am i that brandon shares the same "vision" for our big day. we always seem to be on the same page and i adore the ideas he's been coming up with! i don't want to be that bride (i think we all have experienced her at one time or another) whose motto ends up being "my way or the highway." my main goal is to enjoy the planning, to make it personal, and to make it fun! we want people to feel like this is a celebration true to our personalities, rather than a ritual, and most of all we just want people to enjoy themselves, enjoy life and enjoy love!<br />
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♡kate + brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09728774534339999572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8252446784485479462.post-65510192318571381212010-11-03T17:48:00.000-07:002010-11-03T17:48:19.688-07:00inspiration board #1<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaRqycyl0b9pqsghWvAbwOnLyszrEpT1XFkFaqsZNhOWmOXzCoDxSUieezC7Xjmtnq3E-9buI3aPu95xseuFdP_mOoaCd5qYBtGVrhrQb1JTIRa3FygKaQ8UIBvRm_ajdt07-Cb3MPdfIA/s1600/Inspiration+Board+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaRqycyl0b9pqsghWvAbwOnLyszrEpT1XFkFaqsZNhOWmOXzCoDxSUieezC7Xjmtnq3E-9buI3aPu95xseuFdP_mOoaCd5qYBtGVrhrQb1JTIRa3FygKaQ8UIBvRm_ajdt07-Cb3MPdfIA/s640/Inspiration+Board+copy.jpg" width="526" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">many more to follow</td></tr>
</tbody></table>kate + brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09728774534339999572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8252446784485479462.post-7539772476660702242010-11-03T13:09:00.000-07:002010-11-03T13:51:23.463-07:00we're engaged!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKxqWIyb8_K91lUtKZeAcREG68geCAs1JdYPaIBJbFajachmAtuRYWw3o5FRzU22lZaA-GzP5u61cUvcHJz4x1CHE2orj47pipdsfkIxqvgtPzGZZFVQYRykz-1oSnFisxF8iTxpeJZo2z/s1600/73266_1457782800544_1112584622_31070106_6623140_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 174px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKxqWIyb8_K91lUtKZeAcREG68geCAs1JdYPaIBJbFajachmAtuRYWw3o5FRzU22lZaA-GzP5u61cUvcHJz4x1CHE2orj47pipdsfkIxqvgtPzGZZFVQYRykz-1oSnFisxF8iTxpeJZo2z/s200/73266_1457782800544_1112584622_31070106_6623140_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535420270226250450" border="0" /></a>most of you, if not all of you, know by now that brandon and i are engaged!yippee!! it came as a complete surprise and it couldn't have been more perfect! so here's the story: for the past few weeks brandon had been mentioning how he wanted to get out of town and suggested we go to the beach on sunday the 31st. for those of you who do not know me, i'm incredibly stubborn! i flat out didn't want to go to the beach for the the following reasons: 1. it was supposed to rain...and rain at the beach is only fun if you're cozied up in a warm cabin sipping tea 2. it was a sunday!!!!! sundays are my lazy days where i mentally prepare myself for the upcoming work week...duh :) 3. i really didn't see what the rush was and why we couldn't plan a whole weekend at the beach after jeff and michele's wedding (this saturday nov. 6 - can't wait). tuesday october 26th is when brandon finally realized i wasn't going to give in to the whole "beach for the day" idea (which happened to include the proposal in front of haystack rock - my favorite place in the world) and since he didn't want to hold on to that ring anymore he decided to do it that night!<br /><br />I won't go into details about the actual proposal. all i will say is it was perfect and very fitting to our personalities! we are both very excited....and sometimes i still find myself saying out loud "i can't believe that we are actually going to get married" (which is usually followed by a high pitched squeal). sometimes i ask how we got so lucky...but then i remember it was a very long road to get to where we are today: 8 years, two different states, a few relationships that we both learned so much from, and a handful of very good friends who always believed brandon and i would end up together :) thanks to our dear friends and family for the never ending love and support and a huge thanks to all that have wished us well!<br /><br />i decided to create a blog to document this fun/exciting/sometimes stressful/ experience. it is also a way to semi organize the trillion ideas i have floating around in my head. stay tuned and in the words of leann, michele, chisa, nicole, and sabrina "things are happening!!!!!"<br /><br />♡kate + brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09728774534339999572noreply@blogger.com2