I'd Like to Thank the Academy...and "Mad Men"

We've almost made it through four seasons of Mad Men in less than three weeks.

I'd like to thank ourselves for purchasing a TV with built in wireless and Netflix.

I'd also like to thank ourselves for being so smart as to put a mattress in the living room to have such lovely accommodations for accomplishing this feat.

I'd like to thank our jobs for being so stressful and tiring that all we want to do every night is lay on said mattress and watch said show.

Oh yeah, I guess I should thank Mad Men for being an alright show...

Home Sweet Home Sick

To anyone who knows me it probably isn't any big surprise that I have been homesick lately. 

It has nothing to do with not liking Louisville or not loving that I get to see Brian all the time. 

It just isn't Cincinnati, and the adjustment isn't as easy as I thought.

On Friday I decided to bring some of Cincinnati home to me:

 I was glad to have a GNO in Louisville with Hannah and Erin enjoying sushi, drinks and dancing. 

It was fun to do something that I would do in Cincinnati with some great new friends.

 

On Saturday, a little bit of Cincinnati came to me.

We opened up Hotel Prentsch for my parents and Lindsey, with an appearance from Jill and Brian! 

Even though it was 100 and some odd degrees out, we ventured to Downs After Dark for some horse racing under the lights!

I was sad to see them go this morning, but am excited to be in Cincy this coming weekend to see them and some of my other friends and family again.

All in all it was a great weekend.
I was reminded how great my new friends are here in Louisville, while having the ever constant reminder that there's no place like home.

A Black Wedding Dress and a Trip to the Village

I knew it was bound to happen, I just didn't know when.

Wedding nightmares dreams.

And it's not just me. 

Brian has them too.

If anything, I feel this is an opportunity for an amazing blog idea.
These will be funny to look back on later.

Dream One- Thursday night- June 21-22.

In this dream we meet one procrastinating bridesmaid- Lindsey.

It is the day of the rehearsal dinner and Lindsey still has no dress.

Because of this we are frantic to find "any black dress".

This leads us to The Village in the Newport Shopping Center. 

(Yes, in my dreams that store still exists).

While we do not find a dress, Lindsey finds some owl collectibles and insists on waiting in the long line even though it will make us late for the rehearsal dinner (that is, of course, on a boat).

Dream Two- Friday night- June 22-23

In this dream, I am at a party which a lot of soon-to-be brides were invited to.

As a result, it becomes a necessary idea for all of us to try on our wedding dresses- which of course we all just happen to have brought with us.

I open my garment bag and my dress is black.

That's really all you need to know about that dream.

High Five for Friday

I keep forgetting to do my high five for Friday posts!

1) The most obvious one would be that today we are heading on a mini roadtrip to go try out some breweries in Broad Ripple, IN but most importantly, we are going to see DMB tomorrow night!

2) I received my first Birchbox in the mail!!

                                                  

3) We decided that since we only have the one TV so far, that we would put our extra mattress in the living room since no one is using our spare room.  This has turned out to be our best idea yet.  Besides deciding to get married, of course.

4) We started watching Mad Men and oh my goodness was I missing out before!  We have three more seasons to catch-up on! (from the mattress, of course)

5) My car turned out to be fine!  On Tuesday, it was acting funky and wasn't shifting to the next gear,.  Brian drove it around last night and it was totally fine!  I drove it to work today, too, and it was okay!  Yay for not needing car repairs!

Comment back with your high fives!

Wedding Season!

So far this spring/summer, Brian and I have been to two Louisville weddings. 

One we attended as guests, and the other we had the honor of being in as a bridesmaid and groomsman.

Both weddings were beautifully and indiviually unique and at great locations.

Both weddings also made me nervous, stressed and excited for my own!
Ony 147 days away...yikes. 
Oh, be sure to check out our website at zanitschandprentice.ourwedding.com!

Here are some pictures from the weddings we attended!

Just two more summer weddings to attend and then ours in the fall!

High Five for Friday (a little late...)

I totally forgot to do my High Fives last Friday, so I thought I would go ahead and do them today!

1) Last Friday, Brian and I decided to have a date night.  We went to this restaurant on Bardstown Road that we hadn't been to before.  It was pretty good!  We then went to the boats where I, of course played penny slots, and Brian won $90 playing roulette.

2) With the help of Captain Brad, we set sail on Geist Lake to do some fishing and swimming.  It was a great time!  Brad and Brian caught fish.  I caught twigs. Sounds about right.

 

3) Sunday it was off to New York for a conference with Kristi and Karly!  It was a long weekend full of TONS of information, lots of delayed flights, and lots of rain in the Big Apple, but it was fun!  I got to see my GSWO friends, and make some new GSK friends along the way :)

4) Being in NYC, I missed Brian SOOO much!  A highlight of this week was being reminded that I am one lucky girl in the fiance department.  He really is fantastic and makes me happier than I thought any one person could. Gross, I know.

5) I got to go back to Cincy for some bachelorette fun for Becca.  I got to go to all of my favorite places and party with some old and new friends.  Good times for sure!

Text Tuesday

So last week I was in NYC and it was the first time Brian and I spent any time apart since I moved to the 'ville. 

 I knew that he of course had to be missing me, so I thought I'd ask him what he missed most. 

I assumed he would say things like not having to eat Ramen Noodles for dinner, or not having to deal with Dave on his own, but this is what I got...

Gross.  Yuck.  Puke.

To say that I am lucky is an understatement.

We're Big Kids Now

Today Brian and I made our first joint home purchases. 

We purchased cleaning supplies, laundry sorters, shelves, and a television.

After all of our shopping around, we of course had to stop and have a couple beers to celebrate the fact that we aged ten years.

We hung the shelves in the kitchen so we could display some of the pint glasses we have collected from Pint Night at Flanagan's- we're cute.

As I look at our damn near flawless shelf hanging as well as our new still in the box 50" LCD TV (with wireless, thank you very much), I'm pretty confident that we will be a great big kid team.

We still have yet to mount the TV on the wall, but given our awesome shelf hanging skills, I'm sure it will be a piece of cake.

If I hear any late night glass crashes, I will report back.

Oh, and we picked a wedding song.

 BOOM!

(Premature) Baby Fever

AHH! I have to have one!!

Brian has had it in his head for a while now that we should have babies soon after we get married.  I was the one who has been pretty adamant about waiting a few years to have time to ourselves.  His point is in relation to age and the fact that he would like to have kids before he turns 30.  It must run in his family because the first time we saw his parents after our engagement his dad asked “so when will we get the grandkids?!”.

Lately, the more we talk about it, the more I’m convinced that I don’t want to wait as long as I thought.  After spending the weekend with Kristi and Karly (shoutout!) and witnessing firsthand the joy they have because of their kids, I am pretty set on not having a long turnaround on this whole process.  I realize that this will “change everything”, but I also realize that it wouldn’t be a negative change by any means.

It’s a scary, yet exciting thought to have in our minds, and hopefully our lives guide us towards the right decision at the right time.

The only cure for this fever is more cowbell?

Ricky Burdette

This is the post in which I mention Ricky Burdette. 

You're welcome, Ricky Burdette.

High Five for Friday!

So I admittedly stole this idea from another Blogger, but imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right?

The idea is to choose five highlights from the week, and share them in my High Five for Friday Blog.

So, here we go!

1) We had an all team meeting in Owensboro, KY where I got to meet all of the MVP team staff members.  It was great to finally put faces to names!
The "road trip" with Karly was fun as well, and a great time for me to get to know people at the office! 

2) I purchased a new Hot Tools curling iron (with help from all my Ulta coupons) and it'a amazing.
Even Brian complimented my hair- that's big for a guy.

3) Brian and I decided to have a date night tonight. 

Because I date a computer game nerd, we have spent some time apart this week so he could play his new game. 
(I got to have a lot of Emily time, so I really can't complain.)

4) This week (Thursday) was the 6 month mark until our wedding day :)

5) It's Mexican Friday!

From the desk of Madame Director:

I have gotten really bad at blogging lately. 

I always have good intentions, but then I get distracted. 
But, there is actually a good reason for this:  I got a job!
I went into Girl Scouts for some additional meetings and I finally received an offer from the CEO.
I started here on May 7 and it has been a whirlwind since day one.
I am the new Director of Membership and Community Development for Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana.
Holy Hell , I mean, heck.

Since starting at Girl Scouts, I have met some very nice people and been faced with some interesting challenges.
I have had to learn a lot on my own, and as I go.
There are two other new directors who have been with this council for awhile, so it has been interesting to share perspectives on different things.
We all get along very well and have similar opinions on future plans.
It will be an exciting challenge for me, that's for sure.

Some other recent fun news is that I went to The Oaks for the first time! 
Becca and I decided that since we had the day off, we might as well be locals and head down to the races!
After a $34 cab ride, the adventure began.
I had my first Lilly drink and was beyond excited to finally try one and have the glass!
We left a bit early and were lucky to only get downpoured on for a brief time before Brian picked us up.
Bless him.

Something I am learning about Louisville is that allergies are ten times worse than Cincinnati.
I certainly wish someone would have disclosed that information in the move to Louisville brochure. 
I am now fully stocked on meds, nose spray, eye drops, and back-up meds.

We recently purchased a fire pit for the backyard and it has easily made us the "party house" with our friends. 
I like it because I can make s'mores. 
I guess the ambiance is nice, too. 

We have become "regulars" at Flanagan's Ale House on Thursday evenings.
Before you start diagnosing us with an addictive disease, I should explain that on Thursdays they have Pint Night.
Pint Night is when they have two beers on special- one at 7:00 and one at 8:00-and when you order it, you get to keep the glass.
We have quite the collection now.

I am looking forward to friends and family making trips down to visit over the next month. 
I don't honestly miss Cincinnati that much, but do miss the people who were in my day to day life.
Cincinnati and Louisville have a lot in common which makes this transition fairly easy.

Some recent fun events that I want to remember:
Freezing my butt off at Thunder

Engagement pictures

Captain's Quarters

Playing golf with Brian and his dad

Car hitting a house
Go-cart/Putt-Putting day

Walk the Moon concert

...To Louisville

Well, today marks two weeks that I have been in the ville. 

I guess you could say that I am now a true "Louisivillan" or "Louisvillite"...you decide. I need to back track a little, so this is from the first day I was in Louiville, April 16, and on!

Monday

The day I got down here, I'm talking minutes within arriving, I dropped off my car load and Dave at the house.  Then, I went to drop my car off at the collision center after my second (yes, second) rearending in the month).  When I went to Enterprise to get my rental, I opted for the fully loaded new Jeep Liberty.  I got to cruise around the ville like a boss for a week.

 That night we went to the Daniel Tosh performance and had some drinks at Ri Ra on Fourth Street Live! afterwards. 

Tuesday

Today I went to meet with the Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana. 

I thought I was just meeting with HR, which is who I had spoken with before.  I thought this would be no big deal and a cake-walk. 

When I arrived she informed me that I would actually be meeting with the Chief of Staff and the COO. 

Oh dear.

I thought the interview went very well, and was surprisingly okay with everything that we went over. 

Time would tell what would come for me next.

That night we went and got my J. Gumbos that I was craving.  After, we went to get even more mulch to put down- 27 bags total.  Then we bought a new shower curtain to replace the "angry bird", and bought a new table and chair patio set!

Out with the old, angry bird...

...in with the new.  Don't worry, the old one is being stored for the future "man cave" in a new house.

Dave LOVES the new patio set!

 

Wednesday

Today was a day full of decisions and relaxation. 

Sounds like opposing thoughts, but it was true.

Since my Girl Scout interview had gone well and they were interested in me for some high opportunity positions, I had to make a decision to stick it out and continue interviewing with them, or tell them I had already found a job and start work with the company that made me an offer.  After a lot of discussion with Brian, we decided to go for the better opportunity of working with Girl Scouts and continuing my years of service with them.  Also, the opportunity for the type of job I could get was greater than holding out for the entry level position with the other company.

Whew...after decisions comes fun!  After Brian finished working we did some yardwork, got Dave a stake for a leash in the yard, and grilled out some yummy food!  Then it was off to trivia!

Thursday

My parents came down to visit today and I took them all over to eat and shop. 

We first went to Wild Eggs to get brunch, then headed over to do some wedding shopping.

We went to Home Depot so that they could help me pick out some plants for our yard!

We spent some time outside with Dave to enjoy the day.

After Brian got off of work, we met my parents over at Rocky's for dinner and drinks. 

During dinner, I got the call that I would be interviewing for the Director of Membership for Girl Scouts on Monday- AHHHH!

On the way home, we remembered that it was Pint Night at Flanagans so we headed there for some drinks!

Friday

I did yardwork on Friday! 

Planted all the new flowers and got the house looking all good. 

That night, we met with my cousins, Gary and Nita.  Gary is going to officiate our ceremony when we get married. 

We headed to Holy Grale for drinks, then to Phoenix Hill to hear Jessica play!

It was a fun Friday!

From Cincy

Oh, hello, everyone. 
It appears that I have taken a brief hiatus from the blogging world. 
No fear, I am back. 

So many things have happened since I last blogged. 
I'm not even sure where to begin, but I will do my best to catch up.

My last weeks in Cincinnati were spent with friends, family, and co-workers. 
My last day of work was celebrated with a lot of my co-workers, and I was very excited to spend time with so many at my going away lunch.  My team gave me some great gifts, and I was especially excited to receive my Cone Zone apron!  It was so amazingly creative and thoughtful, and I shouldn't have expected anything less.

My amazing apron!

The Dream Team at lunch on my last day!



Flowers from Brian on my last day!



My last weekend in Cincinnati was definitely centered around those that mean the most to me. 
I spent time in OTR at Bakersfield and Lackman on Friday night with Lindsey, Julie, Kristina and Gina.  We had the most amazing food I have ever had at Bakersfield.  Just talking about it now makes me want to go there NOW!

Saturday was spent with my friends and family as we went bridesmaid dress shopping and then out to Mt. Adams bars, Moerlein, and of course, Newport. It was a bittersweet night.

Me under the bar sign "The Next Chapter".  Seemed fitting.

Sunday was moving day and Brian, his dad, and Brad all came to my rescue to help squish 25 years into two trucks.  It was a rough feat, but they did it! Once my room was empty, I cleaned like a maid and then headed to my parents house to spend my last night in the NKY.  Dave had his first ice cream cone, and it was a great weekend had by all.

I only cried a little as a pulled out of the driveway of my parents' house.  It wasn't even that I was sad to leave, but it was just a change.  No one likes change.  At least no one that I know.  While it is a good change, it is still unfamiliar.  It was a feeling of excitement, nervousness, sadness, and reminiscing all at once. 

The only thing that I could do to express all of that was cry. 

Luckily, it was short lived. 

The minute I got onto 71 South, the sun started shining. 

It was sunny the whole way to Louisville after it had been so rainy that morning. 

It seemed as though everything was going to be JUST fine.

Am I really going to miss it here?

The answer to this is most obviously: yes.

I thought that I would compile a list of things that I will miss the most. 

(Disclaimer: family and friends are a given, and are not included on this list.)

• Listening to Chris Carr and Company and Big Dave and Chelsie on B105
• The woman at the Bellevue McDonalds who always gives me my coffee in the morning.  She's so nice.
• Knowing my way around
• The view coming into Cincinnati from the "cut in the hill"
• Having other people know what the "cut in the hill" is

More to come.... This will be a "working blog list" and I will add more to it as it comes to me...

Living the Louisville Life

This weekend I am in Louisville. 
It's odd because I know that the drive back to Cincy tomorrow, will be the last one I have. 
Not in a morbid way, and not in the "I'm never going back there" way, but in the, the next time I come down here I will be moving here and not required to go back to Cincy on a Monday morning, way.

While this is all super exciting, it is a little scary and indeed sad.
After being here this weekend, however, and doing all of the every day things, it is a move I am ready for and excited about.
Normally on the weekends we have excessive plans that are all very exciting, but tend to make the weekend fly by and make coming here more exciting than it probably should be.
This weekend we didn't have too many things planned (well, we did, but some fell through), so it gave me a chance to just live a normal life here.  From cleaning and yardwork to running errands on my own, I was able to see normal life on Freestone Court. 
And I liked it.

Friday night we had drinks, unpacked my first round of items, and watched TV shows that he DVRs for me.

Saturday I tried my hand- rather, pretty gardening glove- at weeding and mulching.
Brian and I made a pretty good team, but came up about 12 bags of mulch short. Stay tuned...
But, here is a before and after picture of one side!

I should mention that last night was the big Final Four game which UK/UofL played for a place in the championship game.
Ricky and Becca had us over for the game, and Brian was a lone reed in a field of UK fans.
Poor guy. (He He!)

Last, but not least, today is Dave's third birthday!  He got lots of toys and some basketball rawhides!  He has had a great day, but is exhausted now!  He's a big boy, yes he is!