Home, Sweet Home

For the last few days, we have been working on getting packed to make the move down to Granite City. To those of you who don't know, we just bought a house and we are getting ready to close on it Monday, April 28th. We just bought all new appliances and we can't wait to use the new dishwasher. It is a brand new house that is a bi-level and the downstairs isn't even finished yet. But we have really big ideas for how we are going to finish it (it gives Jeremy a little project to work on since he only works 2-3 days a week;) For right now, you can see the St. Louis Arch out of the patio doors in the kitchen! Once we get moved down there and get a reliable internet connection I will post pictures. There are a coupl spare bedrooms so anyone is welcome to come and stay a weekend.

I finally said goodbye to my friends who are also known as my co-workers last Friday night. They all took me out to eat at a really cool place called Caite Girl's in downown Springfield. It was sad at the end of the night knowing that I would not be returning to work with them the following Tuesday. But I'm sure we will keep in touch and we will never forget the many good times...and the few not so good times there at White Oaks West Animal Hospital. Everyone is still invited to the wedding, of course and they better be there!

I start my new job this Tuesday and I am really nervous about it. I hate starting new jobs. Everyone tells me that I will be fine but it still doens't keep me from being scared. For those of you who don't know, I am starting a new job as a veterinary technician at Edwardsville Pet Hospital. The three-doctor practice is only ten minutes away from Granite and they do a lot of specialty surgeries. I actually can't wait to see them. I'm told they go out every Thurdays night to eat or for drinks and I'm sure I will make a lot of new friends.

After the house is moved in to and everything settles down, I will start on the wedding again. And thistime I am going to hit it hard. I can't believe the wedding is only seven months away! There is so much to do. Keep cheching back!


...by the way, our new address is going to be:

2216 Hunter's Point
Granite City. IL 62040

Food for Thought

I have begun putting together a menu for dinner at the reception. I have decided to go with Turasky's Catering from Springfield, IL. I am not sure about which menu to go with, but I'm sure that everything will be very tasty.

I have also started to pick out invitations and programs and even have an idea of when and where my bridal shower will be.

I have asked Faith Wheaton, whom I work with at White Oaks West Animal Hospital, if she would be interested in playing piano during the ceremony and she graciously accepted. I am really excited for everyone to hear her play.

I have also begun my dress fittings. I had to pay almost half the cost of the dress to get almost half the dress cut off. You would think I would get a discount because they could just about use all the material to make another dress! That's what short people have to deal with though. My veil is also getting worked on. I can pick them up on April 16th. Can't wait to have them back!

Things are coming along slowly but surely. With us trying to find a place to live in Granite City and trying to find a new job that will work with my school scedule, everything is getting a little jumbled. But everything is starting to fall into place and it won't be long until it's time to walk down the aisle.

The Honeymoon is in the Works!

Earlier this week, Jeremy and I paid a visit to The Travel Center in Taylorville and did some research on a honeymoon to the Bahamas! We are planning on staying on Paradise Island at the Atlantis hotel. The Atlantis has a 34-acre waterpark and many different aquariums. It also have a huge casino. There are tons of beautiful beaches and crystal clear water.

There are tons of things to do. So far, we have looked into going SCUBA diving, snorkeling, swimming with dolphins and deep sea fishing. If we go SCUBA diving, we have to take lessons first for about an hour and the tour will be guided. Which is fine with me because I don't want to get eaten by a Baracuda or something and Jeremy is scared of sharks. There is also main road that goes all the way around the island of New Providence. You can rent scooters and go all the way around the island in about half a day and visit all the beaches.

In addition to all of these things to do, there are also amazing restauraunts, golfing, spas and night clubs. It's going to be so much fun. I'm going to take so many pictures. I'm just not looking forward to the plane ride.

We are planning on leaving the day after out wedding, Nov. 23 around 9:30 a.m. and we will be gone for five nights and come back on Nov. 29 the day after Thanksgiving around 8:30 p.m. We will fly from St. Louis to Orlando and switch planes and head to Nassau International Airport (the oppsite on the way back). The weather during Novemeber is highs in the lower eighties and lows in the upper seventies. And they call that winter! It is still nice and maybe there won't be as many people there.

We are going to register with the Travel Center so guests can put money towards the honeymoon instead of getting gifts. The memories will mean so much more to us.

The Ceremony Site

We are happy to announce the place in which our wedding ceremony will be. Our ceremony site is set and will be at the Edinburg Trinity Lutheran Church in Edinburg. The officiant will be Pastor Gaylord Spilker. This church is important to me because so many of my family have been married here. My Grandma and Grandpa Ostermeier were the first couple to be married when the church was rebuilt. My mom and dad were married here, along with my two brothers, Mark (and Tracy) and Scott (and Addrienne).

Moving Along...

The wedding planning in moving along pretty well. By now I have purchased my dress and everything that goes along with it, like shoes, my viels, and my tiara all from David's Bridal. I have my dress fitting scheduled for February 28th. Everything fits great except for the length.
We have booked the reception hall and it will be at the Firefighter's/Postal Lake Club in Springfield. We have officailly set the date for Novemeber 22, 2008. We also booked our DJ, who happends to be named DJ, Jeremy's old partner from Springfield Area Ambulance.
We still have a lot to do, but the ideas are rolling. I have an idea about the caterer, the cake and we have also started on the guest list. There are so many people on it already!
I have my bridesmaids picked out whom will be named on the blog at a later time when Jeremy has his groomsmen chosen. This month has been slow posting, but as the wedding gets closer there will be much more to come!

Happy Birthday Jeremy!

Today is Jeremy's 22nd birthday. His birthday is never on a good day. Tomorrow he has to work and he has guard all weekend. Then Monday he has to go back to work again! He even forgot that today was his birthday! Poor guy. We are celebrating by ironing his uniforms and calling it a night. Maybe next week I will take him out for dinner and a movie. We deserve a night to relax and have fun with everything going on. If you talk to Jeremy, tell him Happy Birthday!

Possible Dates

We have been looking at a couple dates in November 2008 for our wedding day. We are hoping for the 1st but it may be held on the 22nd. These are both Saturdays. We are waiting to hear back from the Firefighter's Lake Club in Springfield to see if they will move Trivia Night to another date. If they are willing, it will be held on the 1st. If they are not, it will most likely be held on the 22nd.

I was told we could not have the wedding on the 15th or the 29th beacuse of shotgun season (go figure)! But I'm sure one of these dates will be just fine.

Keep Novemeber 1st and 22nd open for now and be expecting to see a Save-the-Date in the mail!