The joys of being a homeowner

Last night -- after a busy house chore day that included 5000 loads of laundry and doing lots of dishes -- we enjoyed a nice dinner with some wine and tried to relax on a late Sunday night.

Side Note: Below is a super cute idea that Courtney did for our wedding gift. She bought a celebratory wine for each holiday for our first year as a married couple (that we could enjoy together). Adorbs!

Back to the story....

Before plopping on the couch to relax, I decided to load the dishwasher ONE more time (with all the dirty dishes from dinner) and put the LAST load of laundry away.


Ahhhh --- Bliss..........................................

Not!!!!!

Half way through the cycle, I realized my dish washer was making a very weird sound.

Preface: the dishwasher is old. It always makes weird sounds, but this time it was even--- weirder.

So, I walk into the kitchen to find a huge puddle of water below and in front of my dish washer. Urgh! This has happened before and we quickly learned that there was a slight gap in the seal, so we quickly fixed it and went on with life. But this time -- it wasn't the gap. What's even worse is that I had just folded ALL my towels and they were each folded perfectly and placed in the cabinets (exactly where they should be). My OCD is really shining in this post, isn't it?

So I get a handful of towels, yell, "MATT!" at the top of my lungs, and we quickly wipe up the puddle.

But its not over.....

Just going off of the last incident, I told Matt that he should check downstairs (in the basement) to make sure it didn't leak through. So we walked downstairs and yells....... "Yep"

Yep, what?!?!

I walked downstairs to meet him and realized that our entire floor of the laundry room was covered in water. THANK GOD there is a drain in the basement and THANK GOD the kitchen wasn't above our finished family room/bar. Sigh.

So we grab MORE towels and wipe up that huge puddle and assess the damage. The dish water was half way through the cycle and it still had to drain, so for the next thirty minutes it continued to leak (MORE TOWELS!) and we continued to wipe up the puddles.

Here are my concerns:

1) The water leaked through the HOLES of the kitchen floor (where the tubes, drains, and wires go through). Not through the wood. But it did (in result) get some of the wooden beams wet on the ceiling of the basement--- to the point of water dripping off the wooden beams..... ARE WE GOING TO HAVE WATER DAMAGE!!??! MOLD?!?!?!!?! BUGS?!?!?!?!?

2) The dishwasher is old and it wasn't a seal problem. It is draining out of the bottom. (From where? We're not exactly sure). Luckily, we were planning on buying brand new appliances in November anyways. But are you telling me I'm going to have to HAND WASH dishes for the next four months!? The horror!!

3) I have to do ANOTHER load of laundry tonight.


The joys of being a homeowner..........

Acting My Age

PEOPLE!

Something happened last night that NEVER happens...

We went out!

Do you know long its been since Matt and I have been out to the bars in Madison???

um.....

Like FOREVER!

My love, Victoria, has moved back home from Milwaukee (after finishing architecture school) and her fiance, Mitch, was in town visiting for the weekend. All of Victoria's friends had birthdays this past week and we haven't gone out together since she moved home. So we decided to go out to Buck and Badger and the Ivory Room (dueling pianos) for some fun!

Enjoy the pictures!

Photo bomb! 

Shot Ski!

My attempt to be 100% Wisconsin by drinking Korbel Brandy

Dontcha Knoowwwww?

Don't worry ya'll. I stayed true to my old lady ways and was home by 11:30 with a Big Mac in hand.... Thanks for such a fun time Mostardis! We love you (even if you aren't really related to Frank Sinatra).

PS: For those of you who don't know Jenna Marbles and her famous "White Girls at the Club", watch and it enjoy!!!! If you are easily offended, I'm sorry for the below -- and you should probably not watch it. I think its hilarious, but also understand that it could be seen as a little vulgar. 

Til Home do us Part!

Birthday Week!

Hey Ya'll!

I have officially aged out of my young twenties and I'm now solidly in my MID twenties. I have about one more year before I'm in my upper twenties (aka old) so I'm going to milk it for all its worth. Believe it or not, since I've turned 26 (aka within the last 4 days), we've had some awesome surprises and also some not-so-awesome surprises, but I know that this year is going to be amazing and we are truly blessed. For happiness purposes, I will only post the good news on our blog. Who really wants to hear about the bad things anyways??

Things I am excited for in the 27th year of life:

• NEW CARPET!

We purchased new carpet a month ago and because it was "so much" square footage -- it had to be special ordered which took around two-three weeks of waiting. Well, we finally got the phone call that the carpet was at the installers and we could schedule an installation date. So we're excited to announce that new carpet will be put in on Friday, August 2.

Adios ugly berber carpet!

Once the carpet is installed and I hang a few of my favorite wedding pictures, I will post before and after pictures of our entire house. Yay!! (Be excited, people!)

• VEGAS, BABY!!

On the night of my birthday, Matt and I booked our flight to Vegas for our One Year Anniversary in February. Neither of us had been before and we figured it would be a great trip to scratch off the Bucket List before any little ones came along. On our honeymoon, we attempted to gamble, spent 20 dollars in about fifteen minutes, and became 100% bored and completely over gambling.

So why are we going to Vegas??

Hello People!! For none other than the Rat Pack!!

Wait... what?

They don't perform in Vegas anymore??

Oh yes, I knew that already. Let me clarify....

FOR "THE RAT BACK IS BACK" VEGAS SHOW.

For those of you who know me well, you already know that I never ever listen to The Hits, HipHop, Pop, or Country on the radio. I only listen to Frank, Dean, Louis, Ella, Billie, etc. The good, real music.

God, I sound like your Grandma, don't I?

But seriously. As I'm writing this post, I am listening to the Rat Pack Radio on Pandora to "Just One of Those Things." I don't know exactly when I became obsessed with the Jazz/Rat Pack Era, but it has definitely stuck.

Matt and I will definitely be attending the show in February and we will probably sing along with every song --- and every word. We've been contemplating seeing The Cirque du Soleil "Love" Show (which I've only heard good things about), but the tickets come at a hefty price and again -- for those of you who know us well -- we love to Wine and Dine. We will be spending money at nice restaurants - probably every single night -- and our wallets can only stretch so far. We just haven't decided what we want to spend our money on yet. <--- First world problems.

You may even seeing a surprise "check-in" or post on our exact one year anniversary (Feb 16) from Graceland Chapel for some Elvis themed vow renewals........ you never know.......

On another note, we recently joined the Hilton Honor Rewards Program and got an amazingly sweet deal for our stay in Vegas.

We are staying at the Elara, which is right off of the Strip and connected to Planet Hollywood. We got such a great deal on our stay (our room at the Elara, free dinner and show, a free Hilton room on our next vacay, and thousands of honor points for future vacations) that at first I thought it was a scam. But its not. We just got lucky. (See! Vegas might be good for us!) pfff...

• Weddings x 5

We are just at that age now that everyone we know is getting married. But we are seriously stoked for five of our friends weddings within the next year -- two of which I am in!

Holler to all the Brides and Grooms!!

Anthony and Amy -- September 1st

Marty and Jennalee -- September 14th

Victoria and Mitch -- April 26th

Chelsea and Josh -- June 21st

Carmy and Matt -- July ??

• Babies

We are also at the age that a lot of our friends are having babies. We are so excited for the expected babies that will soon be here -- some of which have been announced, some of which haven't, and some of which are still in the process of trying to conceive. But we are so thrilled for all of you and can't wait to meet the little ones!

• New Christmas Tree!

Matt and I are Christmas Fanactics. Duh! You should all know this by now. Well one of the recent amazing surprises we received this week was an overly generous gift from Matt's Grandma -- another Christmas fanatic.

Matt and I had been talking about getting a BIG, pre-lit Christmas tree for months now. We bought our first fake tree for our tiny apartment and now have the space and want/need for a BIGGER family tree.

With this sweet gift from Grandma (who loves loves loves loves Christmas), we decided we would buy a new tree for this Christmas!!

Something like this.... only fake.

(My only hope is that Lulu doesn't chew through the wires and get electrocuted within 5 minutes of opening it --- like last time) <-- Sidenote: For 4 years we've had a Christmas tree that is lit from the middle of the tree and up.............. Seriously? She is such an ass.

PS: only 150 days until Christmas.....

• Matt's 30 Birthday!

My darling is getting old. But he is just like our two favorite drinks-- whisky and wine. They only get better with age! :)

Looks like I'm going to have to spoil him lots this year...........

Speaking of--

I was so incredibly spoiled this year. We had the pleasure of eating at Ruth's Chris TWICE this week -- our favorite restaurant ever -- with both sets of parents! Thank you to all of you and everyone else who made these nights so special. I seriously cannot thank you all enough. My birthday was definitely a reminder that:

Life is Great

God is Great

And even though there are sometimes tough times......... I have so much to be thankful for.

Proof.



Mr. and Mrs. Boris!

Finally! I can call my dear beloved friend Mrs. Boris!! Her and Lubomyr tied the knot on Saturday July 20th, 2013 and it was such a beautiful ceremony and amazingly fun reception.

Getting there was a little tricky. Our bus driver got into an accident twice with the last one being right off Lake Shore Drive. In the chaos of it all, I kept telling Courtney it would be a really funny memory five years from now. She handled it so much better than I ever would and she took everyone's breath away as she walked down the aisle. I, on the other hand, balled my eyes out like a baby once I saw Lubo at the end of the aisle. I don't know what it is with me and walking down aisles these days, but since the day we got married, I cannot think about weddings without getting a little tear in my eye.

Weddings are so sacred. To me, its the most important and special thing in the world (aside from children which we have yet to experience). When I said my vows to Matthew, I could barely speak the words because of how much they meant to us and how seriously we took marriage.

As God as our witness

In good times and in bad

For richer of poorer....

til death do us part.

I think I cried when I saw Lubo because I knew their love was so true and so sacred. I knew more about Courtney and Lubo than most people did in that church and I am their biggest fan. It was such an important day for her, so it was equally as important for me.

I even made it through my speech at their reception then partied hard after! It was such a great time. 

Before the wedding

After the wedding

Enjoy my speech ya'll:

"When I wrote this speech out, it took me 20 notecards to get everything down. I have the entire dinner hour, right?? Oh well, I’ll try to keep it under 30 minutes.

Previt! My name is Jaclyn (said in Russian) – And I am Courtney’s Matron of Honor. Courtney and I live 154 miles away from each other (or about an hour away when Lubo drives). And even living in different states, she is still my drive to work every single morning, my grocery shopping buddy every single week, and the reason Lubo freaks out when the phone bill comes every single month. In fact, last month alone – I talked on my cell for 1,824 minutes.

I met Courtney eight years ago in the dorms our first year at UIC. For those of you who are not good with time – this was long before Barack Obama took office,  when flip phone were the new hot things, when gas was 2.25 a gallon, and the year Facebook came out. It seems like overnight we went from ordinary college friends to having an extraordinary bond. We’ve celebrated birthdays, Easters, Christmases, Thanksgivings, New Years, Halloweens, anniversaries, and several other milestones together.

We traveled near and far to places like Sonic in Champaign, IL and to the hospital on the North side when Lubo broke his leg.     As two 19 year old girls --- on a Saturday night --- who knew nothing about navigating Chicago. When Larissa made it there from Algonquin sooner than we did from UIC – you know there was at least an adventure. But I could go on and on about Courtney. I will save you the million of memories, crazy cat lady stories, and buckets of tears because tonight------ I want to talk about Lubchek…..  

You see, most of you know Lubo as the responsible, respectable doctor he soon will be. But I know Lubo as the 19 year old boy rolling blading around in my apartment in his boxers at 3 oclock in the morning. I first met Lubo eight years ago when my friend, Courtney, told me that her boyfriend was coming over and I could finally meet him. I decided to grab a quick bite to eat before heading to her dorm room. So I’m walking down Polk St. when all of a sudden—the heaven lights shine down --- the angels start singing --- and I see this soccer hottie walking in my direction. I automatically think to myself --- “this man is going to be something special” So I give him a “Hey whats up?” And……………..

He just kept walking.

So being the college freshmen that I was… I walked to Sabarros pizza—ate my feelings – and headed to my friends dorm room. When what to my wandering eyes appear!!! The soccer hottie sitting in Courtney’s dorm room. ---- Talk about awkward! But I was right. He was going to be something very special. Lubo is so special that we even have nicknames for each other ---- that I will continue to keep private to save me the embarrassment. But it takes a very special man to deal with Courtney and I. Together we are a combination of Paris and Nicole and Mean Girls with the maturity level of a Funnybug. For those of you who were in attendance at the Evans ’08 Christmas party… you know what I am talking about.  Remember the bear rug??? Lubo handles us so well that when I fell in love with a man who could handle us like he could…. I married him.

Fast forward almost five years and to my husband, Matt, and I—you guys are so much more than a couple we grab drinks with on a Friday night—You are our family. I promise you that Matt, Little Sheldon Fennel, and I will be at every one of your children’s birthday parties (and Stella’s)---- and at every Christmas celebration. Courtney and I will still be causing trouble in 60 years and Matt and Lubo will still be behind us rolling their eyes. So in our experience of being married for a whopping five months our advice is to continue to be yourselves. Your almost decade long relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend was better than a lot of marriages we’ve seen. Keep communicating through movie quotes, live your life like a 50 cent song, and get an unlimited minutes plan.

Courtney, I am so sorry I couldn’t possibly describe how thankful I am for you. There are no words and our friendship is so much more than 20 notecards or an hour long toast. You are simply ----  my Sil. To the both of you – Let’s party like its 2005 – I’m expecting to see the sexy lip tonight --- (Said in Russian) To your health, I love you, and Thank you. To Mr. and Mrs. Lubomyr Vladamyrovich Boris"

Love you both, Mr. and Mrs. Boris!!

The best pictures of the night... in my opinion! :)

Simply gorgeous.

Flash Mob

The last time I was in Rockford, I visited my bff, Carmy, because it had been months since I had seen her last. Life had gotten so busy, Carmy and I were in both agreement that an intervention needed to happen. So I spent the night at her and Matt Feery's place before getting my hair done the following morning. Another Matt?!?!  I know. Try to keep up.

Anyways, that night while laying on the couch and watching TV, Matt Feery secretly got my attention, put his hand to his ear (to motion a phone) and mouthed "Call Me" I quickly nodded my head before Carmy noticed. I was so excited because I knew exactly what this was going to be about.

I mean for God's Sakes!

They had been dating since our Junior year in high school and were still not married. ****Let me just pause this right here by saying that I take all the credit for these two being together. If it wasn't for me, a bet, and a Hersey's pie from Burger King this blog would have not been written. :)

The next morning, I hugged Carmy goodbye and went on my way. The second I got back to Madison, I called Matt to hear the exciting news. He didn't answer his phone so I quickly texted and said "You told me to call you."

........ nothing........

Are you kidding me?!?

So I went on with my life and hoped that I would find out something soon. Well, on my way home from working last week, I got a Facebook message from Mandi, Matt Feery's sister, saying to call her. Immediately my excitement returned. So I called her, played a little phone tag, then finally got her on the phone. She told me that Matt was planning to purpose to Carmy that Friday after a flash mob (of their dancers and cheerleaders that they coached) performed at the Rockford City Market. My heart sunk because I knew Carmy was going to be soooo happy, but I was heartbroken, too. I couldn't be there to see it. That Saturday, Courtney and Lubo were getting married, so I was going to be in Chicago the entire weekend to support the soon-to-be newlyweds.

I had to do something!

Let me say -- that I know my little Carmelyn very well. If she wanted anything out of a proposal it would have been a photographer to capture the entire thing. So I thought to myself -- Hey!! I know a photographer....

After hanging up with Mandi -- I immediately called Tamra, my sister, to beg her to drop all of her plans for that Friday night so she could shoot their proposal. Thankfully, I didn't even have to beg. Tamra was so excited! She called Mandi, made plans, went to the practice the Thursday night before, and promised she would text me a picture right after it happened.

I was a bundle of nerves that Friday. Following the rehearsal, I looked at my phone expecting to have a text from Carmy or my sister and I hadn't gotten anything. I looked a Facebook and hadn't seen an announcement either. I knew this was supposed to happen at 6:30 and it was already 7:15pm. EEEK!!

Just then, I got this text from my sister. Shear happiness surrounded me.

I must say its ABOUT DAMN TIME!!! I've known these two for almost 15 years and like I said earlier, I was 100% completely present throughout the entire beginning on their relationship. Late nights, deep dark secrets, and nine years later -- we're making plans for wedding dress shopping.....

What would we have thought if someone told us this our Junior year of high school? Back then the only things that seemed to matter were basketball games, water fights, late night hang outs, and spin the bottle....

I am so happy for the two of you and I cannot wait for your big day!!

My other half -- My Partner in Crime -- My Love -- My best friend. 

The proposal.

My sister did great with the pictures and I'm so happy I was able to contribute to this amazing event by making her a part of it. The best part of it all is that my brother in law got everything on video and I was able to see it as though I was there. Check out the video. Its adorbs.

(Video and Picture credits to Photography by Tamra)

I love you both so very much and I cannot wait for your special day! Its going to be a party......

xox

Trash the Dress!!!

I am lucky enough to have a very talented sister who is also a wedding photographer. We planned a trash the dress session right after the wedding and Matt and I were so excited to run around in a baseball field and play around in the water while wearing our wedding attire. For those of you who don't already know, Matt and I are die hard Cubs fans -- if you couldn't tell from our Cats, the jacket Matt wore at our wedding, our home decor, or the grand entrance song at our reception.... Anyways- we had to include baseball in our pictures somewhere. Some of you may also know that almost as much as we love the Cubs.... we love the beach as well. We wanted to imitate some tropical beach pictures and attempted to do so in the wonderful Northern state of Wisconsin. I mean, its summer. How hard could it be??

Hard.

Of course it wasn't as easy as it sounded. It was June 2nd and 51 degrees outside in Milwaukee, WI. Lake Michigan couldn't have been warmer than 35-40 degrees. But do you think that stopped us??

Nope!!


We had an absolutely amazing time. It was cold, but it was so much fun and I highly recommend it everyone after their special day is over. This gives the couple a time to goof around, have fun, make some memories, and capture those moments in the clothes they spent oh so much money on. But lets be clear here.... My dress got wet. It did not get ruined. I still have every intention on preserving it, saving it, and hoping/praying my little girl will want to wear it one day.

The real question is: Is she really going to want to wear a 25-30 year old dress? Being my daughter..... doubtful.

Anywho!

I hope you all enjoy the pictures as much as we do!!!

PS: After looking at these pictures, you will realize how truly gifted my sister is at photography. If you are interested in having a session like this or if you are looking around for a photographer in the Rockford/Beloit area-- then contact my sister, Tami, at 815-871-1197. You won't be sorry. She is awesome! :)

www.photographybytamra.com

I'll end this post with a picture of our very intelligent cat, Ernie Banks. After being gone on vacation for quite some time, we came home to grumpy gills who pretended like he didn't want anything to do with us. It lasted for a matter for 10 minutes, but during these ten minutes -- he truly thought he was hiding from us by doing this.....

Oh Ernie.