Boy Meets Girl

Our engagement photo session was an absolute blast! I had so much fun spending a gorgeous afternoon parading around The Little Farmer and Hobbs Woods with Tony and our personal friend and photographer, Keith, from Weich Photography. While I'm fairly comfortable having my picture taken, Tony is not, and therefore needed a little more guidance. We certainly had some good laughs while trying to come up with some of the poses! I'm so glad that we were able to use a friend to take our photo's. It made it a very memorable day and we felt completely at ease. And I'm SUPER thankful for Keith having the patience to deal with us!!! I cannot wait to see the photo's!

Now do you want to hear how Tony and I met?

If you don't, you can leave now.

If you do, continue reading!

Let's see...where do I begin?

From December 2008 to April 2009 I had a part time job at a local horse feed and natural pet food store. I had been training horses full time for the past 4-5 years and with the economy taking a hit, so did the horse business. This was just a temporary job until I decided what I wanted to do next.

One day towards the end of March a woman came in and was chatting with me. As I was checking out her purchases she asked me if my husband and I showed horses together. I chuckled and said "Um, no, I'm still single." What followed next was an "OH REALLY??? Because I have a good looking son and you are JUST his type." Oh brother. Everyone knows that every mother on the planet thinks her son is good looking. I just laughed (and pictured a skinny guy, with glasses and bad skin. And blonde hair. Sorry all you blonde guys. Nothing personal or anything). As she was leaving she said he had a motorcycle so if I ever saw a guy come to visit on a motorcycle, he was probably stopping to check me out.  FAAANTASTIC.

Fast forward two weeks later. I remember specifically that I didn't care what I looked like that day and had thrown my hair into a ponytail. What are the odds that was the day I heard a motorcycle pull up? Who else could it be? Who would show up at a feed store on a motorcycle? (Seriously...these are 50# plus bags we are talking about here It's not like they have a trunk).

In walked a young guy (he actually did try to look convincing by browsing the feed section) who I thought was indeed good looking. After a minute of pretending to be there for something else he came up and asked "are you the girl my mom told me about?" I laughed and said yes, that would be me. He asked me if I wanted to go out for drinks some time and then asked me for my number. I gave it to him but was convinced he was being polite and I would never hear from him again.

An hour later he sent me a text message and we text each other the rest of the day and for the entire next day. Two days later we went on our first "date". I guess it wasn't really considered a date since I met him at a place where he was hanging out with friends. However, we had such a fun time that he asked me out to dinner the next night. I said yes. (I later found out that he wanted me to say no just so he could give chase! Hell to the no! I was 26 and done with those games!) Needless to say we went on our first real date and the rest is history. We became inseparable. Through the last 3 1/2 years we've had our ups and downs but through everything we've only gotten closer. He is my best friend and I am his.

What I think is more ironic than anything else is that I never mentioned to Tony's mom that I only worked two days a week at that store. (Tony used to say he was embarrassed and that he didn't need his mother to help him find girl. Clearly, he did. ;)  ) But had he come in any other day he would never have met me. Also, I was starting a new job two weeks later. If Tony would have waited any longer, he never would have met me. I think there was someone much bigger than Tony's mom wanting us to meet. I would have to say that thanks to the big guy upstairs, we were both in the right place at the right time. God knows, we didn't know what the heck we were doing. Literally.

I'm so happy that Tony wasn't afraid to listen to his mom and came to find me. It only further proves, what's meant to happen will happen. I cannot wait to be his wife!!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

And hey....what about those Packers, huh??? :)

Tony and I the first year we were dating.
My caption to this picture said
"With the love of my life"
This was 4 months after we met.
This still seems like yesterday.

And the Highlight of the Week is?

Can I share what I had for dinner last night? (I meant to show you last night but I got tired. And went to bed. At 9:30. But truly it's the most exciting thing I did all week!)

No, it's not homemade.

But it's still picture worthy....

Num num num.....

SUSHI! I am now in love with it. My VERY first time ever trying sushi I was not such a fan. I tried a piece of my friends one night and it was just ok. It was not something I would order.

Fast forward a year. There is a new Japanese sushi and habachi restaurant near my work, that just opened.The owners recently moved here from New York and they are authentic. Tony and I decided to have a date night there. I had met the owners from their many visits to where I work. Our company had helped them get their phone/internet/tv up and running while they were trying to open. When we walked in one of the owners recognized me right away and within a few minutes of sitting down, he brought us a plate of sushi. I had wanted to try sushi again but I didn't know what to get. I'm NOT a fish girl. But I will try new things. So needless to say, I was worried. When I asked him what it was he said "not on menu". Oh boy.

Tony wasted no time in trying one. I was afraid he would gag or spit it out because he does NOT like to try new things. But the moment it was in his mouth, his eyes got huge and he said..."oh..my...God! That's good!" To this day I still have no idea what it was but it got me hooked.

For the last two weeks I've been getting the sushi urge. I finally decided what better way to spend my last night alone!? I got brave, dialed and ordered something new. (The Oshkosh Roll was shrimp tempura, avocado and spicy kani crunchy on top w. special sauce) It. Was. AWESOME!!! (sung in a high note) I could eat it again. Right now. (So everyone in the surrounding Oshkosh area...go to Sakura's right now!!!) ( I wonder if I can get commission???)

Now for the real reason behind my random babbling...we are getting our engagement pictures taken tomorrow! I am super excited. I'm not sure if other people get this excited but for me it means we are a little closer to getting married. I have been trying on outfits all week long, second guessing myself, over thinking things. I can honestly say if Tony knew this, he would be very glad he was gone all week! I just want them to look perfect. And look like us. It's easy to get caught up in the thought of what engagement pictures should look like...but then you have to step back and ask, "is this something I would really wear?" That being said, I'm now very excited (have I said excited enough???) because I know we are staying true to us. Like I said...I do over think things. :)

With us getting our pictures taken, it made me realize that most people do not know the story of how we met. Stay tuned because that, my friends, is next!

I'll share with you, the ring. It's perfect.

Just Stay Busy...Bake and Blog!

If you are friends with me on Facebook then you are already well aware...I miss Tony. He's gone to training for work all week. I do believe it's the first full week we've ever spent apart since we've started dating. Normally I can make it through the first couple days just fine. But he's been gone 2 whole days (technically I did see him yesterday morning before he left) and I miss him like crazy. But I guess that's a good thing, rather than thinking "Phew I'm glad he's gone!" 

Since I have alone time I find that I like to keep myself busy with little things. Like...BAKING! I made a recipe that I found, once again, on Pinterest. Banana Bread Brownies. Everything I like rolled into one. Banana bread. Chocolate. And a brownie! HOLLA!! I happened to have everything on hand and they were super simple to throw together. Mine took a little longer to bake than the suggested time but they still turned out fantastic. Now, the goal is to NOT eat the whole pan...by myself. I just wanted a couple little pieces to cure my chocolate craving and to magically make my night into no ordinary night!

I would bake again tonight but really....I don't need any more sweets. I'm already gifting some Banana Bread Brownies to family and friends tomorrow when I see them. They just don't know it yet. Yep, that's right. I'll bake the night away, indulge in a few pieces of banana/chocolate bliss and then kindly give the other 3/4 of the pan away to my loved ones, where they can then deal with the issues of calories and sweet temptation. They can't say I've never done anything for them... ;)

While nibbling away on my little scrumptious brownie, I decided to Google wedding invites. I really want to make ours personal and create them myself but I need some inspiration. After some brief searching I quickly realized that I can't just get started and create a masterpiece. Did anyone else have a clue that their were A-7's and A-1 sizes???? WHAT??? I had never even thought about what size an invite should be. I'm usually one to hop into a project and think about the details later. That definitely won't work this time. They have to be able to fit into these things called envelopes. Who knew? I guess I forgot about that step. Sigh....I must. Do. Research. This is why I am starting now. It's will take me a few times to figure out how to proceed. And I had thought this would be easy...HA!!!

Thank goodness I have 347 days left until THE Big Day!

Have a great night friends!!

I'm in love with these delectable little bars.

Ingredients

• 6 Tbsp butter
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt

How to Make

1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Spray a 9x9 pan with cooking spray, set aside
3. In a medium sauce pan, combine butter and chocolate chips. Over medium-low heat, melt together, stirring occasionally. When melted, set aside to cool.
4. In a large bowl combine the mashed bananas, sugar and vanilla. Stir in beaten eggs until evenly incorporated.
5. Stir in flour and salt until just combined.
6. Pour all but 1/4 cup melted chocolate into the banana mixture and stir.
7. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and drizzle remaining 1/4 cup melted chocolate on top, and swirl it into the batter.
8. Bake 25-30 minutes until the center is set and a toothpick comes out clean.
9. Brownies will be very dense.
10. Cool completely and cut into squares.

***store in an airtight container for up to 3 days***

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...Fall

It definitely felt like fall this weekend! I had a wedding to attend and I actually wore pants. Yes, pants. (And I didn't have to worry about shaving! Bonus!)

It was a weekend full of friends, old and new. We started out attending our friends' wedding reception and seeing many faces we hadn't seen in quite a while. The thing with growing up, having a house and now planning a wedding, is that we just don't have the time to go out and "party" as much as we did in that first year of dating. We don't get to see some of our friends as much as we would like. I did make sure that all of Tony's friends realized that our lack of tavern appearances is NOT due to me saying "no, you can't go out" or "I don't want to go out tonight" but due to Tony preferring to SLEEP. Yes...he's only turning 26 and he chooses sleep. What I didn't mention was that since I'm a book worm and also now addicted to (and record on DVR) My Fair Wedding with David Tutera, that most Friday nights I'm totally OKAY with this decision. Ok, so maybe I'm partially to blame since I don't actually encourage going out....but wait...that's not really relevant. :)

So anyways...

After socializing and getting to see a very happy newly married couple, we decided to go out and see some more friends. Might as well do it all in one night, right? I mean...we don't get all gussied up for the heck of it! We might as well prove that we do exist! Out we went to a local bar where Spitfire, a local band, was playing and we danced the rest of the night away. It was such a great night. And it went by way too fast. We finally made it home at 2:30AM and boy, did I collapse. I don't remember seeing 2:35. I. Was. Out. Goodnight.

It will take me a week to catch up on sleep. Gosh...the perks of getting older. But live like you are dying, right?

Speaking of dying...JUST KIDDING!

Well, kind of. This is for all you hunting fans. Tony shot a buck. And not just any buck. A 14 pointer!! He's been on cloud nine. (Probably why he did a little dancing this weekend. Well, that and beer) But he can't believe after 7 years that he finally shot something during bow season. The best part of the story is that he lucked out on his first night out. He had missed opening weekend but with it being a little on the warm side yet, he wasn't too concerned. Then on a whim he decided to head out after work one night. It was cool and had been rainy and he had the hunting bug. He hadn't even anticipated seeing anything. He just wanted to get into his stand (which I will never understand but to each his own!.)  I guess he was in the right place at the right time! Now he's getting his first shoulder mount (that will go in his MAN CAVE) and I'm getting a freezer full of meat. Because, you know...I like meat. (Thanks mom for forever making this an inside joke ;)  )

Tony and his 14 pointer.

 Since Tony no longer needs to go out and find a mighty buck (until gun season, anyways) he has more time to spend at home now. It was so nice having him around today. I love setting up decorations for fall once the season rolls around and normally I do it myself. But this year I got to have my best friend come along to pick up some corn stalks and pumpkins AND help me set it all up. It's just a start but it was fun doing it together. I love that he takes the time to do these things with me and never thinks I'm being silly. It's one of those little things that one should never take for granted.

I hope everyone else had a great weekend. Did anything exciting happen for you??

Are you starting to put fall decor up yet?  I'm not done yet but I was excited to share what I got up today. I'll make sure to show you what it look like when I'm done!

The start of our front door decor.
(P.S. My first DIY wreath.
I'll be sure to get that up soon!)

Our back patio has been prepped for fall.

My flowers just needed some pumpkin companions.

Phew...It's Friday

First off, HOLY COW! I have not written on here in almost a month. I've been feeling a little guilty as each day passes, not taking the time to reflect and write on the goings on this September. As fall is fast approaching (feels like it's here to me!) I will start to have more time to work on wedding projects, home DIY goals, baking and blogging. I love being outdoors when it's nice but once it starts to get that chill in the air I prefer to heat up the house with baked goods or cozy up with a blanket and a good book...which is what gets in the way of all those darn projects I want to get done.

Has anyone else noticed there is not enough time in the day to accomplish everything???

After a day of getting hung up on 3 times and being "yelled" at (seems a strong word but it was more than being told. It was of a very upset nature. Lectured? Scolded? Unsure) for something I had no control over... what...so...ever, I plan on another night of doing nothing. Nothing but drinking wine. Maybe even the GOOD wine. Hmmmm......

Which leads me to last weekend.

I went to my very first winery. Yes, I'm almost 30 and went on my very first wine tasting adventure. Actually it was just a little winery in Three Lakes, WI but it was a first, nonetheless. Between Tony and I we picked out 4 bottles of wine. It's almost a hobby of ours come fall and winter. We have game nights and movie nights which, of course, go hand in hand with WINE! Ok...I'm sounding like an alch-y. Next topic.

The wine tasting was only a stop along the way on our trip Up North. We went to St Germain, WI for a 3 day weekend with my parents. We had a great weekend eating and drinking and relaxing (there we go drinking again). I got to take a 2 HOUR nap. When does that happen??? We went to our favorite steak joint, Blink Bonnie, and had a few too many cocktails at the tikki bar at Pub n' Prime. We had game nights and ate more food. Just thinking about it makes me want to do it all over again. The only negative about vacation? You have to detox and diet when you get home...talk about a bummer.

 I baked my awesome Banana Butterscotch Bread and I also made two very different and fantastic cookies to take along on our trip. Oatmeal Raisin and White Chocolate Pumpkin Pie Cookies. I found both of these on Pinterest and decided they sounded equally delicious and were a must. One was more of a dessert while the other one could be a breakfast cookie. Not healthy. I didn't say healthy. Just something that would taste good in the morning. Until you get a real breakfast. Hey...it's what you do ON VACATION.

Now, I didn't take the time to take pictures. In fact, I didn't even think of it until after they were gone. That's how busy I was trying to bake and pack at the same time. But thankfully Shelly, from Cookies and Cups, has beautiful pictures that I will also link to her site. These were both a huge success with my family and fiance' (and my coworkers...who got them on Monday). I will definitely be making them again.

This weekend we have a wedding to attend and I'm HOPING to get some fall prep work done...such as pulling up flowers, bringing plants inside and maybe a little nesting. I am looking forward to the weekend slowing down to actually get some things accomplished before it gets cold (....although a friend of mine DID report snow in her area already! SERIOUSLY??? I'm soooooo not ready for that! )

So with that...cheers to a great weekend! What are your plans for the two wonderful days away from work? (Maybe you should make these cookies. Seriously...go for it! ;) )

Me and my fiance'...huh huh huh (this proceeds when said in an
Italian accent. Thank you Miss Amy)

Tony and I with my parents at our favorite spot, Blink Bonnie.

My first winery experience.

White Chocolate Pumpkin Pie Cookies

Recipe from www.cookiesandcups.com

From Cookie and Cups

Ingredients

• 1 cup softened butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
• 2 cups AP flour
• 3 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1 (12 oz) bag white chocolate chips
Frosting:
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed)
• 3 T. butter
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 cups sifted powdered sugar

How to Make

1. Preheat to 350
2. Cream butter and both sugars with mixer.
3. Beat in egg, vanilla and pumpkin.
4. Combine dry ingredients and slowly add to butter mixture.
5. Mix until combined.
6. Stir in white chips.
7. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto parchment lined baking sheet. (Batter will be sticky)
8. Bake approx 12 minutes until edges are slightly golden.
9. Let sit on baking sheet for at least 2 minutes and then transfer to wire rack to cool.
For frosting:
10. Combine brown sugar and butter in small saucepan over medium heat.
11. Bring to a boil and continue cooking 1 minute. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes. Mixture will slightly thicken.
12. With hand mixer beat in milk until smooth. Slowly add in powdered sugar until spreadable consistency. ( I used all 2 cups).
13. Spread approx 1 teaspoon on each cookie.

Notes

Store in airtight container for up to 3 days.

Oatmeal Raisin from Cookies and Cups.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Recipe from www.cookiesandcups.com
Ingredients

• 1 stick butter
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 t. vanilla
• 3/4 c. AP flour
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. cinnamon
• 1/2 t. coarse sea salt
• 1 1/2 c. rolled oats
• 3/4 c. raisins
• 1/2 c. white chocolate chips

***you can add walnuts instead of chips if you prefer***

1. Preheat to 350
2. In large bowl with hand mixer cream the butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
3. In separate bowl whisk flour, baking soda, sea salt, and cinnamon together. Stir this into the butter mixture until combined. Now add oats, raisins and chips (or nuts) until all combined.
4. Line your baking sheet with parchment and place cookies about 2 inches apart, baking for 9-11 min. When cookies get golden around the edges remove from oven. Do not over-bake!!
5. Let cool on baking sheet for 3 min and transfer to cooling rack.