New Toy

So, in addition to the great gifts listed below, we also got a Kodak digital picture frame from my brother!!! We checked it out the night we opened it, but we just got all the pics we want on it today! It's soooo cool! We don't like a lot of clutter and we don't have a lot of room, so it's the perfect way to display tons of photos without taking up space! We have family shots, parties, vacations, our wedding and much more! We have over 100 pics on there right now that play as a slideshow! We can even add music if we want!!!! I highly recommend investing in one soon if you haven't already! Anyway, thanks Mike and Traci!

Christmas

Dave and I had a nice, quiet Christmas this year. We stayed home on Christmas Eve, as Dave was under the weather. We opened our gifts to each other and were very happy with the results! We both completely listened to each other and got exactly what we wanted! I got Dave 2 video games (including Guitar Hero II which he hasn't stopped playing since that night), 2 movies (The Departed and The Bourne Ultimatum), cologne and some other small stuff. He got me a new coat, the Pink Razor (I've wanted it forever), a massage gift certificate and 2 gift cards (Old Navy and Kohl's)!!! The only thing missing from our Christmas was family. This is my fourth year without family on Christmas, and Dave's third year! I swear I will get home next year! Although, we didn't have our real family with us, we did spend Christmas Day with friends who have become our family. As Tyson said in our before dinner prayer..."we are thankful to be with our Houston family". We have made some amazing friends here, and we are indeed thankful for that this Christmas!
I hope the holidays have been good to everyone! Have a safe and happy New Year!

Halloween

Halloween goes way too quickly! My family knows it is one of my favorite holidays! I used to decorate the whole house weeks in advance. It was only complete when we had a graveyard on our lawn, a coffin in the garden, webs everywhere, nooses hanging from the gutters and stuffed clothes with ketchup scattered throughout the yard. Gruesome, I know, but very fun!!! Right now I am looking at the 3 Halloween decorations we have and am remembering the good ol days of decorating back home. Either way, I still enjoy the day. This year, we were pretty occupied with our new puppy, but we still made it to one party!!! We both went as referees. Dave as a fat one and me as a normal/sexy one. Our good friends, Vicki, Tyson and Mandy, went as Three's Company! It was a great time...and the jello shots had nothing to do with it! :) he, he!

Fenway

Right now we are watching the Boston Red Sox win (hopefully) the 4th game of the World Series. We are also cuddled up next to the newest member of our family...Fenway! For those of you who don't know; Fenway is the name of the park where the Red Sox play. The Red Sox went to the World Series the first year we were dating, in fact they won the World Series during one of our first dates! And now they are in the World Series again, the year we were married! Dave is a huge Red Sox fan and now...so am I! Anyway, Fenway is a 12 week old Boston Terrier and he is the cutest thing that I have ever seen! He stole our heart right away! We have had him for roughly 24 hours now. He is a very good puppy! He plays hard and sleeps hard! He's quickly becoming a mama's boy, but definitely loves taking naps with daddy. Here are a couple pictures of our boy!

Sleep Study

Well, for those of you who don't know, I have been having some sleep issues lately that I am desperately trying to resolve!!! I have very little energy, take tons of naps and fall asleep when driving. Basically, I would rather take a nap than do almost anything else! So, I had a sleep study done Monday and Tuesday. I arrived at the center at about 8pm on Monday and was shown to my room, which looks much like a small hotel room. A large bed, cable t.v. and a big bathroom. Soon after, I was having 20+ wires attached to my body; legs, chest, shoulders, behind my ears, all over my face and my head. I looked like half machine, half woman!!! I was allowed to watch t.v. for a little while before going to bed. So, I watched the Red Sox lose game 3 of the series! :( On a side note- Dave has definitely gotten me to love the Red Sox!!!! Anyway, I went to bed very tired, but somehow it didn't matter. I laid awake almost all night. At 2 points in the night, I felt completely claustrophobic and wanted to rip all the wires off and go home!!! There was one wire/tube that really bothered me! The wire went right under my nose and had 3 sensors attached to it. One went into each nostril and the third hung right in front of my mouth so they could tell if I was breathing from my nose or mouth. There was also a tube that followed the same path (under my nose, across my face and wrapped behind my ears) that was intended for oxygen just in case they discovered I had sleep apnea, they would have turned it on during the night. Anyway, these 2 were very uncomfortable and made it hard to breathe. During these times of claustrophobia, the nurse came on the intercom to make sure I was ok. It was nice and freaky to know that someone was watching me so closely. I finally fell asleep for about an hour before they woke me up at 6am. Tuesday was a whole new ballgame. They thankfully took a couple of the wires off, including the ones under my nose! I was required to stay awake for 2 hours and then I could take a nap. I had 5 naps all together...at 8, 10, noon, 2 and 4pm. Between these I watched lots of boring daytime t.v. It's funny how some days I would do anything to be able to be that lazy, but when you have to, it's really annoying and frustrating!!! They give you 20 minutes to fall asleep. If you do, they allow you to sleep for 15 minutes. If you don't fall asleep they wake you up and the nap is over. I didn't sleep for the first 3 naps, although I was right on the verge each time the nap was ended!!! The fourth nap I slept for 1 minute! Ooooo, refreshing!!!! Sense the sarcasm? The last nap, I didn't feel like I slept, but they said I did. By 5pm, I was wire-free and on my way home! I will find out the results on Monday. I just hope all this was worth it! Now, speaking of sleeping...goodnight.

Hair

Well, I promised pictures of my new hair, so here they are. You could see it in the pics from mom and dad's trip, but here you can see it down! It's weird having short hair again after trying so desperately to grow it out for the wedding. Despite that, I really like it and have gotten lots of compliments, so I guess this will be my style for awhile!!!

Ugh...can't breathe!

Is this really happening? Am I going to have to say goodbye to my Great Taste, Less Filling drink of choice!?
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=673035

Parent's Visit

Well, my mom is on a plane back to Milwaukee right now. It was very hard to say goodbye, but we both agreed that we did everything we wanted to do this vacation! It started with Old Town Spring; a town about a half hour north of the airport. We walked around all the shops and had a great lunch! We then came back to the apartment and fished in the lake and grilled out! It was wonderful! It was a great start to the trip! I won't go through every detail of the vacation, but here are some other things we did:
Brazos Bend State Park
Kemah Boardwalk
Dinner with Ruben, Martha, Dana, Ruben and the girls
Behind the Scenes Tour at the Zoo

After my dad left:
Shopping
Dinner with Vicki and Mandy
Shopping
Scrapbooking
Movie - The Brave One (very good by the way)
Shopping
Museum (including a movie at the Imax and the Planetarium)
Shopping
Oh, and lots of eating!!!!

It was a great time, but now it's back to work tomorrow! :(

Well, I know we haven't written anything for a while, but there really isn't too much new. My parents are coming on Friday, which I am very excited about!!! We don't have many plans at this point. We plan to do a lot of relaxing! I'll be taking them behind the scenes at the zoo in elephants, lions, african wild dogs and orangs, which will be lots of fun!!! We also have a dinner planned with Martha, Ruben, Dana and Ruben on Saturday! Other than those things we have nothing else planned.

The only other new thing would be my hair. Yes, I changed it again! When Dave and I went to see The Bourne Ultimatum, we both really liked Julia Stiles' hair! Dave told me that he would love it if I would get my hair like that, so yesterday I did!!!! It is now a little shorter than shoulder length and brown with blonde and red highlights! It looks way different, but very fun! Oh, I also have bangs again!!!! I'll try to take pictures soon!

The latest

We finally can see our wedding pictures on line!!!! All of you can view them as well. Just go to www.edwardfox.com and click on "view an event". Then enter the password edwardfoxkoch to see all the pictures!!! We are very pleased with how they turned out! You can also order prints! I tried cheating by saving the pictures to the computer, but this one is the only one that would work! I was shocked I was even able to get one. Anyway, enjoy!

In other news, Hurricane Dean is on his way. We just went through some major flooding from Tropical Storm Erin, so people are pretty worked up about this storm. It recently gained strength, but also shifted direction. As of now, we should only get some rain; Mexico will be hit hardest. Although, these storms are very unpredictable. Updates are on the news and running across the bottom of the tv all the time. On my way to work today, I passed several signs on the freeway that said..."Hurricane forming in the gulf. Keep gas tank full". And of course people are buying generators, bottled water and plywood already! We should know more in the next couple days. It's supposed to hit on Thursday. I'll keep my gas tank full, but I don't think all those other precautions are necessary yet. And for those of you not in Texas, please keep in mind that the news by you only shows the really devastating effects of any storm. My poor Mom will watch the news and think we are completely under water, when I may or may not have even seen one flooded road. Not to down play the storms, but they always make it look worse than it is. Erin, however, did allow me to see the worst flooding so far in my 3 years here. The zoo was almost completely under water. Although no buildings flooded, almost all the public pathways and outdoor exhibits were under water. At one point I was wading through a street in our employee parking lot with water past my knees. 3 hours later when I left for work, there was no more than a few large puddles. Many freeways were closed, which made it take an hour longer for me to get home. All in all, we weren't affected too much. The power went out at Dave's work, so he actually got to come home early. Well, we will continue to keep our eye on the storm and we'll keep everyone updated.

No more "cheese truck"

I have 2 major updates:

First - My bloodwork came back totally normal. So, it is looking more like some type of sleeping disorder. I still haven't heard from the sleep center yet, so no appointment has been made. The doctor said she would find out what is going on. I hope insurance covers it, because with the blood work coming back normal, it is the only way to figure out what is going on. Anyway, I'll keep everyone updated.

Second - I got a new car! Yes, I said car. I tend to think of myself as a truck person, but Dave says a car suits me much better....something about me not being "white trash enough to be a truck girl". We wanted something with better gas mileage and cheaper payments per month. Also, something extremely realiable because things were starting to go wrong with my truck (and the warranty was about to be up). So, we went with the recommendation of many friends, family members and co-workers, and leased a Toyota Corolla S. It's a very pretty blue, Indigo to be exact, and has the sports package so it's not boring like the typical Corolla. I like it and I think it was a good financial move for Dave and I. We won't be saving much (except on gas), but we won't have to put any money into it. My truck, for example, needed new tires among other things that would have set us back. So, no more "cheese truck" for me.

still awake

Yup, I'm still awake. I just finished reading all about narcolepsy on the internet while I watched "Who Wants to be a Millionaire". Horrible, horrible show. You would think that would have bored me to sleep, but it didn't.
I just noticed that the blog time at the bottom of my blog entries is wrong. Right now it's 2AM. I wonder what time it will say when I publish this. My last one said it was 11 something even though it was 1AM. Hmmmm...interesting. Not that any of you care. Actually, I don't even care....I'm just so BORED!!!!! AAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Sleep

Well, as I write this, it is 1:00 AM and I desperately want to go to sleep! Lately, I have been having a multitude of sleep problems, but falling asleep isn't normally one of them. I went to the doctor last monday to discuss the fact that I am always tired. Generally I go to bed between 9 and 10 PM and wake up several times throughout the night. As a result, I am extremely tired throughout the day. I fall asleep while driving and crash on the couch when I get home. I almost never have energy to do anything. I hate it and was willing to do whatever it took to solve the problem. My doctor put me on sleeping pills which started helping a little the last couple days. She took chest x-rays because I was having shortness of breath, but they turned out normal. So, I left with a prescription for sleeping pills and nasal spray (to help with the breathing issue). Unfortunately, this week has not shown any huge improvements in my problem. I had a follow up appointment today and we did some blood work to test my sugar levels, thyroid and iron. Those results should come back this week. In the mean time, she referred me to a sleep center where I will be going for a study in the next couple weeks. She wants to test for sleep apnea and narcolepsy (which is more likely). Maybe I'm not getting good sleep tonight because I'm thinking about having to sleep in a sterile room with wires connected to my body and strangers watching me. Yeah, great fun. I guess it's for the best though; like I said I'm willing to do whatever it takes to figure this out! Wish me luck and I'll keep everyone updated. Goodnight...I hope.

AVON

Yes, I know I did the Partylite thing and didn't stick with it, but this is different. Instead of overpriced candles, I am actually selling products that women will buy no matter what. Make-up, body wash, lotion, face wash, etc. So, why shouldn't they buy from Avon??? I have tried a lot of Avon products and they are really great! Not to mention affordable! They have something for every one's skin type and budget! Really the products sell themselves! Not to mention that they also sell gifts, jewelry, kid's toys, men's products and much more!!! Hopefully, this will help Dave and I earn a good supplementary income without taking up too much of my free time! Anyway, please help me and yourself out by looking at my website and trying out some new Avon products! Thanks everyone and I'll keep you updated to my success!

www.youravon.com/laurakoch

Lead Feet

I think Dave and I are cursed somehow! Not only does someone ALWAYS sit directly next to, in front of or behind us in an empty theater (complete with loud popcorn chewing and kicking of the seats); but we also have a talent for finding the noisiest people in town and renting an apartment directly below them! Now, we love our apartment...the lake, the neighborhood, the large bathroom; my friend even said it feels like a resort. However, the upstairs neighbors couldn't possibly make more noise! As I sit here now at 6am, they are awake and walking around with lead weights strapped to their ankles! I have never heard someone walk that much either!!! They are constantly pacing, wondering, galloping, annoying... And it seems they never sleep! They awake at 5:30 like I do, but they don't quiet down until well into the night. In fact last night, I awoke to use the restroom only to find that Dave was gone!!!! He walked in before I has a chance to panic and told me he banged on their door upstairs and they never answered! This is all after we complained to the office and they gave them a letter. Oh, and I say "they" because we have yet to confirm the sex of the occupant as well as if there is more then one. All evidance suggests that it is actually just one lady, but we have a hard time believing that one person could make such a racket! Anyway, thanks for listening to me vent! We will be taking another trip to the office to complain today! Ahhh, the joys of apartment living....

Disney Photos

We finally received our "Disney Photo Pass" cd in the mail! We were very excited, because while we were at the parks there were a lot of photo oppurtunites that we only had the professionals take pictures of, such as almost all our character photos (Minnie, Mickey, Pluto, etc). So, without this cd, we wouldn't have some of the best pictures from our trip! Although, the cd was a little pricey, we felt it was well worth it! Hopefully, later today I'll get them on Walgreens.com so you can see all of them! Of course the highlight for me was kissing R-2! I tried to download some of them to the blog, but the files are way too big! So, keep your eye out for an e-mail telling you how to view them! Unless, that is...you are already sick of the hundreds of photos we are sharing!!! he, he, he.

It's Official

As of 2 days ago, I am officially...Laura Clare Koch! I received my new social security card in the mail! So although I had changed some of my credit cards, bank information, etc, it didn't feel official until that moment. I was also then able to change my name at work, which I did yesterday! It feels weird to give up my old name, but I am proud to take on my new name! I'm sure I'll keep finding new places I need to change my name with for a long time, but for now the important ones are done! Sorry Yvonne - I can't figure out how to change it on Walgreens.com; so it'll still say Wachowiak when you pick up pics from us. No giving me a hard time!!! :) ha, ha
Anyway, I thought it was a pretty significant moment in my life, so I thought I'd share! Hope everyone has a good day!

Back to Reality

Dave went back to work on Monday and I returned on Tuesday! Although, we both really enjoy our jobs, it was hard to go back. Lucky for Dave his second day back was a half day and his third day was the Fourth, so he had off. I unfortunately had a 12 hour day my first day and had a hell of a time getting through it. I know...cry me a river...we had 3 weeks off! In any case, it was kinda a shock for us both to get back to reality. One thing that made it easier for me is that I am being trained in a new area!!! The primate department has 6 different rotations/beats/sections (whatever you want to call them). Since, I have only worked there a couple months, I only was trained in one section thus far (Tamarins, Lemurs and Howlers). Now, I am learning a section that has a Mandrill (soon to have 2 more), Debrazza's Guenons, Siamangs and an Agile Gibbon! I have never worked with these species before, so it is very fun and a great learning experience! These particular species are of higher intelligence than the ones I was working with, so I really have to be on my toes. The Mandrill, "Jesse", for example, will reach her hand out the cage and check your locks when you shift her into a new cage. Cute, unless you didn't lock the cage properly!!! She also knows how to open and close shift doors, so everything has to padlocked and checked and then checked again before you enter a cage or shift her! Anyway, I'm having a blast learning the new section and am excited to have more variety in my week, since I will still work the other area as well!
It seems like we have been non-stop busy catching up with everyone since we got back! We went to Dana and Ruben's house last night for some pizza and a movie! We watched Crank, which was odd to say the least. It was entertaining enough to watch the whole thing, but I don't think any of us would watch it again. It had some very unique camera angles and effects, but it had no real point and you never cared about the characters. The important part, is that we had fun...good company and good food. Right now, Dave is at a 311 concert and I had some friends over. Tomorrow is Dave's birthday and while he is at work, I will be relaxing on the beach with friends. Doesn't seem fair, does it? Tomorrow night I have something planned for Dave's birthday, but of course cannot tell you because it is a surprise. Then next weekend we have a wedding to attend. And I am sure that there is a lot more going on that I can't think of right now. So, until next time...goodnight!

June 28th

Well, today is our last day on our honeymoon! It is so hard to believe that the wedding and now our vacation is over. :(

This morning started off with an early morning walk on the beach. Dave took me to the "point of rocks". It's a beautiful area of the beach that is full of shells and large rocks. I really don't think I can explaing how many shells are covering this beach!!! It was really neat! After our walk we went back to our room to finish packing. We had to be out of our room by 9:30, but our plane didn't take off until after 6pm, so we decided to go shopping at the outlet mall in Ellenton. This place has a special meaning for Dave as his grandparents used to live in this city and his Grandma used to work at one of the stores in the outlet mall. We enjoyed strolling through the shops, picking up a few bargains along the way. My most priced souveneir from the trip is a brand new Coach purse and wallet! It's fabulous (if I do say so myself)!!!

The drive back was pretty easy and uneventful. We made it to the airport safely and found our gate. From that point on we just waited....and waited....and waited...for 4 hours! When we finally got on the plane, everything went smoothly and we were back in Houston before we knew it! Martha picked us up at the airport and drove us back to our new apartment!!! It was crazy to walk in the door since we only lived here for about 3 weeks before we left for WI! Anyway, we still love it and a big part of us was actually glad to be home!

I couldn't have asked for anything better than what this trip brought me...

-fun times with my family and friends in my home town

-the most amazing and beautiful wedding a girl could ever imagine

-a fun, exciting and relaxing trip to Florida with my new husband

-a glimpse into Dave's growing up while at Siesta Key

-and a beautiful apartment to come home to!

I couldn't be happier!

June 27th, 2007

Today started much like yesterday. We barely rolled out of bed and we were in our swim suits walking towards the beach. We spent the day going back and forth between the water and our chairs, however there was a slight difference. Today, our umbrella was up ALL day, due to our severe sun burn! Now, remember when I said that Dave is Mexican and I am not? Well, I say that because we only got SPF 4 sun tan lotion! How could we/I be that stupid??? I guess when you want a good tan, 4 sounds fine, but right now as sharp pains spread across my shoulders and chest, 30 looks a lot better! Dave’s isn’t quite as bad as mine and will probably turn to brown in no time due to his heritage (or at least that is what he claims). I just hope I can put on enough lotion to prevent peeling, or at least minimize it! It started raining mid-afternoon, so we were forced off the beach and back in to our rooms. We watched a little t.v, took a nap and then showered and head to the village for dinner. This time we went to the Daiquiri Deck. It was excellent! We also took a stroll through the local mall since it was still raining. By the time sun set came around, the sky had cleared up and we were able to watch the sun set from the beach! It was beautiful!!!!

June 26th, 2007

5am…alarm…we slowly rolled out of bed and finished packing. By 5:30, we were on our way to the airport to pick up our rental car. That process went smoothly, so we were quickly on our way to Siesta Key!!! It took us 2 hours to get there..1 hour west and 1 hour south. We first stopped at a local drug store to pick up some sun tan lotion and snacks. (Note for later…Dave is Mexican; I am not. You’ll understand shortly.) Once we were all stocked up with Coppertone, popcorn, cookies and water we checked in to our room. Picture several small streets, almost like alleys, with small motel-like “resorts” on either side; ours was called Captiva Beach Resort. We got our keys, lugged all our suitcases in the room, changed into our swim suits and were out the door! The beach is only about a half of a block from the resort. It was still early, so we were easily able to find a couple of chairs with an umbrella. We laid down for only a few minutes before Dave convinced me to go in the water. If any of you know me well, you know that I am terrified of large bodies of water and of course sharks! I have only gone in the ocean twice (actually the Gulf) and have gone in to my thighs and no higher. However, both those times I was with friends; this time I was with my husband and I think it made a difference. Dave was able to coax me to go as far as my chin without too much of a problem! I only had a couple of rules….Dave was not to go far from me when I was that deep and he was always to be the one further out. This insured the sharks would get him first!!!! He, he, he. Dave was very accommodating; which I am sure was partially due to the fact that he felt a sort of accomplishment that he was the one who helped me get over my fear (not completely though – I’m still not ready for a cruise)! Anyway, the day was great! We relaxed on the beach, soaked up some sun and did a lot of swimming. One of my favorite parts was seeing Dave care free and child-like with his adorable goggles on!!! Oh, and did I mention we saw dolphins???? Yeah, we did! It was so awesome and may have to be my favorite part over the goggles (sorry Honey). There were at least a dozen or more of them about 200 yards away from us! They were porpoising like crazy, which made it look as if they were playing! Dave let me get on his shoulders for a better view! I will never forget that moment…it truly was amazing! We got cleaned up for an early dinner at Phillippe Creek Oyster Bar. Dave and his family used to come here a lot, so it was highly recommended. I was certainly not disappointed. I had some wonderful coconut shrimp and Dave had the gator meal. After eating, we went shopping in the village. It was filled with all your typical tourist gift shops. Although, no matter how typical; it is impossible to stay away. We saw lots of Siesta Key t-shirts (Dave bought one); many swim suits, sunglasses and sandals; tons of shot glasses, mugs and cups; far too many trinkets with parrots, lizards and shells on them; more postcards than anyone could ever want; and of course any item imaginable that could be personalized with your name! It was great fun! We then drove around the island and the main land for awhile gawking at houses, resorts and palm trees. We finished the night with some great homemade ice cream! I was told that Dave and Matt got jumbo jaw breakers there once and couldn’t even make a dent in them! Lucky me…I get to witness this event because Dave bought one and is determined to get further this time!

June 25th, 2007

Now that all the parks are done, we were able to spend one complete day at our resort. We spent time laying in the sun, swimming in the pool, soaking in the hot tub, playing in the arcade, walking the trails, taking pictures and more! We had a couple drinks by the pool and then went back to our room to get ready for dinner. We decided to get a little more dressed up this time, which was a nice change from t-shirts and shorts. We dined at a place called Artist Point. It was beautiful! We started off with a glass of wine and a cheese sampler plate. Now, it’s not what you are thinking…no spreadable cheese and crackers. It was a long rectangular plate with a small triangular slices of aged white cheddar, blu cheese and an aged parmesan. In between the slices was a small pile of dried cranberries and a golden raisins soaked in wine! The blu cheese made us want to throw up, but everything else was good. Shortly after, our main dishes came to the table. Dave ordered a pork chop on top of a bed of macaroni. I ordered a roasted chicken with russet potatoes and snap peas. Both our meals were excellent!!!! At $28 a plate, they better be!!! For desert we shared caramelized peach cake in a cinnamon sauce with a small scoop of peach sorbet. After another glass of wine, we went for a short walkairport by the lake and then headed inside for some sleep before our drive to Siesta Key tomorrow!

June 24th, 2007

Today was our last day at the Disney Theme Parks. We finished Epcot and MGM, but still had Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom to tackle. We began at Animal Kingdom. We were there right when it opened and quickly made our way to the Dinosaur Exhibit. We thought it would be a walk-through, park-like exhibit of animatronic dinosaurs, but we were wrong! It was a ride! It took us through a dark inside replica of an island in the time period of the dinosaurs. It was extremely dark, so there were many unexpected twists, turns and of course dinosaurs! We both decided it was our favorite ride!!! We then continued through the park seeing many other animals like tigers, siamangs, bats, birds and more. We went on one more ride and called it a day. We went back to the resort, took yet another nap and got ready for the next and final park…Magic Kingdom! We were both very excited to go back! Although, I already saw Cinderella’s Castle, I was still thoroughly impressed! We hit up two areas we didn’t go through last time including Tomorrow Land and Toon Time Land. The latter was mainly for kids and didn’t have much for us. We did get to go through Minnie and Mickey’s houses which was quite cute, but the majority of our time was spent in Tomorrow Land. We went on a ride based on Lilo and Stitch where Stitch escapes and is running through the audience (which is in complete darkness). You feel him breathing on you, running on the back of your seat and even burping on you, which stunk like chili fries!!! We also saw an interactive comedy show based on the movie Monsters Inc. and a 3-D show with tons of Disney characters! Both were hilarious and very impressive! Most of the rest of our time was spent relaxing and taking in all the sights. We enjoyed some homemade candy, some shopping and a great dinner at the Plaza Restaurant. The best part of the night (and the best night time show of the trip) was the fireworks display called “Wishes”. Although, I did really enjoy Fantasmic a couple nights ago at MGM, Wishes far surpassed that show! It was amazing! We wondered around for a little bit after the show, but then head out. Dave had to drag me towards the door, all the while reminding me that we will be back one day with our kids, so I didn’t actually have to say good-bye!

June 23rd, 2007

Today was an incredibly relaxing day! We were out the door by about 8:30 heading straight to the resort pool. It’s a gorgeous pool surrounded by rocks, waterfalls and even a geyser! We hung out in the pool for awhile and then switched to the hot tub. It was a perfect time to go to the pool because most people are still getting ready for the day or are off to a theme park. The pool is barely tolerable later in the day due to the huge crowds! After we laid out in the morning sun for awhile, we proceeded to the boat rental area were we found ourselves in a Sea Raycer, a 2 seater baby speed boat! It’s like a mix between speed boat, jet-ski and paddle boat. We were told that anything over 320 pounds would affect speed and we confidently shrugged our shoulders as if that didn’t apply to us. Once we left the dock we realized that it certainly did apply to us! So, although we weren’t able to go nearly as fast as we saw others going, it was very enjoyable! The little lake our resort is on, is very, very pretty and provides a great view of Cinderella’s Castle! Once we finished with the boat, we showered and got ready to head to the Boardwalk! The Boardwalk is actually another Disney resort on a different lake that has lots of little restaurants and of course ESPN Zone (the main reason for our visit)! We decided to eat at the ESPN restaurant and were quickly glad we did. When we arrived the Bears Quarterback, Rex Grossman, was there. Although, we are Packers fans, it was still cool to see! He went into this sound proof, glass room to do an interview which was actually live and being played on tv’s throughout the restaurant. As soon as he left, another celebrity came in…Michelle Kwan! It was so awesome to see her in person! Although I don’t watch ice skating as much as I used to, I always loved her and she’s without a doubt, the most well known figure skater around! I got a few pictures and she walked about 2 feet in front of me, but I couldn’t actually get a picture with her; she was quickly being ushered out. When we were done eating we walked the Boardwalk a little and then came back for yet another nap! Once we awoke from our nap we headed towards Fort Wilderness Campground. It’s a short distance away and we were able to ride a ferry to get there. Once we arrived we made our way to the middle of the campground where we anxiously awaited a campfire. Unfortunately, the campfire pits were really small and the 2 fires were lit without so much a word. The whole experience was very disappointing. Even though we could buy a kit to make s’mores and there was a movie to be played on a huge outdoor screen within an hour, Dave and I decided to leave. It may have been our least favorite and most disappointing part of the trip…we both expected the largest campfire imaginable. We then walked through the trails of the campground back towards the lake and sat down for awhile. We had dinner reservations at the Trail’s End restaurant, which is an all you can eat buffet. We were very pleased with dinner. We both felt like we’ve been surviving on French fries and sandwiches for days, so it was great to get a home cooked meal. The buffet was filled with fried chicken, mashed potatoes, macaroni, salad, skirt steak and much, much more! We ate like we’ve never ate before and then headed back to our resort for bed.

June 22nd, 2007

Well, today started a little different than the previous days. We got up at a decent hour and ate breakfast like normal, but luck wasn’t on our side this time. Our intention was to go to the Wide World of Sports, which we didn’t know anything about. Having “sports” in the title was enough for Dave. So, we excitedly hopped aboard a bus to MGM Studios, as no buses went directly there from our resort. Once there we thought we found the correct bus and away we went. However, when we got there and went inside, we discovered we were dropped off at the “All Sports Disney Resort”!!!! Although I did buy a cute shirt in their gift shop, they had nothing else for us. So, we found out that we should go to another central location to catch the right bus. This time we went to Downtown Disney. We stopped in a store to get a Christmas Ornament I wanted and then were back at the bus stops. We couldn’t find the correct bus, so we decided just to go back to MGM, which is where we intended on ending our day anyway. Unfortunately, they do not have buses that go from park to park so we had to take one to another resort, get off and get on another bus from there to MGM. This last part of the process took about an hour! By the time we got to MGM it was almost 1pm and we felt like we accomplished very little. Despite all this, we had a wonderful time at MGM because it was Star Wars Weekend! This was our main purpose for going, so we had no problem standing in the long lines for photos with famous Star Wars characters! We got pictures with a total of about 7 characters including, Luke, Chewy, R2-D2 (who I kissed), Storm Troopers and more!!! We also enjoyed lunch at the Sci-Fi Drive In, where we were seated in booths that were inside convertibles. The whole restaurant is made to look as if we were in a drive in movie, complete with a huge screen playing parts of classic movies and cartoons! After all this, we were once again pretty beat and although we found the correct bus stop for Wide World of Sports on our way out, Dave decided not to go. We went back to the resort for our daily nap. As we speak it is about 8pm and Dave is still sleeping! I’ll wake him up soon!

June 21st, 2007

Despite setting our alarm for 6:15 in the morning, we didn’t roll out of bed until 8:15. We were way too tired after traveling and our first day of parks to get up that early. After a quick breakfast we headed to Magic Kingdom, the ultimate Disney Theme Park. I was in awe when we walked up to see Cinderella’s Castle!!! The very venue you see on all the commercials, the Disney logo and all the merchandise. It was beautiful! And once again, we had great timing as we caught a cool dance show on the Castle stage right when we got there! We continued walking around the park enjoying the scenery and wandering in and out of shops. At this point, I was getting plenty of attention…yesterday, at MGM, Dave bought me Minnie ears with a veil! They are very cute and have provided Dave and I with a bit more attention than we anticipated! We also both were given "Just Married" buttons which provided us with even more attention! While hearing lots of “congratulations” Dave and I made it through about half the park. We rode the “It’s a Small World” and “Peter Pan” ride and saw A Tiki Show starring Zazu and Iago! We also were lucky enough to meet Timon and Rafiki and get a picture!!! Did I mention Dave got me a very, very large Princess balloon??? Yes, he did…and yes, I feel like I am 5 years old and I am loving every minute of it! We then went back to the hotel and planned the rest of our vacation with the concierge. We made reservations at several restaurants for the rest of our stay! We then proceeded to Epcot!!! We immediately went on the very cute “Nemo and Friends” ride and then worked our way around the "world"! Epcot circles a small lake and contains replicas of many historical buildings around the world. Each “country” has authentic shops, restaurants, grounds and even employees from the given country. We stopped at the Nine Dragons Chinese restaurant for our reservation! It was an amazing meal! After dinner we watched the incredible “Illuminations” light and fireworks show! It was one of the best fireworks displays I have ever seen! We ended the night with a ride on a Test Track with a super fast race car and another ride on Spaceship Earth with an entertaining look at the history and future of communication. With sore chins, feet and backs we said goodnight to Epcot which we finished in only one afternoon!

June 20th, 2007

Well, the day started early as we headed to Animal Kingdom, our first Disney Theme Park of the vacation. We were able to get in early due to the “Extra magic Hours” offered to Disney resort guests! We ran to the back of the park for the Kilimanjaro Safari! We were taken on an interactive “safari” in a large jeep through the African forest and savanna! We saw rhinos, giraffes, impala, lions, hippos and much, much more! Then we continued through the park stopping for other animal exhibits including gorillas. My favorite part was the “It’s Tough to be a Bug” 3-D show inside the beautiful Tree of Life! We tackled half the park and came back to the hotel for a short nap. We’ll get the rest done on Sunday. After our nap, we headed to Disney’s MGM Park. As we walked in the entrance, a parade had just begun…great timing! We saw characters like Woody, Buzz, R2-D2, Darth, the Disney Princesses and many more! We went to several shows including Indiana Jones, Muppet 3-D and Star Tours! We stood in line for longer than I can remember for the big show of the night…Fantasmic! Despite the long wait, this water, light and character show was well worth it! To my amazement, a Disney employee convinced Dave to try the Aerosmith roller coaster!!!! For someone who LOVES Aerosmith and roller coasters, this couldn’t be a better combination, but Dave doesn’t like roller coasters, heights OR Aerosmith!!!! I was very excited he gave it a try and survived to talk about it! He says it was bland and too short, but that he would do it again! WOW! Maybe I’ll get him on all the roller coasters now!

June 19th, 2007

We were on a plane by 6am heading to our honeymoon location…Orlando!!! Relaxation here we come!!! Once we arrived at the airport we were greeted by “Magical Express” employees who told us that we didn’t have to even worry about our luggage. It would arrive at the resort later in the day! Talk about convenience. We then took the Disney shuttle to the Wilderness Lodge resort! It is absolutely beautiful! Our room is on the first floor over looking a calm and very quiet little pond. We have a patio that leads right to the pond! We were visited by ducks very early in our stay! We have much exploring of the resort to do over the next several days. After a nap, we got ready for Downtown Disney! We started by eating out at Planet Hollywood. Our VIP pass lead us straight to a table, avoiding the half hour wait! We had a wonderful meal and took home 2 souvenir glasses and 2 t-shirts. We then proceeded through the rest of the shops, buying more trinkets along the way and stopping for many photos! We will be going back later in the week to experience Downtown in the daylight! The night ended with a bottle of wine, balloons and a congratulations card from Mickey and Minnie waiting in our room! It was a wonderful first day!

Our Wedding Day

All the planning...all the appointments, phone calls and fittings and it is all over in less than a day! The good news is that it was all I ever dreamed and so much more! Dave and I could not have been happier with the way our day turned out! Everything down to the smallest detail was perfect! We pray that all of you that were able to make it enjoyed yourselves! I can't begin to describe the amazing feeling of having all our loved ones with us for such an important event!

I am not going to go through all the details of the day; all I am going to say is that it was the best day of my life! I am so in love and will never forget the day I married my best friend!