So Benn and I met with Giti from Confection on Tuesday to talk about our cake and taste their flavors!  We chose four flavors; vanilla, chocolate mint, peach bellini, and honey maple carrot.  We didn’t get to try the peach bellini because the peaches aren’t very good right now.  In place of the peach, she brought us honey lavender cake to try.  They were all very good!  The cake was of a thicker consistency, but it was still moist.  The chocolate cake was also thick and moist!  I think Benn and I would disagree as to the order of our favorite flavors, but in general, we liked the vanilla, chocolate mint, and carrot cake.  The honey lavender was really sweet.  The cake had lavender in it and it definitely had a flowery taste.

We talked about the kind of cake we want…which was hard because we hadn’t really decided what we liked.  I showed pictures of the cakes I had looked at and liked, but we had to narrow it down to our top three together.  We decided we liked ribbon on the bottom of each layer with a cascade of flowers.  Giti priced it out for us, and including delivery and set up, it would be $700.

We want to taste cake at Boonzaaijer’s because their prices might be a little better.

Overall, we were very happy with Confection, and Giti was very friendly, and I think she could bake us a delicious wedding cake!

About the bridesmaid dresses and my dress…instead of driving out to Quincy a few more times, I just picked up the dresses and we’re going to have them altered in Kalamazoo along with my dress.

Thanks for reading!

Mindy

Well, it’s Wednesday and Benn and I got back to Grand Rapids yesterday after spending the weekend in Mattawan, and we’ll be back there Monday again! I’ll explain, don’t worry. But first, yesterday Benn, Mom, Dave and I went to The Fountains to check it out again and get some questions answered.  When I walked in I noticed that they used to have three windows on one wall that are no longer there.  Jennifer, from The Fountains, said people kept saying that they would have liked it darker in the building, so they decided to take out the windows and just put up a wall where they used to be.  I’m happy about that because we’re thinking about putting some Eiffel Tower vases in front of the windows, and I was worried about spacing, since the ledge continued on a wall with no windows.  Anyway, I’m not worried about that anymore.  Jennifer gave us a lot of ideas about what to do with those Eiffel Tower vases.  Benn really liked one of her ideas, which was spray painted sticks in vases with lights.  That could look very cool!  I brought a centerpiece vase and candles we’d been experimenting with to see what it looked like with a mirror.  I don’t think the small candles will be able to sit on the mirror; it looks too claustrophobic.  It was definitely nice to go in again to get a better idea of things.  We were able to get more information as to what would happen if it rains.  If it does rain, I know it will still be beautiful!

So, next Monday, Katie, Mom and I are going back to Quincy to Patty’s Bridal so that Katie can get fitted for her dress.  Patty’s allowing me to bring in my wedding dress to see if they can alter it to fit me.  I’m hoping they can!  They mentioned that not all dresses can be altered…so I’m kind of nervous.  I’m pretty sure we’ll be spending more on the alterations than the dress itself!  I spent $207 on the dress!  I don’t remember if I mentioned this before, but I found the dress at Bridal Creations, which used to be in Kalamazoo, but then it moved down the road to Paw Paw.  I bought every prom and formal dress from that shop (except for one) and I of course went to the dances with Benn, so it felt right going there for my wedding dress!  Unfortunately for the shop, but fortunately for me, they were going out of business and had a 75% off everything sale.  The dress was the second one I put on and it was my favorite!  The other dresses were pretty, but I definitely fell in love with this one and it was cheap!  So, hopefully they’ll be able to alter it!

Then Tuesday, we have a cake tasting scheduled with Giti from My Confection.  I have a Kalamazoo Bride magazine and one of their cakes is featured on the front of the magazine! (The first cake is the cake featured on the cover of the issue I have.)  They were originally based in Richland, but they’re moving to Kalamazoo!  Benn and I have to pick four flavors we want to taste, and man do their flavors look delicious! (Just scroll down if you click on the link.)  I’m so excited!

I’ll let you know how all of that goes!

Oh, I went to the chiropractor today and Dr. Gillis went over the last scan of my back, and my back looks soooo much straighter!  I’m really happy with the results.  We’re at the maintenance stage, so now I’m only going in once every two weeks, but I can go in of course if it gets screwed up.  Last Friday it was so bad I could hardly open a door.  Benn and I were helping my friend move, and it was fine in the morning, but by about 2pm I could hardly move my neck.  Even if I wanted to get my neck fixed, I couldn’t have because the office is only open until noon.  Once Benn and I got back home to the apartment I just laid down and cried.  Not fun.  I used a heating pad the rest of the night once we got to Mattawan.  It helped quite a bit, but I could’ve used an adjustment and a massage and a hot tub…and about a half hour on a roller.  I’m feeling much better after my adjustment today.  He recommended ice…it’s still pretty tight today, but it’s way better than Friday.

Hopefully today Benn and I can work on Save-the-Dates today!

Thanks for reading!

Mindy

It’s been a few years since I’ve been in a Hobby Lobby, but Benn and I decided to go check out the one up the road on Friday.  They have so much STUFF!  We were on a mission to find popsicle sticks for program fans.  They have wavy sticks and straight sticks.  The straight sticks are much thicker, so we decided to buy a pack of those to try out.  We found some thick paper to try also.  I’d been looking for cardstock, but I haven’t been able to find thick enough paper.  We ended up buying some white tagboard in a huge pack of 8 1/2″ by 11″ paper.  We also found a very peachy colored pack of candle wax.  The wax looks like sand, so we’re going to try it out in the candle holders mom just ordered for us.  We were also thinking about using it for the sand pouring ceremony.  We also picked out very modern vases for the sand pouring!  They’re so AWESOME!  They’re tall and skinny with thick glass spiraling down the vase and the top is open at an angle.  They’re definitely more modern than what we otherwise would have gotten, but they’re so cool! We were also looking for 5″ metal pails to use with our table markers, but we didn’t have any luck.  I did find some online, so I’ll probably just order those.

Benn and I had so much fun just looking at all the house decorations!  We can’t wait to have a house!  First things first, we both need jobs!

We also decided to print our save-the-dates at Walgreens as regular pictures.  We wanted to do postcards, but they were going to be $1.00 a piece, and our pictures were 9 cents a piece.  The pictures just seemed a lot easier.  We did have to buy envelopes as well as stickers for the backs of them for the extra information, but I’m glad they’ll be in envelopes.

I’ve been getting addresses from people, so we should be sending them out pretty soon!  I wanted to get them sent out by November/December, but that clearly didn’t work, so my new goal is ASAP!

Benn and I’ve been home since Tuesday, so we’ve been spending time putting stuff away and cleaning.  This place is so small that any pile of anything makes the whole apartment feel like a disaster!

I also wanted to mention that I bought the Active for the Wii!  I tried it out last night, and it kicked my butt!  It’s a blast though.  I think it’ll help me keep a routine.  I’ve only had it for one day, but I absolutely recommend it!  My legs and arms and shoulders are sore, but I can’t wait to do it again tonight!  I’m doing the 30 day challenge, so I’ll let you know what happens at the end!

Thanks for reading!

Mindy

Every Christmas my mom’s family plays dirty bingo.  Some people bring good gifts…others bring hilarious crazy gifts.  Well, someone opened a wreath with birds and what not on it and Benn didn’t stop until he got it from that person.  Well, it spent a whole year in the trunk of my car because by the time we got back from visiting all the families it was January, and we don’t really have a lot of storage in the apartment.

Well, last weekend mom asked if Benn and I wanted to take home some Christmas lights.  We took home a string of colored and a string of white lights.  Benn immediately remembered the wreath in the trunk…so we got back home to the apartment and I put it up on the inside of the door.  Benn wanted it on the outside so everyone else could see it lol.  What a goof!

I put up the lights, too, in the living room and dining room.  They don’t look fantastic cuz we don’t have a lot of lights, but it’s nice that it looks a little festive in here!  Check out the pics in the pictures tab! Benn was making dinner tonight and he goes, “Man, I dig these lights!  We should just keep them up!”  I love when he makes me laugh.   Oh, speaking of…late last night after the good tv was over he put in a cd and told me it was some kind of Celtic music.   Before I went to sleep I shut it off and took out the cd and when I saw what it was I cracked up!  It was Zelda!  For those of you who don’t know, Zelda is a video game series and it’s one of Benn’s favorites.  I did not expect to see that when the cd player spit it out lol. I’m officially marrying a nerd, and I love him.

Mindy

Over Thanksgiving break Benn and I had to make a trip to Kay for the 6 month cleaning of my ring.  We were helped by the lady who helped us put together the ring that’s now on my finger!  She’s fantastic!  Her name is Debbie Rugg.  She’s at the location in the Crossroads Mall in Portage.  I asked if he was going to try on any rings and he said no.  She and I had to do some convincing, and he finally decided to try some on.  He thought he’d be easy and just get a normal, shiny, white gold band.  Well, it was not that simple!  He didn’t like the normal ring, so Debbie rapid fired rings at him asking which he liked better until he found an awesome one!  It’s white gold, so it matches mine…which is cool.  His has a crosshatch/weave pattern, and it looks great on him!  I think it fits him perfectly.  We’re really happy with Debbie because she found us both of our rings!  We will absolutely be getting our bands from her, and probably any other nice piece of jewelry.  Thanks Debbie!

Mindy

Well, clearly it’s been a while since I last posted.  My internship at Saint Mary’s Health Care has been keeping me incredibly busy, and my two classes are pretty time consuming.

I have been going to the chiropractor for the past five weeks at Gillis Family Chiropractic. It has changed my life!  Benn loves it because I haven’t asked him for a back rub in weeks!  My x-rays showed that my back is “s” shaped, my neck is straight when it’s supposed to have a slight curve to it, and my low back pain was caused by a vertebra that was out of place, pinching my nerves!  I had three adjustments a week for 4 weeks, and I’m down to two a week for the next now 3 weeks.  I’m really happy about this decision!  I feel amazing!  After insurance, I’ll end up owing about $400, which isn’t too bad.

Wedding plans have been going alright.  We’re working on save-the-date stuff.  Benn designed it!  Well, he designed four of them, and we’ve been trying to decide which one we like best.  The two people we asked liked the same one, which is different from the one Benn likes and different from the one I like, haha.  So we decided to go with the one the two others liked because that was the first one Benn made and we both liked it.  Those will be sent out soon, hopefully by the end of November.  Benn and I just have to figure out what we’re putting on the back.  We’re doing a postcard instead of a magnet.  We haven’t decided if we’re going to put them in an envelope or not though…actually, I don’t think I mentioned that idea to him yet…I should get on that!  We still need a cake, the outdoor chairs, and a few other…more minor things.  I will definitely be using Christmas Break for planning!

I’m graduating in December!  I finally got everything figured out; my professor is going to write off my last class I need to take by replacing it with one I’ve already taken!

Saint Mary’s is going great!  I was “hired” to work on one project…the website, and they have me working on about 7 major projects.  It’s been crazy!  There are so many parts to the website.  I’m working on the technical information, the physician’s page, the diversity page, the dress code information, the dress code photo shoots, electronic greeting cards for managers, and my newest project is working on the 2009 Board Report.

Well, I have to go to sleep.  It’s so exhausting waking up at 6:45 and working until 5.   Naps have become my new best friend!

Oh, I just remembered I didn’t tell you about the bridal preview presentation.  Long story short, Benn and I want all of their cookware, but it’s way too expensive.  We just have to mail in $15 to get a vacation coupon book that lasts a life time!  Still haven’t done that…

Thanks for reading!

Mindy

Alright, so this isn’t a wedding update, but I wanted to talk about the chiropractic appointment I had today.  If you remember from the last post, I signed up for a free consultation at a chiropractic clinic in Grandville.   I’ve always been a little hesitant when it comes to chiropractors but I’ve had back pain and knee pain for years.  When I saw the info on my lower back at the bridal show I realized it was the perfect opportunity to go!

So he ran this two pronged thing down my spine to see where there might be some uneven spots.  He pushed in three spots and knew which side was hurting more!  It was crazy!  I couldn’t believe it.  I have to go back next week so he can show me the x-rays, but he said it looks like it’s out of alignment.  Then I can decide if I want to get treatment.  I have no clue what it’ll cost and I don’t know what insurance covers.

Benn and I are going to the Bridal Preview Friday.  They give you a free trip for going to a 90 minute presentation about healthy cooking, and they sell cookware and china.  I’ll let you know how that goes.

Mindy

This weekend Katie came to visit!  We went to the Kohler Expo bridal show on Friday.  It was at the DeVos Place, which is a huge beautiful building.   This was my first bridal show I’ve been to, which is funny since most of our planning is complete.  Nonetheless, I was still excited to go!  We got there a bit early, signed in and put on our pink “bride” stickers.  As we walked in we were handed a bag, which told me we would be getting a lot of stuff!  And man did we get stuff.   There weren’t as many vendors as I thought there would be, but by the time we got home I’d forgotten what kinds of stuff I’d tossed in the bag.  Going through the pamphlets and papers reminded me of Halloween…but for brides!  haha

How it works is you walk along the booths until they get your attention or you want to check something out, you fill out a little card with your contact info, which usually goes into a drawing, and they hand you info about their business.  One thing I would definitely recommend that I saw a few girls do is bring address labels to stick over the basic contact info section.  It saves a lot of time and writing.

I was hoping there were a lot of cake places there, but there was only one.  The really expensive cake place with the out-of-this-world delicious cake.  Of course Katie and I had to taste it!  She had a slice of chocolate and I had coconut.  SO good!

We had a shrimp shooter with a pesto bread stick appetizer which was not bad!  I can’t remember where that was from, I want to say Applause Catering. I saw a few centerpiece ideas I liked, but nothing that really struck me as being amazing.

I did, however,  receive a free consultation at a chiropractic office with free x-rays!  I’m so excited!  I had to put $20 down, but I get it back when I go to the appointment on Thursday!  Now, what a chiropractic clinic was doing at the bridal show I have no clue, but I’m so glad they were there!  They measured the muscle movement in my lower back and it was in the red zone…or high…and it showed which way my muscles were pulling…so on my lower back, the muscles on the top portion moved to the left, the middle they moved to the right, and the low portion moved to the left.  I’m really hoping to get some good information from this consultation.  I can’t afford chiropractic services right now, but if I think it’s right for me I’d love to find a great chiropractor some day.  That or hire an in-home masseuse! Ha ha yeah right!

It’s getting late and I’m exhausted, but I just want to say one more quick thing.  My dad and Wella had baby Joseph on September 10th!  I haven’t seen any pictures of him yet, but I’m sure he’s adorable!  I can’t wait to see all of them in December!

I’ll try to update the post later if I think of anything else to add.

Mindy

Our engagement pictures are up on Studio D2D’s website!  If you would like to see them or order any please feel free!  They will be up until November.   Click here to get to the page.  You’ll have to find our names either by clicking the “choose your event” or scrolling down the page and looking for our names and pictures.  Our password is wolfe2010.  If you have any questions let me know!

Mindy

What a day!  This weekend was the first weekend all summer that we didn’t need to drive into Kalamazoo, so we took advantage and scheduled our engagement pictures for the 15th.  What a beautiful day it turned out to be!  Nothing could go wrong…or so we thought.

Benn got his hair cut on Wednesday at a salon down the road from work which was suggested to us by Ellen, our coworker.  It looks much better!  It’s still pretty long, but now there are layers in it.  One of the hair stylists had her hair half up and curly and I thought it was so cute!  As we were leaving I scheduled an appointment to get my hair done like that for our pictures.  Our pictures were scheduled for 7pm at Grand Haven, and my appointment was over around 1, so we stopped at Burlington Coat Factory to pick up some swimming trunks for Benn and to see if there were any nice blouses for me for our pictures.  Benn found two trunks and I found a top.  I didn’t wear it for the pictures though because it wasn’t a solid print.  We decided to go to Panera for lunch.  We still had about 4 hours before our pictures.  We both got the you-pick-two with the delicious turkey bacon bravo sandwich, Benn got the clam chowder in a bread bowl and I got the broccoli and cheese in a bread bowl.  Benn mentioned that his soup was sandy, but kept eating.  Then he pulled out this white chunk that looked like a piece of a shell.  He finished the soup though, and started on the bread bowl.  He pulled another white chunk out of his mouth which also looked like a shell.  “What is in this soup?!” he said.  I just looked at him.  “I know what that is…” he said, and he smiled.  His front tooth was half gone!  Luckily it was just his cap.  He ran into a fence years ago playing softball and broke his tooth.  So we’re sitting there, my hair’s done and his front tooth is half gone!  Now what?!  I immediately called Rich, our photographer, to see if we should cancel or if they could photoshop his tooth back in.  He didn’t answer and his voicemail wasn’t set up.  He was supposed to call me the day of to make sure we were still meeting.  We were afraid he had forgotten!  I kept calling and calling.  We didn’t want him to drive all the way out there for nothing!  Finally around 5-5:30 Rich called and said it wouldn’t be a problem to photoshop it in, so we decided to have our pictures taken anyway.

It was a lot of fun!  We stopped at a barn on the way, and had a nice sunset for a while.  The clouds came in pretty quickly though so could only get a few pictures with it.  Grand Haven was so busy!  We couldn’t get any pictures by the lighthouse because there were so many people.  I thought it worked out really well!  We were able to get some pictures in the dunes and the sand.  It was a fun experience.  It was kind of weird being so cuddly in public with a ton of people staring at us.  Benn was a good sport smiling with his broken tooth.  What a sweetheart.  We can’t wait to see the pictures!  The good news is Benn was able to get his tooth fixed today!

We also had another cake tasting today.  This was with a lady who makes cakes out of her home.  Her name is Pam, and her company is called 4 Gooodness Cake. She actually lives just down the road, which was convenient!  She has the cheapest cakes I’ve been able to find.  Her cakes are very simple but still elegant…and delicious!  Benn and I are still going to look in the Kalamazoo area for cakes because we figure we might be able to use the money we would need for this cake to make our cake a bit more extravagant.  We’ll see though.  I’m glad I’ve had a lot of free time lately because I’ve spent a lot of time looking for wedding stuff.  It gets tiring after awhile!

That’s all for now!  Thanks for reading!

Mindy