Michelle and Jeff

Update Time

2008-12-17T13:19:00.001-08:00

It's been a LONG time since we have blogged. So, a quick update.... We have moved to the Seattle area. Jeff has a great new job with a window manufacturer called PlyGem Windows. It's only been a little over a month, but they have already given him a "promotion" with 4 direct reports. I'm so proud of him and is nice to see him so respected by his employer.

I've been getting us settled in, ready for the holidays and preparing for our new addition. Yes, a new addition, but not what you are thinking - not yet. Isn't he the cutest? He's a Golden Doodle - his mom is a Golden Retriever and his dad is a Poodle. He comes home January 3rd!

Wedding photos and Anguilla

2008-05-21T15:46:00.000-07:00

Hello! Jeff and I are setting in well with married life as it seems like it was just yesterday, but seems like it's been forever since our wedding too.

We received our photos from the photographer, but have yet to narrow them down, so if you are brave or lots some time on your hands here is a link to the 770 pictures!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/BrowsePhotos.jsp?UV=698860082272_635377094605&collid=463604424105.194732034605.1211409962578&page=1

Also, here are some casual ones from the BBQ and other events that week.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/BrowsePhotos.jsp?UV=698860082272_635377094605&collid=463604424105.504983104605.1211409962578&page=1

And the perfect honeymoon, Anguilla:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/BrowsePhotos.jsp?UV=698860082272_635377094605&collid=36032503105.856067393605.1211410371091&page=1&sort_order=1&navfolderid=0&folderid=0&ownerid=36032503105

We recently celebrated a year (May 19th) since we were engaged and my big 3-0 b'day. Whew, barely made it (the big day before the big birthday!) :-)

Safe Travels!

2008-04-01T20:49:00.000-07:00

Safe travels to everyone on their way to California. Supposed to be sunny and 75 on Saturday, perfect for a wedding.

Getting closer

2008-03-24T16:59:00.000-07:00

The countdown timer on the side of this blog tells me we have 11 days and change until the big event. Why didn't someone tell me it was going to sneak up so fast?!? Oh wait. Everyone told me that. But it's so true.

Everything is coming together. A few details need to be ironed out, but the big stuff is in place. Michelle is doing an awesome job planning everything. I help where I can and stay out of the way where I can't.

The one thing we can't control is the weather, but that is looking nice as well. I'll try to post a weather widget below, but we'll see how that turns out.

See you all soon!

Weather Forecast | Weather Maps | Weather Radar

A few of my favorite things... Part 1

2008-02-29T21:07:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to make a list of some of my favorite local things to give our out of town guests some ideas of things to do. Here's a few. I put Part 1 in case I think of more later. But I'm not promising anything. I'm sure Michelle will have a few of her own as well. I'd encourage our local friends to add comments of their favorite things.

Food and drinks(close to the hotel in Burbank - all within walking distance)
El Tapatio - My absolute favorite restaurant in LA. It's a hole in the wall Mexican place that has great food for a great price. I recommend the carne asada burrito with chips and fresh guacamole. If you're lucky, the owner will call you "miho" like he used to call me and Cagle (my old roommate" when we used to go there all the time. 926 S. San Fernando Road in Burbank (corner of San Fernando and Alameda, just a few blocks down from the hotel)

The Blue Room - Total dive bar. Right next to El Tapatio. Reminds me of a bar from the U.P. of Michigan. (that's a good thing, in my mind) Cheap, tasty drinks. 60 year old waitstaff. Just beware of the smoking bartenders. (that's a no-no in California, but dive bars get away with it.) 916 S. San Fernando Road, Burbank

Gordon Biersch Brewery - Across the street from the hotel. Great microbrews. Excellent food. Decent number of flat screen tv's in the bar area if you want to watch a game. http://www.gordonbiersch.com/

Burbank Bar and Grille - AKA the BBG. This bar/restaurant has a great patio with live music Friday night. The two guitar players/singers are alumni of the University of Missouri and friends of Michelle. And they are a lot of fun. An 80's cover band starts inside the restaurant later in the evening. Look for us here Friday night after the BBQ. http://www.bbgrocks.com/ Located in the middle of downtown Burbank on San Fernando.

Coffee - There's a Starbucks and a Coffee Bean in downtown Burbank on San Fernando.

Breakfast - We've enjoyed Market City Cafe and Granville Cafe, though I'm sure others are good as well. Both in the middle of downtown Burbank on San Fernando

Shopping
Burbank has all the normal shopping, including a decent mall right in downtown Burbank, but the one store worth pointing out is It's A Wrap. This store gets used clothes from tv and movie studios and resells them. Most of the clothes are very high quality, worn only once, and sold at a significant discount. Most clothes are marked with the show or movie they were used in. This is a store you either love or hate. I can't stand the "moldy basement" smell for very long, but some people love shopping there. http://www.itsawraphollywood.com/ The store is on Magnolia about halfway between the church and the hotel if you follow the directions included with the invitation. 3315 W. Magnolia, Burbank.

Entertainment
Universal Studios is just a couple miles from the hotel. The theme park is small, but very nice. You can definitely spend a whole day there. Separate from the park, there is also Universal CityWalk which is an outdoor mall/entertainment area. Beware that you have to pay to park even to visit CityWalk. http://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/

If you want a unique studio experience, I recommend the VIP studio tour at Warner Brothers. It's $45 for a 2+ hour tour with a very small group. Every tour is different and you get to go on an active set. When I went a number of years ago, I got to see the director of one of the Batman movies work on the Batmobile while I stood right next to him. Very cool. Make sure you book in advance. This is just down the road in Burbank. http://www2.warnerbros.com/vipstudiotour/

The Tonight Show studio is also located right in Burbank. He tapes each day. It looks like the deadline has passed to order tickets by mail, but you can get them the morning of the taping if you want to committ all day to this endeavor. Also keep in mind that if the studio seats 100, they give away 200 tickets and there's a bus full of 50 people that are guaranteed to get in. So basically you have to get in line by mid-morning and wait for the taping in late afternoon. Still a fun and memorable experience, though. And free. http://www.nbc.com/The_Tonight_Show_with_Jay_Leno/about/tickets.shtml

That's probably enough for now.

We Made It Through the Weekend....

2008-02-25T19:51:00.000-08:00

What a crazy weekend we just had. Jeff was scheduled to travel to Detroit this past weekend for his Bachelor Party. However, bad news reached us Tuesday when we learned that his grandmother (Dad's mom) had passed away. She was 89 years old and will be greatly missed. Many family and friends from around the country were in attendance. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this time. May she rest in peace.

With the funeral on Saturday morning, we flew in Friday night and arrived in Saginaw about 3am. On 4 hours of sleep, I then flew back to Los Angeles that afternoon and Jeff went to his best man house's to meet up with the guys for his party. Then a few of the guys attended a Foo Fighters concert on Sunday night. Both of which I am told was a quite a good time...

I learned on Thursday that some girlfriends from work had been planning a surprise Bachelorette party for me for this weekend. They moved it to Sunday with the sudden travel plans. So bright and early Sunday morning we took off for Glen Ivy Hot Springs Spa in Corona, California. The weather was not great for Southern California so we were blessed with no waiting for the Saline Pools, Mineral Baths, Mud Baths, Massages/Body Treatments and "The Grotto". So relaxing....Thanks ladies!

Left to right: Jessie, Katie, Me, Pamela, Kelly

Then to cap off the day, we enjoyed excellent food and wine at Vertical Wine Bar in Pasadena. They have "Flights", which are a grouping of wines and ours came in just 2 oz. tastes. So although we have many wine glasses, it was just the right amount of wine....

We have our new address!

2008-02-19T21:57:00.000-08:00

Our good news of the day is that we finally figured out where we'll be living after we are married. It's a small house in Burbank. Very small, actually. But it's a house and has a decent sized back yard. Michelle moves in couple weeks. I'll be there after the wedding. Here's the address...

946 N. Fairview St.
Burbank, CA 91505

The big day is getting closer! See you all soon.

Map and Information Insert

2008-02-04T20:18:00.000-08:00

Here are the final versions of the map and information insert.

Sisters Rock!

2008-01-19T19:17:00.000-08:00

Pamela has been helping us out with the map and informational insert since neither Jeff or I have a creative bone in our body. Once we finalize, the invitations will be mailed. We are getting close and getting excited!

Our parents will all be out in California next weekend and meet each other for the first time. Jeff's sister, Kris, is graciously hosting us for a "Meet the Parents" sort of dinner next Saturday night. Hopefully it won't be quite as exciting as the movie....

Here's a draft to get you used to the area:

Happy Holidays!

2007-12-14T14:09:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays to you! My friend, Karen, sent this to me and I am not sure how long I was giggling. So, I had to make one for us! See video below...

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1404109256

Enjoy!

Jeff and I will be heading back to my parents in Kansas City for a couple days over Christmas to spend time with my family.

Wishing you all a safe and merry Christmas!

Congratulations to Tona and John on their newborn baby girl!

Where is everyone coming from?

2007-11-18T13:15:00.000-08:00

I was working on the invitations and it seemed as though our friends and family are from many different areas. So, I decided to be a nerd and figure out how many of you are coming from where. You live in 20 different US States and 2 countries (US is included as one).

Since both of us are originally from the Midwest, but have been living in California for 5 years (Jeff) and 7 years (me), I wanted to see the regions that our friends and family are living. The majority of you currently live in the Midwest (57%) and a good portion of you live in the West (32%). We still love those of you that don't live in the Midwest or West (and hope to visit you soon!) :-)

Well, this has been my "love football, but can't watch anymore" weekend entry. Have a great Thanksgiving!

Vegas

2007-11-13T23:36:00.000-08:00

Went to Vegas this past weekend. Unfortunately, Michelle had to work, so I made the trip solo. I didn't want to drive myself, so I tried out a new bus service called Megabus. (www.megabus.com) I highly recommend it. Had a good experience and the price was right.

I went because Tim Schneider and his wife were there for a dermatology conference that Kathryn was attending. I crashed on the couch in their huge Venetian suite. It was great to see them both and we had a great time.

Probably the most memorable thing was seeing a Beatles cover band called Fab Four Mania at Planet Hollywood Casino. They were really good, especially "Paul" and "John". "Ringo" was pretty good, too. Our favorite, though, was "George" because he looked nothing like the real George Harrison and had this goofy smile on his face the whole time. It's like he couldn't believe he was on stage or something. Definitely a you-had-to-be-there moment, but we couldn't stop cracking up the whole show.

The Tadpoles

2007-10-29T10:52:00.000-07:00

Our good friends in Santa Barbara, Tadd and Hava, had twins last week at only 24 weeks. They are doing well, but please say a prayer for them. You can check out the details at www.thetadpoles.com

Ich bin ein Berliner

2007-10-03T22:00:00.000-07:00

This past week, I had the opportunity to travel to Berlin for work. It's the headquarters of Bayer Schering Pharmaceuticals, the company whose product I'm responsible for manufacturing.

I left LA on Tuesday, got there Wednesday, had meetings all day Thursday and Friday, spent the day looking around Saturday, and flew home on Sunday. It was a quick trip, but was well worth it, both for work and personally.

Some highlights from sightseeing included touring a 17th century palace, seeing the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag (German capitol building), doing some shopping, and even watching the Marathon that was happening that weekend. As you can see in the pic, it unfortunately rained all day. But I still had a great time.

Booked Honeymoon!

2007-09-21T12:48:00.001-07:00

We are going to Anguilla, an island in the Caribbean, for our honeymoon. Here's the website to the place we are staying:
http://www.ku-anguilla.com/

Can't wait!

Wedding Colors/Flowers Chosen

2007-09-09T18:44:00.000-07:00

Wedding Planning Update:

We had a tough time deciding on colors and flowers with the bright red carpet in the church and maroon carpet and decor in the reception area, but finally decided on Blue and Cream. And for flowers, we are going with calla lilies among other flowers. Lots of fun!!

Packers or Lions? Greta speaks out!

2007-09-06T12:15:00.000-07:00

So Michelle and I recently had the opportunity to ask my niece Greta who her favorite NFL team is. The Packers (her dad's team) or the Lions (my team). I'll let the pictures tell the story.

So first, we asked Greta what she thought of the Packers.

And she gave us her reaction...

And she actually stuck her tongue out! Can you believe it?

So then we asked her to ponder the Lions...

You can tell she's thinking hard! But then her expression told us exactly who she roots for.

Sorry, Pete.

Happy start of the football season, everyone!

Trip to Da U.P., eh.

2007-09-06T11:30:00.000-07:00

Michelle and I went up to da U.P. of Michigan over Labor Day weekend to attend the 50th anniversary reunion for my college fraternity. We were in Houghton/Hancock, MI, home of Michigan Tech University. Here's a little breakdown of what we did. I'll add pictures when I have more time.

While the weather was topping out over 110 all weekend here in LA, we were enjoying beautiful 75 and sunny weather. Couldn't have been better.

There were about 200 fraternity brothers in attendance, from those who founded the fraternity in 1957 all the way to active members. I didn't hear a final count, but I think there were about 350 people total when wives, girlfriends, and kids were included.

While we were up there, I got to see all the changes to my old fraternity house as well as give Michelle her first look into the place I called home for 3 years in college. It looks great. They've really done a nice job of upgrading it every year.

We also did some "Copper Country Cruisin'". The area is known as the Copper Country because of the copper mining boom that took place in the 1800's. Cruisin' is just driving around and seeing all the beautiful scenery and quaint little old mining towns. We drove the 50 or so miles up to the tip of the peninsula and went to the peak of Brockway Mountain. Not quite a California sized mountain (only 1000 feet or so), but we could see Lake Superior in 3 directions. Absolutely gorgeous.

We also took a tour of Tech. A lot has changed in the past 7 years. It seemed like every classroom had half a dozen huge flatscreen tv's to display what the professor was teaching. Very high tech. And the library is all brand new. As with the fraternity house, things always get better when you leave, it seems.

I also introduced Michelle to tostada pizza at one of my favorite restaurants, The Ambassador. I really miss that place. We also toured some of my other favorite stomping grounds (i.e. bars) and had a great time.

We'll get some pictures up soon.
Jeff

Puerta Vallarta Trip

2007-08-24T19:16:00.000-07:00

We promised to write about more than the wedding planning, so here are pics from our Puerta Vallarta trip. We stayed for 4 nights, 5 days back in July at a resort called Dreams. It was in a private cove south of town. The water was great (surprisingly not too chilly for the Pacific) and the service and resort was wonderful! We can't wait to go back one of these years!

Map Test

2007-08-24T17:02:00.001-07:00

Trying to test out embedded maps. This is the location of the church, reception hall, and airports.

Hopefully...

View Larger Map

The beginning...

2007-08-23T22:37:00.000-07:00

So we decided to start a blog. This will also serve as our wedding info headquarters. We'll try to keep this up to date as we get more information. Keep an eye on the column on the right.

We also will try to blog about other things. The trips we take, going home to see family, random stuff around LA, etc.

The newest news is that Michelle's mom was here this past week. They went wedding dress shopping and Michelle got her dress! But she won't show me any pictures. So I have to pretend I'm not excited.

Hopefully, we'll get some pictures and more info posted this weekend.

Jeff