A weekend apart...

1. Matt's weekend....
Matt and 3 friends (Raloff, Prairie & Dillman) were supposed to go to Houston for their annual CUBS weekend, but Hurricane Ike kinda put a little different twist on that plan. So after finding out that they wouldn't be able to fly in to Houston Friday night to even have a chance to see the Cubbies play on Saturday..... they thought "really hard" about what they could do with their extra day! So, 3 out of the 4 guys decided to drive down to Nashville to visit a friend from high school, Mike Bergman. They left late Thursday night and had, what SEEMS to me, a very good time! (but i won't go into detail....) So after a fun night in Nashville, they headed back up to Chicago to find out that the Cubs games were moved to Miller Park in Milwaukee, so they packed up and headed up there Sunday morning to catch the game at night. Who knew that they would be SO LUCKY to be at THE GAME where Carlos Zambrano had a NO HITTER..... something that hasn't happened since 1972!!!!! With all the not knowing what was going to happen with the games and if they were actually going to see them play or not..... that was a GREAT way to make up for it all!!!!!!! (And let me just say... I'm not a CUBS fan.... but I did watched the WHOLE GAME and it was AWESOME!)

2. Jenni's weekend....
Saturday night.... I had my BACHELORETTE PARTY! Ash & Becca put together an awesome Hawaiian themed party!!!!! We started out at Becca's and then the party bus picked us up to go for pizza and then out to Norridge to go blacklight mini-golfing (maybe more photos to come! i don't have photos from everyone that took 'em!)

Of course the rain that we were getting put a very tiny damper on things... but you can't control the weather!!!!!! I had a great time with my girlfriends and got a lot of GREAT gifts that Matt will hopefully love!!! =)

(all the girls) 

(me & jimmy - the bus driver) 

Is it here yet???

IS IT HERE YET?

My grandma Stouwie told me today that "I'm ready.... you can get married anytime now!" And of course I had to tell her.... "Grandma, we're ready too, can you be there next weekend!"

We are getting to the point where we are just ready for it to be here! As much as this whole driving back and forth, taking naps before we drive home, and saying good-bye to each other all time is OH SO FUN, we are READY for that to be over!!!! =)

We had our last and final shower this past Saturday! Matt's Hoekstra aunts did a great job putting together a nice shower for us! Great company, great food and we got a lot of great presents! We are so blessed to have 2 wonderful families and also friends that care so much for us and love us even more! So, thank you for that!

The rest of the weekend was pretty busy. Before we had the wonderful pleasure of going back to the same restaurant as the Hoekstra Shower a little later on that night for a 60th anniversary/Retirement Party... I re-organized some of the shower gifts, getting it ready for this week when the moms and i organize and clean matt's kitchen and put all the new stuff into his cabinets!!!!! And while I was doing that... MATT (my WONDERFUL LOVE) put together shelves that I have been bugging him to get us for the basement to put all our extra crap on!!!! I am so thankful for him doing that. Then it was time to go the B'day/Retirement party for Uncle Chuck...... again, great food and wonderful company. It was a fun packed day!

Sunday, was Kyle's 1st B'day Party (my nephew). Here are 2 photos..... (one is the RIDE-ON Fire Truck me, matt, & bud gave him.... and the other is a photo of him not wanting to eat his cake after matt & bud forced his hands into the cake!)
And I can't wait for later this week!!!
Tuesday: I have a 1/2 day of work and I get to have another DRESS FITTING and then when that's done, I will be heading out to Matt's to start getting ready to "tear apart" his kitchen on Wednesday!!! Can you tell I'm really excited about doing this!??!
Wednesday: I have the whole day off to RE-DO Matt's kitchen
Saturday: BACHELORETTE PARTY!!!!!! It is ALLLL a surprise to me and I can't wait for it...


(one sad thing though.... Matt is going to be gone this weekend! =( But he'll be having just as much fun as i will be!!!!! He will be in Houston with his buddies for their annual CUBS weekend!!!! They pick one weekend, a different stadium every year to go see the CUBS play!!!!)
Well, that's all for now... I hope everyone had a great weekend!
We love you all!

I love you girls....

This goes out to my AMAZING Matrons of Honor!

I can't thank you girls enough for all that you have done for me! I really appreciate you both coming to 3 of matt and i's bridal showers and being so willing to help with everything! We greatly appreciate everything you've done for us!

I CAN NOT WAIT for this weekend. I know that you girls have planned this Bachelorette Party to a "T"... and I am SURE that it will be a fantastic night! You both know me so well and I am so blessed to have such great friends like you two! For anyone out there that really doesn't know these two girls, it is Becca (Tameling) Harkema & Ashley (Olthoff) Vis. They have been my very close friends for a long time. Becca and I have known each other since grade school and Ashley and I since high school. We are (along with Sara (Decker) Jabaay- Panera Group) are possibly the most ORGANIZED group of friends known to mankind. We all make lists and possibly even write lists of things we need to make lists for! Some may think we are crazy (our husbands/future-husband for example)... but that is A-OK with us! We are meant to be friends, FRIENDS FOR LIFE!

I LOVE YOU GIRLS!

our past 2 weekends!

Well, it's been a couple weeks since I wrote on this. Things have been very busy for us it seems. The last 2 weekends have been packed with fun, family, and friendship! The weekend of the 23rd we had the BRAD PAISLEY concert (which was my present to matt for his b'day- yeah yeah yeah... i know it was back in April..... but i knew with the wedding coming up we probably wouldn't have wanted to spend the money on concert tickets so close to the wedding!). So Chuck Wicks and Jewel opened for Brad. They were pretty good, but i was just ready to hear and see BRAD!!!! And of course, he did an amazing job, just like last year!


LABOR DAY WEEKEND - This past weekend we had another fun filled couple of days. Friday night Matt and I went a little mini-date!!! It was nice to do that again. We first met with our DJ (Matt Rivard) at Monical's and went over some song choices/preferences and then we headed out to Lowe's and then to the movies!!!! We ended up seeing "Step Brothers." It was decent.... I love Will F.'s humor, but it was more of a renter than a theater movie. But either way.... my baby was happy because we went to see a movie and I got to spend time doing something with him that he loves!!!!


Then SATURDAY was another busy day! We had our 4th Shower (Nietfeldt Shower) at the Bennette Curtis House in Grant Park. It was a beautiful day out and the whole atmosphere of the Bennett Curtis house is just beautiful! (I wish I could go take photographs over there all the time... it would be a beautiful set up for senior photos or even engagement photos.... maybe i should look into that!)


But after the shower, we loaded up all of our stuff and prepared for the LONG TRIP back home... haha..... i mean the very quick trip home to unload all of the stuff into the extra room. We had a little time to recooperate.... matt took a nap, I organized some stuff (imagine that! haha) and then I (YES, JENNI) fell asleep to take a NAP! (I know it's a rare thing, but something just must have caught up to me and I need was so tired!). Then after we were a little rested it was time to head over to Bryan and Ash's house for their 2nd annual LABOR DAY PARTY!!!! We had some GREAT food and saw some people i haven't seen in long time. Good times!

Then it was onto SUNDAY. We went to church in the morning and after church we surprised Dad Hoekstra with FLYING LESSONS for his b'day present. He was definitely in shock and couldn't believe that it was going to happen in just a few hours! So we had a quick lunch and headed over to the Kankakee airport for his big adventure. Matt was able to go with Dad up the first time, and then when they came back after about 30 minutes.... the instructor said that he would take up some others for a couple of minutes if we wanted.... so Amy, me and IAN were able to go up there. Let's just say that was a HUGE HIGHLIGHT for Ian. Of course i was a little nervous having him sitting next to me, which not really knowing how he was going to react to flying... but he loved it. He just was soaking it all in and had a nice on his face whenever I looked at him! And so after that big adventure for the day... it was time to go home for a little while to re-cooperate again! Matt took a nap (surprise, surprise) and I got to do a little food preparation! Then it was off to Mom and Dad H's for a little b'day dinner for dad too! AND THAT WAS SUNDAY!!!!!!

And then there was MONDAY....(see I told you a LOT went on this weekend... it's not even over yet!!).... Then Monday was the THRESHERMAN's SHOW in Pontiac, IL. Matt really wanted to take Ian... so i wanted to tag along so that Ian could teach me about tractors & combines (you think I'm kidding? That kid could REALLY teach me a LOT about EVERYTHING FARMING!!) So, that was in the morning for a couple of hours and then we went to a couple's house from church for a "pool party!" That was a lot of fun. I haven't been swimming in a long time and that just makes me get more excited for HAWAII where we will be able to go swimming in the ocean and the pool and just be beach bums all day long!!!!!!!

Now onto something different....
On the job front for me... I am back to working 5 days a week. I will be taking some days off to get stuff done with Matt's house and with some dress fittings, but it's nice to know that I have something to go to everyday again. But we'll see how long that lasts! Matt is staying busy with work.... might even get pretty busy right before and after the wedding too!!! So, that is nice to know.

And with the wedding... we are getting closer.... only 6.5 weeks.... the RSVP's are due this Saturday and then we'll see what the next plan of action is... whether we need to start calling people or if it's not too many, then hold off for a little bit and wait it out a little bit... giving 'em a little more time.

Well, i think that's it for now.... I really should go to bed....

presents, pizza, and DORA

Well, another busy weekend has come and gone!

I can't believe how fast these weeks are just flying by! WOW.... pretty soon it will be the week before and I won't know where all the time went!

Well, we had the Derks shower on Saturday morning.... what a great time! My aunts put together a wonderful shower for Matt and I. They had black and white with a little bit of red decorations, matching the color scheme of the wedding! The cake was beautiful with our monogram on it!!!!! And we got a lot of great stuff!!! Thanks to everyone that came.... we greatly appreciate it!

(cake) (my handsome man & me)

(patti, me, & melissa)

(esther, me, & trish)

(shan, becky, me, & vicki)

(trying to figure out the white substance)

(yeah, he's weird!) (my pops!)

Then after the shower, it was time to bring all the goodies over to matts!!! As much as i love to organize stuff, I'm kinda ready to be done organizing and re-organizing the extra bedroom. I have stuff stuffed underneath the bed and stacked along the sides of the bed..... haha! But I plan on taking a day and opening everything, going through matt's old stuff and our new stuff and weeding out what we don't need of his old stuff and cleaning out the cabinets and then ORGANIZING again!!! YIPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait!!!!!!!!!

After organizing and resting a little bit... it was time to go out for pizza with Nicholas and Rachele. We went to Gino's East in Orland and then we went bowling. And I dont' want to GLOAT or anything, but I WON BOTH GAMES!!!!!!!!!!! Whoop Whoop!!! Haha... it was a fun night!!!

Then, Sunday (today) was our DORA b'day party for Mikayla (2) and Lydia (3).... it was nice to be with the fam again!

(I'm super excited! - Kyle)

So, that was our weekend in a nutshell..... hope everyone else had a great weekend too!

looking forward to this weekend....

SANFRATELLO's PIZZA.... YUMMMY!!!!!

Last night we went there with Matt's parents to book our rehearsal dinner! Man, it was good! I'm very excited that we found a place that will accommodate our decent sized group and we will get great tasting food!!! =) I know many people love Sanfratello's, but there is ONE PERSON in particular that LOOOOOVES their pizza and whenever she is in town has to eat there... so Aunt Jan... this... in a very small way, is for you too!!! Please eat as much Sanfratello's pizza as you can, because you're going to have to get your fill of it until the next time you come out!!! haha..... WE LOVE YOU and can't wait to see you and uncle randy again! =)

i'm so thankful that it is the weekend!!!! so far, i know it to be filled with "golf" (for matt), wrapping paper, tissue paper, boxes, girl talk, catching up, friends, family, organizing, unpacking, shopping, doing errands and much more!! I LOVE WEEKENDS LIKE THIS!!!!!

we have a lot going on this weekend, but we will still be able to spend some much needed (in my opinion, maybe not matt's) time together. saturday morning we have our DERKS shower... and i think it's safe to say, our biggest shower (good thing matt threw out his back this week, now me and my girls will have to show how strong we are with bringing presents to the car... haha!)

but then AFTER THE SHOWER, is the FUN PART.... bringing the stuff to matt's house, organizing it in the extra room and just "fantasizing" about where it will go/what to do with it, etc!!!!!!! Then Saturday night we have a pizza outing planned with our best man and his wife to GINO's EAST!!!! YUMMMY!!! (hey, nicholas, since i hear that you read our blog..... here is a little SHOUT OUT to you!!! haha).

Then Sunday, we have a DORA BIRTHDAY PARTY to go to for my niece's Mikayla & Lydia! Matt can't wait... he LOOOOOVES Dora.... but even more so, I think he likes BOOTS better! haha!

Hope you all have a great weekend.... just think, tomorrow, our wedding is 9 weeks away.... WHOA!!!!!

let the craziness begin.....

(pictures from the Faith Church shower: i really think that matt LOOOOVES to go to these showers... he is a great sport for dealing with all the women and GIRL stuff!)

so, this past saturday was the start of our EVERY SATURDAY until Sept 13 festivities!! =) Matt's church was kind enough to throw us a church shower! We got a LOT of GREAT THINGS! Some things included some personalized placemats, a wall shelf, cleaning supplies, car wash stuff, beach towels, and much more!!!!! i can't IMAGINE how our extra bedroom is going to look after the next couple of showers!!! SHEESH.... we are so blessed to have people who love us and want to help us start our new life together!!!!! so, THANK YOU EVERYONE!

next weekend is the DERKS shower and then we have a week off of showers, but we get to go to the BRAD PAISLEY CONCERT (i bought matt tickets for his b'day!)! other than wedding stuff, we have been busy working (or in my case, not really working at my "full time" job b/c we're super slow, but using that extra time to try to get caught up on my business stuff!!)

i kinda feel productive!!!

Well, it has been a VERY PRODUCTIVE past 36 hours or so!
(THANK YOU TO MY MOMMA WHO HELPED ME A LOT!!!)
Here are some major highlights:

- we painted matt's room... a.k.a. OUR FUTURE BEDROOM "where the magic will happen" - hahah... get it... from MTV's CRIBS? (crappy pic at bottom, sorry, i'll show you one later with it all done, but this is just what i had so far) One wall is a SAGE-ish GREEN and that is where our bed will go up against, and then the other 3 walls are just a cream.... it all matches the colors that are going to be in our bedspread! I can't wait for it all to come together!
** SIDE NOTE: my mom is an awesome painter! And a trooper.... we went over to matt's while he was out of town, painted last night and then SLEPT OVER at his house and she painted again in the morning!!!!THANK YOU MOM!


- i organized shower gifts....... opened a couple things!!! But one thing I did realize is that.... it's going to take a LOOOOOOOONG time to wash all that new stuff.... dishes, pots, pans, tupperware, baking dishes, etc...... ALL BY HAND...... haha... THAT SHOULD BE FUN!!!!


- cleaned out a closet in the kitchen, mom ripped some hooks off the wall, threw some old crap away and painted the bottom of it to make it look a little brighter and neater. I'm hoping to get some shelves in there before I get to re-organize the whole entire kitchen!!! =)

- went shopping today.... got wedding shoes, a bathing suit, candles the wedding, unity candle holders, fabric for pillows, stuff to decorate our house !!!!!! AAAAAAAAHHH!! SO EXCITING!



Other than that, not much more is new.... we are meeting with the cake lady on Sunday.... mmmm... CAKE!!!!!!!

Only 3.5 months! WOW!

Hello all.... Well, I'm going to attempt to start posting things that are going on in our SOON-TO-BE MARRIED lives as of right now and hopefully continue it when we are married too!

We are in the midst of wedding planning right now... at 3.5 months to go, I'm feeling a little 'overwhelmed' and Matt still thinks that everything is planned and ready to go, haha... but he is being a good sport about it all. We have had one shower already and have 4 more. The first one was with The Stouwie side of my family (my mom's side!). It was a small, intimate shower and we had a lot of fun with it being our first one. Matt was a very good sport, making the women laugh, and helping me move along with the presents! We got some WONDERFUL and very thoughtful gifts that we appreciate very much! Here are some photos:

-- Me & My Girls --

(Amanda, Amy, Ashley, me, Sara, Patti, Becca

Mikayla, Cassidy, Madison, Lydia)

Some say we are a perfect match... i have NO IDEA WHY! haha!

"Do you think this is big enough for your cereal honey?"

See... Matt was a VERY GOOD SPORT!

Even though I photograph weddings, I still am amazed at how much there is to do. I anticipated that it would be a lot of planning and I thought I would be pretty organized, but it seems like that is all just slipping away. But I'm trying to stay on top of it

as best as I can without driving myself, matt, my mom or anyone else crazy!! Haha! At least we have a lot of the major things done.... =) Invitations are starting to get addressed and ready to be mailed out in the next month, wedding bands have been bought, dresses are ordered, honeymoon booked... just to name a few!

I know some of you have asked, "well, who is the photographer getting to photograph her wedding?" Well, I have these AMAZING photographers, Rob & Lisa Walcott, they are a married couple from Michigan that I know from Trinity! Lisa was in a couple of my art classes! Check 'em out.... their website is www.walcottimaging.com! They offer a photobooth, so we will have a headshot photobooth at the wedding too! =)

Also, other than wedding plans, we have also painted the office and gutted the bathroom. Matt put a lot of time, sweat and work into re-doing the bathroom over the course of about 2 weeks! And here is what the before and after pictures looked like....

Before

After #1

After #2