Tuesday, August 31, 2010

On the first month of wedded bliss

Here we are, one month into marriage! CHECK! :-)

So far life is treating us very well! Matt has started classes and is loving them so far! He is really busy, and I am learning to remember how busy he is and to respect his study times. We usually have study dates where I get to sit and read Cosmo magazine and search online for jobs, and he studies vigorously.

I am learning to cook and must say that I impress myself on a nightly basis. So far only 2 nights we have eaten out (one was a gift card, the other half price appetizers with friends). Only one night we have had a fast dinner (Manwich). I have made all sorts of fun dinners and Matt (and on occasion a friend or 2) is loving having homemade dinner every night! I am also baking a lot (the homemade cake, the biscotti...) I haven't made anything lately except sugar free instant butterscotch pudding from a JELLO box, but that counts.... sort of!

Our apartment continues to shape up and we acquire more and more things. We are still in need of a couple pieces of furniture and some decorations... but those will come in time and I love looking and shopping for things!

I have joined the Trinity Wives Fellowship and am loving my small group Bible study ladies! We are already planning a coffee and crafts Saturday morning extravaganza which I am super excited about!

Fall is just around the corner and I am so excited for PUMPKIN smelling things EVERYWHERE!!! :-)

Also, the job search still continues on and I am staying positive with the fact that I know God has a job for me and in time, He will open that door when He is ready! I am so excited to start my nursing career and know it will come in time! :-)

How is everyone else?!

Thursday, August 26, 2010

concerts, biscotti, chairs, OH MY!!!!

So, Tuesday afternoon Matt and I decided to go see the Counting Crows and Augustana concert at Ravinia Park that night! A friend of his asked us to go and we decided to be last minute and adventurous.The concert was amazing!
I told my husband he should make his hair look like that. (What do you think of that MOM!?) haha! He was opposed... Don't worry, those aren't the actual people that close... it's a picture of the screen on the lawn we sat right in front of.

The funny thing about the lawn?! Back home, lawn seats mean you will inevitably be surrounded by fat, loud, obnoxious drunk people with the 12 pack of Budweiser. Not in the northern suburbs of Chicago! In fact, the complete opposite. We were surrounded by Champagne and wine glasses, cheese and crackers and beautiful set ups and displays of bree cheese and strawberries. It was amazing. Those people are LEGIT!
So, in other news, we FINALLY found some dining room chairs to go with our 1950's dining room table that belonged to Matt's grandparents.I think they look pretty retro so they go well with the table! They work for now for sure!



I also made biscotti last night!!! It was a valiant effort! I used THIS RECIPE . It definitely wasn't as hard as I was expecting though so that's a bonus!!! :-) It did take awhile... but it worked out well!!!
Matt started classes yesterday so I enjoyed my day putting together furniture and baking. :-)

I also drove around to some hospitals yesterday.... no luck on the job front..... it will happen with time!!

Monday, August 23, 2010

Life In Chicago

Well we are all moved into our apartment. Being newlyweds is pretty exciting! Seeing that Matt and I have lived in different time zones for the most part the past 2 years, living in the same 700 square foot area together is pretty awesome! We've been having such a great time getting our apartment all set up and unpacked. Here are some pictures of the place so far.We essentially had no furniture. We brought a futon (donated to us), a desk (mine from years back), a small little cabinet for DVDs, and Matt's grandparents 1950s kitchen table (love it!).

So, we bought ALL of our furniture at IKEA. We made a huge run there the day after we moved in and bought our bed, a bookshelf, TV stand, end tables, and a dresser. So, needless to say we spent the entire day assembling furniture pieces. I'm pretty sure our neighbors below us hated us that day... sorry for the hours of hammering, stomping, nailing, etc.!!!!


And we're starting to make progress!!! We have mostly everything unpacked and assembled! It's really starting to feel like home. :-)

I was sooooo excited about my red retro kitchen! I absolutely LOVE it! :-)
Our 1950's vintage dining room table! We still need some cool chairs to go with that bad boy....
This was my first homecooked meal I made for my husband! It was delicious!!! Chicken, roasted potatoes and broccoli!


I have also established a love for baking over the years thanks to my grandmother. I put that nice shiney new Red kitchenaid mixer to use the other day and made my first HOMEMADE from SCRATCH chocolate cake with chocolate icing!
Every piece of that cake was made with love with my own 2 hands. No box mix or canned icing, just flour, powdered sugar and cocoa all over my kitchen! HAHA! It tasted delicious too!!!

Want the recipe?! Maybe I will post it sometime soon! It wasn't hard at all! Just the icing, I don't really have a recipe for. My grandma was just like "mix some of this, and that and this until it looks right". haha. So it worked out eventually.




So, Matt and I have been enjoying our time together before he starts class Wednesday.

I am loving married life! ;-) The job search is in full force starting Wednesday!


So I think this blog will be more exciting now that I am out of nursing school and in the Big City!!! :-) maybe I will update more often! hehehe!


Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Mrs. Katy Estel

Well, I am officially Mrs. Estel!
Matt and I's wedding was literally everything I could have and have ever imagined! We were so thrilled with how everything worked out and how smoothly it flowed. There were no problems at all. It was perfect! :-)
Here are some pictures that my photographer has sent me. I don't have them all yet but these were just the teasers! So... here ya go!!!! The ceremony was very spiritual. We wrote our own vows, served one another communion, and incorporated matt's proposal song in the beginning when the grandmother's and mother's walked down the aisle. It was very personal and very spiritual.

Our Reception was a PARTY! We served Tacos and Chicken fajitas, spanish rice, refried beans and all the taco fixin's. Each table had a chocolate cheesecake with kiwi topping (to match the colors). Our cake had OWL cake toppers! :-) Each place had green and white striped paper straws, paper balls from the ceiling. We had a fun photobooth for all of our guests to get their picture with funny hats and masks. We had a huge candy buffet with all the best and favorite candies!

We danced the night away and had a great time visiting with all our family and friends!


Matt and I then enjoyed a nice week's honeymoon in Ocho Rios Jamaica at the Sandals there. It was soooo relaxing and enjoyable! It was great being with just my husband. Just relaxing on the beach and enjoying one another was the great start to our marriage! I felt like I hadn't relaxed in soooo long! It was great!


Matt and I are moving to Chicago tomorrow to move into our apartment there! We're so excited to get there and moved in and begin our journey as husband and wife! :-)