Wedding- Video Clip

So we didn't want to go through the expense/hassle of hiring a videographer for the wedding...to not have full rights to our wedding ceremony in the end.  So for the groomsmen/honorary groomsmen gifts, we gave all of the groomsmen Flip HD Cameras...on the condition that we could use them on tripods during the ceremony to catch different video points. So we have full video from the ceremony that was shot from 4 HD Flip Cams, & our HD hand-held camcorder. The video was then downloaded from the Flip Camcorders during the post-ceremony luncheon (thanks Shawn!). That makes for a lot of video :-)...

Jason put together the following video-montage for us to display at our wedding reception. It was the perfect way to give our friends/families a glimpse into our ceremony, without making people feel like they had to stand there & watch 45 minutes worth of the full ceremony.  We have had some issues posting this because all of the clips were shot in HD--which makes for a HUGE video file (that the free upload sites don't like :-p).  Even with converting it to a smaller file size, the upload'ers don't like the file. So please excuse our lower-quality video while I try to figure something else out... :-)

Date: 4/10/10

Location: Chapel at Camp Reveal, Evansville, Indiana.

Explanation of music: 

1) Adele- To Make You Feel My Love (one of my favorite Bob Dylan songs)- What I walked into the chapel to

2) Ben Harper- Not Fire, Not Ice- Our ceremony/dedication song

3) Pearl Jam- Just Breathe- Used as pre-ceremony music

4) Instrumental version of a Nine Inch Nails song...which I will have to get the info from Jason about, because I honestly forget. it was supposed to be pre-ceremony music, but wasn't played due to a miscommunication in what time the bridal party was arriving to the chapel. It makes a great video-closing song though :-). 

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

PS--Did you catch me limping while I was walking? I'm still 99.9% sure I broke my foot the night before the wedding :-/. You can also see that my foot is HUGE in some of the wedding photos. It took the better part of 2 months for my foot to return to "normal"...Just thought I'd point that out.

Calling All Bargain Hunters!: Amy's Favorite 3 Sites for Saving Money Online

I love getting a good bargain, and I especially hate paying full price. I clip coupons for the groceries. 90% of my clothes were purchased on clearance or while on sale…and I’m proud of that statistic. When I head into brick and mortar stores like Bed Bath & Beyond, I head straight for the clearance section. I have gotten A LOT of great deals there…a $45.00 food mandolin for $9.99, a $200 beautiful king sized Silk Duvet cover for $16 that I converted into couch cushion covers (because that much heavy duty silk would have cost me a TON at a fabric store), just to name a few examples.

So why wouldn’t I take the same approach with online shopping?

So get ready… I’m going to share my top 3 favorite bargain hunting tips for online shopping. :-)

1. Retailmenot.com – Seriously…it’s the best site EVER for promotion codes & coupons for online shopping. I think during the course of buying all the wedding things (stationary, flutes, servers, etc) I saved >$200 in discounts & free-shipping charges. On my oldnavy.com purchase earlier this week this site helped me save over $60.00. One time Jason & I got 2 free MegaBus tickets for a trip to Chicago from a promotion code I found on there. It’s a great set-up. Users can submit promotion codes/coupons they receive in their email/mail, and then anyone can use them. You can then skim the site, & pickup codes for whatever purchases you are making. You don’t have to become a member of the site, the site doesn’t spam you, and it’s wonderful. If for some reason a code doesn’t work—you can let the site know that it didn’t work for you & they will bounce it down farther in the list. Seriously…check it out. Also, have you ever gotten an email from an online retailer & thought “That’s a good deal…too bad I don’t need/want anything right now.” Well, that’s when you can share the love of the promotion code & post it on the site. There are some downsides to the site. Some retailers do not allow “user submissions” of promotion codes/coupons. A couple sites that are coming to mind right now are Bed Bath & Beyond, Crate & Barrel, & Pottery Barn. Bummer, as I love all 3 of those stores. Occasionally these fuddy-duddy stores will still submit their own coupons to RetailMeNot though, so it’s worth a shot still checking before you buy something online.

2. Google Product Search—The site formerly known as froogle. Whenever I am looking for a particular item online that multiple stores sell—this is the first place I head. You can then easily see which online retailers carry the item. Better yet, once you know which retailers have it & what prices they are selling it for, then you can go to Retailmenot.com & find out which online retailer has the best discounts/promotions going on & purchase it from there! That my friend…is a quick/easy way to save yourself some cash.

3. Best Buy Reward Zone Mall—I love Best Buy. I love my gadgets, my music (yes…I still buy CD’s), movies, computers, & all that comes with that store. Thus—I am a Best Buy Reward Zone member, because why wouldn’t I want to earn free Best Buy dollars for the purchases I make? I’m betting a lot of the people reading this also have Best Buy Reward Zone cards…right? Well did you know about the “Best Buy Reward Zone Mall?” Jason & I always try to navigate through this site to different online retailers. Whether you are booking a hotel through hotels.com, booking a flight through priceline.com, ordering a book through Barnes & Nobles or Borders, etc…a lot of these retailers are members of the Reward Zone Mall. Just click through the Mall, select your vendor of choice, & navigate to their site! It’s that easy! When you make your purchase (don’t forget to check for discounts on RetailMeNot.com), the retailer will send the dollar amount to Best Buy, & within a couple of months the points will be added to your card. With booking the hotel rooms for the night before our wedding ceremony, there was a deal that you got 2 reward zone points per $1 spent through hotels.com…. With a $180.00 hotel rental fee…that equated to 360 reward zone points. That’s 5 free dollars to use at Best Buy with an additional 110 points in the bank! ($5 free for every 250 points accumulated). I had to book the rooms anyway—why not earn free shopping money while doing it? Jason ordered flowers for his mom for Mother’s Day (sweet son that he is :-) )…he used 1800flowers.com, bought a beautiful gardenia bonsai tree that was delivered to her, & earned 750 Best Buy Reward Zone points with a promotion that was going on. That’s $15 in free money at Best Buy…for something a good son was going to do for his mom anyway! :-) It really adds up.
If you are not a Best Buy Reward Zone Member…other stores/cards have similar programs. I know Borders book company has an online retailer mall where you can earn rewards, as does my debit card company. It’s worth investigating.  Remember though, to earn the points you have to navigate through the "Mall"...which can be a little tedious sometimes to go back & do...but is totally worth it.

What are your favorite ways to save money while online shopping?  I'd love to hear them!  I know I have a few more favorite sites...but I will save those for a different post.

Nook E-reader Review

Last week I reviewed the Barnes & Noble Nook E-reader on my college friend Abby's technology blog-- hop on over & check it out, and check out her great blog while you are there!  Nook E-reader Review on "Balancing My Life In Technology"

I love my Barnes & Noble Nook...this "nerdy girl" loves to read & resisted getting an e-reader for a long time.  Now I wish I had done it a few months ago :-).

Photo evidence of the Nerdy-Girl in me :-)

Wedding- Our Vows

In our wedding ceremony, we did the standard "until death do us part" vows, but we also included customized vows that we wrote to each other.  For those who were not in attendance, & because we will probably not be posting video with audio from the ceremony (instead clips set to music that we used at the reception...soon to be posted!)...we decided to post our vows on here for others to read. Enjoy!!

Jason's vows to Amy:
Amy,
Since the first day that we met, I have been the happiest that I've ever been, and each day since that you have continued to want me around has only added to my happiness.  As we continue on our lives together I promise to you that our Love will only continue to grow and if times ever get rough, I will always look back on today as a course of strength, inspiration, and understanding.  Today, in front of our friends, family and the world, I rescind the safety phrase that we agreed on for our first date*;  As a sign of our love, no ostrich will ever fly again, especially at midnight.  I love you, until Infinity+1.  

Amy's vows to Jason:
Jason...
Who knew that 3.5 years ago, your creepy offer to take me hiking out into the middle of nowhere on a first date-- or on a first date to Chicago, a city known for it's meat packing district--could turn into something so wonderful? Every time I look at you, I realize how grateful I am for every twist, turn, bump, and wreck in this metaphorical road of life that I have experienced, because all of it was necessary on the path to meeting you.  Because of you, I realize that every prior heartbreak and disappointment I experienced was for a reason...and it was because I was just making my way to you.

• Thank you for loving me, and for telling me that you love me each and every day.
• Thank you for being patient with me...I know it can be difficult at times.
• Thank you for telling me I am beautiful, even on the days I don't feel that way at all.
• Thank you for being the perfect laid-back complement to my high-strung self.
• Thank you for your support and encouragement--you always know when I need them the most.
• Thank you for listening, and for always being there when I need you.
• Thank you for making me laugh, and for helping me find a reason to smile and laugh even in the midst of challenging situations.
• Thank you, for being you.

• I promise to always be there for you, to be your biggest supporter, your number one fan, and a shoulder to lean on. 
• I promise to compromise, to meet you in the middle, and I promise to try not to be too demanding.
• I promise to limit the amount of fabric softener I use in the bath towels.**
• I promise to never try to make you change who you are or what you believe, because why would I want to change the man I fell in love with?
• I promise to be the best wife I can possibly be, and while I can't promise to "obey"...I can promise that I will always honor you, always respect you, and always take your directives into consideration...
• And most important of all...I promise to always love you, unconditionally, forever & always...until Infinity+1.  

(*as a side note: this sentence on in his vows refers to the fact that on our first date, we created a passphrase that when used, it would signal the automatic end of the date.  No questions asked, with the knowledge that there would not be future dates.  That passphrase was never needed...as our first date lasted 11:00am-2:00 am :-P).


(**Jason likes his towels without fabric softener...I like them soaked & coated in the stuff to be super soft.  We have found a good middle point between our preferences...but has been one of the "rougher" adjustments to living together & marriage :-) )

Our Wedding (Picture Post)

The weather was perfect...the wedding was perfect :-).  We could not have ordered a more beautiful spring day for our wedding.  I will let the pictures do the talking for this post.  All pictures are done by our friends, and fabulous photographers Kris Arnold & Nikki Dahl.  They did a WONDERFUL job with our wedding photos.  We couldn't be happier!!

A couple getting ready shots...

The guys getting ready...

Walking into the chapel

Ceremony shots...

Post-Ceremony Shots

This one's my favorite :-)

How beautiful is the chapel & the day!

My favorite sequence of photos:

1) Cute

2) Jason being rotten...he followed through with the lick...

3) Eww. Joke was on him though--I was wearing face make-up, which I normally don't do.  Apparently it didn't taste that great :-).

Post-Ceremony Luncheon, Cake Ceremony & Toasts

Everyone at our wedding...except not pictured: Nikki Dahl...who is the fabulous photographer taking the photo :-)

The smurfs DID make it to our wedding day :-)

And finally, my favorite shot.

Such a goofball. :-)

Next Post-- Our Vows :-)

Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

OK--so I'm going to make a serious effort to update the blog.  A LOT has happened in the past 2.5 months!  Just a few  things--we got Married, went on a honeymoon, had a reception, worked on our house...etc.  I will try to post a few updates this week to catch up on everything I've neglected posting.

Other things I've been neglecting...thank you notes.  I HATE that I have not gotten them out yet...and I feel like a horrible, ungrateful person.  If you are reading this and you are still waiting on a thank you note...Trust me...You WILL get it :-). Soon...hopefully.  I'm very sorry for the delay. 

Enjoy the forthcoming updates! :-) 

4 days away!! and a HUGE WHOOPS!!

So we're only 4 days away from the big day...so exciting, yet SO much to do. We've been working on the house a lot (pictures coming soon), so some of the wedding details are creeping up on us at the last minute.  Things still seem to be going smoothly though, so all is well :-).  We're also excited that the current weather forecast for Evansville this weekend is 70 degrees, sunny, and 0% chance of rain.  Many hopes & prayers go out that that forecast comes true :-).  

So the "HUGE WHOOPS!!"...is that somehow in the course of printing all of the wedding stationary, I (Amy) managed to use MY zipcode (46254) instead of my parents' zipcode (46158).  Arg. In my defense we were in the process of buying a house, and I had a couple of big projects going on simultaneously at work...and I printed most of the stationary in the middle of the night.  How I did not notice that (since I'm a pretty detail oriented person) blows my mind.  So frustrated and Angry with myself.

If your RSVP card happened to bounce back--please let me know (by either a comment on this post, or an email).  I'm sorry for the inconvenience it might have caused anyone.  

We're really excited to celebrate our special day with everyone!!

~Amy

31 Days to Go!

Things are moving along pretty well—we can’t believe the wedding is only in 31 days! Exciting! The “Wedding To Do” list is narrowing as we continue to check things off of it. My dress is hanging in a closet, and we’re picking out Jason’s suit this weekend [hopefully]. The one major thing left “undone” is the subject of flowers—which since Mom and I [read: mainly Mom :-)] are doing the flowers, and I can’t order the bulk daffodils until a little closer to the date, it has to remain an empty checkbox for now.

I have also had a couple of lovely bridal showers in the past week-- 1 hosted by Jason’s amazing family that was in Evansville, and 1 hosted by one of my best friends (and a Maid of Honor) at her home in Indy. Hopefully I will snag some pictures from these soon and will be able to post them. I truly appreciate all of the hard work that went into the showers, and the people that took time out of their busy schedules to be able to attend.

We mailed the invitations for both the ceremony and the reception this week…so that was fun to be able to check off the list. It will also be nice to be able to reclaim my dining room table as something other than a printing/crafting/assembling stationary station. :-) But I guess that means it now will transition to a “packing platform” to get ready for the move. I’ll just surrender to the fact that I can’t have anyone over for dinner until we’re in the new house…

Speaking of the move—we close on our house next Monday. We’re SO EXCITED. It will be so nice to have our own yard [that will eventually be fenced], a garage, a Real/Usable Kitchen…and A Lot more space than we are currently used to having with both of our apartments. It is going to be fun watching the dogs wear themselves out on the stairs for the first couple of days. It’s also conveniently located to family and the commute won’t be bad. Although in retrospect, simultaneously buying a house while coming to the end stages of wedding planning might not have been the smartest idea—but I’m sure we’ll be grateful for it in the end. :-)

The only major wedding drama we have encountered thus far is that the 2nd week of February (approximately 60 days before the wedding), I got a refund notice and very abrupt email from the wedding coordination/chapel company saying “Effective immediately we will not be doing any more ceremonies this year. Click here for your refund.” So after recovering from the initial shock and anger associated with receiving such an email, Jason did some quick scrambling for us and called the camp where the chapel is located to verify we can still use the chapel for our wedding, and we asked a Huge Favor from his brother…and he is now serving as the officiant for our ceremony. This should be a fun adventure. :-)

In the end, even after all of the stress and drama, we think everything worked out for the best.:-)

We have a lot of exciting things going on….and a lot to do in 31 Days. :-)

Pizza, Pizza!

Jason & I got the privilege of babysitting my adorable niece Gabby this weekend. We decided it would be fun to make pizzas with her as a fun activity. If you've never let a 2.5-year-old play with pizza dough--go grab some...it's HILARIOUS. (as a side note, the pre-made pizza dough at Trader Joe's is excellent). She did a really great job, & seemed to have a lot of fun. We had a lot of fun getting to play with Gabby, and loved the opportunity...

Now to show the events of the evening :-)....
 
 

Gabby was not happy that I interrupted her hard work to make her pose for a picture...

We talked about different shapes the dough could turn into as we patted it out...

A few of the pizza dough shapes we ended up with :-)...

Gabby licking her "sauce schmearing" spoon...AFTER we were done schmearing sauce...

Gabby made both of these pizzas from scratch...

Gabby & Uncle Jason watching the pizzas bake & puff up...

She kept saying "Pizza done?"

Finished product :-)...and it was yummy...

Jason had to read the book we brought Gabby about 35 times...I'm pretty sure he has "Dance with Brobee" memorized now...

So normally I would have baked...but the mini dark chocolate cupcakes at Trader Joes looked too good. :-P

Gabby didn't seem to mind that they were store-bought...

Nope...didn't mind at all :-)...

Thanks for letting us come over & play Gabby!!! :-) You were a perfect angel as usual :-).

A Very Merry, Belated, Christmas!!

So this is our Christmas update...since I'm so delayed getting this on the web...I'm going to keep it short & sweet. Overall, we had a lot of fun hanging out and celebrating the holidays with our families. We spent Christmas Eve with my parents, and then got up [really] early to be down to Evansville in time for breakfast & gift-opening with Jason's family. Much apologies to Jason's family though--because I apparently didn't get any photos down there. I will have to steal some from Amber. We did get a lot of video though--but I can't put that on the web currently because the camcorder is over at Jas's place...so I'll try to get it up soon. For now it will just have to be photo evidence that we celebrated the holidays with photos from my family...

Enjoy :-). We got a lot of things we really wanted (including the GPS pictured below)...and had a lot of laughs with our family. Merry Belated Christmas Everyone!!

Mom made Adorable Gingerbread People...

My niece Gabby proved her well-rounded nature, by dressing up in a Cinderella dress & playing with tools (and a tractor)

"I look pretty" ~Gabby

She cracks me up...

Dad watching Gabbers play with her tools...

Driving home from Evansville, we were stuck on I-70 for over an hour.  Originally we were supossed to get home at around 3:30--note the time on the GPS...and our speed.

The line of cars behind us on the interstate...they were as far as we could see in both directions.

PS---Only 75 days until the Wedding!!! :-)