Thanksgiving 2010

This year we hosted Thanksgiving at our house. Its always a lot of work, but I enjoy cooking for others. We probably had a little more food than we needed, but I love having lots of extra leftovers! We did some prep before, including making the homemade noodles the Sunday before. It was our first attempt at them, and I say they turned out more than perfect. I gave Todd the job of peeling potatoes the night before. That ended up being a mistake, as the potatoes clogged our kitchen sink. So we started Thanksgiving morning with a plumbing problem. I hate calling plumbers, as growing up, dad was the plumber. We tried draino and then liquid plumber and nothing helped. So we proceeded with Thanksgiving, assuming the sink would have to wait until the next day. That meant I could run my dishwasher either. However, one side of the sink was draining fine, so we could get by. After suffering all day with a compromised sink, Chris brought up the idea of plunging it. What do you know-it fixed the problem! Here's some pictures of the day.

Our first attempt at noodles - YUM

Todd peeling potatoes (yes, this is what clogged the sink!)

Cookies

Homemade angel food cake :)

The sink that (almost) ruined the day - or so I thought it did

Todd taking pictures of more food!

Dolly and Chris were there early

My find: Gingerbread martini's. So yummy!

That's eggnog cheesecake on the left - my favorite dessert ever!

After dinner basking

Todd's Birthday cake

I hope he made a wish!

The boys doing sake bombs... thanks, Russ for bringing that.....

A couple of my favorite peeps in Phoenix - both Iowa grads!

Our Wedding Information

Hello Everyone! Thank you so much in your interest in spending our wedding week with us in beautiful Punta Cana, Dominican Republic!

The purpose of this email is to give you all some basic information regarding our wedding: The resort we are staying at, flight information, and any other pertinent details. Below are all the links you will need in order to arrange to spend this special day with us if you so choose.

Dates:

We are getting married on Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 5pm. Vicki and Todd are arriving at the resort on Wednesday, May 18th, and staying until the following Wednesday, May 25th. You are welcome to stay for as long or as short as you would like.

Lodging:

We are staying at the Grand Palladium Bavaro Resort in Punta Cana. The Grand Palladium Bavaro is part of the larger Grand Palladium complex in Punta Cana. They have 4 resorts: The Grand Palladium Bavaro, the Grand Palladium Punta Cana, the Grand Palladium Palace, and the Royal Suites Turquesa by Palladium. (http://www.fiestahotelgroup.com/en/Hotels/Destination/America/Dominican-Republic/Punta-Cana)

Each resort has a slightly different focus (Bavaro and Punta Cana are more family-oriented, the Palace has a casino, and the Turquesa is adults-only). However, all of the resorts have access to all the amenities of the other resorts and are situated all right next to each other. You are welcome to book and stay at any of these resorts (we are booking at the Bavaro), it will not matter.

Also, all four resorts are all-inclusive. That means that the price you pay includes taxes, tips, all your meals, all your drinks (including alcohol), and most non-motorized activities for the duration of your stay. 

Keep in mind that if for some reason you decide to stay outside of the Grand Palladium complex in Punta Cana, there is a guest pass charge (from $60 to $120 per person) to be allowed onto the resort grounds for our wedding (or any other day).

Airfare:

The airport you will be flying into is Punta Cana (airport code: PUJ). The airport is approx. 20 miles from the resort. Included in your hotel price is roundtrip transportation from the resort to the Punta Cana airport (Approx. 20-30 minute drive). 

Making Reservations:

We are using a Travel Agent named Steve Songer (www.songertravel.com, stravel1@cox.net, 623-362-8779). Steve has been very helpful in setting up a wedding block for guests travelling to the DR for our wedding. We have set up a wedding block in order to get the best rates. In order to get the special wedding block, please make your arrangements through Steve, and mention our wedding/promo code: DW-MACEK52211. There is no booking fee and the wedding rate he can book will be the same or better than any rate you find for the resort through other channels (We've done the research, trust us...)

He requires just a $125 deposit per person for the resort at the time of booking, and can set up payments however you would like, as long as the full balance is paid 45 days prior to your arrival at the resort. 

Steve can also make your flight reservations as well if you would like. But as Steve told us, if you find a good price on airfare, jump on it. If you go outside Steve for booking airfare, we recommend Travelocity (www.travelocity.com) in order to see as many different options as possible. For those of you travelling from the Midwest: Keep in mind we have found cheaper rates if you are willing to make two stops on the way to Punta Cana instead of just one. Also- Some flights we looked at had next day arrivals to the DR (If you left on Wednesday, you may not get to the DR until Thursday). That was mostly from the West Coast, but some Midwest flights were the same. Just some things to think about. 

There are options to do a hotel and airfare package deal, but up to this point we have found it cheaper to book separately. Again, Steve will be willing to work with you and explore all options in order to get you the best price. 

Misc. Info:

Passports: As the Dominican Republic is outside the US, you will need a passport in order to travel there. Passports can take 2-3 months to receive if applying for one, so keep that in mind. Also, the DR requires your passport to be valid six months AFTER your date of travel, so make sure you are ok there. (http://travel.state.gov/passport/)

Resort Info: Palladium Addicts (http://www.palladiumaddict.net/dominican-republic-punta-cana) is a GREAT resource to learn about and see pictures of the resort we are staying at. 

Travel Insurance:

Steve will offer the ability to purchase insurance for the hotel part of the trip at the time of booking. The insurance is $120 per person I believe, and allows you to cancel for any reason and get your money back (excluding the insurance charge). You can also purchase Travel Insurance for your entire trip (including airfare) through Travel Guard (www.travelguard.com). Travel Guard can be cheaper or more expensive than the Insurance Steve offers, depending on the type you get.

I hope this email will help answer most of your questions and point you in the right direction for information. If you have ANY other questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. 

She Said YES!!!

Just short of 7 years ago, Vicki was invited by a mutual friend of ours to a party that was going on in the house I was living in at the time. It was the first time I met Vicki, and I remember thinking at the time that she was cute. I never could have predicted the way the next 6+ years went, but I wouldn't change anything. This is our story. 

In May of 2004, I moved to Kansas City. A few days in, that same mutual friend called me and said that Vicki also lived in KC, and that we should get in touch. She gave me Vicki's number, and called Vicki to give her my number. I called her that day, and the thing I remember most was that my phone was being a piece of junk and kept losing signal. I think I had to call her back 4 or 5 times in order to finish our conversation. But finish we did, with an invitation to join her for a Happy Hour one day. 

One Happy Hour turned into a night out, and a minor league baseball game with the KC Iowa Alumni association, and a friendship was struck. I liked Vicki immediately, and after a while told her as much. Unfortunately, the timing was not right for either of us, and nothing came of it. 

Though we remained friends, each of us eventually started dating other people. In 2006 I moved to Phoenix, and though we didn't really lose touch, we didn't really keep in contact either. Then one day a trip back to Iowa City for an Iowa football game changed everything...

I was heading back to Iowa City in October of 2008 for the Iowa - Penn St. game, and I sent out a message on Facebook to see if anyone would be back. Vicki was one of the only people to respond, and though she couldn't make it back for the game (she was still in KC at the time), we started talking regularly again.

A few messages over Facebook turned into late night chats on Facebook, which turned into emails, which turned into IM's, which turned into phone calls, which turned into seemingly constant talking over all those mediums. After a few months, we both knew there was a mutual attraction there, but living so far apart it was hard to tell exactly what was there. So in January of 2009, Vicki made a long weekend visit to Phoenix to see where we stood. 

Where we stood was both of us wanting a relationship. A trip back to KC for me turned into another trip here for her, and soon we were flying back and forth every 3-4 weeks. In July of 2009 Vicki packed up and moved here, moving into my brother's house with me. We started looking for a house almost immediately (after she got a job, of course), and in December we moved into our new house. 

Since then it's been a matter of when, not if, I would propose to her. I liked her immediately, and 6+ years never changed that. This past weekend, in Philadelphia, I got the chance to propose. 

-----

The plan was thrown together quickly. I bought the ring a week before we went to Philadelphia. She was with me when I bought it, and helped picked it out, so she knew it was coming. But she didn't know when I would pick it up or propose, and I had to try to surprise her. I contacted Vicki's friend that lives in Philly and asked her to help me.

I asked her friend to invite Vicki and I to Love Park, to make it seem like her idea and not mine. Vicki took the bait, and though she suspected before we left that I might do it there, she had given that idea up. She didn't think I would haul the ring halfway across the country. Honestly, that was the only thing I was nervous about, but I did it successfully. 

So Vicki and I met her friend and her husband in Love Park, and after talking for a bit, it was Vicki's idea to get pictures in front of the sculpture. Perfect. The main reason I contacted her friend ahead of time was mostly because I wanted them to get pictures of the entire proposal. This is what they captured:

The obligatory picture. 

Let's do something a little different honey. 

I have one more idea for a pic honey... =)

She doesn't even know what hit her. She actually started to get down on a knee also because she thought that was the picture I was going for!

Ahh yeah...

Putting the ring on.

People in the park were clapping and cheering!

The kiss to seal the deal.

So I proposed. In Love Park. It may have been cheesy and obvious, but it was certainly effective. And now we're engaged, and I couldn't be happier =)

Weekend Outdoor Life

We spent a lot of time outdoors this weekend, even though it was 115 and fairly high humidity for the desert! We all enjoyed the pool, including Gordan. Saturday he jumped onto my raft from the side of the pool and thought he was going overboard. He was fine, but later in the day, he tried to jump off the raft he was sharing with me, onto the side of the pool deck. The problem was, we were a few feet away from the pool deck and he fell in!! He was under water for a few seconds before I could get to him and pull him up. Its hard to move quickly in the water! He coughed for awhile after that, but otherwise it didn't seem to bother him too much. Whew! That was scary! We got a life vest so he could float in the water with us, but he has to work very hard to keep his head above water. So I solved that by giving him a pool noodle for his front legs. He seemed to enjoy that....

We also bought a small Mexican Fan Palm and planted it ourselves. We struggled a little because it was pretty large for two people. And Todd dug the hole in 115 degrees :) But I'm in love with this little guy! Isn't he so cute?!

While Todd was digging the palm hole, I was pruning the Date Palms (we have two). Now they actually have trunks and are starting to look like real palm trees!

We also bought a couple more ice plants in yellow. These guys are great too... eventually I want to line most of the pool with them.

Close up of the ice plants we planted about a month ago, in purple. So pretty when they bloom during the day. The blooms close every night.

More Painting

Oh yeah, our 4th of July party forced me to finish painting the stairs and most of the upstairs. I went with a tuscan yellow and actually really like this one! It looks brighter in the pics than it does in person.

Herky is saying "hi" here!

The Pub Room

After three paint changes, the slow but precise process of building and staining a "bar," and waiting for a pool table to make it all the way from Iowa.... our pub room is (almost) done. It still needs window treatments, more art to complete the room, and a few more touches. But its well on its way and the most pertinent part of the room is up - the pool table!! Welcome to our pub room!!

The shelf

We did the trim.

And the staining.

Poly coat.

Shiny!

Hanging art.

Pool table up!

Our pub table, purchased off Craigslist.

Oh yeah, that martini art is from Craigslist too. $5!! I love CL!