Laboring Last Weekend

Laboring last weekend, because it was Labor Day. Aren't I punny? Matt came to visit last weekend. It was his first real visit since the move and gosh did he have a honey do list. We finished not one, not two, but THREE Pinterest projects this weekend.

First off, a project that has taken over my garage since I moved in.

My old Target bookcase didn't survive the move so Matt volunteered to build me a new one. This became a "we" project when I signed up to prime and paint when he wasn't around. I also had the task of choosing the color. I wanted something that would match my duvet cover because the bookcase would be in the bedroom. I was that yahoo who actually brings in a pillow sham to Home Depot (Matt suggested I bring in the shower curtain, sadly I didn't think that was necessary).

I picked out 3 colors I thought were close and had a sample at home I wanted to try. I'm glad I did. The sample I liked best in store ended up looking a little like baby poo when freshly applied (my dad had that problem with one of his paint selections recently as well). That was a big no. I ended up choosing "Antique Tin." 

When Matt got to Iowa on Friday, we had the task of nailing and screwing all the pieces together. All in in 100 degree Iowa heat. We took a lot of breaks. Or worked in the mornings. We got some nasty looks from the neighbors for pounding away in our garage at 8 a.m. Who knew we were THOSE people? Anyone who knows either sets of my grandparents probably wouldn't be surprised. Anywho, the bookcase is finished and plenty of room for more books!

The second project was a coffee table made out of milk crates from Micheals. This was a project that we bought the materials for last winter with the intentions of it being a Napoleon project for Matt. Well Matt got busy with agronomy season and it didn't get completed until this past weekend. 

The tutorial stated you should stain the crates and add wheels for increased mobility. I decided I liked the idea of white washing better and not exactly sure why a coffee table needs to be mobile so the wheels were left off too. I'm really happy how it turned out.

The final project we did kinda on a whim. Our dresser didn't match our bedroom set anymore and we had extra paint, so why not refinish it? Matt put me to work using the power sander to get the old paint off. I can now say that I know how to operate a power tool. 

I love how the knobs pop against the grey. Yes, I know there is a knob missing. I still have to make a run to home depot to get a replacement of a stripped knob. 

For those of you out there who think we are all work and no play, some of the fun things we did this weekend including:

The farmers market in Downtown Des Moines

Granite City Brunch

Baked monkey bread

We also spent one afternoon car "window" shopping. I got to test drive a Ford Fusion and a Chevy Malibu. We are sticking with American just in case we live in rural america again and I need my small town mechanic to be making my repairs. I'm looking for a car with a touch screen command center and a GPS (Matt doesn't like me messing with my phone's GPS when i'm driving, shocker). Chevy's were about $5,000 more expensive and the do NOT offer GPS. They do however offer a compass. Ain't that cute? No decision yet, but its clear which way i'm leaning. 

Other exciting events this weekend included a fantasy football draft with coworkers (Perry thought this was Matt's idea. I will make it very clear I won my league last year THANK YOU VERY MUCH), dinners at home, and plenty of time on the couch watching HGTV and Food Network. Are we old farts or what? :) 

Next on the to-do list? Clean up the mess all these projects made in the garage. Maybe I will be able to park in there before the first snow fall!

Becoming an Iowan

Today, I became an Iowan. And by that I mean I got my Iowa driver's license. Let me tell you it was no an easy feat! I thought it was going to be a piece of cake. In North Dakota, you make an appointment, in and out in under 10 minutes. How hard can it be?

I looked up where I needed to go. The closet location was in Ankeny. 15 miles and 20 minutes away. Longer than I would like, but hey, I only have to do it once right? Wrong. Monday I show up. Pretty empty parking lot. This impresses me. Once I get inside i'm told that they aren't open Monday's. Ohhhh. In all my times researching their website that never showed up once. 

Show up Tuesday. The line is almost out the door. I check the sign. The wait is 153 minutes. Yes I typed that right, OVER two hours. Yeah, I don't think so. Decide I will come back first thing tomorrow. 

Show up Wednesday morning at 7:25. This is an hour and five minutes before they open. I had thought they open at 8 but i'm glad I showed up when I did because even then there was 18 people in line. I'm not even exaggerating. Good thing I brought a book to read. 

I told myself that if I didn't have all the correct paperwork, I would go home for the day and call it quits. This SO was not worth my time. Thankfully I did and I was in my car at 9:25. In case you aren't good at math, that is two whole hours at the DMV. I casually mentioned to one of the workers the set up in NoDak with appointments. He laughed and said they didn't have funding. This location serves 500,000 people. 

Let's hope I don't have to do that EVER again. I wish Matt good luck.

P.S. Matt and I both didn't get deer tags this season. Looks like we won't be home in November after all. 

Moved On

Guess what? My pink couch has moved to Iowa!

This past spring I accepted a job at John Deere Financial in Johnston, Iowa. Over the past couple of days the family has been helping me move. Lynnell, Salvin, and Grandma Sandy helped Matt and I load the truck. Perry drove the U-haul to Iowa (he had some hearing loss along the way). Phil, Sue, Perry and Greta helped us unload. Unloading was definitely more work since I now live on the second floor. It is "technically" a condo. I say technically because to me it looks just like any other apartment. What's different is that we have our own central air system and water heater. There are also other buildings in the area which you can buy instead of rent.

So how about a tour? Don't mind the mess. I'm not totally unpacked yet.

Can't wait to put stuff on the walls!

The kitchen is actually WAY smaller than the kitchen in Fargo. According to Matt the cabinets are 6 inches smaller. We also only have 2 drawers. I had to get a little creative with the organizing.
It is also my first experience with stainless steel. I had to go out and buy some special cleaner.

The office... and it will be Ponzi's room when I'm at work.

Guest bedroom. Probably will have to move the bed around a bit. Its a little weird to be laying in bed and your pillow hits the blinds.

This shower curtain was a wedding/shower gift.

Guest bathroom. Can't wait to hang stuff on these walls too. The bathroom is also a fair amount smaller than the old place too.

Master bedroom. Matt attached the headboard to the bed frame this weekend. Previously it was attached to the wall. Not exactly apartment friendly.

Master bathroom.

Ponzi is adjusting pretty well. Not a huge fan of the stairs. He likes to bark at the neighbors. Whenever we let him out of the crate he runs around to see what else has changed.













Can't wait to see what the future holds for this place. Anyone want a skype tour and chat soon? :)

Meet Matt

It has come to my attention recently that not all of my friends and family know Matt. At least other than what you can find from Facebook creeping (which is probably a lot or none depending on your creeping skill level), but I thought I should answer a few "frequently asked questions" about him and our relationship in general. 

Where did you two meet?

•  Matt and I met through our mutual friend Katie. She cooked both of us supper. At time time, Matt had a girlfriend, but we had a class together the following semester. We ended up working on homework and studying together and eventually dating.

Where was your first date?

•  We went to a little dive Mexican restaurant, also on Katie's recommendation, called Acapulco.

First kiss?

• After a night of watching movies and ice cream at Matt's house, he walked me to my car and kissed me goodnight.  

 Where is Matt from originally?

• Matt lived in Florida till he was 12 then moved to Farmington, MN. I consider him a Minnesota kid. His parents still live in Farmington and have a cabin on Lake Mile Lacs that we visit during the summer.

 How long have you two been dating?

• Matt and I will have been dating for two and a half years by the time the wedding rolls around.
• Of those two and a half years, we have lived at least 2 hours away from each other 30% of the time. This is because of two separate summer internships and him moving away for work after graduation. It hasn't exactly been fun, but I think it made us figure out what was important and work on our communication.

Where does Matt work? Live?

• Matt currently works as a Sales Agronomist for South Central Grain in Napoleon, ND. Its a division of CHS. Matt spent the past two summers interning there and they offered him a job last fall. He started in December and thus far really seems to like it.

If you went out for drinks, what would be the first beverage  Matt would order?

•  Coke with grenadine, or if we went to a bar it would be Grain Belt Nordeast.

Which of Matt’s housekeeping habits drives you the most crazy?

•  It always seems like that when Matt comes to visit his suitcase explodes. Clothes everywhere. Laundry is not his strong suit. If you were to ask him that same question about me, he would probably say that my need to be early and my very strict bedtime.

What do you two like to do together?

•  During our free time we like to travel (thus far we have been to Miami, Tampa, Medora, and a few other places), hunt, fish, cook, watch tv... things normal twenty somethings like to do.
• One of my favorite things that we do together is meal planning for the week. That leads to grocery shopping and doing other things together as well.

Who does the cooking?

•  Surprisingly, Matt does the cooking. Without him I eat a lot of cereal. I do a lot of baking. Matt's favorites include banana bread, snicker-doodles, and brownies.

Who does the cleaning?

•  Depends, Matt helps vacuum and dust when I ask nicely.

AND the all time most asked (and annoying I might add) question... where are you going to live once you are married? 

• Ask me again after the wedding, will ya? The ball is completely in my court on this one. Matt is willing to relocate where ever the opportunity should arise. I've applied for two jobs thus far. One is out of Fargo which I would LOVE to get. It is a farm financial consultant position. The other is Napoleon working for the same company Matt works for. It would be easy to say yes to this. Matt really loves it out there. Great hunting and fishing. Mostly, though its because he already has a job and I could have the small town life and a 8-5 job. The main downfall is that Napoleon is 79 miles from the nearest city. That is if you consider Bismark or Jamestown cities. Another is that it is a small town, with small town problems, and not a lot of young couples without children. My graduate adviser is pushing me to a high powered, high stress, corporate job in the Minneapolis area. If the right job and offer would arise, I would take it. For now, its a wait and see.

Going to Miami

I just got back from Miami yesterday and what do you know it fog/rain/snow/slushes when I get back. What a pain!

Matt and I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Winfield Summit Event in Miami, Florida over the weekend. We stayed at a 4 star hotel, soaked up the sun, and did all sort of touristy things. All because Matt was one of the top 5% sellers of Winfield goods. For those of you who don't know what those goods are, they are things like fertilizer.

First stop, lunch! Bud light and wings. Not exactly touristy, but we met a couple on their honeymoon and another couple on an anniversary trip.

I spent a fair amount of time on the beach, or at the very least sitting by the pool. Isn't that gorgeous? There was even a couple of naps poolside.

One thing that I was unaware of was the amount of homeless people sleeping on the sidewalks and in the parks all around Miami. We spent most of our time in the touristy/rich part of town, so I wasn't exactly expecting that.Matt and I were also approach by a man on the street asking for money to buy his kids happy meals. We didn't have any cash on us, but the other couple we were traveling with gave the guy a few bucks.

There was a business casual dinner to recognize all the attendees so we got to get all gussied up. There were over 350 first time attendees there and about a dozen pregnant women. I guess you could say there were a lot of young couples. Another observation was the various shades of "business casual." There was everything from nice jeans to suits. Some women were in formal gowns, others in jeans and cowboy boots.

The lady who took the following picture didn't actually speak English and she was just as white as us North Dakotan's but I would say it turned out pretty well.

Some of the BEST food the whole trip was a little hole in the wall cheapo pizza shop. The slices were huge and we ate outside soaking up the 75 degree weather.

There you have it. The 411 of our trip. We had a blast. I came back with a tan. It was nice to have Matt all to myself for 4 days. My only complaint would be the lack of proficient English speakers in Florida. We struggled to communicate with the maids and almost every restaurant server. More the once we just smiled, said yes, and hope for the best. This was most frustrating when I was trying to get a doughnut at the airport. I finally had to point to the one I wanted. Ah well, were would we be without life's crazy adventures.

Mini Bathroom Makeover

Today, as I checked the weather and discovered subzero temperatures, I decided it would be a good day for a Pinterest project. At the very least my bathroom needed a little cleaning and organizing.

I started with this:

 Looks a little "meh" right? Somehow I always end up with my jewelry on the counter and I don't even want to tell you about the dust bunnies behind the stereo. There is also the grungy toothbrush holder. It was once a favorite and gift from Matt on our first Valentine's day but it has become covered in toothbrush gunk that even my bleaching skills couldn't remove. My biggest blight though is the makeup bag. I'm always in too much of a rush in the morning to put things away or maybe its because the drawer the makeup bag belongs in looks like this:

The electric shaver isn't mine but all those pony tails are. So I decided to take charge!  After nearly 2 hours looking for the right stuff in Walmart and going through all my previous Pinterest ideas, I decided to go for it.

I'm pretty proud of the final result:

 Nice and clean! I bought a corner dish rack to put my radio on top of. Its not totally sturdy, but it gets the job done.

I also bought 2 glass bowls that fit on the rack. My everyday makeup just barley fits in the one but that is good incentive to purge every so often.

The other glass bowl has my spare pair of glasses and my everyday jewelry. 

 The drawer that once housed random stuff now hold our toothbrushes. Even Ponzi was happy to help.

From My Pink Couch

And so it begins, I have decided to become a blogger. As a grad student, one would assume that I have enough things to do, especially when it comes to time I spend writing. I suppose I do. At the same time I want to share current events in my life. Thoughts on things. Overall be one of those crazy happy people who blog about their lives.

Through this blog I hope to:
-Keep friends and family up to date on my life (and the life of my husband to be I suppose)
-Wedding planning ... because its never ending, as are the questions on how its going
-My latest bakes
-Latest pinterst projects

Five goals. Not too bad to start. Wish me luck.