First time in Aggieland

I am SO burned today... Aggieland was HOT.

Here are the lovebirds at their first Aggie game, together. Anyway, it was HOT HOT HOT. There was a breeze every now and then, but not enough! I did absolutely love the Aggie band though. They were great- very impressive. It's all military style and they don't wear the uniforms most schools do. I was very impressed. I'm even thinking of getting myself a DVD to watch them more. Very nice! ... and of course, Aggies won. Too bad, so sad for you Texas, OU or Florida fans...

Chicken Oil Company was good too- CROWDED, but good. They had a nice burger and I had some cheese fries with ranch dressing- OF COURSE, this IS Texas! Still not sure what all the fuss is about, but it was good. Different than the regular old Chili's or On the Border...

Anyway, it was a good time, but I am very burned today. I took a warm shower last night and used vingar. I need to do it again today, maybe by tomorrow I will look halfway normal. MAYBE.

We are off in two hours to put the deposit down on the wedding venue. WHOOP!

End of Month

END OF MONTH!
END OF MONTH!

It's all you hear around work today. It's the last full workday of the month, so all accounts must be closed. It's a pretty hectic day. I couldn't go to Vegas with Tracy and the Porch Monkeys from Arkansas cause of end of month. BAD BAD END OF MONTH!

Well, tomorrow we head off to College Station for the A&M/Baylor game. We're meeting Conrad's parents, sister and nephews there. WOO HOO on meeting the family but kinda ick about the game. I'm so selffish with my Saturday's. I don't like errands or cleaning or any thing I "have" to do on my Saturday's. I want the option of laying around. Although almost every Saturday I do housework, or laundry or run to the library or grocery store- there's always something going on to interfere with the plan of just staying in the house. But this is different- we have tickets and we have to go.

Well the bright side is- I do like Conrad's family and it's ALWAYS nice to see them. Another bright side is the baby, Kamden is going. We never really get to see him- only twice now since he was born. So every time we see him, there have been DRASTIC changes. I feel bad about that. I feel like we should be there for every little thing- I guess that's one of the bad things about living several hundred miles away... and then the other bright side is there is a place there, called the Chicken Oil Company. It sounds absolutely horrid- who wants to oil a chicken or even worse, DRINK the oil of a chicken?! NOT ME! However, I am assured by the Hopkins clan it's good eatin'- Conrad's favorite restaurant in College Station and I will enjoy the heck out of it. It just has a really unforunate name.

I have been here ten months and have not yet been invited or driven to College Station by Conrad (sobbing) to see what all the fuss is about the chicken oil. Actually though, it's different being with a family who bleeds maroon. I tell you, all this time, I didn't harbor a hatred for A&M, I just didn't care much about them one way or the other... now I am surrounded by Aggies, tomorrow will be even more of them. I sort of feel obligated, when I go back to school next year, to join the A&M online degree program, just so I can fit in. Then again, I never was much for fitting in. I am a TREND MAKER not a TREND FOLLOWER.

:)

I will report back tomorrow night and tell you what all is involved in eating at a place called Chicken Oil Company, in College Station, Texas- surrounded by Aggies.

Karyn

It's All Gravy

Today is MUCH better. It has all been worked out. I had a thought and ran it by Conrad, he agreed and now we have this thing in the bag!

Instead of renting out an entire restaurant, as previously planned, we are just taking over the private rooms... and a few days before, I just call with the RSVP'd number of people and we pay for that amount of food. The wedding now is coming in $1000 UNDER the budget, instead of $4000 OVER. WHOOP! We are going Sunday to put down the deposit and take all the pictures the decorators are going to need. We're probably also going to have dinner cause that place is GOOD! Then we're done.

I will have to get invitations made, which is no biggie and I'll get my dress, Conrad will go get fitted for his tux (he wants the one with no tie- big baby) and it's easy street. I have always always wanted to buy one of those bridal packages at the spa. Where it's like six months of treatments leading up to the big day.... and now I TOTALLY am going to do it! That's going to be my one big "Bride Thing"... so we're pretty much done til the first of the year and pretty much very proud of ourselves!

Now to today's topic: I have myself a babysitter. I was getting tucked into bed last night and I got the question: "Did you brush your teeth tonight?" What I am - 4?! Well the answer was "No, I did not". I got marched into the bathroom and he stood guard by the door, arms crossed while I brushed my teeth. Then he had the nerve to say "Get the ones in the back." Like I don't KNOW that. DUH!

Anyway- he thinks this ring makes him the boss of me... he also told me he has 90 days to take it back for a full refund, so now I am on a 90 day probation. He is so funny... so clever. I'll give him his 90 days and then I have the next 50 years.

Um... kidding Conrad!

Ka

Disappearing Act

I didn't mean to be gone for an entire DAY!
I just got sort of involved. All internet time has been reserved strictly for wedding plans. I found out through my friends at work that Houston books up very early. I thought NO WAY- we can book this at Christmas. Um- NO. Everything is booked for a year.... terrible! I have called hotels, chapels, banquet halls, reception halls, restaurants. Today I thought I hit pay dirt by calling our local Community Center- but they are not open on Saturday's and she MIGHT have been the rudest woman I have talked to in three weeks.

*sigh* anyway- I did find a restaurant that we like. They've agreed to shut down for the evening and we could have the wedding there. I didn't get the budget up front, so I'm not sure yet how to swing it. It's SO expensive here. I am wishing for good old Dallas where I knew 100 people with big houses, or at least I THINK I do. Nana's house is in SC and Dad's house is in FL and with doing either one fo those, we would automatically alienate the groom's family and all of our friends and coworkers.

I never thought I would be a stressful bride. I never thought I would be a bride. Turns out I am both. I have been in a bad mood for two days- my stomache hurts and I feel a little sad.

I just want the thing booked. If I can get the place booked, then I can calm down and have fun with the rest of this, but this is not fun. This is the most NOT fun I've had in a long time. I do not like wedding planning. This is 800 times different than my trade shows and fishing tournaments. I want to sit down with one of those kegs I am ordering and get lost in it.

NOT GOOD TIMES.

Ka

Blinded by the light

We had a friend come over and he got the camera to work a little better.


Here is a bettter pic of the ring.



You can see it much better. The time stamp on the camera is wrong, so I have NOT been holding out on you for the past month!

I promise to resume interviewing family members for the blog- I just got temporarily sidetracked. I had a moment of panic last night when I realized that my comfortable, easy, no-craziness weeekends are coming to a screeching halt. We have a WEDDING to plan! But then I remembered that I am not a Bridezilla and I really am pretty low maintenance. All I have to do that is stressful is pick the place. After that's done- easy breezy. The most stressful will be picking the honeymoon location.

K- I HAVE to get to work now. People have been wandering by the work station (the HR department gets pretty offended if we call them cubicles), anyway- people have been coming by all morning to see the ring and ask me about wedding plans. All I know is April 26, 2008 and we'll have beer.

Karyn

THE Day

Sunday AM: Walked one mile

The day has been decided.
April 26, 2008

My grandparents (Lina and Dick), who I loved and miss very much, were married that day in 1941.

Colors: maroon and white (my concession to the Texas Aggies)
Theme: Texas

There you go- that's where we are. Not bad for 15 hours.

Karyn

ENGAGED

Well... dear readers....

Since my last post 5 hours ago.... Conrad has asked me to marry him.

I was gone on my walk when he was back here setting it up. I came in, posted on the blog and then went to run some bathwater, when I found the ring on my pillow.

We are VERY excited!!!! Conrad travels a lot during the summer, so we have decided to have it in early spring, plus it will still be nice here in Houston. It will not yet have turned into Africa. So we're thinking... March.

We of course called parents and stuff and everyone wants to see the ring. I am sort of thinking it might be a tad tacky to post such things on the internet- but since everyone lives so far away... here goes. They are pretty blurry. It's not so easy to take pics of diamonds... so this is the best we could do.

I don't know a darn thing about rings, but Conrad tells me the center stone is a marquis and it's surrounded by princess cut diamonds, the princess cuts are on both sides, and there are two squares, made out of squares.

Guess you'll just have to see, AT THE WEDDING!!!!

Karyn Abercrombie (soon-to-be Hopkins)