Congrats, Alex & Kasia!

Adam and I spent last weekend in Des Moines, Iowa, for Alex and Kasia's wedding. It was gorgeous! We also got to reconnect with lots of friends we hadn't seen in a while, so that was great as well. All of Adam's friends from high school (aka "the Posse") were there, along with their wives/girlfriends, several of whom I had not yet met. It was so great to see everyone, and surprisingly wonderful that all of the significant others are such cool people.

We got into town on Friday afternoon, checked into the hotel and headed over to the wedding rehearsal at the church. Adam was an usher, and at first was a little worried about his role, but everything went very smoothly. Adam was raised in a Lutheran church, and I was raised United Methodist, so it was interesting, to say the least, for us to see all of the details of a big Catholic wedding!

Here, the Posse (minus Austin, whose plane was delayed) waits for instructions before the rehearsal:

After the rehearsal dinner Friday night, the whole Posse, plus significant others, headed out to the downtown Des Moines bars. They were several blocks from the hotel we were staying at, but when we got there -- wow! Quite a happening nightlife for Iowa ;) We found an English pub and hung out for a few hours to catch up with everyone.

On Saturday, we got to experience the wedding, of course. We've both known Alex so well and for such a long time that we were thrilled to see him marry someone as awesome as Kasia!

The wedding reception was also eventful, especially since it included the Polish tradition of stealing the bride and groom's shoes. Adam nearly had one of Alex's, but lost it to a bigger, drunker Polish guy. He did get a consolation prize, though; one of our friends who had successfully stolen a shoe gave him the prize she won for it (a bottle of Grey Goose).

All in all, a fantastic weekend :)

First wedding of the summer

Not so long ago, Kasia and Alex were at our wedding... now we're getting ready to go to theirs!!



This weekend, we'll head out to Des Moines, Iowa, for the big event. Adam is an usher, so we'll be attending the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, as well. He's taken Friday afternoon off of work, so we can leave early and be there with plenty of time to spare. We're both looking forward to it, and I am excited to see some of the Polish traditions that Kasia's family will be incorporating into the celebration. I'm sure it will be a blast!

Last weekend, I went up to Arlington Heights, Ill., for a tea party-themed bridal shower for Becky. Everyone was asked to wear tea-appropriate hats, which was hilarious. All the decorations were so cute, and the food was delicious! While I was doing that, Adam went to Ann Arbor, Mich., for the weekend, to keep Sam company. Although they couldn't get the Wii to work, it sounded like they had a good time anyhow ;)

I've had a couple of calls back about jobs this week, and have also gotten more involved in my volunteer work, so that has definitely been a positive. I just keep hoping for that perfect opportunity to come my way soon!

First anniversary!

Today is our first anniversary! I can't believe an entire year has gone by since the wedding.

Adam and I spent the weekend in St. Louis, doing some touristy things. The first thing we did Saturday afternoon when we got into town was head straight for the Arch.

There was lots of waiting in line, but we thought it was worth the experience. The Arch is really, really tall. Really. This is a bad idea for anyone who is afraid of heights or is claustrophobic, since they cram you into these tiny tram cars for the trip to the top. Luckily, neither of us is (that...) afraid of either, so we survived. The view from the top was cool!

Then, we went to the Moonrise Hotel, where we were staying. This place also was neat. And moon-themed. So, honestly, what could be better? We were in The Loop, part of St. Louis near Washington University, and it had lots of dining options within walking distance, so we had time to explore that evening, which was fun.

On Sunday, we toured the Anheuser-Busch brewery. It was a very complete tour and included everything from the Clydesdales to how beer is made and, of course, free samples at the end :) We then met up with McKenna, who lives in St. Louis, before we headed home.

EDIT: Per Lynn's request, here is the "Adam on the couch" photo, taken at our moon-themed hotel!