Playing catch-up

Sorry, it's been a while since I've written.  You know, life gets busy and writing takes a back seat.

The holidays came and went (and yes, I still have my Christmas tree up!), and here we are, in 2011!

Last Thursday was the 7-month mark till the wedding, and there's still a lot to do!  We need to find an officiant, and get the decorations and menu squared away.  I have yet to send out my "Save-The-Dates" (though they are in my possession, I'm just waiting on invite lists from both sets of parents).  Invitations have been designed by my talented soon-to-be-sister-in-law!  They look great...just need to print and assemble!  Yesterday, I went with my bridesmaids (minus the sister-in-law) to order our dresses...the bridesmaid dresses and MY dress!  I guess it's getting more real for me.  Ordered my dress - no going back now!

It's the end of the month at work which means billing and finishing up the month, and the start of February right around the corner which means planning for February advertising.  Most people in the ad world might wonder what's up with the "late" planning?  We do have things planned out - sort of.  We know what we're going to run on TV, radio, direct mail, interactive banners, etc., we just don't know the message yet!  We have to wait on the manufacturers to pass along that info, which can get a little irritating when they take their time to make decisions on the financing/lease offers that are available!  It ultimately delays our advertising efforts, but not much can be done with that!

I have a lot to get done around the house, which I should have done over the weekend, but instead decided to spend the weekend skiing with Sean on Saturday, and out with my bridesmaids on Sunday!  Lucky for me there's a blizzard soon a-coming to Wisconsin, and it sounds like the dealership may be closed on Wednesday (seriously, it takes A LOT to close a business here in Wisconsin!)  That means I might have time to catch up on laundry, finally take down the tree, and relax in front of the fireplace with a cup of cocoa and a book!  Sounds divine!! :)  Later when the snow dies down, I can help Sean with snow removal - I do the sidewalks while he does the driveway - with his ancient tractor!

Sean on his tractor.  Look how HUGE compared to our SUV!

At least he can plow the drive (and the street, if he wanted!) quickly! :)

OK, bye for now!  Time for lunch!

Cheers!
-Kate

Mouse in the House! + Lions Club

Eek!  So last night, Sean got up in the middle of the night around 1:30AM to use the bathroom, and apparently there was a mouse in the toilet!  We are assuming that he tried to get a drink of water but fell in!  Poor guy.

Sean scooped him out with one of my silicon oven mitts (I know, seriously!  Couldn't the guy find a better scooping device!?!) and put him outside.  It was kind of chilly last night, so hopefully he's doing OK and didn't freeze to death!

This means that we need to invest in some mice-catching devices.  Sean said he'd like to keep them as pets.  I am not so thrilled about this idea.  I guess it's good that we have the cats - they should be good at catching the little guys!  I've heard that after a cat catches a mouse, they'll come and "present" it to you - like, "Look what I caught Mom!"  Gross.

A mouse.  Not the one Sean scooped with an oven mitt.

Sean with the "proof" in a jar.  I can't believe he bothered to take a picture of this.

On a non-mouse-related topic, I am working up the motivation to start working out again!  I feel like I always have excuses as to why I can't work out, but in actuality, most of my excuses are valid.

As for instance: tonight, I have a Lions Club meeting.  It's true.  I'm a member of Lions Club International!  Most people don't even know what this organization does, aside from the fact that typically, it's old men who are members.  Well, I'm neither old nor am I a man, but I am proud to be a member of LCI.

What does Lions Club do?:
Lions Club International is comprised of thousands of individual clubs all over the world who serve their own communities, and ultimately, group together to collaborate for large causes.  For example, I'm a member of the Stone Bank Lions Club (the community where I grew up, about half an hour from my current home).  We do community service projects to improve the community and surrounding neighborhoods, and do fundraisers to raise money for those in need.  We've given money to a family who was having a hard time paying their mortgage, and we've given money to local boyscouts in support of their Eagle Scout projects, as two examples.  The causes vary and we donate where the need is greatest.  As a whole, LCI contributes around the world helping the blind and deaf, among other causes.  (Maybe you've seen collection boxes for used eyeglasses and hearing aids!  That's most likely the Lions Club!)

We're doing a big community clean-up on October 23.  We're trying to coordinate all the organizations in the community to gather their "troops" and do their bi-annual road clean-up, as well as have community members clean up their yards and make everything look nice before our undoubtedly harsh winter arrives.  While the Stone Bank Lions Club is coordinating this, we're counting on all the other local organizations and all community members to pitch in and help out!  It should be really fun!

Later in the afternoon on October 23, the SB Lions are hosting (in conjunction with Stone Bank School's student council) a Fall Family Fest!  The kids are doing most of the work in putting everything together - there will be a "haunted hallway", fun games, snacks, and activities for kids and adults.  We want this event to be a fun community get-together.  All the money we make from this event will go to the school!

So anyhow, I guess tonight I have an excuse as to why I'm not working out.  Tomorrow evening I should have some time available!  No excuses!

To learn more about Lions Club International, check out their website.  http://www.lionsclubs.org/  Contrary to popular belief, you do NOT have to be a business owner to be a member, nor do you have to be invited!  If you want to volunteer (as much or as little as you're able!), consider the Lions Club!  There's also a revolution to get younger people involved!  Make a difference in your community, in someone else's life, and in YOUR life!

Cheers!
-Kate.

The First Post

So after reading the blog of "Veronika's Blushing" http://veronabrit.blogspot.com/ which focuses on a lot of my "favorite things", I've been inspired to write a blog too!  Here's to my first blog post!

I used to keep an online blog journal (kind of a like a diary of my daily life and interesting happenings), but at the time, I was still in college and life really wasn't that interesting!  It comes in handy for me to re-read those entries from time-to-time because I have a TERRIBLE memory and often forget past occurrences!

A little about me:

I'm Kate.  I'm 25 years old (turning 26 in a few weeks) and recently engaged to my boyfriend - Sean - of over 6 years.  About a year ago, we bought a house in a Milwaukee suburb and have been working to remodel/renovate/decorate and make it a home.  We have two cats - Ginger and Roxy - who are quite mischievous together, despite their large difference in age (Ginger is 14 or 15, and Roxy is 2.5).  Oh, and we're getting married in August of 2011!

Kate and Sean

I currently work in marketing/advertising for an upscale automobile dealership.  I love marketing and creating relationships with customers, and developing creative materials that not only appeal to the eye, but catch your attention and really drive the message home and call you (the customer) into action!

At home, I have a strong passion for decorating (on a budget!), fashion (on a budget!), and make-up products (of course, on a budget!).  I'm trying hard to have a passion for fitness and exercise, but honestly, I'm lacking motivation lately (which is strange considering I have a wedding coming up! - Eek!)

So that's me and an eclectic summary of what this blog will be about - decorating, fashion, make-up, wedding planning, advertising...maybe anything that pops up in my life and is relevant and worth writing about!
To that end, thanks for reading and let's establish a relationship!  What sort of things interests you?  What kind of blogs do you enjoy reading?

Cheers!

-Kate