picture this

when mom's away, dad will play

2011-08-17T20:07:00.003-05:00

so once upon a time, a certain father bought a motorcycle without his wife's approval.....as you can imagine that mother was not very happy with the decision.....one day this summer while his wife was on vacation in florida, he packed his bookbag with drinks and a fishing pole and off he went to spend the day with friends.....

werewolves and vampires and charlie, oh my!

2011-08-17T18:42:00.004-05:00

November 18th will be here before you know it and if you don't get the love triangle straight, things will get confusing.....so what does this call for??

TWILIGHT MOVIE EXTRAVAGANZA...duh?

.....and we celebrated aunt debbie's birthday, with a surprise birthday cake sent in from her one-and-only, charlie <3

little did we know, she was going to surprise us with food and a cake of our own...

just wanted to share some pictures of our family debbie has framed in her basement, WAIT... that's not uncle steve and ryan....

Bring on 'Breaking Dawn', the Meiner girls are ready!!!

happy-late-father's day

2011-06-29T21:00:00.002-05:00

i love you dad

the bachelorette 101

2011-06-23T20:11:00.004-05:00

Dear ABC,

Why do you always suck me in to watch another show about people trying to find love while on a reality show and competing against 20 others? Really, i don't understand?

-Confused Reality TV Junky

So now that i have invested so much time watching it, i better give you my take on the 'winners' who deserve a rose.

#1 pick from the beginning - J.P.

construction manager from NY, enough said...

#2 & #3 squeak by each week - Ben F. and Constantine

i think it's the hair.....

(side note: ashley do you remember a time when we were younger, can't remember where we were, and a guy came to the door with a pony tail to his waist, wrapped in about 20 hair things and we said we hated it?? can't say i like it now, but i'm digging these flowing locks)

#4 has grown on me since his 1-on-1 date - Ames

i believe he is the most genuine guy there and he makes me laugh every episode...

monday can't come soon enough....

incorrect user name or password

2011-06-20T19:09:00.003-05:00

yes it's me. i know it's been awhile, as blogger has reminded me.....

anywhoo...i'm back and ready to be that blogger you have grown to love

1. i want to tell my readers/followers thanks for not giving up on me....

2. i've got soooo much to say about this seasons 'the bachelorette'

3. we've been very busy living life and i'm ready to brag a bit

and finally

Happy Anniversary to my Husband! 2 years...YAY!

back, back, back it up

2011-04-03T12:23:00.012-05:00

so i have a good reason (really) for not keeping you up to speed on our 'oh so exciting' lives....I got a new job!!

PRESENT

good bye hello i'm not gonna lie, leaving the Von was a little sad...i miss the jewelry ladies, but i finally have a job in my field. i'm working as an Athletic Trainer in the LeRoy and Bloomington clinics. so far, so good.....

PAST

my 25th birthday was March 5th and it was spent in the alley.......the bowling alley.

my sisters and brother william came down and stayed the night. we busted out the dominoes and i introduced them to my new addiction, Hawaii Five-O.

there was also another weekend my sisters came down and spent the night. my parents or santa (can't remember which) got them a dip 'n dots maker, which they were told was meant for weekends at our place...lucky us.

that night also consisted of a couple games of boggle and of course, human hurdling.

when my mom came to pick them up, we went out for lunch at avantis. michael, rhys and their new roomie drew met us there.

in other news...

Sugarland was AHHHH-mazing. instead of taking my big camera, we took my parents. so i will have to share those pictures in the future. Jenny was an awesome performer. she really captivated the audience and I know of 4 girls who would have loved to hear more & more & more....

now that i'm working a normal 8-5/m-f job, planning my weekends is a must! after the concert, ryan and i took a trip to Lebanon, IN to visit friends. saturday was a beautiful day and we spent it at the park, grilled out, and ended the night with a bonfire and smores. :) our friends joe & brandi have a spunky little daughter lily, who kept us entertained and busy the entire trip.

thankfully brandi captured this picture of my husband's face after a groin-pulling slide experience

Lebanon Fact for the day::: The guy in the AT&T Ski Lift commercial with the orange jacket is from there.

i have also realized i haven't given my 2-cents on the cast of DWTS

1. when they announced the cast i flipped when i heard Kendra Wilkinson & Hines Ward....Yippie! watching hines makes up for derek copping out this season

2. i think kirstie alley is doing great!

3. i'll admit it, romeo is easy on the eyes :)

4. i'm still wanting my son or daughter to learn ballroom dancing

5. i think aunt debbie may get sick of my weekly text that will go a little something like this....

OMG, OMG hines is amazing. did you see him? I love watching him. Best of the night by far. loved it!

last night we went to the Castle Theatre again, but this time to see Old 97's. if you are unfamiliar with this band, but love a good chic flick....in the movie The Break-up with Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston, she goes to an Old 97's concert the night he ditches her.

we met ryan's brothers and his brothers girlfriend Sara there. once again I didn't take my camera, but i had my brother-in-laws most of the night...so as soon as he posts those, i will share. also my husband bought me my first, very own concert t-shirt. we had a great time!

FUTURE

things i plan to do.....blog more, visit my cousin Ashley, get a tan, travel, get a gym membership, clean the apartment, find a new lamp for the livingroom, learn to sew, get a professional massage, take a dance class, spend more time outside

the unemployed architects @ the castle theatre

2011-02-26T11:05:00.006-06:00

new pictures are posted of my brother in laws band 'the unemployed architects'

check them out! (click here)

bored :: stressed :: need a laugh

2011-02-18T19:55:00.008-06:00

my current mood...

bored - waiting for ryan to call me so we can have a supper date and i can enjoy some spiced chicken enchiladas at carlos

stressed - wishing things would go my way just once in my life....ugh

need a laugh - just came across a couple pictures i took last summer of lumberjack ryan telling me he would win a corn eating contest 'hands down'

the post that keeps posting...

2011-02-16T08:17:00.010-06:00

so as we all know, the outcome of the Superbowl didn't go our way...but that didn't mean we couldn't still have fun. we watched the game at our friend Daniels place with a bunch of our other besties....

Superbowl is a big day for us because way back in the day (2004) our first date was a Superbowl party at 'non other than' our friend Daniels house! then 4 years later i was proposed to on Superbowl Sunday AND the theme of my bridal luncheon was Superbowl. I'm guessing you get the point...I hate football? Nope! I love it!!

our spread consisted of tacos, cookies, brownies, buffalo chicken dip, pickles wrapped in cream cheese and beef, smokies, and veggies. i brought the healthy buffalo chicken dip and the wrapped pickles....which by the way needs a better name than stating how I made them and every ingredient....someone at the party mentioned they are called snake meat (or that could have been the screwdrivers talking?...doesn't really sound like the title of a recipe card I would get from my grandma)

Daniels was the perfect place to spend a snowy day...he lives in the country and has one of those barns filled with lots and lots of toys....aka...snowmobile & four wheeler!

i was so happy my mexican friends could join us

we all thought Bridgestone had the best commercials, hands down.

sorry I can't display the video....here's the link (extended version) www.youtube.com/watch?v=beF0LTvbdfw

:)

while I was in Pontiac I got to see eilzabeth play volleyball

so glad grace focused on the lady in the pink instead of her family...

the MANY faces of william

i'm sure i'll be getting a big THANK YOU text for posting those...

ryan had school and work on V-day, so we celebrated Sunday with a little Taco Bell To Go, while driving to Clinton to find each other gifts at the Antique Mall... i know, i know how romantic

i went home with some jewelry and a 1973 edition of Boggle, while ryan's treasures included a book about Adlai Stevenson and a batman belt buckle (not pictured)

that night my parents, siblings, grandma, aunt, and ryan & i went out for a V-day supper celebration. Rhys had to work, so that made our restaurant decision easy...off to Joe's we went! i didn't bring my camera, but i'll give you a little play by play of our night...

- we took 30 minutes to decide what to order, when it should have only taken 5 minutes because we always get a cheese and a pepperoni pizza...not sure why that night would have been different

- a couple fights broke out

- a pop was spilled

- rhys flashed us with his apron....twice

BUT something that I wasn't expecting was the Valentines Day gift from my dad. he passed out cards to mom, elizabeth, grace and i, and we were told to open them at the same time....

SUGARLAND tickets!!!

snow day

2011-02-01T13:45:00.007-06:00

this snow is giving me the perfect opportunity to sit on my couch and blog away...

OK...I guess I lied, I'm just getting back to this post and since the snow day I've gone to work 3 times...hmm must have gotten side tracked with my on demand Hawaii Five-O marathon, give me a break. It's hard to blog frequently when I don't have a cute little kid to talk about and I'm a horrible cook (so no receipes coming your way). However I can blog about this little cutie..

I can also share some pictures from Christmas...

Oh hey, there's a cute little kid I can blog about :) Ryan kept telling Reagan he loved his new Toy Story bookbag, but was corrected everytime that it's a 'suitcase on his back'.
( picture taken from Ashley )

So we moved the ping pong table for more room and look how creative the boys got...each has a paddle and they had to keep the ball from hitting the floor (evan, michael, rhys, william & dad)

Merry Christmas!
-Love the Four-Eyes

Alright gonna have to cut this post short again, have to go pick up Ryan from work. Check out my photography blog, just posted some new pics of my brother in law Tyler and his friend Jay playing at Main St. Grille!

'Soon-To-Be' Posts:

-Apartment Renovation

-SuperBowl (GO STEELERS!)

-Music/Photography

halloween flashback

2010-11-18T15:51:00.006-06:00

i know i'm a little late with this post, but i really wanted to share these past halloween photos...

some cute...

some scary...

and some just wrong, but SO funny...

yes my husband is in a dress and no you can't find those hewey, lewey, and dewey costumes just anywhere...thank.you.mom.

wedding update

2010-10-25T23:09:00.005-05:00

sneak peak of the hall wedding is up on my photography blog

Check 'em out!

coming soon:

-three senior portraits
-a baptism
-cheever sibling pics

brb

2010-09-28T22:13:00.002-05:00

I'm shooting my first, very own wedding this weekend.....so all my focus is going to be on that for the time being.

be right back..................................wish me luck :)

bad day

2010-09-19T23:12:00.004-05:00

ryan and i ~~look~~ feel a little like these two...

yes...we have absolutely nothing in our fridge/freezer

Yes...I got a pop out of the fridge this morning and it was warm

YEs...we took 4 garbage bags full of food to the dumpster

YES...I just went to the grocery store on the 15th and spent $100 on groceries (and it's only the 19th)

YES...all of our food was spoiled because our fridge wasn't working!!!

impressed

2010-09-15T14:09:00.004-05:00

so when i was taking a break at work the other day, i was flipping through an ~~OK! magazine~~ very educational book and came across the wedding spread for disney channels Hilary Duff.

i fell in love with her wedding!!

#1: the bridesmaids dress

i love the color and shape at the top. her sister looked great!

#2: the cake

she chose to not use frosting on the outside of the cake. i look at it like an awesome pair of heels that kill your feet to wear them, but TOTALLY makes the outfit so you go with it anyway. the cake gives a vintage/homemade feel, but oh so romantic and beautiful!

#3: the decorations

the draping and lanterns above the tables were amazing! i own a couple vintage lanterns and love incorporating them into my home somehow.

(please excuse the poor photo....they look way better in person i promise!)

(random photo i found....but love the old trees with the lanterns hanging. totally my style and would have done those at my wedding in a heart beat, if it were outside)

overall i was impressed by her wedding. way to go lizzy mcguire!

SO happy

2010-09-02T19:40:00.003-05:00

I just found out I passed the BOC which is the Athletic Training Certification test!!!!! I'm officially an ATC :) :) :)

I'm so glad I have family and friends who helped me get though this! This was such a big accomplishment and I wanted to share the news!!

not impressed

2010-08-31T21:35:00.003-05:00

I am not impressed by the new Dancing With The Stars line-up.

I hate to admit it, but the only one I'm excited about is Mike "The Situation" from Jersey Shore.

Mike is on the left with Pauly D. (my favvvv) from Jersey Shore.

I'll keep you posted if someone catches my attention as the season begins!

emily sweitzer photography

2010-08-24T21:47:00.007-05:00

ok, this is the last time, I PROMISE!

i've been trying out different websites for my photography business and have decided that having a blog will be the easiest. first of all i know how to navigate 'behind the scenes' WAY better using blogger than another other website and i will still be able to showcase my work under labels, have tabs for contact information and pricing, plus it will give me the opportunity to share thoughts or comments from the shoot.

i haven't posted all of my pictures yet, but wanted to officially introduce the site. thanks for putting up with me. enjoy!

oh i guess it would help if i gave you the url....ha :)

http://www.emilysweitzerphotography.blogspot.com/

it's a boy

2010-08-20T21:38:00.004-05:00

diaper change

kori got lucas the monkey hat

and a trip to the hospital to see a new baby boy wouldn't be complete without blue raspberry gum cigars.....duh?

we went to visit them again today and both are doing great!

baby lucas

2010-08-18T21:06:00.007-05:00

tomorrow is the BIG day!! my friend chelsea is going in for a c-section at 7:15a and he should be here by 7:30a...so she says. i've known chelsea since kindergarten. it always seemed like when i went to school with 'big news' that my mom was having a baby, she came with the same news. she's such a great friend and i'm really excited for her and brian. about a week or two ago i did a maternity shoot for her and i've been anxious to share them. here are some of my favorites.

there are so many great ones, it was hard to pick just these. to see the whole photoshoot click here

kori and i are going to visit chels tomorrow when we get out of work. more pictures to come!

MN10 follow-up

2010-08-15T20:00:00.008-05:00

Ok...here is the long overdue vacation post...

as you all know, the meiner family is pretty obsessed with a little town called pillager and a little lake called sylvan. its always a must needed trip.

some great life-long relationships have been built with our sylvan family. we celebrated two birthdays on saturday, for neighbors wayne and bobbie. (a little b-day shout out!) it was a beautiful day on the lake. (sorry, no pictures)

my camera got its workout mostly during our fishing trip, which included grandpa, dad, ryan, elizabeth, grace and me. this is when ryans luck began. i'm pretty sure he brought home 4 that night. he was a happy camper..

we love this picture because dad was fishing with the pink barbie pole

my unhappy husband....he hates fishing, can't you tell?

he was reeling one in during this picture...probably wasn't too thrilled I made him get in the picture

the girls were great help when the net was needed....although grace would yell "GET THE NET" for EVERY fish she caught, as if they were going to be keepers and we couldn't let them get away....hey a girl can dream!

here's just a glimpse of why we love this place so much...

MN10

2010-08-02T21:03:00.003-05:00

pictures coming soon...

in the mean time...check out From A to Z "The One Where Joey Speaks French"...funny :)

v----v

2010-07-09T17:32:00.005-05:00

Eclipse is out and you all know we had to make another girls night out to see it. Ashley and Aunt Sheila joined us this time. And to spice things up for the third movie, we decided to go to the drive-in. We planned on eating at the Pizza Hut across the street, but when we got over there people were already parked in line. So Sheila ordered and waited for the pizza while Ashley, Debbie, Elizabeth, Grace and I waited in line. We were under the impression that the gate opened an hour before the show, so we decided to set up our sequence board and fit in a couple games. After setting up a card table, getting out chairs for everyone and playing a couple hands in our game....car engines started up and we were getting let in early! Boy did we pick up way faster than we set up...I was sorta proud at our olympic qualifying time.

Once on the grounds, we set up camp again. Complete with a snack bar (not pictured), end tables (or some may call them mini chairs), and surround sound.

cousins . sisters . best friends

We practiced our neck biting techniques.

The night would not have been complete without some mid-air jumping pictures and a group foot shot. (I'll spare you takes #1-6 because we all weren't in the air....except for this next one...don't want to brag or nothing, but that's my cousin..bOoYa!)

You will have to go see the movie yourself to find out what happens...lets just say Edward is the man!

michigan

2010-07-01T21:44:00.013-05:00

After much thought and debate (aka..me not making up my mind), we decided to head to Michigan for our 1 year anniversary. Growing up, Ryan and his family would go to the dunes and he has always wanted to take me there.

Our trip started early saturday morning, with our first stop being New Buffalo, MI. There we saw the after math of the storms from friday night. Nobody had power, trees were down, and we saw a truck with a shattered windshield. We had borrowed my parents GPS, which turned out to be our best idea yet! Saying Ryan and I are horrible at directions would be an understatement. We really didn't have a set plan and still needed to book a hotel room. So we typed hotels into the Garmin and off we went. While driving along the coast to Stevensville we saw some amazing homes.

The GPS had given us a couple hotels around each other, which Ryan told me to call and book a room. Ha. funny. There was no way I was going to blindly call and book us a room without seeing the place first. I totally judge a hotel by it's cover! AND of course, the one I wanted had no vacancy. So off to choice #2: Candlewood Suites. We couldn't check in until one, so we headed to Tiscornia Beach and did a little pre-shopping downtown St. Joesphs.

After getting settled into our room and a quick shower, we were off to Warren Dunes. Ryan insisted we climb up the sand dune and see the lake from the top. I was excited at first when it was just words and a good idea, but once the climb began it was hard. Every two steps I had to stop and take a breather. We got about 2/3 of the way up and I needed to take a break. We sat on a log and relaxed a few minutes. Finally, after about 10 minutes (ok, maybe I'm exaggerating a little) we were at the top! Standing at the top really makes you feel powerful. I'm so glad we decided to go there.

Oh, and yes if you were wondering...that walking stick made it home with us and is ~~collecting dust~~ displayed nicely in our guest room.

Also if you focused real hard you could see the Chicago Skyline...

So I guess the protocol for going down the dune is to run down as fast as you can. Um. Yes I'll pass.....but Ryan just had to.

After meeting my husband at the bottom and telling him how neat that was, I asked if I could have my sandals back. That question was followed by, Ummmmmm, do you really need them? Yes, I need them! My husband had left them back up at the log we had stopped at. There was NO WAY I was going to be able to climb back up the dune. So my wonderful husband strutted his stuff back up the hill. That second trip was followed by a little AC time in the car.

We spent some time on the beach before heading to our final event for the night, a Wine Festival on Weko Beach. And little did we know we were going to run into Ryan's Aunt Beth and Uncle Dean. What a small world. We probably wouldn't have stayed as long as we did, as the wine samples were a little rich in price for our blood, but it was fun spending time with his family.

(me, cousin brittany, and aunt beth on the shuttle back to our cars)

We spent Sunday shopping and site seeing. If you know us well, you know we like to hit up vintage shops, thrift stores, and any flea markets we may come across. We found some pretty neat shops that I wouldn't mind going back to. Here are a few pictures of our anniversary gifts to each other. (photos by ryan)

my awesome spoon ring!!

He is a little too excited about this lamp.

On our way home we stopped in Three Oaks and shared a homemade waffle cone with cookie dough ice cream... YUM Even though we didn't go far, we had a great weekend getaway!

Here we are sharing the top tier of our wedding cake! Real classy...

One year down...many more to come. Can't wait :)

i'm a married spud, i'm a married spud

2010-06-22T23:51:00.003-05:00

Happy 1 Year Anniversary Ryan! (6/20/10...you weren't expecting this post on time were you?/)

i-love-you

more pictures to come from our anniversary weekend trip to..........

kori & gage / family

2010-06-22T23:42:00.004-05:00

My best friend Kori texted me the other day and asked if I would take pictures of her and her nephew Gage. Of course I said yes! I met Kori, Gage, and her mom Jan in Lexington. I will definitely be going back there for future shoots. We had a fun evening. Here is a sneak peek!

lizzy & grace / photoshoot #2

2010-06-22T23:22:00.007-05:00

After loni's photoshoot I had a little extra time before heading home, so I called up some models I know for a little "sister session."

loni / senior

2010-06-22T22:53:00.006-05:00

Here are a few of my favorite shots from loni's photoshoot. We ended up taking them on her family farm in Pontiac. I was worried about the weather, but the rain held off and the day turned out great!

Charlie did great in front of the camera as well!

getting caught up

2010-06-08T21:45:00.011-05:00

Alright I'm wanting to get caught up on my "so-called" blog. There is a lot to share, so I'm giving you a picture recap of our past couple weeks.....your welcome :)

RHYS GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL!!

PROUD PARENTS

...I may, or may not have told him to do this next pose.....

sorry about catching his hand in front of his face, but I had to post the picture of him getting recognized for only missing two days out of his entire high school career......YAY rhys!!!

WHERE'S WALDO?

Grandma & Grandpa Meiner.......and william just had to get in there!

love birds

After giving Rhys all of the attention, we had to switch gears and celebrate Michael's GOLDEN/21st Birthday on the same night!!

wait for it...

wait for it......

GROSS!!!!!

he didn't like it?/?

I only had those pictures from supper, but I can give you a play by play of his night.

-Rhys' Graduation

-Monical's for supper and his FIRST taste of alcohol

-J and J's (bar)

-while there took way to many shots

-drank two beers at once

-Went to County Market and bought more beer (and bathroom break)

-Engine Room (bar)

-took a shot with the crazy bar owner

-threw empty Mt. Dew cans out the van window

-Played Wii at Kori's and drank more

-Passed out on the couch once we got home

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHAEL!!

ciulla / pregnancy

2010-05-29T22:40:00.005-05:00

My old boss, Angie, and her husband Markus are expecting their first child this summer. I'm so happy for the both of them. I've known Ang for 6 years now and she is truly a great friend. We were the only two that worked at Glik's from when it opened until it closed. She has taught me alot and I'm so lucky to know her. Here are some of the pictures I took of the beautiful mom-to-be...

I can't wait to meet the little one!

my lunch break surprise

2010-05-11T21:52:00.004-05:00

yes, that would be dish soap coming out of my dishwasher

at least he tried....

stir-fry and birthday candles

2010-04-21T18:31:00.007-05:00

My husband's birthday was April 16th and I just wanted to give him a little belated blog lovin' He turned the big 2-5. I think it's a cardinal rule in everyone's house that the birthday boy or girl gets to pick where to eat for supper....I knew Ryan would pick Flat Top Grill because he never gets to eat there because he has an extremely picky eater of a wife...I did have a good meal and promised we could go back there again sometime if he wanted to....yikes, ok emily don't get too crazy...

Deric and Sara also joined us.

I was there too, I promise...

I love my husband more than words can say. I can't wait to grow old with him and spend many more birthdays together!

Oh and is it just me or does my brother-in-law resemble anyone???

I Love You Ryan!!!

surprise

2010-04-12T21:52:00.006-05:00

And you thought you got rid of me....

I can't believe it's already April! This past weekend was my weekend off and it just so happened to be Springfest in Bloomington. So a bunch of my friends and I went downtown to the bars. We started at Pub II at noon. The weather was perfect and so our time at the Pub was spent outside. It was perfect for miss pasty over here.

After staying there for most the day we picked up some more friends and headed to Girl Friday's, where Ty and Blair were playing. It's a new salon in Bloomington. And guess who I ran into....Aunt Sheila! Small world (not really tho........we both live in Bloomington, know the unemployed architects, and probably heard about it on Facebook), but still it was fun seeing her! This was a great transition during the day.....we got to hear live music and have a couple free drinks before heading to the next bar.

What a great way to spend my day off.... SUN::FRIENDS::MUSIC::FUN

Rewind: Friday was Elizabeth's 12th Birthday! This is starting to become a cliche, but I have to say it...She's getting so old!!! She brought all of her friends down to ice skate in Bloomington. So Ryan and I met them at the rink so we could help her celebrate.

Fastforward: First I want to talk about DWTS, then give a little "emily 411" on my recorded shows.....

I'm SO excited that Dancing With The Stars is back! Once again I get to see creative/romantic dances, drool over beautiful gowns, and stare at Derek Hough.....life is good :)

Here's a quick recap of what I think about the stars:

Buzz Aldrin- Loved (only because he was old...danced well for his age I suppose?)

Pamela Anderson- Iffy (seems like she's drunk most the time, but this week I thought she did pretty well)

Erin Andrews- Iffy (loved last weeks performance with the blindfold, but she doesn't do much for me)

Shannen Doherty- Kinda glad she's gone

Kate Gosselin- I think she'll stay around, but needs LOTS of work....

Evan Lysacek- Growing on me....may be my fav!

Niecy Nash- She's doing way better than I expected....secretly cheering for her...

Chad Ochocinco- Loved him this week!

Jake Pavelka- Dislike....totally could do without...

Nicole Scherzinger- Just want her to stick around so I can watch her partner (which my husband told me tonight that he would win hands down if they were in a fight...sure honey..ok....)

Aiden Turner- CAN'T STAND

Project Runway: SO sad Anthony was booted, SO happy Anthony came back!, SO sad Anthony was booted again.......He totally made the show!

Amazing Race: This is a show that ever since Ryan and I have been together, we've shared a secret obsession to be contestants. There's no doubt we would argue, I would run slow, and Ryan would be doing all of the 'eating gross things' speed bumps.....but there's also no doubt we would bring home the W. This year I'm rooting for the Cowboy Brothers (especially Cord...the redhead) and the other Brothers (one's straight and one's gay). They are both in the final four...I will admit watching the couple win at the end gives you that jealous twitch, like when you were younger and the kid on the Bozo Show would win the trip to Disney after making the last bucket in BOZO's Grandprize Game. (sidenote: we would watch that show religiously every morning as a family when we were younger....and one morning the kid won and my brother Michael was juming up and down screaming WE'RE GOING TO DISNEYWORLD!!!)

:::Back to Reality:::

I'm going to try real hard to post at least once a week from now on....my New Year's Resolution hasn't been going well this year, but it's about to change!

One more thing before I leave. My old boss at Glik's, Angie, and her husband Mark are expecting their first child together! It's a boy and I believe she's due in June. Can't wait to see him...I'm sure he'll be a cutie :)

coming soon

2010-03-29T20:53:00.009-05:00

sorry my blogging has been lacking...I really wanted to be creative and do an on-my-mind post, however, that part of my brain isn't working tonight. I promise to update soon :)

another one

2010-03-16T21:31:00.004-05:00

so i've been out of the blog loop recently, but i have a good excuse! i love my photography website, but sometimes my edited pictures don't get displayed the best....so i was on the hunt for a new layout. it takes awhile to get used to a new editing program, so my time has been spent figuring out the new site. i like how this website looks and i think the contact page is neat because you can actually get ahold of me through the site, BUT i don't necessarily care for the url. also it takes a bit for the pictures to load because i'm sharing alot, but stick with it because once they're loaded it works great! please give me feedback...and if you know of any other free (key word) websites to try, i'm open for suggestions...

here are a few pictures from two weekends ago....we spent saturday in pontiac with our friends :)

(pictures thanks to kori)

website:
http://www.wix.com/esweitzer/emilysweitzerphotography

The Bachelor Finale

2010-03-03T11:10:00.003-06:00

The Bachelor ended Monday night and Jake chose Vienna. So my pick from the beginning was Tenly, but I'm torn on his decision. Of course I thought Tenly was beautiful and a very nice person, but I could see the chemistry between Jake and Vienna. Throughout the season there were episodes where I really liked Jake and then one's I couldn't stand him. But I loved the last episode and he seems like a sweet guy. Not sure about Ali being the next Bachelorette, but I'll probably watch!

New Moon

2010-03-03T10:39:00.004-06:00

Saturday evening my Aunt Debbie met my mom in Lexington to get my sisters for the night. They came to work to give me the low down on the night. They were going to get us a table at Joe's for supper and then we were headed to see New Moon (the 2nd Twilight movie). Ryan also joined us for the activities.

Before going into the movie we all clarified who we were rooting for:

JacobVSEdward

Elizabeth: Team Edward

Grace: Team Edward

Debbie: Team Jacob (booo)

Emily: Team Edward

Ryan: Didn't care

We all loved the movie. It was funny hearing all of the girls giggle when Jacob would take his shirt off. Especially the girls to the right of me *cough cough elizabeth & debbie cough* Ryan thought the shirts were off a little too much throughout the movie. We all had a great time and can't wait for the next movie to come out!

The girls stayed the night at our place, then Sunday the rest of the family came down to celebrate my birthday. It was nice to see everyone and spend time with my family. They came here first and I opened presents, then we ate supper at BWW. Sorry, I've been bad with my camera....no pictures :(

Good Times, Great Oldies

2010-02-23T09:22:00.005-06:00

Ok, I don't want to keep you wondering any longer.....

Exciting News at Work-

So it seems like we are constantly having little contests at work to win free jewelry (which is fine by me!). When I first started there was a three month department incentive going on. If we sold $1000 worth of Lois Hill jewelry each month, then one month we would win earrings, another a bracelet and the other a necklace. Of course the only one we won I couldn't use because my ears aren't pierced.....HOWEVER, they called the other day and they had extra necklaces and since we were so close that month they gave them to us! Yay!!!

Previously I had told you about me possibly winning a Michele Watch, well I won! I'm still waiting to get it tho. They said it would take 6-8 weeks and this is week 7. *Side note: I hate it when customers come into work and want to send a watch or piece of jewelry in for repair and I tell them they will get it back in 6-8 weeks and their mad....now I kinda understand* Pictures to come....

Our last contest was for a brand called Crislu. People purchase Crislu for weddings or buy the rings for replacement wedding rings while on vacation. It's a sterling/platinum base with CZ's. Our department exceeded the goal and we all won necklaces. Then Heidi from the Von Maur center called the other day to congratulate me for being the 2nd top seller in the company! I got to pick another free piece on top of the necklace......woo hoo!!

Wedding Album Update-

It took us forever to decide on pictures for our wedding album, as there were SO many good ones! We finally forced ourselves to decide and recently received it in the mail. It's perfect! The book is 11X15 and the pages are a little thicker than paper which makes the book very heavy. We also chose a champagne color for the cover. Here are a few pictures...

Craft Projects-

A long time ago for Christmas Ryan had given me a jewelry box from K-mart, I believe, that has basically sat in the box since. Now that I'm going to be getting more jewelry I think it would be better if I stored it in something other than laying it across the dresser. It was a lovely oak (gag!), so I asked Ryan if he could paint the whole thing black and then stencil this

pattern somewhere on it. I'm so glad he helped do this. He had all the doors and glass panes out, and it was painted black before I knew it. He spent alot of time trying to get the stencil right, but it's a very complex pattern and his cutout just didn't work great. So I drew the pattern on free hand. I think together we did a great job!

(name that movie)

Photography-

So my photography business has been a little slower because of the weather, but hopefully soon it will pick up a bit. I did take pictures a week ago of a girl I work with's daughter, Bella. Last night I posted new pictures to my website. Be sure to check them out! Here are a few of my favorites.

New Hobby-
I have become a pool shark. Playing pool was just something fun to do, but recently I've been more into the strategy behind each hit and trying to improve my game. My brother in law Tyler plays the open mic night at Coconut Louie's on Monday nights and their pool tables are free all night. So we kill two birds with one stone! Also, we spent Valentine's day at Ride the Nine, which is a pool hall with around 13 tables. They have regulation tables there, which are bigger. I personally like the smaller tables because I can control my moves better, but it's still fun!

So there's my current life in a nut shell. Back to work....ugh

Pinky Promise

2010-02-19T19:31:00.004-06:00

Sorry, sorry, sorry....I've been MIA recently. I had a photoshoot on Monday and every minute of my spare time has been put towards editting the pictures. Also, today I completed day 4 of 6 days straight of work. This coming Monday will be a much needed day off and I can sleep in and blog away! See you then :)

Things to look forward to:
- Exciting news at work
- Wedding Album Update
- Craft projects
- Photography
- New Hobby

tua

2010-02-10T21:54:00.002-06:00

check out my brother-in-law ty and the unemployed architects!

Matchless
www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9fIkspVcSA

*correction to my last post...Ryan got mad and said he was the winner in bowling...my bad! Way To Go Hunny!!*

quick recap

2010-02-10T19:50:00.006-06:00

Sorry to blog and run...We've been up to a lot recently.

This past weekend was another Scrapbooking weekend with Theresa at Hawthorne Inn & Suites. We cropped from Friday night to Sunday afternoon. I worked on Engagement pictures the entire weekend, got 32 pages done, and I still have a stack of pictures left to do. We took a lot that day!!

Last week Ryan, Michael, Kearstyn and I went to Schooners for supper followed by a little bowling...(used a coupon for a free game, thanks to an e-mail from my Aunt Sheila!) I believe Michael won, Ryan got second, followed by us girls....go figure! It was a fun date night (sorry no pictures, forgot the camera).

The weekend before last we went home to see the family. I had Sunday off so we headed to Pontiac Saturday night. It felt like we hadn't been home in forever! The girls and I decided we would do a photoshoot on Sunday. So after church, we did hair and make-up, and had William drive us around town. Here are some of my favorites from the day (I will be posting them all on my website). They are so photogenic...we had a blast!

So Valentine's Day is coming up, which also happens to be our Anniversary (not wedding, but when Ryan asked me to be his girlfriend....6 years ago) It seems like yesterday we were going to the Sweetheart dance and I was so nervous....haha....funny how things change and how comfortable you become with each other after time. I miss that new/head-over-heels feeling. Don't get me wrong I love Ryan with all my heart, but there's just something about puppy love :) I have Sunday off work and can't wait to spend the day with Ryan.....I keep asking him if he's planned something big, which he replies with 'I better think of something fast'.....Stay tuned for a post-valentine/anniversary post (I'm kinda happy our dating anniversary is on Valentine's Day because then we can secretly still celebrate that date without people thinking were crazy....)

??????

2010-01-27T19:13:00.018-06:00

I'm trying to be a better blogger this year, but there really isn't anything new with us. I'm still busy working and Ryan's back to school. A couple weekends ago I went with my friend Brandy and helped take pictures at a wedding in Galena. It was neat to be behind the scenes at someone else's wedding and sorta be VIP.....I love taking pictures and this showed me another avenue of photography. Although I had fun, I think I'm going to stick to portrait photography. Shooting a wedding is a big commitment and can be stressful. I'm needing new clients, but it's kinda hard with the weather.....I can't wait for spring!!

Oh..and I'm on the hunt for a vintage/unique/character filled chair. Not too big, not too small.......Something I can use for a senior girl to sit on in her favorite prom dress or a 4 year old boy to fall asleep in......hmmm...I know it's out there!

So, I don't want this post to be boring, but just wanted to share a few things that I have on my mind at the moment....(hopefully this doesn't get too scary....)

R and I just got done watching American Idol and I don't mean this in a bad way, but I'm starting to think Joe Jonas and my cousin Zach have a slight resemblance to one another.....

*picture compliments of FromAtoZ

When we were doing their family photoshoot, Ash brought to my attention that he sorta looks like Ross Gellar (aka David Schwimmer) from F.R.I.E.N.D.S.....which he wasn't too happy about, but I can see that too!

What a famous face!

Speaking of famous...I've tried multiple times to combine my name with Ryan's to make our "celebrity couples nickname"....You know something like Bennifer, TomKat, and Brangelina...but our names just don't combine well, as we have no common letters or sounds :( .....However speaking of Zach....Zashley works perfect for those two! I can see it now......

*Magazine revamp thanks to ryan d. sweitzer

I guess I have them on my brain....I must miss them!!!!

While trying to upload the US Magazine Cover I accidentally added Ryan's homework that was due this week...so instead of deleting it, I'm sharing it.

He spent alot of time on this Literacy Trading Card.....(and if your wondering why there's a ship in the bottom corner....well you see, my husband tends to find the tiniest things to compare to each other....like if a song mentions the word bride or aisle....it HAS to be played at our reception....so under his literacy statement there is the word "explore", hence the ship that explores....ahhh..you get it now!!)

-----

rAnDoM: I think the word "lisp" should be an onomatopoeia....I can't say the word without sounding like I have one. UGh...there, I said it! just needed to get that off my chest.

I'm Engaged.....Again

2010-01-19T20:30:00.003-06:00

In order to keep my warranty on my wedding ring, I have to get it checked every January and July. Tonight after work I decided to stop by the mall so I wouldn't forget to check it this month. And of course, I had a loose stone :(

R knows I HATE to not have my ring. So as we were leaving the mall and I was being grumpy he said we could go buy a fake one that I could wear until mine comes back. So off to Icing we went. You would have thought I was choosing the one I'd live with forever........come on emily it's two weeks!

After having the girl cut three different rings off their cards, an impatient/hungry husband nagging me, and a red finger, I found "the one."

Even tho it's nice having a filler wedding ring, I can't wait to get mine back......This is going to be a long 2 weeks.......

Guess Who I am?

2010-01-19T20:28:00.002-06:00

My first Mii Challenge......Do you know who I've created?

Paige DeChausse

2010-01-11T11:51:00.005-06:00

I met Paige through our friend Brandy. She's from Morris and has an amazing voice. She sings with the Chicago Blues Angels. This past fall she tried out for American Idol and made it to Hollywood! Saturday night was her last performance before heading to Hollywood for more auditions. So Brandy, Kori, Cass, Craig, Ryan and I headed to Morris to hear her sing.

The show starts tomorrow, but the Chicago auditions aren't until next week (the 19th). Can't wait to watch her make it!

click to watch her www.youtube.com/watch?v=8530jCMWDZk

DVR Overload

2010-01-11T11:10:00.005-06:00

I love DVR! I've never had the option of recording tv before, so now I record every little thing.

Series recorded in 2010 so far......

#1 The Bachelor

#2 Project Runway

#3 American Idol.....excited for this season because I know someone who made it to Hollywood!

#4 Community

#5 Parks and Recreation

#6 30 Rock

#7 Grey's Anatomy

#8 The Office

Ow-wii

2010-01-05T21:54:00.003-06:00

R & I got a Wii from my parents for Christmas and all I can say is my arm is KILLING me! I've never played it before until now and I must say, it's pretty addicting! I've had the past two days off work and I feel like the entire time was spent creating Mii's, playing Best of 5 Tennis and trying to beat records.

Tonight we finally bought the new Mario game. Craig came down and they are playing it as we speak. I'm pretty sure I just heard them praise themselves on being the best rope climbers.

I thought it would be fun to create Wii characters (aka...Mii's) and post pictures every once in awhile and see if you can figure out who I've created.....it may just be YOU! Stay tuned....

New Years

2010-01-05T20:24:00.007-06:00

This Christmas I got R his own bowling ball and a vintage bowling bag (compliments of my aunt Debbie) and my parents bought him bowling shoes. So on New Years Eve we took my sisters and William bowling in Pontiac.

GB: G-Baby
L: Lizzy
EP: Emmy Poo
WD: White Dot
D: Dublett

William (dublett) won......and if you look closely, I got second!!

That night we took the girls to Tyler's Show at the new coffee shop in Downtown Pontiac. His band is The Unemployed Architects....(not to be confused with The Unemployed Architectures....which is what my mom thinks their name is)

Blair (playing guitar with a bow)

Tyler

Their performance was great as usual. We watched them for about an hour and a half before heading back to my parents house to enjoy the fireworks show.

Big D
Kevin
We had such a great time bowling, that we talked the rest of the family in going the next day. Dad and mom included, plus Williams friend Alex. And the family found out that Rhys is secretly a pro bowler.

Ryan and I wish nothing but the best for everyone this coming year!!

Happy New Year!

Chicago Trip #2

2010-01-04T12:55:00.004-06:00

So last winter, William and I went to Chicago for the day and the girls were upset that they couldn't go. So I promised them I would take them this year. We couldn't find a day before Christmas to go, but we were all free last Tuesday.

We drove to Westmont and hopped on the train from there. While walking up to the train station we were pretty sure our aunt Katie was behind us. Sure enough while waiting for the train she spotted us! It was fun riding with a more experienced train goer. She took pictures for us, helped us with directions and suggested a really great place for lunch!! Totally recommend Grand Lux Cafe........amazing

The weather was nice, but we were still bundled up as you can see.

It was fun having the day off and spending it with my sisters....We really didn't have an agenda. Walk and Shop 'til we drop.

Purchases:

Elizabeth - Justice Sweatshirt and hairthing

Grace - Justice hairthing and XXI necklace

Emily - XXI purse

Free Stuff

2009-12-27T22:26:00.004-06:00

Everyday I'm closer and closer to adding this little gem to my jewelry collection.

Michelle watches are the highest priced watches we sell at work. The face and bands are sold separately. The ones with diamonds around the face are real diamonds and can range from $995-$1495 for the face alone!

Occasionally in our department we have sales incentives. If the department sells $6,000 in Michelle watches and I personally sell $2000 I get a free non-diamond watch. If I would sell over $5000 I get one with diamonds!!! I have already met my $2000 goal.....and I know our department goal is extremely close if not over $6000......fingers crossed :)

Oh yes!

2009-12-22T23:16:00.004-06:00

6 months ago I was laying on a beach in Jamaica! *sigh*

I want to go back!!

New Years Resolution

2009-12-22T22:15:00.007-06:00

Hi, my name's emily. (hi emily)

I've been a bad blogger this year.

I promise to be better!!!

-----------------

Update time...

With all the holiday hoopla and working retail, my days off are limited. So luckily on my only two weekend days off (6th and 20th), I was able to attend the 2nd Annual Motor-Nursing Home Christmas Caroling and Meiner Family Christmas.

For those who are unaware of the Annual Christmas Caroling, my grandpa drives us around in his motorhome to local nursing homes and we spread holiday cheer for all to hear! Vocal warming (drinking and practicing) begins around 2 p.m. so we are getting to the nursing homes at prime time before they're off to bed. We dress in our christmas gear, sing carols, and pass out Christmas cards. In all honesty, it's great to see the smiles and brighten their day. Here are some pictures I got this year.

Kori, Grace, Elizabeth, Me, William

Jamie, Kim, Kris, Pat

Santa & Rudolph......aka Elizabeth and dad

Aunt Debbie & Aunt Pam

Rhys & Michael with the Girls

Next stop.....

This past Sunday was the Meiner Christmas in Pontiac. We headed to my grandparents around noon and had a great afternoon/evening. My grandpa & grandma started up their very own blog so when they travel we are all updated along the way. Usually they send out email after email and thought sharing it on a blog may be easier and maybe even a little more fun! So in your spare time you should check out doc n d info to see what those two crazy cats are up to!

Here are just a few photos from Sunday.

Ryan opening his Sox shirt!

Ashley had my dad and made him a shirt with our dog Paul Bunyan on it. Who dad calls his favorite kid. He loved it! I think the first words out of his mouth were, I can't wait to show him....(meaning show paul the shirt...haha)Me and my favorite gift! Zach had my name again this year and on my list was a cloth bag to store sacks in....and his wife Ashley (my crafty cousin again) made me one! amazing....

Yesterday about noon I started to feel a little sick and by the time I got off work at 5 I was blowing my nose constantly, coughing and had a huge headache! So I spent the evening laying around...and kinda/sorta passed it on to my husband....lets just say neither of us slept very well last night. Today seemed worse and I had to work 12-9 :(....I was couting down the hours until I got off....and of course, just my luck one of our registers needed re-booted (contemplating whether that looks right or not), then wasn't working and so I left work at 9:55.....UGH!! Think it's time for bed.....

Lots & Lots to Report

2009-12-01T21:41:00.006-06:00

I've been a little MIA with my posts. So here goes everything.....

First off, R and I made name frames for our relatives a couple years ago, which were a hit. Since then we have made some for wedding gifts, had a couple orders from friends, and made one for our escort card table at our wedding. This year, our business is booming! We have already made 8 and are in the process of making 7 more. Just wanted to share some pictures of the ones we've made so far.

This year, just like every year, we were to attend 4 Thanksgivings. And we only got to 2 (well 2 1/2). We ate lunch with my mom's side at my Grandma's house, supper at my mother-in-laws, and stopped by R's grandparents to say hi. It's so nice to see family, but so hard to get to each place. This year we are celebrating the Meiner Christmas on the 20th, so we will be able to make it up to them the whole day! :) Here are a few pictures from the Reeter Thanksgiving. My aunt Maria has a Great Dane named Ellie. Notice how hu-mungo she is!!

Please excuse the butt shot.......just wanted you to compare her to the chair!

Christmas is my favorite holiday and this is our first Christmas as a married couple. I was so excited to put up OUR Christmas tree. Judy had given us a tree from Greg's parents. We brought it home the day after Thanksgiving and that night went to Wal-mart to buy the essential decorations......tree skirt, ball ornaments, lights, star, the works....and Ryan wasn't complaining! So we got in the car (by this time it was around 11 p.m.) and he said do you want to put up the tree tonight?/? WHAT! Of Course I do!!!!!! R put on Christmas music that I had been begging him to download and we were ready to decorate. We started by organizing the branches. First came the 10 long brown, then 10 green, 8 blue...so on and so on.....finally the box was empty, branches were all over my living room, and NO CENTER POLE!!! Nooooooo..... We had to end the night with no tree. The next day we told Judy and she looked for it and had no luck. She gave us her old tree because she knows how important it is to have a Christmas tree :)

Christmas Tree Set-Up Day #2:

So Sunday I worked 1-6 and couldn't wait to get home so we could try again. We had no direction as to where the branches went on the pole, so it was a guessing game.

After all levels were up (minus a couple branches in the back of the tree), we stood back and I felt like the tree was being hugged in the middle....So we flip-flopped two levels, but that made it worse! So back to original places they went. Also, I thought I had run out of lights at the end and stretched the last strand, but then found another package that someone had put on the other side of the room (not mentioning names.....ryan) Ugh..after fixing that we were ready to begin the ribbon and ornaments. That part went pretty smooth compared to everything else.

R put the star on the top & ladies and gentlemen, I give you our tree...........

My clean/festive/cozy livingroom :)

This tree, like real trees, left needles all over the floor. While vacuuming, we ended the night with one more unexpected road block....I blew a fuse. Of course!

Next on my list of things to share with the world......my dreams last night.

#1: I was pregnant! I believe the dream started out in my grandparents cabin in MN (which of course doesn't look like their cabin at all, but it is!) and I wasn't feeling well. Then R and I were at a hospital where my dad was the guy who passed out the prego tests. Not to be too graphic, but I was to pee in a shot glass looking thing and if it turned purple that was a positive test...Not sure what that dream was saying, but I can assure you we aren't having a baby.

#2: So a couple posts ago, I had let out a secret of mine about having crushes on a couple professional dancers. Well dream #2 included them both and I was dancing with Mark....*sigh*....and that's all I've been talking about today. Mark this and Mark that...ahhah...I Love You Ryan!! (oh yes and that's something I really, really, really want for Christmas, Ballroom Dance Lessons for R & I!!!!!)

----Back when I wrote that post, R told me I couldn't have crushes on other guys. And I told him as long as they were famous people and we didn't stand a chance. He continued to say well then I have a crush on Natalie Portman. So, I'm making it public.....Ryan likes Natalie-----

Lastly, here are some pictures of R's car....RIP

I'm so glad he was alright.....

Happy Birthday Ash & Zach

2009-11-19T10:01:00.002-06:00

Ok, so I forgot to post this yesterday, but just wanted to say Happy Birthday to my cousin Ashley and cousin-in-law (I guess you could call him that) Zach!!!!

Hi Nice Home

2009-11-12T19:14:00.003-06:00

So the other night my Grandma told me that everytime she would enter her house she would say, "Hi Nice Home." Today I had the day off work and boy was it nice to lounge around & be home. Thought I would share some pictures of our livingroom, since I really haven't shared many pictures of our apartment (plus..it's clean right now).

*new curtains*

Just a few things...

2009-10-31T21:52:00.007-05:00

1. My Grandma Reeter ordered curtains for our livingroom and we hung them this morning....I'm soooo pleased with them. Nothing fancy, but they make the apartment feel more "homey".....(pictures coming soon!)

2. It's seems like every year, when the deadline comes for turning in my Christmas list, I have nothing to ask for. This year however, my list seems to go on and on....Nothing extravagant, just those everyday things. There is one item I need help with what it's called....We really need one of those fabric tube/bag things that holds walmart sacks (or any sack for that matter)....Any suggestions as to what they are called?/?

3. I have to get this off my chest.......I have a crush on 2 of the professional dancers from DWTS. Derek Hough *sigh* and Mark Ballas.......And as I was making this post, I looked up some fun facts about them and get this.....Derek's sister Julianne Hough is also a dancer and has been on DWTS.....AND Derek and Mark I guess are good friends and formed a band in 2005 called Almost Amy, which I will be checking out....(This is my first year as an avid DWTS fan, so if you already knew about this past bullet point....please disregard).

Derek

Mark

As we watch the episodes (yes, R watches occasionally), I think I say I want our son to be a dancer like Mark or Derek about 3-4 times. I just l.o.v.e watching those guys dance, but I don't think R is too keen on the idea yet.

4. I'm really looking forward to next weekend. My aunt Theresa and I have our overnight scrapbooking weekend. We will be staying in a hotel from Fri-Sun....scrapbooking the whole time in the hotel ballroom, along with 42 other croppers....Hopefully that will help me get through the week :)

5. So, tonight at work for every new account we opened, we would receive $1 + a piece of candy (and the candy may also award you more money....if you choose the right one). Since I began working at Von Maur, about a month ago, I have yet to open an account and guess what....today I DID!!! Woo Hoo, I won a dollar I won a dollar....but of course, the candy I pulled out did NOT have additional money attached..... :(

Also tonight at work, a guy about my age, bought a Coach watch for his girlfriend for her birthday. Price tag: $500. As I was making small talk while ringing him up, I asked when her birthday was. He followed by saying, "It's actually tonight. I bought her a coach handbag a couple days ago, but she didn't have anything to open today. So I'm getting her this watch." AHHH....a Coach purse AND watch......can we say "keeper!" He said she was out with her friends and he was going to give her the watch later tonight.....what a sweet guy!

6. And finally, most of you may have heard...Ryan was in a car accident this past week and totalled his car. He's fine, but that made us short a vehicle which is really a nuisance when we each have our own separate places to be at the same time. So last night after work we test drove a vehicle in El Paso before heading to Pontiac to get my parents old van. I don't think we are going to buy the car. We will be using my red car and the green van until something else comes along. Fingers crossed!

Happy Halloween

"I'm not a ghost, I'm a marshmallow" -Dewey, Malcolm in the Middle

Family. Friends. Fotography.

2009-10-22T17:28:00.009-05:00

So we have been super busy the past couple weeks. I started my new job at Von Maur and love it so far (minus the pantyhose...which after my first week of training alone, I had already gone through 2 pairs...grrr). On the plus side, the ladies I work with are great and have taught me a lot. I have a long list of 'wants', so if you need ideas for me for Christmas, just let me know :)

I've also started my own photography business. Which is SO much fun!! I have a couple sessions booked for the near future, but would love to have more. Anyone can view my website at http://www.emilysweitzerphotography.weebly.com/

R and I went home 2 weekends ago for Pontiac's Homecoming. Friday night we went to the football game with a bunch of friends. Followed by a little hometown bar scene.

Saturday morning we met my family at St. Mary's to watch the infamous 6th Grade Girls Basketball Team. If you haven't seen a game yet, you should! And I recommend sitting close enough to hear the coaches. It was fun to watch my parents coach Elizabeth. She is a tough player and I wouldn't mess with her on the court. I forgot my camera, so no pictures....sorry....

Rhys and William had the homecoming dance that night, so we went to see them with their dates. The theme this year was Wild, Wild, West...hence the cowboy outfits. Also, Rhys was on Senior Court. He didn't win King, but I know if I were still in High School I totally would have voted for him.

That night 13 friends + R and myself, rented a limo. Which took us to a bar in Chenoa and a couple in Pontiac. Why you ask? I have no clue, but it was a GREAT time!

Sunday I had a photoshoot with the Harms. Sarah, Brent, and Addison. I was in the same class as Sarah's brother Robert. So I've known her for a little while. Both Brent and Sarah are teachers and I loved watching them teach Addison things throughout the day. We would try to keep her entertained as we drove from spot to spot. We brought along a pumpkin, which Sarah taught her was 'round', 'small', 'orange'.....she would repeat the word over and over to us until we gave her another word. So cute and smart! It was a fun day and I will be taking more pictures of them and their extended family the first week of November. Can't wait!!

Then that night my mom cooked a family supper, which she wants to do every month.....we'll see if that happens. The supper table included Mom, Dad, Ryan, me, Michael, Kearstyn, Rhys, William, Elizabeth, Grace, and Pat Martin.....ahhah....He's family! It was such a fun-filled weekend. Since then it's been work, work, work.....

On a side note:

We saw a commercial the other day for a resort in Jamaica, which made me think back to our Honeymoon and the WONDERFUL time we had. Saying I wished I was there is truly an understatement.......ahhhh...what I would give to be sitting pool side with a strawberry daiquiri..........someday...

Also, I've been obsessing over Christmas. It is my all time favorite holiday and it will be here before you know it. I love the magic and cheer it brings. Hopefully R will let me start decorating soon. I'll leave you with a lovely picture of us from Christmas '05.

FYI

2009-10-13T00:03:00.001-05:00

My photography website has changed.....check it out!

New photos coming soon :)

Apologies

2009-09-29T21:51:00.005-05:00

Sorry about the last birthday post...I'm still trying to get used to this different blog template. I 'cross-my heart and hope-to-die' that the post looked good on my end of things.....

Oh...and just wanted to let everyone know I got a new job! Starting Monday you can find me behind the jewelry counter at Von Maur. I know it's not taping ankles or stretching tight hamstrings, but it will pay the bills!

* * *

Ryan (while re-arranging our cupboards): "Hey Emily, where did all of our Looney Tunes glasses go?"

Me: "They should be up there. How many do you see?"

Ryan: "Only Four!"

Me: "Only Four???? I think that's 4-TOO many."

I'm blessed to have these beautiful glasses in my cupboard (gag). Be Jealous....

One more time....

2009-09-29T21:17:00.005-05:00

Happy Belated Birthday Judy! My mother-in-law's birthday was this past Sunday and I forgot to send her wishes......

My Birthday September 20

2009-09-21T22:06:00.002-05:00

My youngest brother turned 15 yesterday! Yes, 15 I can't believe it! There is a home video floating around somewhere of the Meiner cousins when we were younger and spending time at Ashley & Drew's house. I'm sure Ash and I were behind it all. We had written a play, which was acted out by Drew, Michael, Rhys, and Ashley, and I camera'd it...hahah....then the second half of the video was a talent show. I think Rhys touched his foot to his nose while standing and Ash did the same thing, but laying on her stomach and bringing her foot from behind, Evan sang 'Old McDonald', and Michael could cross his eyes.....but William was so young and the only thing he knew was his birthday.....hence the title :)

Happy Birthday William!!

Happy Birthday Mom!

2009-09-18T13:14:00.010-05:00

On September 18th, 1962, my uncle Dave's birthday was changed forever. My mom was born and from then on he would have to share his birthday with his little sister. I'm sure he was thrilled......

(Happy B-day Dave!!)

I was talking to someone the other day about my wedding and how much my mom helped with the planning. We don't always have the same taste in things, but I was actually surprised at how much of the details we agreed upon. She definitely knows her oldest daughter pretty well and when I don't like something...she knows.....

My mom has 6 kids and by saying she's constantly busy is an 'understatement.' With this many children, my mom is always running us around town. Football practice, student council, birthday parties, you name it.....and she never complains. This year she's taken on the coaching position for Elizabeth's 6th grade basketball team, as if she's not busy enough. Her and my dad will be coaching together. I will post a schedule as soon as I know the dates. This will be fun to watch :)

This past month, all I heard my mom talk about was Kenny Chesney coming to Bloomington and she wants/HAS to go to the concert. And on Labor Day my sisters told me dad secretly got her tickets. Since then I really didn't hear much about the present, so today when I was wishing my mom happy birthday, I asked when the family gave her the big news. She said Wednesday night she went upstairs to get bath water started and caught a glimpse of a piece-of-paper on the toilet. Being in our house...she just thought it was a "DO NOT USE TOILET" or "TOILET WON'T FLUSH" sign....as those are displayed often. When she actually looked at it, I think the paper said Happy Birthday and the tickets were attached to the sign. The girls were waiting outside the door and when mom screamed in excitement, they were in there in a flash. Mom said the concert was great and she had a fantastic time :)

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

We love you

2009-09-14T19:11:00.007-05:00

Sorry about this poor quality movie....I'm trying out the "movie" option on my software....So the pictures get a little cut off on the side...and you may have to squint...but they are good pics I promise!! I'll put them up on my Photography website.....enjoy!!

New

2009-09-11T12:44:00.002-05:00

I've posted new pictures on my other website.

Emily Sweitzer Photography
(there's a slideshow option once you open the folder)

Guess what today is?/

2009-09-07T23:38:00.006-05:00

Clue #1: Yesterday Ryan and I drove up to Pontiac.....

Clue #2: Cards were signed/hiddenly passed around....

Clue #3: Something exciting happened 50 years ago.....

(do you know what it is yet??)

Clue #4: A cake was involved.....

Clue #5: A traditional song was sung.....

Clue #6: The best father in the world was surprised....

TODAY my dad turns 50!!!

Yesterday we celebrated my dad's birthday with a cookout at the Martin's. My dad didn't want anything special so we spent a relaxing evening pool side with friends. It turned out to be a beautiful afternoon.

My dad is truly the best dad in the world.....but I guess I'm a little bias. He loves his family unconditionally and has done so much for my husband and I. He knows how to have a good time and I don't know how many times I've heard my friends say how awesome my dad is. (That says alot for you dad.....us YOUNG people think you're kinda cool)

Hope you have a wonderful day! We love you!!

New Path

2009-09-04T12:00:00.003-05:00

So last Saturday we had our friends Daniel and Brandy over. It was nice to have some company at the apartment. The boys listened and talked about music while Brandy and I talked photography. She's a professional photographer and was teaching me how to use our new camera. I also showed her the photo shoot I did of The Williams in MN and she thought I did a great job. So she asked me if I would like to go with her on Sunday to the 3 shoots she had.....Of course I said YES!!

Our first shoot was at Humiston Woods in Pontiac. This was a Trash-the-Dress shoot. This means the bride and groom have already gotten married, but get back into their dress/dress clothes and have a photo shoot without worrying about getting dirty.

Our second shoot was a 3-year old girl. We met her & her mom downtown Morris, took some pictures there and then headed to the park. She was adorable and loved being in front of the camera. Her mom is the cheerleading coach for Morris High School....So I'm sure she gets alot of attention!

And our last session was a Senior photo shoot. She was from Morris also. Her dad was a firefighter so we were able to get some shots in front of the fire trucks....She was very photogenic!

I'm so glad Brandy asked me to come along with her. I posted my pictures on Facebook and received alot of positive feedback. I've also booked my own photo shoot on Sept. 13th and Brandy has asked me to help her with a wedding in January. This link will take you to all of the sessions + pictures I've edited from other photo shoots.

http://picasaweb.google.com/eesweitzer

Enjoy!

i confess

2009-08-28T16:52:00.007-05:00

I love: photography websites....I could waste day after day looking through others wedding photos

I love: drinking ice cold Mt. Dew in the middle of the night

I love: wearing heels on a regular day for no reason

I love: crystal chandelier's and anticipate the day I will own one

I love: this song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv07iSfrSrc

I love: Ryan Douglas Sweitzer

I love: black finger nail polish

I love: love stories

I love: reminiscing about the past

I love: decorating for Christmas, but not really any other holiday

I love: being a wife

I love: large purses that can hold way more things than I would need

I love: storms

I love: 1/2 price margarita's

I love: bacon cheeseburger pizza's with lots of ranch :)

I love: taking pictures

I love: hollywood fashion

I love: my family

I love: zesty dill pickles

I love: sunglasses that take over my face

I love: finding a pair of jeans that fit good!

I love: using coupons

I love: getting asked out on dates (by my husband of course!)

I love: sleeping in

I love: acoustic music

I love: jewelry

I love: listening to R tell me stories about when he was a little boy

I love: love, love this video.....everytime I watch it, I laugh even harder.....I think little redheaded boys are a-d-o-r-able .....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqBTMNRktBk&feature=related

Live. Laugh. Love. Lake

2009-08-27T16:24:00.017-05:00

Live.

Because of all the hoop-la going on....I never got to post a countdown until the greatest place on earth....but have no worries, we made it Minnesota this summer. This year I was no longer a Meiner....there were 2 Sweitzers at the lake :) (here goes another photo novel....)

It wouldn't be a MN vacation without a Baggo Tournament!!
Brotherly love

Laugh.

Here fishy....fishy.....fishy

Apparently it was cold this day.....

Love.

Lake.

Michael

Lizzy Jean, the skiing machine :)

Ryan

Kearstyn

Me
Tubin'
If you look closely, you can see Michael going head first into the lake.

Dad kept taking the boys through the weeds....(which the boys wanted)....but I think R got the worst of it.....this picture shows the weeds in his mouth, but what you don't see are the welts on his side because he insisted upon wearing that 1980's life-jacket all week....

Jet Ski football...looks pretty safe.....
Until next year.........

Seeing Fireworks

2009-08-16T16:07:00.009-05:00

My cousin Kristi was married 2 weeks after we were and so this was our first wedding we attended as husband and wife. Her wedding, like her sisters, was downtown Chicago. Although, Kristi's took place on a rooftop...yes, you heard me correctly. The backdrop for their wedding vows was the Chicago Skyline.

We got ready in the hotel before taking the trolley to Little Italy for the Ceremony.
Aunt Sheila, Aunt Debbie, & Mom

Ashley and her date for the night.....her brother :)
Chi-town

Here Comes the Bride......

Pam giving a reading, along with the Bridesmaids/Sisters of the Bride...Amy & Tricia

Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Cagney!!

Appetizers: Mini Hot dogs

Model: Ashley Williams

When we all attended Tricia's wedding, Aaron & Drew (cousins) were sitting next to each other and when I asked for a picture this is what I got.....

So we had to capture the moment again at this wedding....
They looked like they enjoyed this one a little more :)

And to end the night, Chicago does their 4th of July Fireworks the night before....how perfect!

jamaica me CRAZY

2009-08-12T20:12:00.016-05:00

We took a wonderful Honeymoon to Ocho Rios, Jamaica just hours after our reception. This was Ryan's first airplane ride (well, I guess he had been on one before, but too young to even remember), so the ride to Jamaica was a new experience in itself. Our Flight left at 6:30a.m. on June 21st, so it would have been a waste to get a hotel room to check in and then an hour later check out. So we hired Dewey Sullivan to drive us to O'hare airport. Grandma and Grandpa let us borrow their car. So at 12:30 a.m. I drove my husband and I away from our wedding reception to meet Dewey (full Bride attire and all). He picked us up around 1:30a.m. and off to Chicago we went.

Ashley, Elizabeth, and Grace decorated the getaway vehicle because there was no hotel room to decorate......I loved it! (and no....R didn't wear his tux to the airport, this was pre outfit change)

We were both very tired after a full day of, oh I don't know, Getting Married! So the ride to the airport was really boring for Dewey because we both slept. It was really exciting when he let us out and we were on our own to travel to a different country. But I was proud of us for finding all the right terminals and getting on the right plane, considering every time we travel, we get lost and the trip turns from fun to a fight. Not this time........Jamaica here we come!!!

(tired husband + groom shirt + airplane = HONEYMOON!!!)

We were headed to Montego Bay, Jamaica, where from there we would take a bus ride to Ocho Rios. My parents have been to this same place and gave us the 'insight' for what to expect. Somehow we got lucky and didn't have to ride a 1 hour and 45 min. bus ride to the resort, we rode in an air conditioned car and made it in about 35 min. Lucky ducks...I know....

Foreground: Ryan in the car Background: Others on the bus

It's funny to see a guy getting used to his wedding band. I constantly caught him twirling it around his finger like this. Some pictures I took on purpose and others as you will see I caught by chance. Ring Twirl #1

When we took the turn into the entrance of the RIU I couldn't believe we were FINALLY on our honeymoon....eeek!

Then that excitement took a turn when we had to wait almost 3 hours until our room was ready. We didn't want to make our first day go to waste, so we put on our suits and headed to the beach for a little while before calling it quits for the night. It was so peaceful and relaxing floating in the ocean with my husband.......(ahh...I want to go back!!)

View from our room.......B-E-A-utiful

We were there for 7 days all inclusive, which is the way to go! Free food and drinks the entire time. It was nice not worrying about money. Although, we did spend a good chunk on excursions to Dunn's River Falls, Luminous Lagoon, and of course shopping!!! But it was SO worth it!

Me getting ready to climb the 600 ft. waterfall....Dunn's River Falls

Heading downtown for some shopping......

Ocho Rios and Herman, who personally serenaded us (with one leg).

The next pictures are from the Luminous Lagoon. My parents went on and on about this place when they came back from Jamaica, so we knew we had to see it. The water glows after being disturbed....highly recommend going there!!!!!

While we were waiting for the shuttle we became a hero to this little guy. We saved him as he ventured through the lobby in hopes of making it to the beach. R gave it to some little boys and told them to take it to the shore. They couldn't believe it was real!!

#3......as we wait for the sun to go down.....

People swimming....can you see the glow?

I was sitting back by the motor....amazing!!

We also were down there when the King of Pop died. It was so weird, we watched his show Tuesday night and found out Thursday night he had passed away. And the guy that impersonates Michael was the same guy who instructed my beach aerobics that morning! Weird....

(I'm under the left side of the umbrella, with the aqua butt......Michael is in red trunks)

If you look close the bartenders are wearing our white wedding bracelets.....They loved them :)

We had such a great time and couldn't have asked for a better Honeymoon. We truly felt like we were in Paradise! We would both go back in a heartbeat :)

What a stud....ha

Pictures on the beach....#4

Our first photo shoot on the beach.....

Every time I look at this picture it makes me laugh....I took so many pictures of R on the beach and didn't even realize that he had pizza sauce on his chin! ahahha.....i love him.

We played bingo about every night and never had any luck....UNTIL the last night when R broke our losing streak.....Prize: Bottle of Rum

Our second beach photo shoot:

Here are some detail pictures of the Resort......

Jerk Hut on the beach.....Mmm.....

Every morning at breakfast there was a watermelon carved in the shape of something tropical....

R woke up one morning to capture the sunrise and took numerous beautiful pictures.....

The Resort had two pools, each with a swim-up bar.

haha......I love how awkward this picture is to me. He reminds me of a little boy learning how to float on his back...trying to keep his head out of the water.....I'm so glad my husband makes me smile :)

One side of the resort had an infinity pool.

On our way back to our room one evening we stumbled upon ring toss in the lobby for more Rum.....of course we took part!

Yay!!! I won something too!!!

Time to head home.....

Peace. One Love.

Our Wedding

2009-08-10T11:18:00.022-05:00

We are so lucky to have such amazing family and friends who helped make our wedding day absolutely perfect! Our photographer Cassie Schott and her second shooter Jake were with us all day and took over 1400 incredible pictures. So obviously I can't post them all, but I would like to share some of our favorites....

My Matron of Honor/Cousin/Sister/Best Friend........Ashley

Ceremony

Send-off!!

Our Fabulous Wedding Party

Mr. & Mrs. Ryan Sweitzer
Wedding Cake

My sister's speech was FANTASTIC.....

First Dance...."First Day of My Life" -Bright Eyes (played by R's brother Tyler)

Father Daughter Dance

Mother Son Dance
Meiner's (dad's side)

Reeter's (mom's side)

Let the Party Begin!!!!

(you can also visit: http://www.cassieschottphotography.blogspot.com/

(click on clients up top, use your e-mail and set up a password

(go to: Emily and Ryan Sweitzer- Wedding...access code: sweitzer620

(enjoy!!

Wedding Rehearsal

2009-08-09T23:51:00.009-05:00

Our Rehearsal Dinner took place at the Patterson Ranch, which is a friend of Ryan's family. It was the perfect location for a casual/fun get together. The only slight damper to the night was the rain, but we got through it and had a wonderful night (which included a rainbow and beautiful sunset)

Our Matron of Honor (ashley) & Best Man (paul) signing the marriage license.

Eating Yummy Avanti's

Socializing

Uncle Bill teaching my sisters how to tap a keg....they became experienced 21 year olds by the end of the night....

....our MOH & BM sportin' the wedding wristbands.... :)

Elizabeth jumping into the picture of my dad.....haha...

All my girls

Ending the night with the father-of-the-bride and groomsmen letting off fireworks....extremely safe.......

Sneak Peak

2009-08-09T22:10:00.012-05:00

So, I was contacted by this lovely young couple back in April about possibly doing an 'on location' photoshoot. R and I got a new camera before the wedding, so I was thrilled to get to do a "real" shoot. Let me start by saying this couple has been together since 7th grade and pretty much finishes each other's sentences. They also have a sweet, beautiful, rambunctious 2 year old son, Reagan. This was going to be their first family photoshoot, which made them nervous, but as soon as they got in front of the camera they were naturals! Not only was I giving directions, but they had some pretty good ideas as well! We ventured to Pillager, MN, where as you will see we found some great locations.

I'm still going through all of the photos, as we took 600+, but wanted to give everyone a sneak peak of some of my F-a-V's. ENJOY!!

Oh and I had my two assistants, Elizabeth and Grace Meiner, who helped with lens changes, bug spray control, and m 'n m bribes. :)

The Williams

ok..ok..you got me!

1. These are my cousins...

2. We were all on a family vacation and didn't make a special trip to a small town in MN...

3. No, that chair wasn't just randomly in a field, we brought it....

4. Zach had no idea it was going to be so intense....at all....

5. I'm not a professional, although if you would like to hire me I'm up for the challenge...

I had a great time and hope to take more pictures in the future! Thanks Ash, Zach, & Reagan!!

Married Woman

2009-08-09T13:55:00.008-05:00

Wow! So my last post was 10 days before my wedding and now I've been a married woman for almost 2 months! There are so many things I would like to share with everyone (which may take numerous posts). First I want to talk about the day before the wedding.

My Aunt Debbie hosted a Bridesmaid Luncheon for me and my bridesmaids, mother, mother-in-law, grandmothers, and all the special women in my life. We had lunch downtown Pontiac at Bernardi's. She hosted a luncheon for Ashley two years back and it was a Beach theme, so we were anxious to see what he theme was for mine!

Superbowl (you're probably guessing, why would it be football?/>?)......Our First Date in High School was a Superbowl party at a friends house, then 5 years later he proposed on Superbowl XLII! It was a perfect theme :)

In high school R was a football player and I was a cheerleader. So the table decorations included our pictures from those sports, flowers potted in footballs, Superbowl hats for each of us, football huggies, and pom poms.

We were able to get whatever we wanted for lunch. And Debbie thinks she knows me 'oh so well' because she made sure there was some buffalo chicken on the menu. :) And that's EXACTLY what I got! MMmmm....

Opening up gifts....

I know I'm going to repeat this alot throughout the next couple of posts, but R & I have the best family and friends we could ever ask for!

My Bridesmaids, Jr. Bridesmaids, and Matron of Honor

The Wonderful host and me!!

So many things!

2009-06-10T00:48:00.003-05:00

Alright, I'm officially getting nervous....11 (well I guess 10..it's past mid-night) more days now until the wedding! I can't believe the day is getting closer. The past couple of weeks since my last post have been crazy.....Michael turned 20 on the 21st....which is scary! Next year will be the big 2-1. I've had a bridal shower put on by Judy's friend Cheri Lambert on the 30th, which was wonderful! I've been making list after list of things to get done for the 'big' day, not to mention going to work at Fam Vid here and there. My Matron of Honor, Ashley, put on a fabulous bachelorette party for me! Yesterday (well I guess 2 days ago) was Ashley and Zach's 2 year Anniversary and two days before that was Grandma Meiner's Birthday!! (Woo Hoo Congrats everyone!!!) So, forgive me for the lack of posts.

Just wanted to give a shout out to all those who had important things in their lives recently! Way to go!! :)

Wedding planning is going..........We're hanging in there and looking at the light at the end of the tunnel.....Spending our lives together as husband and wife (I know it sounds cheezy, but we love each other so much and can't wait for what the future holds)

I may try to fit in a couple posts before the wedding, but if not......I'm looking forward to start the blogging as Mrs. Sweitzer, once we get back from JaMaIcA!!!!!!

one month to go...

2009-05-20T23:30:00.004-05:00

in 31 short days i will no longer answer to emily meiner.....OMG! ....ok...i will probably still answer to it, but that won't be my name.....holy smokes, lots to do!!!!

2009-05-19T10:35:00.003-05:00

WE GOT THE APARTMENT!!! We signed the lease last Friday and will be picking up the key next week! We (I mean, I) can't wait to start decorating!!!!! Yay, what a relief off the shoulders! As soon as we move in, we want everyone to visit!

....after reading over this post I realized every sentence ended with an exclamation point....that either means A. I've been a cheerleader all my life or B. I'm excited!

I Graduated!!!

2009-05-16T10:08:00.008-05:00

I can't believe the time has finally come......NO MORE SCHOOL! Even tho I have gone through graduation, I don't think it will hit me until I have a "real life" job and I don't start school in the Fall. It's so exciting to be done and I'm proud of myself for getting through the past 18 years.

As Ashley would put it......my adoring fans.......

I DID IT!!!!

We were only allowed 10 tickets per graduate....and we all know that's barely enough for my family....so I bummed 4 tickets from my friend Sarah! That way my grandparents, aunt, and cousin could make it!

....you can kinda tell, but since it was soooooo windy my hair was all over the place, so ash is holding it back......secret tricks-of-the-trade

You don't have to tell the Meiner's twice to do a silly pose.....

We ended the night with a little pizza at Ryan and I's favorite spot......Pizza Villa....oh and look, Michael and Ash had tickets to the same thing AGAIN! how random?/? (I think it was a LeAnn Rimes concert about a year back)

quick....top and bottom teeth pic.....

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

2009-05-13T22:24:00.003-05:00

So I'm finally seeing light shine through the clouds......I think we have a place to live!! WOO HOO!!

Actually I shouldn't speak too soon, we are in the middle of the application process and will know if we are approved by either tomorrow or Friday. I felt like we would never get to this point. We have been searching, and searching, AND SEARCHING. It seemed like every apartment we would decide on, was sold by the time we contacted the Landlord.

This happened to us again today after we decided on an apartment we walked through last week. We went to the Office to see if we could sign the lease and someone else was already on their way to sign. :( The guy was very nice about it and said that he had a place just open up on Rainbow Drive. We had previously seen apartments on this road and they were very small and not what we were looking for, but figured we didn't have anything to loose. On our way over there, I had tears because I was so upset that we were never going to find our "first" place.

We approached 2202 Rainbow Dr. and entered Apt. 1. To our surprise it was very spacious!!! Before looking further I asked again what the price was and what utilities were included. He said rent was $550 a month and water was paid. We were hoping to have more utilities included with that price. He followed by saying, "I would take 525 because I know your upset about the other apartment." We were surprised and gladly accepted that offer, then continued to look through the apartment. I still can't believe the room sizes in this apartment and was happy to see this place had a dishwasher! Because I have a hunch my small little Maytag's would be doing all the work....

At the end of our tour, Kevin (our tour guide), said you know what....I'll give it to you guys for $500. SOLD!!!!

Later Ryan thought it was pretty crazy he kept going down in price after we said we would probably take it for $525.....works for us :)

There is this silly thing called an application fee per person, which through this agency was $20. We didn't have much cash on us and only had enough for one fee and he said that was fine and he would just take that.......ya...that's right, he took off $50 on rent + only $20 instead of $40 for fees....he's getting married the month after us, so we pretty much bonded last week....either that or he noticed the eyeliner still on my cheek from crying about the first apartment!

So.....fingers crossed and lots of prayers will be said tonight!! And if approved we will have keys June 1st.....that way we can gradually move in before the wedding so when we get back from our Honeymoon everything will be complete. Yay!

Oh and one more youtube video before I go.......On this season of American Idol I have been in LOVE with Adam Lambert, but last season Jason Castro was my man! Here's one of my favorite's from Jason......you know me and boys with dreads...??....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2nRxKC-OyA&feature=related

2009-05-10T22:50:00.007-05:00

First wanted to say HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!! Hope every mom out there had a fun and relaxing day with their families!

On another note......I GRADUATED!!! Yesterday was my last day as a Northern Illinois University student and my first day as a Northern Illinois University Alum. Can't believe it's all over and now I'm in the "real" world. Exciting and scary at the same time. It was awesome walking at my graduation and it was such a proud moment receiving my diploma. Woo Hoo!! Pictures to come.....

Also, wanted to share this video with everyone....I don't usually watch Dancing With the Stars, but was shown this dance and L-O-V-E-D it!!!!!! Pay attention to the girl in the black/yellow (wish I had her strength) and make sure to watch it all the way to the end......http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZ1iT4cs1xE&feature=PlayList&p=8CDB0BDD73DB9C77&index=43

..........hope that link works (never posted one before, I'll get better at it...hang in there with me).....I think I'm going to surprise Ryan and rent the Free Educational movie at work that teaches you how to dance (ballroom, salsa, and more) He'll be thrilled!

One quick thing before I go......Wanted to say Congratulations to my Cousin Kristie and Friend Christie who both recently got Engaged!!! So happy for the both of you!

15 - Love

2009-05-10T22:09:00.004-05:00

Team Sweitzer/Meiner Vs. Team Clark/Meiner.......

Kearstyn, Michael, Ryan and I played double's in tennis the other night. We had such a fun time.....Ryan and I tried to take it easy on them.

This picture was an attempt at a heart.....use your imagination!

This was Kearstyn first time ever playing tennis and I think she did pretty well! They both are going to need ALOT of practice if they think they will be able to beat Ryan and I sometime. :)

Grace's Special Day

2009-05-10T20:40:00.005-05:00

On May 3rd, Grace received the sacrament of Holy Communion....and...it was her 8th Birthday!! She looked so pretty in her white first communion dress and "face framer" veil. And if you know Grace, then you know she is the Queen of Fashion. So picking out her dress and veil was something she has looked forward to and turned out to be a big deal! We first hit up The Dwelling Place in Bloomington because that's where we found Elizabeth's dress a couple years ago. Grace was making faces of disgust as we shopped the ONE rack they had. Mom and I tried to get her to stop with the faces because the man was standing right there. Luckily, someone else came into the store, which helped us escape. I believe Grace's first words out of the store were "that's Ridiculous! They only had 1 rack!" ahhaahha.......So the search continued......

We loved the dress she wore last weekend! She looked like a little princess and a mature 8 year old.

She knows absolutely everything about being a girly, girl. From eye liner and fake nails to push-up bra's and wedged heels. She seriously is 8 going on 28. She could put together any outfit for any occasion.....with accessories and the perfect hair-do. If you don't match or have repeated an outfit, she'll know and tell you about it!

Today in church she informed me that the girl in line for communion bought her shirt at Maurice's. What 2nd grader would know that?

Grace is my little shadow. She follows me around everywhere I go and probably knows me better than I know myself. I tell her alot of stuff....which hopefully somethings she keeps to herself! Dad loves it when he calls my phone and asks if my shadow is right there. The answer is always "yes."

I love that she keeps me company in the bathroom while I take a shower. And if I would let her, she would LOVE to shave her legs!

Grace loves to hang up my clothes...(which I'm not complaining) She knows exactly how I like the hangers and could tell you how many black tank tops I own. And if they made "pumps" in a size 1 she would wear them everyday!

This year is her first year in softball. Her first game is tomorrow and I'm SO excited to go and watch. Oh and picking out her glove was another shopping experience with Grace. I wasn't there, but heard she was a little upset that her glove was going to be black and grey!.....how horrible....Dad probably hates doing that stuff now with his girls and not the boys. Can't wait to see her on the field.

Happy Birthday Grace!!! Love You!!!

Eggplant Infusion

2009-05-05T11:36:00.006-05:00

This past Saturday was my brother Rhys' Junior Prom. Ahhh...I can't believe he's getting so old! His date was his childhood friend, Sydney Benning. They both went together to order Rhys' tux for the dance. I believe she brought her dress in, so they could match it to the color of the vest and tie. She wore a blueish-purpleish, strapless gown and the Eggplant Infusion color-swatch matched perfectly!

Mom, the girls and I went to DQ for lunch on Saturday when Rhys gave us "the call any girl on prom would hate to get." When the man called in his order, the lady on the other line heard FUCHSIA instead of INFUSION.......so, yes......the vest/tie were PINK! Everything turned out alright and his new vest and tie came in a little later in the day....so all was well and the couple looked great!

I love this picture!

I luckily got off work a little early and in enough time to book-it out to the Martin's and catch the end of the photoshoot. It was SO funny to see how the dress selection has changed since I was in high school. I remember being covered up to my chin and the dresses really didn't have much pizzazz. These ladies looked beautiful!

The purple one above was our favorite. The back was so unique and it fit her well!

And I will say, all of the guys cleaned up very well! I'm digging the mature/studious, hand in the pocket look.

This looks like a groom/best man photo.

(can you tell I've got wedding on the brain)

The Clan

Rhys with his proud sisters!

Oh to be young again!