Pictures!

Pictures are now online folks! Just go to: http://www.pictage.com/760758

Feel free to make a folder of your favorites! I have yet to make mine, but I will! We are using one of these for our "Save the Dates" so let me know if you have any suggestions.

Mom and Dad left today; they were up here for a quick getaway. We had a great dinner at Cinzetti's Friday night, a tour of where I work today, and my friend Katie showed us around her beautiful mansion. I'm tired and have to work the next 3 days, but it's worth it to be home for Thanksgiving in a few days.

Enjoy the pics!

Update!

We have been so busy for the month of October that although we've done so much, it feels like we haven't accomplished a thing around the house or for wedding planning.

I'll start with today, since I feel like I'm ready to drop dead with all my baking. Yes, I said baking. I started my day with an early morning (8:30am) Barre Intensity class. It was tiring, yet refreshing. I just love how those workouts make me feel-so extremely sore, but so empowering to know what your body can handle.

After my workout, I made a quick stop at the grocery store then went home. I ate a quick after-workout snack/breakfast, then into the kitchen I went! I made up, like, 4 dozen of Jana's famous Chocolate Chip Crunch cookies. About 2 hours later, I had finished baking/cooling/sampling all of the cookies and thought I should take them to Alex's work, mainly so I couldn't eat them all :) So then I showered and made the 30 minute trek up North, only to find Alex on the run and eating a HiBoy hamburger and some onion rings. Uggh. So basically I got to drop the cookies off, sit in a chair for about 20 minutes watching Alex scarf his lunch and return emails, and came home. Sweeet.

So now I'm home, have a sink full of dishes and not an ounce of energy to do them. Alex will be home late tonight so who really cares if I get them done in a timely manner, or if I even have a dinner tonight. Bahh.

One of our adventures over the last month was having our engagement pictures taken this last weekend by Dan and Brenda Kliewer. We went back to McPherson for this and had them taken out at "The Farm," just ?north? of McPherson. The farm is where Alex's dad, "Bags," grew up. It was old, rustic and the weather was absolutely perfect. There were tons of old cars and farm equipment, too, that we got to pose with. Brenda said she was maybe gonna have them ready for us on Sunday before we left, but no such luck. So she is planning on sending us a jump drive with all the pictures, copyrights and all. I am chomping at the bit to get them in the mail! I'm ready to see them and pick out our save the dates! I'll be sure and post some of them, but I think they will be also available to view online at some point. Keep an eye on Dan and Brenda's website for the pictures!

Ok, I'm exhausted. I think I'm gonna lay down for a bit. I really am gonna *try *to start keeping this thing more up to date! So check back more often!

Website!

Just wanted to let you all know that the wedding website it up and running! It's not finished yet and more will be added as the planning continues, but if you're interested, here it is:
http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/EmilyFast&AlexKoehn

Please sign the guest book if you visit!

More posts to come soon. I know I know, I'm behind. :)

Laugh It Up

So I was at work on Saturday and we were rather *slow.* (I say this with hesitancy because it is NEVER slow at work and we all are extremely superstitious, so we wouldn't want to ruin any good luck coming our way.) Michelle, one of the nurses who used to be full time on our floor but is now considered a "float" nurse, was saying how her ear was hurting. So we pulled out the otoscope to start examining each other's ear canals. It was discovered (and confirmed a previous "diagnosis") that I have a lot of wax buildup in my ears. I blame it on my sinuses, but that's another post. So we started talking about ear candles, and I piped in that I had bought some, but hadn't had a chance to use them yet-something I obviously need to do! And yes, I have used them before. A doctor-in-training just so happened to be standing there listening to our conversation, and looked at me and said "I suppose you use a neti-pot too." I said absolutely! So then our conversation evolved and everyone was poking fun at me for being the "homeopathic, naturopathic girl." It's fine, I'm really getting used to being "that girl" that they all poke fun at about *trying* to be healthy and as all-natural as possible. Hey, we'll just see who's laughing when they're the ones that are sickly and western medicine can't help them! Well actually I probably wouldn't be laughing, I be the one to offer the different alternative :) Then they will thank me for making their lives better, even if my practices were "weird." haha

Anyway, I just thought I share that quick tidbit of work "fun." In other news, we are all fine and dandy. Alex just finished his inventory month at work and is very glad it's over. According to his documentation, he worked just under 100 hours last week. He amazes me with his work habits and the fact that he never complains about it. I don't know how he does it. We are hoping that his boss comes through with the bonus that he's been speaking of for a year now, and it's looking as though he should get a substantial raise, as well. I am so proud of him and am glad that I'm marrying someone with such a strong work ethic!

I have been well, also. I've been continuing my weekly NAET treatments and have seen incredible results. I feel my body is continuing to get stronger and stronger in so many ways. I have also started attending a few new workout classes at a place called Fusion Fitness. The studio itself is literally just down the road from me and the classes are unbelievable. They vary from class to class, but the "Fusion Lite" class that we (as in my friend Maura and I) have mostly frequented is a mix of pilates, yoga, ballet and calisthenics. It is essentially a non-stop one hour class of everything from push-ups to weight lifting to downward-facing-dogs to ballet moves on a bar to sit-ups with a ball. It is one of those classes that you leave wondering if you can make it down the stairs to the parking lot! Check out more info about the classes, etc at http://www.fusionfitnesskc.com I think I may have just found my newfound weekly (soon to be bi-weekly, once I get in better shape, that is) workouts! I'm also thinking that my 24 Hour Fitness membership may just go by the wayside. I don't think I can afford to do both! Any suggestions on what to do if I quit my gym? Any at-home-workout suggestions? Road workouts? DVD's? Tell me what you all do!

And of course wedding planning. Who can forget wedding planning! My best friend and maid of honor, Alyson Reimer, and I went dress shopping a few weeks ago, me fully expecting to browse around and have a day of relaxation. Turns out, I bought the dress of my dreams! It was completely unexpected and scary, but it is now one more thing checked off my list. And, I must say this it.is.gorgeous. The whole engagement and wedding planning is still so surreal to me, the fact that by this time next year, Alex and I will have already been newlyweds for almost 2 months! We also have our engagement pictures tentatively scheduled for October 31st, so we are pondering ideas as to where we may want those taken. Dan and Brenda Kliewer are doing our photography, so I know they will turn out beautiful! I can't wait!

Well, must go. I've got some packing to do for this upcoming weekend since I will be working the next few days. Thanks for visiting and don't forget to leave some comments! Have a great day!

Long Time, No Post!

My life has been an absolute whirlwind these days, hence the drought of posting. In a nutshell, here is what I've been doing:
-got engaged June 28, 2009
-started planning almost immediately; date set for July 10, 2010
-went home with the new fiance for a wonderful 4th of July weekend
-went home, again, for a dentist appointment and wedding planning
-worked on a few mini-projects around the house while Alex vacationed in New Orleans
-just returned home from my own vacation in Phoenix, Arizona
-while completing all of the above projects, I have somehow maintained my full-time position as a nurse at St. Luke's

The month of August is already set to bring in lots of activity. Alex is already headed into MHC's yearly inventory count, and I have a full calendar. I'm hoping that once September gets here we'll be able to kick back a little.

That's all I got for now. Will update more when I have the energy!

We're Gettin' Hitched!

On June 28, 2009 (it was a Sunday,) we had been finishing up putting on the last coat of paint in the spare bedroom. We had ran some errands, ate a dinner of 2-day old leftovers, and headed out for a walk with our two dogs, Jake and Jozie. It was a beautiful evening; no wind and not too hot. I had made a comment how it was a beautiful night, and Alex just smiled and kept on walking. He was being really quiet as we walked, holding hands and trying to keep up with the dogs.

About midway through the walk, Alex had mentioned how walking the dogs together is one of his favorite "mini-dates." Again, we kept right on walking, trying to keep up with the dogs. He had been looking around a lot it seemed like, and in the back my devious little mind, I was thinking "maybe he's looking for a place to propose?" But then the realistic side of my brain kicked in and said, "Nah, get that out of your head!" (Later, I found out that he actually was planning on proposing on our walk, but didn't find a "special" place to do it!)

So we finished up our walk and I headed into the spare bedroom to shut off the lights and close the window as we were getting ready for bed. Alex came in the room and I told him how the walls were looking really good and that it was finally looking like a real room again. He agreed, and came over to give me a hug. At that point he started saying how this was our first project together and how he wanted there to many more. I was completely naive, and replied "yeah, me too." After those words, I really have no idea anything he said. Next thing I knew, he was down on one knee, in the middle of the room with the paint cans and drop cloths, asking me to marry him! After I realized that this was for real and he really wasn't kidding, I finally said "yes!" He put the ring on my finger and I was incessantly crying, hugging and kissing him!! Finally after about 10 minutes of this, I looked down and actually saw this ring on my finger:



Then, I looked at Alex and said, "what do we do now?!" He said "we can call people tomorrow, I'm tired!" I said "absolutely not," and proceded to call/text everyone I knew!

We have set the date for July 10, 2010 at the First United Methodist Church in McPherson, KS. Please stay tuned as more of our wedding plans come together.

About the ring:
We had looked at rings back in March at a couple different "chain" jewelry stores around Kansas City. I found a couple I liked, but Alex said he wanted mine to be one-of-a-kind and have it made. I said whatever. We also decided that we would like to buy from somewhere local, instead of one of the chain stores so that we were getting the best bang for our buck, as well as better quality. So this ring was made by Scott's Diamond Design in Overland Park, KS and is a combination of all the rings that I picked out. It is just gorgeous! And I must say, it looks much better on my hand, but darnit, it is absolutely impossible to take a decent picture of it! So there it is. Lovely, isn't it?

Progress...

After a big fight about primer and one coat of paint later, here we are....

Minus the trim...

And window trim...

One more coat to go, plus trim...plus the closet...and we'll be done. And one wall that will just be trim color. THEN we'll be done. Whew.

Ready to Paint!

We finally got all the wallpaper and such stripped off the walls. Much longer task than we had anticipated. So here are the bare walls, finally ready to paint. Wish me luck.

What Did I Get Myself Into!

Alex and I (well, more just me I guess) have decided to finally start painting. One room at a time, of course. It all started when Alex was going to put up some plywood in the closet, and I was needing to prime and paint it. Well, this ignited my "desire" to paint the whole room. So this, my friends is what I have encountered so far.


After an afternoon at Wal Mart and Home Depot, I was then ready to start my project. After much debate as to what was really lying beneath the paint, I started to scrape. And this my friends, is what I found:It appears that there was a layer of orange paint, then a layer of pink paint, then a layer of textured wallpaper, then this dainty floral design that I think is just a covering for the drywall. Basically, there's lots of layers and what's at the bottom is really old.

This is my closet. Tiny, I know. But after a previous attempt to install a closet organizer, it was time to start over and put in something simple and efficient. To start, Alex installed this plywood in the back of the closet to thicken up the wall a little bit. No sense in installing another gadget and have screws sticking out the other side. So the next step is to prime and paint, then in goes the rods.


This my friends is the bottom layer on the walls. It is a thin paper that has been put over the dry wall. Not really wallpaper, just a thin paper with a design. I bet it was beautiful back in the day.And here's the progress. Half orange, half flowery. This will be pretty when I'm done with it.


So there ya go, my first home-remodeling project. Being done all by myself. We'll see how this turns out!

Rollin, Rollin, Rollin...Keep Those Doggies Rollin...

Today Alex and I got up and somehow had the motivation to clean the garage. Well, sorta. Let's rewind a bit, shall we? Some of you may not know this, (or maybe all of you do) but I moved in with Alex at the beginning of March. I have always been a believer in not living together until you're married. The whole "starting your life together begins when you're married" has always been something that I supported whole-heartedly. But when Alex bought his house back in August of '08 about 7 miles from my apartment complete with a fenced in back yard for the dogs, our commute to see each other turned into me commuting daily to his house. My apartment became chopped liver. There was no need for Alex to come over, especially with the dogs. So I finally made the decision that it was no longer economically correct for me to continue throwing away money on my unused (but cute) apartment.

Alex and I had had many discussions on this matter, as well as what our future was looking like. After deep consideration and in depth talks together, I decided that it might work out ok. So I moved in. Which brings us to the present...

Since I moved in in March, the garage has been stuffed full with boxes and furniture, due to the fact that apparently a two bedroom house is a lot smaller when there are two packrats living in it. Alex and I together have so much stuff. So today, with it being slightly breezy but still decently warm, we made the effort to haul a lot of the boxes up into the attic, which is basically the only storage area we have. I still ask myself why it is necessary to keep all this stuff, but somehow I just can't part ways with "it."

Then Alex's dad, Bags, came up from McPherson. He got here about 12:45 and he and Alex headed out to the racetrack at about 1:30. Alex got tickets from work for the Indy car race and the Truck Series race, so Bags and him are going to the truck series today, and A and I will go to the Indy Car race tomorrow. Jana, Alex's mom, will be here this afternoon helping a friend with a moving situation, then will head this way to spend the evening and night. So all in all it should be a nice weekend to spend with "the folks." Mom, maybe you and Dad could come up for a night sometime?

We have been talking about doing some work on the house for a long time, but have never had the money, time, or energy to do it. Plus, I told A that I don't want to do anything too major until we are officially a married couple. (I gotta draw the line somewhere ya know.) So we thought we might do some smaller projects that would spiff up the house enough so that maybe, you know, we might be able to have some friends over and it would look presentable! Our first project, we thought, that would improve the house's appearance ten-fold, turns out might not be as easy as we thought. The main family room and both bedrooms both are in desperate need of some new paint jobs. But as we found out just a couple days ago, we think the walls are just a dry wall with wall paper, and then painted over. So it's looking like it might be a better (and smarter) idea just to knock the walls out and "re-do" them. New drywall, better insulation, maybe wire in some lights in the ceiling. Fairly cheap to do, just takes the labor. Alex's friend Jon did this to his entire basement all on his own in a matter of about a week, so Jon thought maybe with the two of them together, they could knock this whole room out and be done with it in a 3-4 day timeframe. I say fine, if they hop on it and just get it done. This whole home-repair thing really stresses me out, so whatever they can do in as short of a time frame as possible would be good.

Better get going. Gotta get to the gym and run a few errands before Jana arrives. Thanks everyone for reading, and for being the supportive family (and friends) that you are!

Couple of Ski Pics

Just a few pictures from Colorado. More to come!

I Am Still Alive!

Many of you have been wondering where I've been. Well here I am! Many things have been happening, but none too exciting.

We did, although, go on vacation, so I suppose that is exciting! Alex and I went with his parents and cousins to Colorado for the yearly ski outing. We went March 5-10, stayed at A's grandpa's condominium in Frisco, Co. They have a timeshare out there that they have access to about 4 times a year, usually once around that time. We arrived late Thursday night; Alex, Bags (dad) and I. We took Friday to acclimate to the altitude and did things like grocery shop, relax and snag a few sale deals at the ski shop. (Brand new Columbia ski pants on sale for like $60! What a steal! Oh, and Uggs for $110 instead of $180? Uh, where do I sign?)

Jana (Alex's mom,) Brad and Candra (Alex's cousins) arrived late Friday night with the intention to get up ski with us on Saturday. Well, Saturday turned into Jana, Brad and Candra shopping, and Bags sick in bed. Alex and I skied by ourselves at Copper Mountain and had a blast. Little frustrating to re-orient to skis again, but it was good. Sunday we all skied Copper again (except Bags, poor thing was in bed the WHOLE weekend!) Needless to say Monday rolled around and I was either A) sick or B) completely worn out because I couldn't bring my body to ski...too many aches and pains. They ended up only skiing til about 1 or so, the weather was getting a little nasty and they were tired. We had a great! steak dinner that night and proceeded to head home Tuesday morning after a quaint breakfast at the bakery down the road.

We got back to McPherson I think about 5 or so, and Alex had to work the next day, so we trucked it on back to Kansas City. Very long drive to say the least! My body was screaming for rest and Alex was screaming for another day off. The next day I wore myself out even more getting everything back in living order. I then worked three days in a row, had one day off, then was back on again. As predicted, my poor self was of course sick, again. Sinus infection and bronchitis, I'm sure. This continued on until about last Thursday when Alex finally said to me, "Babe, you sound terrible." And when Alex says that, you know you're really sick! That's when I broke down in tears and finally got an antibiotic, just to get me through.

This bring us up to the present. Still taking antibiotics, still working at the hospital (one more day this week) and still sniffling on occasion. But by-God, my vacation was fun! haha Don't have any pictures, really, to share but Candra is sending me some that she took. So I will post those as soon as I get a hold of them.

No other news, really, to report. Alex and I just live our lives one day at a time and pray that God is leading us in the right direction!

Hope everyone is well. Thanks for reading!

Opinion Poll

.....Because I know so many of my readers have an opinion!

So I went to see Dr. David yesterday, and he had a few things to advise me on.

I presented him with my food diaries that I had worked ever-so-diligently on for the last two weeks. These food diaries contained every bit of my nutrition intake and output for two solid weeks. Food, water, what food group, any other beverage consumption, bowel movements-frequency and consistency, and so on, and so forth. I was rather disturbed about having to do these, basically because I didn't quite know what his purpose was for me doing them. So when I presented them to him yesterday, he got out his yellow highlighter and started mumbling. In a nutshell, here is what he said:

I must cut out all fruit, for now. Fruit has too much sugar and it is feeding the yeast in my body (which is essentially what I am trying to get rid of. The yeast is everywhere.) He said maybe by summer I could start back on some "mild" fruit such as blueberries.

I also must cut out grains and/or carbohydrates. He says the carbs are also feeding the yeast. And somewhere in his ramblings, he went on about how Americans...well, actually humans in general, have been taught to eat lots of grains and carbs, when really there are no essential carbs. He believes that humans are carnivores and that they don't need much more than meat. Carbs, as he says, will almost always be turned into fat and they are very hard to ever lose, which leads me into my next point.

My main point here is that he wants me to eat meat. Lots of meat. Back to the statement that humans are carnivores, they should eat lots of meat. And my reply was, "so if I eat some meat, what can I eat with it?" He says you don't need much more than meat, or protein for that matter. He says if we eat pounds of protein every day, by the time your body uses all its energy to process it and store it, we only get a few ounces of protein. And protein will never turn to fat. Back to my statment, what do I eat with it? Salad? Vegetables? Potatoes? What? Which brings me to my last point.

He says that vegetables are ok, but we don't really need as much as we've been told. He says that high fiber foods are ok, but this high fiber diet that we've been told to eat may be more harmful than good due to the high rise in colon cancer since the FDA starting pushing fiber. So, basically I'm supposed to eat meat. Beef, lamb, pork, fish and eggs. Lots of eggs. And maybe a few vegetables, but not too many. Oh, and really a couple meals a day will do 'ya. No need to "graze" all day long, if you get enough protein that is.

Now I know all you readers will have an opinion on this one. I would love to hear everyone's stances and what you would do.

In other news, things are fine in this neck of the woods. Nothing too exciting, just waiting for the warm weather to get here. Actually, this 20 and 30 degree weather has felt like a heat wave! We've had lots of sunshine, too, the last couple of days, which makes me a much more productive person. I told Alex I think we should move somewhere where it's warm all the time. Like Arizona, Texas or even Florida. His reply consisted of suggestions where there was an MHC branch, such as Denver or Memphis. Eh, not my idea of a good time right now. ha

Alright, must get going. I suppose I have a few things to do today! Feel free to reply with your ideas!

Sunday Funday

Sundays are always nice and calm. I really look forward to them.

While Alex is snoozing on the couch, I've done a few things, but not much more than just cuddle with the doggies and watch a TV show on extreme water parks. I did, though, do some dishes and make a little breakfast this morning. I attempted blueberry pancakes at first, but apparently I had the heat up too high, or something, because they did NOT turn out right. So I settled for a slice of bacon (I know, gross and terrible) and some fruit salad.

It's a little drury out today. Cold, too. I worked yesterday then we went down south to watch Alex's old boss play in a concert. They have a little band that plays 80's and 90's cover rock songs. They are actually pretty good. The bar they were playing out was actually at capacity when we got there, so we had to stand outside for like 30-45 minutes in the cold until they let us in. But it was fun. Made for a long day though.

So I've been using my new food dehydrator a lot lately. I haven't quite gotten the hang of everything, but I think if I try to do everything I want at least once, then the next time it will actually turn out right :) I am have some troubles with drying banana slices, and that's one of the things that I've wanted the most. I just can't get them to crisp up like the store-bought ones. Any suggestions?

Alright, better get back to my "busy day." I might make a snack and see about curling up with a blanket on the couch. That sounds nice!

Headaches, Death, Dogs and Winter

As you can see by the name of my post, my life has been filled with all sorts of ups and downs recently.

The last couple days I have a had a little headache, the kind that are caused by the a little vertebrae in my neck going out, then all the muscles around it get all tensed up and in a frenzy, causing a massive migraine headache. Last night I thought going to Yoga would kick it. You know, a little relaxation and breathing exercises, maybe a little stretching would help. Well it did help, but it also gave me some sore upper back muscles, as well. (I'm very weak in that area.) So when I woke up this morning with a sore back AND headache, I said something has GOT to be done! First I took a bubble bath, still had a headache. So I called my massage therapist/nurse intern friend who has given me a couple other massages and left her a very pathetic message asking if should could get me in today. She called back a short time later and said she could get me in at about 12:30. Hallelujah! So I laid down with my warm pack for about an hour and then headed down to Olathe. I only had her give me a 30 minute one, just so she could really concentrate on my back. And whatdya know, 30 minutes later and I got up and had no headache! Massage therapists really are amazing. I don't know how anyone can go there whole life without one!

So I'm home now and all is calm, and I am happy. Alex is out "shooting" with some of the guys this morning. Well it was supposed to be just a morning thing...huh. It's 2:30pm now. haha The doggies have been enjoying the last couple days being able to be outside a little more. It's hard when it snows/melts/snows/melts because then the dogs come in with muddy paws. And of course we have to sit out in the garage and take the time to wipe off each and every speck of mud off before they can come in. So when the ground is dry and sun is shining, all is good. I think today might be our last day of good sunshine for awhile, though. I hear it's suppose to be a high of 12 tomorrow, or something like that.

Work has been crazy-as usual. But it is winter time now, which means patients are sicker and we are much busier than we are any other time of the year. I remember this time last year I was wondering how much longer I could take it, and if nursing was really the right career for me! I still wonder that from time to time, but really could not imagine myself doing anything else. Helping people is what I was meant to do.

Along with sicker people at the hospital come death and dying, as well. I have been lucky enough to be involved in the care of some very sick people recently. And when these people are that sick, along comes with that is the ethics side of nursing. I've taken classes on such topics and have been told that I would eventually have to deal with these things. Well, the last couple weeks have finally brought me several [all at once] situations that involve very intense, life-changing issues. I'll save you all the details, but basically I've dealt with a 78 year old with no living will, durable power of attorney or statement saying what he wants with all of this belongings...and oh yeah, he's about to die, can't speak, and cannot appoint anyone to speak for him. I've also had an experience with an 87 year lady who IS a "do no resuscitate, do not intubate" (DNR/DNI) but somehow was talked into having surgery to place a feeding tube. Both of which were things specifically stated in her advanced directive that she did not want. And one other case in which we had a fairly young man that was on our floor post-operatively for approximatley 4 months before he was discharged home with a home health nurse. Well, to tell you the truth, this man was an all-out jerk and nothing we did was ever good enough for him. Now, needless to say, he went home and proceeded to tell the home health nurse that he did not know at all how to take care of himself with all of this equipment (which is a flat out lie) and so the HH nurse told him that maybe he shouldn't have been discharged from the hospital . So now he's already filed a grievance with the hospital and there's a good chance we will be getting sued. "We" meaning everyone involved in his care. Including me. But we'll see what happens. Enough of all this negativity!!

Our New Year's was pretty laid back. We made our way over to our friend's Bret and Alyson Reimer's house. I think we stayed over there til about 3:30 am playing Mad Gab. I know I know, we're some big partiers!!

Alright well I better get on with my day. Starting tomorrow I'm working a 3-day stent, then home for another lasering of my eyes. My Lasik has gone a little blurry, and it's time for an enhancement. So this time next week I'll have new eyes, again! Hope everyone has a wonderful week. Thanks for reading!