Wedding Photos

Let them eat cake

When hiring wedding vendors...the cake was by far one of the most important pieces. Our Hotel Vetro wedding planner had several reccomendations and after extensive research we decided upon Adam Kophfman at Tip Top Cakes. Not only did the cake taste amazing and have seven different flavors, but it was beautifully crafted and completely unique! We were able to choose from ten's of flavors, fillings, and icings. We finally narrowed it down to a unique 7! We are lucky enough to have some lemon with lemon curd filling and chocolate raspberry still in our freezer.

If looking for a vendor in the Eastern Iowa area....He might even travel! :) Check out Adam's site at www.tiptopcakes.com .

Pre Wedding Festivities

I took off work the week before the wedding to spend time in Iowa City getting ready and relaxing before the big event. I had a fantastic week with my mom...here is a photo of her as we tied 200 ribbons around the truffles she and Jon's Mom, Lisa made for the wedding!

To get ready for the wedding breakfast, my Mom had a major landscaping project taking place this summer. They hired a wonderful company out of Mt. Vernon called Kaspers Landscaping. They are a family of 5 that work together...and did an amazing job! The worked tirelessly in the pouring down rain and heat in order to finish the job for our party. Here is a photo of them on one of the days of my visit...some of the hardest rain I've ever seen and they were putting up the yard sculptures.

Jon's parents hosted the rehersal dinner at our favorite Iowa City Restaurant, One Twenty Six. We had a GREAT time! It was an awesome start to the wedding weekend. Our close family and wedding party were present as we toasted and ate incredible food to celebrate our upcoming wedding.

Signing our marriage lisence....

Bachelors and Bachelorettes

A trip to Bean Town!

Early this spring Jon again got invited to the Internet Retailers Conference, an assembly of other businesses like G&L and many online marketing companies. Jon attended last year in Chicago as well, making excellent connections and learning a great deal. This year it happened to be held in Boston! After learning of this destination; I had to come!

Jon had never been to Boston, so we flew out a day early making sure to take in the Freedom Trail and other historical sites. During our visit we made sure to hit Sarah's Boston favorite - Mike's Pastries, for Jon's first Canoli and other indulgent treats! We also took in a Red Sox game and spent Jon's Birthday at a nice restaurant in the North End called Brico. It was delicious!


Jon spent his days in the conference with other "internet nerds" as I affectionately deem them and I spend time on Newbury street shopping! I was also lucky enough to warrant a visit from my Mom's dear friend (and my friend too!) Susan, who resides just outside of the city. Susan took me to the restaurant, Top of the Hub for lunch overlooking the city. Very similar to the Signature Room in Chicago, but better! It was wonderful to see her.


Even though this trip was short and mostly business oriented, we both left describing it as one of our best trips together yet!

Jon at the Cheers Bar!

Happy Birthday Jonny!

April Flowers Bring May Bridal Showers!

Jon's Dad's sisters - Mary Ellen and Sally, and Lisa's sister - Sally
threw me a fantastic bridal shower last weekend! The event was held at Sally's house just south of Des Moines. The women cooked up several goodies, fun drinks, and even glasses with "Sarah and Jon" imprinted on them! Our families traveled from all over the midwest to be there.

Some of the Guests viewing the gift opening bananza!

Jon Joined us at the end!

Break a Leg!

Or a Foot!

I knew my lifetime of no injuries had to end at some point...but I certainly wasn't planning on it happening 4 months before our wedding! I went to our new Farrell's location on Ashorth Wednesday night for Kickboxing class. The last 5 minutes of class was a series of high knees and situps. In one of the high knees sets I came down very, very wrong on my foot. Thinking it was probably just a simple "roll" I shrugged off my embarressment, finished the sit-ups and headed home. The pain got progressively worse and by 5 AM that next morning it was clear we needed to get the ER fast.

Jon wheeled me to the entrance desk in my little wheel chair where the check in ladies got a kick out us and our humor in the situation. Jon did a fantastic job of keeping me laughing...he knew if I wasn't laughing I would certainly be crying! Xrays and exams and two hours later, it was determined to be nothing life threating as Jon had hinted at (Sarah is having her foot amputated) and I would leave with a boot and crutches.

Working out will be inventive for the next few weeks, but I hope to get swimming and spinning as quickly as possible. Jon was such a trooper through the whole debacle! Up with me all night, carrying me around the house, calming my nerves! I'm sure this won't be our first medical emergency...but it's great to know that we can tackle em successfully!

Painting Party!

First on our house renovation list? Painting! The living room was a bit bold for our liking and did in no way compliment our mostly red/brown decor...so we opted to take on this challenge first. Sarah's Mom, Donna made the trip to Des Moines Friday morning to participate in the party and Jon's Mom, Lisa joined us on her Friday off. Jon spent the weekend in Iowa City with several of his Friends attending our friend Adam's bands show and Sarah was very excited about the opportunity to "nest" a bit while he was away! The crew decided to tackle the living room, dining room, piano room, and front hallway.

The living room and dining room were the real daunting tasks with their dark, outdated colors. We turned the once burgandy living area into a dark latte color that complimented their new rug and curtains. The living room was a struggle for Sarah - she painted several samples, presenting Donna with a spotted arrival. Donna being the decorating genious she is - said; Red. No question, Do it red. A dark, wonderfully dramatic red it is! The piano room and front hallway warranted Lisa's expert painting skills. She tore through the largest room the quickest with a lighter latte color to compliment the living room. Donna and Sarah second coated the rooms Saturday morning and spent the afternoon cleaning and decorating. Donna drove back to Iowa City Saturday evening and Sarah crashed on the couch exhausted! Who knew this could all be so exhausting!

At Jon's Sunday return, they topped off the weekend with re-hanging of the new blinds, curtains, and finishing assembling the new treadmill. The cooked their favorite meal of salmon and Sarah tried a new dessert - Oatmeal Pie, at Jon's request.

A sample of the finished product....Sour Apple Green Bathroom!

Happy Birthday Molly!

Jon's family has a wonderful tradition of gathering the extended and immediate together to celebrate everyone's individual birthday! Molly turned 28 at the end of March and we all gathered for our first family celebration in Bob and Lisa's new house. Drew found Lisa's new "crock" as his favorite play item of the night. Check out the fun photos of his amusement.

Movin' on Out

Would it surprise anyone that our fabulous state provided us with a rainy/snowy/windy/cold day to move our home? Of course not! Being the last weekend of March, flurries aren't out of the question - but we're definitly not a challenge we were excited about.

After the Thursday closing, it was game on! We started the packing trips late Thursday afternoon, spending most of the evening there - followed by a couple more Friday after work. Saturday morning Jon and his Dad, Bob began the excursion, rounding out the morning with the help of several of his friends. I entertained Jon's Mom, Aunt Sally, Molly, Jud, and Drewbear while the movers came and went. I was quickly falling in love with our huge house and its ability to entertain! It was very, very fun having the whole family there help!

We both took work off Monday to "enjoy" (work our butts off) the long weekend. Our list of activites includes but is not limited to; removing all current curtains, hanging new wood blinds in two rooms, speckling and patching the walls, hanging new lighting, organizing the kitchen, closets, unpacking, and putting the house together, buying a snazzy new red leather chair and console table for the living room,

We Bought our First House!

We are Officially Homeowners!

It's been a turbulent process of house shopping, offering, countering, and negotiating...but we've survived and close in less than two weeks! The house is a great location; close to Jon's Dad's clinic where we take Lola each day, a short walk or drive from Jordan Creek and West Glen, and close to many running and biking paths. We have plans to renovate the kitchen shortly after moving in to provide Jon with the dream kitchen he's always wanted, but here's a glimpse of the "before" photos(these were taken by the sellers). The house is truly wonderful and could very easily be lived in for many years "as is"...but we plan to re-decorate, remodel, and finish off several areas making it "ours"!


Jon and I are always anxious for new projects and exciting ventures to keep us busy...as if our year wasn't crazy enough - we've decided to add more and can't WAIT! More photos and stories to come!