a couple of CJ

Monday, August 25, 2008

Pam and Chris took a little road trip on Saturday to see us and they let me take some pictures of their adorable little guy. I'm not even kidding you when I say I smiled the entire time I worked on his pictures last night. About every other picture I would have to yell for Josh to come and look.



CJ did so well spending the afternoon at my house. He ate a couple times, napped, played, giggled... Oh, the giggling...that could melt anyone's heart! I already can't wait to see them again and do some more pictures of the little guy.

Labels: knight light, the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 8:12 AM 2 comments |

face to face

Monday, August 11, 2008

I'm not sure that I can correctly convey how great my weekend was. I had been planning this weekend for months and finally it was here. Sondra, one of my first Internet friends, drove from Ohio to spend the weekend with us. Sondra and I have been talking about meeting for years since we first "met" online. You know, because Ohio and Illinois are so close... Finally in April we settled on a weekend during the summer and just marked it on our calendars.

All week I had been anticipating Sondra's arrival. I would say, "I get to see Sondra in X number of days!". The weird thing is that I never thought of the weekend as meeting Sondra for the first time. I only thought that my friend was coming to see me. I just didn't happen to know what that friend's voice sounds like!

Within 20 minutes of Sondra arriving I knew that it was as exactly as I hoped. She's just as sweet as I always thought she was. We spent the weekend talking about anything and everything, just like how you would be with an old friend. It was just so nice to be able to talk face to face. Jess arrived Saturday morning and the fun doubled! We went antiquing and shopping. We did a lot of laughing and even more talking.



After we ate supper and dessert made by my husband (he made a peach pie from scratch!), we hung out on the back patio. Three hours later we were finally able to enjoy a little laptop time. My town had a random power outage that kept us in the dark until 10:30 playing with flashlights, talking about things we could be doing. Finally once the power was restored we geeked out and couldn't have been happier.

Last night I got ready for bed and thought over the weekend. I realized that I was already missing my friends and they had only just left. I feel really lucky to have connected with people through the Internet and made such great friends. Now if only I can get them to move closer...

Labels: the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 8:22 AM 2 comments |

knitted gift

Thursday, May 15, 2008

When my friend Emmy Lou found out we were having a baby, she immediately asked if she could knit a sweater for it. Uh, yes...of course you can! So she wasted no time. I got the most wonderful package from her this week that included more goodies than just the sweater!



The sweater is just beautiful and so soft! I cannot wait to dress my baby in it. Oh and the matching leg warmers and booties. She also included a pair of socks and little stocking hat. They are just perfect and I really can't wait to put them to use.

Such a thoughtful and wonderful handmade gift! Thanks so much, Emmy Lou.

Labels: bakin' a bun, the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 7:44 AM 1 comments |

300 miles later

Monday, November 12, 2007

Josh and I drove just over 300 miles this weekend. Friday night we went to see our friend Chrystal and ate way too much food at Olive Garden. And the evening wouldn't have been complete without some wandering around at Barnes & Noble. (Chrystal starts work there today! Good luck, Stick!)

We drove to Champaign on Saturday to do a photo shoot with Pam and Chris. We walked around the U of I campus and went to this really cool Japanese Garden (good idea, Chris!). I definitely have to go back to that in the summer. We always have such a good time with Pam and Chris. This time to commemorate the get-together we did a group picture. I've had these fake mustaches for awhile and have been dying to try them out. We all convinced Pam to do it and I even got everyone to scowl for the picture. So much random fun on Saturday.

Yesterday was church, engagement pictures, a little shopping to pick up random stuff we needed, and then some serious napping. I definitely would drive 300 miles every weekend if they were all like this one!

Labels: the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 7:45 AM 4 comments |

driving and photo shoots

Monday, October 22, 2007

Josh and I had such a good time at Jess and Tommy's. Bebo...not so much. We haven't road tripped with him in awhile so I think he just didn't understand what was going on. He cried off and on the whole way there. He was very out of sorts for the 24 hours we were there. Honestly I think he missed home. He walked around like he was looking for something. Maybe the arm of our couch, his toys or his favorite chair? When we got home on Saturday night, he practically fell over on the living room floor...like, "thank goodness, I'm home".

I had a blast doing the Jess and Tommy photo shoot. It's great taking pictures of your friends because you can just keep going to different places. We took pictures at an old ice factory (totally trespassing!), the high school, a wildlife preserve, Jess's grandparents, Jess and Tommy's backyard, the neighbor's pond. I also got to take a few pictures of Jess's niece, Clara.

It was a fun little trip!

Labels: the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 7:04 AM 0 comments |

hoping for blue skies this weekend

Friday, October 19, 2007

Josh and I are headed down to see Jess and her husband Tommy this weekend. Jess booked Knight Light months ago to do some pictures of them. I'm really looking forward to doing it because I can ask them to do all of the crazy things and not worry they'll think I'm nuts. Well, they may still think I'm nuts but I know we'll still be friends! I'm taking them out first thing tomorrow morning and I'm hoping to get a lot of fun stuff. I can't wait!

Labels: the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 7:55 AM 1 comments |

day change

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

It's funny how quickly the mood of your day can change. Yesterday I was having the worst day. I wanted to curl up in bed and cocoon myself in. I had dinner plans with a very good friend and my whole day turned around. I laughed hard, talked a lot, shopped a little, and felt a whole lot better.

You never know what might change your day...

Labels: the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 8:07 AM 1 comments |

hey jude

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

I got to see one of my favorite babies last night. Jude! I met up with Emily and Jude for what was supposed to be coffee but turned into ice cream. (Our coffee place closed at 5:00! Who does that???) After a little supper, he was happy to just lay there and smile at us. Although he got a little concerned towards the end. He is so adorable!

Labels: the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 7:00 AM 2 comments |

the only time I ever seriously considered crashing a wedding

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

My best friend found out that she was not invited to a good friend's wedding this coming Friday. This good friend also happens to an ex of hers but was a friend before and after. So my question is, how could we show up in another state (looking smokin' hot) at a wedding we weren't invited to without looking like stalkers? We could just say we're venture capitalists or maybe that we have an emerging maple syrup conglomerate.

Labels: the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 7:43 AM 2 comments |

guarding the beads

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

After Jess and I had checked into our hotel room in Milwaukee on Friday night we decided to walk down to the convention center. We were anxious to get a peek at the bead show and see what it was all about. We checked things out for a bit and then headed back down to the lobby. Coming into the lobby I noticed a security guard in the corner keeping watch. As we walked past him I smiled at him but he didn't seem very friendly and didn't smile back.

The next morning Jess and I were talking and she mentioned the security guard. She thought it was weird how they had a fake guy in the lobby. Um, he wasn't fake! I couldn't believe that she thought he was fake and told her that he was real. She asked why he was behind a little rope thing and I told her I figured that's just where he was standing. Jess finally agreed that he was a real person.

We headed down to the bead show and a couple entered the lobby just ahead of us. They walked right up to the security guard in the lobby and leaned in real close to him. I actually felt embarrassed not only for them but for the security guard. And then I realized that Jess was right...he was fake!

He looked so real! Later in the day while waiting for Jess I sat across from him in the lobby and watched everyone's reaction. People nervously walked close to make sure that he was in fact fake. They should have a little video camera built into him to get the reactions. Of course, then I thought about how I had smiled at him the day before and felt a little miffed that he didn't have the courtesy to at least smile back.

Labels: the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 7:51 AM 1 comments |

that was a lot of beads

Monday, June 11, 2007

Whew, seriously...that was a crazy amount of beads. I have never seen anything like the Bead & Button Show in Milwaukee this past weekend. There was table after table of beads. It all kind of feels like a blur now but we did make it through the whole bead show. Jess and I developed a system and by the end had it down. We would look at every booth but some we wouldn't spend hardly any time at. This way we could spend more time at tables like this one.



I found some awesome ceramic beads by Earthenwood Studio. Jess and I basically just wanted to find unique things that she couldn't get around home. There were some crazy talented beadmakers there too. Some of the glass creations...wow. Like this crab made completely from glass.



I found some really cool pendants made from the tagua nut. It's grown in the Amazon rain forest. By purchasing some of these pendants, we helped support the 35,000 people that harvest this nut.



Jess and I had a lot of fun. It was excellent to take a mini road trip and hang out with my best friend. I took a bunch of pictures and uploaded some to flickr. Hopefully they captured some of the craziness.

Labels: the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 6:55 AM 0 comments |

they grow up so fast

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

I had the chance to meet my friend Sarah and her little guy Denver for ice cream last night. I can't believe how much he's grown! Last summer I shot his one-year pictures. Now he's running around like crazy and talking up a storm. I had to be quick because he did not stay in one place for very long. I'm really looking forward to his two-year pictures this summer. This was just a little preview for this summer.

Labels: the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 6:49 AM 1 comments |

emily & jude

Thursday, May 10, 2007

A few weeks ago I had the chance to shoot my very first maternity pictures. My very good friend, Emily, is due at the end of May and said that she would love to have me experiment with a maternity shoot.



Emily was pretty much the ideal first maternity shoot. Besides the fact that she's beautiful, she was so willing to try anything. I walked her around the house and we tried different positions everywhere.



It was kind of surreal to see her with that little baby belly. (Other than the bump in front, you'd never know she was pregnant!) Emily and I used to say that we were going to marry best friends, have houses right next to each other and our kids would be friends. As I grew up I knew that the chances of that were slim, but I still always kind of thought that we'd be pregnant at the same time. It didn't cross my mind that our kids wouldn't be the same age.

I am so happy for her and her husband, Abe. I know that they'll be great parents to little Jude. And if they ever need a good babysitter, they know who to call...

Labels: knight light, the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 7:38 AM 4 comments |

aggie

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

I met up with Jess yesterday for supper and she brought me this little camera. It's my first antique camera to start my collection. It's a Agfa Isoflash-Rapid C, which was manufactured around 1966 in Germany. Of course I didn't know all of that just by looking at it. Josh googled it for me. The really crazy cool thing about it is that there is used film in it. We are so going to try and get it developed. Oh and Josh named it Aggie.

Speaking of Jess and cameras, Jess got a Nikon D40 after careful counsel from the Knight's. She's snapping away like crazy and my little protege is even testing out the waters using Aperture Priority. [tear] I'm so proud. Check out her photostream on flickr.

Labels: kodachrome, the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 8:05 AM 2 comments |

pammiecakes & chris

Thursday, March 22, 2007

This past Sunday Josh and I had over our friends Chris and Pam, also known as Pammiecakes. The weather was absolutely gorgeous so Josh and I suggested we do a mini photoshoot. Luckily Pam and Chris are very easygoing so they agreed. Yesterday I mailed off a cd of 30 pictures for them. I was really happy with how they turned out. It was so much fun and totally random! Josh said that we are so "those friends" who can take pictures. I love being "those friends"!

Labels: the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 8:25 AM 2 comments |

day at the spa

Monday, January 15, 2007

Jess's husband, Tommy, called me a month and a half ago wanting some help with a Christmas present for Jess. He wanted to get her a gift certificate to "one of those places that does your nails and stuff". I did some research and found a spa in Springfield that does just that. Tommy wanted me to surprise Jess and meet her there. In his words, "you should be there since you're pretty much her favorite person". So we worked with Jess's mom and planned the whole thing.



I got there early on Saturday and hid in the nail room. I was so excited peeking out the window waiting for Jess. Jess was so surprised when I walked around the corner. All of the ladies that worked there were so excited too. We both got manicures, pedicures and facials.



I've never had a facial before so I wasn't sure what to expect. Towards the end of the facial, I got a mask and then hot towels laid over my face. I was left in the little room to relax for awhile with the towels. I realized that I have a hard time just relaxing...just sitting.

Here is a little bit of what went on in my mind for those 10 minutes.

So these towels are pretty warm.
I hope my hair isn't getting wet.
I can't believe we actually surprised Jess.
I wonder what kind of stuff is on my face right now.
I wonder what it looks like.
Maybe I could peek in the mirror.
Probably not without messing up the towels.
Then the lady would know that I moved them.
I should try to stop thinking.
I hope my mascara isn't smeared all over my face.
I liked when she used the paint brushes to apply the goop.
Wonder how Jess's manicure is going.
Man, those other ladies are really loud.
I haven't listened to this Norah Jones cd in forever.
Jess said that Enya was next. I'm not really fan...I'm sure it'll be relaxing.
Relaxing...I think that's what I'm supposed to be doing.
I really hope my hair isn't going to look all nasty after this.
I need to stop worrying about my stupid hair.
My stomach is growling really loud.
I wish my teeth didn't hurt.
I wonder if my mom would be too claustrophobic to do this.
It's not too bad because I can move the towels.
Geez, I've got to stop messing with these towels.
The lady said I had nice eyelashes. Huh.
Stop thinking. Relax.
I wonder if I should wear my flip flops for the rest of the afternoon.
I don't want to ruin my pedicure.
The manicurist was really nice. I wish I had an art studio like she has.
I wonder how long I've been in here.
After this is done I'll check my face for running mascara.
I'm glad the weather wasn't so bad I couldn't come.
Hmm...I'm really hungry.
I wonder what Josh is doing. I hope he's feeling better.
I hope I don't get his cold.
Stop thinking. Enjoy the warm towels and relaxing music.
The towels aren't really that warm anymore though.
Maybe I can feel underneath the headwrap thing to see if my hair is getting gross.
Nope, can't do it without messing up the towels.
Oh well, who do I have to impress?
I cannot find a comfortable spot for my feet.
Okay, I'm totally going to stop thinking and relax now.



Jess and I had a really good time. I'm sure we looked silly walking around Springfield's mall in flip flops but at least our feet looked really cute. I told Jess that we should make it a yearly thing although I don't know that I'll get a facial next time. I'm just too...um, easily distracted.

Labels: about me, the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 7:36 AM 2 comments |

stick of bubblegum

Thursday, October 05, 2006

Last night I dyed my friend Chrystal's hair pink. I've never dyed anyone's hair pink before. I was a little nervous because first we had to bleach it since her hair is brown. There are a couple pictures on flickr, including an embarrassing one of me. I think the hair dying fumes went to my head.

The process took all evening but in the end it turned out crazy cool. I think I may have missed my calling as a beautician.

Labels: the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 8:17 AM 0 comments |

going country

Monday, September 25, 2006

That's my friend, Nicole, and I...at a country bar. Saturday night I went along with Nicole to hear the band Trent Willmon. Anyone who knows me even a little bit knows that I'm not a fan of country music (to put it lightly). I did go through a phase for about 6 months in high school but I eventually snapped out it.

Walking into the bar, I felt immediately out of place. Dangit, I had forgotten to wear my cowboy hat and confederate flag t-shirt. Nicole and I found a place to stand by a counter. Within 20 minutes of being there a very drunk man came by and gave us a hug. An opening band that I assume was local played a lot of cover songs (although they were all new to me). We met a bachelor party that was making a pit stop until they hit the strip club. One of the guys from that group was busy smacking girls' butts as they walked by him. Of course that particular drunk guy wanted to ask me to dance when I slow song came on. I was never so happy to tell him I was married.



Here is a video clip that I shot with my camera to prove I was there. Unfortunately when I turned the camera around it's too dark to see me. Oh well.

All in all it wasn't too bad. I do think I heard enough country music to last me at least five years. But I got to hear some really crappy pickup lines and hang out with my good friend...it could have been worse.

Labels: about me, music, the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 8:15 AM 1 comments |

i wish everyday were saturday

Monday, August 28, 2006

Josh and I hung out with our friends Brett and Jen on Saturday. They even came over to a Cruise-In with us. We somehow got stuck at the registration table for THREE AND A HALF HOURS. Luckily Josh's sister, Jill, came to rescue us. It actually wasn't really a bad time. We visited and got free food.

Yesterday was pretty much the laziest day ever. Josh and I got ready for church and then just didn't go. Weirdest thing. We were both ready to go but Josh started flipping through his Bicycling magazine. I laid down on the big pillow. Once we realized what time it was, it was too late for the early service. By then we just didn't even feel like going...so we changed out of church clothes and laid around the rest of the day. Seriously I spent practically the whole day on the bean bag. The cool thing is that I didn't feel bad about it one bit. I also read the book, The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Sometimes you just need a day like that...

Labels: the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 8:20 AM 0 comments |

inspiration

Thursday, August 17, 2006

I don't know if it was the double shot of espresso in my latte or the time I spent with my friend Emily but I drove home tonight feeling so inspired. We talked a lot about photography and I just really feel like I'm supposed to develop my couples portfolio. We talked about me doing some pictures of Emily and her husband. I just feel like I have loads of ideas for cool couples shots. So I drove home talking a mile a minute to Josh on my cell phone. I decided that I'm going to do as many pictures of couples I know to expand that portion of my portfolio. I already have some specific ideas for my brother and his girlfriend and they don't even know that they're going to be models for me. I want to take pictures by old buildings, in alleys, by brick walls...my list could go on and on...

I have been addicted to this song by Hellogoodbye called "Oh, It is Love". I think that has inspired me as well. Anyway, I'm excited to start on this. I think I could just keep rambling about this. This is me hopped up on caffiene, feeling really tired but very I.N.S.P.I.R.E.D. It's a good feeling. More to come...

Labels: inspiration, knight light, music, the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 9:02 PM 7 comments |

love without restrictions

Friday, August 11, 2006

Last year I got a chance to get to know a friend of Josh's from school. Brett isn't like anyone I've ever met. He is more okay with being himself than anyone I've ever been around and he doesn't apologize for it. It's hard not to like to be around him. He has a million friends because he's just so crazy and likeable. I think the thing that balances his craziness is that he's super intelligent, a writer and enjoys philosophical ideas as much as Josh.

Josh and I got a chance to talk to him the other day since he's home from France (where he spent most of his summer) and done working at a camp for kids with AIDS. We talked about hanging out again this semester and Josh and I are both looking forward to it. I sent him a message after we chatted to say that it was great to talk to him, I've missed him this summer and can't wait to see him.

Brett wrote this back: "I miss you terribly. I find that I try to surround myself with empathetic persons who love and love and love without restrictions. Thank God for you and your husband. As the world spins faster and faster, velocity out of control or bondage, you keep me connected to a reality I could not stay glued to alone."

I kind of think that might be one of the best compliments I've ever received.

Labels: the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 8:29 AM 0 comments |

first meeting

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Today I met my very first Internet friend, Pam, in "real life". We met for coffee in Champaign. It is the weirdest thing to get to know someone purely online and then finally meet them. I was so excited to really place a face and voice to Pam. I felt a little nervous like I was set up on a blind date except that I really already knew the person.

Pam was so sweet...very soft-spoken and nice. Her voice totally fits her and of course I felt like such a loud mouth. We chatted for almost two hours and I think we could have just kept right on talking for another two. We've already set up another "date" but we're going to include our husbands next time. I am already looking forward to that and so glad that we were finally able to meet. Thanks for meeting up with me, Pam...I had a great time!

Labels: coffee talk, the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 7:52 PM 4 comments |

anniversary gift

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

I met up with my very good friend Nicole tonight. She of course, was the first to give Josh and I an anniversary card and gift! Nicole is such a sweetheart and never forgets your birthday, anniversary...that sort of thing. She got us this awesome mocha mix that I love called "Mighty Minty! Mocha". It really is like a peppermint patty in a coffee mug. Thanks, Nicole.

In other news, I got a custom made stamp with my business logo! It is so cool. Now if I make a card or something I can stamp the back with my stamper. All I had to do was upload a tif file of my logo. You can check the company out here.



The baby onesie I ordered my sister-in-law also came in the mail the other day. She's having another shower and even though I'm not supposed to bring a gift, I couldn't resist this. Afterall...I am the cool aunt.

Labels: knight light, the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 8:30 PM 1 comments |

something

Thursday, June 15, 2006

So I have some pretty great friends. After my post yesterday I got emails that were so encouraging and caring. They reminded me of how lucky I am to have an awesome husband, great friends and family...

Basically today I've been telling myself to snap out of it. I'm so blessed. So I need to get off my mopey ass (sorry Ma) and do something.

But what is that something???

Labels: about me, deep thoughts, the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 1:32 PM 1 comments |

the weekend is finally here

Friday, May 19, 2006

My new website seems to be going over pretty well. My mom is passing the site around to her friends from work so who knows what might come of it. I started to panic a little yesterday because I still have to figure out tax stuff and how that all works. I'm hoping to talk to the local attorney soon. Maybe he can give me some free advice... If this business thing takes off, I want to be sure I'm getting a good start!

I'm so glad that it's Friday. I hope to spend a lot of time adjusting Jess & Tommy's wedding pictures this weekend. They're going to be back from their honeymoon this weekend and I know anxious to see the shots we got. Other than that I really don't have anything scheduled for the weekend which is a first in quite awhile.

Have a great weekend.

Labels: knight light, kodachrome, the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 8:06 AM 2 comments |

wedding vids

Monday, May 15, 2006

Talked to Jess this afternoon. They had just gotten on the cruise ship. She said, "Yeah, I'm just sitting by the window looking out over the ocean, eating lunch and MY HUSBAND is getting me a drink." It made me happy for them. So tonight I thought I'd look over their wedding video. Here are a couple clips from Jess & Tommy's wedding video.

This one is pre-wedding. You'll see Jess looking totally chill...I'm looking um, not. Also the crazy little junior bridesmaids...


This is their first moments of husband and wife. Watch to the end for nice little clip of my hubby.


This is just after the ceremony...it shows just how extremely dorky my husband and I are...

Labels: about me, all you need is love, the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 7:32 PM 4 comments |

the moxeys

Sunday, May 14, 2006

Whew, what a weekend! Jess is officially a wife...Mrs. Moxey! I got down there on Thursday night and we started decorating the church. Jess's little cousins (3rd, 4th, & 5th grade) helped along with her aunt, sister-in-law and mom. Those little girls were a huge help and they kept us entertained. We got quite a lot accomplished but still needed to finish up on Friday morning. There was a whole lot of running here and there and doing wedding related things.

Friday night was the rehearsal. Nicole picked up Josh so they got there just in time for the rehearsal. We ran through the program and ironed everything out, then headed for dinner at Jess's folks. It was fun to hang out with the whole wedding party and the rest of the family. After dinner, Josh and I ran to IGA to get lunch food for Saturday. Then we just hung out with Jess, chilling on the Eve of her wedding!!!

Jess said she woke up at 6:30 on Saturday which is to be expected. We headed for our hair appointments. The morning zoomed by...honestly I'm not really sure what we did. Once we were at the church and the rest of the wedding party got there, we wrapped up the loose ends. I was so thankful that my husband was there with me. Josh was all over the place helping where he was needed. He got put in charge of the music and sound system in the gym. At one point I was called into the gym to do a mic check. All of the groomsmen and ushers were taking full advantage of the amp. Suddenly I was surrounded and got serenaded with "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling". I was especially bright red because my husband was watching the whole thing from a few feet away. Once the photographer arrived we started pictures. She decided to drive down the road a few blocks so we piled into cars. Unfortunately we weren't really prepared for the COLD. I'd say it was high FORTY'S. Oh my goodness, I was freezing. I mean, it was totally worth it for the pictures...but dang it was cold.



The photographer was all about Josh and I taking pictures too so she encouraged Josh to get up there to take shots. At one point she even asked Josh what settings he was using!! Josh did awesome taking pictures and really got some great shots. We headed back to the church just before guests started arriving. Us girls were hidden away in a room, all feeling a little anxious. The ceremony went smoothly and everything went as planned. I was a little disappointed because the pastor didn't really even do a little sermonette. Probably a good thing though because I only got choked up once. Soon Jess and Tommy were pronounced husband and wife!

The reception was right there at the church which was nice. We headed to the gym and the food was served right away to the bridal party. Jess and I realized that we didn't have anyone to dismiss tables so I hunted down Josh. Seriously, he stepped up. I started getting nervous about doing my matron of honor speech but I had practiced a ton. I was actually feeling really confident because I hadn't cried during the wedding and felt good about the speech. Well of course, once I got to the part in my speech about Jess being the best friend you could ever have, I had to stop for a second. I was doing great and then looked down at Jess. She was looking up at me with those blue eyes and this nice smile and I started to cry. Everyone started clapping because they just thought I was done so I had to say, "Wait, I'm not done!". My parents said it sounded good though but I was glad when it was over.

We visited with people and it seemed like everyone was having a good time. Jess's cousins were my shadow for the weekend which I loved. They all had little crushes on Josh because "he's cute". I was even informed that they were going to go on a date with him and also marry him. Towards the end of the evening Josh and I shaving creamed Jess and Tommy's truck. We videotaped the whole thing which was hilarious. Did I mention that Josh was the videographer? I checked out what he had taped on the way home and had to laugh because it's like the "Josh and Kimberly Show". Funny stuff on there though. Once the guests had pretty much left, Josh and I decided that we needed to head for home. Of course I felt bad for not helping to tear down but it seemed like they had enough help.

The weekend was exhausting but good. Honestly I was more stressed this weekend then I ever was for my wedding! Ha, I think that comes with being the matron of honor. Jess looked absolutely gorgeous. I have looked through all 514 of our pictures a bunch already and was so pleased with them all. I have uploaded 36 of them that I color corrected and adjusted to flickr.

I talked to Jess earlier this evening. Their flight to Florida leaves early tomorrow morning so they were just hanging out at their hotel. I'm sure they'll have an awesome time on their cruise as husband and wife. How exciting.

I was so glad to be a part of their day!

Labels: knight light, the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 11:48 PM 4 comments |

headed out soon

Thursday, May 11, 2006

So excited that I'm leaving work at noon today. Headed down to Jess's to get busy on my matron of honor duties...

Hope everyone has a great weekend. You can bet there will be pictures on Monday!!

Labels: about me, the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 8:32 AM 3 comments |

busy, busy

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

I was a busy little bee last night. Although I was a grump, Josh ran into town with me to pick up some things we needed. (For one, video tapes to tape Jess's wedding!) We got home and I worked on some graduation party postcards I'm doing. I finally got them to print right... [side note: I seriously am a perfectionist.]

So while those were printing Josh and I worked on our OUT OF CONTROL cd collection. I don't know how it happens ... actually I do know how it happens... We don't put cds back in the binders for like six months. I really need to do some revamping to get the new ones alphabetized but for now they're semi-organized. After the cds were organized, we went through and pulled out music for Jess's wedding reception. I volunteered to make some playlists of music for the dinner time. I love doing that stuff. The only problem is getting it done before I leave tomorrow!

Luckily I finished all of the wedding programs on Monday night. Whew. I talked to Jess last night and she was saying how she did pretty much nothing all evening! She played in make-up with a Mary Kay lady and chilled out. She says, "So basically you're saying that you were more productive than the bride". Um, yeah but that's the way it should be just a few days before the wedding!

Labels: music, the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 7:58 AM 1 comments |

tennis

Monday, April 24, 2006

Before Saturday morning I had never been to a tennis match. Our friend, Brett, plays tennis for Eureka so we headed out to see one of his games. Honestly for the first 2 1/2 hours I was completely confused about the whole scoring thing...30-love, 2 to 5.... What??? The last half hour Josh and I went and sat right by the court that Brett was playing on. I could hear the guys saying the score so I started to catch on. I would even start to tell Josh the score before the guys said it.

The weird thing about tennis is that I felt like we couldn't really cheer. Tennis is one of those sports that you "golf clap" at, isn't it? Oh well, I still cheered for Brett. And we got some cool pictures of him playing. Plus he won...Go, Brett!

Labels: the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 8:25 AM 2 comments |

bm

Friday, April 21, 2006

I'm picking up my bridesmaid dress this weekend from Jess. I am completely paranoid that it's not going to fit. It just sucks to not really try on the real dress when you pick it out. My fingers are crossed so tightly. If it doesn't fit...I'm going to have to quote Never Been Kissed: "Alright girls, nothing but water and ex-lax until prom".

The picture is of Jess giving the maid of honor toast at my wedding. It must have been funny...honestly I can't really remember it. I wish it had been videotaped. I still have to work on my maid of honor toast. Let's just hope I don't cry through the whole thing and I obviously have to be funny. Oh, the pressure of being a bridesmaid!

Labels: the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 8:20 AM 4 comments |

jess's shower

Monday, April 03, 2006

This Saturday was Jess's bridal shower. I think it was a very nice shower. I had enough favors, enough food...those are the important things! Nicole was a huge help with setting up and making sure food was out. Jess got a ton of great gifts so that was exciting! The only bad thing was that the room we were in was pretty much the worst lighting possible. I kept alternating between flash and no flash because I couldn't decide which was better. Ugh. It was terrible and my pictures show it. But...you can view all the pictures at flickr.

Afterwards we ate pizza and watched Must Love Dogs (which is an excellent movie). I addressed all of Jess's thank you notes for her and finished up the wire centerpiece thingys. I had to feel productive because I'm not sure if I'll be back down again before the wedding except to pick up my dress. Only forty more days! I still kind of can't believe that my little Jess is getting married.

It was good to get home yesterday. My boys missed me which was nice. I enjoyed a two hour nap on my wonderful bed which felt especially great after sleeping on the floor. Last night I sat down at the computer to work on the shower pictures and Josh plopped down on our bed. I opened up Photoshop and got to work. After a couple pictures he said, "So are you going to go through all the pictures right now and edit them?" I said, "Yeah, I kind of planned on it". I looked over at him and he yells, "ALRIGHT, I'LL JUST SAY IT...I'M STARVED FOR YOUR ATTENTION!" Of course I left the computer immediately. Gosh, I love that man.

It was a good weekend.

Labels: the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 8:07 AM 2 comments |

friendship

Friday, March 31, 2006

Labels: the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 7:53 AM 2 comments |

i can pretend to be 12

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

After the shower on Saturday us girls are staying to do a little bachelorette party for Jess. (Those are the invitations I made for the party. They're supposed to look like sleeping bags.)

We're totally going to stay up late, watch chick flicks, eat junk food... I can't wait. Should be a good time. Maybe we should play Truth or Dare if it's really going to be like those junior high sleepovers.

Labels: the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 7:59 AM 5 comments |

sydney

Monday, March 20, 2006

See more pictures of Sydney at flickr.

Is this not one of the cutest babies you've ever seen? Her dad is a good friend from college. He was the one that pulled my butt through 3 semesters of COBOL and other various programming classes. If it wasn't for him I surely would have dropped out of school.

Him and his wife had this little sweetheart in October and I hadn't got a chance to meet her yet. We meet them for supper on Saturday and had such a good time visiting. Sydney Jayne is so completely precious. Her eyes were that wide, taking everything in for the two hours we sat in the restaurant. She didn't cry once. She smiled and cooed pretty much the whole time.

At one point I was holding her (okay, I pretty much held her the whole time) and a lady came up to see her. She asked how old she was and I told her 4 1/2 months. She complimented her and then asked if she was my first. For a split second I considered lying and claiming her as my own but decided that Brandon and Melinda wouldn't like that. So I told her that she was her first and pointed to Melinda. Darnit.

I had hoped that it would give me my baby fix and I would feel satisfied for a while longer. (Good grief, I sound like a coke addict.) Yeah, not so much. Josh and I pretty much talked about when we could have a baby the whole way home. But I feel good about what we talked about and know that we won't do anything before we're ready.

It was a great Saturday supper. Hopefully I won't have to go 4 1/2 months before seeing that little girl again!

Labels: the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 8:00 AM 4 comments |

Wedding Stuff

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

I have been busy already this morning. I have pretty much finalized Jess's wedding invitations. I don't think she'll mind if I give a little preview. I absolutely love how they turned out. They will definitely give you a feel for her spring wedding.

I still can't believe that it's March 1st. I've been working on plans for Jess's shower which is on April 1st. Yikes, I only have a month!? How did that happen? I guess I've got to get busy.

Our bridesmaid dresses finally got ordered. The delivery date...May 23rd. Hmmm....don't think I'll need the dress TEN DAYS AFTER THE WEDDING! Luckily the bridal store lady went ahead and put a rush on them but it's still cutting it close. Gosh, that makes me nervous. Jess, on the other hand, is so laid back about it. It's funny how different we are about things. I've been the one keeping her on a schedule about her wedding stuff! HA! But that's no surprise to either of us... I think when she called to tell me she was engaged, she said, "So you're going to help me and keep me on track, right?"

Gotta love her. I'm so lucky that I've been able to help her with the wedding.

Labels: the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 8:51 AM 1 comments |

Little Denver

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Last night I met my friend Sarah and her main man, Denver. That little guy is just so completely adorable. He's got the chubbiest little cheeks and all he did was smile at me. When they were leaving Sarah put him in his car seat and I crawled in the back to say good-bye. I told him to be a good boy for mommy and he laughed. He laughed the cutest little baby laugh. When the weather gets warmer Sarah and I are going to take Denver to a park or something so I can take some pictures of him. I can't wait. He's one of my favorite little models.

Labels: the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 7:52 AM 0 comments |

Old friends

Thursday, January 19, 2006

I ran into an old high school friend last night. We spent A LOT of time together my Senior year of high school. I went to college and she was still in high school so we pretty much lost touch. I've seen her occasionally but haven't actually talked to her in forever. We started reminiscing about "old times". I remember thinking in high school that we did crazy, crazy stuff. (Like dancing in the parking lot of the Apostolic Church late at night.) Looking back now, it seems so mild but we really did have a lot of fun. The reason I ran into her was because she was at my church for premarital counseling. I didn't even know that she was getting married. In some ways I feel like she's still 16.

It's weird when you lose touch with people. Sometimes it's accidental and you don't see it coming...other times it's for the best... I truly believe that people come in and out of our lives for a reason. Sometimes you needed that person for that moment in your life. I'm glad that I ran into her and was able to chat last night. It's been quite a few years since I graduated high school. A lot has changed for us both... I think that I might just email her.

Labels: the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 8:03 AM 1 comments |

Why I Love Jess

Friday, December 02, 2005

When I met Jess my freshmen year of college we were standing in the hallway at the dorm. Our friend Liz introduced us and I thought, "What a cute tiny little girl". The next day we were best friends. No joke. It was like just one of those weird things. I usually can't remember a time where I wasn't friends with Jess. Sometimes she'll be talking about something that happened to her during high school and then she says, "Oh yeah, you weren't there...I always forget".

We've seen each other through breakups, unrequited love, meeting our future spouses... I remember being so nervous to introduce Jess to Josh for the first time. I mean, she HAD to approve. Josh told me later that he was incredibly nervous as well because he knew he would be under careful inspection.

Most of all the girl makes me laugh. She always has some random story to tell me that I get a chuckle out of. And she can make me laugh through tears, which like Dolly Parton said in Steel Magnolias..."that's the best emotion".

She sends me random emails like this one yesterday: "Picture this. I pull up to work this morning. Clean pants, hair just done, white cashmere gloves on. I put one foot out of the door and next thing I know I am half in the car and half out. Yep, I slipped. Now I have mussed hair, dirty/wet pantleg, dirty white gloves. I promptly pick myself up hoping that my co-workers did not see. What a way to start the day!!!"

Jess, thanks for being such a good friend. You've definitely set my standard high for what I look for in a friend and helped me to be a better friend. Thanks for always being there for me. I love you!

Labels: the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 7:56 AM 1 comments |

Harry Potter

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

(Picture from MSN)

Last Friday, on Opening Night, Josh and I went to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. We had got tickets a few days before because we knew it would sell out quickly. We got there about half an hour before the movie started and there were signs posted that it was sold out. The line just to get into the theater wrapped all the way around the inside. It was nuts! The line had completely circled back to the entrance. As we're standing in line with a couple hundred other people a couple walked through. The lady says to the movie theater guy, "Is this line ALL for Harry Potter?" The guy says yes. She responds, "I would never pay money to see that movie!" Well, lady obviously you're in the minority.



Our friend Brett was there with a few of his friends. He was one of the people dressed up. He's Harry, complete with invisibility cloak. There was a guy dressed like a dementor too which kind of freaked me out.

The movie was awesome. Definitely the darkest of all the Harry Potter movies... Very intense. The action started right away and didn't let up. I thought they did such a good job of translating the book into the movie. This was also the first of the movies that you see Lord Voldemort. He was scary but not cheesy...definitely evil. I was completely sucked into the movie. Two thumbs up. The thing is that it's definitely not a movie for little kids. It's rated PG13 for a reason.

Apparently I wasn't the only one to see it this weekend.

Labels: the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 8:01 AM 1 comments |

Time Warp and a short week

Monday, November 21, 2005

This weekend my friend, Liz, came up on Saturday so that she could speak to my church on Sunday. Liz spent three years in Bolivia and is working to go back in April. We went to Eastern together but after she graduated in Dec of 2000, we lost touch. Up until Saturday I hadn't seen her in over four years! The funny thing is that she hasn't changed a bit. My friends, Jess and Nicole, came as well and I totally felt like I was back in college. Weirdest feeling! I was sitting in my apartment with my husband but I felt like I had time warped. Pretty crazy.

Liz talked to a small group after Sunday School yesterday about her time in Bolivia. It was amazing to see her passion for kids and desire to go back. I was sorry that a bigger group didn't stay to hear her speak but I was glad to hear her.

Now it's back to work today but I've decided to take Friday off so that means SHORT WEEK! Woohoo. I can't believe it's Thanksgiving this week. I started Christmas decorating on Friday. I was bored while waiting for Josh to get home from work so I thought, 'what the heck'. We haven't put our tree up though. I just love Christmas.

Labels: the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 8:05 AM 2 comments |

Internet Friends

Friday, November 18, 2005

Okay folks, in case you didn't catch it...today is Friday! I am so glad. I didn't even mind going to work this morning which is amazing! Tonight Josh and I are going to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. We even went and got advance tickets so it's not sold out by the time we get there. Today on the way to work a radio station was playing a clip from the movie and I sat in my car to hear all of it. Its been awhile seen I've seen a movie in the theater so I'm stoked about that as well.

Completely unrelated... So I have Internet friends. That's what I call the people that I email, read about their lives, chat with but HAVE NEVER MET. Pam and Sondra have decided to send out Christmas cards to their Internet friends and I think it's a great idea. Yeah, there's whole sending your address to someone you don't know but big deal... A week or so ago I was getting my addresses together to figure out how many Christmas cards I need. I thought how I would love to send one to my Internet friends. So I've decided to jump on the bandwagon. Email me your address and I'll send you a Christmas card.

It is kind of weird to have friends that you've never actually met. Pam sent Josh and I an ice cream scoop for a wedding gift. I was so completely excited and yet felt awkward about telling people it was from my "Internet friend". So when someone asks who Sondra or Pam is when I get their Christmas cards, I'll use Pam's advice and just say, "My amazingly cool friends...we go way back".

One more thing: I did some site maintenance and clean-up yesterday so if you notice something weird or a link missing, be sure to let me know. Thanks!

Labels: the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 8:14 AM 1 comments |

My Weekend with Jess

Monday, October 31, 2005

Headed down to my best friend, Jess's this weekend. I haven't seen her since the wedding so I was really excited. We normally don't go four months between seeing each other so it felt like a really long time!

Meet her dog, Barbie. She's a bumblebee for Halloween.


Here's Jess flying. Maybe this picture is only funny to us but after I took it I said, "This is so going on my blog, you realize that?"


We had a great time hanging out plus we got to go wedding dress shopping for her. Saturday morning we set out with her mom and one of the other bridesmaids. We drove over 200 miles on Saturday! The first place we went was a really small store and we couldn't take pictures. I think that's so annoying. Like we're really going to take a picture of the dress so we can replicate it! We did find a possible bridesmaid dress there.



The next bridal shop was so nice. They have actual rooms to change in. It was so nice for all of us to be able to be in there, have a place to sit... Plus they let us take pictures.

This one was a total princess dress that Jess tried on. Seriously, beautiful.


Okay, I can't decide if she looks like a Barbie or a beauty pageant queen. This one was for fun.


I think she decided on a dress which was super exciting. I'm so glad that I was able to be there for it. Our weekend was complete with a late night trip to Walmart where we stood in the Purses for 30 minutes talking ourselves out of buying one. Oh yeah, and I almost forgot...Jess and I exchanged birthday presents and guess what she got me? MY GREEN TRENCH COAT! Needless to say, I was a little excited...okay, okay...I was a lot excited. The funny thing is that my parents ordered it to give to me for Christmas and then Jess asked them about giving it to me for my birthday. So my dad taped up my coat in a box and I brought it down with me...completely not knowing what was in the box. What a great surprise!

Jess, thanks for a great weekend and thanks for the coat!

Labels: the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 8:30 AM 3 comments |

Adorable.

Thursday, September 29, 2005

I'm all hopped up on caffeine because I went to Starbuck's so I thought I would post tonight rather than in the morning. I met my good friend, Sarah, at the mall this evening so I could meet her new little guy. Denver is his name and he is so sweet. I couldn't stop taking pictures of him. But just look at him... who could resist that face???





It was so great to meet him and see Sarah. (Sarah, I'll send you a CD with the pictures on it. There are a lot of good ones!)

I swung through Target for some boring but necessary items like deodorant. I stopped at the clothes section to drool over my green jacket and guess what? They didn't have it! Honestly I was just going to try it on and look in the mirror at it's green goodness. So disappointing. Mom, I guess you will have to buy it online. ::wink, wink:: I checked out the shoes and tried on a cute pair of clogs, perused the picture frames and home furnishings. All the while reminding myself that we're broke. I did splurge and get these adorable little thank you notes. Because you can never have enough... They're an awesome shade of lime green and have a little outline of a leaf on the front. I had to get out of Target quick because I wanted to spend money I didn't have.

Labels: the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 9:46 PM 1 comments |

Are you on a 2AM list?

Monday, September 26, 2005

Yesterday at church my pastor had a really good sermon entitled "Being a Best Friend". I took lots of notes so I thought I would share them here. I guess my philosophy is that everyone can be a better friend.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. "

Why are so many people lonely? Why do we have so few close friends? Some reasons: being a friend means sacrificing, taking risks, using energy. We don't open ourselves up because of FEAR or the hectic pace of our life.

But..."When we are a friend to someone, we are being a friend to Jesus." *Whoa, when Jack said this, it really got me thinking!

How to be a friend and why:
1. Be their support and strength. If you do that for others, they will do it for you. To do this though, you must know the needs of others which means building trust. How can you support your friend without knowing their burdens? So many times we get so involved in our own lives and our own storms that we forget to ask our friends about their burdens. It's a good reminder to listen more than we speak!
2. Help a friend when they fall.
3. People need friends during the "cold" times.
4. Defend and stand up for your friends! To do this, you should make a verbal commitment to your friend. Say, "I will stand up for you". And then don't wait to be asked for help. Most people will not ask for it but do actually want it.

We are reminded of the people Jesus befriended...the lepers, the prostitutes. How many times do we avoid socially outcasted people because it makes us uncomfortable? How many times do we avoid situation with our own friends just because it take energy? Living in a cocoon will not help us or make things easier. Instead we will have a more difficult life because we don't have the friend to pick us up in return.

I pride myself on being a good friend and sometimes get frustrated because I feel like I'm the only one making an effort. This sermon was just a good reminder for me to keep up the effort and that I could even do more. It's good to ask yourself: "Am I a good friend? Are there people that would call me if they needed to talk at 2:00am? Do people trust me enough to know that I'll be there for them?"

Labels: deep thoughts, the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 9:01 AM 3 comments |

Wake Me Up When September Ends

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

That's my new favorite Green Day song. I sort of wish that someone could just wake me up when September ends. It's not like there's anything really crazy planned but I feel like I'm anxious for October. My friend Emmy Lou gets married, I'm going to hear my good friend Quincy perform with a singing group and I haven't seen him in 2 years...

Lately I have felt really lonely for my friends. I miss the days of being in college and just walking down the hall to hang out with someone. Now when I want to see one of my friends it's a whole big process of planning a weekend. Jess and I having been trying to plan a weekend to get together since August and it looks like I won't get down there until the last weekend in October. With my brother at school, I pretty much have my parents and Josh. Not that they're not good to hang out with... Josh and I always have a good time when we're together. But a girl needs some girlfriends! Shopping buddies... Someone to call when you want to randomly run to Walmart at 10pm to get some craft supplies.

I guess there's not much I can do about it since I live in a town of 1300 people. I guess I'm hoping to make a new friend sometime soon.

Labels: the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 8:49 AM 4 comments |

My friend, the Internet

Friday, August 12, 2005

Hi, my name is Kimberly and I am an Internet Addict. [Insert group response, "Hi Kimberly".]

Now I'm not one of those chat room addicts or even someone who spends all of their free time on the Internet. I just use the Internet constantly if I don't know something. It's my dictionary, encyclopedia and connection to so many people!

This morning when I got to work I found out that my company's Internet provider (I work for the local telephone company that provides the town with Internet), MCI out of Chicago, had a fire the other night and we were one of 17,000 connections that were down. I honestly didn't know what to do without the Internet. It's not like it is required for my job but quite a few times I would think of something and just automatically click on the Internet. Luckily we finally got service restored.

I cannot imagine my life without the Internet. Josh and I could become even poorer than we are now and we would still have to have DSL. Ha. We would sell our furniture and have to use milk crates but darnit, we'd have the connection to the Internet!

Labels: the one with friends

posted by kimberly, 10:07 AM 2 comments |

Slacker Bridesmaid

Friday, July 29, 2005

You ask someone to be in your wedding and you know that they'll be a great bridesmaid. They're always on time, willing to help, and organized. But suddenly out of nowhere they turn into t