Iowa Winter Weather

Well its officially winter here! When I awoke to 10 inches of new snow I was brutally reminded that we had returned to Iowa. The second wake up was the 2 hours of shoveling the driveway and sidewalks. This is one part of Indianapolis that I miss; I think we used a broom for snow removal down there. Tomorrow there are big plans to finish the holiday shopping and wrapping gifts and hopefully some snow angels will be made. We cannot wait to hear from all of you over this holiday season and hope you are all warm and safe sitting under your Christmas trees.

The Christmas Season

Shane and I will be celebrating our first Christmas as husband and wife this year. So to mark the special occasion, we have set up our first official Christmas tree. Its bigger than the one we have been using (the centerpiece from Emily's wedding) but not quite full size. We have gone with a woodsy/rustic theme to match the living room. All of our ornaments are little critters you would find in woods, specifically owls and porcupines.
This weekend we also got some of our Christmas shopping done so our little tree will soon have lots of presents under it.

Molly & Shane do Cabela's

So we are traitors. Today we traveled the hour or so to Prairie du Chien to go to Cabela's. I have never been there before but the ad looked promising. I got a cute new fleece and Shane got a new safety harness to prevent any deer hunting accidents. We documented the trip with a picture. Sorry Gander...but I crossed the line of retail. But as far as selection goes, I think I'll stick with Gander for clothes!

Shane's Birthday Party

Shane and I have hosted the first official bash at the Kane house. We have gotten everything unpacked, hung, decorated and cleaned. Then it was time to relax and party! We invited our friends and family from around Dubuque, lit a fire in the back yard and ate til we were uncomfortable. I cooked all day and we had brats, dogs, mac-n-cheese, onion barghji's, tzatziki, dips and salsa. the dubuquers were skeptical of the food but jumped in and tried everything. i think we found some new tzatziki fans!!!
There were also lots of babies. They all met and curiously poked at each other. Above is Cole and Brynn figuring out fingers. Wish everyone could have been here but there will be more entertaining events at Kane St house. Shane really loved his b-day gifts. We pitched in to purchase him a new office chair and I found the most wonderful moose head to go on the wall. Shane wasnt too impressed with my hunting skills since the moose head is INFLATABLE!

The Kane House

Well Shane and I have finally unpacked our things and have begun to settle in. We quickly filled this two story, 3 bedroom with a full basement. But none of you are surprised since most of you helped us load it into the UHauls. The house was painted for us before we moved in and we love the neutral tans, and greens. We cannot wait for guests, I have the guest room already set up for whoever wishes to come first.
Shane starts work at his new job today. He will be working second shift for a local metal manufacturing company. He is looking forward to the change and the new coworkers. Molly is keeping busy at NICC. With 7 classes there is a lot to juggle from week to week but she is finding it quite rewarding and the time flies by.
Well enjoy the pictures of the new house and start making plans for a visit....

Iowa or Bust!

Well its official. Cole looks more and more like Michael everyday.

Its also official that Shane and I will be moving back to Dubuque! I am returning on August 13th, with Shane to follow on the 25th! We are currently looking for a house, so if some thing pops up in your neighborhood give us a shout! Until then I am writing like crazy to finish up here in Indianapolis, and packing up 4 years of stuff that we have accumulated. We are coming back to Dubuque because I have accepted a position at NICC teaching Anatomy & Physiology! We are anxiously awaiting our return but keeping busy here in the meantime.

Over the Weekend

Well this past weekend Shane and I planned an Iowa excursion to attend the Brandel's 50th Wedding Anniversary. As always, there was great food, friends, and laughs. It was great to see all the family together in one place and celebrating their lives together. While we were home I got a phone call from NICC for a job interview the following week. Although I was very nervous I think the interview went well and hope to hear from them in the next couple of weeks. Keep your fingers crossed. Since we added a few days to our weekend adventure Zach came down from Madison and the three of us explored the Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium. I will add pictures later of the ginormous fish and the albino alligator. We had a great day and cant wait to get back.

As for the near future, we are still continuing to pack up the Gimber house and move back to Iowa. I have my Master's defense next week and then finishing up with the writing before the big move. I cannot believe how fast my time in Indianapolis has gone, and how much I have left to do before I leave for good.

Reception Highlights

Highlight #3: Bouquet toss was decisively taken by my grandma. She made short work of the competition and I believe she actually got some air time while leaping for the bouquet. Good job Grandma. Garter toss was another story. No one was diving for that one. However after a second attempt my brother, Michael, did manage to snag the prize. On his left Jarrad looks just devastated, but dont worry Jarrad there will be other weddings.


Highlight #2: Air guitars. Yes, the music was loud, the dancing was fast, but the air guitars, they were ON FIRE! Everyone got involved in the air guitar contest, but I will give Buzz first place for not only playing a mean guitar, but also managing to smash the guitar on the ground without breaking a sweat.



Highlight #1: Shane surprised with a lovely seranade of "I wanna grow old with you" from the Wedding Singer. Shane did a wonderful job and make me cry instantly. My brother did not have quite the same reaction, hence the funny look he was shooting us during the song. We will hopefully be able to post some video of this and other reception highlights.

Our Wedding Party

More pictures of our lovely wedding party. I have to say they all clean up pretty good. Thank you to our closest family and friends who were in our wedding party and shared the stress of the day. BUT they also shared the most fun with us, from getting ready in the morning to dancing late into the evening. Let us introduce them:
Jillian Murphy...friend of the bride since gradeschool
Emily Homan...friend of the bride since college
Sarah Schiel...sister of the bride
Dale Brandel...brother of the groom
Todd Priest...friend of the groom since forever
Michael Schiel...brother of the bride

Family Photos

These are just a few of the great moments we captured on film with our families. From large to small we love you all very much and are excited to be joining two great families. Thank you.

Wedding Details

The cake was a marble 3-tier and then covered with peonies to keep up the garden/spring theme. The peonies were also used in the bouquets and the decorations. Peonies were accompanied by ranunculus, asters and hyperculum? (berries). Our initials made the cake table extra special and were hand crafted by our friend Jarrad.

Our Honeymoon

After the wedding we definitely needed time to ourselves and a place to escape to. St. Germain, WI was our destination for the next 5 days. Its still a bit cool up north, and the hot fishing and boating season has yet to hit so we had peace and quiet for the entire week. Shane & I fished morning, noon, and some nights, but most of our time was spent just relaxing and appreciating the undisturbed nature around us. We saw osprey, bald eagles, mallards, and a common loon! Several deer also walked through camp, but no moose or black bear.

Our Wedding Ceremony

Well, the day has finally come (and gone) for Shane and I to get married. We exchanged vows, rings, and kisses on Saturday, May 24th. The ceremony was a quiet affair with only our immediate families present. Dick & Deb Krogman were gracious enough to share their hide-a-way (see picture above) with us for the ceremony. This spot is special to us because it is also where we were engaged Easter Sunday almost 2 years ago. Sarah, Jillian & Emily did a wonderful job as bridesmaids; Michael, Dale & Todd were terrific groomsmen. Special thanks to Kelly for being an "on top of it" personal attendant, I don't think I could have done the day without her. Shane and I really lucked out on the weather, Saturday was a beautiful 70+ degrees with a slight wind.