And a partridge in a pear tree...

Hello everyone! We apologize for the lengthy delay in posting, but 2008 has been quite a busy year. It was nice to spend so much time with family over Thanksgiving & Christmas...you all mean SO much to us!!!

We are finalizing all of our plans for the wedding, which inches closer every day, and that is taking up most of our free time. The invitations are finished and will be mailed out within the next week or so (look for one in your mail box soon)! On top of planning for the biggest day of our lives, we've been raising this little girl:

Daisy came to us as a 'rescue' from Matt's job. She is the sweetest, most ornery little thing we've ever been around. She is definitely preparing us for the REAL 'little ones'! Our only hope is that our real children don't chew on their big brother's (Buddy) face or rip up anything toilet paper/kleenex related...they can leave that job to her. :o)

And as we learned from the movie Marley & Me today (GO SEE IT!!!), a dog is not bad or terrible just because he causes havoc and gets into mischief. A dog gives his love unconditionally no matter what. We are proud to have dogs as part of our family and wouldn't have it any other way!

Perspective

Yesterday, I (Emily) was granted the opportunity to participate in the Meals on Wheels program. Jostens has been part of MOW for several years and gives their employees a chance to volunteer on a rotating basis each month. I wasn't quite sure what to expect going in, but knew that it would be quite an experience.

For those of you who are not familiar with how MOW works, here is a brief explanation. People can sign up for MOW and pay what they can (IF they can) each month to have meals delivered to their home. As for delivering the food: a MOW employee brings several coolers of food & drinks to a central location where volunteers can stop by and pick up their designated carriers and route slips. Each route slip lists the names of the 'customers', their address, and specific directions including "Door will be open, go on in" or "Client is hard of hearing, knock loudly and introduce yourself before entering".

Our first delivery was to Ruby, a gentle, elderly woman who was so happy that we had stopped by to visit her. We talked with her for a few minutes and were then headed out the door when we heard her crying as she was walking back to her recliner. We asked if she was alright, if there was anything we could do, etc. and she said that sometimes she just cries because there are so many things going on in her life. I said a little prayer right then and there that God would lift the burdens from her shoulders and that she could rise above the pain.

The other deliveries were less eventful, but most of the people were just as happy to see us. If the opportunity arises to volunteer for MOW again, I will definitely be signing up. It opened my eyes to see how some of the elderly people in our country are having to live and what they are dealing with on a daily basis. MOW is a great organization and I encourage you to check out the local chapter in your community. It only took us an hour to deliver to 15 meals, so if you have a little bit of time, this would be a great way to donate it. :o)

Little Miss Rough 'n Tumble!

Feed me now?
Originally uploaded by emilyinkansas

We are proud to introduce...Daisy Duke! She is a 3 mo. old Bassett Hound mix. We adopted her from the Helping Hands Humane Society, here in Topeka. She has a sweet disposition, but of course has her naughty little puppy side! She stole a role of toilet paper when Emily was drying her hair in the bathroom this morning...sneaky sneaky! She and Buddy get along GREAT. There are a few things we need to work with her on and of course we will do the usual "sit/stay/lay down" commands with her. She is already getting "sit". Having a big brother that already knows commands really helps!

We will slowly be introducing her to everyone...it's no fun to be overwhelmed all at once. If you'd like to meet her, just let us know!

Pop Goes the Fourth!

Red White and Blue Love
Originally uploaded by emilyinkansas

We had a great 4th of July weekend! We did lunch with Emily's parents and dinner/fireworks with Matt's. David and Tiffany (Matt's brother and sister-in-law) were in town, so we were blessed to be able to spend a little time with them on Friday. It was actually a comfortable temperature this year, which was great since we spent most of the day outside!

We want to thank everyone for the wonderful food and great hospitality. We couldn't ask for better family!

Moving time!

This is our rental house! We begin the daunting task of moving this Friday, with the help of Rachel. We'll start transporting boxes and all of our smaller items, then on Saturday we'll move the BIG stuff. Two of Emily's co-workers will be helping out, plus both sets of parents, so that will make things go that much faster! Rachel will be slowly moving in over the month of July and will 'officially' be part of the roomie crew starting in August.

The house has 3 bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths, an unfinished basement, 3 seasons room (sunroom), den, attic fan, fenced in backyard, 2 car garage, large deck, and fireplace. All of the appliances, second refrigerator, washer/dryer, and lawn mower are being left for us. It is just minutes from Washburn and Matt's new job -- which if you haven't heard, he is the newest Animal Control officer for the city of Topeka! And just to make my dad jealous, we will also be just a few blocks from the famous Bobo's restaurant.

We are SUPER excited to finally get to move into a house (especially one with a backyard for Buddy) and OUT of the apartment. As much as we'll miss some of our neighbors, listening to someone play Rock Band for 2 to 3 hours a night gets a little old after awhile.

We hope to have a house warming barbeque now and the end of the summer and look forward to seeing whoever can make it!

Happiness is...

Katie!
Originally uploaded by emilyinkansas

Matt and I *love* dogs...this one especially. My Border Collie, Katie, has taken up residence at my parents house because they have a large backyard that she can run around in...chasing tennis balls and squirrels. She is one of the most loyal dogs that I've ever met -- the first one to greet you at the door and the last to see you leave! She has her moments in which she earns a swift pat on the butt, but what puppy doesn't? From the moment I laid eyes on her, I knew that she was special and needed a home. (I adopted her from Helping Hands Humane Society, here in Topeka)

David Cook sings 'Dream Big'

American Idol has been one of our favorite shows and this seasons winner, David Cook, was our favorite from the beginning. We were rooting for him the whole way, not only because he was from 'the area' (Blue Springs...close enough!), but he has such a big heart and an UNBELIEVABLE talent.

This was one of the songs that was entered into the AI Song Writers contest. It was not chosen as the song for the finale, but is just as good and inspirational as the winning song, "Time of My Life".

As a side note, the 'A C' on his guitar stands for his brother, Adam Cook, who has a very aggresive form of brain cancer. When David came back to Kansas City for a day, when it was down to the final 3 on the show, all of the t-shirt and ticket sales went to raise money for cancer research.

We pray that David will continue inspiring millions of people with his humble attitude and God-given talent.

Moving Out!

Moving Out!
Originally uploaded by emilyinkansas

Hello there and welcome to Emily and Matt's blog! With all of the changes that are happening in our lives, we just knew that this would be the best way to keep everyone updated. Thanks to Tiffany and David for lending us the inspiration. :o)

We have an official move out date of July 1st, from our apartment -- though we will actually be out the proceeding weekend, with the help of both sets of parents. (Thanks in advance, Steve &
Patty -- Mike & Sharon!)

Also, a big welcome to Rachel (Matt's sister), who will be our new roomie! We look forward to having her join us as she starts her new collegiate journey at Washburn this upcoming fall.

The house that we will be renting, dropped in our lap like a bag of precious gems. The day before we found the listing, Matt and I had compiled wants/needs for what we were looking for in a rental house. It included an attic fan, hardwood floors, washer/dryer, appliances, etc. We didn't set out to be picky and were really just looking for anything at that point that allowed a dog as big as Buddy and 2 cats. We were able to see the house the same weekend that we called about it and it just so happened that I knew the girl who answered the door! We had gone to high school together for a few years -- different grades, but with as small of a school that we went to, it's hard to NOT know everyone.

Let's just say that this house is truly a blessing from God. He granted us everything on our list and then some. I have pictures, but will post others after we move in, so as to respect the privacy of the current occupants.

In other news, Matt (granted that he passes the physical and drug test) is 'unofficially' the newest officer in the Animal Control unit of Topeka! As most of you know, this has been a year long undertaking, as he had originally applied in May of 2007. He will be starting, as of now, on June 30th. Keep him in your thoughts and prayers as he takes this next step in his career!

On a final note, Buddy, Ana Lucia, and C.C. all say their 'woofs' and 'meows' hello!

And before I forget, here are our engagement photos!

Until next time...