Don't get me started...

... on our evil (yet BRAND NEW) upright freezer.

Meet the freezer.

Yes, it has horns because I'm convinced it's straight from gahanna. Yes, it's energy star and hugs trees, but the first one didn't work and the second one had a LARGE malfunction last night.

Erik gave it a swift kick, which it completely deserved (don't worry, we got it scratch and dent, so he aimed for the dent that already existed in the door). If it were up to me, that freezer would have slept outside in the backyard last night. Only getting it into the backyard would have meant lugging it up from the basement, so I just glared at it.

Not convinced yesterday sucked? Here's a sure sign I should have spent the entire day in bed: I botched a batch of brownies.


Yup, I did. Heck, it was even brownie mix from a box, and I totally screwed it up.

I don't mean to brag, but I can hold my own in the kitchen (can you say I make a killer German Chocolate cake from scratch?). I throw things in a pan and they come out awesome! Roomies have even asked for my recipe, which is when I have to sheepishly admit I just throw things in willy-nilly. SO for me to mess up something simple and hard to mess up like brownies from a box .... I just admitted defeat and went to bed.

EDIT: And to top things off, after I posted this earlier, I went to let the cat in ... and guess what? She had a half dead bird in her mouth, which she thought should be brought into the house. UGH! I swear she's half python. I've seen her unhinge her jaw to swallow a bird whole before ... crazy cat! She put the bird down, I scooped her up and brought her in, Eirk scolded her, and I kicked the half-live bird off the porch ... and it actually flew off. I guess it went to die alone in peace, sans cat.

Time to vote!

SO, since being around Erik's house, I've been introduced to cable TV ... specifically home decor television. Crazy talk.

Anyhow, Design Star is on HGTV and a girl from Kansas is one of the two finalists.


Voting is open until Wednesday ... so go VOTE HERE. I feel obliged to vote for the girl from Kansas...but I have to say that Matt, the other finalist is pretty stellar and I'm jazzed to see who wins!

Wedding ticker

Erik wanted me to add one to our blog ... so here you go.



It ain't pretty, but it suffices. Maybe after yoga I'll find a better looking one.

Oh, and it's at the top of the right column until the wedding, so in case any of you are wondering... ;-)

ps-I added some of our e-pix to our wedding web site.

Karen + Erik's engagement slideshow — crossover

SOOOOO....our engagement slideshow is up on the Heartland Blog. Please CLICK HERE to view the blog post.


I have SO MANY favorites, It's seriously hard to choose one (or two or ten!).


As always, please leave some blog love (comments) on the Heartland Blog to let Mike know what a killer job he did!


Ok, so I actually took these two photos of Erik being a goon! :-)



Oh, and for your curious cats out there, we went to the Cozy Inn and Steifel Theatre for our photos.


Also, jump on over to the online proofing gallery by CLICKING HERE to check out the entire session!

It ain't sexy, but....

I've been meaning to post this for quite some time, but have never quite found the time. Somehow, today, it seems important.

A few weeks ago, I was talking with my parents about changes to wills and powers of attorney and all sorts of that stuff. Yeah, it sounds morbid to talk about "what do you want me to do when you're gone" but it's VITAL to find out NOW!

Some good questions to ask your loved ones:
• Do you have a will? If so, where is it/ who is the attorney?
• Who is in charge of the finances? Is there a financial advisor or accountant I should be aware of?

Granted, an unmarried person like me probably doesn't have quite the need for a will that others do. I have no kids, no house, no real estate ... just investments. BUT these investments (and even my car) do have a TOD (transfer on death) to an immediate family member (and even Erik on a few of them).

So, why the heck does this all matter? For we singletons, not much now. But what about my married friends, siblings or parents? You need to know about the wishes of your family, and even if you don't have reason to have a will, make a point to find out the expectations your siblings/parents might have of you in THEIR will (raise the kids, dogs, etc.).

Some of my friends have kiddos, but no stipulations regarding the kids ... no provisions made for the little ones. Yes, godparents have traditionally "raised" kids in the case parents were not around, but we godparents have NO legal rights. If you want the godparents to raise your kids, PUT IT IN A WILL. If you would like your parents or sibling to do so, PUT IT IN A WILL.

Mom and I were talking about it, and she's seen cases where parents made no provisions and a child was REMOVED from its extended family and put into foster care. Scary, but true!

Sorry about the soap box rant (and I KNOW we're in our 20s and it seems crazy to think about this stuff!), but having some sort of guidelines is a smart move.

EEEEEEEEEEEK! — Crossover

Cruise on over to the Heartland Blog by CLICKING HERE to see a few photos from the awesome e-session Mike did of Erik and I!!!!!!

ps-leave a comment on the HEARTLAND BLOG, please! We LOVE comments, but don't always get many! I'll give you a cookie! :-)

Crossover — HOT DOG!!!!!

Gotta LOVE this image from Mary and Ty's wedding in Plainville over the weekend. Sizzlin' hot!

Skip on over to the Heartland Blog to check out the sneak peek and stay tuned for their slideshow!

You might also want to visit Mike's personal blog to check out a KICKIN' sunset photo, as well as his take on small-town life. ;-)

Pool survey!

It's summer and that means pool time .... except here in Salina.

Ok, Salina DOES have a pool, but it doesn't quite match up to the aquatic parks in Hays or Independence.


SO, how does this affect you, our blog readers? If you are willing to GO HERE AND FILL OUT A SURVEY on what you like in an aquatic facility, I can show it off to you when you come to visit us. :-)

I've been quite spoiled in my last two towns to have awesome aquatic parks (I even got to watch them build the one in Indy!), and it's interesting to watch the process of trying to get one built here!

Oh, the excitement!

Woah, this is totally exhilerating! My brother-in-law listed a lens of mine on e-Bay. I NEVER use it, so decided I should sell it. With just a few hours remaining, I'm excited to see what the final result is!

I've bought a camera on e-bay before, and it was totally exciting with the bidding wars ... but this is WAY cooler than buying something because moo-lah will end up in MY pocket at the end of the auction! :-)

HERE is the live auction!

Pumping Canon — I mean iron!

I'm feeling lazy (AND just returned from one HOT, western Kansas wedding), so I'll share this from Melissa Jill's Blog.

Melissa says:
"camera = 7 lbs.
camera bag = 37 lbs.
# of hours shooting = 9-10
# of hours spent standing = 8
# of squats in 9 hours = 70
what I've decided I need after every wedding = a massage"

AMEN SISTA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know in the past I *should* have worked out more, but what people don't understand that being a photographer IS physically taxing! We stand, squat, crouch, wiggle on the ground on our tummies....we move a TON!

But now that I live in Salina, and Erik is a wonderful influence, I'm at theYMCA several times a week. Erik is a regular weight lifter, and he's gotten me to start (I know I need to so my bones are strong and osteoporosis doesn't get me!).

But Erik's horizons are getting broadened, too! He's working on his yoga technique! :-)