Oh Happy Day!

Congratulations are in order for our friends Christy and Todd as they were engaged on Friday February 19th! Todd had been a busy man with a work "proposal" due on Friday. They celebrated with a couples massage and Christy walked away with a newly decorated ring finger! He had planned a suprise engagement party on Saturday so we could all celebrate with the newly engaged couple as well. Michele even came to town for the special occasion!

The engagement celebration happened to have another side to it. One year ago (2/21) Christy had a soccer accident that landed her in the ICU. It was the situation where minutes in the emergency room turned into hours and hours into days in the ICU at Rush Hospital. Christy has always been a fighter and her recovery 1 year later is yet another reason to celebrate. It is and continues to be a reminder that life is precious and each day is a gift!

Congratulations again to Todd and Christy! I am looking forward to jumping back into wedding planning mode. A 4 month break was just too long :)

XO

EAT

EAT

We have been married for 4 months and it took me this long to get my last name changed with the government. Although, the marriage license looks pretty official to me! The county in which we were married has yet to grasp the concept of "online requests" so we relied on "snail mail" to get the job done. My best friend Michele warned me the process wasn't easy so I kept that in my back pocket at the Social Security office as well. In my Wheel of Fortune, I have dropped a vowel and added a verb. I have gone from EAI to EAT which is equally cool (if not a little cooler) as Rick's alphabetized RST.

In other news...Rick is amidst his first weekend off in 2010! We have been catching up on sleep, baking, putting the house back together, visiting our friends at Home Depot, tried a new restaurant in Glen Ellyn and went on a snowy yet sunny fox hunt with Stewie in our local Churchill Woods park.

The restaurant we tried was one I drive by daily en route to the train station - Glen Oak in downtown Glen Ellyn. It has been in business for over 30 years but with a recent sign change and remodel we just had to try it. The food was great and the prices were very reasonable but it was the customer service that will bring us back to this local favorite. The owner came up to our table and introduced herself, asked what brought us in and even provided a free dessert. She took true pride in her business and that made a difference in our dining experience!

Happy Valentines Day (and all that jazz)!

XO
EAT

Construction Update

I have yet to pull up a "before" picture of our living space but as far as we are concerned those yellow walls, carpet, tile and mismatched baseboards are a distant memory. We continue down the road of progress and to me that means a fresh coat of paint on the wall. Rick's jaw hit the sawdust coated masonite when I told him Thursday was the 1 month mark. Demolition began December 28th and he was certain it had been close to 2 months. I guess 20 days of work in a row would contort my perception of time as well! Here are a few photos of life at our house.

Light at the end of the hallway! This is a space where floor is in, trim is up (still needs painter putty) and paint is on the wall. I like to call this space a tease :)

New drywall with a coat of Benjamin Moore's Stardust - pink floors compliment the Walnut nicely!

Every kitchen needs a saw, right?! This picture reminds me that there is still plenty of work to do. On a postive note, I discovered a whole new menu at our local deli while the kitchen stage is under way! More photos to come as progress continues.
XO
EAT

Changes at 912

We are well into our first home improvement project as a married couple. We** tackled the bathroom remodel about a year ago but this time we have decided to go big. This includes raising a floor, knocking down walls, replacing windows, all new electrical work/lighting, replacing a sliding glass door, moving a door, adding a closet and pulling carpet to install hardwood flooring. Phew!
The project quickly became our "night job" so the evenings of lighting a fire, making dinner and watching TV are so 2009 right now! The living room/kitchen turned construction zone provides some regular challenges as daily life continues but we are certainly enjoying the transformation of our home. It is also fun to watch how many resources the Tiltges family has when it comes to projects of this nature. They are a handy bunch and have every power tool to ever grace the aisles of Home Depot. PLUS - Uncle Leo and team really do "think outside the box" always coming up with the best use of space and future proofing. We will post updates and before and after photos soon!

XO
EAT

**Allow me to clarify the "We." Rick and I knew long before the wedding bells that a marriage is give and take. In the case of a home remodel…he is doing way more than his fair share of giving. I contribute where I can (usually by making material choices or feeding him) but his hard work never ceases to amaze me. He comes home from his “day job” and jumps right into the “night job.” Around 9pm he is done working for the evening and suits up to take Stewie on a walk. Sure there are nights where I catch him falling asleep standing up but his overall "can do" attitude is 100% admirable!

Our new blog

Welcome! So many times Rick and I find ourselves asking what year was that, or when was that vacation or sheepishly, how old is Stewie. This alone is reason enough to jot down the happenings of our lives in electronic format...aka 'blog.' Never has it been easier to share thoughts, photos, events and videos! Although the increased use and reliability on advanced technology scares us both a little bit, we have embraced a life of iPods, satellite radios, HD TV, Ninetendo Wii, digital cameras and wireless anything. Sometimes I wonder how many topics or technologies the human brain can chew on at the same time. This wonderment along with the joy I have always had for writing could lead to some interesting equations. Never know until you try!

Onto the good stuff...

We were married October 11, 2009 in Lyons, Colorado. The wedding was everything we could have ever dreamed of and so much more. We wrote a journal of our wedding day because some things do escape the memory but the overall feel of that day is one we will never forget. The Colorado weather threw a curveball at us and provided a fresh snow and a temperature of 18 degrees for our 4pm OUTDOOR ceremony. As my Dad says "we wouldn't have traded it for all the tea in China." The collaboration of family and friends continues to blow our minds. 10 months of planning, celebrating, choosing and counting down came together and it was nothing short of magical. Thank you for all of the love and support! You showed us that 18 degrees truly can warm our hearts :)

It really is hard to believe the wedding was close to 3 months ago. We celebrated our first Christmas together as husband and wife and rang in the New Year and a new decade! 2010 (or 2K10 if you want to be hip) is going to be a great year! All resolutions aside, we hope we can live each day to the fullest. We wish the best to you all. Stay tuned!

XO

EAT