Mrs.

I am now a Mrs. 

A MRS.!!

It sounds so...grown up, so...mature, so...teacher-esq.

Todd and I tied the knot in Missouri on Nov. 5., and it was perfect.  We were surrounded by family and friends and our reception was the exact vision we hoped (thanks to our families and the hard work of our team of wedding workers, a.k.a. close friends who worked their a$$es off to make it all come together!). 

We had so much fun with everyone and the backdrop of Hermann, Mo., was perfect for a fall wedding.

We were very, very happy with it all! 

And now, here we are, a married couple. 

I've been going through the process of changing my name (which is a huge pain when you have 34 years of your maiden name under your belt!).  And we've been settling in and enjoying having our lives back to normal.  There's no more planning (except menu planning for cooking and baking at home), no more crafting, no more calling caterers, trolley guys, rental places...

Just wedded bliss hanging out and getting our life (and the house) back in harmony!

And...I'm back to the ol' blog.  My updates have seriously suffered over the last many months with the miles-long wedding to do list. 

So, stay tuned for updates on our life as husband and wife! 

Love,

Mrs. K

One month mark

Today is exactly one month to the day that I will become Kimberly Kittel!

A lot of things have been going through my mind lately:

1. OMG. I only have three weeks until I leave for Missouri and my to do list still feels five mile long!

2. Denial. Oh...I've still got time to buy bridesmaid gifts, make welcome packets, figure out ice cream scoopers for the dessert, make all of our playlists, design our ceremony program, get our bar squared away, figure out where in the world we're going to get speakers and a mic, get our ceremony music nailed down, and about a million other things.  There's still plenty of time...

3. Excitement. I think the whole wedding weekend is going to be so fun and I can't wait for everyone to get together in Missouri!  It'll be one, big, happy reunion of all the people closest to Todd and I.  I imagine our families and friends of yore coming together, mingling, laughing, and getting to know each other over several glasses of wine and  many "fly girl" dance moves during the reception.  I can't wait!

4. A little sadness. Even though I'm very excited to become Kim Kittel and to take Todd's name I'm also a tad sad.  I've always felt like I really embody my name. I'm Kim SEARS!  Searsy.  Yo, Sears!  Ask Sears.  Kim Sears...spokesperson for a senator, congressman, the name that goes on press releases.  Sears, just like the store, S-E-A-R-S.  "You're not related, are you?"  Chuckle, chuckle, as if I've never heard that joke before in all the 34 years the name's belonged to me.

I've never been anything else. It's how people know me.  It's how I know me.  And with no brothers, the buck stops here with the name Sears.  Even when I was little I always felt a bit of panic over the Sears name coming to an end on our branch of the family tree.

It sounds a little silly, I'm sure, but a part of me feels like I have this new identity to assume.  New name, new role, new phase of life...

5. Excitement again! I've waited a long time for Todd to come along and I can't wait to start our life together as Mr. and Mrs. Kittel (I'm going to be a MRS.!!).  I'm looking forward to the new role and new phase of life.

So, in exactly one month I will be Mrs. Kimberly Kittel.

T-minus 30 days and counting!

Dr. Dolittle

A few weeks ago, I was out with Todd helping him classify antelope, when he got a call from dispatch.

There was a bird on someone's porch and they thought it looked injured.  So, we came in so Todd could figure out what was wrong.

Turns out, the bird wasn't injured, just a little lost.  Todd brought the Western Grebe back to the truck with him so we could put it back on course...

The little bird was pretty scared, but Todd knew how to hold it so he could look it over...

Check out these webbed feet!  Western Grebes are water birds and need those toes to paddle around...

Here's Todd putting the bird back in the river...

It was interesting to watch.  At first, the bird acted like it couldn't believe we let it go and didn't serve 'em up for supper.  He just sat there paddling in place getting his bearings...

Then he happily hung around, paddling back and forth and weirdly looking back at us almost like he was saying, "Oh, thank you!  Thank you, for saving me from that porch, and not eating me, and putting me back in the water...!"

Then it took a couple dives...

Then one last big, long dive before making its way down the river...

I just love watching Todd work with animals.  He's just a natural with nature.  

The friendly ghosts

Casper's baseball team is called the Ghosts.  Yep, just like the friendly ghost.

Since we moved to Casper two summers ago now, I've wanted to check out one of their games.  I've imagined perfect summer nights drinking a beer, eating a hotdog, listening to the crack of the bat, and cheering with other diehard small town fans for their hometown boys.  

The old song by Alabama, The Cheap Seats, pops into my head every...single...time I think of going to a Ghosts game.  

On Thursday, Todd scored free tickets from some coworkers!  We met up for beers and burgers then headed out for an all-American night on the town.  

Ok, so it wasn't the most well attended event, but the crowd that was there was very passionate about their team!  It's also an awesome field.  A nice facility...

Here they are on the field!  They played the Ogden (Utah) Raptors...

What I don't quite get is our mascot.  Why is he a purple platypus...?

  

Go Ghosts...!

It was the second to last game of the season and unfortunately the Raptors took 'em.

Next year, Ghosts!  

The Masons

No, not the secret society Masons.


I'm talking about a totally different society - one of Mason jar lovers.


I belong to that society.  I looooove me some Masons.


I love how useful they are.  You can use them for everything from drinking glasses, to storing nails or buttons, to their original use...canning.

I haven't become a full-fledged canner yet.  I've done some quick pickling, but nothing requiring hot water baths and sterilizing.  I do have Todd's mom's canning equipment which she gave me along with box after box of Mason and other canning jars.  Until the time comes that I fill all those jars with veggies and jams I will continue to use them for their many other uses.


For example, we'll be using TONS of Mason jars for the wedding.  Filling them with flowers and candles and maybe, hopefully, some cute little doughnut holes for dipping in coffee.  


We use Mason jars to drink from.  We have a few stashed in our cabinets.


We've also taken to using a Mason jar for to-go cups for iced coffee!  It's so handy!  The lid screws tightly on and voila!  No spilled coffee in your car...

And just look at how pretty and interesting they are!  Todd recently came back from Wisconsin with a couple more boxes of Mason jars from his parents' cellar.  


These are ollllllld Masons.  With lots of history and personality...

I love the really big ones.  They're so different with their size!  And I think the blue ones are so darn purdy...

Take a look at what this one says, "Strong Shoulders."  It just seems to perfectly describe what a Mason jar is all about...

Todd's dad found this one.  1858!  A quick Google search revealed that Masons were invented and patented by John Landis Mason, a Philadelphia tinsmith in...1858!!
  

Neither Todd or I have seen one with this kind of pattern before...

These photos are just for fun.  I like seeing what Photoshop can do...