What are we up to?

I haven't posted in awhile because school and life hectic-ness has been keeping us pretty busy. If Kevin would do these entries perhaps there would be more updates but I don't see that happening.
I've received my first stipend check from Title IVE. Our only disappointment was that the checks were supposed to run August-May. So, when I received my check in September I was expecting two months. Nope, they decided to switch it to September-June. Makes no sense to me, but whatever, I'll get my money.
Kevin and I went camping in Bodega Bay off of Dillion beach last weekend- an experience that I'm looking forward to repeating, but maybe not just on a weekend, too hard with homework. I had a blast... I've always loved being slightly cold, sitting next to the fire while enjoying some hot chocolate (spiked with schnapps... what? I'm older!), roasting marshmallows that I normally don't like to eat, and just enjoying the sound of logs popping and the sounds of nature at night. It was wonderful. Kevin, on the other hand, isn't as fond of being cold, doesn't really like s'mores and thinks that nature would be great if you could avoid missing football at the same time. But, we enjoyed ourselves and Sparty had a blast!

In addition, the ocean was gorgeous, I felt right at home. On our way back to Folsom we decided to take a detour and check out a redwood forest. It was so peaceful and so still I swear you could hear God breathing. I came home and checked "see the redwoods" off my life list.
Anyway, so on to date night! Our menu was garlic sauteed shrimp, kung pao chicken with rice, and individual raspberry crisps. Then we watched a date movie (Kevin Googled "Chick flicks that dudes like" or something like that). It was nice and relaxing and I good reward for working hard on homework yesterday.
Speaking of homework, time to go! I'll be in Spokane on Friday for a weekend with the family and for Riley's first birthday (yay!).

Housewarming Party!

This past Friday we invited some friends over to check out our new place and chill with us. For some it was a long drive to Folsom, so we really appreciate everyone who made it! Our house definitely feels warmed. :)
It was nice to show off our place after spending the past couple weeks painting. I spent the entire day scrubbing and hanging up pictures. It finally looks like home.
Our master bedroom and adjoining bathroom. We need to actually decorate our bedroom... maybe hang some wedding pictures, but right now it's pretty great.
We love our orange kitchen!

I just love having all those family pics up on the walls!


Messy spare bedroom/office. It's a work in progress.

Spare bathroom, needs a couple more decorative accessories, but it's looking pretty good!

So, that's our place. The party was pretty fun, with killer koolaid and super beers keeping the conversation going. There was lots of munchies too. Needless to say, I felt pretty fat at the end of the day and there were a ton of dishes- but I think both are required if you want to say it was a "good" party!

This week I begin all the trainings I have to take for the Title IVE program. Mental health, Chemical dependency, conflict resolution and domestic violence... wooohoo! School officially starts on the 31st, with my internship beginning the week after that. Fantastic!
My internship this year will be at Sacramento Child Advocates. I'll be in the field a ton (which is what I LOVE) and I'll get plenty of background knowledge in child welfare laws. I'm also looking forward to writing biopsychosocial assessments- a large portion of what all social workers do.
If you want any more info on the organization I'll be working for, click on this link here.
So, blog entries may go down a bit in the next week or so, but it's just because I'm busy learning how to be an MSW! (Social worker with a master's degree).

Love you all, hope you are well!

Fun times in CA

Last week was just full of fun!
On Thursday we went to Six Flags on Intel's dime. They were celebrating the completion of some big project (super top secret stuff) and they even let their employees bring a family member (that's me!).
It was in Vallejo, so it was a bit of a drive, but we had tons of fun. The coasters were fantastic- I just love the energy rush of riding them. I don't usually scream, I only giggle, but on the "Roar" part of the allure is that it starts suddenly and goes FAST. There may have been one small scream out of me right when it started. Maybe.
We finished with the rides early before it got busy. I met two of Kevin's bosses, which was super exciting as I was introduced by Kevin as his wife. This made me happy. His bosses seem pretty cool and they were very nice and told us "congratulations" and such.
After coasters we had lunch with the other employees and their families, then went to check out all the animals.




Man do I love anything that resembles a zoo or aquarium....My favorite was the butterfly house. Kevin was less of a fan, but was such a trooper and let me go in and go crazy with my camera.
After hurting our feet, walking around so much, we decided to track down a beer that didn't cost nine bucks (we think they do that because it's a family place) and were successful. We received two very large Shock Top drafts (they put them in soda glasses!) for three bucks a piece. Yay for supporting small diners instead of the big chains!
Next fun thing was going to the river with Anna and her parents. Much like the product that Intel is creating, the spot we went is super top secret. If I told you, I would have to kill you, because if you went it would be too crowded and therefore lose it's tranquil appeal.
It was super beautiful out there, though....

Whoa, that sun is actually reflecting off of my white stomach. That is ridiculous.
After just chilling for a bit near this cute little swimming hole we had a BBQ lunch.
Kevin and I brought fruit and low carb coleslaw that tastes just like KFC (click for recipe), and Anna and her parents supplied burgers, chips, and some sandwich thins (really cool things, 100 calories, less substance than buns). Anna also made these numo tiny pies out of yogurt. They were pretty cute, I should have gotten a picture before I scarfed it down.
Then it was time for my favorite part: getting on the intertubes! There are no pics of this as I didn't want to endanger my expensive camera (we really need to get insurance on it so I can really use it!), but it was wonderful. Kevin and I each took a beer and we just floated around in this little area, battling the current, and relaxing. I was the only one who actually swam, it was a bit cold, but I thought it felt fantastic. Once a water bug, always a water bug. :)
It was really a great day, it recharged us for the following day: painting the kitchen! (*Dun Dun Duuuunn*)
Thank you Anna and parents for sharing your secret spot with us!
....Pictures of the apartment coming soon, I'm still needing to paint the bedroom and clean up for our housewarming party on Friday!

Cancun!

Sorry this is so late! Cancun seems years ago. While I'm not yet in school (although I have my first orientation tomorrow) I still feel like I'm super busy. The apartment stays pretty darn clean all week, then comes the weekend when Kevin doesn't have to work, then I have a dirty apartment to clean by Monday. It's a vicious cycle. And, until I'm back in school I'm doing ALL the chores, so it really stacks up.
Anyway, on to Cancun.
It was so beautiful there! When we arrived it was drizzling, but that was all the bad weather we experienced the entire time.
Seriously. I don't know how anyone could have a bad time there. Our room was gorgeous and tranquil, with a huge indoor shower, an outdoor roofless shower, a jacuzzi, and out on our balcony another bed (perfect for afternoon naps) and an infinity pool. I'm actually making myself want to go back just by talking about it...
Now, the reason why there's not much to blog about: We did NOTHING. Our schedule was: wake up, get room service or go get breakfast, then go read on the beach and have drinks delivered to our beach bed. After that we would either take a nap in our room, or sometimes we would get lunch then take a nap. Then we would chill in the room for a bit until the sun moved around to make our swim up bar a bit shady, then we would go hang out by the swim up bar. Then we would read more (and drink more), and maybe order some nachos for room service. Then dinner (with a nightcap afterward).
See? Pretty boring.
Highlights of the trip were:
MONKEYS!
....and....
LIZARDS!
The food and drink was also pretty darn amazing. Shrimps as big as your head, tons of seafood, fork-tender filets, and a lobster cappuccino bisque that was just crazy and good at the same time. All the liquor was top-shelf, which has turned me into a bit of a vodka snob as far as my dirty martinis are concerned...
...Oh, and being on my honeymoon and being in love and all that junk too... ;)
My honeymoon reads, in case you're interested, was the Time Traveler's Wife (which is going to be out in theaters soon!) and Under the Table. Both were good- Under the Table was more suited to a honeymoon/vacation book than TTW was. It was just something to stare at while I drank my mango margarita or my tequila mojito.
If you're interested in checking out more of the Cancun pics, the web address for my public facebook album is: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=19013&id=1584030015&l=2d2de2047d

We're hoping to go back in a few years on our anniversary. Anyone want to join us?

Wedding Recap (LONG, sorry)

On the wedding message board I belong to it's customary to do a recap of your wedding with all your feelings and such. I did this, and posted it soon after returning from the honeymoon, but lacked the time to put a bit more energy into adding pictures and such for this post. Well, all of the boxes from our move are officially unpacked- so I have no more reason to put this off. All photos are stolen shamelessly off of Facebook from my own album as well as Kayla, Thea, and Maggie. Pro pics won't be in for another two weeks. Frowny face.

Thursday and Friday
I'm not really going to go into great detail with the events of Thursday and Friday-it was too hectic and I can't even really remember.
Thursday we baked all the tiers of the cake at my BMs parent's house. I had some sort of stomach bug and the smell of the cake was nauseating. My sister baked most of it, thank god. Kayla was truly a life saver and I think without her I would have had to buy several cheesecakes and stacked them on top of each other. Not pretty.
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That night was my bachelorette party, which I decided to go to whether I was puking or not. Turns out my body willed itself to be mostly okay and I was able to eat melting pot cheese and chocolate fondue (the most I had eaten in two days) and drink a few choice beverages (more than I planned on, to admit). I was so happy to spend the time with my sister-in-laws (Maggie, let's face it, you've been in the family a long time) and my Aunt Thea, my best friends from high school (and beyond) and, of course, my sissy-lala.
It was a pretty fun night, but I realized that I'm just not a bar hopping kind of person. I like neighborhood pubs and martini bars. I do not like guys groping me and licking the inside of my ear. Yuck.

Yes, this shot is embarrassing. Just ask yourself- what face would YOU be making?

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Friday started out with manicures and pedicures. I had never had a manicure before and my only pedicure before sucked. I loved it. I LOVE the Brickhouse Spa and Coffee Bar, I highly recommend it. My nails looked gorgeous, and I'm so proud that I was able to stop biting them in time for the wedding. I've since then started biting them again, but I have several pictures where they are long as proof.
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Then came the INSANITY that was decorating the cake...in Mama and Papa's kitchen (they live in a trailer home, a double wide, but still small). We destroyed the kitchen. There was filling and frosting on the floor, and a nice layer of powdered sugar and coconut was covering everything, but we managed to bust out the fillings, the frosting, and get it all put together in just a couple hours.
It was amazing. Any complaining I did about my BMs and MOH is void now, they really pulled it through. Oh, and if you all think I didn't complain about you- you're nuts, I was a stressed out bride- I complained about EVERYONE.
Then we rushed to set up the reception site and stack the cake and put it in their fridge. After one "Oh sh**!" moment (I almost dropped the top two tiers) everything was perfect. Kevin's brothers and my girls did a great job (and I think I should mention that Cassie won the napkin folding race, just so everyone knows). The site was beautiful, we had only forgotten a few things.

Our centerpieces and our awesome table numbers, photo by Maggie.

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Next we rushed to the Rehearsal dinner, which was uneventful, but it was such a joy to have our two families together (with two babies in attendance, which makes everything awesome). I've realized over the past few years that family is really important to me, even the family that isn't really so much your relatives as they are the parents of your best friend. I got to toast everyone and it just made me realize how lucky I am to have so many wonderful people in my life.





After eating and drinking we set out to put the chairs in rows and hang the japanese lanterns from the trees. It was so beautiful I almost cried.
The rest of the night was spent packing back at Mama and Papa's and sobbing over the card I wrote to Kevin to open the next day. Then I went to drop off my luggage back at the Radecki's. Kevin and I spent a half and hour on the back porch with a glass of wine, just staring at the ceremony set-up and talking about how excited we were. When I got home I was exhausted from the hectic-crazyness and my arthritis was acting up from doing the cake and being on my feet all day. I thankfully took half a vicodin and was able to fall asleep.

Saturday- THE DAY
I woke up before my alarm clock. My hair appointment began at nine. I kinda pranced around Mama and Papa's house until Cassie and Elisha came to pick me up. After a quick run to an ATM (Salon Retro only takes cash) and then a run BACK to Mama and Papa's because I forgot my veil and hair flower we finally made it to the salon. I walked in the door and someone to the left called "Kara!" and I turned to see some guy snap my picture. I thought he was a jackass, I mean, who was this guy? Then I realized that he actually said my name and then I realized that it was Byron, our photographer. Whoops. We had a good laugh about it and then Rachael set about starting my hair. It was just a bun, so it took no time at all, but I did manage to have time to get a couple Krispy Kremes and a mimosa in me.
There was another bridal party there and I could tell they were super jealous. Leave it to a Kazemba to always think situations could be improved by booze. It was a great morning. After hair I saw their makeup person. She gave me the most natural, gorgeous look, but it took me a bit to adjust to it. I'm a mascara and MAYBE foundation girl, depending on how late I am in the mornings. It was strange to see me like that, but the looks on my BM's faces told me it was perfect.
Meanwhile, Byron was snapping away and cracking us all up. He was really good at telling when I was just having enough of getting my picture taken and then he would run off to take pictures of something else. Kevin and I were texting back and forth and I was slowly getting more and more excited- but not at all anxious.
...
After Cassie and Elisha were finished with their hair we went back to Mama and Papa’s to get dressed and to eat more food(I was very concerned about getting enough to eat that day). Cassie’s mother (the one who loaned her kitchen for baking) brought sammiches and grapes and veggies. There's a picture of me devouring a sub, but it's not very classy... sooo....
We just chilled for a bit while Byron had fun taking pictures of my jewelry and such. Mama was a bit apprehensive about all the people in her “messy house” at this point and decided to freak out a bit about the fact that the bathroom toilet paper wasn’t on the actual roll thing. So, there’s a great pic of me on Facebook in my veil and makeup changing the toilet paper roll. Behold:

Classic.

Meanwhile, Kayla was sitting at the table writing out her MOH speech on notecards. After we had all eaten and I had brushed some foundation on Mama’s face (for some reason I wanted everyone to be beautiful on my day- very unbride like, but whatever) it was time to lace me up.
It took awhile since Kayla is a perfectionist. It was gorgeous and the corset back made me look all hour glassey and stuff. Little did I know, that corset would bother me all day in the form of really, really awful back pain. Eh.
Eventually we were all dressed and had to go to Mirabeau to begin pictures. I was really excited about our first look and very concerned that he would see me while we walked up there. His guys did a great job, though. Byron was fantastic, snapping away and teasing us that we couldn’t make out yet. After snapping enough photos Byron finally said, “Okay, Kevin, check out your bride!” and Kevin turned around. His face lit up and then lots of smooching occurred. We’re pretty disgusting, not going to lie.

Not our actual first look, but a very cute picture.

After the first look I finally got to look at my bouquet. I LOVED it. I can’t wait until I can post pictures of it- I don't have any good shots off of facebook, which is amazing since I loved it so much. It was loosely based on this photo:
It had peonies and monkey tail fern and purple calla lilies and freesia. It was perfect. Anywho, pictures took a long time and I started getting burned, I could tell. The true damage wasn’t noticeable until later in the evening, but it was still pretty bad. We only took pictures at Mirabeau due to Hoopfest (no urban settings, frowny face) and also due to the fact that at this point my back was hurting so horridly that I just wanted it to be over with.
So we eventually finished up and made it to the Radeckis for some relaxation and family pictures.
I sat on the couch and put my feet up and popped a couple pills, then played with my nephew Riley (he’s about 8 months old, super cute, and LOVED my earrings and my veil).
We all just kinda chilled until I could walk again and then did family pictures out in the backyard (Mama and Papa couldn’t wander around Mirabeau with us). After that was done my brothers jetted off to move my cake and put the topper on and my aunt texted me to let me know she was there and about to begin the centerpieces. The cake made it safely to the table. This was probably my biggest stress of the wedding. By DIYing my cake I saved a ton of money but I couldn't figure out how to get it there on the day of the wedding- hence stacking it and taking it the night before, then the boys dealing with it. It all turned out PERFECT though.

Gotta love that Boston Terrier cake topper!

At that point I just decided to chill a bit, and Luba (my Day-of-Coordinator) took over stressing about all the stressful things. I just relaxed.
We finally decided to start at about 10 minutes after 5. We had a bit of trouble getting quiet and getting in order, but eventually they started filing out two by two to Canon in D. I wasn't one of those girls who had a vision of her wedding day but I knew that I wanted to walk in to that song. I decided we would all walk out to that since it was such a small wedding party and a tiny aisle. After the girls and guys it was Damien’s turn. Luba couldn’t get him to take the ring bowl, but he did very good walking down the aisle.

For those of you who didn't get to see our ring bowl..

At this point, Francie (Kevin’s mom) was shaking a container of teddy grahams at him. Almost when he got to the front the lid popped off and teddy grahams apparently flew EVERYWHERE. So, I didn’t have a flower girl, but I did have teddy grahams scattered around the aisle. 
Finally it was my turn. Papa was waiting for me at the bottom of the porch so the first walk out was by myself. I took a big deep breath and stepped outside the house, smiling like an idiot and shaking. It meant so much to me to have Papa there waiting. He raised us all when he didn’t have to, and he always points out that he’s not my father, or even my biological grandfather, but he’s all the dad I could ever ask for.

Look, a shot of my bouquet and of Mom's necklace!

The ceremony was nice, kinda long though (you'd think it was long too if you were standing up there). I had forgotten to switch my E-Ring, but I think I managed to do the ol switch-a-roo without people noticing. Also, Kevin has boney knuckles and I couldn’t get his ring over his finger. We both made it through without crying, ,which was mostly accomplished by Kevin refusing to look at me, which made me laugh. Oh, and for a part of the ceremony my mouth was twitching- probably from being tired and smiling so much and trying not to cry.. It was annoying and Kevin noticed, I hope you can’t tell on film. 
The prayers were all great, we’re not religious people, but I was very happy that Michael (My AP English teacher’s husband… long story) married us instead of a stranger. The blessing of hands was everyone’s favorite part, as was mine. But the best was at the end, when Michael said excitedly (in a sweet british accent), “Kevin, you can kiss her now!” Apparently in Episcopalean services they do the vows near the beginning, then a ton of prayers and blessings, and then that’s it. But I told Michael I had to have some sort of “You may kiss the bride” moment, that’s how they do it in movies. And I got it.
Then the recessional, “All you need is Love” which the guitarist did beautifully and everyone sang along to.
We went inside for a moment while the Best Man pulled around the car. Kevin and I were shaking and laughing and realizing that no one tossed the bird seed that I had painstakingly put into little tulle bags. Luba let us know that she would organize it as we came out of the front of the house, on the lawn, while we walked to the car.
The car was decked OUT with cans hanging from the bumper and green and purple balloons all over the backseat. Kevin and I ran to the car- thank GOD I was on Kevin’s left, he got the brunt of the birdseed while I mostly ended up with it in my boobs. Off to the reception!

We got there first, of course, and checked everything out. It was so beautiful, from the orchid arrangements near the fireplace and all the centerpieces. My cake was safe and sound on the cake table with our boston terrier cake topper gracing the top. The venue owner, Debbie, said some snide remark about how I didn’t tell her that the LED candles needed to be lit, but I ignored her. Everything looked perfect.
Now, for those of you who haven't planned an extremely low budget wedding from out of state- it's hard. There were times when I wanted to elope (but Francie would have killed us) and I did give up certain things I wanted to do in an effort to be less stressed towards the end. If you go back to my DIY post, I did give up a bit, but I got those damn programs done!
Sorry about the swearing, but designing, cutting, printing, and assembling those things really made me want to scream. Anyway, if you have never planned a wedding like mine before you aren't aware of the pride, happiness, relief, etc. that you feel when you see that finished product and when you realize it's perfect. It was indescribable.
At the reception site we did a messed up receiving line- Kevin and I met everyone at the door and said hey. I had intended for it to be a true receiving line with the wedding party and the parents but my packet of instructions to the wedding party (which included this tidbit) was messed up and I forgot to tell them. Once everyone was in we hid in the bridal suite and picked birdseed out of my hair and rubbed some aloe on my now VERY red chest and shoulders. Jon (the DJ) came in and brought us our drinks. I took my veil off and we prepared to be introduced as Mr. and Mrs. Radecki!
Note: I wanted to come in to the song “Because when I arrive, I- I bring the fire…” etc, but Kevin said no, so we just came in and everyone cheered.
We walked to the head table and Cassie brought me some cheese and crackers and veggies. The bar line was long, which cracked me up a bit. Eventually we actually got dinner and everything was delicious. Luba took care of getting Mama and Papa plates- probably one of my biggest stressors of the day was having them taken care of and she did GREAT.
The speeches came next. The Best Man’s was great and very sweet and made me tear up a bit. Kayla’s was perfect and I damn near bawled when she said that our Mother would have loved Kevin and would be proud that I found someone to share my life with.
Then Kevin’s dad got up, which was unexpected. He had a list of memories of Kevin he wanted to share but he kept getting choked up at one at age 5. Eventually we started chanting “Ber-nie, Ber-nie….!” And he made it through it. There weren’t many dry eyes.
Kevin’s mom then did “Falling in Love is like owning a dog”. It was great.
Things quickly moved to cake cutting (our cake server was actually under the buffet table, in a box, we had forgotten to unpack it, but Luba saved the day again) and we did the classy, nice, one bite and kiss. It was delicious (and the only cake I got that day). I was so happy to use a cake server that Francie and Bernie actually received for THEIR wedding. I love tradition and sentimental stuff and all that.
Then was the father-daughter dance. Everytime I see pictures I tear up. I chose “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac. It’s perfect for us. He built his life around me while I was a child, and then when he got older our roles slowly reversed. I don’t know if he realizes the meaning,but it’s why I picked it. I was always afraid of change because I never knew what that would mean for Mama and Papa- Including moving to California and getting married. Whoops… crying….
Anyway, we danced about half the song (and I made Papa cry by telling him how much I love him and appreciate all he’s done for me) and then I had the DJ invite other fathers and daughters to dance together. I handed Papa off first to Aunt Thea, his daughter, then she handed him off to Kayla (my sis). It was just a really special moment, one of my favorites of the day- and one that I think a lot of us will remember forever (I got Papa to DANCE!)
After the mother-son dance came our first dance. For two years he’s known which song it would be and he wouldn’t tell me (though I thought I knew). I was right.
It was PS You Rock My World by the Eels- a song that was on the first CD he gave me back when we dated the first time (when I was 16 and he was 20). It was perfect. I had hoped it would be that song, and now it will be our song forever.
Then came the dancing. Lots of it. There’s not much to say. I danced with Riley to Twist and Shout, which he loved. I got a dance with both of my brothers, David to “She’s a Brickhouse” which cracked me up and Brian to “Friends in Low Places”. I discovered that they are both surprisingly good dancers!
People actually started leaving pretty darn quickly though. Most of the guest list was my relatives and they are all pretty old. They took part in the Anniversary dance and that was about it. It bummed me out for a second but then I just decided to rock out anyway, even if there were only 15 of us on the dance floor. It was a bit sad to spend money on a DJ (though we got tons of discounts with him, so it wasn't a lot) and not have people stay to enjoy it, but looking back all of those who did dance had a blast!
Dancing ended at about 10:30- when Kevin finally dragged me off the dance floor (if I stopped dancing my back seemed to hurt worse, heh) and we gave some final instructions to everyone about clean up and then we left for a night at the Couer D’Alene resort.

About to head out!

Overall, it was the most beautiful, perfect day. I pulled off a low budget, gorgeous wedding. My cake- which was supposed to feed 200- had about 14 slices left at the end of the night (our guest count was about 87). There was enough food and alcohol for everyone. I thought that all brides were happy with their wedding day- but I guess that's false. So, I'm just very happy to have no complaints about the day other than my severe back pain and horrid sunburn).
And, greatest of all, I’m finally Mrs. Radecki, and I gained parents and two more brothers out of the deal. I’m a happy camper.
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Coming up... Cancun recap!