Thursday, January 22, 2015

Our Walls

I know, I know - I said we'd be going in order...which means this post should be about our honeymoon.  I'm just really excited to share all this, though...so, reminiscing about a beautiful, warm, wonderful tropical vacation will have to wait for a bit.

I am writing today to (proudly) say I've (finally) gone through/unpacked/found homes for every box/wedding gift/etc. etc.!  I alluded to this project in a previous post, and am just so glad to have it done.

For me, the last piece of the project was hanging pictures on the wall, and I thought I'd give you a glimpse of the finished product(s):
Here's the "entryway."  We really love the from-the-balcony shot of our wedding ceremony!

Our living room grouping - the tri-frame was a Christmas gift from Bryant's parents, and the gallery wrap was a "thank you for playing piano for our wedding" gift from our photographer.

The guest room!  This bed was at my grandparents' previous house in the room I always slept in - the "pink room."  The quilt was made/given to me by my great aunt for my college graduation.  The sheet music wreath was a gift from a student, and the frame was a wedding gift!
This project started at the coop years ago, and it has found a home in our guest room!  Be sure to make your addition when you come stay with us! ☺

Bryant had some beautiful pictures up before I moved in, and they found new homes on the walls of the office.
Yes, this one got to stay, too. ☺

The "New York Nook" in our bedroom.  So many great memories!
I'd gotten these large "floating" frames for free, and definitely wanted to put them to good use.  We couldn't choose just two favorite pics to put in them, though, so we used the "floating" space in other ways.  The "Love Lives Here" was a garage sale find, and we finished the grouping with a cross we found cheap on Amazon.
P.S. A special thanks to my husband for the "throw pillow shopping spree" Christmas gift!  I'd always dreamed of having a grown-up bed set, complete with throw pillows, and he helped make my dream come true. ☺
This might be my favorite wall.  The painted frames and B&W pics came from the shower Bryant's family threw us in OK - his sister painted and put them together...and she even took the pics!  I'd found the "Love" at a thrift store a while ago, and was glad to find a home for it on our bedroom wall.

Many of you had been asking how things were going, etc., and my answer was usually, "Well, I've got mostly everything unpacked and homes found for most of it, but we don't have things on the wall, yet."  I don't really know, much less can I explain, why "having things on the walls" was the final piece of my "settling in" puzzle.  I realize that's a pretty common "last item on the to-do list" after moving in somewhere, but for me, it was more than making sure the furniture was in its place before decorating.  Having pictures of us and our families and friends on the walls in our home just makes it all feel even more real, more like home, and more like the place where we are going to start our future together.  Not that it didn't before...but this helps...like I said - not sure I can adequately explain it, but maybe you can relate.  ☺

Thanks for reading.  Come see it in person sometime!

Settled-ly,
Kensy


Favorites of the day:
new friends and relationships
Sprouts grocery store/farmers market
our "getaway" date last weekend

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Our Wedding

Happy New Year!

Hope your 2015 is off to a great start - ours is!

I really can't wait to tell you all about life in KC!  But...we should probably start at the beginning...  So, as promised, I'd like to share a bit about my our wedding.  (Yes, I intentionally left that "mistake" there. One thing I'm getting used to in married life is using new pronouns:
I = We
Mine = Ours
Me = Us
Be watching for those from here on out...since this blog is now about my life that includes my husband, so therefore, it's about OUR life!   Here ends the grammar exposition.)

I'd love to share every detail and every picture and every memory from our "Big Day," but I'll save all that for the visits we get to have in person (wink, wink...the guest room is open...ahem, cough, wink)!  For now, I'll share some highlights from my perspective (and maybe get my hubby to chime in, too!).

Highlights from wedding weekend:
  • lovely bachelorette party/sleepover hosted by my amazing personal attendant - complete with fuzzy socks, hot chocolate, and cozy blankets on a super cute Christmas-light-strung deck!
  • seriously perfect weather (74 and sunny...at the end of October...in Nebraska...!!!)
  • morning of pampering with some of my very favorite ladies
  • the music - especially the a cappella verse of "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" featuring the beautiful voices of our wedding party and guests
  • dancing! - our DJ, Craig Estudillo, did a great job of making everyone feel at home on and off the dance floor.
  • my dad's speech - I can't really articulate what his words (and singing) meant to me...but it was very heartfelt and meant a lot. 
  • the people - family and friends traveled from near and far to help us celebrate...we couldn't have asked for more! 
AND, of course:
  • marrying the amazing man God so graciously picked out to be MY husband!

Bryant's highlights:
  • getting to spend time with old and new family
  • spending time with "the guys" the night before the wedding (Kensy, here - They were at the coop! ☺ )
  • the wonderful ceremony my then-fiancĂ©e worked so hard to set up so she could become my wife
  • the music - especially the a cappella verse of "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" featuring the beautiful voices of our wedding party and guests (Kensy, again - He said, "You can copy that one." ☺ )
  • getting to marry Kensy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  (He asked for that many !'s ☺)

I know nothing and no one on this earth is perfect, but our wedding day sure seemed to come as close as it gets!

A special thanks to all who helped make it so meaningful, smooth, and wonderful!  Would especially like to thank:
  • Harris Academy of the Arts - These musicians happen to be friends and former coworkers of mine...or maybe it's the other way around... ☺ Anyway, they're ultra-talented and nice and experienced and we are STILL getting compliments on their lovely playing.
  • My mother-in-law (owner of GreatStitch) who not only traveled hours to be there and helped to make sure everyone was happy and healthy, but who also made this beautiful ring bearer's pillow:
The doily came from one of Bryant's grandmothers, the charms and pendants came from my two grandmothers, and his other grandmother did some hand-stitching to finish the pillow...AND his mom embroidered the back for us.  What a special piece of our day and keepsake for years to come!

  • Le Cupcake - I spent some time with the owner of this lovely shop during my student teaching (before she opened the store).  We teachers always got to be her guinea pigs for all the test recipes and she even made cupcakes for my last day!  What they put together for our wedding day was so beautiful...and delicious! 
    So many yummy flavors!
    "The Princess Bride" themed groom's cake!


  • Allison Garrett Photography - Allison is my godparents' daughter and was the flower girl in my parents' wedding...and happens to be a professional photographer!  She captured our day beautifully (check out the link to our pics - password is "berggren")!  AND I had the privilege of being a musician in HER wedding a couple weeks ago!  ☺  Here's a little taste of her work:
I could go on and on about this day.  It was truly a dream come true...and for so many reasons.  Thank you for letting me share a bit about it.  ☺  WE are so thankful for all of it...and for all of you.

Wedded blissfully,
Kensy (& Bryant)


Favorites of the day:
maple-glazed salmon and Brussels sprouts
board games
coupons