Our Honeymoon

I keep promises, friends. So, belated as it is, here is a glimpse at our amazing honeymoon!   It was a welcome and necessary getaway after the craziness of pre-wedding/moving/marriage, and we were so thankful to have the opportunity to take such a lovely trip.

This post will be mostly pictures - haven't done one of those in a while.  I'll give commentary, periodically, but feel free to ask any questions I don't answer.  Thanks in advance for your patience with the pictures as they take their own sweet time to load. ☺

Bon voyage!

We spent our first night at the Rogers House Bed & Breakfast.

It was such a cute, quaint place to be - definitely worth checking out if you ever need a place to stay in Lincoln.

The next afternoon and evening were spent at the stunning Magnolia Hotel in Omaha.  We explored the premises a bit, and found their beautiful courtyard (as well as the "milk and cookies" happy hour!).

Room service = yum.

Complimentary honeymoon treat.  ☺

And we're off!

☺
I don't know if I've ever explained Bryant's ring...?  That's my fingerprint engraved on there!  He picked it out himself. ☺

I've always loved Mad Libs - how perfect were there "Just Married" ones for our honeymoon trip?!

We had to document the plastic knives at the steakhouse restaurant in the airport.  Ha!

Goodbye, Texas...

...hello, Mexico!

We stayed at the all-inclusive Riu Hotel & Resort in Cancun.

The view from our balcony!

Every. Day.

Our first wildlife spotting!

Little tiny palm trees! ☺

The buffet was unbelievable.  So much food...such variety and quantity!  And such amazing presentation!

There were people from all over the world at our resort, so food was labeled in a variety of languages.  Apparently, "hot dog" is pretty universal.  Call me a creeper, but one of the most fascinating things, for me, was to watch other people eat.  It's so interesting to see what they chose to eat and how they ate it, depending on their home country!

In addition to the buffet, there were three different "sit down" restaurants.  We tried each one, but I didn't catch pictures of everything.  Here's our meal at the Japanese restaurant:

We like to think that symbol means "congratulations," or something...

Fried ice cream!  Surprisingly similar to the fried shrimp... ☺

And these pics are from the Steakhouse restaurant (real knives at this one...):

How fun to get all gussied up and just walk to dinner each night...along the beach, no less!

One morning, we got up super early to watch the sun rise.  We almost went back to bed when we realized it was raining outside...

We stuck it out, though, and are so glad we did!  (Thank goodness for bottomless coffee drinks, though...)  We basically had the place to ourselves for a few hours that morning.

One of our days was spent on Isle Mujures, an island off the coast of Cancun.

The boat we took over was affiliated with the "dolphin experience."  Though we didn't swim with dolphins, I'd say we still had the experience of a lifetime! ☺

They served us breakfast on the boat on the way there!

Totally worth the wind.

Seriously couldn't get over the water.

That's the boat we rode over on.  We took a bigger one on the way back.

Snorkeling!  Didn't take an underwater camera, but we saw some pretty cool things down there!

Does it get much better?

We took a long walk along the shore and were literally the only ones on that part of the island for an hour or so.  Such valuable time to just be together and take in beautiful scenery!

That's Cancun on the horizon.

We pretended we could pick out our hotel in the line-up.

Lots of wildlife sightings on this day!

He stopped to pose for this picture, and it doesn't do him justice - he was huge!

This was the floor throughout most of the little resort area that was our "home base" for the day.

We took some time to explore the island, do a little shopping (took advantage of the "honeymooners!" discount), and take in the sights, tastes, and sounds of a new place.

ALL the wristbands!

Got to enjoy a sunset from the water on the boat ride back - hooray!

The resort's entertainment staff was phenomenal.  Different activities and shows every night - and they were all so fun!

He almost won the tournament!

Karaoke!  I even got asked back the next night!

Hooray for endless food and drinks...at any time of day or night!

Moonlit walk along the beach: check.

We were there on Halloween and Dia de los Muertos.  It was so fun and interesting to see the decorations and festivities!

So glad to have been there...

...but not so glad to leave!

Bryant got a kick out of this sign in the Dallas airport.

We made an extended honeymoon trip to the new IKEA store here in KC.  Found a new entertainment center to take home and assemble together!

So, there you have it!  Thanks for reminiscing with us - it was a great trip.

Hope this finds you well and as warm as possible.

Blissfully,

Kensy

Favorites of the day:

fresh-baked-anything smell (right now, brownies)

my sweet husband

the fact that my brother is ENGAGED!!!

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

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-fiancée 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

I flew the coop!

Hello, hello, hello, dear friends and readers!

Welcome to the freshly updated "Scoop from the Coop!"

As many of you know, my life underwent a few not-so-minor changes in the recent past, so I thought this blog should reflect accordingly...on a more minor level, perhaps.

Though I'm no longer living at the coop, I'd like to retain the blog title, because...well, I don't think that really requires explanation.  ☺

So, take a deep breath with me, and get excited for more new things to come!

Subjects of upcoming posts to look forward to:
Wedding
Honeymoon
Unpacking/settling in
Charlie & Pepper
Music/Kiddos/Jobs

In the meantime, I really just wanted to drop you all a line and thank you for your patience as I've begun to settle into married life.  Many of you have asked about my blog, new life, and generally how things are going.  I so appreciate your interest, concern, and generosity, and will do my best to keep you posted on the happenings, big and small, in OUR life.

Also, I wanted to share this:
Since fall was so busy with wedding/moving/work/etc., I kind-of missed the all-thing-pumpkin boat.  Terribly sad news, right?  Fear not, though!  Thanks to a recent trip to Oklahoma and my mother-in-law's genius (and our kitchen being unpacked, organized, and in working order (which no small feat)), I have pumpkin aplenty and am making up for lost time this week.  I'm (finally) trying recipes I pinned on Pinterest boards long ago, and have made the following this week:
Whipped Cinnamon Pumpkin Honey Butter
Pumpkin Poppers
Overnight Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls (These are in the fridge getting ready to be baked tomorrow!)

This one's on deck:
Pumpkin Bread with Salted Caramel Drizzled Pumpkin Buttercream

Yum.

That's all, for now.  As usual, thanks for reading, and I'll look forward to filling you in more soon!

Happy holidays, Merry Christmas, and warm wishes to you and yours!

Wife-ly,
Kensy

Favorites of the day:

my HUSBAND!!!

having a well-stocked kitchen

this gal and guy:

Squeaky clean!

That's me - squeaky clean, because I've had so many showers, lately!

My uncle asked my cousin if she took soap to one of my showers.

A different cousin brought a shower curtain as a gift to another.

Ha. Ha.

☺

I won't be offended if you didn't laugh at any of the puns.  And for those of you who missed it - I've been fortunate enough to be the "guest of honor" at a few wedding/bridal showers in the last couple of weeks.  I realize I've posted about these on Facebook, but I'd like to include them in this blog, as well, because it seems to have become a sort of "life book" for me, and these are an important entry in that book...and memories I want to keep fresh for a long time to come.

The first of the showers was in Lincoln and thrown by a couple dear friends from college and one of my aunts.  The theme was "All You Need Is Love," and it was such a cute, lovely, well-put-together event!  Unfortunately, I didn't get many pictures of my own of this one, but here's a taste:

No pictured: delicious snacks, cute table decorations, "date night" popsicle sticks, "Favorite Kensy Memories" cards, and a fun (and funny) "Who Said It?" game!

I got to keep the Scrabble tile sign!  My former coopmate (the creator of the sign and one of the hostesses) and I used to play Scrabble together all the time. ☺

The second shower was a pizza party couple's shower hosted by Bryant's family in Oklahoma.  We had so much fun spending time with family and friends, sampling pizza, and sharing recipes!  The decor, favors, food, etc. was all amazing.  Check it all out here!

The third was a dream come true, for me: a Pampered Chef bridal shower!  My mom has been hosting/attending Pampered Chef parties for most of my life, and I've grown up using and loving the tools.  So, it was very exciting for me when my matron of honor asked if she could throw me a Pampered Chef shower.  Again - not a lot of pictures, but be assured we had a wonderful time!

After we had some snacks and played a fun game, I got to be the demonstrator!

I'm just overwhelmed and humbled by the outpouring of love, creativity, and generosity of the host/hostesses and guests of these showers.  It all definitely filled my bucket and made me/us even more excited for our big day!

In other news, I moved almost all of my belongings to Kansas City this weekend, so...I guess that's a pretty big deal.  ; )  Big thanks to my family for helping us start to get settled!

Here we go!
P.S. The guest bed is up and ready for visitors!

I think this will be my last post as Miss Berggren.  Still working on the tie-in for bringing "The Scoop from the Coop" to you from a home that has never housed chickens, but fear not - I will continue posting as often as married life allows.

Thank you all for your shared excitement, love, and support!  It sure means a lot.

Until next time...

With much anticipation,
Miss Kensy Berggren

Favorites of the day:

Bacon Cheddar Potato Soup

wedding details & excitement

This going away/thank you gift from a family I teach:

I often reference the song "Scales & Arpeggios" from this movie, but rarely does a student actually know what I'm referring to.  There's one 3rd grade boy who was/is obsessed with this movie, though, so he picked up on the reference right away...and thought we needed a copy of our own in KC. ☺