tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73848102024-03-07T00:48:53.034-08:00With a Wink and a SmileTravis and Erin Bodekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607460250799465948noreply@blogger.comBlogger282125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384810.post-52735844703682284192008-07-24T16:14:00.000-07:002008-07-24T16:16:00.036-07:00New BlogSince Travis and I are moving to North Chicago, I have created a new blog to talk about our adventures together. Please visit our new blog at:<br /><br />thebodekers.blogspot.com<br /><br />Thank you for reading!Travis and Erin Bodekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607460250799465948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384810.post-55417147432497837302008-07-16T09:35:00.000-07:002008-07-16T09:46:18.093-07:00The Countdown ContinuesAs of today we are down to 2 weeks until we head up to Illinois. Early in the morning on July 30th (not sure how early yet) we will be driving the vehicles out, Travis in the Uhaul and me in the Toyota Matrix. We will first head to the Dallas area where we will pick up my parents and sisters. They will leave their car at the airport parking lot and then fly back the following Sunday. The plan is to make it to Springfield, MO the first night (about 700 miles) and then on to North Chicago the next day (about 500 miles). <br /><br />We have packed quite a bit. On Monday we got almost the entire kitchen finished. In looking at everything, I realize we really don't have all that much to pack. It's coming down to deciding what do we need for the next two weeks and what can we go ahead and pack. <br /><br />Last week the museum hired someone for my job. She will start next Wednesday, so I will have 4 days to help train her. My last day of work will be next Saturday. It's really weird to think of leaving the museum. I don't think it has fully hit me yet. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time there--I can't believe I have been there almost 3 years. <br /><br />Along with packing we are busy spending time with friends and church member before we go. We have already been invited over for dinner by two couples in our church and I'm sure there will be others we need to see before we leave. <br /><br />I am still looking for a job. I have submitted some more applications and am waiting to hear back. I'm sure once we get up there it will be a bit easier to locate something.Travis and Erin Bodekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607460250799465948noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384810.post-30349545901908970692008-07-04T10:59:00.000-07:002008-07-04T11:33:46.288-07:00PackingThe packing for North Chicago has begun. On Wednesday we went to Shoe Carnival, where Travis' brother works, and picked up a few boxes to start with. Thursday I put in a half day at work and then went home to start organizing/packing. The only good thing about packing is that it makes you analyze your possessions and decide if you really want to cart these things with you on a 1200 mile trip. <br /><br />We've started in the guest/office room, mainly with all of our books and other little knick knacks. A friend of mine who has made the move from up north to down south told me about certain types of boxes that make packing a lot easier. The first is a wardrobe box. It looks like a miniature closet in a cardboard box. It's made so that you leave your clothes on the hanger and stuff as many as possible on the rod in this box. Then the bottom area of the box is available for anything else you want to stuff inside. Another item I think I want to get is a special dish box. We just got all of these wonderful dishes for our wedding and I would hate if they broke during the trip. <br /><br />Packing for me has been put on a stand still for a few days because of work. Unlike other people, Travis and I do not get July 4th off. The hospital is open that day and the museum/park has a big celebration. We probably will not get back home tonight until 10:00/11:00ish. And then I go back to work the next day! It's a lot of fun but a little tiring.Travis and Erin Bodekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607460250799465948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384810.post-82790562962702785412008-06-30T09:15:00.000-07:002008-06-30T09:30:57.175-07:00First Birthday as a BodekerSaturday was my 25th birthday. I did have to go to work on that day but I made the best out of it--besides I have plenty of things I need to get finished before my last day (July 26). <br /><br />Throughout the week Travis kept playing little games on me, pretending he didn't remember which day my birthday was on or asking what we were doing this week. When I arrived home from work he was not in the living room. I figure he was at the computer in the guest room. So I went to put my purse down by the kitchen table, and then I saw on the table the most beautiful, homemade chocolate cake with candles! I let out a big "awe" and went to see him in the guest room. He told me it was the first cake he had ever baked and he hoped it turned out good. From the looks of it I knew it would be fantastic. If we didn't do anything else to celebrate my birthday I would have been content. The gesture of that cake was more than enough!<br /><br />Travis had asked me earlier in the week what I would like for my birthday. I mentioned that I would like to have my favorite movie Life is Beautiful on dvd. I have it on VHS but don't watch it anymore. Next to my cake were two books on cd which we had talked about getting for our long trip up to Illinois. Travis told me he was unable to find the movie. I told him that was fine and I was happy to have the books.<br /> <br />Travis told me I had some time to unwind before we headed out to dinner. We have started a new tradition where we will go to Outback and choose two appetizers to split along with a fun drink. I love their bacon cheese fries...so unhealthy but so good! While at dinner Travis pulled something out of his wallet and placed it on the table. It was tickets to the 8:00 showing of Wall E!! He knows me so well--I love my Disney movies. I highly recommend this movie. It was hilarious.<br /><br />When the movie was over we headed back to the apartment to have birthday cake. Travis asked me to pick out a DVD for us to watch for a little bit while we ate cake. I went over to the DVD stand and started at the bottom perusing the selection. When I got to the top shelf I let out a scream...there was my Life is Beautiful DVD!! Travis always knows how to surprise me--and I love it!<br /><br />Another surprise that we both got came with the cake. Travis lit the candles and then I blew them out. A few seconds later the candles started to relight! Travis had no idea he had put trick candles on the cake. I think it just added to the evening. <br /><br />All in all I had a wonderful 25th birthday!Travis and Erin Bodekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607460250799465948noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384810.post-80184776488869633182008-06-14T09:09:00.000-07:002008-06-14T09:27:25.764-07:00A Special DinnerAbout a month ago a couple of sweet friends sent Travis and I a wonderful wedding present. It was some money to spend on a fancy meal. Lately we have been so busy that we haven't had a chance to use it but this past Thursday we went out on the town. I had heard from my bosses about this new place in town called The Republic Steakhouse. Travis called ahead of time to find out about the dress code and to make reservations. We dressed in our Sunday best (not too fancy) and head out at 7:30. From the outside it didn't look too different from any other place. It was on the back end of a shopping center. When you walked inside you were taken back by the remarkable ambiance. I felt like I was at a restaurant in New York. <br /><br />We had a wonderful waiter who explained everything to us and also suggested we split an entree. We had a 4 course meal! I don't think I've ever done that before. The portions were a good size and we ate slow to enjoy every moment. Travis had a tomato salad--it was only tomatoes, 4 or 5 different types. The tomatoes were home grown by the chef so they were salmonella free. We shared an appetizer of fried calamari which was absolutely delicious. I even ate the parts with the tentacles! We shared a 14 oz. New York strip, some amazing potatoes, and some perfectly cooked asparagus. The waiter brought out 5 different sauces for the meat. We both chose our favorite. We ended with an amazing dessert--fresh made strawberry peach sorbet and a part key lime pie, part cheesecake brulee. It was one of the best desserts I have ever had! <br /><br />We had such a wonderful time eating and talking that we didn't get home that night until 9:30. We went a little over our present but it was highly worth it. To end the night we played a rousing game of Life. All in all it was a marvelous and memorable evening.Travis and Erin Bodekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607460250799465948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384810.post-65946800219166893432008-06-14T08:54:00.000-07:002008-06-14T09:08:56.965-07:00Trip to AbileneI promise once we move to Chicago I will be much better at keeping this updated. It seems like lately I haven't had much to write about. A few weekends ago we took a trip down to Abilene for my sisters' graduation. I hadn't been home since Christmas, so it was fun to see what all had changed. Going to the graduation at the Expo Center brought back so many memories of when I graduated 7 years ago! Good grief--has it been that long? There were quite a few of the graduates I knew from the youth group at church, some of who I hadn't seen in years. It was a little weird seeing them all grown up. <br /><br />It happened to work out that the same weekend of the graduation Christy was having her bridal shower. I was happy I was able to go since I'm highly certain I will not make it to the reception. We also had dinner (at Taco Bueno--oh how I've missed it) with my college gang. The group is getting smaller and smaller as people are moving away to other areas of the state or further away to Illinois and even New York. And I also got to see (and hold) Hannah's twins. They are so precious and tiny. Don't worry it has not awakened the mommy bug in me--that is a ways down the road...hopefully. Travis and I also got to see my dad's new place of work. He seems very happy and excited about this place which I am glad about. My mom just recently got a new job as well and she is much happier too. Everything seems to be falling into place. We also worked out the moving plan. My parents are going to help us drive the moving van and our car to North Chicago and then fly back. It's going to be a very long trip. I don't know if I have been in a car for that long of a time period. <br /><br />I'm still in the process of looking for a job. So far no one has called me back which is a little disheartening. It would be wonderful if I could have a job already lined up before we get there. But perhaps it will be easier to look once we are all set up.Travis and Erin Bodekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607460250799465948noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384810.post-79556213863533232172008-05-20T12:40:00.000-07:002008-05-23T13:10:58.251-07:00More Kids Say...Our tours have picked up quite a bit in the past few months, what with school almost being out. It is always a treat to hear what the kids will say or ask. Here are a few fun kid sayings from the past few weeks:<br /><br />* 4th grader after seeing the picture of Chuck Norris, "Miss, you have a picture of that guy...what's his name...Bob Norris?"<br /><br />* 4th grader passing the large statue of Sam Houston, "That's Sam Houston, isn't it? He's the one who is on the penny."<br /><br />* 3rd grader looking at our animal display, "Look it's a Run Roader."<br /><br />* 3rd grader after I told them how clothes were made, "When you were a little girl did you have to make clothes from cotton?"<br /><br />* "This place (the museum) is like a history book and we jumped inside it."<br /><br />* 4th grader looking at our video of faces: "Is that Susanna Dickinson? It sure sounds like her."Travis and Erin Bodekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607460250799465948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384810.post-34615935022213327612008-04-26T08:41:00.000-07:002008-04-26T08:51:42.840-07:00UpdateWell, since my last blog quite a bit has changed. Travis' interview went really well and he was accepted to the Dr. Scholl's School of Podiatry in North Chicago, Il. Since that moment we have been making plans about the next few months. <br /><br />Travis' school starts August 18th, however he also has an orientation starting on August 12th. So our plan is to be up there with a week and a half to get situated before his life gets really crazy. We have set the moving day for July 29th. I have already submitted my letter of resignation to work and my job is already posted. It is hard to leave this wonderful job and these wonderful people but I am super excited about the adventure ahead of us. <br /><br />We believe we have found an apartment. It is less than half a mile from his school which is very good. The price is pretty reasonable for up there. If we can, we are going to try to sign the lease without making a trip up to Chicago. We will see.<br /><br />I have already put my application into 4 jobs and am still looking for others. The places I have applied so far include:<br /><br />* A Children's Museum for the position of Educator<br /><br />* A Science and Industry Museum for an educational position<br /><br />* A small college for the position of Academic Advisor<br /><br />* A publishing company for the position of Assistant Editor for Social Studies<br /><br />Now I will have to wait to see if any of these come through. Everyday I am searching for other open opportunities. It kind of is a lot of pressure knowing you will be the provider for a few years.Travis and Erin Bodekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607460250799465948noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384810.post-67303393509536202662008-03-08T07:53:00.000-08:002008-03-08T13:44:16.585-08:00Marital Bliss and Possible Change on the HorizonIt has been awhile since I have updated my blog...so here goes:<br /><br />As of today I have been married for 3 weeks and it has been wonderful! The wedding was absolutely perfect. I wasn't stressed at all nor was anyone else. It was a day full of happiness and fun--just as I wanted it.<br /><br />The honeymoon in San Antonio was wonderful as well. The weather was nice and cool the entire time we were there. Our hotel was right on the river walk and we had a beautiful balcony view from the 6th floor. We visited the Alamo, ate one night at the Tower of Americas, and just took it easy. It was so nice knowing the wedding was over--it was as if a heavy weight had been lifted off of me. <br /><br />Now we are in the midst of getting the apartment all put together which is taking a little more time than we thought. <br /><br />Yesterday Travis received some wonderful news. He has applied for podiatry school at the Dr. Scholl's School of Podiatry in North Chicago, IL. Yesterday he was asked to come up for an interview! He is incredibly excited as am I. I am super proud of him! He is hoping to go for the interview at the end of March or the first week in April. So I will keep everyone posted with the results of that interview.Travis and Erin Bodekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607460250799465948noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384810.post-10194206291935767232008-01-18T09:59:00.000-08:002008-01-18T10:09:00.800-08:00Wedding DreamsI started having dreams about the wedding all the way back in October. I had about 3 or 4 dreams all related to the same thing: it was the day of the wedding and we hadn't planned the ceremony at all. It was not a good feeling.<br /><br />I've had two dreams this week that have been quite different from the previous dreams. In my first dream all the guests are seated, waiting for the wedding to begin and the bridesmaids are lined up at the front of the auditorium. The ceremony hasn't started but I am in there looking over things, I guess. I notice that two of the bridesmaids (who, in my dream are complete strangers but that doesn't seem to bother me) have "restyled" their dresses. The dresses are cut as short as they possibly can be without showing anything and there are many other holes cut out in the upper part of the dress. They are as hoochy as can be. <br /><br />In my other dream the wedding ceremony has finished and everything went fine. It is time for the reception but apparently part of the food is late. So Travis tells the guests we need to wait just a little bit until the donuts (not really planning on having those at the wedding) arrive. Apparently my parents are the ones bringing the donuts. So I ask someone, "Were my parents at the ceremony?" No. "Was the wedding video tapped so they at least could watch it?" No. My parents missed me getting married?? Yup. And in the dream I started to cry. <br /><br />I'm hoping soon I will have a happy wedding dream!Travis and Erin Bodekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607460250799465948noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384810.post-5199569532066629042008-01-05T11:05:00.000-08:002008-01-05T14:05:22.260-08:00It Is FinishedTravis called me at work around noon to tell me that he and 3 others had moved my stuff to the new apartment. It is going to be weird to see my apartment empty. And tomorrow I get to start another "fun" project--cleaning the old place.<br /><br />As of today we are down to 5 weeks to the wedding. Part of me freaks out a little when I think of that because there is still a lot to do and the other part is ok with it being 6 weeks away. I think both of us are ready to have it done. <br /><br />January is a very busy month for us and will go by extremely fast. Here's what all we have going on:<br /><br />1. This weekend: moving<br />2. Next weekend: Travis' friend's wedding & our shower in Lufkin<br />3. The next weekend: Shower at our church in College Station<br />4. The next weekend: Me--Bachelorette Party; Travis--travel to Abilene to take the MCAT<br /><br />And in between those events I will work on finalizing wedding stuff.Travis and Erin Bodekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607460250799465948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384810.post-31595402073521398622007-12-30T21:28:00.000-08:002007-12-30T21:36:26.994-08:00MovingChristmas went really well. I had one evening of stress when wedding stuff, Christmas shopping and packing to go to Abilene all crashed together. But I got through it with the help of Travis telling me to breathe. I had a wonderful time with my family and my extended family. I got to see my aunt, uncle and all of my cousins. This hasn't happened in a long time. I also got to see my cousin's 1 month old baby!<br /><br />Tomorrow night (New Year's Eve) Travis and I are celebrating our Christmas. Because Travis had to be back to work the day after Christmas, we spent the holiday apart--he in Dallas and I in Abilene. Since we have the wedding coming up we decide instead of gifts we would have a nice date night where one person would pay for the dinner and the other for the movie. <br /><br />I am off of work this week and it will be spent packing up the apartment. On Saturday my stuff will be moved into the apartment that Travis and I will live in. My apartment complex offered us a brand new, never been lived in apartment at a very resonable rent. We decided to move my stuff before things got too hectic with the wedding. Have I mentioned that I hate moving? I try my hardest to move as few times as possible. So it should be a very "fun" week!Travis and Erin Bodekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607460250799465948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384810.post-50812584740001873662007-12-05T14:07:00.000-08:002007-12-05T14:17:14.511-08:00Christmas...I have other things on my mind!The momentous Thanksgiving went very, very well! The Crawford clan arrived at Travis' house around 1:30 to meet the Bodeker clan. Between the time of arrival to the time of dinner (around 6:00) we casually cooked the different parts of the meal and conversed with one another. Everyone hit it off! At dinner time we had 11 people seated around the table--Travis' roommate joined us since he had to work that day. Everything tasted wonderful and of course everyone was pleasantly filled. <br /><br />A big part of my wishes that this year we could skip Christmas. I truly love Christmas--it is one of my favorite times of the year. However, I already have a pretty big event that is taking a lot of my time...and also some stress. I decided to forgo putting up any of my Christmas decorations. I will be moving into a new apartment right after Christmas so I don't feel like having extra items to pack up. I tend to put Christmas shopping off until close to the last minute and then I also want to try and get the perfect gifts for everyone. I would love to not mess with all of that this year.Travis and Erin Bodekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607460250799465948noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384810.post-58598080982578520902007-11-21T07:06:00.000-08:002007-11-21T07:13:48.218-08:00Momentous ThanksgivingHappy Thanksgiving to everyone!<br /><br />Personally, it is very hard for me to believe it is Thanksgiving tomorrow. Something just doesn't seem right. I think a big part of it is the weather. I don't think it is suppose to be 80 degrees on the days leading up to turkey day. Also I have been so busy lately that I haven't been keeping track of the days.<br /><br />This is a very special and important Thanksgiving. We are celebrating in College Station mainly because Travis has to work on thanksgiving day (the hospital doesn't close). But even more importantly this is the first time for our families to meet! My parents, sisters, and grandmother are coming down from Abilene and his parents are coming from Lufkin. We thought it might be good for them to meet before the wedding takes place :)<br /><br />The meal will take place at Travis' house and we are hoping to borrow a table from church that will seat all 10 of us plus the glorious food!<br /><br />I am really excited to have everyone together--it should be a very fun and eventful holiday!Travis and Erin Bodekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607460250799465948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384810.post-73990804370837622952007-11-03T12:05:00.000-07:002007-11-03T12:10:56.718-07:00UpdateHere's what has been going on since my last post (ages ago--sorry):<br /><br />* Last Monday I picked up my wedding dress--it is now in my closet and I look at it constantly.<br /><br />* We have gone to 4 weeks of marriage prep class and we love it! We are learning so many wonderful ways to make a marriage last and grow.<br /><br />* This next Sunday we have our first shower in Abilene--super exciting!<br /><br />* The project for this month is ordering the invitations--whoo hoo!Travis and Erin Bodekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607460250799465948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384810.post-63012525399538470792007-10-06T07:38:00.000-07:002007-10-06T07:50:39.328-07:00Here We GoAnd once again I have slacked off on the blog updating. Things are getting a little busier around here so it has been harder to keep up with even posting on a weekly basis. Wedding plans are going well--I'm not getting stressed out...yet. I am however realizing that my time is slowly but steadily becoming less and less. And once the holidays roll around time is going to start whizzing by. Travis and I remain productive by trying to make lists of things to do each week. Since my last post we have: bought our wedding bands (and placed them in a safety deposit box til the wedding), registered at Sear for tools, started Marriage Prep class at our church, begun buying decoration items, scheduled two good friends to play in the ceremony, and made plans for a shower in Abilene.<br /><br />Also our engagement announcement should be in the Abilene paper this Sunday. So all you Abilenians reading this should be on the lookout for that!<br /><br />Along with wedding plans work has become extremely busy. This past week my boss and I gave presentations to the Texas History classes at Blinn College. This is the one program I fret most about because the audience is anywhere from 2-6 years younger than me. It's a little more nerve racking than speaking to kids. Of course being out of the office for two days I had massive amounts of work waiting for me. I practically was on the phone all day Thursday booking tours and scheduling families for our Home School Day program. Whew! At least it made the days go by quickly. <br /><br />So as the months progress I am trying to balance work, wedding planning, and social events. I definately am not bored!Travis and Erin Bodekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607460250799465948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384810.post-90280911317903138892007-09-16T08:27:00.000-07:002007-09-16T08:37:57.537-07:00The Abilene GirlsThis weekend the Abilene girls (minus Anne) came down to College Station to hang out. We haven't all been together since Christmas so a get together was long over due. I got my boss to switch days with me so that I could hang out all day Saturday. Our time was mainly spent sitting around talking and catching up. Although we did enjoy some yummy food at Bennigins, Abuelos, and La Bodega (a local place I enjoy). <br /><br />We also spent quality time playing the game Imagine If, watching Connie and Carla, and visiting some enjoyable stores. And at one of these said stores we found a little novelty that made the weekend unforgetable. At World Market Christy and I found this very odd cat figurine that was horrifying, amusing, and lovable all at the same time. We took some great pictues with Scary Cat. And I have decided to go back and buy him today after work and use him as my wedding mascot. I want to take him to showers (even if he is in concealment most of the time) and have someone take random pictures of him at the reception. Everytime I look at the picture of this cat I bust out laughing!<br /><br />And here he is:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbaEqUmAORi8PfbhSVWDD6U5OJRyDx-iHMmanEhXRQZxI0orkUGKOSNknwB6nhKs9AvVwlZyYbf5VcD03xxmBxXJamKU-BLqM6c7t5Q2X7rHgCyIwbr-pCTH3RCmke_M_RQeD/s1600-h/scarycat.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbaEqUmAORi8PfbhSVWDD6U5OJRyDx-iHMmanEhXRQZxI0orkUGKOSNknwB6nhKs9AvVwlZyYbf5VcD03xxmBxXJamKU-BLqM6c7t5Q2X7rHgCyIwbr-pCTH3RCmke_M_RQeD/s320/scarycat.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110826638389882450" /></a>Travis and Erin Bodekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607460250799465948noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384810.post-21485128176279215342007-09-01T09:25:00.001-07:002007-09-01T09:36:00.713-07:00A Swatch...Is That Too Much To Ask?For the past week and a half I have had the worst time trying to get a swatch from the place I am ordering bridesmaid dresses from. The color of the dresses is Indigo so it's not a normal color that can easily be matched. My main problem was that I kept talking to employees who didn't know all of the stores policies.<br /><br />The first time I called and asked for a swatch the girl told me they only give out swatches for in-store use. What? Why would I need a swatch when I can look at the color right there in the store? So the next time I called I asked for the manager. She told me once one of my bridesmaids had ordered a dress I could get a swatch. So once I knew a bridesmaid had ordered a dress I called once more. I made sure to say "may I speak to someone about ordering a swatch" so that I wouldn't get the same girl I had before. Well, this girl told me right away "oh we don't do that". Usually I am a very nice, pleasant person on the phone but I decided it was time to get gruff. I told her that I spoke with the manager and they do give out swatches. She then told me to hold. When she came back on she asked me what color I needed. I told her the color and she immediately asked me to repeate it. She put me on hold for a bit and then came back and asked me to spell the color! I was amazed. And then to top it off she said "and you need that little piece of fabric, right?" I don't think she even knew what a swatch was! So after all of that I found out they can't mail it out to me. I will have to go to Houston some day next week.<br /><br />I had decided if it came down to it I was either going to sneak my camera into the store and take a picture of a dress in the same color or Plan B--sneak in a pair of scissors and nonchalantly snip off an unnoticably piece of the dress.Travis and Erin Bodekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607460250799465948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384810.post-48176927265607033192007-08-23T07:25:00.000-07:002007-08-23T07:42:11.897-07:00Horrible Day!Yesterday started and ended with things going wrong. For the past couple of nights I have had a hard time falling asleep--I toss and turn for at least 30 minutes. Well, I think it caught up with me yesterday morning. I usually snooze for 30 minutes, using my cell phone as my alarm. At one point I woke up and thought to myself, "It looks a little brighter in my room than normal." I looked at my phone and realized I sleeped 30 minutes longer than I should have. So then I went into crazy rush mode. Some how I got ready and was out the door at my normal time--I must have cut something out of my routine.<br /><br />Everything went fine at work. I scheduled quite a few tours, talked with my co-workers, etc. No problems. Then it was time to go home. I was on the phone with my mom as I left Navasota and merged onto Highway 6. It was then that I felt the sluggishness of my car--I had a flat! So I quickly pulled over and got out to assess the damage. Of course it had to be the tire closest to the busy highway. I probably could have changed it myself but I was in a skirt and high heels and I was really afraid of getting hit by the whizzing cars. So I called Travis to help me--of course it was going to take him about 20 minutes to get out there. About 5 minutes after calling him a wonderful, nice man stopped and put my spare on for me. I was so grateful!<br /><br />So I made my way back to College Station and planned to go to Wal-Mart to get the tire patched up. When I arrived the mechanic told me that they close at 7:00 but stop taking customers at 6:00--the guy in front of me was their last customer. I was so distrot. And nothing else was open. So I was going to have to wake up early and bring my car in at 7:00 the next morning. Grrr!<br /><br />After all of that I was ready to get back to my apartment to cool of and relax. I got pretty nasty standing outside in the humid air. As I walk into the apartment I notice it's a little warm. The air conditioner was blowing but the thermometer read 80 degrees. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. I just started to cry--and it really made me feel better. <br /><br />This morning I got the tire fixed and I have a call into my apartment to fix the air conditioner. Let's hope that this day is filled with less surprises.Travis and Erin Bodekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607460250799465948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384810.post-81821672599966474712007-08-21T12:21:00.000-07:002007-08-21T12:54:02.574-07:00The Dreams Begin...I remember back when I lived in RELM, my roommate Lauren began having dreams about her wedding a month or so before the big day. And not the best of dreams--dreams in which something went wrong. Well, Sunday night I had my first wedding dreams. I had two dreams that were very similar in that they both had to do with not being ready for the wedding. In one it was the day before the wedding and I was trying to get everything planned that day. In the other it was the day of the wedding and I was frantically calling to get flowers. I hadn't decided how the ceremony would go either. It was a huge mess! <br /><br />My hope is that these dreams don't continue...they make me a little nervous.Travis and Erin Bodekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607460250799465948noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384810.post-13814412586093823672007-08-21T09:58:00.000-07:002007-08-21T12:21:11.206-07:00Point and ShootThis past Sunday Travis and I started the registration mania! We were so excited. Of course we really didn't think about the day we picked--Tax Free Weekend in College Station with new freshman getting settled in the dorms. Actually it wasn't bad at all--I guess the majority of them did their shopping on Saturday.<br /><br />We went to Bed, Bath and Beyond to begin. We filled out all of our information and then picked out our dinnerware and flatware. We then were given the gun or I should say Travis was given the gun. He was so excited about it and I let him do all of the shooting. At one point he said "look at this"--He had the gun in his short's pocket and whipped it out in the true old western gun showdown style. <br /><br />It was so fun to go around deciding what things we would want...and to know people would get them for us! We still have to register at Target and probably make another trip to Bed, Bath, and Beyond to finish and possibly change some choices.Travis and Erin Bodekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607460250799465948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384810.post-58689212981527285252007-08-14T08:41:00.000-07:002007-08-14T10:04:22.296-07:00Photos and DressesRobin came down this weekend to take our engagement pictures--quite exciting! Sunday after church and lunch we ventured out to 4 different spots for our well-posed pictures. I let Travis pick out the spots since he has been in College Station longer and I had no clue where to go. Of course all of our sights were outside and it was one of the hottest days we have had in awhile. I brought a towel along to dab the sweat inbetween pictures. We started off taking pictures at the Adminstration building on A&M campus. The front of this building has these huge white pillars. We then took some shots at the arches which have to do with the Corps--Travis really wanted to get some pictures there. The next place was the Century Tree which is this very old tree on campus. The branches have become so large that they droop to the ground. I love this tree and was really glad we used it for our pictures. The last place we went was the George Bush Museum. Behind the museum there is a pond--we took pictures on the bridge and under the trelaces. We also got a fun picture of Travis pretending to throw me in the pond. I'm really excited to see how the pictures turned out!<br /><br />On Monday I traveled to the Houston area to check out some bridesmaid dresses. I have been looking online at all kinds of dresses and the only place I really liked was Alfred Angelo. I picked a really cute tea length dress in the color Indigo (darker blue). Now I have to tell my bridesmaids about it and figure out how to get the dresses ordered.Travis and Erin Bodekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607460250799465948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384810.post-47546907189362396562007-08-14T07:47:00.000-07:002007-08-14T07:59:39.174-07:00Sick of Being SickWell, I am back at work after being out for a whole week due to illness. Two Saturdays ago (Aug. 4) I felt really funny at work. When I got home I just layed on the couch all evening feeling yucky. I had a horrible cough and drainage and Travis was pretty sure I had a fever. I decided to rest for Sunday and Monday, hoping the sickness would be gone by my Tuesday work day. But it didnt work. I still felt horrible and had a fever. On Sunday night I woke up twice during the night and dry heaved--not a fun experience.<br /><br />On Tuesday Travis took me to the doctor. The doctor couldn't find any signs of sinus problems. When he listened to my chest he found the problem--I had bronchial pneumonia! So I was given an expensive medication and an expensive cough medicine (that tastes horrible). I was stuck on the couch for the rest of the week. <br /><br />I think my body was trying to tell me that I have been trying to do too much too quickly for the wedding. For only being engaged 3 weeks I have quite a bit done. I'm just trying my hardest to have it all done so I'm not stressed right before the wedding. <br /><br />So far I have:<br /><br />* A date picked<br />* A place for the wedding/reception/rehersal dinner<br />* The officiant picked<br />* Attendents picked<br />* Colors and theme picked<br />* My dress purchased<br />* Photographer lined up<br />* Wedding cake person picked out<br />* Honeymoon spots narrowed down<br />* Engagement pictures taken<br />* Bridesmaid dresses picked out<br /><br />I think I'm doing ok--since I have 6 months till the wedding.Travis and Erin Bodekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607460250799465948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384810.post-39444427752055188662007-07-30T09:51:00.001-07:002007-07-30T09:56:21.327-07:00The DressI know some of you will think this is crazy but I already have my wedding dress!<br /><br />Once I got engaged I began looking online at all the dresses. I looked all over and saw one at David's Bridal that I really loved over all the other I had seen. My family came into town on Thursday for a little vacation time. So on Saturday we dropped my dad and sisters off at the Woodland's Mall while my mom and I went to David's bridal. <br /><br />I didn't know how things worked there and that it is better to set up an appointment to try on a dress. But we were fine with waiting because we knew we hadn't followed the correct procedure. I tried the dress on and loved it! I went ahead and had the alterations done and go back to try it on at the end of October!<br /><br />It's nice to have that major choice taken care of...now to tackle the other 350!Travis and Erin Bodekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607460250799465948noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384810.post-23618837308634198692007-07-30T09:32:00.000-07:002007-07-30T09:50:54.223-07:00The ProposalOver the next 7 months I believe my blog will be turned into Stories/Updates from Wedding Central. Most of you who read my blog already know that on July 22nd Travis and I got engaged. This first post will discuss how it happened and my reactions.<br /><br /><br />From Thursday through Monday Travis and I were on our vacation weekend. We had planned to visit his grandmother in Dallas, his grandparents in San Angelo, and then my parents in Abilene. On Sunday, the day of the proposal, Travis had an upset stomach from the moment he woke up. He thought it was because of his allergies but he came to find out it was from nervousness--it ended right before he proposed.<br /><br />When we got to Abilene we had dinner with a friend who attends A&M but lives in Lubbock. The story I was told was that she and her mom were in visiting her brother but I found out later that she was only here to help with the engagement. At one point during dinner Travis had to go back to the car to get his wallet. He took quite awhile but said he was putting his camera in a safer place. In actuality he was putting stuff in Kim's car. <br /><br />After dinner we had planned to go up to ACU to take pictures of the Jacob's Ladder sculpture. After the pictures we went for a little walk around campus. When we were behind the Science building Travis' phone beeped saying he had a text message. He told me it was a telemarketer which I believed and didn't think anything else of it. It actually was Kim telling Travis she had everything ready. He then said he wanted to try to get some other pictures of the statue with the sun setting so he started to walk faster. Before going back to the statue he wanted to stop off at the ampitheater. As we got closer I noticed there were rose petals leading to the ampitheater. I said to Travis "I wonder why those are there." He said I don't know. It never entered my mind that it was for me--I thought the camp kids had done something out there.<br /><br />When we reached the front of the ampitheater I knew what was coming. I saw a ring of rose petals and little bags filled with sand and tea lights. Travis got down on one knee and proposed. I hardly remember what I was saying during it--but he told me that I kept saying "oh my goodness" over and over...and then I said yes! It was kind of like one of those out of body experiences or that I can't believe this is happening to me moments. While we were hugging the campus police drove by, flipped his siren, and said congrats--not a planned event but a very nice touch. Kim and her mom came out of hiding, hugged and congratulated us and then took some wonderful pictures of us. <br /><br />The reason I didn't expect this at all was because for the past few weeks Travis has mentioned that once he had the money he would be buying me a ring. So I thought it wouldn't be for awhile. The truth was that he had had a ring for over a month and a half. Also the last time we were in Abilene (about 3 weeks ago) he had asked my parents permission while I was taking a nap! <br /><br />The wedding will be February 16th at our church in College Station. And I have already begun the crazy planning!Travis and Erin Bodekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607460250799465948noreply@blogger.com1