Chocolate Covered Chaos

In the midst of planning a wedding, buying a house, preparing to move across the country and managing a demanding project at work, I got called for jury duty in a criminal case!  While most of the tasks listed are exciting and ultimately joyful, they still require hours and hours of time... which I am lacking more than ever.  If there were ever a phase in my life when I need to add an extra 12 hours to each day, now is that time.

Kory and I spent our weekend going through and packing up everything we own, putting the finishing touches on our invitations and stuffing envelopes, communicating with our real estate agent about the house we still haven't heard definitively whether or not it will be ours, sneaking in time to do necessary tasks for the upcoming week of work and jury duty, and caring for our excessively needy dog, Samantha.

The house is a disaster, I am behind on everything, and still, life is wonderful.  I've never been so overwhelmed by the number of "things" I have to complete related to the very short number of days left to do so, and somehow, I've never been more excited to do them (with the exception of those related to work) and so completely content with where my life is going!  I suppose that is a good sign.  : )

High 5 ... Months!!!

2 days ago marked the 5 month milestone...
Weird to think that 5 months from today it will all be over.  We will have returned to Miami and will likely be heading home.

In the last month, we've managed to:
Request Kory's groomsmen presence - Jay & Slim
Request that 3 lovely little girls be flower girls - Lexi, Brooklyn & Emma
Visit the venue for our hometown reception
Find a cake maker/baker for the reception (thanks to the help of Kory's mom)
Received our formal invitations (thanks to Sweet Love Shop)

While we've had a pretty productive month... we still have LOTS to do in the next 151 days!

Booking Deadline: July 19th...

... if you plan to join us on our wedding cruise adventure, you should book your cruise by July 19 (less than a month away) which requires a deposit.  We have reserved a "chunk" of cabins and on July 19th, the remaining cabins will be released and all bookings after this date will be scattered over the ship.  This is not a terribly big deal. but booking before July 19th is  only way to guarantee your cruise price.  As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us (email: koryandsara@gmail.com)

For booking information, click here

Hope on the Pittsburgh Housing Market?

We recently discovered that the house we wanted so badly could be ours...
We gave up due to the simple fact that we were told that the home could not be purchased (other than with cash) for 90 days, and the owner, an investor, wanted to sell the house within 30 days.
Recently we discovered that there are ways to get a mortgage for this home... so now we have another offer on the table.  We should find out within 24 hours whether or not our offer has been accepted - so we are hoping and praying that the owner likes it enough to sign it and move forward with the process of selling us this house!    I would LOVE to start my life with the man of my dreams in this particular house!  It's the only house we've seen that I can imagine calling "home."
If our house hunting endeavors cross your mind, please pray for us!  :)

Birthday Bliss

Most people who know me really well know that I really hate my birthday.  I thoroughly enjoy celebrating others' birthdays but when it comes to mine, I'd rather just sleep through it - for no real rhyme or reason. Other than the fact that for as long as I can remember, I had a bizarre awareness of what it means to get older - and with that awareness came little enthusiasm around the day that marks another year gone... and another year older.

I'm convinced that Kory made it his top priority to force me to enjoy this birthday...  no matter what it would take. 

He started the fun on the 19th - the eve of my birthday.  Knowing how much I love anything related to fun in the water, he planned for us to rent a pedal boat before we went out for an awesome dinner.  Pedalling against the wind, our efforts to cross the lake resulted in burning muscles and very little progress.  Regardless of our modest results, we had so much fun!   We "sailed" around our local lake for just under an hour, when we decided to return home to get ready in order to avoid being late for our dinner reservations at the White Chocolate Grill.
Dinner was delicious!  We shared Parmesan fillet and the best mahi mahi I've ever had.  We finished up with the an incredible dessert - banana cream pie, with, you guessed it, white chocolate.  The food was delicious and the company was perfect... of course!

When I woke up Sunday morning, my birthday, I was greeted with a dog that demanded a belly rub and a boy full of little surprises.  The first surprise was the cup in which Kory served my morning coffee.  I'd found the cutest Colorado moose mugs that I desperately wanted to buy before we moved... to take with us as a souvenir and a reminder of our failed attempts to find a moose!  So he does listen to my nonchalant passing comments.  Next, he handed me the funniest card, which contained the sweetest little note, and... drum roll...  tickets to the Mile High Music Fest!  This is one of the coolest events imaginable... and some of my favorite music groups ever will be playing this year!  

After sulking about the fact that it was indeed my birthday, a day I am notorious for hating, Kory talked me into throwing on some comfy clothes and we headed up to the mountains for a amazing afternoon of hiking and laughter.  Somehow we managed to find ourselves on the most difficult hiking paths the park offered.  We definitely got our day's worth of exercise...  and in the midst of our workout saw some beautiful views and even a little wildlife here and there. 

When we got back from our hike, Kory took me out for lunch before we headed to his baseball game.  Sam and I sat in the stands and cheered for our favorite boy... who then took us out for ice cream!  What more could a girl ask for? 

When we got home, Kory baked my favorite cake... funfetti and with the help of Sam, sang "Happy Birthday," which was the perfect way to round out an awesome day... which happened to be my birthday. 

Sam in Full Force

Kory, Sam, and I are attempting to start a new habit - evening family walks.  Besides the obvious benefit of getting some much needed exercise, the area that we are going to live in for only a short while longer is incredible.  With walking paths, lakes, shops, parks, and doggie parks... we are trying to get the most out of it while we still can.  

Venturing out after dusk, we found ourselves at our local dog park, which we discovered conveniently abandoned.  Without hesitation, Kory and I agreed to give Sam a taste of the good life and let her go for a little free run - for the first time since her injury back in January.  The joy that dog gets from running is undeniable!  She ran full force in circles around us - nearly running into the fence several times.  5 minutes after the start of her new freedom, it was over.  In an attempt to gradually reintroduce our Sammie to her powerhouse of strength, we re-leashed her and hopped back on the walking path. 

What a relief it was to see for ourselves that she has regained full use of her once lame leg!

House Hunters: Pittsburgh TAKE 2

With little success finding the "perfect" house in our first attempt, we decided to try again.  We dedicated our last full day in PA to scowering the Pittsburgh area for our future home.  Kory was able to schedule a meeting at the University of Pittsburgh with his potential professor of research. 

As usual, we tried to include as much of our family as possible.  This adventure included Kory's dad and my mom.   The company was wonderful and the combined knowledge, as expected, invaluable. 

We started our day at the McGowan Institute for Kory's meeting.  While Kory familiarized himself with the building and got to know the professor and what kind of research he does, Kory's dad, Joe, along with my mom, and me sat on a beautiful balcony overlooking Pittsburgh.  I imagined Kory sitting out there in the warmer seasons eating his packed, "poor college student" lunch and dreaming up ideas that only his brilliant mind could fathom.

After his introduction to what will soon be, his new life, we headed to Cheesecake Factory across the bridge and then to meet up with Inga, German real estate agent. 

We started our day by putting in an offer for a house that we fell in love with on our first visit.  It was a home that Kory and I agreed would not have ever caught our attention online but after touring it, it definitely seemed like the perfect starter house.  It was in a beautifully well established neighborhood, lined with mature trees, and homes that had clearly been well maintained.  This house was certainly the ugly duckling of the neighborhood.  Unfortunately, this was the home that required a cash purchase if bought within 90 days.  We attempted to appeal to the owner's (an investor) financial mind by offering to pay rent for the 90 days then buy the house.  We would find out later that this was not a deal he would be interested in.

We continued by touring several homes.  Some too small, some needing way too much work, and may just not what we are looking for.  At the end of the day we had toured homes in the most expensive neighborhoods in Pittsburgh and homes in what would be considered the ghetto.  At the end of our very long and exhausting day, one thing was certain, our budget will not get us very far in the booming Pittsburgh market.

Our house hunting team for the day, from right to left - Kory's dad, Joe; Kory, me, and my mom. 

Meet the woman who promises to make our dreams come true by finding us the perfect house - Inga... Affectionately nicknamed "The Inga-nator" by my clever father! :)

Future Family :)

During our trip home we were able to squeeze in a little bit of family time...  It is always such a shock to see how the kids have changed!  Lexi, Aramy, Emma, Ethan, and Trevin are all growing like weeds!  The reminder that we live too far away and do not come home often enough is never more apparent than when the littlest ones don't even remember who you are!  This is just one more reason to look forward to moving closer and getting to visit with them much more frequently.  As we anticipate moving closer to the kiddos, I couldn't help but start planning our regular sleepovers!  I am looking so forward to living so much closer and to officially being their aunt!  Hopefully I don't disappoint!  :P

Little did I know, Kory's thoughtful mama planned a little birthday celebration for me at the family BBQ.  After a yummy dinner, she surprised me with an angel food cake covered in delicious blueberries.  It was even better than it sounds! 

As a part of my birthday celebration, Kory's sister Kassy, inducted me into the family with a blob of butter.  While Kristi, his other sister, was strategically interested in the camera, Kassy snuck up on me only to smear my nose with butter...a Blose family tradition that aims to help you to "slide through to the next year."  Needless to say, I laughed until I cried. 

After dinner, we got together for an all girls photo shoot...

Then of course, Kory wanted in on the action...

Lexi and Emma (2/3 of my flowergirl beauties)

With every encounter I have with my future family, I am more and more excited to call them my own!  I am so blessed to be marrying into such an awesome fam!

Old Friends, New Journey

The original purpose of our quick trip to PA was not to house hunt, but to attend one of our dearest mutual friend's wedding.  Our friend, Kyle married his high school sweetheart, Missy.  The wedding was nothing short of magnificent.  The best part was the genuine, undeniable happiness you could see written across the bride and groom's faces.  The second best part was the best man's toast.  You would guess that he (Adam) was a public speaker... and a great one at that.  I laughed until I cried. (Kory may argue that it was the filet mignon or chocolate covered strawberries... )

If you know anything about birth order, you know that the youngest is typically the family comedian and class clown.  While Kory hates to be coined as "typical," in this case, he fits the role perfectly.  His need to wear a tuxedo t-shirt to the elegant event brought smiles to everyone's face that saw it - including the groom's mom, Barb.  Her response, "I was expecting the Dumb and Dumber suit you wore to prom!" 

As we plan our own wedding, Kory and I have a new appreciation for a great wedding and all the details that other people may overlook.  It's hard to imagine that in just over 5 months we'll be the ones vowing to stick it out through thick and thin!

160 Days!!

Here's a couple of pics of Kory and his old crew from high school. 

House Hunters: Pittsburgh TAKE 1

Having rented for the last 6 years of our lives, the last thing Kory and I want to do is move to Pittsburgh only to rent, again.  When we made this decision, we had hopes of finding a charming little starter home in a quaint neighborhood.  Little did we know that the housing market in Pittsburgh failed to fall victim to the housing crash.  To our dismay, soon after our journey began, we found that the Pittsburgh market is still on the side of the sellers... one of the only US cities to be able to say this, today.

Our first reality check was around the difference of a home's online profile, and the real deal.  Wide angle lenses and brilliant lighting made the most unlivable homes appear closer to our dream homes than not.  Upon visiting these homes, the reality of what our budget will buy set in - not much.

As frustrating as house hunting from afar has been, we have had the utmost support from our families.  Both my parents and Kory's have spent countless hours by our sides giving opinions when asked and moral support when most needed.  Though we are still "homeless," we are hopeful that the "perfect" house awaits us. 

Thursday night, Kory's mom, Marilyn, invited us to stay in Pittsburgh with her, where she was visiting for a work convention.  It was no surprise that we had a great time with Kory's mom and stepdad.  The surprise came with our new acquaintances.  Several of Marilyn and Don's friends are well versed in home building and construction.  Not only did they lend their knowledge but their friendship.  We had the most amazing time getting to know our new friends and joking about what we may end up calling "home."   I couldn't have asked to meet more helpful or considerate people. :)  Al, one of our new favorites that we've promised to "adopt", was even kind enough to join us in our search and offer invaluable information about the homes we visited and their potential issues. 

We spent all of Friday with our team (a couple of ingenious moms, an electricity inclined dad, a home builder, a general contractor, a little brother and Inga - our real estate agent) of house hunters going from one house to another, only to find one that would strike our fancy.  To our horror, this was the one house that we would be unable to finance with a mortgage.  "Cash only," is not an option for these first time home buyers, and with that, we had to scratch that one off our list.