steve & tammy

Heh... Vocaboly!

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Young) — Fri, 29 May 2009 14:29:00 +0000

A lot of you know that I'm a bit of a grammar and vocabulary Nazi. (Thanks mom!) I like for things to sound the way they're supposed to, and a good vocabulary can be quite useful in life.

I was browsing around recently and stumbled on www.vocaboly.com -- crazy! It's a vocabulary builder that seems like a lot of fun to me. The even offer a free trial download. This little piece of software contains the definition, phonetic symbol and pronunciation for over 12,000 words! The offer games, flash cards, and more to assist you as you labor to increase and develop your vocabulary.

I'm just starting to look at this thing, so I'm still not 100% sure about it. But they've been around for quite a while and their product looks good. And hey... with a free trial it's worth a shot, right? Anyway, it might be worth checking out.... enjoy!

A little thing called Facebook

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Young) — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 04:16:00 +0000

Okay. So I know that we are HORRIBLE at updating this blog. Seriously. It's been almost a year. That's sad. We had so many great intentions. But we're both on Facebook now. And Tammy is addicted, I must say. So if you're not with the Facebook revolution yet, swing on over and sign up. It's pretty slick.

Here's Steve: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1002318769
Here's Tammy: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1004189358

We'll probably still post to this blog once a year or so, but we'd love for you to come visit us on Facebook!

it's good to be newlyweds

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Young) — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 15:38:00 +0000

So if you haven't read the post about our stay at the hotel in Indy, read that one first...

We woke up at the proverbial crack-butt of dawn this morning only finding ourselves rushing around once more. We thought we were doing okay, but a long, cold wait in the long-term parking lot put us in a bit of a panic.

Long story short... we got the flight okay and we, along with almost our entire wardrobe, made it to Orlando safely. Seriously... we packed way too much. (If you have an itch, we have three types of cream for that.) But that's another story.

So we get to the Caribe Royale resort after a $45 taxi ride. (They were nice enough to allow us to checkin 4 hours early) We get checked in and the bellhop (Norman) showed us to our room. We mentioned that we were on our honeymoon and getting ready to leave on a cruise. When we arrived at our room, he opened our door and then quickly picked up the phone. We thought it was strange, but what do we know? So we listened as he talked to someone at the front desk. "I just showed two guests to their room. They're on their honeymoon and only with us for a night. Is there any way we can upgrade them from their double beds to a king deluxe suite?" You've got to be kidding me! This is too much fun.

It's no presidential suite, but it's not bad. Nice big room and a jacuzzi tub to boot!

We've had so much fun in the last six days. We haven't told you anything about the river house, Henry's Ark, paradise, Joseph, Morty's, and a bunch of other stuff. We'll post more when we get a chance. We miss everyone! A little. Okay not too much... Off to lunch!

the craziest thing

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Young) — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 04:00:00 +0000

Have you ever been in a situation where you just feel like your patience is being tested? Today was one of those days for us. And I think we passed. It's the craziest thing!

So we stayed up until something like 7am packing and preparing for our adventure. We were able to get 2-3 hours of sleep before our day began. I ran out and got my hair cut while Tammy showered and finished up at the house. We left at about noon with a few errands to run in town before heading on our way.

We stopped and brought Tammy's rings to the jeweler to have them soldered together. We also took time to turn in our marriage license -- so now the State of Indiana recognizes our union!

Anyway... all of the running around put us a little late for our plans. But we headed north for Indianapolis. The plan was to get lunch on the way (which we did) and get to our hotel in plenty of time to relax, before heading to dinner and a show. That was the plan. But because we were running late (what's new?) we decided to forgo the relaxing -- just check into the hotel and get ready.

Yeah... so the hotel. Let me tell you about it. I wanted to stay someplace nice, but also wanted to pinch my pennies. So I turned to ol' Priceline. Name your own price... you know. So I asked for a 4-star hotel in downtown Indy. I offered $60 a night, completely expecting that my computer would actually laugh out loud at me. I was shocked when it said, "CONGRATULATIONS! Your offer has been accepted!" Turns out that I had successfully booked a couple nights at the University Place Hotel.

And here comes the testing of the patience. We arrive to the hotel with just a few minutes to spare. The lobby is crammed with people. Apparently there's a convention here. And we showed up in the heat of checkin. The line was overwhelming. "You've got to be kidding... what in the world?!" We debated on just changing in the bathroom and checking in later that night, but decided to wait patiently in the line.

OVER AN HOUR LATER we got to the front of the line. Did I mention that our patience was being tested? Right... so the man in front of us in line was sympathetic to our cause. When he was finished he asked the clerk to be nice to the honeymooners. She congratulated us and asked for our name. She pulled up our reservation and we began chatting. I mentioned that we were surprised by the wait and a bit disappointed because we were going to have to miss dinner in order to make it to the show. She said she was sorry. She found our listing and asked if two double beds sounded right. I said it'd be fine but I'd prefer a King if they had it.

She said that wouldn't be a problem. And then she paused. "I think I'll help you out a little." She told us that she was upgrading us to a junior suite for the night. I smiled and thanked her profusely. "Will we need to switch rooms tomorrow?" She told us that we wouldn't have to... she'd take care of us. I thanked her again. I'm thinking... $60 A NIGHT! Incredible!

And then it got really exciting. "Hmmmm... I think I can do one better... let me see... sure... why not? I'm going to put you in the Presidential Suite. You'll like it there. I wish I could live up there. It's awesome." Our jaws dropped. We wanted to hug her. Could this be happening? $60 A NIGHT!

And then we went upstairs to our suite. The one-and-only Presidential Suite in the 4-Star hotel. Wow. It's insane. You can see the pictures, but let me share some details. A full living room with chairs and a pull-out sofa. Oh... and a gargantuan flat-panel T.V. A dining room with a huge table and 8 chairs. A big fat kitchen. A master bedroom with a luxurious king bed. A giant master bathroom. Another smaller bathroom. A big fat kitchen. 4 phones. Another flat-panel T.V. in the bedroom. Big fat closets. Really expensive furniture. Etc. etc. etc.

We can't believe it. We have been so blessed. Our wedding was like a storybook. The weather was unbelievable. Our family and friends surrounded us. And now this. Wow.

We quickly changed and hustled to Bloomington, IN to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. We were a smidge late but that's another story. The show was great and our dinner afterward was just as good.

What a day. More tomorrow!

honeymoon v1.0

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Young) — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 10:01:00 +0000

So... yeah... we're on our honeymoon. We've already spent a few nights here in Louisville. We've been relaxing, opening gifts, sleeping, eating, and the usual. Tomorrow morning we head for Indy where we will spend a couple days and then catch a plane for Flordia. After that... CRUISE! We'll post pictures and stories when we slow down a little bit.

Thanks to all who were at the wedding and to those who have given gifts. We LOVED seeing so many friends and family at CLCR and we are enjoying all of our new kitchen utensils and bath towels!

broken DVDs, broken hearts...

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Young) — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 15:49:00 +0000

So we busted our butts. We stayed up late several nights in a row to get our beautiful wedding DVD finished up and assembled for mailing. Our good friend Nevan devoted countless hours to production. And as we finished putting the stamp on the last mailer, we breathed a huge sigh of relief saying, "check another big one off the list -- we're done with our invitations!" And then the bad news started rolling in. The tears started falling. It seems that almost all of our DVDs were cracked en route to their destination.

And it's not that we didn't take protective measures. We were a little leery of using thin, paper mailers for DVDs, but it was a significant savings in postage. So we did our homework and sent out a couple samples. One to the east coast and one to the west coast. Both arrived safely and played fine. So we ordered the rest of the mailers and packed them up.

I don't know what we could have done differently, but I wish we would've tried something. Maybe if we'd sprung for nicer mailers. Maybe if we'd paid a little extra in postage. Maybe if the weather wasn't so cold. Maybe we could have hand-delivered all of our invitations across the country to our friends and family.

But alas, we sit here crying and laughing at the same time. Surely we'll look back on this and it will be only laughing, but right now Tammy's mascara doesn't stand a chance.

So we're working out our Plan B. We REALLY want everyone to have a chance to enjoy the DVD. We're going to try and buy some different mailers and send out a new batch. Look for it to arrive shortly. In the meantime, it's not too early to RSVP. Just follow the instructions on the insert that was with the DVD.

And if your DVD is just cracked and not broken in two, consider yourself the proud owner of a brand new beverage coaster.

quick stop in the windy city

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Young) — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 17:58:00 +0000

I spoke at a Children's ministry luncheon in Champaign, IL last week. Tammy joined and we stayed the night with my sister Rani and her family. Here are a few pictures of our adventure. Check out the adorable, handsome nephews! (Toby is 4, and Theo and Frankie are 12 months.)

details... details...

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Young) — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 17:43:00 +0000

This whole wedding thing takes a lot of work! Tammy has been laboring extra-laboriously (that's a lot of work!) taking care of details. She's bought at least a half-dozen wedding magazines and has been all over the internet. She's got timelines, deadlines and bottom-lines that we are trying to stick to.

The biggest news is that she finally picked out her dress. She'd been all over the midwest in search of the perfect dress. Every time she got close to picking one out she'd have second-thoughts. She went to Cincinnati a week ago with determination -- And she was victorious! She loves it and everyone who has seen it agrees that it is the perfect dress for her. It's hanging in my closet but I am forbidden to even gaze upon the bag within which it is contained.

We also met with the jeweler yesterday to discuss our wedding bands. He's going to work on a custom piece that will match and fit snuggly with Tammy's engagement ring. We looked at a myriad of options for my ring, but we'll make a decision on that after the first of the year.

Other details completed... location decided. Preacher confirmed. Photographer locked. Guest list built. DJ booked.

There's much more to do, of course. The good news is that we haven't had any major fights over the details. But, then again, we haven't registered for gifts yet. That should be a thrill.

More later....

we have a date.........

noreply@blogger.com (Tammy) — Sun, 17 Sep 2006 03:34:00 +0000

Yeah!!! We finally have a date. So mark your calendar.

April 1st, 2007

Yes, we know it is April Fools day, but this is no joke!!

We will have more details later.

engagement photos

noreply@blogger.com (Tammy) — Sat, 05 Aug 2006 21:51:00 +0000

We just had our engagement photos taken this weekend. Our friend Erika, who works at Celebrity Kids in Lexington, took them for us! We had a great time and I think she did a pretty good job. Let us know what you think!

us at the beach

noreply@blogger.com (Tammy) — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 03:34:00 +0000

the proposal

noreply@blogger.com (Tammy) — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 01:44:00 +0000

It all began on a hot Saturday morning in Michigan. We were staying at Steve's family's cottage on Lake Michigan with a group of our friends. While Sara, Karla and I went to Meijer for some grub, John and Steve scoped out the beach for the perfect spot to watch the sunset. Steve hid the ring at the bottom of the steps in some beach grass. Little did I know the 14 times I walked up and down those steps throughout the day that my destiny hid there within the grassy depths.

We hung out on the beach all day and grilled out for dinner. The table was set out on the deck and we ate while watching the beautiful sunset. I remember saying something like, "this is perfect. The sun is beautiful and we are eating great home cooked grub, spending time with great people, how much better could it get?" Again, I had no idea what was about to happen! After we finished eating, Steve asked if I would go watch the sunset with him on the beach. Um... yeah! So he grabbed his bible and we made our way to the bottom of the steps. We sat down to enjoy the sunset but much to our chagrin Steve didn't cut quite enough of the trees back to actually see the sun. Regardless, we still enjoyed what we could see. He asked me what I would like to read out of the Bible and I had no opinion.

Let me back up for a second. On the drive to Michigan we played Bible Challenge, our $3 garage sale special. One of the questions was about Onesimus, a man mentioned in the book of Philemon. We all agreed that we didn't know enough about this obscure one page book in the Bible. So when I told him I had no opinion about what to read he suggested.... you guessed it....Philemon. Random.... I know.

Anyway, we both took turns reading the verses and then he sat the Bible down. I wanted to go for a walk to look for places to take pictures. He initially said okay, but then hesitated when I started to get up. He wrapped his arms around me, held me close and told me that he wanted to sit there for a few more minutes. I didn't know that there was a ring in the grass just to our left and Steve couldn't grab it without me seeing and ruining his plan.

Meanwhile, our clueless friends were being obnoxiously loud still sitting on the deck above. Steve screamed politely, SHUT UP!!! A few minutes passed as we talked about the day and the upcoming week. Then Steve said, "I want to read something else to you." I still had no idea! He began to read Proverbs 31: 10-31 which says...

"A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.
12 She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life....She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. 18 She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. 19 In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. 20 She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.
21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. 24 She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:
29 "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all."
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. 31 Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate."

About halfway through he started crying and I knew that he was getting ready to propose! I was freaking out. After reading, he stood up and I said, " this isn't happening," and he got down on one knee and said, "yes it is, will you marry me?" Of course I said, "YES!" We prayed and cried, then ran up the steps to share the news with our friends. Then we spent half the night calling and texting our friends and family! That's the story of the greatest sunset we never saw!

do you have an opinion?

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Young) — Sun, 16 Jul 2006 03:50:00 +0000

Do you have time to help us out? Give us your opinion. We might listen but more likely your opinion really won't matter much. No offense.

online and counting down

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Young) — Sun, 16 Jul 2006 03:25:00 +0000

Okay. So now we have a blog. We've hit it big time now! It's late Saturday night, July 15. We're both leaving for camp in the morning but thought we'd get this up and running before we have to head out. The goal for this blog is that it will be a central spot for friends and family to keep up with the plans we're making as the big day approaches.

And that leads me to the first answer that we don't have. We know that we won't be getting married Derby weekend, but other than that, you should probably keep the rest of your Spring 2007 weekends open. Just in case... :) We'll let everyone know as soon as we set a date, but there are a lot of factors we have to account for.

More unknown answers to come, I'm sure.

We're having fun, though. Tammy has been all about planning a wedding. She's been dress-shopping already and I think she's changed her mind on flower colors at least 42 times. All the hard work is going to pay off and we'll have a wedding ceremony that will reflect our personalities quite well, I'm sure.

Until later...