'Tis the Season

Thought I'd drop in to say hi, Merry Christmas, & update everyone on what's going on with us. We suddenly find ourselves 4 days from Christmas! Aahhhh! Kate & I went out to finish our shopping, & received a beat down of epic proportion. The traffic & crowds out yesterday in the Stonebriar area SUCKED! I kept thinking...."what recession?!?". There were so many people out & the lines at the check-out counters were so long, there's no way this area can be hurting. It was a huge relief to finally get home.

So we're under contract for the Hearthstone house, mentioned in a previous post. It's exactly what we're looking for & it was a relief to have the inspection & find out that there's nothing wrong with it, other than a few minor cosmetic things. We're looking at closing on Jan. 29, so stay tuned. As long as everything works out & we end up in this house as planned, we're thinking we'll stay at home next Thanksgiving & maybe Christmas, & invite any of our fam who want to come. This would save on the mental anguish holiday travel & traffic causes. But for this year we'll be making stops in Cleburne, Ft. Worth, & Austin, before returning home for a week off from work.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

--Josh

House Hunters: Plano

Helo valued reader. It's the Christmas season, & man have we been busy! We went to Austin for Thanksgiving, enduring the beating that is driving down I35 to spend time with Kate's fam & my Austin fam. We did the Turkey trot to work up a good appetite, & had a good time with everyone. We also got some good shopping in.

Right before Thanksgiving we initiated our home search with a visit to two houses for sale. Neither of us fell in love with either house, but we kept looking & today we wen out & looked at 7 more. I'd say 3 were livable, the other 4 were horrendous (much better looking from the pictures online). And of the 3 good ones, there's one we really like. We'll call it the Hearthstone House. Get this.....while we're there some other, older couple show up with their realtor to look at the house. WTF?!?! Nothing like a little competition to give us some anxiety. It's our luck that we find one house we could get serious about, & a retired couple could potentially be a problem for us. But we're trying to not get ahead of ourselves & just control what we can control. If it works out, we'll visit the house again next weekend & then....maybe.....possibly.......make an offer. It has everything we're looking for & is in our budget. But a lot could happen & I have to keep in mind that we might not get it, so all I can say is, we'll see how it goes.

Keep your fingers crossed for us, please. We have Christmas coming up in a few weeks & some much deserved time off from work! Who knows what the weeks ahead have in store for us with house hunting. We have a target in sight, but will we get an opportunity for a shot???

--Josh

Sokolewicz Bailout Plan

Dear U.S. Government,

I was just watching the news & hear that you're considering "bailing out" the auto industry. This comes after, as we all know, you "bailed out" the banking industry with almost a Trillion dollars (so of which I'll be paying. Thanks.). I can semi-understand the banking bail out, but an auto industry bailout would be a little ridiculous. Don't ya think? Let me say that my first vote would be to scrap that plan & move forward with a somewhat related idea. It's called the Sokolewicz Bailout Plan. Here's how it works:

Write Josh & Kate Sokolewicz a check, tax-free, for $500 million.

It won't even cost you a Billion dollars! Hey, Christmas is coming up & I have some people near & dear to me with expensive taste. Times are slow & my dollars don't go as far as they used to, so I really could use a supplement to my income from you. The great thing about this $500 million check is that it will even last me past Christmas. My wife & I could buy a piece of the American Dream (a few times over) & take advantage of our new financial freedom to pursue our real career passions (snow cone stand on the beach, anyone?). I suffer enough mental strain & anguish on a daily basis in corporate America, & I know my wife does too. We've put in our time & now we need you to bail us out of the corporate rat race. We promise to re-invest the money back into real estate, automobiles, retail merchandise, travel & tourism, etc. So you see, by helping us you'll also be helping others.

I believe you have our address to send the check to. If you'd like to do a direct deposit I can make those arrangements too. I could possibly be willing to negotiate on the check amount, or discuss payment in installments, so please call me if you would like to discuss.

Thanks a million! Or should I say, thanks $500 million!

--Josh

my newest obsession...

ahhhh...beautiful...don't you think this would be perfect for a winter wedding?
-Kate

couch love

The below posting does not even begin to express Josh’s anger on Monday night. In the many years I have known Josh; I have never seen him this upset. Now that we have the couch and all the anger is behind us, I’d like to tell you the story of “Josh & Kate’s Couch Adventure” (I think it should be a movie).

Well, as Josh said, the delivery hours are 7am-10pm. We were both on-call all day at work, and we couldn’t even run errands or go vote in the evening because they were so late! 10 o’clock rolled around and they still weren’t there, so Josh and I decided to leave and run our errand. Actually, we were spooking. My office does “Secret Spooks” the week before Halloween, so we always go up there really late so we don’t get caught. As soon as we pulled into the parking lot, the delivery guys called and said they were 10 minutes away. SO…we had to go all the way back home to meet them.

By this time it was 10:45pm and I was cranky. They were hauling the couch up the stairs and realized (after gouging huge holes in our walls) it wasn’t going to fit around the corner into the living room. So what were they going to do? Oh…well according to Trina, “she’s been working at Rooms to Go for 8 years and pulls couches over balconies all the time” – whatever. And by the way, who hires a WOMAN to deliver FURNITURE?! I’m not trying to be sexist (we all know I’ve done some pretty manly things in my life), but SERIOUSLY!? Anyways…so after Trina’s bold statement we were all back outside in the 32° temperature hauling this HUGE couch over the balcony.

Josh & Dante were on the ground and Trina and myself were on the 2nd floor balcony. You can imagine how this went. After many fearful minutes the couch was pulled over the balcony. There were a couple times, when the couch was teetering over the edge, when I really thought it was going back over.

After a good hour, the couch was placed exactly where I wanted it and we got to sit on it for like 5 minutes. Then it was back up to the office for spooking!

Even though it was a really late night, and we were both ready to curse Rooms to Go out; we are really enjoying our couch…and so is Mavy…

-Kate

What ever happened to serving the customer??

So I'm sitting here in our apartment in the only seat in the house. This is because last night we tossed the futon couch. Why did we do that? Because Friday we bought a couch. The couch is supposed to be delivered today, & it's 5:30. They deliver until 10. You would think that they would give us a timeframe for when it would be delivered, since we were so kind as to go into their store & spend $$$ on an item they sell. You'd think they would be happy to serve & eager to prove we were wise in buying from them, in an order to earn our business again. Well, it appears RTG doesn't care. The timeframe for delivery they gave us for delivery was 7 this morning until 10 tonight. I don't know if they call before they get here. I called the store at 5 & the girl couldn't give me an update as to where our couch is or when, if ever, it might be delivered. At this point I kinda feel like I gave them $$$ in the hope they remember that they're supposed o give us something in return. When I was on my way home from work I was at a red light & guess what passed in front of me going down the road? A RTG delivery truck. Salt in the wounds. I'm sure the couch will eventually show up. Maybe even today (tonight). IT just seems that RTG should be able to give us more info & a little more respect in delivering on their end of the deal. It just sucks when you're waiting & waiting & not getting any updates.

In other news, we're doing good. Kate's job keeps here busy & mine is approaching the slow season. The next big event we have on the radar is Doug's wedding & then...........Thanksgiving!!!! Can't wait!

I can look out our front window & seethe old futon in the dumpster. Where's my new couch?

--Impatient Josh

Bob Marley won't get out of my head

So we're just about 3 months into this wonderful journey called marriage & what have we learned? It's wonderful living with my best friend & love of my life. We really are a team. Margaritas are good but too many can make a day disappear. Trips to Garden Ridge are inevitable. Date nights are important. The economy really sucks. Politicians suck worse. Altimas are nice. Weekends always end up busy. Jamaica is awesome & we need to visit more often. Compromise. I can't tell my wife enough how much I love her.

I didn't really have a plan for this blog. Life is going good & even in these times of economic struggle we have an optomistic outlook for out future & discuss plans for our future. It's fun hanging out together everyday & telling each other about our days, & then laughing at the things in life that are rediculous. But these are things you all already know. So, on to the holiday season! Our next vacation is being discussed & we're taking suggestions from our loyal fanbase. Keep the letters coming, & stay tuned. My lovely wife is home from work now, & I have to go.

--Josh

love to love to love ya!

Why, oh why, do the weekends go by so fast? I even had a 3 ½-day weekend and it still went by fast! I say 3 ½ because I got off early on Thursday to go to Austin to stand in my best friend’s wedding.

My best friend, Maggie, got married on Friday September 19th (our 2-month anniversary). The wedding was on Lake Travis at a gorgeously renovated home over-looking the lake. The views from the porch were breathtaking and the ceremony site was beautiful and shaded. I swear, its more stressful being a bridesmaid than a bride! I was so exhausted the entire weekend and SORE! Not really sure why? I guess it was also nice to be a bride and leave for a 9-day honeymoon…hmmm…Jamaica…

The weekend mostly consisted of wedding festivities. They had the rehearsal dinner at a restaurant on the lake. And when I say on the lake, I mean on the lake. Literally. The restaurant, The Pier, was actually on a marina dock (so cool).

Of course, all day Friday was spent getting glammed-out and then partying the night away.

Saturday we went to the bridal brunch at Taverna. They have $1 mimosas and killer breakfast. Josh got this yummy breakfast calzone stuffed with eggs, cheese, bacon – YUMM!! Saturday evening we met up with another of my best friends and watched the UT game. On Sunday we washed my new car (so much easier at my parents’ house) and then headed back to P-town.

I love weddings. Especially weddings between two people that truly love each other. Maggie and her husband, Josh (funny, huh?), have been together for 7 years! The 19th was actually their 7-year anniversary!! I wish them all the best, as they continue to grow and learn together. Nothing compares to being married and spending everyday with someone. I can only hope their love will last forever.

Now that we’re on the subject, I want to also thank my husband for being such a wonderful man. I have truly enjoyed the last 2-months and I can’t wait to make millions and millions of memories together.

"The best kind of love is the kind that awakens the soul, makes us reach for more, plants a fire in our hearts, and brings peace to our minds."

Love,
Kate

free jeans, anyone?

As much as I complain about my job, I must say...the perks are amazing. Free lunches, happy hours and goodie bags are a typical occurrence at my office. Having reps kiss your ass 5 days a week isn't always a bad thing. Especially when they take you to a little piece of heaven, better known as The Blues Jean Bar.

The store is setup like a pub - you walk up to the bar and pick from what they have on "tap".

Of course, mile-long legs are not optimal at places like this. Trying to find 36" inseams is like trying to find the Heart of the Ocean.

The rep that brought us to the BJB is one of our fabulous gay reps; he dresses better than me and his hair looks like something out of a magazine. He decided cocktails, hor'dourves and a free pair of jeans would be a perfect client appreciation event for an office full of women - he was right.

We, all 15 of us, spent 2 hours trying on TONS of jeans. Everyone found a pair except for me and the other 6-footer in the office. It was so depressing! We are both really tall and slender...how did we not find jeans?! Seriously! Finally, at the end of the night I was liquored-up and depressed. I think one of the teeny-SMU-sorority girl-employees noticed and she brought me a pair of Kasil jeans. The pair barely touched the floor, but had a 1-inch hem - so I'm thinking when I take out the hem it will be perfect. This is what they look like:

Anyways, all in all it was a wonderful night. The night ended with Josh's blog below. Uptown was a bummer, but nothing beats free jeans!

Much love,
-Kate

Over it.....

I'm so over Uptown. Kate & I went down to Uptown Friday night, since she had an office event in University Park & there was a place (Village Burger Bar) we wanted to try. First of all, parking in Uptown sucks. It really sucks. We drove around for a while searching for parking, even going all the way up & all the way down in one parking garage, to no avail. Eventually, we decided to park next to one restaurant & walk a few blocks. Village Burger Bar is good, but it's kinda small & different than other date places we usually go. I like to take my wife out every now & then to a place we can sit down for a while, relax, & have a good talk with good food. VBB was more like a quick stop. Good food, but not a sit-down & relax kind of place. We decided to try to find another place after we ate to have a drink, but every place we went to was packed with girls dressed like skanks & guys looking like the Gotti boys. Freakin' almost made me puke. Uptown Dallas is so stupid. There was a time when I could stand going to a place & waiting for a drink forever & standing shoulder to shoulder with music so loud it wakes the dead, but I'm so over it all. I'm fine with busy places, but there's something about the Uptown crowd & all the $30,000 millionaires that sucks. Kate & I declined our options on the places we had available to us, & instead decided to head back home.....back to normal....back to tolerable......back to Plano. But first we had to sit thru stop & go traffic; another thing I hate about Dallas. Here in Plano, we have everything within reach without having to deal with traffic or other Dallas headaches. Just thought I'd rant.

Today we somehow managed to survive thru Hurricane Ike (I mean, rainstorm Ike) & stayed indoors. Cooked some great spaghetti sauce, & watched football.

I'm so over Uptown.

--Josh

Activiahhhhhh

Now this may sound a little odd, especially coming from little old me, but Activia is quite possibly the best thing that's ever happened to me.

My life used to be full of uncertainty and doubt. I used to wake up in the mornings feeling bloated and tired. I used to not be able to remember the last time I "went".

But let me tell you...ever since my husband introduced me to Activia, I've been 100% better - literally within 24 hours.

I suggest everyone go out and take the 14 day challenge. It will change your life or you get your money back.

Just sayin'...if Jamie Lee can do it, you can do it!
-Kate

in-laws, skinny jeans, BritBrit...oh my!

Well, it’s Monday again. And I’ve already got my eye on next weekend. Why does the work week inch by like a slow-moving slug, but the weekends FLYY by and nothing can slow them down?? I already feel like we need a vacation and we’ve only been back from our honeymoon for 6 weeks! Oh well, enough bitching.

This weekend was fun: we had Josh’s dad, sister and their significant others over for a Saturday afternoon BBQ and pool session. It was the first time we’ve seen everyone together since the wedding, so that was nice. I feel so fortunate to actually get along with my in-laws, which I hear is quite an oddity these days. Anywho, of course I was exhausted after everyone left and was in bed by 9pm – like the old fart I am.

This Sunday was the first official Sunday of football season, and let me tell you…I’m almost as excited as my husband. Football season means cooler temperatures and cool-weather-food (think chili). After 15+ 100° days here in Dallas this summer, I can’t WAIT for cooler temperatures. Plus, I get to watch Jason Witten run around in tight pants and no undies.

I also got my first pair of skinny jeans this weekend. I always thought you had to be anorexicly-skinny like Mischa Barton to wear skinny jeans, but I was wrong. I decided to try a pair on, since ALL my fav celebs are wearing them these days…and WAALAAA! They made my thighs look skinny and my toosh look fab – I think everyone needs to get a pair! And a new pair of killer red heels to go with them! Here are my picks:


Also, did anyone watch the VMAs last night? The only reason I was half-way interested in them was because there was supposed to be a “secret” episode of the Hills before. Well, me and my time-dyslexia forgot that we are behind the East Coast and missed the 6:30pm episode! Once my husband revealed to me what had happened I immediately went to www.mtv.com to watch the episode, but the player was broken! Ugh! What a night! Anyways, congrats to BritBrit for winning 3 moonmen! She looked awesome, by the way – I smell a come-back! And Kanye West premiered his new song “Love Lockdown” – check it out!

All in all, it was a good weekend and I’m ready for another! Time to take on the week…grrr….

Love,
Kate

Kickin' it bachelor style

So this weekend one of Kate's bff's is having her bachelorette party & I'm hanging out with Mav. Just two dudes hanging out, watching football, no women. We got great news tonight....ASU played at TX A&M & guess what......we (ASU) won! Big! So big! After starting the season last year at Texas & almost winning, it's great to see us start off strong & win on the road against a Big XII team. Sweet!

With Kate gone, it's lonelier around here for both me & Mav. I ran errands today & stocked up on supplies for he big holiday weekend. But it's easy to tell her presence missing, & I can't wait for her to get back tomorrow. I'm looking forward to laying by the pool & grilling, too! Sp just a short post tonight. I'll leave you with two thoughts:

1) Life is better for me when Kate's around.
2) I'm really glad college football season is here!

--Josh

Maverick's New Haircut

Because of the over-whelming response, here are some pictures of Maverick's new 'do. ENJOY!



-Mama

Boo...hoo...

I'd like to call myself a "supportive" wife - I always have my husband's back and am constantly on his side. In fact, I was the one on my knees sorting through the billions of jeans yesterday...while Josh sat there feeling sorry for himself.

I'm sorry honey...but I'm going to counter your below post...Love ya!


Have you ever heard of Lucky Jeans? Of course you have because you don't live under a rock. My husband has heard of Lucky Jeans. In fact, he was with me when I bought my first pair of Lucky Jeans. Why then, doesn't he go to the Lucky store that is inevitably in every mall we step foot it? Why doesn't he put his tears and sorrow aside, cough up $100 and purchase the most amazing jeans he's ever owned? The answer, folks...because poor, tall, athletic Josh wants everyone to feel sorry for his long, desired body.

My solution: go to the Lucky store, try on ANY pair of jeans you want (because they got 'em all) and stop being a cry baby.

I love you honey. Now let's go shopping :)

-Kate

Worst shopping trip EVER

Most of the time, in fact just about every moment of my life, it's cool to be my size. I love being tall. But on some rare days, which I'll call "shopping days", it kinda stinks. Especially when looking for jeans or pants for me. It's a mission impossible to find jeans that fit. So yesterday, we took Rico to get a haircut at PetsMart up by Stonebriar. His appointment was at 3, & they usually take 4 hours to pamper him appropriately. So with 4 hours to kill & us by a mall, & with Kate's love of shopping at any hour, we sauntered over to the mall. And so it began.

I now recognize that going to a mall with no strategic plan, or primary shopping targets, is a dangerous idea. Kate had one store she needed to visit & an idea of what she was going to get. I had no item I was looking for but kinda was in a shopping mood. That's a bad combo. The result: walking aimlessly around a large mall for several hours, walking into stores & getting a mental beat down 3 steps in. I kind of was searching for a Cowboys jersey for this season, as Kate & I have talked about getting jerseys, but I wasn't in the mood to spend that much on jerseys today. I also looked at shorts & more importantly, jeans, but alas, no jeans in my size could be found. Well, one pair could be found, but they'd look better on a farmhand working the fields. It was kinda depressing not being able to find ANYTHING in my size. Sometimes, life is so rough!

Eventually to my relief we left the mall & came back home. Kate went to get Mav & we were a little surprised by the way the groomer at PetsMart interpreted "trim his ears". They shaved his ears. And this is for a dog who I have never seen with ear hair shorter than 1 1/2 inches. He looks a little silly, & when he shakes his head now it sounds like folds of skin flapping, & it's a little embarrassing when I take him outside for a walk, but at least his ears will be a little cooler. He looks like a bat-dog. Or kinda like Shrek: big head & tiny ears. So imagine him in the picture above, just with shaved, tiny ears. What a Saturday.

--Josh

The Olympics & Aretha

Man oh man, Olympic fever has swept our household. Since the opening ceremonies we've been watching every night. No night has been more exciting than when the US men's swim team beat the French in the relay. We were in bed & starting to doze off, but that race re-energized us & we were up screaming at the TV. In a word.....Wow. It was super great that one of the French girly-men talked trash before the race, about how they would "smash" the Americans, & then we win. Stupid Frenchman, don't talk trash before the race & give the US team bulletin board material. So anyway, we've been glues to the TV every night, cheering on the USA.

Now, for the latest events in our life. Kate's been driving a piece for a while now (actually the car she got when she turned 17). It's continually gone downhill in performance, reliability, & safety, plus she's been in a pissy mood almost everyday when she's gotten home from work, mostly due to her car. So we discussed it & we had the Honda Civic & Nissan Altima on our radar screen. Used. We tested a Civic last Thursday & Kate announced her decision that the Altima was her # 1 choice. I had initially stated my desire to wait until September to buy a car, because I knew she really needed something new & it would be much better for us to have 2 good cars, so I gave in to the fact that if we found a good car for a good price, it would be ok to move on it.

So, after looking online for advertised cars we visited a dealer just North of where we live & tested an Altima & Maxima. After leaving the lot & discussing, we went back to the lot to buy the Altima. I hate the car buying process; the whole negotiating & the way the salesmen & finance guys deal with you, & you sit there & know they're trying to screw you over & you probably are getting screwed over. And how they delve into your personal, financial, home, & every kind of past history they can & analyze you to the T. You sit there, & for us we know we both had great credit ratings, & we should get the best available rate but somehow the rates is higher & the payments are higher than desired, & the whole negotiating with the financiers & snakes. Geez, I really hate it. I was not happy, & didn't smile much. I kinda feel bad, but then again I don't want the guy screwing me over to think that it's all ok & I'm glad to do it & welcome it. Hahaha, not! Just cut the chit-chat & let's talk turkey, & give me an honest answer because I deserve it. The entire time I was confident we would get the car for payments we could easily make, & we did, so I'm happy Kate is in a better car, which we have dubbed Aretha. The ordeal was mentally draining though, & I don't wanna buy a car again anytime soon.

-Josh

Mr. & Mrs.

Well hello there. A lot has gone on since my last post. I mean, almost a month has gone by. My appologies for neglecting our dedicated readers. But, as had been hinted at in previous posts, our wedding day has come & passed. The week leading up to the wedding (on July 19) was fairly hectic. Once we got to Austin, we had the rehearsal & rehearsal dinner & those were successes. For the day of the wedding, I woke up at my Grandma's & went for a run on Town Lake with my dad. We had breakfast at this good Mexican place on Congress, & returned to Grandma's to hang out & watch the British Open until it was time to go to the vanue to get ready. We picked up a few beers on the way & my groomsmen all met us out there, & we relaxed & got dresses, took pictures, & then it was time to get married. I think you could say my day was a little more relaxed than Kate's. The wedding went perfectly & surprise.......neither Kate nor I cried! We were solid. The reception was a lot of fun & we'd recommend Vintage Villas to anyone.

The next morning we had a car pick us up at 5:30 for the airport & our honeymoon in Negril, Jamaica. After connecting in Dallas we landed in Montego Bay & stood in an endless line at customs. A 6-seat shuttle van drove us to Negril. Now, about the driving experience in Jamaica. The drivers are insane, & the pedestrians walking on the side of the road are even more insane. Numerous times we thought we were about to see a wreck from all the cars passing slower cars & barely getting back in the appropriate lane milliseconds before impact. Then, you had walkers & bicycle riders on the side of the road who seemed to have a mission to walk as close to speeding cars as possible. Kate & I swore our driver was about to take out this one lady. I still don't know how we didn't hit her.

Anyway, we got to Couples Negril & the relaxation set in. Well, it took about a day for the wedding stress to subside, & then the relaxaion truely began. Our resort was awsome. Great beach, great food, friendly staff. We had no phone calls, didn't check email, & watched little TV for the next 8 days. It was great. On our last day there we made the perilous drive back to Montego Bay & the airport. Departing the gate on the plane we suddenly stopped & noticed a flight attendant having a very stern conversation with a passenger. In short: the passenger thought her opnion was important enough to delay the flight for 150+ other passengers, & ended up being kicked off the plane. I hated her. We already had a layover in Dallas that afforded us a little time, but now we'd have to rush to make the flight to Austin. We ran off the plane in Dallas, went thru customs with our bags, rechecked our bags, & ran up an escalator to the train. While running with my bag in 1 hand & belt in the other, my foot caught on a step on the escalator & I busted. Hard. It hurt. I was bleeding, but ran up the stairs & got to the train to inspect the damage. I had scrapes on my foot & that was throbbing, & a hole in my knee spewing my own blood. A nice lady in our train gave me a band-aid which seemed to just make the hole mad & bleed more. Luckily, I had a pair of underwear in the bag I was carrying & used that to absorb the dripping blood. I'm sure along the way, some onlooker was grossed out. But we made the flight & got back to Austin OK, stayed the night at Kate's folk's, & drove home with a carload of stuff the next day.

It feels good to be married. Kate & I were talking about it the other day when she asked me if it felt different to be married & I told her yes. She agrees it does, & we both feel it's in good ways. It's nice to know we have each other to love & depend on for the rest of our lives, & that we've made the ultimate committment to each other that we're not going anywhere else. We're home together where we want to be. We know it'll take work & somedays will be good & some not as good, but I wake up every morning thankful & excited to have Kate as my wife.

Sorry for the length of this post, but it's been a while. We'll try to write more often. Until next time, you can find me in Plano, living the dream!

--Josh

Told ya so......

We usually take a week or two between posts in order to allow our fans to completely take each post in, digest it, take a nap, & then come back for more. But every now & then there's an event that is so big, so life-changing, & so amazing that it simply must be discussed. Tonight we had such an event: DeAnna chose Jesse. On top of all that.....I called it.

Yes that's right ladies & gentlemen, I saw it coming a mile away & correctly predicted she'd choose humble, funny, athletic, down-to-earth Snowboard Jesse. The look in her eyes & the way she acted around him said it all. Now I hear all you ladies out there, crying & complaining about her choosing Jesse over Jason. Sure, Jason's a nice guy, but as someone close to me would say, "He needs to wash his hair". Also, let's not overlook the fact that Jason is from Seattle & hyped up on caffine. Just sayin'. All he did was say the "perfect lines" & act the way he was supposed to act, & to me, came off not genuine. My guess is DeAnna saw right thru this too. I hear ya D, I do. Jason was a flake, Jesse is the real prize, & you chose the right one. He makes her laugh & he's not afraid to be himself.

So to all you ladies out there scouring the medicine cabinet for sleeping pills or antidepresents, fear not, because afterall.....they're never really gonna get married & a new season will be on in a few short weeks. Gotta love those ABC producers. Until next time, GO JESSE!!!

--Josh

The Sweet Smell of Freedom

Well, I first want to thank all our troops who are fighting and/or have fought to keep the freedom we as Americans hold so dearly. We sang "My Country Tis of Thee" today at church and it really got me thinking about how I take my freedom for granted. Not only do I have the right to pray in public, but I have the right to marry the man of my dreams, work, vote and be happy all while feeling no sense of immediate threat - all while our country is fighting one of the longest, toughest wards in history. We are all truly blessed.

This weekend was great! We went to a Rough Riders baseball game on Thursday night with Josh's sister and brother-in-law. Although the Riders lost, we had a blast and its always nice to see my future-sister-in-law! Friday was spent drinking margaritas and laying by the pool. Josh got pretty burned, but I think I just added to the already beautiful tan I have. ;)

As we wind down to the wedding, our anxiety and stress levels are rising (I should probably just say me...) - we're taking care of last-minute preparations and trying to stay cool. I woke up this morning with a HUGE pimple and got really upset. Leave it up to me to breakout the week before my wedding!

Anyways, things are going great here. I'm so happy that we got to spend this 3-day weekend together, relaxing and living the good life. I can't wait to spend every 3-day weekend for the rest of my life with Josh!

-Kate

P.S., Bring some tissues

Well hello there. I know, it's been too long & we hate to keep everyone waiting for the word on the latest & greatest. Let's just say, we've been busy. And it's mostly unplanned or spontaneous stuff keeping us busy. And as you might have guessed, it's wedding stuff keeping us busy. It's still going good & really all we're doing is counting down the days, but with all of our final balances due these next 2 weeks we're trying to keep an eye on the budget. Therefore, sometimes good times & entertainment take a back seat in an effort to remain in the black. This can get frustrating & cause us to feel like the wedding is looming over us & everything we do; like an evil bill collector, telling us we owe him money & if we go out & spend on something other than the wedding, tsk...tsk....shame on us. Did I lose you on that one? In summary, we're looking forward to getting to the wedding, going on the honeymoon, & then settling into life where we can try to live as normal as possible. But let's face it, with the paparazzi chasing us every time we step out the door, how can we make a move to "normal"?

Anywho, we had a nice couple of dinners out this weekend & rented a couple movies at this really exclusive movie rental place called "Blockbuster". You should try it, they have a ton of movies. Anyway, we rented a couple of movies which might be labled "chick flicks" (I know because the helpful Blockbuster employee helping us commented on how both movies were chick flicks), the second of which was P.S. I Love You. IT really was a heartbreaker. I know Kate cried here & there, & my eyes got a little misty at times. In extremely brief summary, it's about a woman who looses her husband at a very young age & she keeps having memories of him. I don't think that the single version of myself would have gotten very sad during this movie. However, now that I'm aproaching marriage with the woman I love more than anything, it's easier to relate to tales such as this & it's sad to think of going through something like that. Not just sad, but unbearably sad & a trajedy, which I pray Kate nor I ever have to go through. Whenever you have someone in your life you love more than anything, it's easy to relate to stories of people in similar situations, & easier to see how difficult some of their sad times can be & how wonderful some of their happy times can be. So if you're in a relationship & ever want a good cry, try this movie. It'll make you think a bit, & apreciate what (who) you have.

Thanks for tuning in. We truely are in the final countdown to the BIG DAY. 20 days from today. I love Kate. Everyone out there, be safe & take it easy.

--Josh

In the blink of an eye

The title of this blog is in reference to two things: 1) how fast the weekends ALWAYS go, & 2) how quickly our wedding date is approaching. We visited Austin again this weekend (I think that's 3 visits in 6 weeks?) for Kate's bridal shower & to allow my folks to meet her folks. The bridal shower Saturday afternoon went lovely; I got to meet several of Kate's friends I hadn't met & many nice people got us some items off of our registry. Al in all it was a great afternoon. My mom & G-ma even made it down from C-town to meet Kate's mom & sister.

Saturday night we had dinner with my dad, & he got to meet her folks. In Austin this weekend they had a big motorcycle rally, so after dinner we walked down 6th Street amongst bikers of all sizes, shapes, & colors. It was an adventure out of the norm for us Planonians, but a lot of fun. Today was Father's Day & I went on a run with my dad early this morning at Town Lake, then to breakfast. Kate & I endured retarded idiot drivers on I 35 this afternoon on the drive back home. Seriously, there were some brain-dead people out there on the road who cause traffic to suck most of the way back. It was frustrating, but we eventually got home & unloaded, glad to be back. Also, we won't need to make another trip to Austin (or any other long drive) until the wedding. Speaking of, we're quickly approaching 1-month away status. Luckily, we have everything done & it will be a month of relaxation (Kate's opinion may differ). Oh, also today we visited the Garden Ridge in Austin & finally found suitable, matching effen picture frames we'd been searching for. Aatttt, Laaaaaast!

Thanks for tuning in. I'm tired & ready to go to sleep. Also ready for next weekend already!

--Josh

rawwrrrrr!

As the big day draws near, I become more like this poor little, innocent dinosaur thing.

Ya know, its really funny because I was watching this show on We, "Bridezillas", and I started getting really tense and my mood changed drastically.

Who would've ever guessed that me, little ole me, would become a bridezilla? :)

Love, Katezilla

I was framed!!!

Hello faithful readers. I hope everyone is well. First of all, I know the title of this post looks bad, but I have done nothing wrong. It's only regarding the shopping we did yesterday......for picture frames. We're going to have several pictures of various sizes on display at our wedding reception, & so yesterday we braved the crowds & astronomical gas prices in search of suitable frames in the decided dimensions. One might think this would be an easy task, but to those I would say "step inside Garden Ridge to view the jumbled mess that is their frame section." Needless to say, 2 hours later Kate & emerged with a few great looking frames bought & a few others as possibilities. We also left with an excellent stand to be used in the sand ceremony during our wedding, then later on our patio. Very nice, indeed!

Later on in the day we attended the Rough Riders baseball game as guests (& a valued employee, I'm sure) of my company. I had won these tickets in a company-wide raffle, as they raffle the tickets quite often. These "Founders Club" tickets allowed us free parking, entry, food, & drink at the ballpark. Awesome!! We first sampled the BBQ & enjoyed a few beers (You ask me, Josh, what's up with the beer? I know, I know. But, it's not that bad). After the BBQ it was time for the first pitch, so we made our way to our VIP seats. Around the end of he 1st inning (maybe 2nd) we decided to try out another food & beverage area we were privy to. This one served burgers, hot dogs, & cervesas. Right up my ally. Follow the trend set, & my lovely fiance & I had a wonderful evening at the game.

We've been as busy as ever & it seems like we will continue to keep ourselves busy until it's time to leave for the honeymoon. That, thankfully, is only about 40 days away! Until next time, everyone take care!

--Josh

It's June!!!

Well hello there, June. Where did you come from? Sorry for the stupid start to this blog, but I'd like to welcome everyone back after being away so long. We have been delinquent in our postings. However, never fear! Not much new has been going on with us.

I was happy to just hear on the news today that it appears Hillary Clinton (Satan) will not be the Democratic nominee for President. We'll still have to deal with Obama, but if he can somehow get gas prices down, even a bit, ok. So in memory of Hillary's campaign, the picture. My apologigies for scaring everyone with the image of evil.

So what have we been up to? More of the same. We went to Austin this past weekend to meet with our wedding coordinator for our "detailed meeting". I left the meeting feeling very good about everything we have in place & all the work we've done in planning, & that our wedding will be just as we want it. We also had a good time hanging out with Kate's family & some of her friends.

But, not much is new, overall. Just thought I'd check in with everyone to let you know we're still here. We love our fans!

--Josh

We need more of these

Finally! Memorial Day weekend is here & we have a 3-day weekend! For me, & my company, I think the last 3-day weekend we had was.........New Year's Day. So, I'm due for a paid holiday. Kate & I have been so busy almost every weekend since March, & will continue to be busy, so we specifically planned to stay home & do nothing this weekend. Just RELAX. The only thing on our agenda was to go up to Matt & Haley's (Matt is old co-worker from EmCare) on Saturday. They were having people over for Matt's birthday, Monday. Other than that, we're chillin. And it feels good.

3-day weekends should be more common. The government should mandate that one weekend every month is a 3-day weekend, & all companies must comply. It'll never happen, but it's wishful thinking. So, we'll enjoy this one while we can. Gotta run. If you need us, you can find us either on the couch or by the pool.

--Josh

follow-up by Kate

I don't know if I will ever be able to top Josh's post, but I'll take a stab at it. This is the first picture of Josh & I on May 18, 2007.

Yesterday, as we were driving home from Austin, Josh and I were laughing that we were spending our 1 year anniversary in the car with a high-five. My first reaction was to get kind of bitter and mad, but as I think about it I think it was the perfect way for us to spend the day. We've been so busy the last 2 months, planning a wedding, working and staying in shape that I almost feel like we've forgotten to talk. On the drive home we were singing, dancing, laughing and most importantly talking. So, hun, I'm really happy with the way we spent the day (plus, the pizza was yummy last night!!).

Because it has been a year, I want to list the Top 10 Reason Why I Love Josh:
10) he scratches my back at night
9) he cooks dinner
8) he's generous
7) he's selfless - I can't think of a single time Josh has put him/his feelings before mine. I try to reciprocate the gesture, but fall miserably short.
6) he's motivated
5) he motivates me
4) he's grounded & responsible, yet wildly ambitious
3) he supports me 110%
2) he makes me laugh
1) he loves me

All of the reasons, plus more, are why I can't wait to marry Joshua David Sokolewicz, the love of my life!

I love you! Thanks for a great year, babe!

Lovin life, going strong

So usually I post about the week's happenenings & whatnot, but today is a big day. A year ago Kate & I met, & my life has been better, busier, & happier since that day. Kate gives me so much in life & I can not imagine myself without her. We influence each other in ways that make us better individuals & stronger as a couple. Right away I felt like I had known her for a very long time, & I felt at ease talking to her. I didn't know it immediately, but it didn't take long for me to realize I wanted to spend my life with her. We vacationed together, explored Dallas, cheered on the Mavs & Cowboys, went through a job change for me, & spent the holidays together. Then on March 1 of this year, she said she would marry me. If there was ever a perfect match for me, Kate is it. I can't wait for the wedding!

So, in regards to this week.......on Wednesday Kate got tickets to the Stars/Red Wings game & we had seats 6 rows from the ice. It was an awesome game & the Stars won. Even saw an octopus get thrown on the ice by a guy right behind us. Don't see that everyday. On Thursday we got Kate's wedding band, after thorough shopping around the weekend before. Friday we drove down to Austin, & down there we had 2 wedding meetings & spent time with Kate's fam at the lake on Saturday. We got back tonight & it just took 3 hours to make the drive. Nice!

So it's been a good week, & a wondeful first year. I have the feeling that life is really starting for me, & I'm overly thrilled every time I think to myself that I have found Kate & we will soon be husband & wife. I love you, babe!

ticking timebomb

I'm not sure if its the whole planning-a-wedding-in-4-months-thing, the additional hormones from the overpriced birth control I've been taking, the stress and anguish I endure on a daily basis at work, or if I'm turning into a bonafide bridezilla... whatever it is I've been a total wreck the last couple weeks.

I'm typically not an emotionally person; babies, movies, sappy love stories usually don't effect me. BUT LET ME TELL YOU...lately, I've been a complete mess. Sunday, at church, I started crying when I saw a little baby girl in the pew in front of us. I balled for a good 5 minutes after I saw the SPCA commercial with the Sarah McLachlan "Angel" song. If you do not cry during this commercial, you need to come hang out my house and dog for an hour and you will.

Anyways, I just wanted to share my tales of being on an emotional rollercoaster. Thank GOD Josh is around to help me through this...I don't think I could do it without him. Love you, honey! :)
-Kate

Food, Flowers, & Bling

Sunday night passed us with forgetting to blog. My, how busy our life is! With all the wedding planning comes paying for wedding planning. That, along with the economy the way it is & gas costing us our eventual first-born, we've been eating out less & trying to spend less on optional fun & entertainment. But, every now & then you have to take a break. So we went to Mi Cocina Thursday night & enjoyed a date night with margaritas & tex-mex. We had a great time & look forward to it again. We followed diner with putting together the wedding invitations for our out-of-state guests. One hour later, we had 95% of our invitations put together & ready to go. No sweat! Mailed them out Friday.
Friday came & we're always thankful for Friday to be here. Kate got sweet VIP tickets to Taste of Addison, so we ventured down South for the evening. Switchfoot & Gavin DeGraw (the G is capitalized folks!) played. We enoyed some free beer from the VIP tent, because we're ballers, & waited for Swithfoot to play something good. Still waiting. And yes everyone that's right, I'm warming up to beer & had a few Friday. Anywho, we sauntered around the grounds while Switchfoot played crappy music, & tried some food from a few of the vendors. Texas de Brazil, I look forward to visiting you one of these days. Gavin DeGraw proved much more pleasing to the ears.
Saturday came & went as we met the Rowans at the Arboretum to spend the afternoon with mom & G-ma surrounded by flowers. A good time was had by all, & then it got hot in the afternoon. Kate & I made our way back home & layed by the pool before grilling some kabobs. Yum! Sunday included pancakes, church, & wedding ring shopping. We visited about 5 jewelry stores & looked at a ton of wedding bands for both me & Kate. We got some price quotes & are still waiting for some more, but it got us both even more excited about the wedding. Just over two months away, by the way. The afternoon flew by before we knew it.
So, back to work & the real world today. A visit to Austin awaits us next weekend, which we're ready for already! Thanks for tuning in. We love all our fans out there!
--Josh

May already?!?

Where did April go? Aren't we all like that at the start of every month? Honestly, I'm glad it's May & look forward to June, then July. Don't know why.....I just feel like it'll be a good month for me.

I don't really have a plan for this blog or an order for this week's highlights, so let's just jump into things. Mav got a haircut last weekend. He still has all the spunk & attitude as before, but now more aerodynamic. He's a little more intimidating with all his longer hair. The Mavs gracefully bowed out of the NBA playoffs, reminding us all of the old Mavs. Yippee.

We had a nice visit to Campisi's Saturday night & had a great meal. We also picked up to movies from Blockbuster which I will now review: 27 Dresses - ok, not great, was entertaining and at times funny. Dan in Real Life - overall not good, kinda depressing & wierd, & just one or two "haha" moments. We also ran some wedding errands on Saturday & got a lot done.

So it was a pretty normal week. Tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo, which is a holiday in Mexico & this is America.....so why do we celebrate it here? Whatever. Chips & salsa? Si!

--Josh

Happy 2nd b-day, Maverick!

Josh stopped by Glamour Dogs this afternoon and picked up this adorable cake to celebrate.

We're taking him to the Bluebonnet Dogpark this afternoon and might even give him some wine!

He's such a great dog. I wish everyone knew what it felt like to have such a loyal friend.

I love you, poochie!

Love, Mommy

Livin the King-size life

Why is it that the weekends always go by so fast? I was commenting tonight to Kate, that I always look forward to the weekend during the week, then they fly by. I'm sure others out there also notice this problem. Can we maybe petition the government to make weekends 3 days? No? Oh well.

I think the biggest thing we had going on was getting our new, King-size bed on Saturday, & spending all week looking forward to getting it. Imagine two 6-foot + people sharing a full-size bed. It was time for an upgrade, & well worth the $$$ spent. I got the call around 11 on Sat. that they'd be here within an hour with the bed, & they lived up to their word. We spent a LOT of time Sat. doing laundry; mostly washing the new sheets (& old sheets, which confuses me, but anyway), & arranging the new bed. I suggest to everyone out there to get a king-size bed. They're awesome, & provide so much room. We just wanted to lay in it, & spent Sat. night watching DVD's in bed. Oh, also ordered Soprano's pizza. Deeee-lish!

First DVD: Juno. Surprisingly wierd, & good. It's sweet, & has a few tear-jerker moments. Second DVD, an old standby in our personal stock: Blow. "Our business here today is cocaine, yes?" I think we made it to the point where George was making trips to Columbia, then we hit the hay. Had a nice visit to church this morning & later this afternoon we took Mavarico to get a pre-birthday haircut. He turns the big 2 tomorrow, & needs to look sharp for all the ladies he's sure to meet at the dogpark tomorrow. Kate & I ran some errands while Mavy had his time at the salon. He looks like such a different dog, considering when he has long hair & short hair. He looks much skinnier & scrawnier when he has short hair, but he's a diva nontheless. We ended the weekend with some good burgers on the grill & Honey Moon beer (from Blue Moon). It's not bad. Might be classified as "good".

So back to work tomorow. I think we're both ready for the honeymoon, to take some time off from work & relax. A vacay is much needed, & these next 3 months can't go by quick enough. It seems I can hear Jamaica calling me every day. But until then, I'll just settle for the weekends, & I'm already looking forward to the next one!

--Josh

Follow-up by Josh

Yep, what a week & weekend. We always think we have nothing to do as a weekend approaches, then end up being non-stop busy. When I woke up this morning I wasn't even thinking about buying a bed, & look at us now. King size, paid for & to be delivered. Also, if you get a chance check out the Cleburne Times Review online. I sent in an opinion paper on my old high school coach & they printed it in todays paper under the Opinions section. Pretty cool they printed it. Coach Cody, you're the man!

Anyway, I always love the weekend & all the time Kate & I get to spend together (& the whole thing about not having to get up early & go to work). Tomorrow is Monday, & I'm already looking forward to the weekend!
---Josh

Where did my weekend go?

Phew! This week was exhausting! Josh and I have been actively planning/implementing our wedding. From invitations, info cards and programs to DJs, string trios and straw fans...we've been frantically trying to plan this thing. I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful fiance. Josh is so supportive, understanding and, most importantly, opinionated. Instead of sitting back and letting me plan everything, Josh has really been helpful with the planning process. He lets me know what he thinks, and for the most part he always has something beneficial to say.

On Friday, my work sponsored the annual Frisco Relay for Life. My life hasn't been directly affected by this horrible epidemic, so my initial reason for participating was to support my co-workers and be a good employee. At the beginning of the night they had a luminaria ceremony, which turned out to be a very emotional experience; it was so heartfelt, touching and enlightening - it really changed my attitude towards the entire event and I felt honored to be walking every lap around that field. The event ended at 6am Saturday morning. I, however, left around 12:30a because I'm cranky.

On Saturday, we went on a double date with Josh's sister, Emily, and her husband, Aaron. I always love spending time with the RRRRowans; they remind me alot of us and we get along really well. We went to Fireside Pies at the Shops at Legacy; its a yummy coal-fired pizza joint with a great wine list and a killer brownie dessert.

Sunday was spent at church, running errands and buying a bed...oh, no biggie, we just made the biggest purchase to date. I never knew how difficult it would be to buy a mattress. Neither of us have bought one before, so we didn't really know what we were doing. We went to The Dump, picked one out, and that was that! It should be delivered next Saturday, so maybe then we can both experience a good nights sleep. A full size bed for 2 people over 6' is not cool.

Anyways, this weekend has been very eventful and fun. We always have grand plans of relaxing on the weekend, but it never ends up happening. I just think its hard to relax when I love doing things with my future hub! :)

I hope everyone has a wonderful week.
God Bless and remember, "Love each other and life comes easy."
-Kate

Welcome!

With work and life constantly getting in the way, we figured this was the best way to stay connected to the ones we love.

Let us first say that Kate will probably be the main blogger on this site, but let's all keep our fingers crossed for some of Josh's witticisms and intellectual guidance.

We plan on updating on a weekly basis, although we're fully aware of the "life" factor. We also look forward to sharing photos and cool interactive finds.

So, let us both welcome everyone to our blog and may you enjoy reading as much as enjoy typing!

God bless.