Our photographer was awesome at the wedding, and we are confident that he did a really good job. Apparently, he thinks he did a good job since he used one of the photos for a promotional poster:
I made a challah. This bread recipe did not take as long as the whole wheat but was more intensive in the shaping of the dough. Apparently there are many different ways to braid the dough with different numbers of strands, but I went with a classic three-strand braid.
Labels: baking
 | Katie and I started honeymoon by driving up to the lake and staying at the cabin. The week was full of hikes, swims, and a lot of reading. It was the stress-reliver we needed after the wedding. Here, Katie readies her Garmin GPS for our hikes in the woods. We probably got every trail that existed, except for a couple that Grandpa was still finishing. We also read about 5 books between the two of us. Most were Katie's, as I started the epic thome of Les Miserables. Finally, every night we watched one of the episodes of Star Wars in order to complete Katie's induction to the Stolee family. | |
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| One day we took a hike to the Crane Lake Gorge and had lunch at the Voyagaire. Next time we will wake up early enough for breakfast, as the lunch left something to be desired. The gorge was beautiful as always. |  | |
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 | After our trip to the gorge, we took a quick hike to Lilac Lake. Unfortunately, the bugs were way too bad to stick around for very long. We went back to the cabin as I worked on a second hiking stick. Grandpa lent me a fun tool for shaving it down, but it made quite a mess. | |
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 | It's just about that time, you know, three weeks into married life, to put on my apron and begin practicing my audition for The Donna Reed Show. To begin my studies, I have tackled homemade bread (this is, of course, after the bran muffins, lentil soup, applesauce and oatmeal cookies, all of which have gone undocumented). The recipe for Tassajara Yeasted Bread came from my Yoga Journal and really packs a punch (you actually get to punch the dough). The result of my labors, some 4.5 hours after it began, was two delicious yet dense loaves of whole wheat bread, sweetened with molasses. | |
| Additionally, Derrick has been practicing for his audition on Design on a Dime by constructing a bookcase using about 1,000 plastic pieces plus the wood and installing curtain rods to hang our beautiful quilts. | ||
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| Our apartment is now outfitted from floor to ceiling, room to room with beautiful quilts. From left to right is a quilt from my grandmother commemorating our wedding day, a wall hanging gift from my Aunt Janet (again for the wedding), and a bedspread from Derrick's Grandma Bakken (with a foot board quilt by yours truly). All are beautiful decorations in our home. | ||
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 | Katie and I were married on Saturday, the 19th of July. On Friday, we had the rehearsal with a delicious dinner at Lazlo's in the Haymarket. | |
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| On the wedding day, I couldn't eat a thing due to nerves. The ladies had pleasant distractions like hair appointments and long dressing activities, while I spent most of the day just wasting time. However, once things got started it went remarkably smoothly. The only emergencies were minor, and quickly remedied by our fantastic wedding planner, Angela Brandt. She safety-pinned my tie when it had no clasp and found a spare camera for the guest book when mine ran out of battery. The guests arrived and sat in the solemn and beautiful chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center. Then, the grandparents and parents were seated and the service was ready to start. |  | |
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 | The nuptial mass was a very spiritual experience for the both of us. It was beautiful in every way. Logan read in his excellent baritone, Father Buhman's homily was energetic as usual, and Katie was the blushing bride I always knew she would be. In the end, we were officially married. And, we were the happiest people there. | |
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| After the service, it was time for a few more pictures and relaxing before the real party began. Most people headed to the Ridnour room for a cocktail hour while we had fun in John Paul II Hall. |  | |
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 | The reception was fun for all around. We barely had a chance to sit down and eat before we were pulled away for the boquet and garter tosses, our dances, cutting the cake, and the heartfelt toasts from our brothers and friends. | |
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| Most of all, the reception was a successful party because of all the people there sharing their support. Thanks to all our family and friends who were able to come, and also to those who could not and wish us well! |  | |
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