Our home!

As many of you know, Chris and I have been on the house hunt for what seems like decades. After touring nearly 43449574 homes, we finally found "the one"! I've been promising my friends and family some picture updates so here they are. Please pardon the mess =)

The first day in our new place! I've never realized how tricky it is with only two of us to get pictures together. Hopefully we'll have some sweet little neighbor lady take one for us to post later.

 Yay for our precious little kitchen! 

 The previous owner worked for Hallmark and added lots of quirky touches to the house like the tile floor in in the kitchen.

 (Coming soon) Living room

 Dining area

 Remember I said the owner had lots of quirky touches---yep.

 Another interesting touch to our home was a little "Cafe de le Duh" on the sun porch. Super creative and fun but definitely not something I'd be able to live with for a long period of time.

I told Chris we could keep the Cafe if he promised to serve me coffee every morning so this is what we got...a painted sun porch =)

 I had to post this work in progess picture of my lovely man creeping through our window.

 Our little Anthropologie inspired bathroom (please pardon the wrinkles).

Just a small glimpse into our room =)

So there you go, a sneak peak into our home! Stay tuned for more exciting details later!

Craft Therapy

It's been awhile since I've had the time to do any serious crafting. Let me tell you, it's craft-therapy for me. I found this lovely piece last fall and never found the time to refinish it. Of course in the busiest time of my life  with wedding planning, ZTA Presidency, house-hunting, going to school, and breathing, I decided to paint it a beautiful Tiffany blue. The photo doesn't do the color justice.

 Special thanks to Chris for putting a new back on this wonderful creation and for putting up with it in your living room all week =)

The grand finale!

Project Wedding

I can't believe how fast our engagement has gone! It's been wonderful, amazing, perfect, and everything I could ask for. It has been so much fun for me to work closely with my mom, my sister, my grandma, oh and Chris, to plan every last detail. I have loved seeing my personal style come out little by little. I have learned that my style is a little more "out-there" than the rest of the women in my family but they've reeled me back in for sure. In my pre-ring dreaming, I wanted this super edgy, modern wedding. In my early-ring planning, I wanted a romantic, elegant affair. Now that I'm in the last stage of the planning, I've found that I'm actually a little more unique and vintage than I thought. Since we're moving along with the unique, vintage feel I recently found myself in this interesting place called "Boyle's Joyland." Let me tell you people, it's anything but joyful in there. It is an old carnival supply store (which still has the creepy clowns lurking every corner) that has now turned into a heap of old junk. In case the clowns don't deter you enough, they have an old cat caged up by the register that is apparently let out at night to catch the mice. Yikes! It was evident how much Chris loved me when he ventured into a place like that. Needless to say, Boyle's Joyland prevailed. For a small price, we left "Not-So-Joyland" with a beautiful, brand new chandelier for our wedding. The box reeked of Joyland but the chandelier was still in its original packing. At this point, I was pretty impressed with our bargain hunting. I have great expectations for this chandelier so stay tuned for the update! Below is a picture of the beautiful purchase. Paisley must have heard us talk about Boyle's because she was pretty unsure of it herself.

 

Happy birthday, Emerson

To my sweet, wonderful, fabulous, princess of a niece...Happy 2nd Birthday (tomorrow)! Thanks for being that little sunshine in my life! Your mom may claim you as her prized possession but you are pretty darn special to me, too!

Top eleven of 2011

 #1 was an easy decision---Our engagement on 11/11/11

#2---the "furriest" addition to our family, Paisley.

 #3---My acceptance to the KU Medical Center Occupational Therapy Program

#4---Chris' acceptance to Cleveland Chiropractic College

#5---Our trip to Belize

This photo was taken at the Liberty Children's Home with two of the sweetest boys I have ever met. I only wish I was at a time in my life that I could bring them home with me. Mom, Dad? I wouldn't mind little brothers!

#6----I'm very grateful for the opportunities I had to help after the tornado in Joplin...another life changer.

#7---My second and final year cheering at WU.

#8---Rebant family trip to Branson

#9---An incredible year for ZTA at Alpha Mu. We initiated Bertie McConnell, a sweet 90 year-old woman...the oldest initate in ZTA history. This picture was taken before our taping for the Anderson Cooper show.

#10---Koch family (and extended family) vacation to Breckenridge. This was taken before our attempted hike up the mountain. Let's just say there were only four of us that made it to the top!

#11---Our first official Christmas together! Chris and I split our family time this Christmas. I never liked the idea of changing family traditions but this guy made it absolutely worth it. Next Christmas we'll be celebrating Jesus' birthday as Mr. and Mrs.!

Story of Us

High school sweetheart they were. It all began at the high school back to school dance where they finally had the opportunity for a dance.  She was devastated when she complimented his good looks and he replied with a lousy “I like your pants” statement.  After that lame compliment by him, she was unsure of his boyfriend capabilities. Fortunately he regained the boyfriend ability when he asked her out shortly after.

Their love continued to blossom as they moved to college together. It wasn’t long before they knew they couldn’t live without each other.  They spent the next three years of college traveling to their favorite places, tailgating at their beloved Washburn Football games, choosing career paths together, taking late night trips to Sheridan’s, and doing what they love the most—spending time with their families.

On 11/11/11 he rolled out of bed and decided that he was ready to propose to her. She had already had a stressful morning so when he was texting her, begging her to join him at the governor’s mansion for a casual date, she respectfully declined. He eventually convinced her to join him on a walk through the governor’s trails. He wasn’t acting out of the ordinary and she had no idea what was yet to come. Naturally, he got a rock in his shoe but instead reached for his pocket. On a bended knee he told her all of the things he loves about her and asked her to marry him. After asking him “is this for real?” she undoubtedly said “ Yes"

Pay It Forward

Last week I was approached by the Educational Credit Union who was participating in an event called "Pay It Forward" which is all about finding a way to help someone in need. The idea is that they will give you $20 to give to someone else who needs it. Of course, I was all over this event, especially because I was heading to Joplin in just a matter of days. Ever since May 22nd, 2011, the city of Joplin has stolen my heart. I spent a few days there shortly after the tornado and was finally able to return this weekend to volunteer for the Hope Station and Extreme Home Makeover. Needless to say, my heart is still in Joplin. Moral of the story is that I met a young woman who had evacuated her high school graduation due to the storm. I sat down with her for quite some time but it didn't take long for me to see the struggles she was facing, exactly five months after the tornado. Right before I left, I approached her with the money the Educational Credit Union had given me. I was nervous, wanting this gift to be out of pure humbleness, modesty, and with the right intentions. Thankfully, she received it graciously and I left knowing God had directed me to the right person that day.

Please go to the Educational Credit Union Facebook page (a link is posted on my wall) and "Like" my video. The video with the most "likes" will receive $500 to their charity of choice. If you can't find it, it is probably because they spelled my name "Kasna." I would sincerely appreciate your vote! This $500 could do great things in Joplin, Missouri!