One More...

And there is this next photo. Dan took it from me and hid it last night, not wanting me to post it to share with the world, but i found it today. Lucky You!

His 1998 photo, where he gained the freshman 15...

Dan's Old Yearbook Pictures

haha!!! i was going though Dan's old photos and stuff from school, and i found his yearbook. i figured i just HAD to show you what i found :

Here he is in 1954, the most handsome man in his class... Hands down...

Here he is in 19560, before anyone knew what lasic was...
And here he is in 1970, starting all kinds of trends... He just loves fads...
This year, 1980, Dan auditioned for a part on the Brady Bunch...
Here he is a couple years later trying out the afro look...
The afro wasn't working out too much, he resorted back to the Brady Bunch look to please the ladies... He really became quite the ladies man I heard...
1990 was the era of grunge... Dan did the part well...
He became really good at a ton of sports in 1994... As you can see in this High School Photo...
And here he is with the boy band bowl hair cut in 1996... And his year 2000 Graduating Senior Photo...I kept digging until I ran across some pictures of his High School Sweetheart...

Here she is when they frist started dating in 1952...
And here to bring in the 1960's...

She tried out the afro thing a couple years before Dan had in 1978...
And went to Glamour Shots in 1982...
In 1984, hair got pretty frazzled, and bangs were bangin...
The trend was sort of MC Hammerish in 1988... And she wasn't afraid to try anything new...
And back to the old frizz with a comb look in 1990...

The frizzy look paired really well with flannel... It must have really worked as we can see here in this 1994 class photo, notice the promise ring...
In this Graduating Senior Photo, we see she kept up really well with the new Pop era's blonde Barbie Doll like locks...

They sure did make a great couple through all of their Highschool years! They were voted as "Cutest Couple" each and every time!

( Find old photos of your loved ones on http://www.yearbookyourself.com/ )

Why don't you stay a while, Summertime?

The one thing that bothers me most about Wisconsin is the changing of the seasons. Well, not all seasons, just the change from Summer to Fall. It is okay for a bit because- yeah- the trees are pretty and the air is crisp and clean, there are pumpkins and jackolanterns, corn mazes and football games, and Halloween is pretty fun.. almost my favorite holiday- fun for all ages and the most stress free and lighthearted. it's great. but soon after that, you realize summer is actually gone. Then it's too late and Winter snuck right up on you! And darn near trapped you in your home! Just so you know, that car is definitely not being dug out of that mountain of plowed snow.. Days like that I wish I lived somewhere sunny all year round. Dan likes this time of the year. He's constantly too hot, and I swear I am cold blooded. I need a sweatshirt, two layers of sweatpants, knit socks, mittens, and earmuffins when it is below 70 degrees. If it is above 40 degrees, he's walking around in shorts without a shirt on. i don't get it.
as for other news, i've cut way down on my soda intake. and very proud of myself for it too. i actually do think i lost 5 pounds in doing so, but i cant really tell this week due to all the food i've chowed down on. don't believe me.. read my last post! i miss Mountain Dew. and Dr. Pepper. and Wild Cherry Pepsi. Yum =) I think i might have to break the rules and get a soda before work. It's gonna be another long one tonight. Yay!
Oh yeah, i just re-read my whole post here.. and wanted to say that i think the number one thing i dislike about Wisconsin is that we have to share a border with Illinois. FIBs

Married! And eating a ton!

So, nothing much has changed since being married. I can't believe it's already been almost 2 weeks! All we've been doing is making trips to the DMV to change my name, Social Security Offices to change my name, Post Office for my Passport name change, Banks to change my name. Fun =) We've also been cooking a lot too. Sam's rice is almost always sitting in the fridge waiting to be reheated and eaten. We made a slightly different version of Amy's Cincinnati Chili, which turned out a bit closer to Skyline, though it is still missing something. We'll figure it out one of these weekends. Funny story... (or kinda gross, up to you to decide) Saturday night, after we were done working, we went to Real Chili for our midnight dinner. Woke up, drove to Joe and Megans for the Packer game, and I consumed multiple servings of their Cincinnati Chili, Drove back home, began making our own pot of Chili, and ate multiple bowls the next day when we woke up. I survived on nothing but chili for many many meals. I stopped there, but I think Dan has grabbed a few containers from the freezer and eaten 3-ways about 5 more times. We made some Lasagna last night, and made our own meat sauce for it. Which was awesome! I'd rather spend the 2 and a half hours making my own spaghetti sauce than ever buying from a store again. While preparing the 5 different cheeses for our lasagna, Dan sliced into his thumb and nail.. get this.. using a huge butcher knife to "shred" the softest hunk of ricotta cheese ever. I kinda yelled at him for being an idiot and not using a "cheese grater" then I felt bad about it, seeing he hurt himself. Then he was bragging about how he was getting too cocky with it, using it like chefs do on Iron Chef, so I got mad and yelled at him again for thinking he could cut as fast as Morimoto. Then I finished the lasagna by myself, not allowing him near the kitchen. Here's the meat sauce recipe if you ever wanna try it out...

You'll need :
2 tbsp. Olive Oil
2/3 lb. Ground Beef
1/3 lb. Ground Pork
2 c. Onions (finely chopped)
1/2 c. Celery (finely chopped)
1/2 c. Carrots (finely chopped)
2 tbsp. Garlic (finely chopped)
28 oz. Chopped Tomatoes (about two 14 oz. cans)
6 oz. Can Tomato Paste
4 c. Beef Broth
2 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
2 Bay Leaves
2 tsp. Dried Oregano
2 tsp. Dried Basil
1 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper
2 oz. Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese
Salt & Pepper To Taste

In a large saucepan over Medium heat, add the Oil. In a mixing bowl, combine both Meats together, and season with salt and pepper. When oil is hot, add the Meat and brown. Add Onions, Celery, and Carrots. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until veggies are soft. Add Garlic and Chopped Tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook for about 5 minutes. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the Tomato Paste and Beef Broth, then pour into saucepan. Add the Herbs and mix well. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat back to Medium and simmer for about 2 hours. Stir occasionally and add more beef broth if liquid is needed. During the last 30 minutes of cooking, reseason with salt and pepper and stir in the Cheese. Remove from heat and let sit for 15 minutes.

So that is the recipe. What I changed up a little bit last night was adding some more garlic (I used about half of a garlic bulb), used both the fresh thyme and added more dry thyme, threw in a bunch of fresh chopped basil, and a little extra crushed red pepper. I think the next time I do this, I will use a cup less fo the beef broth, as it turned out a little too watery to use with spaghetti, but it was fine for the lasagna. I don't know how much the cheese did for taste, I think it was mainly a thinckening agent, you could use anything else if you wanted, but man was that sauce good =)

Can't wait to see you!

Our Big Day is coming up soon! we're getting everything in order and all set and ready to go. looking forward to see you! Hope everyone found a place to stay in one of the many hotels in the area. the rain is supposed to be gone for saturday, so lets hope Gustav gets in and out real quick. it's going to be a bit chilly i think. around 75, but not above. pack a light sweater for the ceremony. the rest of the day should be fine- as we'll be inside. it is going to rain starting today, and into tomorrow but it will stop about this time tomorrow. rehearsal should be dry. though again, it might be a bit chilly, so dress accordingly. bummer though- we were looking forward to spending all week out in the sun on the boat or chambers island, but we only got one of those 90 degree days to enjoy that weather.. then it was gone and we're left with rain. cant believe tomorrow is the rehearsal!! be there at 5 at maxwelton braes so we can get the show on the road and get over to alexanders for dinner. yum =) excited to see everyone! hope you're looking forward to the weekend, too- its gonna be tons of fun!!! anyone with questions- just ask dan or i! talk to you soon! drive safely!