Goodbye 2008

There are but a few days of 2008 left, and what a year it has been. We started 2008 off by getting engaged, then I graduated school, then we welcomed our first neice, and then Maurice graduated! And dare I say, 2009 is shaping up to be an even bigger year than the last.

Each year on my birthday (January 8th), I always take some time to write a little bit, and think about what life looked like for me on my last birthday, versus the way it looks today. It's a great way for me to indulge my nostalgic side, but mostly to gain some perspective about how far God has brought me, the ways that He has blessed me, but most importantly... the things that I have learned.

So I figured today that this seemed like the perfect time to reflect, and share the things, both great and small, that I learned in 2008:

- That life after school is every bit as wonderful as I imagined it would be.

- That "Jon and Kate plus eight" is possibly the best show on television.

- Not to take my family for granted... because before long, I will probably miss them terribly.

- How much money you can save by cutting frivelous purchases (fast food, starbucks, etc.) out of your spending.

- The importance of taking a day off to get away and invest quality time in those we love.

- That I am much more capable than I give myself credit for.

- That God's best for me is better than my own idea of what is best.

- How good it feels to push myself beyond what I thought were my limits.

- To always go straight to the root of an argument with a person, because you are many times upset or frustrated about the same exact things.

- What it means to truly love another person above myself.

- That God's love for me is much more profound than I am able to understand.

Merry Christmas

I hope that everyone is having the loveliest Christmas!! This is BY FAR my favorite time of the year for so many reasons... one of which is Christmas music. I've loved Christmas music since I was a kid. But it wasn't until I got older that I began to appreciate what some of my favorite Christmas songs were really saying. I think because we've known them all of our lives, it's easy to sing them without really listening to them.

So with these words, I wish all of you a warm, happy, and merry Christmas

"Long lay the world in sin and error pining,

'til He appeared and the soul felt it's worth.

The thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,

for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn"

So funny...

This just makes my day

An all around eventful week

Well it's been a big week around my household. And first up, we have my adorable niece!! Sofia Noelle Schindler was born on December 18th at 9 pm, she weighed 7.9 lbs, and she was 20 inches long. It was a long day for everyone... mostly for Stefanie, who was in labor for over 16 hours... which also happens to be the amount of time we all sat in the waiting room at the hospital. So like I said, it was a long day. Around 8:30, they decided that little Sofia just wasn't going to come on her own, so they did a c-section. Pretty soon... Adam and the nurse came and introduced this little bundle of joy!

at which point... we all oo'ed and ah'ed over her.

She has had to spend a few days in the NICU because of minor problems with her blood sugar, but she's a tough little gal and she's getting super healthy and it's looking right now like mom, dad, and baby will all be going home tomorrow!


Then before I knew it... it was time for Maurice's graduation. Like I mentioned a few weeks ago, Maurice has finished up his undergrad in architecture. He is so talented and dedicated, and it was great to see all of his hard work pay off. And a bonus... once he got to graduation, he also found out that he was graduating with honors!

It's been such a busy week around here, and it feels right now like I haven't slept in about a year, but when I take a step back to reflect on everything, I can see that God is just pouring out His blessings... abundantly :)

The Song Game

This goes out to all you music buffs... PLAY!!! Here's how the game goes... the ipod goes on shuffle, and I write down the first line to the first 10 songs that come up. Leave comments with your guesses as to the artist and song title, and I will highlight them when they have been guessed correctly. You may guess on as many as you like, but keep in mind that googling the lyrics is not only cheating, but a sign of poor character.

Happy Guessing!! and when you're done, make one of your own. FYI: in looking at this list, I would say that every single one of these songs is a must-have in your ipod or music player of choice. If you don't know them already, go download them... you will be a better person for it :)

1. "Was it you who spoke the words that things would happen, but not to me... " (answer: "you and i both", by jason mraz)
2. "So you think you can hold the world up by a string" (answer: "brace yourself", howie day)
3. "Gonna close my eyes, gonna watch you go..."
4. "Don't you be wastin all your money on syrup and honey.."
5. "From this day on, I own my father's gun" (answer: "my father's gun", elton john)
6. "Love is a burning thing, and it makes a fiery ring" (answer: "ring of fire", johnny cash)
7. "Yesterday I got lost in the circus, feelin like such a mess"
8. "If you leave me now, you'll take away the biggest part of me"
9. "I don't get you, I can't forget what you've forgotten" (anwer: "don't cry out", shiny toy guns)
10. "Another summer day has come and gone away in Paris and Rome..." (answer: "home", michael buble)

and a bonus one!

11. "Trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble" (answer: "trouble", ray lamontagne) the bonus goes to the great shannon)

Christmas on a budget

One of my very favorite things to do has always been to give gifts. I love picking them out, wrapping them, and especially watching people unwrap them. I genuinely like to give them more than I like getting them. But with all of the weddings/bridal showers/baby showers/birthdays that have found their way into our schedule this fall, the gift-buying has definitely started to take a toll on my wallet. So with Christmas just around the corner, I'm finding that a little creativity can make the dollar stretch a lot more than it has in the past.

Enter Sofia's Christmas gift. With Stefanie a little more than two weeks away from her due date, I wanted to get my new niece a present for her first Christmas! I've gotten a great head start on my Christmas shopping this year, so as to avoid the mob-mentality-Christmas-shopping-crowd, and also to snag up some of the best gifts before they're gone. I've done really great sticking to my budget, but I was still perplexed about what to get baby Sofia that wouldn't leave my bank account with a little negative sign in front of it. Then the other day I was in Hobby Lobby, and I wandered over into an aisle that was full of great gift possibilities. I'll call it the "unfinished wood" aisle. There were all kinds of ornaments and picture frames and things just waiting for someone to make an art project out of them.

And that is what I did. I already had paint brushes at my house, so I picked out a small box, a little paint, and I was on my way. I kid you not... the entire project cost around $5. I spent that afternoon painting my little heart out, and this was the result:

It's not much to write home about, but I am really proud of my creative chops. I assure you, I am definitely one of the most artistically-challenged people alive, so if I can do it, anyone can. And the most important thing is, now I have a great, heart-felt gift and I didn't even come close to breaking the bank.

Our life lately

It seems like it's been some time since I gave you guys a good old fashioned update, and since life seems to be changing at a faster-than-ever pace, there's lots to catch up on.

Maurice is getting ready to finish up his last undergrad semester, and he couldn't be more excited. I have never known people who worked harder than architecture/design students. After December, he will be able to take a much-deserved break from school (before beginning grad school in the fall) to focus on working, wedding planning, and hopefully some relaxing. He is still working at Marmon Mok, an architecture firm in downtown San Antonio, until we move to wherever it is we're going to be moving to.

I just accepted an internship at an Advertising and Public Relations firm in Alamo Heights called Taylor West, and I'm really excited about all that I'm going to learn there and the experience I'll gain. I'm the public relations intern, so I won't be dealing so much with the advertising aspect of things, but I will get to do a lot of writing, which is always great news to me.

I am not afraid to admit that one of the things that unnerved me the most about wedding planning, was definitely pre-marital counseling. I couldn't tell you why, but I was totally intimidated at the idea. I think I secretly feared that if we gave the wrong answers, they wouldn't allow us to get married. But when we found the church that we wanted to get married in, they informed us that we would do a six week class on Sunday mornings in a group class along with other engaged couples. And I have to say... I truly enjoyed the experience. We were in a class with 8 or 9 other couples, most of whom were around our age. Each Sunday we covered a different topic, such as finance, communication, etc. Not only were the class teachers helpful, insightful, and great, but it was a fun experience to be able to listen to the stories of others who are the same place in life that Maurice and I are. I felt instantly bonded to them, knowing that we're all going through the same joy and excitement, and even fear and anxiety. The church was wonderful to us, they were some of the kindest and warmest people. It seems like every day I get another letter or card in the mail from a member of the church, letting us know that they are praying for us or that we are welcome back anytime. We finished the class in October, and I actually miss it. Maurice and I learned a lot during our time there, and the whole experience was such a blessing. Here is a picture of our class at Central Christian.



There are plenty of things to keep us busy these days, especially with the holidays upon us, but I couldn't be more grateful for all of the things that God is doing in our lives. I hope that all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving this week. There is definitely plenty for us to be thankful for.

Stefanie's Shower

I thought I would share a few pictures from Stefanie's first baby shower. She's about 2 months out now, and we're all very excited to meet baby Sofia! I figured I would start with the most important part... of course... the presents




These little cakes were delicious, and I was TOLD that the lady who made them also made Jenna Bush's wedding cake... fun fact

The present opening was fun for all. however...

I think Adam was a little confused about how some of the gifts worked and/or what their purpose was, so Alice was happy to explain

Stefanie and Aunt Kelli!

... and the oh-so-excited-parents-to-be

I have a serious bone to pick...

... with celebrities these days. I was, for lack of something better to do, watching the Emmy awards last night. A few weeks ago, I also happened to catch a portion of the MTV awards. At the opening of that show, the host... whom I had never previously heard of, and can only describe as some bizarre english fellow who seemed to think he was a lot more well-known/important/funny than he was... had scarcely welcomed the attendees that evening before he spouted off on some political tirade about the importance of electing Barack Obama in the upcoming election. Mind you, he doesn't actually possess an American citizenship, but he felt it his duty to interject political opinions wherever he could about a country in which he does not reside.

This brings me to last night's Emmy awards. I counted twelve... TWELVE... speeches by both presenters and winners that inlcuded some sort of political jab at George Bush or John McCain, or at least in attempt to coerce us common-folk into mindlessly voting for Barack Obama... simply because we've been told to by some celebrity with a Tom Cruise-style superiority complex and an over-heightened sense of self worth.

I cringe everytime I hear a celebrity get on tv or in a magazine and start telling people... particularly the younger, more impressionable voters... who they should and should not vote for. As Amy Poehler so poignantly put it on Saturday Night Live one night... "women in this country fought hard for the right to vote for whoever Oprah tells them to". It came like a breath of fresh air, late in last night's Emmy broadcast, when some writer, during his acceptance speech... finally challenged people to decide which candidate stands for the things they believe in, and VOTE for them. Finally, someone understands what it means to have a democracy.

I don't have a problem with celebrities believing in a candidate and campaigning for them. But campaigning for a candidate should not consist of getting in front of any camera they can find and telling people to vote for someone based ONLY on the fact that they are too, and because that's what all the cool kids are doing. If they genuinely want to campaign for someone, why don't they get out on the street and start putting up signs, or why don't they sit down at a phone and start calling supporters or raising money, and leave their name out of it. What they should not be doing is abusing their priveleged status and position in the public to sway voters.

Celebrities should use their public platform for one thing, and one thing only... and that is to challenge people to learn about the candidates, decide who they think would best serve the country, and VOTE for that person. No one in our nation's history has fought in order that we might have the right to vote for whomever we're told to... they fought so that we could have the right to vote and have our own voices heard.

Sorry for the rant, just wanted to get that off my chest.

not the official save the date... but save it!!

I seem to have gotten a little off track in regards to the original intent of this blog, which was partly to help you guys stay informed about the wedding plans! Just as a side note: I need to start collecting mailing addresses from you guys, so if you get a chance, email your address to me at ktope108@hotmail.com or to Maurice at maurice@mauriceflores.com.

Ok so here is the wedding information as I have it. You all have plenty of time to clear your calenders, so I don't want to hear any excuses :)

Date: May 16, 2009

Time: 5:00 pm (I'm pretty sure. It's at least somewhere in that vicinity)

Where: Central Christian Church (downtown San Antonio)
720 N. Main
San Antonio, Texas 78205

Reception: Community Centre at San Fernando (down the street from church)
231 W. Commerce St.
San Antonio, Texas 78205

Bridesmaids: Krista Tope - Maid of Honor (sister)
Stefanie Schindler - Matron of Honor (sister)
Tiffany Dudley - Bridesmaid (best friend)
Ashlie Flores - Bridesmaid (maurice's sister)

Groomsmen: Alan Tolentino - Best Man (friend)
Adam Schindler - Groomsman (my brother in law)
Bryne Tiseth - Groomsman (friend)
Baha Duraini - Groomsman (friend)

Soloists: Gina Williams (friend)
Adam Schindler (same one as before)

Someone explain this to me

I drive past this sign in San Antonio all the time, and every time I laugh. I'm not sure I understand, but here you have it... my favorite sign in San antonio:

Quote of the week

"I saw this sign posted once, it said, 'blasting zone ahead'. Wow... shouldn't that read: Road Closed"

Brian Regan

Engagement Photos

My lovely and uber-talented friend Kristen took our engagement photos last month, and I thought I would share a few of our favorites!

hmm... best photographer ever?

Happy 4th of July!!

Hope all of you are enjoying your 4th of July holiday. This is one of my favorite times of year. I don't know if it's the hot dogs, or the fireworks, or the general sense of camaraderie I seem to feel with all Americans. More than anything, it just reminds me how ubelievably blessed and fortunate we are to live in this country. We enjoy freedom and liberties that many in other countries do not. and what's more... those who went before us fought and gave their lives to afford us the opportunity to have the rights that we do. So let's not take any of it for granted today, and let's all have a wonderful, safe, and happy 4th of July!!

Quote of the week

"The ultimate issue of faith isn't whether we get the gift we seek, but whether we trust the Giver to be good."

Leith Anderson

Houston or bust

Maurice and I went to Houston this weekend to visit his family, and it was a great weekend away. I got to meet some of the aunts and uncles and cousins that I hadn't met yet, and a good time was had by all. And the cherry on top of our Houston sundae... we got to go to Crate and Barrel, or the mother land, as I like to call it... and we snagged us some stuff for our first place once we get married. This may not seem like such an exciting thing, but San Antonio in all it's lame-ness has failed to build a Crate and Barrel, and so we have to find one whenever we go out of town. It makes us truly happy.

I would like to show you guys a few pictures from the weekend... however... if there's one thing that Maurice and I are genuinely bad at, it's remembering to take pictures. I hunted down my battery charger the night prior-to, charged that baby up, maurice brought his big fancy camera, with his new battery attachment thing that he's been so excited about. We were a couple very prepared for some picture taking.

And we didn't take a single one the whole weekend.

next time

Quote of the week

"Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can't, and the other half who have nothing to say and keep on saying it."

- Robert Frost

Our Story

In keeping with the idea that this blog is in lieu (yes i dictionary.com-ed the spelling of that word) of, but not limited to, a wedding website and all its grandiose story telling, I figured I would take this opportunity to tell our story, for anyone who may not know how all this came about.

It was a snowy, wintery night in San Antonio... jk that never happens. But it was in San Antonio, and it was during what they call the "winter months" here. It was the day after Christmas to be specific and the year was 2006. I had been invited to a surprise birthday dinner for a friend, but had nearly made up my mind not to go, since I would only know one or two people at the dinner. Little did I know... way across town was a guy named Maurice in much the same predicament. He too had been invited, but did not know anyone else who was going, and he had also made up his mind not to go. But God in all His wisdom, did His thing... and we both wound up being coerced into going at the last minute. I walked into the restaurant and took a seat next to one of the only two people I knew there. Already sitting in the seat across from me was a tall, handsome guy who promptly introduced himself. His name was Maurice. Since everyone else at the dinner seemed to know everyone else, except for us... we quietly engaged in conversation across the table. Shortly into the conversation, he told me he had just moved back to San Antonio from New York City, and being that New York City is my favorite city on planet earth... the conversation took off from there.... and as they say, the rest is history.

After that night, we were in contact with eachother within a few days. We spent the better part of 4 months getting to know eachother and building a deep friendship. We liked eachother immensely from the very beginning, but made every effort not to rush into it. I think it's safe to say that by the time we were officially dating... we were in love. Falling in love with him was the quietest, easiest thing I'd ever done. Shortly after we started dating, there was talk of the future. A few months later, there was talk of marriage. Then around October, he started making plans to take me to New York for my birthday in January. I didn't know then just how big his plans were. During that time, unbeknownst to me, he was cavorting all over town looking at rings, getting advice from my sister and brother-in-law, talking to his parents, talking to my dad, etc etc. Then finally, January came and we left for New York...

And it was wonderful. The food was great, the weather was perfect, and I had the opportunity to meet some of his wonderful friends. Then on my birthday, we got up, and he had decided to take me to Brooklyn Heights for the morning. BH is just across the river from Manhattan. It's full of quaint streets, corner cafes, and lovely little shops. It was where he had lived in New York, and it's my favorite place in New York. And my favorite place in my favorite place in New York is a spot called the Brooklyn Promenade. It's more than a spot really, it's a walkway that lines the river side of brooklyn heights and overlooks the city. Its a row of park benches and street lamps with a killer view, and the world is utterly perfect as you're walking along it. So you can imagine my excitement over getting to visit this spot again. It was the first place I wanted to go when we reached Brooklyn Heights, but Maurice kept stalling, and took me to nearly every place in BH before we were finally able to go. Finally we reached the promenade and started walking. Eventually we reached a quiet spot and decided to stop and look at the view and take pictures and what not. Maurice fumbled in his pocket for the better part of 10 minutes, but I didn't pay much attention.... it was my birthday and I was having a great day. After he was done fumbling in his jacket pocket, he looked me in the eyes and told me a series of really sweet things... and after he was done, he told me he had a question for me. I instantly realized what was happening, but before I could even speak, he had gotten down on one knee and pulled out a ring. He asked me to marry him, and I said yes or yeah or something to that effect and a few moments later, after collecting myself a little... this picture was taken by a sweet couple sitting nearby who had witnessed the whole thing...

Looking back... it's crazy to think how much our lives have been changed by deciding to attend a friend's birthday dinner. I cannot, and don't want to, imagine how different things would be if God hadn't brought us both there that night. Two years ago, we had never even met... last year, our relationship had just begun... this time next year, we will be married, and we could be living anywhere from Houston to Philadelphia. When I look back on the eventful turns that these past few years have taken... I am so excited to see what God still has in store for us. It requires faith and hope and love... and I wouldn't have it any other way.

First big blog news

I'm going to be an Aunt!! Stefanie and Adam are expecting their first baby around December 12th. I've known that for a while, but Stefanie has officially finished her first trimester, and I have officially been given the green light to spill the baby beans! And what better way to do that than on the internet. I can't wait to have a niece or nephew, and Stefanie and Adam are two of the greatest people I know, so I know that they're gonna make awesome parents.


Here is the baby at 3 months

officially a blogger

Alot of you have been asking why we've yet to make a wedding website, and 1. Don't worry about it. 2. we just haven't had time, but 3. I wanted something that we could continue even after we get married. Then I noticed this growing blogging trend, and I thought I'd see if there's something to it. So here you have it... Kelli and Maurice's engagement/wedding/thoughts/life/marriage/whatever else happens blog. I wish I could tell you what to expect from this, but it's hard to say. Stay tuned...