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: