Ultimate Update

I have the largest updating to do. I started blogging right after Andrew & I got engaged, 9 months ago! You can't even believe how much has happened since then and I don't even know where to start..I sure hope I don't forget anything!

Since Christmas, 2012 we celebrated our one year anniversary together on December 30th, 2012. Andrew came and stayed with my family to being in the new year, the year we would get married, and I and although I was sick, we still kissed when the ball dropped in time square. I was still working at the Chicago Tribune and Andrew had just graduated from Concordia University Chicago. The call process for his Lutheran teaching job was slowly beginning and the uncertainty of where we would get called was beginning to come into immediate thought processes. For those of you that are unfamiliar with the Lutheran Call process, teachers that are certified to teach in the Lutheran schools complete paperwork that gets sent to Lutheran schools looking to hire new teachers. Once the school is interested in the potential teacher, they conduct a multitude of interviews. After prayerful consideration from the school and the teaching candidate, a call can be extended and then accepted. This is probably the most simple synopsis of the call process, but for the purposes of understanding the struggle of not knowing where God may take you, sometimes even across the country, this description should do. But I'm jumping ahead of myself a bit with the call process.

In February, 2013, I found a position with a local advertising firm and left The Chicago Tribune. After a week with that position, I felt that it was not as good of a fit as I intended so I left the company to work even closer to my parents home, at Party City. I filled the position as the Inscribe Invitation Specialist, providing customer service and design input on invitations.

At this point, we had been wedding planning like crazy - taking engagement pictures, booking the caterer, the venue and photographer, getting my dress and ordering the tuxes, we hit the first month of engagement hard and covered lots of ground. Towards the end of March, Andrew and I went to Chad and Emily's wedding (Andrew's cousins). It was a lovely day and we had lots of fun. We also finished our call process and after much prayerful consideration, we were called to Springfield, IL. The congregation was overwhelmingly welcoming - a true blessing for soon-to-be newly weds moving to a new town.

Andrew and I on Easter Morning.
He is risen, He is risen indeed!


In April, my mom and I planned our Chicago bridal shower/ bachelorette weekend. We cleaned the house and prepared for the event for at least a month. All of my college girlfriends, Look's, Andrew's Mom, Rick and Megan came in for the weekend events! The shower was beautiful but by the time the bachelorette party happened the night of the shower, I was tired! We got so many wonderful gifts, we are truly blessed!

Maid of Honor! Eryn

My Flower Girl

My Bridesmaids

My Groom <3

My ladies and I for the bachelorette party!

May was a busy month! We had Eryn's birthday (one of my bestfriends), Ashley's birthday (my other bestfriend), Andrew's birthday, and my brother Bob's birthday! Whew! On top of the full birthday month, we celebrated Greta & Larry's 50th wedding anniversary by having a giant Patberg family photo shoot with my fabulous wedding photographer, Kate Kerr!

Andrew & I

The Patberg's!

Julie, Rick, Ryan, Megan, Sydney, Kelsey, Andrew & I

June came and went faster than you can ever imagine! We spent the first weekend of the month in our pre-marital class at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Columbus, IN, where we will be saying "I Do" in 13 days! The following weekend we helped celebrate Ben and Kristen Daily by attending their wedding and the last weekend of the month was filled with loading our UHaul because we got our first apartment in Springfield! We moved Andrew and our stuff into our new apartment the first weekend in July, before Andrew and his family went on their final family vacation before our wedding.

The rest of July was spent beginning the interview process to find a job down in Springfield and we had TWO wedding showers thrown for us in Columbus. Mom, Dad and I ventured to Columbus for the two gorgeous showers. Aunt Chris, Katie and Jennifer threw us a shower for Julie's side of the family, and Nana threw us a shower for Mike's side of the family. We were spoiled and got a tremendous amount of awesome gifts!

In August I had my first dress fitting, Andrew, Mom, Dad and I attended my oldest friend, Tayler's wedding. In the middle of the month I headed to Columbus, without Andrew, for his cousin Audrey's wedding shower. SHe is getting married to Andrew's cousin Cole almost a month after our wedding. On August 19th, Andrew had his first day teaching 6th, 7th and 8th grade at Our Savior's Lutheran Church and School, and on the 25th Mom, Dad and I traveled to Springfield, along with Rick, Julie, Mike and Becky to watch Andrew get welcomed into the congregation at Our Savior's.

Ahhh September, the month that we are getting married is finally here! I kicked off the month being sick over Labor Day weekend and then had my final dress fitting. This coming week is my final week at Party City in Mokena, and I'm planning to take the week before my wedding off to enjoy time with my parents and then the current plan is to transfer to the Party City in Springfield. Working at Party City is extremely far from living the dream, but I'm still applying and I feel blessed just to have a job. We are going to financially struggle the first few years of our marriage, but with prayer and faith, I believe that we will make it.

It's hard to believe all that we have gone through, enjoyed and accomplished the last nine months.In 13 days from today I get to marry the love of my life. I'm excited. Right now, I'm not nervous to marry Andrew and I'm not nervous to get married at this point in my life. Getting married is very bittersweet. I am so excited to start my new life with Andrew, but I am also very sad to be leaving the shelter and safety of my parent's nest. It may be a hard transition, but I'm sure that over time it will become second nature. I'm so excited to marry my Andrew!

13 Days. <3