The Big Day!

T and I are back from our honeymoon in Napa!  We had an awesome wedding day and a wonderful time in Napa.

The Thursday before we headed down to Hollister Ranch to get together with T's family.  It was such a sweet time of visiting, food, drink, and fun!  When we arrived on Thursday night, T's sister Shelly and Phil had a surprise waiting for T and me...something we have wanted for a long time!  They made this bar for us from wine barrels and oak! They even made a little logo/monogram that says KT.  We were so surprised and we love it!

The views from the ranch that night were amazing...you really feel like you are away on vacation when you head to the ranch.  It is so beautiful and special. 

Friday was another fun day, we went wine tasting with a small group, and hung out at the beach when we got back.  After that T and I took the kids home to call it an early night, and to prepare for the wedding the next day. 

WEDDING DAY!

Finally, Saturday arrived.  I got up early and showered and left to have my hair done.  While I was doing that T had a rehearsal with Pastor Jay (Judy was my fill in).  After he left and the coast was clear, I showed up for my rehearsal (now Judy filled in for T).  A while later, we checked into our rooms to begin getting ready.

Gina helping Karla with her dress

T and the boys are getting ready

Karla reading card from T

T reading card from Karla

Karla's something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue

Almost time

She's late

Karla's brother Jeff walking her down the aisle

T's first look at Karla

The setting

Vows

Mr. & Mrs. Kinsky

The rings

Caught a kiss

K & T

First dance

Where is that garter????

Tossing the garter!

The bouquet toss

Top two layers were cake and mini desserts on the bottom

T was gentle

Karla smashed it!

The reception was great with a lot of fun dancing the night away.  I am waiting for more reception pictures and will post them soon.  Thank you to everyone who made our special day so wonderful!

New House & 2 More Days!!!!

We are finally all moved into the new house.  After three months of renovations, it is almost done.  I say almost because we still  have a few unexpected items to deal with, and we still have the back yard to finish.

Also, we are only 2 days away from the wedding!  Where did the time go, I remember when it was something like 180 days to the wedding...how did it get here so fast?  I am almost ready, but have a lot of last minute little things to do.

This afternoon we head to Hollister Ranch for a "mini family reunion/dinner/camp-out".  T's family are all here from the east coast for the wedding.  We haven't seen them all since last year when we went on the cruise.  I'm super excited to see them all and that they came for the wedding.

In the mean time, here are some pictures of the new house!  I will post an update with pictures after the wedding on Saturday!

June Happenings

I have not updated the blog in a while because things have been so busy around here!

I officially stopped working at the church on June 8th.  It is so strange to not go into the church every day and see the people I have seen daily for the last 2 1/2 years.  I miss it, but have been so busy I haven't had time to think much about it.

This week has been recital week.  I have literally been spending every night at the theater.  Tuesday was Claire Marie's dress rehearsal, Wednesday was Kami's,  Thursday was Claire Marie's first performance, Friday was Kami's and today Claire Marie performs at 2pm and Kami at 7pm.  Can I just say I am completely recitaled out?  If that isn't a word, I just made it one.  :)

The house is coming along.  We officially move on June 22nd.  The inside is about 95% done and the outside might be 50% done.  Our hope is the contractors will be out of the inside by move in day!  T and I will spend that next week getting the inside in order.

The wedding is fast approaching...it is 27 days from today.  Next week I will be focusing on it and packing at the same time.  We will be going on a cruise at the end of July and the kids are super excited.  They love cruising.  We are going to Mexico...I have never been anywhere except Tijuana and Rosarita Beach (do those even count?)...so I am actually looking forward to it.  After the cruise, it will just be 2 weeks until school starts...so the summer is going to fly by.

Here are a some pictures of the girls from their recital's...

Claire Marie and her friend Cameron

Kami's friend Chloe and her

Kami in her ballet outfit

Claire Marie in her ballet outfit

Change is Good...Although Sometimes it's Bittersweet

Things are moving along with the house.  The contractor says most of the renovations will be done by the end of next week (drum roll here).  What started out as just a couple of things, turned out to be a lot of things!  We are super excited about the new house though...and of course the girls are super excited that they will each have their own room.  The boys could care less that they will be sharing, however, they do have the biggest room in the  house, even bigger than mine and T's.

This week I gave my official notice at work.  I have been working at El Montecito Presbyterian Church going on 2 1/2 years.  It was a difficult decision, but one that had to be done.  Here is what I have written in the monthly newsletter which goes out to the congregation.

It is with great sadness that I am announcing to my wonderful ELMO family that I will be resigning from my position as Executive Administrator on June 8th.  

 As many of you know, last November I was asked by a wonderful man, Terance Kinsky, to take his hand in marriage, and I said yes.  We are thrilled to be  getting married on July 14th!  

 Now here is where it gets tricky...between Terance and myself, we have seven children and a grandchild!  Now don’t panic, all will not be living in one home,  however we will be blending five children under the age of 12, under one roof.  Because of this, we began the search for a bigger  home, and found the perfect one in Los Alamos, California.  Unfortunately, with my new and upcoming responsibilities of becoming  Mrs. Kinsky (aka Mrs. Brady), it would be extremely difficult to wear that hat and my hat here at ELMO.  After much prayer and discussion, we had to make this difficult decision.  

 I would like to express my sincere gratitude and thanks for the opportunity to serve ELMO for the past couple of years.  It has been a huge blessing, and you all have become a great big family to me!  I will miss working in the office and getting to talk to, and see, so many of you every day, but look forward to keeping in touch outside of the workplace!  

 Love and Blessings,
Karla

<insert tears here>  I truly will miss my ELMO family.  

ELMO Staff Christmas Party

Getting Closer!

Well, T and I are under 3 months away from the big day!  It is quite crazy around here, as not only are we planning a wedding, but we are also in the process of remodeling the home we will be moving to in Los Alamos!  Exciting and stressful at the same time.    

I will officially be moving out of my place mid May, which means I am in the process of packing, tossing, and giving away things.  The girls are all super excited because each of them will have their own room.  They have all picked out colors and bedding.  We are constructing a large room for the boys where they will have plenty of room to sleep, and use as a game room too!  T and I had to completely redo our master bathroom and knock down a wall in our bedroom.  We are hoping most internal fixes will be completed by the time I move my stuff in.

Here is a picture of our home...this is a before picture, as we will be repainting the outside, as well as adding a few more touches here and there.  Will post more pictures as the project progresses!  

Spring Break in Vegas!

Well, T and I wanted to find something to do with the kids for spring break...we didn't want them sitting around watching TV for the whole week.  We also wanted to go somewhere fairly close that we could just pack up the suburban and drive to.

We decided to take them to Vegas...and make it a kids trip.  Yes, there is a lot to do in Vegas for kids.  It isn't all about gambling!

We arrived on Sunday and got settled into the Vdara.  We were so excited that we ended up on the 56th floor which was the top floor.  We had amazing views and even a perfect view of the water show!

So, what is there for kids to do in Vegas?  Lots...and we weren't there long enough to even scratch the surface.  They swam, we ate at the Rain Forest Cafe, we had ice cream, we went to the Shark Reef Aquarium, we shopped, we ate at The Hard Rock Cafe, hung out by the pool, went to Wolf Gang Pucks pizzeria (where the kids were treated like little celebrities), went to the arcade, swam some more....then it was already time to leave.  The kids were bummed and didn't want to go.  They even asked if they can go back this summer.  So, I guess it was a hit.

Goofy Hat Alert

Kami and Claire Marie at Hard Rock Cafe

Going to see the sharks!

Our view during the day

View of water show at night

What? Neighbors?

T and I have been neighbors for 15 months now.  When people hear that we live next door to each other they always assume that is how we met....however it is not.  I moved in three months after I met T.

I will never forget the first time T suggested I consider moving next door when the house came available for rent.  He was seriously considering buying it, and I was living in a small condo with Jenna and Kami.  My place wasn't great for kids...there was no place for them to ride bikes, roller blade, hang out in a typical kid neighborhood, etc.  The idea of having a great place for them to do these things was very appealing.  However, with that came concerns...what if T and I don't work out?  What would it be like if we broke up and I had a boyfriend, or he had a girlfriend?  Would we see too much of each other and not have any privacy?  As a result of these concerns, my first thought was "no way"!

However, in November 2010 I went away on a "Vegas Girls Trip".  I asked the girls over and over that weekend what they thought I should do.  On the car ride back my friend Annette said..."Karla, I think you should take a chance".   So I did...and I'm so glad for that.

You see, T knew exactly what he was doing.  As a result of moving next door, our 5 kids were able to slowly blend.  We were able to see how the "kid dynamics" would be.  It started out we would have dinner together a few times a week, that eventually turned into just about every night.  It started out the girls and I would hang at my house...before I knew it they were getting home or waking up and immediately saying they were going next door to play with T's kids.  Of course it isn't always perfect and we sometimes have our "issues"...but for the most part the dynamics are great and we have worked through a lot of obstacles.  It also gave T and I a chance to see how we would work out as a couple.  We learned that we are very similar in a lot of ways, very different in a lot of ways, but we work things out and give and take where we need to.

In a few months we will be officially blending our family into one home.  As a result of T's bright idea, I believe it will be easier than it would have been had we dated for this past 18 months and lived across town from each other.  I'm sure we will have our adjustments, but all in all this was the best decision we have made in preparing for this day  (which is now only 116 days away, but who is counting?).