FRIEND-TASTIC trip to NOLA

August 1^st was a good day. I was FINALLY finished with summer classes and packing my bags to head to New Orleans! I met my BFF/college roommate/bridesmaid Jess for a 5 day whirlwind vacation. We hadn’t seen each other for an ENTIRE YEAR which is way to long.

After a friend-tastic reunion at the airport, we dropped our bags off at the hotel and headed to Bourbon Street for a Hand Grenade. One of the first things we saw was a wedding parading down the road, which instantly made me want a wedding parade down the streets of Louisville (JenVern – make it happen!). 

We made it to Jackson Square and walked around looking at the scenery and art displays. We also got some great pictures of St Louis Cathedral. 

After exploring and wandering up and down Bourbon Street for a while, we suddenly realized exactly how much alcohol is in those wonderful hand grenades and walked into the nearest restaurant for some food. I can’t even begin to explain Bourbon Street on Saturday night…it is everything you see in the movies! Jess and I loaded up on some beads (no mom, we didn’t take our tops off!). Turns out, drunk college guys will throw beads at everyone! If you weren’t careful, you could get knocked out by giant flying beads!

We woke up on Sunday and decided to go to the famous Café Du Monde for some beniegts. The line was so long that we promptly turned and went next door to Stanley Restaurant for a DELICIOUS breakfast and tons of coffee. The St. Louis Cathedral was open on Sunday morning so we got to go inside. It was insanely beautiful.

Because we are nerds, we spent the day exploring the Aquarium and went to an IMAX film. After the IMAX we walked down to Magazine Street. Magazine Street is known for antique shops and boutiques. The walk was much longer than we expected, but we justified the calorie loss with plans for a few more hand grenades that night! 

On Sunday night, we went on a Haunted History Tour through the City. It was a two hour walking tour and I highly recommend it for anyone traveling to New Orleans. The tour far exceeded our expectations. The guide spared us cheesy ghost stories and instead shared with us with the creepy, weird, REAL history stories of the city. New Orleans is an old city and there is so much history. We visited the LaLaurie mansion and heard tales of the torture that happened inside, we learned a little about the ancient art of VooDoo, and stopped into the oldest bar in America for a Voodoo Daiquiri and stories of pirates and smugglers! Our guide said that people often capture spirits in their picture of this door. Jess and I didn't see anything....can you?

Days 1 and 2 were exhausting BUT so much fun! 

Have you been to New Orleans?

What was your favorite part of your trip?

365 Days To Go

GUESS WHAT? I’M GETTING MARRIED IN 365 DAYS!!!!!!!!!!

When we got engaged last June, we decided on a 2-year engagement. Mostly because we thought it would be a good idea to live in the same state when we were married and also because we wanted a long time to plan. Here are a few of the things we have crossed off our planning list so far:

Set the Date: Mark your calendars for June 20, 2015! We knew we wanted a summer wedding and we went with the month of June. We also knew that we wanted a Saturday wedding. Justin had one request: that we not get married on the 13^th on the off chance our anniversary would fall on Friday, the 13^th some year (weirdo).

Find a Venue: Justin and I (Ok, it was mostly me) had a pretty specific set of criteria when we were searching for venues. We ended up finding the PERFECT place. We’re getting married at the Muhammad Ali Center in downtown Louisville. We’ll mostly hang out on the top floor (which has floor to ceiling windows and a gorgeous view of the river), but our guests will also have access to the entire museum during our cocktail hour. We’re having the ceremony & reception in one place. It’s so much easier for us and our guests. There are a bazillion places to take pictures and it is walking distance from multiple hotels.

Wedding Party: This was seriously the hardest task ever. There are so many special people in our lives and we wanted to include everyone! Justin made a few phone calls and I searched Pinterest for the most awesome way to ask my friends to be in the wedding party. I’ll introduce everyone to you on here eventually and on the wedding website…if I ever get one made!

Photographer: An awesome photographer was high on my list of wedding priorities. You all might be eating mediocre food, but I will definitely have tons of pictures to remember our wedding day! We met with a bunch of photographers. They all had great portfolios, but we ultimately decided we wanted to work with Jason Holzworth. We loved his work and he's a pretty cool guy to hang out with. We had our engagement photos taken last weekend had a blast! Stay tuned for a complete recap :)

If you follow me on Instagram, then you know I got around to making a wedding binder last month. I feel a little bit like Monica Geller, but it’s really convenient having everything in one place!

 Next on the wedding list: officiant, DJ, and dress shopping!

 Married/Engaged people: What was the best & worst part of wedding planning?

Runners are the Best Kind of People

Last Wednesday was National Running Day...so of course it is natural for me to post about it a week later! National Running Day is a day that runners coast-to-coast celebrate their passion for running. Justin and I celebrated with a rainy 5 mile run in downtown Pittsburgh. 

Since Justin is only here one week a month, I usually run by myself. This means I have 3-5 miles worth of time to think about things. My brain usually bounces all over the place when I’m running…from what I’m eating for dinner to how I would spend my money if I won the lottery. Sometimes I write speeches and sometimes I come up with witty comebacks that would have worked in a conversation I had 3 days ago.

A few weeks back, I started thinking about WHY I RUN and the answer I put on the banner at the KY Derby Runner’s Expo. I had one answer at the Expo but by the time I finished my run that day, I had quite a few reasons why I run.

I asked my Facebook & Twitter friends why they ran. Here are some of their answers:

The reason for running has changed throughout the years, from wanting to compete for my school, fitness and weight management, competing as an individual, etc - but I always come back to the sense of accomplishment...although now I love doing it to get some quiet time away from home!! – Kari C.

Because my wife, Kari C, makes me. - Phil C.

So I’m not a fat ass. – Jess L.

I like pain A LOT. I also like it because it's the only place where it's socially acceptable to "farmer blow" your nose and no one thinks anything of it! – Matt O.

To have some me time…to challenge myself…to enjoy my ice cream more. – Abby V.

Because who knows. Something may be chasing you one day. And it would be nice to be fast in that moment. – Brian B.

I started running right after college because I was depressed. I wasn't in college anymore and bored out of my mind. I also wanted to see if I could be more naturally competitive if I competed against myself, since I never really was when I played team sports in HS. – Karen E.

Because I wasn't good at any other sport! - Nathan S.

I run because it's the only thing left to do after the swim and bike!  But seriously, I run because I want to (not because it's on my training schedule), I think I do it because running ignites ALL of the senses. – Justin R.

So tell me: Why do YOU run? 

Did you participate in National Running Day?

Nashville Schenanigans

I had to go to Nashville in late March for work so I decided to make a mini-vacation out of it. It actually worked out perfectly since Justin only lives a couple hours from Nashville – a much better drive for him than his usual drive to Pittsburgh :)

While we were there, we went to the Predators game at Bridgestone Arena. We had a connection and we were able to get a behind the scenes tour and sit in the box for the game. 

Yay for blurry iPhone photos!

I had never been to a professional hockey game before and I have to say…there is no better way to see a game than from a box with tons of free food in it! We got to stand in the area where the Zamboni enters/exits the ice while the players warm up. It is terrifying when the puck hits the glass! This is all I could think about:

Justin’s friend (one of the Best Men in our wedding!) lives in Nashville and he took us out on Broadway after the game. After this trip, I could definitely move to Nashville. There is no cover and every single bar has live music…live country music. It was the greatest thing ever.

Justin’s aunt and uncle live close to Nashville so we got to spend quality time with them while we were there. They took us to the Ryman Auditorium and the Country Music Hall of Fame. I was in heaven. They had a Reba exhibit that blew my mind and it was so cool to see all of the guitars, outfits, and props from country music stars and their performances over the years.  

Instagram @kimberlymhuber

Before heading to the airport, we did an 11 mile run from Justin’s aunt & uncle’s house. They live in the country and there were hills…tons of hills…I do not like hills… It was a great run though. We finished at a much better pace than we thought we would and now our butts are going to look awesome. The only bad part of the trip was the 5 hour flight delay and the amount of money I spent on airport food. Seriously though…I’m ready to go back and visit again. Who wants to move to Nashville with me?

Any Nashville readers out there? What are your favorite restaurants/bars?

Does anyone watch the show Nashville? I want to start now!

So This Is What It Feels Like...

One last thing to tell you about the month of February (don’t worry, these recap posts will end soon!). One of my favorite people in the whole world got married on Valentines Day. I've known Morgan since high school and we've been friends ever since. Her wedding was a blast: she was beautiful, the food was amazing, and my entire group of high school friends was together for the first time in a looooong time. It was great to catch up with everyone.

 Fast forward a few weeks later: After our trip to Florida, we stopped into Clarksville to spend some time with the family. While we were home, we ran the Rodes City Run. It’s one of the biggest races in Louisville and I have run it a few times before. It was great to be back out with my favorite running friends. I did WAY better than I had planned. I've been training on the treadmill this year (thanks a lot Pittsburgh weather) and I had almost forgotten what it felt like to run on the road. It’s a fairly flat course and the weather was perfect (in the 40’s for race time). Here's the breakdown:

1.5 mile warm up

Mile 1:     8:45

Mile 2:     9:30

Mile 3:     9:03

Mile 4:     9:02

Mile 5:     9:03

Mile 6:     9:00

Last .2:    2:13

1.3 mile cool down

Total race time: 56:38

9 miles total for the day followed by a ginormous omelet from IHop. We had breakfast with friends of ours. 

Their 4 year old was our photographer. She just figured out how to take selfies…..

Have any readers out there ran the Rodes City Run?

What’s your favorite thing from IHop?

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

…says the slacker…over 2 weeks late! I don’t know about you, but I can’t believe we are already two weeks into 2014. I am just now getting around to hanging up my new calendars. The Christmas season is always hectic and relaxing at the same time. I don’t really know how to explain the feeling, but I came back to work this week with an, “I need a vacation from my vacation” attitude.

Here are some of the highlights from our Christmas & New Year’s celebrations:

On Christmas Eve, we go to 4:00 mass and then head down to my Grandma’s to celebrate with my dad’s side of the family. I’ve probably forgotten someone, but at last count there are 31 of us (not counting the 3 babies on the way J) that cram into my grandma’s basement for present time. I always get prime real estate in the middle of the floor.

On Christmas Eve night, we go back to my parent’s house and exchange gifts between the 8 of us and then we open our stockings on Christmas morning. 

We had Christmas with my mom’s side of the family on Christmas day. My mom cooked Christmas dinner this year…and it was delicious.

The weekend after Christmas, Justin and I headed down to Pigeon Forge for Christmas with his family. His aunt & uncle rented a cabin for us all to stay at…I want to live there. We had 2 hot tubs, a pool table, and a 12 seat theater. We relaxed, exchanged gifts, played lots of pool, and even adventured into downtown Gatlinburg for one day to go to the Moonshine distillery.

By the time New Year’s Eve rolled around, we were excited to stay home and ring in the New Year while relaxing on the couch!

Other “Christmas Break” highlights:  

A baby shower for Levi, who is going to be the most spoiled little boy of all time!

A couple of birthday parties for some other very spoiled person that I know…

and quality time with my favorite Southern Indiana ladies (which I forgot to document!)

  

I told you I needed a vacation after my vacation!

Tell me about your Christmas traditions?

 Did you start any new ones this year?

Girl’s Night & Hot Soccer Players

Friday night was spent with some of my favorite people in the whole entire world. My favorite thing about these ladies is that even though we haven’t all gotten together since last summer, we can still pick up our conversations right where we left off. In case I haven’t done it yet, let me officially introduce you to my high school crew:

Jennifer: is currently living in Cincinnati working on her doctorate in Chemistry. She’s my maid of honor, I am the godmother of her cat Breezy, and she is the person who introduced me to my fiancé. She likes drinking wine, dancing in parking lots, and overanalyzing every situation. This is why we are besties.

Erin: got married last summer and recently moved to California. She is a pharmacist and probably the smartest person you’ll ever meet. She and her hubby are the cutest couple ever. If you ask nicely, you can convince said hubby to take a bazillion pictures during girls night so that you have them for your blog post
Jessica: recently got home from a Harry Potter convention and VidCon which both sounded amazing when she was telling me all of her stories. She does disaster relief work and is a youth minister so she always has great stories to tell!

Morgan: is planning a Valentine’s Day 2014 wedding and recently bought a house which is decorated with the coolest stuff. She is more stylish & trendy than I can ever dream of being. Her mom took our English class on a trip to Europe in high school and we nicknamed her dad Captain Christmas.

Girl's Night = Success

On Saturday, we drove down to Bardstown so that Justin could play in the Alumni soccer game at his high school. I have to admit, I know next to nothing about soccer (but I am really trying to learn!). What I do know is that soccer players are pretty good looking.  I know that you are all still swooning over Juan Pablo but not me! I have my very own smokin’ hot soccer player :) 

On Sunday, I got to go to lunch with another one of my favorite people, my cousin Taylor. I had a very important question to ask her, and she said YES! Our first wedding task is complete…now we just have to pick the date, the venue, the caterer, the DJ…..and on and on and on.

What did you do this weekend?

How often do you get to see your high school friends?

Does anyone have a soccer for dummies book I can borrow?

Time Traveling

Seriously – how is it already the end of July? I must have jumped in a time travel machine and gone forward a month. It’s a good thing I have photo documentation or else I might be crazy enough to think that was true! Instead of a 30 page blog post, I’ll just give you the highlights of the last month :)

Took a trip to Kings Island trip with the Huber family: I found a keychain that said, "I love Justin" and got way too excited about it. 

Discovered my apartment doesn't have central air: This cool kid literally slept with ice packs when the thermostat said 92. 

Took my first ride in the Super Shuttle & got to the airport to find out that my flight was delayed…surprise, surprise.

My mom hosted a Huber/Roush family cookout. We had hamburgers and I beat everyone (aka was dead last) at all of the lawn games.

JUSTIN ASKED ME TO MARRY HIM!!! (this is my favorite thing on this list!)

My beautiful cousin Shelby got married ...and I started taking notes :)

I ran with some members of my old Cross Country team and realized how out of shape I am!

Finally got to go back to Chuy's & enjoyed Mexican food with my Hot Dog (the person not the food).

Spent time with the Knox family on 4^th of July.

Figured out that Justin will never take me to an outlet mall again. Good thing we don't have a wedding to plan or anything because I went a little nuts :)

Sorted through a bazillion boxes after my basement flooded...not a good day! 

Justin installed a window air unit. THANK GOODNESS - no more sleeping with ice packs!

Went to the Pirate’s Game & visited with Justin's friends who were in from Baltimore.

Justin went back to Knoxville to spend time with his other fiance (his 3^rd Year Paper).

Claire (my college roommate) & Sean got married! I know I have a picture of us somewhere...in the meantime, I stole this one from Facebook.

Took a tour of the old stomping grounds with Jess. Don't worry, we're not total creepers - the apt was empty for the summer. It is crazy how much I miss Butler and the city of Indianapolis. 

Attended the 1^st Annual Huber Family BBQ Cook-off and ate insane amounts of food. 

Attended my LAST summer class! After tonight - I am 1/3 finished with my MBA :)

PS (Promise Section) - I promise I tried to keep this post short but there are just so many important things to tell you all about. I also promise that I will write another post dedicated to getting engaged for those of you asking for the details. Finally, I promise that I will blog more regularly now that I have a break from class and more time on my hands.