Wedding stuff
Ok, the cutest new thing ever for flower girls, or should I say the latest trend in flower girl fashion….wedding tutus. I’m going to have the cutest FGs ever! Here is a sneak peek (don’t worry, D will have cute sweater to go with the tutu, not a t-shirt).
I’ve finally gotten the FGs and Ringbearer outfits figured out. But there is still so much to do…meet with the florist, book music for the ceremony, welcome bags, wedding favors, invitations (we just ordered them!), dress fittings, wedding rings, oh – and we have a cake tasting this weekend in Keystone. That is one of the few things that I’m dragging David to. How mad can he get about eating cake and drinking champagne at 11am on a Sunday?
Molly the Dog or Molly the Person?
I was reminded of an Andrew funny this evening by my dad. He was telling a friend this Andrew classic. This was about two years ago when Andrew was just getting used having dogs around (he had never really been exposed to dogs much until David and I moved in together).
We had a babysitter named Molly and my parents’ dog is named Molly (we take care of her a lot so Andrew knows her well). One weekend night David and I were going out for a late dinner and Molly was coming over to babysit after we put Andrew to bed. When we put him to bed, David said “Molly is going to be here while you are asleep, so if you need anything, she’ll be here to take care of you.” Andrew’s response to that was, “Molly the dog or Molly the person?”
That story still makes me laugh two years later. Oldie but a goodie!
Another thing to add to this – I think it is soooo wonderful that my parents tell stories to their friends about Andrew and Delaney as if they were their own grandkids. It really means a lot to us!
Pics – Andrew’s First Day at the Bus Stop
We haven’t much more about the first day of school, just got these pics from Dana.
Andrew’s First Day of 1st Grade!
Andrew’s first day of first grade started off a little chaotic. Everything was running late so Andrew ran to hop in the car while his mom ran around looking for a new diaper for Delaney. In doing this, Andrew set off the car alarm. He was frazzled already because he didn’t want to miss the bus on his first day, and then with the loud sound of the car alarm, he got really upset and was crying and frustrated. Finally, they zoomed off to get Andrew to the bus stop and barely made it in time. But when Andrew started up the stairs of the bus, he had shrugged off the car alarm frustration and was ready to go! He must have been a little nervous on the school bus for the first time, not knowing anyone (remember they just moved to the new neighborhood two weeks ago). But then, as he walked down the isle, he noticed a friendly face – his little neighbor girl who is a second-grader. She asked him if he’d like to sit with her! And that was the start of Andrew’s first day of first grade!
TechStars
The non-techie, non-mentor, non-investor, fiancé perspective
When David began talking about the TechStars idea, I thought it sounded pretty cool. At that point in our relationship, I guess I wasn’t fully aware of the fact that when David has a cool idea, he doesn’t just talk about it, he gets off his ass and does it. And he doesn’t do anything half-assed, he goes big. It seemed like one day he was talking about the idea of TechStars and the next day he already had big-name mentors and partners committed to the program, and the buzz was all around Boulder.
All of the sudden it was REAL and life got very busy very fast.
Before the TechStars themselves were set to arrive in Boulder, there was a ton to do. A lot of people may not fully understand what went into this. There were trips out to LA, NYC, St. Louis, Seattle, etc for interviews, there were networking events, meeting after meeting to recruit sponsors and mentors, late nights spent blogging and researching, working to develop the website/logo/brochures, finding office space and getting it ready for the 26 founders, planning welcome events and over 40 sessions. This was not just a summer gig, this was David’s heart and soul and passion. And, this was all on top of his normal work that he does with startups and investing, and some of his own projects.
When the TechStars showed up, I thought I might not ever see David again until August 17th! Thankfully I was wrong! I was lucky enough to be close to program and be involved in a lot of the fun things they did. Drinks at Catacombs, Boulder Outdoor Cinema, lunches out here and there, hike and picnic at Brad’s, I even attended a session or two! Although, there were countless nights that I went to bed alone and woke up alone…wondering if David had ever come to bed or if he worked all night long.
Throughout the summer, I got to know a lot of the TechStars personally and I got the inside scoop on a lot of their companies and technology. So, I’ll talk a little bit about the two most exciting companies that I would use in my life – keep in mind I’m not a techie, I’m just an ‘average Jil’.
My favorite is Search-to-Phone. I LOVE this! My mom would use this (and she can barely even use her cell phone – sorry mom!). S-t-P makes it easy to find a service based on what you need instead of who you need it from. Well DUH, it seems so obvious now, right? Isn’t that a more natural way to search for a lot of things?
I wish this was around when we bought our hot tub. I didn’t realize that to get a hot tub, you need a cement block poured in your yard, the right amount of electric running to the tub, and then some fencing so all the neighbors don’t spy on you in it! Instead of googling and craigslisting those services for hours, I could have used S-t-P and left a recording that said something like this, “I need an 8ftx8ft cement block poured into my yard for a hot tub to sit on. I need it done within a week and will pay up to $750. I’m located in downtown Boulder” and then I would have received a call from a service that knew what I needed and could provide exactly that. So, I wouldn’t use S-t-P to order pizza, but you get the idea. I also have to add that I really like Carmin, one of the founders, you couldn’t meet a nicer guy.
My next favorite is EventVue. Now, I’m a meeting planner, so this one appeals to me professionally. Most of the web-based event technology out there centers around registering for events and having all of the event information in one place (lodging, agenda, etc.). But that is really just the logistics. There isn’t much about registering for an event, picking your agenda, and booking your hotel that can really affect the experience that you are going to have at the event. That is where EventVue comes in. EventVue builds a community around the attendees and makes it easy for them to connect before, during, and after the event. Now, the event doesn’t just take place at the event, it is running long before attendees pick up their badges! I haven’t yet seen this in action, but I dig the concept and I think that it can add true value for attendees and change the standard event experience. I’ve had the chance to get to know the founders, Rob and ScoJo (Scottish Josh), I think they will do great things…and they’ll have fun along the way.
So, this is not to say that other TechStars companies aren’t amazing too. I just wanted to touch on the ones that make the most sense in my life. But I do also plan to start using madKast and Intense Debate on my blog soon and am looking forward to seeing big things from J-Squared in the Facebook world (I guess I need to open a Facebook account!). But what is more exciting to me than the companies, is the people! Getting to know the people involved has been so exciting. There are so many fun, brilliant, interesting people here, and I’m lucky to be among them. I’ve learned a lot too. You can even ask me what a widget is.
When Investor Day came along, I was thinking “We just need to get through this day and I’ll finally get my fiancé back!”. Well, I have to say that once I saw everything come together and the first presentation of the morning was almost over, I kinda started to cry a little. I teared up because Rob and ScoJo did such a great job with their presentation and I was proud of them, but it was more than that. I was so proud of what David had created and I was so proud to be a part of it (even if just a teeny part), and I looked around the room and saw that this whole thing was so much bigger and better than I imagined it could be. Lives were changed this summer, companies were built, friendships were made, and the memories will stay dear to me, even though I had to go to bed alone few too many nights.
Update on the shorties
One of the reasons I wanted to start blogging is to keep track of the funny things that Andrew and Delaney say and share it with our family (see Ginger, I said I’d do it!). So, here are a few of the recent ones –
Delaney loves bananas and for a while, she called them ‘nanas’ and just recently has been able to add the ‘ba’. David’s mom, Nana, came to visit and took the kids to target to pick out a present. I was with Delaney while Nana went to help Andrew find a racetrack. Delaney looked at me and started saying “where’d Banana go? Let’s go find Banana”. It seems she thought that since bananas were no longer ‘nanas’, then Nana must also be banana. Too cute. That reminds me of last summer when Nana was visiting and Delaney was barely talking yet and she said ‘nana’ – we all thought she was so good to ask for Nana already until we realized Nana was standing in front of a BAnana. I wonder how many more years of confusion there will be between the Nanas?
We took the kids to the Children’s Museum in Lafayette with the Browns. Delaney and Megan found a cushie spot with a bunch of books and Delaney picked up a book with an Elephant on the front and asked Megan to read it to her. Megan isn’t quite reading yet, and when she declined, Delaney said “I read the book” and started flipping the pages saying “Elephant” in a new tone after flipping each page. She is really into books right now!
Andrew starts first grade tomorrow and is really excited to ride the bus! I’m sure there will be lots of fun stories about first grade coming soon!
Keep posted for more cute stuff about the kids!
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