wedding – kaylee may

05
Nov
2016

Happy Thankful Month

I thought I would document our life the past few months since I haven’t blogged in almost a year–

We found out we had another little blessing on its way on New Years Day after mass for the Solemnity of Mary’s Motherhood. Seton’s behavior during that mass was the worst EVER. TO. THIS. DAY. She screamed THE WHOLE TIME. I actually cried afterward and had a heavy moment of thinking, “I have no idea how to be a mother.” Then, I peed on a stick.

A terrible morning turned into one of the best days of my life.

My pregnancy was great with a couple of hiccups. I had heavy bleeding in the first trimester with that icky flu feeling that left me permanently on the couch.

In my second trimester, I was in a car accident that totaled my car (hello, new minivan).

And in my third trimester, I had a bad sinus infection that spread to my jaw. I went five days without being able to chew food.

The little bumps in the road made me a little more nervous and a little more sleep deprived in pregnancy, but also so grateful just to BE pregnant and have to opportunity to be a mom.

And so Rosalie Clare Hiatt joined our family on September 12. I prepared for my birthing experience with hypnobirthing which I highly recommend. I LOVED it! Rosalie’s birth was so calm and peaceful, just like she is to this day. (maybe I will write about it one day on here?)

My mom came to town to help out with Seton. I am so glad she was here–she kept my mind off things pre labor, took care of Seton when Davey and I were in the hospital, and cooked and cleaned for us when we got home. I was so happy she was able to spend some time with me in the hospital and help us welcome Rosalie back home.

Other notable events of the year:

We celebrated Father’s Day with a date weekend downtown Minneapolis.

Seton turned 2 and developed a love of cupcakes and the color purple.

We were able to be in on the Dan’s proposal to my sister, Lyssa.

And Rex and Natalie got engaged and married (read: I have an amazing new sister!)

November is the month we are supposed to give thanks–but I have to say there is not a night that goes by that I don’t thank God for this life I have.

14
May
2014

St. Louis has my heart

categories: Life, Marriage

There is nothing like time spent with friends that refuels the soul. This past weekend was one that makes me day dream at work and count down the weeks until I get to see them all again. Not to mention, watching one of my best friends marry an incredible man is a dream come true. I literally cried my eyes out watching her walk down the aisle– after getting married last September, I feel so much joy for my friends when they share that moment with their husband—locking eyes as they walk down the aisle with all their loved ones present. There are no words to explain it. I could tell Anne was sensing that peace that comes with the Sacrament, and I couldn’t be more happy for her (and John). Here are some pictures to recap the weekend!!

Davey joined Anne and I for our traditional Friday morning mass at the basilica followed by coffee:

See the building in the background!!??? Count 8 floors up…that was our apartment! Take me back…

This handsome broad spent most of the time at the pool! He’s all mine, ladies. 😉

I asked Baby Hiatt if we should live in St. Louis. I felt multiple kicks….I’ll take that as a “yes.”

There is no other way to start Anne’s wedding day than with coffee and breakfast at a local coffee joint!

The bride herself:

Look who we found! SISTER!

This rowdy table was in the back corner for a good reason…

Anyone who can spin Anne around the dance floor has my vote…

The WUPT crew!

Ahh….seriously, take me back.

15
Mar
2014

Feeling loved

categories: Love Story, Marriage

Living so far away from family and friends makes any type of contact with them extra meaningful. We had two fun surprises this week that reminded us how grateful we are for our loved ones.

The first surprise was coming home on Thursday night to find a package from our sweet friend, Megan, with a picture frame for our ultrasound picture. So sweet of her to think of us during this time. Since this is the first addition to the nursery, it spurred in me the desire to start looking for a crib and rocking chair! Send me any pins of cribs and rocking chairs you like on Pinterest!

The second surprise was coming home on Friday night to the news that our wedding video was uploaded on Northernlight Filmworks Blog. It was so neat to watch the video on Friday night and relive our wedding day. We will show the video to Baby Hiatt one day. 🙂

16
Feb
2014

When I married my husband

categories: Faith, Love Story, Marriage

For some reason, older women decide a young engaged girl should know “something will go wrong on the wedding day.” I heard horror stories of the DJs’ speakers being blown out, the roof of the reception venue leaking due to rain, the limo running one hour late, the priest getting in a car accident….

So I just knew something was going to go wrong on our wedding day, and I told myself to just focus on seeing Davey at the end of the aisle.

And guess what…nothing went wrong. I got to marry my husband.

The memory of our wedding day is so sweet and unforgettable. We are thankful to our photographers, Stevi and Andrew Clark of Honey and Salt, for capturing our special day exactly as we would have wanted it captured. All the photos in this post are their work. Since they did such an incredible job, I am going to try to let the pictures tell a thousand words.

My best friends, my mom, my mother in law, my dad, and I all got ready at my parents’ home, just as I had always dreamed.

I was so excited to show my dad his daughter as a bride. I got a little teary when he walked out the back door to see me.

He didn’t want to touch me because he was afraid he was going to “mess me up”!

It was so calming and peaceful to pray the rosary with my bridesmaids and parents before the ceremony.

My grandparent’s love story is one that Davey and I both admire so much. Davey was able to get to know my grandfather in his last 5 months of life; I am so grateful for that time. Grandpa told me before he died how much he loved Davey. Here is a picture of my grandma watching me walk down the aisle. I love making her proud.

There is nothing like looking at everyone you love watch you walk toward the man of your dreams. I had an indescribable sense of peace, joy, and gratitude for everything I have been given.

Before I met Davey, I had a recurring dream of walking down the aisle, then bolting before I could see my groom’s face. Weird, huh? On our wedding day, I wanted to run to Davey.

Just before this next picture, Davey said, “You’re my wife!”

Our reception was in an old church that had taken out the pews. We used the sanctuary as our dining and dancing space and the choir loft as the cocktail space.

Around 11:15pm, Davey and I left the reception. We ran under a tunnel made by the arms of all our guests. I don’t have any photos of that moment, but it’s one of the clearest in my mind. It felt like we were getting hugged by everyone we loved. I looked back at everyone right before we walked out the door, and it was as if time stood still—maybe because I wanted it to stand still— I saw everyone looking at us cheering, clapping, waving, crying, holding drinks in the air. My husband reached back for me, grabbed my hand, and we walked out the door, both sad and happy at the same time. Sad to leave our loved ones–happiest for the best life we could have imagined for ourselves.

29
Jan
2014

5 things to consider when looking for Mr. Right

categories: Life, Marriage

Photo by Honey and Salt {http://honeyandsalt.us}

I feel like I really lucked out with my Mr. Right. I mean, I really lucked out.

The other day, my husband cooked dinner. Usually whoever cooks gets to sit out of doing the dishes. But on this particular night, he even did the dishes. I wanted to sing on the rooftops, scream it to every girl I know, “THERE IS A MAN IN THE WORLD WHO COOKS AND DOES DISHES!” When I realized that I was getting overly excited about this situation, I suddenly became extremely sad for girls all over. I mean, we get excited when we find a man who will do dishes. That’s sad, right? What are our expectations for men?

Then I thought about all the other reasons I feel like I lucked out with my Mr. Right: He cleans (himself and the house), he has a good work ethic, he is financially disciplined, he considers and respects what I want, and I genuinely love him.

This shouldn’t be lucking out. This should be the norm.

No wonder why we have TV shows where ABC finds one guy with these qualities and has 25 women pursue him.

I wanted to write this post for two reasons. The first reason is that I want girls all over to know there are men who can take care of life issues, and those are the men they should choose to be with. Second, I want men all over to realize that girls are now going to look for guys who can take care of life issues, so it’s time you all start figuring it out.

Here are five things to consider when choosing your Mr. Right:

1. Cleanliness. When was his last haircut? Scratch that….what I mean is, does he look scraggly? If he can’t take care of his hygiene, how is he going to take care of his life? What does his home look like? Does he own cleaning products? If he doesn’t know what a Swiffer is by now, you can bet he won’t be the one to think of cleaning the floor once you’re married. I’m not suggesting he needs to get a mani/pedis, but its important that some standards exist.

2. Work Ethic. There is a lot to be said for a man who can find a job, keep a job, and excel at his job. It shows he can be dedicated to something. He can work for something. He doesn’t give up when things get tough. Even if he has had a hard time keeping a job (this economy is crazy), does he follow a dream of his? Does he pursue something?

3. Financial Discipline. He doesn’t have to be the richest man in the world; that’s not what’s important. But if he is older than 22 and hasn’t considered a savings account, you might want to see where his financial priorities lie. Before getting married, ask him if he has credit card debt. Ask him how much he has in savings. I can’t begin to tell you how much this will affect your marriage, even if you are doing separate accounts. If he blows his account at the casino, on a big screen TV, or on a new car, the only thing you have for your family is what you are contributing. You want to be able to fully trust that he will be honest with his finances, and you want to feel safe with him having some control over yours. He doesn’t have to be the breadwinner, but he should be able to spend and save wisely.

4. Consideration and respect. It’s okay if you don’t agree on everything, but does he respect your thoughts and opinions? Does he ask you what you want? You know the saying, “Women are from Venus, men are from Mars.” Men will never understand the purpose of a throw pillow. But does he make an effort to see your point of view?

5. Love. My husband is my favorite person in the world. I wouldn’t have married anyone else. If I were single until age 75, then met my husband, my life would be complete. I would rather be single my whole life to meet Davey at the end than to have been with another man the whole time. There is no rush…just don’t settle. Mr. Right is worth waiting for.

So, in my last plea for good-standing men, let’s heighten our expectations of what we deserve, and in response, the men will have to rise to the occasion.

Photo by Honey and Salt {honeyandsalt.us}

02
Nov
2013

Married Life Part I: Living without television

categories: Life, Marriage

When Davey and I were engaged, we made the socially offbeat decision to start our married life without cable. Someone recently said to me, “I have never heard of such a thing,” and I am guessing you may be thinking the same thing. Let me tell you about the advantages and disadvantages:

Disadvantage Scenario Number One: We arrive to work and our coworkers and clients ask us through yawns, “Wow, did you see the World Series game last night?” We refrain from saying the first thing that comes to mind which is, “Oh, was that last night?” and have to make something up like, “Yes, I couldn’t believe that one play.”

Disadvantage Scenario Number Two: We arrive to work to find out that tornadoes, hurricanes, and monsoons will all be sweeping through Indiana according to the show-stopping weather reports. Darn, we should have closed our windows at the apartment.

Disadvantage Scenario Number Three: It seemed as if this year, more than any other, 110% of people who went downtown for Halloween were dressed up like some television character. After asking 5 people, “What are you dressed up as?” I learned to say, “Love the costume! You look just like him!”

Advantage Number One: We have been reading. A LOT. We even got a library card. I had avoided the library ever since I was in elementary school. Unknowingly, my repressed memories of my elementary school librarian’s thick eyebrows, muted mustache (she’s a woman), and scratchy voice telling me, “Once again, Kaylee, you are late in returning your books. Are you a slow reader? We have a special class for you” was keeping me away. Now that I have faced my fears, I love the library.

Here is Davey studying away:

Advantage Number Two: We have invested our time in cooking and sharing meals together. Davey has made turkey chili, tortilla pizzas, and something called “Davey’s Special” (I still can’t figure out what that was). I have made chicken tetrazzini, butternut squash soup, and chicken cacciatore. We cherish our meal times together; it’s my favorite time of day.

Advantage Number Three: A number of times, we have simply sat on our couch with a cup of chai tea telling stories about our days and coming up with new adventures. I truly believe we would have lost these precious conversations in new episodes of the New Girl or that one play of the World Series.

I am so thankful for our decision to live unplugged as we start our life together.

26
Oct
2013

Honeymoon

categories: Life, Marriage

Our honeymoon to Excellence Playa Mujeres was pretty amazing. We ate room service breakfast on the balcony every morning, sat by the beach and pools during the day sipping pina coladas, and enjoyed full course meals in the restaurants in the evenings. We initially felt very out-of-place in the lap of luxury–we literally thought we were at the wrong resort. Certainly the concierge had the wrong “Mr. and Mrs. Hiatt.”

On the second day, the phone in our room rang. Davey answered and was quiet for a few moments. I thought Oh great, here we go. They realized they have the wrong people. I imagined repacking everything and being kicked out to a spring break resort in downtown cancun. shudder.

They were just making sure everything was to our standards.

Um, yes. We didn’t know things could be this good in life.

Here are some photos and a quick video to recap our trip:

Tag: wedding