The wedding isn’t the only major happening these days.  Macio just started senior year (!!) at Urbana High School a week and a half ago.

In addition to looking fly with a mohawk for the first day of school (pictured above), we completed a ritual that’s very important to us.

Mom used to take me out to breakfast the morning of the first day of school every year.  It was always a really nice treat that made the day more exciting.  After Macio was born I knew I wanted to continue the tradition (a feeling supported by an OutKast lyric where Andre affirms that yes, he “will be present on the first day of school, and graduation“).

It’s been fun having Abbie join us the last few years.  I think our first one might have been in 2010 for Macio’s freshman year.  We had just moved from Toledo and my folks were in town helping us get situated.  That was such a great couple of weeks, thanks Mom and Dad for all of your help!

Pictured below is the final Breakfast Club before Mace hits college!  We were fortunate to have Fia, Macio’s girlfriend, join us.

We bought a local grocer out of their radishes today in preparing for next weekend.  It felt good to make the produce manager say “that’s the kind of turnover we like to see.”  It meant our wedding has an impact beyond us and our family and friends.

Here’s a list of most of the small businesses we’ve been working with to organize our wedding:

Black Dog Smoke & Ale House, Urbana, Illinois
BBQ Sauce

Blue Moon Farm, Urbana, Illinois
Vegetables

Guggisberg Cheese, Millersburg, Ohio
Cheese

Joseph Kuhn & Co., Champaign, Illinois
Best Man’s suit

Kathy’s Kountry Kitchen, Belleville, Ohio
Pies

Maumee Bay Brewery, Toledo, Ohio
Beer

Nickles Bakery, Toledo, Ohio
Sandwhich buns

The Fire Inside, Walhonding, Ohio
Pig roast and brick oven pizza

See more at Jamie’s website, EpiphicPhotoBooth.com.

We first saw the booth in action at our dear friend Anneliese & Toby’s wedding in 2010. Here are a handful of our favorites from Drew (on the groom’s team) & Meg’s wedding reception that took place in Toledo’s downtown Amtrak train station last fall.

Between you and me, Abbie’s been preparing for making these fun decisions for longer than I have!  She began “looking into” candidate bottles of wine a year ago.  Above we see the finalizing of the toast champagne.

We’d both like to give a big shot out to the Corkscrew for the wine & Binny’s for the champagne.

Taking the lead on ordering the beer for our wedding is kind of like a bachelor party for me.  Somewhat of an indulgence!

The Brewery has been such a special and fun place for both me personally (learning the wonders of the $5 pitcher, learning to socialize as a young adult in the city, playing good music with good friends) and for Abbie & I (picking up spent grains for Toledo GROWs gardens, picking up kegs for Toledo GROWs parties, making friends with brewers).

What a great opportunity to support a local institution, spread some good spirits, and celebrate where we come from.

Here’s what our wedding tap menu will be:

• Red
• Octoberfest
• IPA
• Total Elipse Breakfast Stout
• Buckeye

Details about these brews can be found here.

A couple dozen photos of making the invitations have been posted to the gallery, from pressing the invitations at the University of Illinois’ Soy Bean Press studio, to assembling them in Toledo.

It’s getting closer to the big weekend, and we’re getting really excited!

We just spent the weekend in Toledo getting the invitations out with Abbie’s folks and our good friend Sasha.

Here’s a pic of Abbie setting up a letter press to print the rsvp cards.  As her last class of grad school Abbie took a letterpress class held in the Soy Bean Press studio this summer.

The entire invitation was designed by Abbie, and most of it was printed by hand on a couple letter presses!  It was such a cool and creative process being immersed in a space filled with movable type, mechanical presses and ink.  (I know big brother Matthew understands!)

We’ll be putting up a section in the photo gallery about it soon, so check back in the next few days to see us in action!

See photos of the process in the gallery.

Oh yeah, and eating home made warm tapioca pudding too

We’re working on

• finalizing sleeping arrangements
• tracking down a reliable pig roaster rental
• a hefty Maumee Bay Brewery order (with possible custom bottle decals)
• bride and groom team dress
• lawn games

Some folks should have received an email from Abi today about staying in the lodge.

Leave a comment below with any input on the above, especially cool lawn game ideas!

In the meantime, here are just a few pics from this great trip/break/family time so far. (More to come)

Saturday morning sunrise on the way to a 6:30am flight out of Bloomington, Illinois.

When in Florida do as the Montanans! The first place we go after Mom picks us up is this ginormous beer/wine depot, bigger and stocked more than any place I’ve ever seen.  Thought of Sasha when I saw these shelves of cider!

There’s this place my folks frequent that’s an all-in-one bowling alley, lazer tag, arcade and miniature golf course.  Sounds weird, I know.  Except it also has a big restaurant and sports bar that offers 2-for-1 drinks every day and surprisingly good food.  We bowled a few frames after dinner before seeing the new Star Trek movie.

Lots more to discuss, but while I’d rather be blogging than facebooking, i’d rather be swimming than blogging!

While we waited in line (forever) I spoke with Drew in Toledo about personalizing bottles of Maumee Bay Brewery for the wedding. (!!!)

That got me thinking and I texted Erika in Montana about her posse’s drink preferences. She replied “Miller Lite, PBR, anything cheap…”

Shortly after we got seated at the bar and quickly ordered the cans pictured below.  So glad that Moose Drool is available in these parts!

And by the way, Dad, that is Rosemary behind the bar