Corvin wanted to have a birthday party with his friends. So we took him and the kids to CiCi's Pizza. We have been going there for kids eat free night too long now and the managers know us. Jack ran the birthday party, entertaining the kids and adults!

I recommend their birthday party. The kids got to tour the kitchen and make their own pizzas.

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I got into the office this morning and went to make coffee as I'm usually one of the first people in. When I got to the coffee pot, the burner was still on from the previous day. The pot contained only burnt remains of coffee and a stench that was wholey unpleasant. In order to help with this issue, I drafted the following email and sent it out to the whole company. The message had a favorable response.

Thoughts?

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From: Hogan Haake [mailto:hhaake@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.com]
Sent: Friday, February 17, 2012 8:11 AM
To: ALL EMPLOYEES
Subject: Please resolve your personal issues!

Many years ago, during the childhood of one of our fine employees, they were struggling to grow up. Part of their resolution to grow up and be a "big" person was to drink coffee like grownups did. But that employee didn't realize that coffee was hot, and seriously burned their mouth. 

Fast forward to yesterday, that said employee had a flashback of their childhood and got very mad. So they got even with coffee by leaving the burner on for the coffee all night into this morning. That said coffee pot and what was left of the coffee was quite burnt and smelly this morning. Now that you have your revenge on coffee, please turn off the burner in the afternoon when you're done with the coffee. I think you made your point and coffee will never burn you again!

For Corvin's birthday, his grandparents from Kansas City came in town. This ia always a treat for the kids. We normally go to KC to visit them. Grandparents were treated to two soccer games on Saturday morning. Corvin is quite the soccer player scoring a couple goals each game.

After the soccer games, we decided to take a private guided hike. Danelle's work is closed to the public, but she was able to take us out to the property for a quiet hike. During the hike we saw a couple of wild turkeys and enjoyed the quiet.

After the hike we came back to my house to hang out. Steve, Jackie, and Nathan came over to visit/show off. Nathan was in top form drinking beer and generally being the center of attention!

Saturday night, we had Corvin's family birthday party. Ok, we may have had the neighbor kids over as well. They feel like family as often as they hang out with us. As usual, Kelly ate volumes of desert, needing a serving bowl to hold all of it!

Mom is now a practicing vegan. It makes eating meals a bit harder, but I fully support her! So I made her a fruit plate for breakfast Sunday morning. 

The weekend was about the kids and Corvin, since it was his birthday. But whenever my parents are around, it feels like its a bit about me. Mom and dad always make me feel special when they are around and I truly appreciate it! I enjoyed the quick time they had with us and look forward to more birthdays in any city!

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We broke down and got a new mattress in September. The old one lasted about five years and had a depression where I sleep. It was a soft pillow top. It was too soft, so we went for a much harder bed this time. The old mattress was set up in the hall until we figure out to do with it.

Then we had a hike at Emmenneger park. We came within feet of some deer, and that was very cool!

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The big day finally arrived. The wedding was on Friday. Ryan picked me up early in the morning with his brother. We were going to St. Charles to take photos before the ceremony. First we had to run to the grocery store and pick up a few things. They decided to have a kids table with some activities to make the reception more friendly for kids. This was a great idea and a hit with the kids!

We were all business once we got to St. Charles. The guys met at a brew pub for lunch and a few beers. Here we reminded Ryan that it wasn't too late to back out :) True to form, his buddy Rich was a bit late showing up for lunch. OK, he got there after we finished his food, but Ryan unfortunately expected that.

We went from lunch to the Lewis and Clark boat house to start photos there. It was a great location and the weather was perfect for photos. Then it got interesting. The guy with the flowers showed up and left flowers for the wedding party. He promptly took off somewhere else and the guys were alone again. Then the fun part happened... Shannon from Conner Photography showed up! It turns out that the wedding photographer was a married couple. While we respected the fact that she was married, we still appreciated having her around to take our photos and direct us!!! It later was revealed by a few ladies that Joel was no slouch either :)

The party was starting as everybody got together. Photos started taking place and we were all happy and felt the energy in the air. Then it all changed when Ingrid got there. All the guys were forced to hide with Ryan so Ingrid could show up as a surprise. Ingrid is a cute girl that any of the guys would be proud to call their own, but I can't remember her dressing up more than a pair of jeans. The transformation from that to a wedding dress was amazing! Every guy there was envious of Ryan that day. The best part was when Ryan got to see her for the first time in her wedding dress. I don't have the words to describe his reaction other than to say that it was very favorable!

Now the mad dash began to move all around St. Charles with Joel and Shannon taking us to the spots that they most wanted to take photos at.

With the photos complete, we headed out to Wentzville for the actual ceremony.

The wedding ceremony was good. The weather could not have been nicer to be outside and the setting was peaceful. It was time to go in and celebrate!!!

One of the great things the DJ brought to the table was props. Near the end, they threw out a bunch of inflatable guitars so we could do our own solos on the dance floor!

Danelle and I like to reflect on events on our way home. We both felt like this was the most different wedding we had been to in a good way. All of the previous weddings felt like they were put on for somebody else, like parents. But this ceremony felt like it was created specifically for the couple. It felt perfect in numerous ways. We couldn't imagine anything being better.

A special thanks goes out to Ryan and Ingrid for letting us in on a slice of your awesome life!

Hogan

More Wedding Photos (Album)