R.I.P. Yellow Wall

This last Monday, Stephanie and I took a day off work to paint our bedroom. Luckily, Steph's family was in town staying with us, so we took advantage of the extra hands to help with the project. If we were to paint the room ourself, it could of taken a week. But having 5 pairs of hands all painting together helped us get the entire room done in a day. We couldn't have done it without them! Finally the horrid yellow wall is gone!

- Tyler

Splish, Splash

We spent last weekend painting our half bathroom downstairs. Originally the bathroom was the off white color (yuck!) that's in the rest of the house with the main wall painted dark dark brown. Why on earth would you want an accent wall in such a small space? With each project, we find out just how many corners the previous owners cut to finish the job. On this project, for example, the wall anchors used to mount toilet paper roll hardware to the wall had been stripped. Instead of patching the hole and moving the hardware down a couple inches, they just filled the hole with caulking and essentially clued the hardware to the wall. Anyways, we painted the bathroom the same color as our master bath. Steph went out and found a framed mirror at Ross for like $15! It's usually hit and miss with their mirrors but its way cheaper than buying an $80 one at a hardware store.

It's Christmas Time

We went out and bought our first Christmas tree. Although we don't have a lot of Christmas decorations for our first Christmas as a married couple, we had so much fun setting up our tree and making it look pretty.

Stephanie

The Pianist

We still had some money left from our tax credit and I really wanted a piano. I had been looking on Craigslist and found some for really good deals. Some were too far away, some were out of tune or in completely bad shape, or some just got snatched up too fast. I was on a mission. I had my Craigslist page open and I would refresh it every 5 minutes to see if someone put an ad on for a piano. After a little patience, it happened. I saw an ad for a piano that was a really good deal, and I called

the seller right away. I went to her house after work to check it out. It sounded great, I told her I wanted it, I wrote her a check, and arranged for movers to come and pick it up. It looks beautiful in our house and I love playing it!

Stephanie

Delivery for the Gunstream's

I took a long lunch today; got the call that our new furniture is being delivered today! Even though we bought a house full of furniture, it took the movers no time at all to get everything in the house and in its place. Chaco was outside the whole time but he made sure to keep an eye on these new people in the house until they left. The house looks so different now, and now this furniture will help deaden the sound and it won't sound so echoey.

-Tyler

Furniture Shopping!

Earlier this week, we got our First Time Home Buyer's Tax Credit check in the mail. We were so excited to use it, so today we went furniture shopping! It was so much fun spending that much money! We went to Ahsley Home Furniture Store and walked around by ourselves for a while, then when we were ready, we got our salesman and pointed out everything that we wanted to buy. It was a wonderful experience that we probably won't be able to experience too often. When it's all delivered, we will have a completely furnished house. Hooray for places to sit!

Stephanie

More Trees, Please!

Our backyard is big, but we need something extra to fill in some space and provide shade. We came up with the perfect solution, TREES! Steph and I went out to our local Lowes today and bought 2 new trees to plant. One is an Autumn Blaze Maple and the other is a Linden. Both should grow big and be a great addition to our yard. We'll wait until next year to start working on more of the backyard, but this is a good head start.

- Tyler

The Pride of Home-Ownership

So today I started attacking the monumental task that is our front yard (I won't even go into the backyard yet). I got outside about 6:30 to start working on the yard, before the sun boiling rays started up. And when I say I worked on the front yard, let me rephrase it to the "front patch of dirt and weeds that used to be at one time a yard". I managed to clear out one main flower bed of the old plants, weeds and rocks. Then I spent a good 3 hours hand picking the weeds out of the dried up grass. Luckily, some of our neighbors came over and introduced themselves to me, letting me know how excited they are that we bought the house and that we're working on the yard (which I'm sure they wanted to call it an eye sore).

- Tyler

I Got a Flush!

We painted the master bathroom and the guest bathroom. The next task was to decorate them and make them complete. It took some time and accessories, but we feel like the bathrooms are just about complete!

Stephanie

Painting...a slow start

We started painting on the inside of the house today. Well, actually more like just painting our closet in our bedroom so we could get our close put away. Man, I had higher expectations of being able to get more done in a short amount of time. I had no idea how long it would take to paint a closet. All those shelves and little cubbies, so time consuming. But it's all starting to take shape and look 100 times better. Next we'll move on to the master and guest bath.

- Tyler

Movin' on In

We finally got our keys and we're moving in. It's quite overwhelming seeing everything we have (and everything we don't have) in one room. It took a while to determine where everything is going to go. One box at a time.

Stephanie

To Close or Not to Close

Today we finally closed on our house. Wow, what a long road it has been. If you're in the market to buy a house and time is of the essence...don't go for a Short Sale, trust me. However, the long wait will be worth it. The house we bought will serve us for years and years to come. It was really strange signing all those loan documents today, sort of like signing our life away. We are so happy with the house we bought!

- Tyler

Brunch

We thought it would be fun to have a brunch the day after the wedding to spend any last time with friends and family that were still in town and to open presents. My mom and sister put it all together and it turned out wonderful. Everyone had a great time eating and spending their last day in town together. Then, for the fun part- opening presents. It was so much fun to see what everyone got us. We can't wait to put everything in our new house and use all of the gift cards and money for the things our house needs. Thank you to everyone for your support on our wedding day. We appreciate all of you!
Stephanie Gunstream

Our Wedding Day!

The day started early for me, but went by super fast. I got my hair and make up done early in the morning with the rest of my girls. By the time we were done, it was time to head over to the golf coarse for pictures. Taking pictures didn't seem to take much time at all. Tyler and his groomsmen came a short while later to take their pictures. I got to see him through the windows, but he still hadn't seen me, yet. Pictures were done and guests were arriving. The time couldn't come fast enough. I was ready. I wanted to start the wedding NOW! Before I knew it, I was walking down the isle with my dad. The whole thing seriously felt like a movie; all of the guests were a blur and all I could focus on was Tyler's face. We both couldn't believe it was finally here. The ceremony went smoothly and beautifully. After we were announced husband and wife, we took off for a short while to take more pictures- this time with Tyler and me in the same shot. When we came back, it was time to start the reception. I had so much fun, I didn't want it to end. The day was PERFECT!! I couldn't ask for things to go better than they did. The whole day was amazing!
Stephanie Gunstream



Well I woke up on the day calm as can be. The night before I thought I'd wake up a nervous wreck. But the Lord help calm my nerves and Steph's as well. I spent the morning getting things ready to head on out to Eagle. I ate breakfast with my family at Trevor and Amber's house. Around 2pm my brother and I met my other groomsmen at their hotel to start getting ready. I was pretty much done and all was left was to put my jacket on. I took it off the hanger and slipped my arms in, but knew instantly something was wrong. I had the wrong jacket! It was too short in the arms and I was busting out of the jacket if I tried to button it up. I started to freak out. My groomsmen tried to assure me that the jacket didn't matter, but I didn't care. After letting me sweat a little, they pulled the real jacket out. Seems the tux place hooked them up with the crappy store jacket. The weather for the wedding couldn't have been more perfect. By the time the wedding started there wasn't a cloud in sight. As soon as everyone stood for Stephanie to enter it hit me that finally we are here. She looked amazing! All those months of keeping her dress and hair style from me paid off. We had an amazing time but it went by way too fast.

- Tyler

The Rehearsal

Today, early this afternoon, the whole wedding party gathered at Banbury for our rehearsal. Everything went smoothly and the weather turned out pretty good too. After that all the girls split do spend the afternoon together and all guys did the same. Around 6 pm, family and friends began to arrive at Trevor and Amber's house for the rehearsal dinner. Everything looked great, plus the food was awesome. We can't thank my parents enough for setting this all up.

- Tyler

It's All Coming Together

We were finally able to get the last minute things done, like the centerpieces, cake trays, and any other last minute little crafts. It feels so good that everything is coming together the way it should!
Stephanie Lewis

Oh, How the Years Go By

This evening we sat down and scanned a bunch of pictures from our childhood to where we are now.  We put them together in a slide show that will play for everyone at the reception.  Its funny to see how different we looked back then.

- Tyler

Hey, Sucker!

Today we finished making all of our wedding favors.  It was a lot of fun, and a lot of work.  We had the idea to make suckers in the shape of flowers.  We hope you enjoy them.

Stephanie Lewis

Hotel Info

Hey everyone,

Today Stephanie made arrangements at the Comfort Suites (just a couple minutes from the golf course) for anyone travel to our wedding and needing a place to stay.  The rooms will be given at a discounted rate, all you need to do when reserving your room will be to tell them you are under the Lewis/Gunstream Wedding.  Guaranteed rooms will be available until June 4th.  You can still reserve a room at the discounted rate after that date, but the hotel can't guarantee available rooms.  Email us for the price of the room, phone number or any questions you may have.  Only a few weeks to go!

- Tyler

Bridal Shower #2

I flew home for a local bridal shower.  This time, I had my family, friends from high school, and ladies from church there.  We had so much fun playing games and just talking.  I got so many gift cards and stuff for my future kitchen.  I can't wait to use everything in our new house!

Stephanie Lewis

Bridal Shower #1

Tyler's sister, Taryn, and sister-in-law, Amber, threw me a bridal shower today.  It was so nice to get together with all of the family that was in town... and get presents!  We had fondu, played games, and opened gifts.  I love everything I got!

Stephanie Lewis

Invitations

Tyler and I thought it would be great to design our own invitations to make them more personal.  He also has a friend, Tyler Harding, that works at Thorne Printing and Copy Center, so we decided to get them printed there.  They are all done and they look amazing.  I'm so excited to get these sent out.

Stephanie Lewis  

Tux Deluxe

Today Stephanie and I drove over to Mr. Formal and picked out the tuxes that myself and my groomsmen will be wearing.  Here's a picture to get an idea of what they look like.  While my tie is black, the groomsmen tie will be clover to match the bridesmaids dresses. 

- Tyler

Pre-Marital Counseling

Tonight Stephanie and I finished our last session of Pre-Marital Counseling. Our sessions were held at Refuge Counseling Center which is a ministry within our church, Crossroads Community Church, here in Nampa. We had a great time each session with our counselor Matt Boyd. Now we are just one step closer to the Big Day!

- Tyler

Flower Power

Tyler and I went to a little flower shop in Nampa called Oopsy Daisy to pick out our wedding flowers. More than anything, I wanted tulips, but they are out of season in June. The lady placed a call to a vendor to see if she would be able to get any...and she is! I'm so excited I get to have the flowers I want for my bouquet.
Stephanie Lewis

My Hair Affair

Today I had a trial session for how I'm going to have my hair for my wedding.  I went to a salon in Boise called Techniques.  My stylist did a really good job.  Due to the hairstyle that I want, I need a haircut, which won't happen until two weeks before the wedding.  So my hair looked good, but not as good as it will once I get that needed haircut.  If you'd like to see pictures of my hair, just let me know and I'll send them to you.

Stephanie Lewis

Lights, Camera, Action

Today we booked Troy Waters of Blink Media to film our wedding.  Troy is currently in the Mass Communications department at NNU.  In the coming weeks we will be meeting more with him to plan all the specifics.  We are excited a fellow Mass Commer is part of our wedding production.

- Tyler

Wake Up to Make Up

Today I went to the mall for a trial make-up session for the wedding.  I made an appointment at Mac Make-Up and was amazed at the end result.  I have never felt so pretty.  Of course, I can't post any pictures because I don't want Tyler to see.  If you're interested in seeing my wedding day make-up, let me know and I can email you a picture.

Stephanie Lewis

And a One, And a Two

Things are coming along great with the plans.  This week I talked with my friend Katie Henbest (used to be Wilson) and Shawn Pelton to sing at our wedding; both have great voices.  They will be singing the song Stephanie walks down to, however she wants the song to be a surprise so I have no idea what it is.  I guess I'll just have to wait until June 12th to find out!

- Tyler

That Tops The Cake!

I found the perfect cake topper online and ordered it.  It came in the mail and I absolutely love it.  I am so excited to put it on the top of the cake as the finishing touch.  It's going to look fabulous.

Stephanie Lewis

The Sound of Music

We sat down and went through all of our music and selected the songs to be played at our Wedding and Reception.  We leaned more towards songs that aren't the cliche wedding songs.  We'll be meeting with our DJ in a couple of months and if there is any songs you'd like to be on the list, let us know.

- Tyler

Hand Crafted

Over the last few months, Stephanie and I have been making a bunch of different things for the wedding including Thank You cards, center pieces, and wedding favors.  Everything  feels much more personal since we are making them ourselves.  Things are coming along great!

- Tyler

The Pillow

I found a ring bearer pillow for really cheap, but it was really ugly.  I bought it anyway, knowing that with my mom's excellent sewing skills, she could make it look AMAZING- and she did! Here are the before and after pictures.

Stephanie Lewis