Life in Minnesota

If there was only one word to sum up our lives right now, it would be: BUSY!

Paul has been basically living in the library at William Mitchell College of Law. School is definitely different that it was back in undergrad. He has been finding out that teachers don't just print out powerpoints to study from and you actually have to read your textbooks... All joking aside, he is really enjoying law school and excited to keep learning.

Gena recently was offered two jobs. She will be a part-time casual athletic trainer with OSI Physical Therapy. She will fill in as-needed for local athletic trainers. She also will be working at Twin Cities Orthopedics as a physician extender for an orthopedic surgeon.

We still love our apartment and agree 100% with the 'locals' when they say, "Fall is the best time to live in St. Paul!"

Our New Address

Last weekend, we found a great little apartment right off of Summit Avenue in St. Paul. It is a two-story brownstone apartment building and we have a corner apartment on the second floor. There are a ton of windows, French doors, and in a great neighborhood.

Our new address is:

Paul and Gena
916 Ashland Avenue Apt #1
St. Paul, MN 55104

We're Moving!

Sorry it's been so long since we've posted on here! Things have been busy for both of us. Gena has been working hard for her Mom back in De Pere this summer, while I have been working in Eau Claire (until last week- I'm now officially done with work) and living with my Dad and step-mom Judy. We both were able to get away to celebrate my step-dad Mark's retirement out in Portland, OR last week with my brother Brian, and step-brothers Keil and Kirk, along with Kirk's fiancee Julia.

Yesterday morning we signed a lease in St. Paul for a great apartment that is only about 1.5 blocks away from William Mitchell College of Law, which is where I will be starting school in about 2 weeks. The apartment, a two-story brownstone, is in a great neighborhood right off of Summit Avenue on Ashland. We are very excited to start our new chapter of life and make our new home in Minnesota (and to show all those Viking fans how REAL football fans live!).

As for the wedding, Gena has purchased her wedding dress. She won't show me any pictures or the dress itself, but assures me that "it will knock your socks off." Hopefully more to come soon!

Spring Break in Vegas

Gena and I spent (literally spent...$$$$$$$) our spring break in Las Vegas this year. It was both of our first times there, and it was an experience to say the least. While we agreed on the way home that it was lots of fun, neither of us feels any real need to go back any time soon. We also realized that maybe 7 days there was too long!


We were very busy during the week. We started off by going to the Hoover Dam on Sunday, which was far and away our favorite part of the entire trip. The entire structure was overwhelmingly huge, and the new Pat Tillman memorial Bridge they are constructing is a stunning feat.

Other things we did/highlights included: seeing the Belagio fountains go off every night, walking through nearly every hotel on the strip, eating at Bobby Flay's restaurant, going to Bodies: The Exhibit, seeing a Cirque du Soleil show, seeing a dolphin show, and louging at the incredible Mirage pool.


All in all it was a good time, and a nice relaxing trip for the most part. Almost forgot: another highlight was that we got to go to the Delta Sky Lounge at MSP airport for 4 hours while we waited for our flight. Can't beat free booze and snacks!

Our "Story"

We both met when Genavieve was placed on Blugold Football for her senior year of Athletic Training, and I played on the team. We didn't really pay attention to each other during the season, although I did seem to get hurt a lot my senior year...

After the season ended, we both figured out that we had siblings who went to UW-Madison. From then on, we thought that it would be a really great idea to harass them about meeting each other until one day they finally did. About a month after that, we realized we had a lot in common, went on some group dates, and realized that we were also a good match. After about 10 months, we were engaged, and here we are today! Cute huh?

DisneyWorld!

Two weekends ago, Gena and I went to DisneyWorld to celebrate my cousin Joanna's wedding. There were about 40 people there in all, and to say that we had a blast would be a grave understatement.

We arrived on Friday afternoon and were the first ones in our "crew" to arrive. My stepbrother Keil and his girlfriend Louisa arrived late Friday night, Kirk got into Orlando at about 6am on Saturday, and my Mom and Mark landed around noon on Saturday with my Granda Connie.

While we waited for people to arrive, Gena and I relaxed for a while by the pool on Friday afternoon, then took part in the Bachelor/Bachelorette activities. In one of the highlight events of the weekend, we procedded to "drink around the world" at Epcot Center, hitting 12 countries in all. Needless to say, many good stories came about from the night, most of which should not be posted here!

On Saturday, the Mirr-Jansen-Porter crew headed to Hollywood Studios (formerly known as MGM Studios) after a late breakfast and coffee run. It's safe to say that the favorite rides of Saturday were the Tower of Terror and Aerosmith's Rock'n Rollercoaster. The back-stage tour was also pretty fun and provided a nice break from the sun. As the sun began to set and we travelled via boat to the Disney Boardwalk to meet up with the rest of the crew for dinner. We ate at a great brewery, and then headed to Epcot (again!) for some lake-side desserts, drinks, and fireworks. We were all quite a spectacle with our fleece blankets, glowing wristbands, and multi-colored neon cups. Forgot to mention: highlight of the day was riding the bus to Hollywood Studios and being simultaneously amazed and scared at the wackiness of our elderly bus driver.

On Sunday, we ate an early breakfast with the parentals and headed via bus to the Animal Kingdom. Highlights here included the Bug's Life 3D Adventure, the numerous animal sightings, and the Kilimanjaro Rollercoaster. We left around 3pm to head back to the Bay Lake Tower of the Contemporary Resort (where we stayed) to shower and get ready for the wedding. At 5pm, we were picked up by a limo and driven to the wedding chapel, and then back to the Contemporary for a FANTASTIC night of hors d'oeuvres, dinner, drinks, and MORE fireworks on the top floor. At 10pm, in a fit of randomness, Kirk, Gena and I raced to the Magic Kingdom on the monorail for one hour of fun-filled night coasters. We managed to go on Thunder Mountain, run all the way across the park (in our dress clothes) and ride Space Mountain twice before we were finally kicked out at closing time. We got some great looks from the few people that were left in the park.

Monday was pretty uneventful, and we arrived back in the cities at about 3:30pm and were in Eau Claire by 7pm. The weekend was a much needed break from reality!

Things are falling into place!

Well, it may seem like the wedding is a long way out, but Gena has been very proactive and is getting much accomplished! When she puts her mind to something, you can bet your life savings that it will be accomplished, and most likely ahead of schedule.

She has been busy and her hard work has really paid off. Here's a list of things that she has gotten done already:

Booked the reception hall (Sleep Inn Conference Center)
Booked the church (Immaculate Conception)
Decided on bridesmaids' dresses
Booked our DJ (Mark McFarlane)
Booked our photographers (Exen Photography)
Planned and sent out invites for our engagement party
Finalized our guest list and sent our most of our save the dates
Made our final food and drink decisions for the reception

Our next step is Gena's dress and decorations for the reception hall-all of the fun stuff! At least for Gena.

That's it for now!

Welcome to our Wedding Blog!

We have set our wedding date. Mark your calendars for June 25, 2011. We will be getting married at Immaculate Conception Church in Eau Claire. The reception is being held at the Sleep Inn Conference Center, also in Eau Claire.