Mattie's Online/Nation-wide Shower

Welcome to Mattie's Online and Nationwide Shower! We are Mattie's sisters-in-law and since we can't all gather together in the same location, we think it will be fun to have everyone visit this blog and participate in a unique shower for Mattie. With only a month left before the wedding, we can all get to know each other before meeting some of you at the wedding; also, we will all have a means to shower Mattie with marriage advice, gifts, and prayers.

Although we will be offering several ideas for activities on this blog, please participate in as many of them as you can. Also, we encourage everyone to visit the blog a few times before the wedding to see how everyone else contributes too.

Thank you for helping us shower Mattie & Spencer!

Kate Sportel

Ashley Sportel

Rachel Sportel

Guest Introductions

We would like all of the shower guests to add a short introduction so we can all get to know each other. Please comment on this post with the following information about yourself:

1) Your name

2) How you know Mattie & Spencer

3) From where you are visiting (where you live)

4) How many years you have been married

Collecting spices

Let's all contribute to a spice rack/pantry collection for Mattie's new kitchen! Choose from the following list of spices/herbs/pantry items and make it a metaphor in "wishing you well in marriage" letter to Mattie. A healthy marriage includes many ingredients - maybe you can tie in some marital advice or a story about your relationship with Mattie or Spencer (or both). You could even mail the spice to her with your letter and a handwritten recipe that uses that ingredient. Maybe it's a recipe that reminds you of a special occasion spent with her or another loved one (anniversary dinner, birthday breakfast, family recipe?) Make it unique :)

Please comment on the spice you choose, so we can try to add a variety of spices!basil
sugar
barbeque seasoning
chives
salt
cajun seasoning
cilantro
pepper (black, red)
italian seasoning
dill
cumin
mexican seasoning
marjoram
curry
jamaican jerk seasoning
mint
cardamom
lemon-pepper oregano
cloves
parsley
fennel
rosemary
ginger
sage
mustard
Others you can add?

As suggested in the Spice Rack activity, we can each mail a meaningful letter to Mattie. You may choose to include details about the spice and recipe that you send, and here are some other suggestions to guide you:
-marriage advice, or what makes a happy marriage tips
-toast to the couple, or welcoming one of them to the family
-family memories
-memories of time spent with the couple

Supporting the couple in prayer

Let's all support Mattie (and Spencer) with prayer and good thoughts going her way! Wouldn't it be nice to have this kind of nation-wide support whenever we are going through a stressful time in our lives, and all of the work that goes into planning a wedding and preparing for marriage means that Mattie can use it. Mark it on your calendar that on August 28 (2 weeks before the wedding) we'll all try to take a break at noon, mountain time zone, to take the time to keep Mattie in our thoughts. Maybe some of us can even send her a quick email or leave a fun message on her voicemail to remind her that we are thinking of her during this busy time. Spencer can probably use it too :)
We'll do our best to send everyone a reminder via email - don't forget!

The other half!

Do you know the other half of each of the following famous couples? Comment on how many you know without looking them up! There should be a good mix of generations and interests:
Homer Simpson
Fred Flintstone
Barney Rubble
Spencer Tracey
Marc Antony
Mickey Mouse
Rhett Butler
Fred Astaire
Shrek
Michael Douglas
Antonio Banderas
Tom Hanks
Kurt Russell
Donald Duck
Brad Pitt
Will Smith
Tim McGraw
Gene Wilder
Warren Beatty
Prince Charming
Mr. Incredible
Clark Kent
Desi Arnaz (Ricky Ricardo)
Popeye
Randall Sportel
Steven Norman
Steven "Spencer" Norman Jr. :)

How Well Do You Know Mattea & Spencer?

See how many of the questions you can answer correctly in the following quiz - no cheating! Simply comment with your multiple choice answers and we'll let Mattie decide the winner. (I hope everyone gets the satire, doesn't think I'm being mean)! And you can always ask Mattie for more details about any of these "short" answers.

1 - Where did M&S meet? a) co-ed ultimate frisbee team; b) famous bar at Calvin College; c) Springhill Camp; d) band camp
2 - What prompted their first conversation? a) Sweet t-shirt, you a science olympiad nerd too?; b) I'd like to live in CO someday; c) Are your feet tired? You've been running through my mind all day long; d) Nice dreads
3 - What was their first official date? a) picnic in the park; b) dinner at San Chez and coffee; c) cow-tipping in Caledonia; d) strolling Lake Michigan beach and icecream
4 - First kiss? a) peck on the cheek; b) cuddling on the pink couch; c) meeting in the middle of a spaghetti noodle over dinner; d) at the wedding
5 - When Mattie knew she could marry this guy someday? a) at first sight; b) after moving to CO; c) about 3 months ago; d) romantic drive to a "Story"like place
6 - When they are not just sitting around being in love, M&S like to . . a) attend the opera; b) go hiking and on bike rides; c) find good deals at thrift stores and garage sales; d) go fly fishing
7 - What was the date and place of engagement? a) April 10, hike to St. Peter's Dome; b) May 1, JCPenney Photography; c) July 23, 2009, Breckenridge; d) April 5, youth group trip
8 - What are Mattie's and Spencer's official job titles? a) hippie/tree-hugger; b) camp counselor/ domestic engineer; c) Associate Director of high school ministries/Photographer and Worship Media Technician
9 - Where is the wedding/reception taking place? a) Grand Valley State University; b) Atlanta, GA; c) Lost Dutchman @ Trouthaven, Divide CO