New York City

So after catching up on some much-needed Z's, I'm finally getting to my NYC post. We had an amazing time there for our anniversary and saw a ton of things! I thought I'd give everyone a quick run down of what we did and how much we liked/didn't like each one. I'll definitely add as I remember as there was just so much to see and do!

Statue of Liberty - Wish we could have gone past her feet but still such an experience!
WTC Memorial - They are building a larger one, but this took every ounce of me not to just cry like a little girl right there. It was VERY emotional.
Carnegie Deli - Portions were HUGE and the food was great just like everyone told us it would be!
Chicago - Good old standard play....epitome of Broadway, but the stage was really small. Dr. Bailey from Grey's Anatomy was in it though and she was great!
Wall Street - Just as you'd expect it, too many men walking around in suits and not enough women!
Times Square - Really cool! So many ads and visual
Chinatown/Little Italy - The people were extremely pushy, but it was a fun experience.
NY Cheesecake - A+!
Shopping - I loved the smaller boutiques we saw in SoHo, NoHo, Greenwich, etc!
St. Patrick's Cathedral - Reminded me of Rome. Just gorgeous.
Central Park - Amazing. I want to build one in Kansas. It was the best people watching too!
Today Show - They weren't outside either day we were there and I didn't get to see my Matt through the window, but I did see Ann!
Pastis - Amazing anniversary dinner! The restaurant was very cool and our food was fabulous.... worth every penny!
Magnolia Bakery - Famous for their cupcakes and we now know why!
Original Tiffany's - It was beautiful inside!
Grand Central Terminal - Straight out of the movies! So pretty inside!
Original Ray's Pizza - We can see why it is famous. HUGE, JUICY pieces!
American Museum of Natural History - I'm not a huge museum person, but there was some interesting stuff! Worth the $15!

We also watched Harrison Ford and Rachel McAdams filming the movie Morning Glory and watched them do some takes! Here's a short video I took, they are both in suits -

4 Years of Love

4 years ago today, Derek and I were getting ready to start our lives as a married couple! It's so crazy to think that it's already been 4 years since we took those vows and began wearing the rings that would symbolize our wonderful relationship. It's been an amazing marriage so far and we grow closer together each day!

I did want to share a few things that I absolutely love about our marriage and my wonderful hubby:
* I love our little notebook that we write notes in to each other and hide around the house for the other to find.
* It's so cliche to say that we know what the other is thinking, but it's so very true! I love that we could say one word and the other knows what we're referencing or talking about.
* I love receiving emails with three little words that can make a bad day at work do a 180.
* I love that my husband rubs me to sleep every night. And yes, I mean every night. I'm extremely lucky!
* I love the nights we sit on the porch and talk. (We call it "porching")
* I love that neither of us want to leave the house without a goodbye kiss.
* I love that we've genuinely never gone to bed mad at the other.
* I love that we hold hands every single time we pray in church.
* I love that Derek will slow down his pace in order to stay with me when we're on a run
* I love our grocery shopping trips because Derek always ends up making them entertaining
* I love playing Sorry together when we're bored.

Quote from our wedding program:
Soulmates. 2 halves of the same soul joined together in life's journey.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (Our wedding scripture)
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight

Shrimp Kabobs

For Fathers Day on Sarah's side, we decided to grill out these Shrimp Kabobs !

INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup Italian salad dressing, divided
- 2 pounds jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 large onions
- 16 large fresh mushrooms (optional)
- 2 large green peppers, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
- 16 cherry tomatoes

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine 1/2 cup salad dressing and shrimp. Cut each onion into eight wedges. In another large resealable plastic bag, combine the vegetables and remaining dressing. Seal bags and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 2 hours, turning occasionally.
2. Drain and discard marinade. On eight metal or soaked wooden skewers, alternately thread the shrimp and vegetables. Grill kabobs, covered, over medium heat for 3 minutes on each side or until shrimp turn pink.

These are the actual kabobs that we made pictured to the right:

(We didn't use the mushrooms, but replaced with zucchini!)

Nutrition Note: These are only about 150 calories per skewer!

HAPPY FATHERS DAY!

Happy Fathers Day to my dad, the ultimate jokster, and Derek's dad, the blackberry addict!

All joking aside, you two have helped mold us into the people we are and we appreciate and love you for it. By always being there for us and guiding us in the right direction, we have become individuals who stand up for what they believe in and follow their dreams. You have been the best dads for 28 years to us and we know you'll be there for us until the end of time.
For everything you've done, we are eternally grateful.

LOVE YOU BOTH!!

"He didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it." ~Clarence Budington Kelland

"A father carries pictures where his money used to be." ~Author Unknown

"Any man can be a father. It takes someone special to be a dad." ~Author Unknown

Problem Diagnosed

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterized by a persistent pattern of impulsiveness and inattention, with or without a component of hyperactivity.

Does this remind anyone of a member of my family? Perhaps someone who is brown, 24 inches tall and weighs 55 pounds?

Maybe the most common symptoms will help you figure it out:
- Inattention: easily distracted, day-dreaming, difficulty listening, and motor clumsiness.
- Impulsiveness: jumping from one activity to another, acting before thinking of consequences, tendency to interrupt other peoples' conversations.
- Hyperactivity: restlessness, often characterized by an inability to sit still, fidgeting, squirminess, climbing on things, restless sleep.

Yep! You guessed it. We are officially diagnosing Bailey with this disorder. Although she doesn't have a mean bone in her body and can go 11 hours without touching a thing in our house, she definitely has ADHD....And we love her just the same!

Fun with the Phelans

This weekend, we had our good friends, The Phelans, stay with us as they were in town for a couple of family-related events. On Friday, Michelle and I kicked off the weekend with a relaxing pedicure because the sun was not showing its face and we were not able to lay out! Then they were off to a family wedding and we headed to Lawrence to see my cousin and his little daughter who we rarely get to see. Later that night we saw, The Hangover, and it definitely deserves an A+! It felt like I got an ab work out due to laughing so hard for that long.

On Saturday, we ventured out to The K early to tailgate before heading in to the Royals game. The fact that they won combined with the yumminess of chili cheese fries and beer made for a good evening. After the game, we stopped at Johnny's for a while before heading home around midnight. Yes that seems early, however we did start tailgating at 4 that day! On Sunday, Derek and I walked in the Dog N Jog with our girls and they enjoyed seeing other dogs, eating ice cream and wading in a kiddie pool filled with ice. The rest of Sunday included catching some rays, seeing the Phelans off, hitting the hay early.




Get ready Phelans - T minus 3.5 weeks until we tear up Bricktown!

O-Town Escapade

Our quick, 52 hour vacation in Orlando was a nice little retreat full of great laughs, great friends and great food (no calorie counting)! Except for the rain, it was a perfect weekend and our fun friends (whom we met in 2003 when we lived in Jacksonville) made every second enjoyable! We discovered a new drink, fell in love with a yellow lab, saw tons of animals (no gators) and experienced the beach in a way we never thought we could. We also even got to play 'fake parents' for quite some time on Sunday with their 18 month old son at Sea World. Brooks is the sweetest, best little boy ever and he became quite attached to Derek. I too made a new best friend while there too, but mine always happen to have four-legs and shed all over me for some reason!

The absolute best part was that we got into Sea World for free! (No, it wasn't done illegally, but we might have stumbled upon two unused passes at the entrance into the park that we might have claimed as our own).

The worst part, however, was the rain. We ended up still going to the beach on Saturday and you can see from the picture, we ended up sitting in our car and enjoying some beverages while staring at the waters from inside!

Thanks again Mel and Kev for letting us stay with you and take over your house, dogs and child for the weekend! We STILL have our theme song playing over and over in our heads!

Derek and Kevin (2nd group of 4 on the right) riding the Manta...


I also took a video of the cutest penguin ever jumping around at Sea World!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEREK!

Today is my best friend and husband's birthday (and the 7th one we have celebrated together if you can believe it!) We decided to have our traditional family dinner tonight at Jumpin Catfish. Derek has wanted to go there for quite some time now and the birthday boy gets what the birthday boy wants! Our neighbor has always recommended the seafood there so stay tuned for our reviews.

After dinner, he gets to enjoy his most favorite dessert in the world: Tippins Pumpkin Pie! I'll soon update on what I got Derek as I don't want to ruin the surprise. The big gift, however, is the trip to Orlando this weekend to see our friends Melissa and Kevin! We are definitely looking forward to some sun, sand and fruity drinks!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABE!

**Update: I got Derek Tiger Woods 2009 for the Wii and he loved it!

Flower Overload

This weekend was a definite flower overload. It seems like we were completely surrounded everywhere we went!

We started Saturday morning off by heading out to the Powell Gardens to enjoy a nice morning out in nature. There were tons of flowers in bloom, but my favorite part was all of the baby geese roaming around. They looked only a few weeks old and were so furry and cute!


The roses were all fully open and looked beautiful in the sunlight. We did end up coming a few weeks before one of my favorite flowers, the Lily, was in bloom.
We only spent a couple hours there and were definitely the youngest attendees, but overall it was a nice morning. To the right are some of the shots that I snapped while we roamed the gardens and avoided the horse-sized bumble bees.



That same night we attended our first wedding of the weekend for my work-friend, Erin, at the Clubhouse on Baltimore(left picture below). And what might you ask were we surrounded by again? FLOWERS! There was no escape on Sunday evening either as we attended an outdoor wedding of my high school friend, Cindy (right picture below). The weather was perfect in the shade and the reception at The Sawyer Room was beautiful. Both brides were stunning and congratulations on both of your special days!

I absolutely love flowers, by I'm pretty sure Derek never wants to see another one again this year!

National Spelling Bee Week!

Random, right? But every year there always ends up being some awesome winner who makes my day.

Hopefully there will be a 2009 winner just as cool as Evan O'Dorney was 2 years ago.....



**Update: Congrats to Kavya Shivashankar for winning the 2009 Bee! She's officially our new little hometown hero!

Memorial Day Cookout!

After hours of yard work and house cleaning, we were able to enjoy the beautiful weather we had this weekend with both sides of the family on Sunday. Equipped with yard games, tons of food and lots of laughs, it was a great evening! Below are some pictures of us playing tailgate golf, and the chef grilling his blue cheese burgers along with our delicious desserts. I made a dessert pizza and my Aunt found the most amazing cake from Dillons in Lawrence!
We hope all of you had a wonderful holiday weekend as well!

Morning Running

I did it! I got up early and ran before work.....only made it 4 miles, but still followed through!

For those of you who don't know, I've never been a big "exercise before work" person and prefer to delay this physical labor as long into the day/evening as I can.

Last night I decided to change that. I'm burned out of not winding down at night until 8 or 8:30pm and trying to cram all my DVR shows into a couple of hours. I figured that I'm a comfortable runner now and just need a few warm up times before becoming a morning pro.

After trying (and failing) to think of an excuse this morning at 6am to NOT get out of bed and NOT run, I moped into the closet to change my clothes. Once outside, however, it was wonderful. The air was cool and crisp and no sun was beating down on my shoulders. It's not too humid yet and my energy level was surprisingly high. It DEFINITELY beat trying to run a 6pm when it's already getting up to 80 degrees. And lastly, the 'creepy' people that I'm always on the lookout for are surely snoozing away at this early in the morning!

The best part of it all? I'm DONE working out for the day by about 7am! I get to go home, relax and leisurely enjoy dinner with my husband!

Stay tuned. Morning run #2 being tested tomorrow morning.

5/21 UPDATE! My second morning run was just as strong and I again feel great having already completed that for the day. The problem I'm facing, however, is temperature. It's about a 10-15 degrees difference from the beginning of my run to the end so I'm trying to get that all worked out currently! Suggestions?

5/22 UPDATE! My third morning run was awesome.... again. I found an outfit that was a bit cooler by the end of my run and just sucked it up for the chilliness towards the beginning. Tomorrow, though, I'm letting myself sleep in an hour and running at 7am instead of 6am!

5/23 UPDATE! Stretched it to a 5 mile run today! Felt so good.

5/24 UPDATE! No running! Race day tomorrow

5/25 UPDATE! Ran the 8K in under 48 minutes which for me is great! The weather was amazing and the tiny rain sprinkles felt so revitalizing during the run!

Double Graduation Day

What a crazy day Sunday was! We ran around like chickens with our heads cut off so that we wouldn't miss a thing for either Matt or Whitney's graduations.

Phase 1 - Architecture Lunch at the Kansas Union in Lawrence.
We started the day with a delicious meal and listened to some great speakers before seeing Matt get robed for his Masters in Architecture degree.

Phase 2 - Pictures.
Next was the traditional graduate pictures on campus. Bill Self even stopped by to get the annual pictures with the graduating senior players. The weather was perfect and we captured some great photos.

Phase 3 - Walk the Hill.
After pictures, we ran down to get a spot on the hill in order to see Matt make this traditional walk.


Phase 4 - The Rush to Kemper
The second Matt passed us on the hill, we (literally) ran to the car, loaded the family up and quickly drove to Kemper Arena for Whitney's graduation. I captured this video of her receiving her diploma from her father as she walked the stage covered in honors cords and medals.


Phase 5 - Dinner
After Whitney's celebration, we rushed over to The Bristol at P&L to enjoy a nice, family dinner filled with memories, laughs and gifts for the two graduates.


To Matt and Whit -
Although these two paths have come to an end, we look forward to the next steps you take in life. You have shaped us both in ways you'll never know and we will always be here for support, encouragement and a shoulder to lean on. We are so proud of your accomplishments and know that you will do great things in the future. Congratulations again on your graduations!!

Blood, Sweat and Determination

The picture to the left inspired what would be a year of hardcore running, biking, lifting, counting calories, and endless crunches. After seeing this shot, I realized that I had indulged in too many sweets, ate too many fatty foods and had let myself go. Looking at that picture that my grandchildren would most likely see someday woke me up to the reality that (gasp).... I had turned into a Fatty McFatterson and something needed to change.

Thus, the journey was set in motion. Equipped with perfectly fitted top of the line running shoes from Gary Gribbles, the running began. It was pretty sluggish at first, only running a couple of miles very slowly. Eventually I got up to about 3 miles and by early fall the nonstop running, biking and lifting eventually helped me shed 15 total pounds.

This was not enough.

I set a new goal of 20 pounds and began to work out a little more and eat a little healthier. As of this past January, I had reached a plateau and couldn't quite get to that 20 pound mark. This is when I began counting every calorie consumed. It was an extremely eye-opening task that put into perspective how much more I was eating than I had thought. I did a lot of research in order to figure the total calories I should eat daily at to continue losing weight in a healthy way. Finally, I reached that 20 pound mark, but yet, still was not satisfied. I buckled down even more and stopped splurging on food on the weekends and even upped my workouts yet again. My runs became 3-4 miles and I became faster (despite a few clumsy falls that left me with bloody knees!).



Finally, this past week, I hit the 30 pounds lost mark (actually 31)! I even called Watkins at KU to retrieve my weight each year I was in college and I'm officially lower than I ever was. I believe I am actually a lower weight than I was in high school seeing as how I've never fit into into a size 2 before that I can remember! I now weigh the "white lie" weight that has been on my drivers license for roughly 8-10 years. It is actually fun to shop now and I've fallen in love with a bunch of new, healthy foods! Even more impressive, though, are the pants in this picture that I actually wore 18 months ago. The pic doesn't do justice, but they aren't just big.... they are GYNORMOUS and could probably fit Derek now that he's lost weight too!

Needless to say, I do want to shed these last 4-5 pounds and tone up a bit more, but then I'm done. At that point, I (hopefully) will be 100% happy with my body and actually feel comfortable in my own skin for the first time in my adult life.

Bad Parenting 101

This saga begins on Sunday afternoon when the weather was nice and we figured that our 4-legged girls would enjoy some time at the park! It hadn't been too rainy, but they both closed right in on the one tiny area where the mud pit always exists. It must be the coolness they feel on their legs wading in the gross, swampy area, but it never fails that they leave the park a dirty mess. Once we got home, we bathed them out back with baby shampoo so that they would smell fresh and look sparkling to see both "grandmas" the next day on Mothers Day!

The weekend continued on, but when my parents came over on Sunday, we all started noticing that Bailey's tail wasn't wagging. (Anyone who's met this dog before knows what I mean when I say that tail is never down!). She is the happiest dog in the world and is constantly wagging her tail at everything! We decided to keep an eye on her as sometimes her tummy gets upset from eating too much grass, eating mulch, etc. It wasn't until 10pm Sunday night that we would realize what happened and what we did to our child.

As Derek was googling "limp tail", he came across several websites that suggested several terms like "dead tail" and "limber tail". We had no idea how that could have happened until we saw the site for "cold water tail". Basically, the water that we bathed her with outside on Saturday was too cold (even though it was 75 degrees out!) and caused the muscles to temporarily paralyze around the base of her tail. Hunting dogs sometimes have this often when they are constantly retrieving from cold water. Cold Water Tail can last just a few days to 2 weeks and can "be somewhat painful for the animal".


Our hearts sank when reading this (among some guilty laughing for realizing what we did to her) and I thought to myself that it's probably a good thing I don't have a real baby right now!
Bailey did slightly wag her tail this morning and we're making sure she's not too stimulated to let that tail rest. Equipped with Tylenol and lots of snuggling, this little girls tail should be back in no time!

Mothers Day Weekend

On Saturday morning, I kicked off the weekend by volunteering with my sister-in-law, Whitney and my friend, Morgan for the Humane Society. We helped walk some puppies in the Spirit of Mission Days parade. The picture to the right is of the wiener dog float that the Humane Society uses for parades. It takes about 10 people to walk this thing down the street and is quite a site. The parade was all of a half mile and the weather was perfect so it was easy work to be done!
On Saturday night, we ventured down to Comedy City in Westport with Whitney and Pat to watch the 10pm "adult improv act". The show was made up of six guys about 24-28 years old and was 100% improv as the audience helped create the story lines.
Overall, a funny show and Whit and Pat got to both try their first flea. What is a flea you ask? It's pretty much 1200 calories of goodness. Probably the biggest burger around, it's delicious greasy flavor and gynormous size make for a great food splurge that one must indulge in once and a while!

Sunday was a great Mothers Day with both sides of our family. We grilled out honey ginger salmon and corn around noon for my mother and then enjoyed some traditional card games. Later that evening, we enjoyed dinner and a movie (Star Trek) at the Fork and Screen with the Derek's side.

I ended up baking a small strawberry cake for each side of the family with a whipped vanilla frosting!

Thanks again mothers for being who you are and doing what you do. Your selfless caring and endless support helped mold us into who we are today. We love you both very much. Happy Mothers Day!

This stuff is POTENT!

Derek has urged me to get some mace or pepper spray for a while now to carry on my runs. I finally found a place that carries this stuff and picked some up this week. Yesterday I decided to get out the bubbles in the can just like you need to do with any new spray.

I sprayed a small portion directly into the kitchen sink hole with hot water to flush it immediately down. Needless to say, that did NOT do the trick. Within seconds, just from a tiny bit floating in the air my nose stung and I was coughing. I rushed outside and left for my run, only to arrive 50 minutes later to the sight of Derek hacking up a storm on the front porch. Apparently this stuff is crazy strong and I can't imagine the pain one suffers when being sprayed in the eyes.

I LOVE my new secret weapon to use for when Derek is getting testy.....Just kidding babe!

Happiest Day in April

On Thursday evening, as I sorted through the mail, I find an envelope from Sears. Thinking it's junk mail, I rip it open quickly and begin to quickly scan through before it hits the trash can. The words, however, that I began to see were so exciting that I just have to start re-reading. Only then did I realize that this letter was the answer to my prayers.

Before I continue, let's back up almost 3 years. Derek and I purchased our Kenmore Oasis washer and dryer from Sears in 2006 when we bought our house. From the first load, the washing machines control board had problems. When you begin a load, it will beep and show some error message until you press "stop", then "start" again. Repeat 5-6 times. Then, at minute 18 the vicious cycle begins again. As you've figured out, you can't leave the house when doing laundry. You have to be available non-stop and it's the biggest chore ever to baby that machine. No, it wasn't covered in the warranty. Yes, there were hundreds of websites with others having this problem. And nope, a new control board costs just as much as a new machine so that was out of the question.

Back to Thursday night. The letter was the results of thousands of people complaining about this "non-fixable" problem with our "non-cheap" machine's. Sears finally decided to do something about it and will be sending a brand new, upgraded control board to the house and then installing it for free!!

I still can't believe it, and won't, until it's actually installed and I've done my first load - BEEP FREE! Until then, my fingers and toes and everything else are crossed that my three years of washing machine agony could be almost over!

Book Review - Something Borrowed

This was my 3rd Emily Giffin book, but it was actually the first book she wrote. It tells the story of Rachel, a young attorney living and working in Manhattan. Rachel has always been the ultimate good girl---until her thirtieth birthday, when her best friend, Darcy, throws her a party. That night, after too many drinks, Rachel ends up sleeping with Dex, Darcy's fiance. Although she wakes up determined to put the one-night fling behind her, Rachel ends up finding out that she has genuine feelings for the one guy she should run from. As Darcy's September wedding date nears, Rachel knows she has to make a choice. In doing so, she discovers that the lines between right and wrong can be blurry, endings aren't always neat, and sometimes you have to risk all to win true happiness.

I thought this book was great and give it another A!

Next book by Giffin on deck: Love The One You're With!

Found; One Green Thumb

I have really found a love for flowers over the past few years. Picking out some plants to display in pots is one of my favorite things to do early spring. I have to go by myself so that there are no distractions and I spend a lot of time thinking and planning.
Before the planting festivities began this year, Derek and I got up super early Sunday to run the 4-mile Trolley Run. Derek finished in under 30 and I finished in under 40!
As soon as we got home, the rain was nowhere to be seen and I was off to my own little flower-finding adventure at my fav location, The Grass Pad. This year, I brought home and planted an entire trunk full of begonias, geraniums, dahlias, and a few other unique looking flowers that I don't remember their names!

With a manicured lawn (thanks Derek!) and flowers galore, everything looks great and I couldn't be happier. As my mom puts it, "Flowers are Nature's Smiles!" and I couldn't agree more. :)

Ford Flex

So we had to take the Explorer in this week for it's 60,000 mile tune-up. Seeing as how it took all day, Derek was given a Ford Flex to temporarily drive.
I pretty much think this car is the most hideous thing out there. It belongs at the beach, with a huge surf board on top and the driver singing to "Summertime" by Will Smith.

Derek does, however, have an awesome talent of making anything look amazing with his playgirl-ish posing and studly good looks. See below for what I mean.



PS - Yes, those are Bob Allen stickers and they were all over the car!

Mulch, Mulch and more Mulch

Before the weekend mulching festivities began, I went to a wedding shower for a friend from work. Erin's wedding is about 5 weeks away!!

After the shower, Derek and I headed to Lowe's to pick up the first round of mulch. Once we had picked weeds out of all the landscaping, trimmed some bushes and sprayed the yard, we put down the first batch. We must have a lot more landscaping than we thought as the original 15 bags didn't cut it.
The yard was only about half mulched when we had to stop to get reach for our 2nd year attending KU's Rock Chalk Ball!
Sunday morning, however, we were back at Lowe's to grab another 15 bags of mulch! You guessed it.... it wasn't enough! After a few more errands, we went back for the final load of mulch. Our yard now looks amazing and it was well worth all of the trips!

Strawberry Spinach Salad

BEWARE - The recipe below is VERY easy to make and VERY healthy.
Proceed with caution. :)
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons dried minced onion
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
10 oz fresh spinach
1 pint strawberries, halved
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (recipe said almonds - but we like walnuts better!)

DIRECTIONS
1. Whisk together the sugar, sesame seeds, sesame oil, poppy seeds, dried onion, paprika, oil and vinegar. Refrigerate until chilled.
2. In a salad bowl, combine the spinach and strawberries. Drizzle with dressing, toss lightly and serve.