My husband and father had a fun time changing out our master bathroom faucets tonight. It was desperately needed as our old faucets (probably originals) were starting to look really crummy and gross.
Despite my arguments though, Derek wanted to do this project "himself" (obviously with my dads supervision). I secretly smiled to myself after realizing that this "2 hour project" was probably going to end up taking 4 or more. I secretly smiled even larger when I heard water spraying everywhere and I was being screamed at to get as many towels as I could.... FAST!
And no, there's no conclusion to this post because they are still in there slaving away. Hopefully within the next couple of hours (or at least under 8) we'll have 2 new bright and shiny faucets!
For now, I'll leave you with a glimpse of the "Faucet Fun"!
Remember Terri Schiavo? That won't be me! Derek finalized our will and living will documents and we had them officially signed and notarized on Friday!
It was somewhat depressing, yes, but at the same time was a relief to know that our assets as are fully covered and our future children will be all set should anything happen to us!
The only thing left to figure out.... who gets our 4-legged children! :)
It happens about once a year. I refer to it as the "Annual Skin Removal Process" and it works best when running outside on hard, scratchy surfaces. i wish it was a facial procedure that would make me look 20 again, but it's actually a removal of knee skin that occurs when one does not pick up their feet completely when jogging. This bit of fun revealed it's ugly face again on my morning run today and below is what my once "good knee" now looks like. I wish it ended there, but somehow I managed to hurt my ankle, shoulder, hands and elbow also. I'd give the performance about a 9.5 and so would the school kids waiting for their bus who witnessed the entire debacle. It's pretty much a surface injury as I don't feel like I pulled anything or messed up any joints. This means my long run tomorrow, however, is postponed one day in order to let this baby heal a bit. For now, neosporin, Tylenol and bandaids will do the trick....along with maybe a bit of Sangria and a sympathy back rub by my wonderful husband.
I can't believe I only started this journey less than a year ago and have posted 100 times! I also can't believe we were in Europe 11 months ago as it seems like we JUST were standing under the Eiffel Tower enjoying a romantic smooch.
I hope this blog gives my friends and family and entertaining read and is a way to keep everyone updated on what Derek and I are up to. Besides that, it's so much fun to see who ends up here across the world! Currently, the UK and Canada are not too far behind the US in blog views, but I've reached much farther! Check out the map of all the areas shaded in green where people have clicked on a link.
Most surprising countries who've been on my blog: Greece, Peru, Suriname.... and where the heck is Malta?!
For anyone who loved reading Marley and Me, this will be your next favorite READ! This book, written by Garth Stein, tell the story of companionship during the best of times and the worst of times told through the voice of Enzo, a golden retriever. If you've ever thought that your dogs know what you're saying to them, or are trying to talk back to you through their eyes, then this book is for you!
This heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope, is a well-crafted and amazingly captivating look at the wonders of human life. You will laugh and cry through this unforgettable journey.... and what's even better is that it's written by Enzo himself!
Such a great song and we only did about 74 dances to that song my senior year of being on the Pacesetters Dance Team!
It's been a decade since that senior year at Shawnee Mission South and this past weekend we celebrated this event at our 10-year reunion. About 100 or so of my classmates attended the festivities held at he Berg Event Space Saturday night.
To start the night off, I hosted a small "pre-party" at my house with four of my high school dance team friends. We indulged on some finger foods, drank some sangria and reminisced about those fun years. There was, of course, a yearbook appearance as well along with some Raider colored green and gold napkins and plates.
It was such a fun time and so nice to catch up with a couple of the girls whom it's been forever since I've seen last. Little Madeline even joined us and Bailey loved getting her all excited and playing with her (right)!
And just like at Derek's reunion, it wasn't long before the "who got really fat" and "who got boob jobs" conversations started to swirl! Overall, it was a really fun night and was so great to catch up with so many old friends.
"There's nothing greater than a Raider" GO SOUTH! :)
My little angelic bear turned 2 years old Sunday! I can't believe she's already 14 years old in human years! She has matured so much and has turned into a wonderful dog for us. We are so blessed to have found her even though she hogs the bed and suffers from A.D.D.! We couldn't have asked for a more happy dog whom we trust around anyone and anything and is so fun to be around. From the day we picked her out from the Kansas City Humane Society (left), she has melted our hearts and made our family complete!
Here she was just a couple months after birth -
And here she was this weekend indulging in her birthday cake from Land of Paws. (And yes, Lacy got half the cake).
Then we played her favorite game in the world for quite some time - BALL FETCH! (the tennis ball is in between her legs in the pic!) HAPPY BIRTHDAY BAILEY!!
It was 10 years ago this weekend when my family was moving me into GSP at KU. I finally felt like a free adult and was so excited to be done with high school and starting my Freshman year in college. I was born a Jayhawk and couldn't wait to experience this amazing school on my own!
The memories all came back again Friday when we helped move Whitney into her dorm at KU. From the guys around campus checking out the 'fresh meat' to the girls all dressed to impress, not a ton had changed since that weekend 10 years ago. There was so much excitement in the air and Whitney was on cloud 9 as she met her roommates and prepared their dorm suite by asking all the important questions; Who gets the bottom bunk? Which desk are you claiming? Where will we put the keg? (J/K Lesa!)
Matt decided to check out the amenities and is very thankful that he'll never have to squeeze into that shower!
Enjoy college Whit! We are so excited that you decided to join the Jayhawk tradition and we know you will do so well up there. It's only 4 years, but will include some of the best times of your life!
I was playing with Bailey last night and was gouged by these things! Looks like someone is in need of a good clipping before we have friends over Saturday night!
Does anyone else have a heart attack before every clip when they do their dogs nails? I just get major anxiety that I'm going to hurt her and it is NOT a fun chore.
While trimming my front yard bushes today, I noticed a couple wasps flying around this bush - Only when I finished and was cleaning up the trimmings did I notice this sucker hanging on a limb with several wasps flying around it! I literally almost chopped the nest in half which would have resulted in an afternoon of NO FUN! (Note: no wasps were harmed in the destroying of their home and taking of these pictures... all flew away safely and without injuring the photographer.)
If you spotted Derek darting through oncoming traffic on Pflumn this past weekend, here’s why.
On Saturday morning, Derek was picked up by his friends to golf. Once they decided who was driving (he didn’t get the short straw), he tossed his keys onto the back of his closed trunk and was off. Fast forward 5 hours later when we were getting ready to head out for the evening and the keys were nowhere to be found. I’m asked “did you leave them on the back of the car when you went to the Farmers Market?” I had NO clue what he was talking about until he explained the situation..... and went on to blame me for not noticing they were there.
After several round of this (not so fun) game, we decided to re-drive the route I had taken earlier that day with the hope that they maybe just slid off the back of the car and were laying in the street. About 10 minutes in (those suckers apparently held on for life!), Derek spotted them in the road and we were jumping with joy. It wasn’t until after a few minutes of running in between cars when he finally retrieved them and I could tell by the look on his face that something was wrong.
He got in the car and handed me these. Rolled over, thrown around, beat up, but yet still all on the chain. At least we know that our house can't be broken into now with half the key missing!
** Feel free to cast your vote in our 'battle of the sexes'! Was Derek at fault for leaving them on the back of the car without telling me? Or was it my fault for not having magic powers and automatically checking the back of the car for anything left behind?! Only you can help decide!
After a bit of research and calling around, we finally settled on having our Family Boating Day this past weekend at Hillsdale Lake. After a quick lunch, we all boarded the 10-person pontoon and were off for a day full of leisurely relaxing out on the water. The weather was amazing(not a cloud in the sky), it wasn't unbearably hot and the wind was minimal. A perfect boating day right?
There was, however, one HUGE problem. I think this past weekend must have been horse-fly mating season. That, or Lindsey's BRIGHT green swimsuit was attracting the biggest of those suckers and they would NOT leave us alone. We probably murdered 18 of those flesh-eating insects and yet, Lindsey still ended up getting bit!
Yes, we're pretty much all fried. Yes, there was a swimsuit malfunction. And yes, a pair of sunglasses was donated to the local fish. But overall, it was a great day and we all had tons of fun! Can't wait to try out another lake with my family.... and maybe this time, Mike will have found a new swimsuit that wasn't 23 sizes too big for him.
This past weekend, Derek had his 10 year high school reunion and it was a blast! Our friends had a bunch of people over for some food and drinks to enjoy before the shenanigans started later that night. The yearbooks came out and so did the stories! At about 8pm, we all ventured down to the reunion and the gossip began flying! From finding out who became strippers, to who has 6 kids now, to who made it big....it was a night full of great stories and catching up!
Most of Derek's good friends were there and we had a great time (even though we did leave our credit card at the bar)! It set a high bar for my reunion coming up here in a few weeks!
This past Sunday, Derek and I ventured out to Pomona, Kansas (population 1,000) to surprise his great aunt, Reta, for her 90th birthday get together. And no, we didn't throw on the lights and yell "SURPRISE"; because at 90 years old, you just never know how strong the heart is. Instead, as she unknowingly walked into the room, everyone started singing Happy Birthday. She was so overwhelmed with emotion to have all of her living siblings there and to be surrounded by about 50-60 of her closest friends and family.
Here's to you Reta! At 90 years old, you're still driving, playing cards with your friends and living the good life! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
So after seeing Food Inc on Thursday with some friends, I couldn't WAIT to visit Kansas City's biggest farmers market, the Riverside City Market. This morning, we made the 30 minute haul down to the market and after 45 minutes of colorful sites and delicious bites, I am HOOKED! It was so chaotic, yet peaceful. Everyone seemed to be in the best mood and I love knowing what/who I'm supporting. I've tried for a couple years to buy organic when there's an option and only (and I mean only) buy free range eggs after seeing a documentary on caged hens. Open year round, this little slice of heaven made my day. Derek and I are cooking up some string beans and cutting our fresh cantaloupe to enjoy with dinner as I type! For dessert - a yummy, Mennonite baked, organic dutch apple pie that we saw! As most of you know, I LOVE flower shopping and planting and was overwhelmed by the beautiful stems at several booths. I can't WAIT to go back this fall and load up on mums! I'm definitely hooked on this place and will be back soon!
7/25 UPDATE - Went to the Downtown Overland Park Famers Market today and although it's smaller, the food looked just as good and took me 1/2 the time to get there. Overall, I have fun and enjoy walking around at either one!
Derek has a natural ability to calm babies in any situation. It's actually an awesome talent to have seeing as we'll have children of our own someday. Derek's basically a live-in snake charmer for kids. When our children won't stop crying, I simply will do the 'ole hand-off to Derek and let him work his magic! This trait will be taken full advantage of whenever possible in my house!
The little one in these pictures is my high school friend, Beth's, new little girl; Lotus Charlotte. . She was born June 3rd and weighed in at 10 pounds, 1 oz! She has the cutest, squishy wrinkles and pretty blue eyes. As much as Jeff doesn't want to admit it, I think she's got a red tint to her hair, just like her mother.
Thanks Beth for letting us visit the newest of your family members!
This past weekend, Derek and I spent a day with his family helping his grandma move from her house in a tiny town called Lamont, to her new home in Enid, Oklahoma. Grandma Brewer has pretty much lived in Lamont for the past 50 years of her life on farms and is now in her first maintenance-free townhome with actual, real neighbors! Friday night was spent with all of Grandma Brewers children (minus one daughter from Kentucky) and some of their family members reminiscing through old pictures and telling stories of the old days on the farm. On Saturday, I went to Lowe's and picked out flowers to pot and put on her new back porch.
After we helped pick some weeds and hang some pictures, we all enjoyed a big lunch shortly before hitting the road. Derek and I were off to Oklahoma City to spend the rest of the weekend with our good friends Craig and Michelle. We spent all night at Bricktown after a good, grilled dinner and then wound down watching Saw 5 starting at like 1am. Michelle and I love these clever, gory movies and it somehow makes it more fun to watch them after a long night of drinking! Sunday morning we awoke to wrinkly pugs 2 inches away, staring at us while we slept on the aero bed. We freshened up and were off to the pool while the guys played some golf. After a quick shower, we all grabbed a bite to eat from the Spaghetti Warehouse and then hit the road for the drive home!
It was a great weekend full of old memories shared and new memories made. We somehow managed to survive the 104 - 107 degree weather while we were there and are definitely enjoying being back in the cool, 80 degree weather!
Last night around 9pm, Derek and I headed into the bedroom to wind down and watch a bit of the tube before we went to sleep. As we entered the bedroom, we immediately smelled this horrid, urine stench and then saw the evidence. On my side of the bed, the comforter had been pulled back and there was a urine stain as big as Rhode Island all over the sheets. And it wasn't just a sprinkle on the top layer. This urine covered about a 4th of the bed and went all the way past both sheets, our down filled fiber bed and the mattress cover to the mattress itself. Lacy was found hiding with a face that said "don't kill me" and because of that we knew it was her who had done the deed.
We're really not sure if this is evidence of a 7-year old losing her ability to hold her pee or if it was a 7-year old jealous of the 2-year old getting more attention these days. Whether old age, or childish jealousy, we've never experienced that amount of urine in the house, let alone the BED! Lacy is a very well-trained member of our family who knows how to get our attention if she needs to go outside.
Let's just hope in this situation that it was a one-time accident as I'm just not ready to start investing in Doggy Depends.
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 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
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 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
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!
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!
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...
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!
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!
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