"The One Where...I Boycott Walgreens"

(*stepping onto my soapbox*)

This past Sunday, I uploaded my pics from the family reunion weekend to Walgreens online photo services. I have been using them for awhile now for family/friends because it is so easy to pick the pics you want and have them printed at a Walgreens near you and be ready for pick-up in 1 hour.

Well, after this week, I will NEVER be using them again!

My mom selected her photos and an hour later went to Walgreens to pick them up in Mitchell, SD. When she asked for the pictures, the employee told her that she would need a "copyright release" form from the Photographer in order for her to purchase her pictures. This is funny seeing how all the photos came from my Sony Cybershot digital camera! My mom told the Walgreens employee this and he still wouldn't give her the pics. She also asked what right did he have to make the determination whether a photo is "professional quality" or not? These photos had no water-mark on them and were uploaded by a digital camera! Had it been me at that counter, I would have been livid & probably would have said a few things I would have regretted later!

Needless to say, she told him what he could do with the pictures and walked out of there empty handed and immediately called me. The next day I made a phone call to the Walgreens online services customer support and wasn't able to get ahold of anyone - imagine that - so I wrote a nasty email and still haven't heard back from anyone!

I don't know if I should be flattered that Walgreens thought my pictures looked "professional" or pissed that they are able to make that judgement call and deny me my photos! I bet it was those darn photos in the wicker chair that they thought were the professional ones :) Either way, I will NEVER use Walgreens photo services again!

(*stepping down from my soapbox*)

"The One With...A Road Trip to So Dakota"

This weekend Shane & I traveled to my hometown of Mitchell, SD (home of the World's Only Corn Palace) for the weekend for the Freier Family Reunion. We were all gathering together to celebrate my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary as well as my G-ma's 80th birthday and her healthy recovery from a year-long battle with ovarian cancer. It was a fun-filled weekend that went by way to quickly. Here are some of the highlights from the weekend:

We arrived in Mitchell Friday late afternoon and made our way to my aunt & uncle's hunting lodge where all the weekends' festivities were held. We all enjoyed an evening of kabob's & chislic (a family favorite) on the grill, cocktails and several of us participated in the "Best Koozie"and "Most Unusual Beer" Contest. My brother Chris won the "most unusual beer" with his home-brewed beer - which was surprisingly really good! A cowboy boot-shaped koozie ended up being the Best Koozie winner! My niece Joslyn (below) tried to join in the adult cocktail hour & my brother Chris thought this would be a funny picture - sorry mom :)

Saturday ended up being a really busy day for everone. We started the morning by all gathering at a photography studio to get a Freier family portrait taken. It was quite entertaining watching the photographer place us in spots for the photo while keeping the two 9 mos old babies in the family entertained. After all the photos were taken, everyone gathered in the lobby to settle the sitting fee while my sister, Shane and I took a few photos of our own :) Sitting there in the studio was a huge wicker chair which was hysterical to us because this was the same type of wicker chair that was used for my sister's 3rd grade photos as well as my senior photos (which I declined to use) and here it was STILL in a photo studio 20+ years later. We took one look at that and couldn't resist:

Don't you just love wicker as a back-drop??

After much fun at the photographers, we all headed out for a "trip down memory lane" and traveled a few short miles to see the home where my grandfather was born which was also my dad's home until he was seven. The people that own the home now was gracious enough to open it to us and give us a tour. It was fascinating listening to my grandfather share stories of him growing up in that house as well as my dad. The next stop was visiting my grandmother's farm that she grew up on as well as the park she would play in as a young girl. There was an old swing set there at the park and my nephew Tanner & I had to give it a try. He giggled the entire time we were on that swing and my sister couldn't resist a picture!
The next stop was the cemetary where my grandparents parents are buried and then back to the lodge for cocktail hour followed by a formal dinner honoring my grandparents. We started off the meal by all gathering around in a circle and had to say what we were all thankful for which was really nice. Grandma brought us all to tears by saying she was thankful for her health and for having all of us there in her life to support her during her battle with cancer. After dinner, we gathered in the living room and all of us got up and shared with my grandparents our favorite memories with them starting with their children & spouses followed by us grandchildren. It was so neat to hear everyones memories and it made us all feel so lucky to have been blessed by my grandparents love!

The evening ended by playing The Newlywed Game which was hysterical! Shane & I were one of the chosen couples as well as my grandparents, my aunt/uncle and my own parents. We all ended up in a tie at the end and my grandparents were down by a point so we all agreed the couple with the lowest score would win :) It was so much fun and a perfect ending to a wonderful weekend.

Sunday morning we made our way back to Kansas. We were sad to leave everyone in SD but were anxious to get back home seeing how we left the bulldogs in the care of our neighbors Dave & Gael. It was the first time we had left them home alone for that long so we were hoping we weren't going to come home to any disasters. Suprisingly, they did just fine and the house looked just like it did when we left. There were tons of wet, slobbery kisses and butt-wiggles to go around when we got home and we both felt relieved that they were ok.

"The One Where...I Have A B-Day"

This past week was a super busy one and I had something going on every night of the week!

Monday we got a pleasant surprise when my parents dear friends Ralph & Betty Boone called saying they were in town and wanted to stop by to visit and see the house. Our family has known this couple from as far back as I can remember - probably 20+ years and they always come to my parents house over around the holidays while all us kids are home to visit. They came over after dinner and we all enjoyed cocktails on the patio and over 2 hours of catching up! It was so nice to see them and we look forward to seeing them again over Christmas!

Tuesday when I arrived home from work, I found Millie playing with a new ball and couldn't figure out where it came from....until I noticed what USED to be the yellow Kong Wubba laying on the floor all shredded to bits! Silly Millie! She is SO proud of herself and in hog-heaven with her new ball! There went another $12 down the drain!

Wednesday after work I went and got my hair cut and my brows waxed. Now that my hair is shorter I am on the "every 9 weeks" plan which is always here before I know it. No big deal though, since I look forward to seeing my stylist Emily and catching up as well as being "pampered" by her :)

Thursday night my neighbor Gael had a Premier Jewelry party that I attended. I was a bit leary about going because you always feel impelled to buy something that you really don't need just to be nice, right?! Well, I was pleasantly surprised when I found that I was not able to contain myself with all the fabulous "bling" around me and I couldn't wait to get out the checkbook! It ended up being alot of fun, the jewelry was VERY affordable and I was SO glad that I went! The hostess did a great job at keeping everyone entertained and I was even suckered into having my own jewelry party in October - so those of you that live near me, you'll be getting an invite ;) I ended up buying an "early" B-Day present for myself which consisted of 2 necklaces, 2 bracelets & earrings (thanks to Shane & Mom :) and have a few more items on my "wish" list which I will be getting at my own party!

On Friday, my co-workers all brought food in for an early B-Day lunch and surprised me with flowers and a White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake made by my friend Stetson (who professionally makes & sells them) and they are YUMMY! Everyone signed a funny B-Day card and just made the day a special one!

Saturday was the big day - my Birthday! I am now over the hump of my mid 30's and on the down-slope to my 40's - SCARY thought! I started my day by sleeping in - which was awesome - and awoke to coffee made and a beautiful card by my husband. Shane took me out to lunch at Jack Stack BBQ (my favorite BBQ in KC) and then we made a stop to Sam's Club and headed home. We were going to see a movie but unfortunately I am on call all this week and we didn't feel like paying all that money and risking it. I spent the rest of the afternoon on the patio reading my book, soaking in the sun and enjoying the day. My dear friend Jill stopped by to give me a B-Day gift which were to KU folding lawn chairs - which I have been looking all over for - so I was super excited to have gotten them. Later that evening, our neighbors Dave & Gael had us over for dinner & cocktails & I brought leftover cheesecake from the day before. We had a great time hanging out with them and are SO thankful for such wonderful neighbors!

Sunday morning I got up early while Shane and the bullies slept in - which is unusual since Shane is always up before me! I made coffee, read the newspaper, paid bills, checked email and updated the blog and still noone stirred so it was a peaceful morning. At around 9am I went to check on everyone to make sure they were still breathing and I couldn't resist taking this picture of Shane & Bentley in the bed. And YES, that is my pillow that Bentley is sleeping on! Spoiled rotten bully!

Later on that morning, I met up with my girlfriends Mindy and Nikki for brunch at Sweet Tomatoes - which was super yummy! We enjoyed our time together laughing and catching up and it was SO good to get to see them. They both surprised me with a gift certificate to Beauty Brands for my B-Day so it looks like I will be scheduling either a facial or a massage sometime soon :)

So, this about sums up my week! As you can see, it was a busy one! Next weekend we are off to South Dakota for the Freier Family Reunion so I will provide an update when we return! Until then...

"The One With...A Fun-Filled Weekend"

This weekend was filled with FUN and flew by much quicker than I would have liked! I really could use one more day just to recoup!

*cough cough* hmm...I suddenly am not feeling well ;)

Friday night was my monthly Girls Game Night gathering. We all met at Erinn's house and spent the first couple of hours snacking, drinking, and chatting like most girls do when they get together. The game for the evening was Rockband on X Box - one that has never been attempted at game night. Let me just say I have been going to game night for little over a year now and this was the funnest evenings we have had yet! We all took turns singing on the mic, playing guitar and the drums to songs like Metallica, Oasis, Bon Jovi...just to name a few! The evening got even more interesting when all the husbands came over for game festivities - which was a FIRST - seeing how it is GIRLS game night :)

A little after midnight we had an "unexpected" guest as there was a cop at the front door. I guess earlier a neighbor had come over to the house knocking/ringing the doorbell to complain about the noise level and no one heard the door over all the loud music and talking, so the neighbor called the police on us!Needless to say we only received a verbal warning and had to turn down the bass so it wasn't so loud! We all had a good laugh and now a good story to share at future game nights :)

A big thanks to Melissa for being our "photographer" that evening :)

Saturday night my girlfriend Heather (HK) and I threw a "surprise" Bachelorette Party for our friend Jennifer. She had NO clue we were planning this and the look on her face when we told her was priceless! We had all the guests meet us out for dinner at a super fun greek restaurant named Tasso's. This place has live music, belly dancers, lots of "plate-breaking", ouzo shots being poured left & right and the entire wait-staff is yelling out "Opa" every 10 minutes! It was SO much fun! Jennifer thought we were all there to celebrate my upcoming B-Day but soon after we ordered dinner she found out the REAL reason everyone was gathered together! We all showered her with fun gag gifts and "dressed" her for the evening out with the girls!

After dinner we all headed up to the Northland to The Legends for some drinks and booty shakin'! It ended up being a late night and today I feel like I definitely "shook my money maker"! I keep forgetting that I'm not in my 20's and dancing in high heels doesn't do my body good! The evening turned out to be a huge success and a great time was had by all - especially the bride-to-be :)

"The One With...Proud Aunt pics"

This adorable little "chunky monkey" is my nephew Tanner - or as I like to call him "Tan Man" or "Tan Tan")! He just had his 9 mos old photo shoot and wanted to share a few of his pics! I get to see this cute lil' guy in 2 weeks as well as my 9 mos old niece Joslyn so look for more pics to follow soon with Aunt Heather :)

"The One Where...I ask WHY?"

For some reason, this past week every little thing has annoyed me - maybe it's hormones? - or maybe it's just that there are too many villages missing an idiot?!? Regardless, here are a few of the thoughts of have pondered this week....

*WHY do elderly people line the rear-view window with stuffed animals and bobble-heads? I just don't get it! Do they seriously think it is "cute"? Personally, I think it is quite distracting and somewhat disturbing!

*WHY is it when I park out in the middle of nowhere to purposely avoid being "door-dinged" by someone, it never fails to see that upon my return another car has parked right next to me!? Can they not park in the 50+ other vacant spots around my vehicle?

*WHY when people are talking do they say 'supposebly' instead of 'supposedly' or 'drawl' instead of 'draw'? Oh and my favorite - 'ax' instead of 'ask'?

*WHY do drivers speed up when they know that the lane is ending up ahead in bumper to bumper traffic and they expect someone to let them in at the last minute!?! You know what I say to these idiots? "Hell to the NO you aren't cutting in front of me!" and laugh when everyone else doesn't let them into the lane!

*WHY is it that people who can't smoke in restaurants end up smoking outside right in front of the doorway so you end up walking through a cloud of smoke anyway?

*WHY do people ride your ass and then speed around you only to meet up with you at the red light ahead?!? All I can say is YOU WIN buddy - good for you!!!

*WHY is it when you have extra money to spend you can't find anything to buy at the store but the week you are broke you find lots of stuff to spend money on?!?

*WHY do people honk their horn at you the nano-second the light changes to green? Can't they see I have a big vehicle? It takes a minute to get that beast going for gosh sakes!

*sigh* I could keep going on and on but I will save you from all the babbling! Hopefully next week is a much less irritating one :) I will be working at the South location all next week so less travel time in the car and less time actually working - woo hoo! Please feel free to share your "WHY's" or pet peeves if you got 'em - I know you all can come up with a few :)

"The One Where...7 girls + lake wknd = FUN"

This past weekend, me and my dear friend Jill road-tripped with 5 other girlfriends down to the Lake of the Ozarks for a much-needed girls weekend. Hey, if the hubby can have a boys weekend then I am entitled to mine :) We left on Friday morning and returned Sunday late afternoon tan and exhausted from a super fun weekend!

The condo we rented turned out to be a really nice place with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (which were greatly appreciated with 7 women trying to get ready), a nice kitchen, living room and an awesome patio that overlooked the pools and lake.

Our first day there consisted of lounging poolside, enjoying ice cold alcoholic beverages and endulging in the many snacks that everyone brought. We met some of the "locals" there and had a great time visiting & hanging out with them. On Saturday, we headed to an awesome outlet mall where we shopped the morning away. I spent way too much money but ended up getting some great deals, several cute outfits for Vegas and a new Fossil watch - my "guilt" didn't seem to last long! We all had lunch at Panera and headed back to the condo for some more pool-time! After a long afternoon pool-side and a few too many drinks, we made our way back so we could all get ready for a night out on the town. Since we didn't want to drink & drive, we called a cab to take us a whole 3 miles to our destination which ended up costing us $25 one-way. I guess that is the price you pay for arriving safely!?! We went to a local favorite called "Backwater Jacks" which ended up being alot of fun. It was located on the lake and was all open to the outside. There was a live band playing 80's & 90's music which was alot of fun. We had their famous "Pain in the Ass" drink which was a combination of a pina colada & a rum runner and was very yummy! We were quite disappointed when the band ended at 11pm and later found out the bar closed at midnight! We were so bummed seeing how we were just getting started for the night :( So, we called for a cab and another $25 later, we ended up safely back at the condo.

We decided to continue our party down at the docks checking out all the huge boats and mingling with the "locals" whom we had gotten to know over the weekend. We didn't get in until well after 2am and were up early Sunday morning to pack, clean up the condo and get breakfast before we left for Kansas City.

We were sad to see our weekend come to an end so soon but I think we were all secretly ready to get back to reality and to our own beds! It was a weekend filled with good friends, good times, tons of laughter and memories for a lifetime and we have 100+ pics to show for it :) We had so much fun that we are already planning for the lake weekend for 2009!

"The One Where...We Plan A Vacation"

It is official...we just booked an "end-of-summer" vacation and are headed to Vegas in September. Our neighbors and a good friend of ours will also be there at the same time so fun is sure to be had by all. We are actually flying in a few days before they all arive so we can go do some sight-seeing. Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, the Grand Canyon and Red Rock Canyon are all on the list. If anyone has any good tips to pass along or definite "must sees" please feel free to comment! We have never been to Vegas so all "tips" are helpful!

"The One Where...It's Been Awhile"

Wow - 2 weeks! That's how long it's been since I have last made a blog entry! Deep down I knew this would be tough to keep up every week! Looks like I have a lot of catching up to do?!?

Let's see, where did I last leave off? Ahh yes, the weekend my relatives were in town! July 4th was pretty much an uneventful holiday. We spent the evening of the 5th with our neighbors in the cul-de-sac grilling out, having a few adult beverages and letting off a few fireworks. I can't express to you all enough what wonderful neighbors we have. We are always getting together to spend endless nights sitting out in the cul-de-sac talking about anything & everything! It will be a very sad day when any one of us move out of the 'hood!

The following work week went by fast. Managed to save a few people at work and continue to stomp out heart disease.

On Thursday, Shane left town for a "boys weekend" and headed to Pryor, OK for a 4 day rockfest called "Rocklahoma 2008"! Rocklahoma is the world's largest Rock Festival featuring bands from the eighties. People come from all fifty states to this event and every continent in the world with Antarctica being the only exception. Bring on the 80's big hair, leather pants and mullets! Here is a picture of the "Rockstar" himself from the weekend:

Since the hubby was out of town, I decided to host the monthly Girls Game Night which is always fun! For those of you that don't know what game night is all about let me fill you in. Over a year ago, I was walking the bulldogs around the neighborhood and met Melissa who was walking her chocolate lab named Dakota. She invited me to a Game Night where several girls from the subdivision get together every 2nd Friday of the month. Whoever is hosting for the evening provides the beverages and game to be played and everyone brings an appetizer to share. It is a great way to meet people in your neighborhood and make some new friends as well. So far the list is up to 15 girls and always growing. I have been participating for a year and 1/2 now and this past Friday was my 3rd time being the "hostess with the mostest" :)

On Saturday morning I took Neo to Petsmart to be groomed. While there, I bought Millie a new Cuz dinosaur, Bubba a new Kong toy and Neo treats. I get home, give everyone their new stuff and go about cleaning the house. About 10 minutes later, I see Bubba with Millies' toy in his mouth with the tail half chewed off and the squeaker no longer squeaks! Another $8 down the drain! Regardless of the incident, Millie still LOVES her new toy - despite the missing tail! I swear they are like children - can't take your eyes off of them for even a minute!

Well, there you go! That should put everyone up to date thus far. I will try my best and post another blog this weekend....don't hold your breath though :) Until then...

"The One With...The City Girl"

So this week my aunt, uncle and cousin from South Dakota are in town for the National Jr. Shorthorn Competition at the American Royale! Who knew there was such a thing? I definitely didn't! My cousin is showing several cows (as I like to call them) in this event and I was politely corrected by my uncle that they are not cows but rather heifers and/or steers. Ooops - silly me!

So I had a 1/2 day at work today and thought I would drive myself down to the Amer. Royale area and watch my cousin and visit with my aunt & uncle for a few hours. Now when I left the house this morning, I obviously didn't think about putting on my "cow-watching" apparel. After what I witnessed this afternoon, I should have definitely re-thought my decision when I got dressed this morning. I put on cute little white shorts, with a matching tank top and my black Rainbow flip-flops thinking this would be good to wear incase it was a hot/muggy day out. So I left work and headed downtown - DEEP downtown - into what I like to call the West Bottoms from Hell! I had to take a detour into unknown territory which made me really nervous. Then I had to drive across a huge bridge that I swear was going to collapse at any minute. Next I took a scenic tour all around the AR area looking for my relatives. I finally parked the vehicle 20 minutes later amongst 100's of big dually trucks and made my way into the cattle barn....mind you, I have cute little flip flops on...OH and carrying my big Coach bag :) My uncle meets me outside and leads me through the cow barn where my aunt is. My eyes got real big as I was not prepared for what lay ahead of me! I had to walk through cow-urine-soaked mulch and dodge the cow poo piles and puddles from washing the cows in my now not-so-cute Rainbow flip-flops! My aunt is seated on the top of the metal bleachers which are somewhat covered in dirt/cow manure/unknown residue and I sit my butt down with yes, my white shorts on. I had nowhere to put my purse and feared if I laid it down on the bleacher it would have fell off and landed in a pile of poo so I just held it in my lap. Once I sat down and got settled in, I looked around and noticed the majority of the people there were in jeans, cowboy boots/hats, big flashy belts (which I liked with all the bling on them), t-shirts, etc. and then there was me in my white shorts, flip-flops and Coach bag! How I looked must have screamed "Johnson County Diva" to them all! (You must live around here to get that joke :)

After my cousin finished showing her steer we walked back through the cattle barn, dodging cattle left and right in the aisles like they were people and walked to their camper so we could visit awhile which was really nice since I hadn't seen them since X-mas! After being there a couple of hours I decided to make my way home...through rush hour traffic...on I-35 at 4:30pm...the evening before the holiday weekend! Can you say CRAZY?!? And to think, we are going back on Saturday? You can bet I will be dressing "down" for the occasion :) One thing is for sure - you can take me out of the city...but you can never take the city OUT of me! And to think I grew up on a farm!?!

"The One With...2 Bathing "Bullies"

After seeing the video, I know what you are thinking - "that girl needs to have her some kids!" I mean seriously, who buys a kiddie pool just for their dogs?!? I guess I do! Call me crazy, but these are our "kids" - they are just the furry kind and I think they love that little pool more than kids do :) This summer we actually had to "upgrade" the little 4' pool to the much bigger 6' pool since the addition of Millie. You can imagine my conversation with the lady at the Wal-Mart during checkout. She started to make "small talk" & asked me how old my kids were (as if buying a kiddie pool is used specifically for kids?!) I told her 3 & 2 years old. She then asked me their names & I said Bubba & Millie. She gave me an odd look - as if those were weird names for kids!? I then said "yah, they are pretty hairy so the pool keeps them cool on a hot day!" She stopped scanning my items & gave me another weird look. At this point, I had had enough fun with her so I told her I had 2 Bulldogs who love to lay in the pool & I was buying it for them. She laughed & started to tell me this lengthy story about her crazy brothers' girlfriends' mother who had an even crazier uncle who had a grandfather who once owned a Bulldog....I should have just kept my mouth shut! Note to self: never make small-talk with the Wal-Mart cashiers! After about 10 minutes of listening to this ladies story, I finally escaped the conversation and headed home with the new pool. I filled it up, let the dogs out and they couldn't jump in it fast enough. After about 10 minutes, a few pictures and $20 spent filling the pool with water they bullies were done. They jumped out, did a couple of shakes & wiggles and that was it. Their fun (and mine) was over....until next weekend when the pool adventures continue :)

"The One Where...The Countdown Begins"

Woo hoo! Just incase you were wondering, Christmas is exactly 6 months away! Those that know me, know about my obsession with the Christmas holiday! It is my absolute favorite time of year & when I get into that holiday spirit, you better watch out (...you better not cry...lol - I just suddenly broke out in a X-mas song - see, I'm a freak!) My holiday spirit begins the 2nd week of November when the local radio station (Star 102.1) starts playing X-mas music, the Hobby Lobby starts putting out all the X-mas trees & decorations & after I have attended the annual Holiday Mart. The spirit doesn't end until New Years Day & then I about go into a state of depression after I have taken down the tree & the many decorations around the house. I'll have you know that I'm not the only one who is obsessed with Christmas - my girlriends HK & Deanna (pic below) share my love for the holiday season also - this is probably one of the reasons why we are such great friends :) So start "socking" money away for all those X-mas presents you'll be buying in a few months. We are half way there....

The Mid-America Heart Institute Elves - HT, Deanna & HK