Ladies Night

Since Shane was working late this evening, I ended up meeting my cul-de-sac neighbors for a much needed girls-night-out. It has been forever since just us girls have gotten together so I was very looking forward to catching up with them all. My next door neighbor Julie - who moved last month with her family to Pittsburg, KS - even made the trip back for the nights festivities so it was so great to get to see her.

We all met at My Big Fat Greek Restaurant for dinner & enjoyed catching up with each other, the greek food, the fun atmosphere & we laughed until tears were streaming down our face - literally.

After dinner a few of the girls decided they wanted to learn the greek dance that the staff was doing so our waitress was kind enough to show them how it is done:

L - R: our waitress, Gael, Linda & Julie

They did really good for their first time & were quite entertaining to watch dance all the way around the restaurant.

After dinner, we all headed to AMC 30 for the showing of 50/50. It is a film that is based on the life of screenwriter Will Reiser & it was a really good movie that made you laugh & cry both at the same time. I didn't care for how the movie ended but the rest of the movie I thoroughly enjoyed. HT definitely gives it 2 thumbs up - just be sure to bring kleenex!

Thanks ladies for such a fun evening out! Can't wait to get to do it again with all of you!

Home Makeover

So you may be wondering why I have been MIA these past couple of weeks & not done much posting!?!

Well, my husband decided a couple of months ago it was time to paint the exterior of our house. I thought great - I will start shopping around & getting some estimates on painters.

Um - wrong!

My darling husband informed me that there would be no need for hiring painters because WE were going to paint the house ourselves.

Say what???

Yeah - you read that right! So Shane took last week off of work & got the house ready to paint by power washing it, caulking it & even replacing some wood rotted trim.

Starting this weekend, I had a paint-brush in my hand from sun up until sun down both days while spending quality-time with the hubby (as he calls it) & painting away until I just couldn't paint any more. We managed to finish the front & one side of the house in 2 days - by ourselves & I must say I am loving the color!

So forgive me if the blog is lacking in posts for the next few weeks. I usually write all my posts on the weekends but I am pretty sure I will be spending my next few weekends with a paint brush in hand.

Will post before & after pictures once we are all finished!

Stay tuned...

Happy Hour

Tonight I met the girls for a long overdue happy hour at our favorite "after work" hangout - Rudy's! We enjoyed our usual chips, salsa & strawberry margaritas & shared in many laughs. It has been a couple months since we have all been together like this so it was great to get to catch up with everyone.

Love quality-time with my besties :)

Bullie-Sitting

So this past week we had some guests stay with us. My dear friend Samantha asked us if we would be interested in "bully-sitting" her bulldog puppies for 5 days & I immediately said YES! Was I crazy? Probably but I love her "babies" & couldn't wait to have all that puppy breath to myself for a few days :)

Sam & her boyfriend Jason dropped off Maggie (9 mos) & Miles (7 mos) Tuesday after work & the introduction with our dogs seemed to go well. Millie was a bit "dominant" over the puppies but by the next day she was over it & it was all good.

It was interesting having bully puppies in the house again as I had forgotten how wild, playful & mischievous they are. Our bulldogs are lazy & either sit there hanging out with you wherever you are or are sleeping & Neo is always laying on his "throne" up in the living room so it was definitely an adjustment chasing puppies around & watching their every move.

For the 5 days that they were with us Maggie & Miles behaved SO well. No accidents, no chewing on things other than toys, they didn't make a peep while in their kennel, they LOVED to be outside, & loved chewing & playing with all of our dogs toys & were SO sweet. I think they had a good time & by the time Sunday came around, we were getting used to the idea of having them around. It was actually sad to see them go & I may or may not have had tears in my eyes when they left :( BUT by the next day I must say it was nice to get things back to the way it used to be!

We told Samantha & Jason that the "babies" can come & stay ANYTIME so I am hoping she takes us up on it. It will be fun to have them over when they are a little older & be able to "play" with our big bullies.

Here are a few pics from our week:

Miles & Maggie - "Treat? Yes please!"

Maggie in the Big Bullies bed - "Nom nom nom"

Miles with a Cuz ball

Big Brother

Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE the show Big Brother. For those of you who don't know what BB is, it is a TV show in which a group of people live together in a large house, isolated from the outside world for almost 3 months & are continuously watched by television cameras. One house guest is voted off each week until there are only 2 left standing. The person voted for by the evicted house guests wins $500,000. I have watched all 13 seasons of BB. It is very addictive & I look SO forward to watching it every summer.

It begins the first week of July, lasts until mid September & is on 3 nights a week. I started out watching this show with my brother Steve when he lived with me during the summers & then I got my husband hooked on it. A couple months ago during dinner with the game-night girls, we all discovered that we were all watching it & decided to get together for the finale.

So on finale night we headed over to Melissa's for snacks, beverages & the end to BB for the season. Surprisingly, we were all "Team Rachel" but the majority didn't start out that way beginning of the season. She ended up winning the money & sadly, another season of Big Brother came to a close.

As always, it was much fun to spend the evening with these girls: Melissa, Michelle, Me & Natalie

Until next season...

Treat

Know what I love about living in a small town???

Sonic & being able to go there in my pajamas :)

Thanks to my hubby for the Sunday night treat!

9-11

I remember the day like it was yesterday - as most people do. It was 7:55am & I was walking into St. Lukes Hospital for work. As I passed our patient waiting room, I noticed a group of people gathered around the TV & stopped to see what everyone was looking at. The first plane had just hit the North tower & I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

Unfortunately, I had to get changed into my scrubs & report to work so I was unable to see or hear what had all happened the next few hours until lunch time. I sat glued to the TV during my 45 minute lunch break & I don't think I was even able to eat. What I was seeing was all so surreal.

And now here we are 10 years later - which doesn't seem possible. I ended up saving the newspaper from the day after the 9-11 tragedy & haven't taken it out of it's plastic wrap. It sits in a drawer & hasn't been touched since the day I put it away. Not sure what I will do with it in the future but for now it is a reminder of that one day I will never forget.

My thoughts & prayers go out to all of the families who lost loved ones on 9/11/01 & whose lives were forever changed on this day 10 years ago.

9.11.01 - May we never forget.

SPIN

I ran into my dear friend Mindy at the Maroon 5 concert Sunday night & after chatting with her we both realized that it had been WAY too long since we had seen each other. So we agreed to meet up for dinner ASAP - which ended up being this evening.

We met at SPIN after work & spent over 2 hours catching up over a bottle of wine & some dee-lish salad & pizza. We eventually made a pact that we would never let anything more than 6 weeks go by again without getting together.

Looking forward to many more outings with this very special girlfriend!

Moves Like Jagger

I woke up early, said farewell to my family & made my way back to Kansas in a crisp 46 degree South Dakota morning. No top down for me this time :(

Rolled back into town around 3pm, kissed the furries, unpacked, jumped in the shower & an hour later I was off again to meet my girlfriends for a concert out at Starlight Theater. The entertainers for the night was Train & Maroon 5. I have been looking forward to this concert since the day I bought the tickets. I LOVE both these bands & couldn't wait to see them. I was originally supposed to go with my friend Jilly but unfortunately she became ill earlier in the morning so I called my girlfriend Melissa to see if she was able to go. She jumped at the chance to come along & I was glad that she could join me but was also sad that Jilly wasn't feeling well & unable to go :(

Melissa picked me up & we made our way out to Starlight. We were meeting my co-worker Lori & her girlfriend Laura as well but we first made a point to nibble on some app's & have a cocktail before heading in to find our seats.

We eventually made our way inside just in time to see the opening act: Matt Nathanson. He is known for his song "Come On Get Higher". He sounded really good & did a really good job with crowd participation & getting us all pumped for the next two acts.

Melissa & I in our seats - SO close!!

Melissa, me, Laura & Lori

After a short intermission, the lights dimmed & we heard the loud sound of a freight train. The crowd went wild & Train started the show singing their song "Parachute".

All my favorites soon followed like "Meet Virginia", "Calling All Angels", & "Hey Soul Sister". Then the lead singer - Patrick Monahan, walked through the crowd, up & down the aisles singing his newest single "Marry Me". It was way cool & definitely a crowd favorite!

They played for 75 minutes & ended their act with "Drops of Jupiter". It was such an excellent show! Then....it was time for Maroon 5 (cue the screaming like a little girl):

Oh how I ♥ Adam Levine (SIGH)

They got the crowd going by opening up with their popular song "Moves Like Jagger" & sang all the crowd favorites for 75 minutes. Here's a little "teaser" for those of you who weren't there:



We had a GREAT time & I was definitely wore out from all the dancing by the time the concert was over. Can't say I have "moves like Jagger" but I sure gave it my best!

Thanks Melissa for being such a fun date & for sharing your pics with me :)

Road Trip

It has been Christmas since I last made it back home to South Dakota to see family so I thought I would take this long holiday weekend & set out on a little road trip. It was a beautiful day to put the top down on the convertible, put the iPod on shuffle & make my way north to SD.

As I was cruising on I-80 W through Iowa, I passed by several HUGE windmill areas that were fascinating to watch turning with the wind.

I had to work a 1/2 day so I didn't end up getting up there until late Thursday evening. Sure miss those South Dakota sunsets!

Friday ended up being a super busy day. It always seems to end up that way - trying to pack 50 things into a short time-frame. My mom & I started out our day by meeting my high-school BFF Heather (aka: Murf) for an early lunch. It was so good to see her & see what she & her daughter have been up to. I was bummed as I got into the car & realized I didn't get a picture :(

I spent the rest of the afternoon running a couple of errands & enjoyed the day visiting with my mom. Eventually, my brother Steve & his wife Meghan showed up as they too made the trip up from KC for a wedding.

Later that evening my mom & I attended the wake of a very close family friend & were glad we were able to offer them our condolences. Unfortunately, my dad was working so he was unable to join us.

Afterwards, I treated my mom to a steak dinner which left us second-guessing our choice of restaurant. I ordered a filet - medium which came to me medium-rare & my mom ordered a rib eye which we both swore was sirloin. Needless to say, we sent both steaks back, ate our sides & then scarfed down our steak once they brought it back so we could hurry & make it over to my grandparents house before it got dark.

Spent the rest of the evening visiting with my grandparents & was so very glad I was able to see them. They definitely aren't getting any younger so any chance I can visit with this wonderful couple I will take it. Again, no camera = no picture :(

Saturday I enjoyed breakfast with my family & then got to spend some one-on-one time with my sister-in-law Meghan. My brother was a groomsmen in the wedding later that day & my parents went to the funeral so they were all long gone by late morning. So Meghan & I ventured out & got to enjoy some shopping & lunch at one of our favorite fast-food joints - Taco John's. Definitely one of the perks about going home!

We had a great few hours together catching up & getting ready for the wedding. Crazy to think we live less than an hour from each other in KC & hardly ever see each other. We vowed to change that & try to get together more often.

My parents got back from the funeral & then we were off to the wedding. Reminded me of that movie "Four Weddings & a Funeral" - lol! The wedding was held at a beautiful Catholic church & there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The weather couldn't have been more perfect.

The groom is a long-time friend of my brother's & the family. He & my brother have known each other since high school as well as the bride. Nicole & Eric have dated for almost 10 years so we were all glad to finally see these two get married!

My brother Steve & his wife Meghan (below)

We had some time between the wedding & the reception so we headed back to my parents' farm & was surprised to see my other brother Chris, his wife Rachel & the kids waiting for us. When my niece Joslyn saw me come in, she immediately jumped up, yelled my name, ran into my arms & gave me the biggest hug ever. Hands down the best part about being an Aunt :)

My nephew Lane wasn't as excited to see Aunt Heather but only because he hasn't spent much time around me. Will have to work on that!

Unfortunately our time with my brother & his family was short but I am SO thankful that they made the 1 hour trip to see us. It wasn't long before we were making our way to the reception.

It was your typical wedding reception. Beautiful table centerpieces, cute & clever favors (with trail mix inside), the bride & groom were announced, food was served, toasts were given & then the first dances began. There was only one thing missing - wedding cake. Now anyone who knows anything about me knows I LOVE wedding cake & it is a highlight for me at any reception. So imagine my disappointment when there wasn't any butter-cream frosted, fruit-filled, fluffy goodness :(

On my way to get another glass of red wine, I spot across the room next to the cash bar a table with 2 tiers of cupcakes on them - untouched. I grabbed one, took it back to my table & couldn't even force myself to eat it. It looked like someone had whipped up a batch of Duncan Hines cupcakes in their kitchen & tried to pass them off for gourmet cupcakes - which they were not. Honestly, I have made fancier cupcakes in my own kitchen. Sorry that this is sounding snotty but in my opinion you don't have a beautiful reception with fancy table centerpieces, good food & slack on the dessert. And guess what? I was so distraught that I didn't even take a picture of it. Epic fail on my part. My bad...

After all the 1st dances were over, we continued to drink wine, mingle & have a good time:

Meghan, Steve, Matt (brother's friend) & me (notice the HUGE floral table centerpiece behind me. Real flowers y'all)

My mom & dad

"YMCA" - perfect formation Meghan & Steve :)

Me & my brother

It was a fun evening & a great time spent with my family. I ended up heading home shortly after my parents left since I was getting up early the next morning to head back to KS. But according to my brother, I didn't miss much.

It was such a wonderful, jam-packed weekend & I am SO glad I took the time to make it home.

Pumpkin

Tomorrow is September 1st & you know what that means?? Summer is ending & fall soon begins. So I thought it would be fitting to celebrate the first day of September by whipping up some pumpkin-baked goods:

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese frosting anyone??

Mmmm - yes please!

And look who is now serving Pumpkin Spiced Latte's:

Heaven!

Have I ever told you all how much I love this time of year?!? Maybe just once or twice :)

Auntie

....again :)

Very happy to announce that my sister is expecting baby #3 around March 27th.
Love my nephews dearly, but I am secretly crossing my fingers for a niece this time!
For some reason, I think my sister is too!?