Month 2

Now that you are all caught up on June...

• Summer Time Fun
• Bonnaroo 2011
• Bandaids and Birthdays
• 1 Year Cancerservary

Let's start on July!  And I can think of no better way to start than by celebrating our 2nd Anniversary.

I can't believe it's been 2 years.  It truly went by fast.  We've been through a lot in 2 years, and I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.

I love this man

We decided to go on our trip to Saint Louis over the long 4th of July weekend.  We had a lot of fun.  St. Louis has a 3 day festival under the arch with airshows, concerts, and fireworks.  All free.  The first day we checked in, which took way too long.  The hotel was horrible.  I won't go into it, but I highly recommend NOT staying at the Millennium Hotel.  We then wondered down to the festival and checked out the Steve Miller Band concert.  I must say, there are highly underrated.

We missed out on fireworks because Dan was only 2 weeks out of knee surgery.  So, we ended up spending a lot of time in the hotel room resting Dan's knee.  I could think of worse ways to spend our anniversary though. :)

Sunday we headed out on St. Louis's wonderful public transportation and headed to the zoo.  We had so much fun.  We walked around for hours.  Then we headed to the Science Center and Planetarium.  Nothing like a couple of science geeks playing with all the kids toys.  The best part, it was all free (besides that bus/train rides).  Yup.  We will be going back.

Monday we checked out, but then headed down to the Budweiser Brewery for a free tour.  Again, we had a great time.  We got to see the Clydesdales, and everything from the brewery to the packaging plant.  At the end, they have a taste bar.

Tour Bus

Beautiful!  The horses and pup.

We wanted to stay for the beer school, but we needed to head home to get the dogs and so Dan could meet his new nephew.

You don't think I'd forget about our new family member do you?!?  Meet baby H!  He looks just like my brother and is just as sweet as can be.  I forget how small newborns are.

Lazy Days

I was a huge slacker this weekend and did next to nothing.  And, I’m being a huge slacker by blogging about my weekend on Wednesday. 

Friday night, Dan and I planned on using a Groupon to eat at one of our favorite local restaurants, Fireside Brewhouse.  We don’t go very often because it’s a little expensive, but the food there is fantastic.  Plus, on Friday nights they have a DJ or a band.  So, I dressed up in one of my new shirts from Windi, and we headed out.  Unfortunately, the place was packed.  I guess that’s what you get when you eat dinner at 9pm.  So, we ended up across the street at BW’s and had wings and watched some baseball.  Not quite the evening we were going for, but we still had a nice date.

Saturday, Dan got up early for his busy day.  He had a business meeting in the morning, and in the evening he DJed a school prom.  But, he had errands to do before Prom, like picking up the equipment and visiting family, so he was gone all day.  Literally, from like 10am until 2am.

Me?  Oh, I slept in, ate on the couch, took a nap with the dogs, watched the NBA playoffs, and finally about 5pm I decided I should take a shower.  A good wife would’ve cleaned house, gone to the grocery store, worked on laundry, or anything that would allow for a free rest of the week.  Nope.  My butt never left the couch, except to scrounge up some food, that didn’t require cooking.

But, I think I made up for it by having a girls night Saturday Night.  I met some friends at Indiana Live for my first gambling experience.  We ate dinner at the NASCAR restaurant inside the casino.  It was pretty good, but nothing exciting.  Afterwards the girls gave me a lesson in slot machines.  I’m cheap so I did the 1 cent and 2 cent slots, but I won money.  I won $11 and spent $16 on dinner, so for the night, I spent $4.  But, I don’t think slots will be my thing.  It was exciting to win, but there is no strategy.  I like to be in control, and there is no control.  Plus, you put money into a machine and, most of the time, get nothing back.  I’d rather go shoe shopping.  But, it was fun to spend time with the girls, as always.

Sunday, we had no plans again.  So, I got off my butt and went to the grocery store while Dan was lazy and watched the playoffs.  That evening, the sun came out and it warmed up a little, so we decided to try the dog harnesses out in the Jeep.  We loaded them up in the car, buckled them in, and went in search of better custard.  We landed at Ritter’s and the dogs enjoyed some vanilla ice-cream while I had a concrete mixer.  Still haven’t found custard as good as in Utah, but one day…

The dog harnesses worked great.  The dogs could sit or stand, but it kept them in the backseat and not out the sides of the Jeep.  I was very happy to have one less thing to worry about.

All in all, it was a very relaxing and fun weekend.  I got nothing accomplished, but sometimes, you need those days.

Sun and Ice-cream

I don’t know about you, but I had a fantastic weekend, as always.  Hubby and I always seem to have such a great time together, and with his work schedule, we’ve really started to make every free day together extra special.

Friday night, as I mentioned previously, my good friend Windi and her bf, Joe came over with their 2 dogs.  They have a handsome chocolate lab named Radley and an adorable Heinz 57 little lady named Daisy or Dee Dee.  We watched Dee Dee before, and she and Penny became great friends, chasing each other all over the house.  I was really excited for Daisy to meet Radley, because they have similar personalities.  So, not only did Windi and Joe bring me a new wardrobe (seriously I’m still trying to fit everything in my closet), but they brought Daisy a new best friend.

Daisy and Radley got along famously after a little adjustment period.  They tried to wrestle, but Penny doesn’t like anyone wrestling with Daisy.  It got so bad I had to put her in her kennel to calm down.  She just loves her sister so much.

After the clothing exchange, we headed up to the south side to meet Dan for dinner at this tiny BBQ joint.  The food was pretty good, but, I don’t eat much BBQ, so I can only compare it my momma’s.  They had a live band, and they were pretty good.  The other patrons were hilarious.  Afterwards, we went back to Windi and Joe’s to hang out for a while.  It was a perfect end to the work week.

Saturday was a busy day.  I started sorting and washing clothes (6 loads total when all was said and done), while Dan headed off to the gym.  Both dogs went into our bed to take a nap.  I guess they were still worn out from playing with Dee Dee and Radley.  After Dan got home, he laid seed down in the back yard, and off we went to NC.

My awesome sister-in law and I at my wedding

Dan’s sister turned 13, and she had a sleep over.  It’s been a while since I was 13, but it was fun to remember all the important things to a 13 year old.  First off, boys.  Phone calls, texts, 3-way phone calls.  Next, clothes, hair, nail polish, and talking about the upcoming Dance.  Who is going with whom, who is wearing what, and who is getting a spray tan.  Now, I didn’t go to dances when I was 13, and I definitely did not get a spray tan until…oh my trip to Cali in college.  So, some of this was new territory for me.

And, no 13 year old slumber party is complete without a little truth or dare, followed by pizza, tee-shirt decorating and a scavenger hunt in the grave yard.  Oh, and let’s not forget the sex talk in the middle.  That was fun…

Sunday, we had no plans!  Oh, it was so nice, to relax with the husband plus it was 85 degrees and sunny!  A perfect day.  I took the dogs for a nice long walk to the field, and then to the creek to work on Penny’s fear of the water.  I got her to put her paws in, only after I walked in the creek.  It was FREEZING, so we didn’t get any further than that.  Then we headed down to the pond so Daisy could get some real swimming in.  We got home in time to help Dan take the top off the Jeep.

It was a perfect day for a ride in the Jeep with the top off.  Dan and I both got a little sunburn, plus we got some ice-cream.  Yes, full fat, full sugar ice-cream.  Yum…Perfect Sunday. 

We even got lucky enough to catch our neighbors out with their dog, Mickie.  Daisy’s first boyfriend.  Penny again wouldn’t let Mickie wrestle with Daisy, but they had a lot of fun chasing each other.  By Sunday night, I think the dogs were ready for us go to back to work so they could get some sleep.  I could’ve used another day off, but at least I’m off work Thursday.

Happy Weekend!

The most amazing thing happened yesterday...

 

No, my couch didn't throw up my entire closet.  My good friend Windi did some spring cleaning and gave me some old clothes of hers.  Yes, My wardrobe just doubled in one night!  

Have a good weekend!  Mine certainly is starting off fabulously!

Long Weekend

I was in much need of a weekend after last week.  I have been dealing with some back/hip pain with the re-alignment of my hips with the heel lift, which means, I didn't sleep well.  Plus, with the drastic change in the weather, I had a couple of days I didn't think I'd be able to walk.  But! After a couple of days of friends, family, sleep, and a ton of laughter, I feel recharged, and ready to take on this week.   That is, starting tomorrow of course.

Friday night, Dan got off work early for a department outing at the Pacers vs. Kings game.  The game was one of the worse games I've seen the Pacers play, but we got to sit in the AIT suite.  Free food, plus meeting Dan's co-workers, means a nice way to relax for the weekend.

Saturday, we had a bunch of friends over to celebrate March Birthdays.  We had 7 friends with birthdays this month!  So, to celebrate, we had a cookout.  Dan grilled some burgers, we ate cupcakes which turned into a cupcake fight, and at the end of the night, we had people sleeping in Daisy's room and on the couch.  Besides the friend's with kids having to leave early, we all had a great time.

And Sunday, after a lazy morning, I headed down to my parent's house.  My Grandpa moved from California where he's lived most his life.  He's now living with my parent's.  It was good to see him, and even though he tired out a little early, we are all excited to have him close by.

Girl's Night - Cooking Class

Saturday, my mom came up to teach us a few things about grilling, and share some of her favorite grilling recipes.  We had a great time, and we all learned new things and had great food, good wine, and enjoyed some girl time.

Mom teaching us how to make pizza dough for the Pesto Grilled Pizzas.  Yum.

Marinating Chicken

Learning how to cut asparagus

Finished pork tenderloin

Grilled Mango Mexican Chicken with Mango Salsa.

Grilled Fruit with yogurt dip

Grilled Blackberry turnover

Happy Weekend!

I don't know about you, but this past week has been really hard on me.  I've found myself very frustrated and annoyed several times, letting work interfere with my personal life.  The straw that broke me?  Having to work this weekend, yet again.  I hate working weekends, because the next week, I am in a bad mood.  All weekend I have to think about when is the best time for me to go into work.  How can I fit it in my schedule.  Which usually means I have to get up and out of the house before noon.  This does not make for a good weekend for me.

So, to counter act this negative mood I've been in, here are some good things that happened this week:
I finally paid off my car 7 months early!  I haven't decided on how to celebrate this yet.

Speaking of cars, Dan has decided that he wants a "new" car.  He's looking for a used Jeep Wrangler.  His car is now worth more than he owes, so he wants to trade it in, or sell it, and take out a loan with a lower payment, and pay the same amount each month to pay it off early.  The goal is by next year to pay off my credit card and his car.  Our reward?  Europe Trip!!

Thursday was St. Patty's Day and our 5 year anniversary from when Dan and I officially became a couple.  It's so fun to get excited for St. Patty's Day and have everyone else around you excited for you too.  I know it's for a different reason, but it's still fun to think everyone is excited for us.

Thursday was also the start of the Men's NCAA basketball tournament.  Dan and I are having a bracket challenge. I'm looking forward to Duke winning it all...again.  :)

My Pap smear came back clear.  I'm sure you all want to know this, but with my mom's history of uterine cancer and my Aunt's history of cervical cancer, we always get a little nervous.  I've had to have biopsies twice, and they have sucked, so I'm glad I don't have to have another one.

The best news??  It is the weekend.  Enjoy!

Weekend of Olivias

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend.  Ours was tiring, but a lot of fun.

Friday night Dan and I went out to O'Charlie's for dinner.  It was really nice to go out on a date and sit and eat with no distractions.  We actually ordered the same thing (their grilled salmon).  I hate doing that because it makes me think I should have cooked.  But, we ordered a couple of drinks, ate some yummie rolls, and had no dishes!

Saturday morning, I spent the day working on a partially assembled scrapbook for my friend Megan.  She had her baby on the 4th, so I wanted to get something special for all of the new pictures she'd have.  Dan tried to go to open gym at his jiu-jitsu place, but no one showed up.  So, we ended up taking the dogs back down to Brown County.  It was 60 degrees and sunny with a cool breeze, and the ground was still soft from all of the rain.  It was a perfect day for a run.  We ran trail 8 again, but this time we headed to the left to avoid going up the stairs, and we ended up losing the trail and only taking the short way around.  I'd say we went 1.5 miles, but until I get my Forerunner, I won't know for sure.  What I do know, is that my left hip was KILLING me by the time we got home.  I mean, I was limping a bit.  But, after some rest, it started to feel better.

That afternoon, we pulled some freezers out and headed up to meet Baby Olivia.  She is sooo precious.  She just had her newborn shoot and MLP was able to photograph her delivery.  She's already a star.  She slept the whole time we were there, but it's always good to get some baby cuddles.  By the time we got home, and I had made dinner, my hip was hurting so bad I was limping, so Dan and I stayed in and rested. 

Sunday morning, Dan took a look at my back and hips, and I am severely out of alignment.  I put my heel lift back in and immediately my hip pain was gone.  I'm hoping the heel lift will straighten things out after a couple of weeks so I don't have to try and find a chiropractor.

Sunday afternoon we headed to Greenfield for another one of our friend's daughter, Olivia.  She turned 1!  It was really neat to compare a week old and a one year old who both share a beautiful name.  I cannot believe how much changes in such a short time.  Olivia is running, with only an occasional fall, and loves to play and love.  Such a sweetie, and I'm glad she had such a good party.

It wasn't a super busy weekend for us, but we both were exhausted Sunday night, and enjoyed just lounging around together.  I'm actually looking forward to Dan being home any minute to enjoy some more laying around.  I'm still sore from Saturday.

Too Much Fun

I have to say, this weekend started out pretty terrible.

Friday morning I woke up with a jolt at 6am (which is waaayyy before I get up) due to left eye pain.  At first I thought I was finally getting sick with that horrible virus that has been going around, so I took some meds and went back to sleep.  I thought about getting up, but if I was sick, I'd just have to call in.  So, I wanted to see if I'd get worse.  The eye pain got worse, but it wasn't sinus pain.  It was surface pain.  I think Dan smacked my eye in the middle of the night in his sleep.  There was no bruise, but it took 2 days to heal, and there was a little swelling.  Needless to say, I was in a bad mood Friday night.  It hurt to chew, talk, blink, anything that involved in left eye.

Saturday morning, I woke up, and still had pain.  I was so frustrated.  Plus, I had to work this weekend.  Sucks.  Plus, as I'm walking out the door, Dan cancels going to the hash.  I was not happy.  So, I went to work, came home, and cleaned.  Whenever I get frustrated, I either clean, or I cook.  Saturday, I cleaned for 4 hours.  I cleaned floors, dusted, cleaned air vents, washed walls, cleaned bathrooms, started laundry, and even shampooed Daisy's room.  I was so exhausted when  I finished.  All I wanted was to relax and take a hot bath.

Just as I was getting the motivation to walk back upstairs, Dan came home from his meeting with a bottle of wine and potted calla lillies.  What a good man.  Immediately I felt better.  Not only did he apoligize and promised to take me and the dogs to Brown County Saturday, but he remembered that calla lillies were my flowers when we got married.  And, they are potted, which means I get to try my hand at keeping yet a 5th house plant alive.  So far, the 3 from the hospital stay are still going strong, as well as my Aloe plant from Megan.

After a nice relaxing hot bath, we both were ready to restart the weekend.  We headed out to BW's in Broadripple for dinner and the UFC with Clint.  We were able to spend about an hour together before Clint came, which helped refocus the weekend.  We had a great time hanging out with Clint, having a couple drinks, and enjoying the fights.  Afterwards, Dan and I went home to watch some tv, and we ended up staying up past 3am!  We haven't done that since Dan worked evenings!

Sunday we woke up early so we could catch the noon Pacers game with my good friend Angela and her husband Basili.  Running on little sleep, I started to feel like I was in college again.  We had a great time watching the Pacers vs. Suns.  Unfortunately the Pacers lost in overtime.  We then headed over to Scotty's for "linner" full of great conversation and good food.  We just made it before the game crowd.  Dan and I tried to grab me a Pacers shirt before we went back home, but the shop had closed.  So, we spent the rest of the night playing with the dogs, watching bad movies, and the Oscars.

Lazy Sunday

Yesterday was a fantastic day.  Not only did we get a great workout in with the dogs, but both Dan and I were able to see our family.  Mom, Dad, Rebekah, Eric, and Andrew came up for the day.  Eric had a wrestling meet for his kids, so the rest of us met up for dinner downtown at Bucca di Beppo's.  I am always a little disappointed when I eat there now that they were bought out.  Its still fantastic food, but it lacks some of the spice and originality, and the prices have doubled.  It was still great to eat dinner with the fam, plus some really good ravioli and chicken parm.

Dan went to NC to visit with his family and to take his brother to see True Grit.   He said the movie was really good, but I'm just not a Western person, so I'm glad he was able to see it with his brother.  Plus, they got in some really good teenager/big brother life lesson talks.

After dinner, the fun didn't stop.  Last night, we had a special Girl's Night for my very good friend Megan.  She is pregnant and due hopefully any day, so we through her a little "Sprinkle."  My cake pops turned out fabulous, and we had a great time opening presents, having a little wine and catching up.  I always leave in a great mood, and its always too short.  The next Girl's Night my mom is going to come up and give us a cooking lesson.  No one has given any ideas yet, but it is going to be yummy.  Plus, my mom will be there, so it will be Girl's Night with family.

Today we have no plans other than try to tackle the mess that is our house and the mountain of laundry that has built up this week.  This morning Dan said, "You know we've had a good weekend by the amount of dishes that are in our sink."  I guess I should get some cleaning done.  :)