Monday, May 31, 2010

happy anniversary to us!!

So, this past Saturday Lance and I celebrated 6 years of marriage. Yep, I'm pretty sure we've got this whole marriage thing all figured out... nothin' to it... 6 years, and we're pros. We celebrated our 6 year anniversary by spending the day in Atlanta, eating dinner with good friends, and crossing something off my 30 by 30 list (more on that later).

Lance and I realized that we have known each other almost 11 years... now, that is crazy. 11 whole flippin' years. But I guess that would explain why he knows me better than anyone. He is my best friend and makes me laugh almost every day. It's crazy to think that we have known each other for so long now, but really... I can't imagine my life without him. I was crazy about him from the first time I met him (well, actually the second time... but after that I was hooked)...

1999
boy meets girl...

2000
boy & girl conveniently attend the same campus events...

2001
boy asks girl out on date...

2002
boy & girl are super cool...

2003
boy returns from a year overseas...

2004
boy proposes to girl...

2005
boy & girl enjoy their first year of marriage...

2006
girl gets smarter...

2007
boy & girl share a romantic week in Paris...

2008
boy & girl shake it on the dance floor...

2009
boy grows massively large (yet fairly impressive) beard...

2010
boy & girl are still crazy about each other...

Happy Anniversary babe... I love you!

Friday, May 28, 2010

anyone interested??



That's right blogland, I'm selling my Canon 55-250mm telephoto lens. This lens is like brand new... seriously. It is not even a year old... comes in the box... with the manual. For all you camera geeks out there, here are the specifications...

Canon EF-S 55-250mm
f/4-5.6
Image Stabilizer
Selling for $200










You can see more details and read consumer reviews here. This is really a fantastic lens... perfect for sporting events, graduations, spying on people... wait, what? :) If you (or anyone you know) might be interested, let me know!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

thankful thursday

This Thursday I am thankful for:

1) Holiday weekends. No work. More rest. Extended playtime. Cookouts. Time with friends. Sunshine. Need I say more... really?


2) Roasted Red Pepper Hummus. This is my new mid-morning snack.... Some Cedar's roasted red pepper hummus with the Pepperidge Farm pretzel thins. Yum... so good. And for some reason, I equate hummus with healthiness. Is that accurate?

3) My marriage. My marriage that is going on 6 whole years this Saturday. Sometimes it's hard to believe that we've been married 6 years, and have known each other over 10 years now. We have both grown a lot since then, but so has our love for one another. Thank you Lance for a fabulous 6 years... I love you.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

fun in the sun

We spent this past weekend at the lake with friends and family. It was oh-so-fabulous and MUCH needed. There is just something about good company... it soothes the soul. The weather turned out perfect and the sun came out just in time...

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

the great trashbag debate...

There are some things that you just don't skimp on... toilet paper, milk, my favorite oatmeal (fruit & cream, in case you were wondering)... and apparently trash bags. I, for one, never considered trash bags to be one of these items, but my husband apparently does. Which brings me to the great trash bag debate...

You see, one day while working from home, I received a phone call from the Mobile Association for the Blind. They were selling various household/business products that blind people have produced. Now, typically I don't have much patience for sales calls, regardless of the group or foundation, mostly because I think all of these calls are scams... but on this particular day, I was a softie and gave in.

Once the sales rep told me I didn't have to pay for anything until after I received it, I agreed to listen to the list of products... hand brooms, oven mitts, dust mops, trash bags... Trash bags. Everyone uses trash bags, right? Sounds like a good choice to me. Comes in a box of 175. Perfect. After I ordered, I immediately googled the Mobile Association for the Blind, just to make sure I didn't get scammed. I didn't. They exist. See for yourself.

Lance was a little leery when he came home and I greeted him with, "Hi honey... I just ordered 175 trash bags from blind people today." But he didn't say anything, just kind of shook his head in a "bless her heart" kind of way. Well, our trash bags arrived, and I must say, I was quite impressed. They were the typical standard office-type trash bags... you know, the clear kind mostly used in schools and businesses. Well, now we have 175 of our own.

It wasn't a big deal at first... But you may remember from the little birthday list I posted for Lance the other day, according to # 29, Lance always takes out the trash. So about half way through the 175 clear trash bags, Lance informs me that he is not a fan of these things. He misses the yellow pull ties on our old trash bags, and hates trying to tie a dang little knot in the clear trash bags. And I can't really blame him. It is rather difficult to tie up the clear trash bags, and usually something ends up poking a hole in the bag, and it's just a big mess. BUT WE HAVE 175.

So, trash bag by trash bag, eventually we go through all 175 bags... and finally we graduate back to the yellow-pull-tie-bags. It was a day of great celebration in our house. Very exciting times. I think next time the Mobile Association for the Blind calls, I will just order a broom.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

i found harry...

Everyone can rest easy now. Don't worry, everything is under control... I found Harry.

Mr. Potter was hiding out under the passenger side seat of my car. And luckily, about once a month, I do actually drive my little Prius to the car wash. And lo' and behold, I recovered Harry. He and I spent some quality time together this weekend at the lake... but more on that later.

Friday, May 21, 2010

happy birthday to you, love.

Today my man turns 31, so I wanted to dedicate a little birthday list just for him today...

Lance, 31 things I love about you...

1) That you always kiss me goodbye in the morning if you leave the house first.
2) That you hate flying, but love to travel.
3) That you will always break it down on the dance floor.
4) That you won a limbo contest on our honeymoon.
5) That you know my exact order at practically every fast food restaurant.
6) That you have choreographed moves to "You're the Best Around."
7) That you cook me dinner and never complain.
8) That you have a passion for adventure.
9) That you can fix practically anything... without directions.
10) That you tell me I'm beautiful (even in my over-sized sweatshirt).
11) That you could watch the History Channel and Discovery Channel all day.
12) That despite #11, you will almost always watch HGTV with me.
13) That you love Little Cat as much as I do. (don't deny it)
14) That you write me love notes on the bathroom mirror.
15) That you care more about investing in young men's lives than winning football games.
16) That you worry about the ones you love.
17) That you have the best laugh in a crowded movie theatre.
18) That you eat a bag of popcorn with me almost every night.
19) That you always find me the tallest Christmas tree.
20) That you can suck down a Coke Icee in record time.
21) That you teach me something new every day.
22) That you have a passion to share Christ's love around the world.
23) That you cherish family.
24) That you support all of my random hobbies.
25) That you are a walking encyclopedia... a wealth of knowledge.
26) That you take me on dates.
27) That you will always be 2 years older than me.
28) That you encourage me to be creative.
29) That you always take out the garbage.
30) That you trust the Lord with our marriage.
31) That YOU are MINE.

Happy birthday babe. I love you.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

thankful thursday

This Thursday I am thankful for:

1) Lance. Tomorrow is Lance's birthday, and I truly am SO thankful for him. There are so many things I adore about him... but more on that tomorrow :) Happy birthday Lance, I love you!


2) Dinners out. Specifically with friends and family. This past week, we have had dinner plans every. single. night. Dinner with old friends... new friends... cherished family... you name it. But I love it! There is just something about sharing a meal with good company.


3) My new floppy hat. This weekend I will be enjoying a bit of fun in the sun... and see, I felt that it was imperative that I own a big floppy hat. To protect my face from the sun, of course... nothing else. This was not a fashion purchase... I swear :)

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

extending the life of your flowers...

You remember my birthday flowers, don't you? You know... these...Well, I am all about extending the life of my flowers to make them last as long as humanly possible. Because, I mean, really... who doesn't enjoy fresh flowers around the house? So, from the above pictured bouquet of birthday flowers emerged the following...

window sill daisies...
Fun and super simple. I just took some of the better looking daisies from my birthday bouquet, cut the stems at an angle, and dropped them in a recycled cream soda bottle. See, cream soda is good for so many reasons :)

a happy mix...
This is just a happy little mix of whatever was left of my birthday bouquet and looked healthy enough to survive another week. The little green doo-dads (I have no idea what any of my flowers are called... I'm no florist, okay) came from another birthday bouquet from my mom and dad.

tall & simple...
These pretty purple flowers were also salvaged from the bouquet that my parents gave me. I love this one. For whatever reason, I love having a group of flowers that are all the same. They might not be much by themselves, but grouped all together, they seem to make a statement. I just used a recycled olive oil bottle here.

coffee mug pleasures...
This was the last of what was left from my parents bouquet, and I just couldn't bear to throw them out yet. So, I trimmed these bad boys down and stuck them in my favorite coffee mug. I put these right by the kitchen sink, and they make me just a little bit happier when I'm doing dishes :)

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

breakfast at tiffany's...

Among my weekend festivities, and in between playing with my new camera... Saturday night I made time to cozy up on the couch and watch "Breakfast at Tiffany's." I loved it.

I kind of expected that I would love it... just from the cover of the DVD and the brief description on the back. But this classic film still managed to surprise me. I think I was anticipating more of a serious romantic love story... and while, yes, there was a love story indeed, it was fun and flirty and quite humorous at parts. Audrey Hepburn's character was a mix between Sara Jessica Parker on Sex in the City and Jennifer Aniston on Along Came Polly... kind of this unorganized, sexy, fun twenty-something living life in the Big Apple. Holly Golightly is much like so many young girls today... desperately trying to figure out who they are, while hiding their insecurities behind glitz and glam. For anyone who has not yet watched this instant classic, I truly recommend it.
.
Thanks so much to a special friend who included this movie in my fun birthday package, I was finally able to cross #6 off on my 30 by 30 list. I'm thinking about continuing my classic film project and trying "My Fair Lady" next. Any other recommendations?

Sunday, May 16, 2010

another good weekend...

This weekend was even better than the last. I mean seriously... how can you top: "Robin Hood" Friday night, date day on Saturday, sushi lunch, "Breakfast at Tiffany's" on Saturday night, Sunday nap, craft day with friends, and then THIS...

Yes. This is the camera I have been lusting over for about a year now. The Canon 7D. 18 megapixels. Advanced movie mode. 8 frames per second. She's a beauty, isn't she? All this time I have been thinking, "I might be able to afford just the camera body, then I can just work with the lenses I have..."

But no.

Best Buy, how I love you. How I absolutely adore your incredible package deals. Not only did I get the Canon 7D... I also came home with this...

a Canon 28-135 lens


And this...
a Canon 70-300 lens


And this...
a totally awesome Lowepro camera pack


Not a bad weekend. Not a bad weekend at all.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

thankful thursday


This Thursday I am thankful for:

1) Technology. I'm really talking email here. I love the fact that I can be penpals with my Nana & Pop even when they are hundreds of miles away. I really love the little email relationship we have built over the past year and how technology allows me to feel like I'm right there. My Pop is even more advanced than I am, and keeps trying to convince me to get on Skype more. Isn't technology awesome?

2) Cheetos. Specifically the puffy kind. Don't get me wrong, I really like the crunchy ones too... but I've recently rediscovered how much I like the puffy cheetos. Lance loves puffy cheetos. I don't typically buy them, but the other day I was at the gas station and felt compelled to buy 2 big bags. I love how you have to lick all the cheese off your fingers when you're done. It's kind of like a Cheeto-Law. Really. Don't even try to pretend like you use a napkin.

3) These jeans. I bought these for my birthday about a week ago... and they just might be the most comfortable jeans ever. I'm not sure if it's the faded, patched up feel... or simply because I bought them a size too big... but whatever it is, I am very pleased with my $24.99 GAP purchase. Amazingly these are even more comfy than my Seven's... which did not cost $24.99.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

MASH... remember this?

Take a moment to reminisce a little... think back to hmmm, say 4th grade. Remember this??? It's only the best game EVER. Who would've ever known that 4 little letters could amazingly predict your entire future? I recently found a nifty online version of MASH, so my co-workers and I have been putting it to the test. (I promise, I do actually work). Here are my MASH results from today...

That's right folks... I will live in a SHACK.

I will drive (ride) a RED BICYCLE.

I will marry LEONARDO DICAPRIO and have 4 KIDS.

I will be a PHOTOGRAPHER.

And I will live in MANHATTAN, KS.

I forgot how totally awesome this game was! Go ahead... try it. You know you want to.

Next week, I'm making one of these...