2014 Goals

Well, well, well 2013. What a good year we have had together. Thank you for taking me to Hawaii, Costa Rica, Dallas, tons of KU games, a whole lot of baseball games, and even more lake trips. It was hard to beat getting married, getting a new job, and moving into a new house in 2012, but you were right up there with it.

It's crazy to think that I've been married and living here for a year and a half. It still feels to me like we just moved. Time is just slipping right out of my little hands.

I can just feel 2014 is going to be a good one. It may bring a lot of changes, but I'm ready to hit it full force.

I always like to think of goals for myself for the new year, a fresh start if you will. These usually last a couple of days, but maybe if I write a lot then one or two will stick. We can only hope, right?

So here is what I hope to do in 2014:

-Live with purpose

I spend so much time worrying about what I have to do, how to do it, and what I need to get done that I forget the whole purpose of it all. I rush through life, instead of slowing down and thinking of why I'm here in the first place. I want to live with a purpose of giving to others, being a better wife, friend, and daughter. I want do all things to please Him and make time for the things that are important, not just keep my to-do list happy. 

-Not think so much/Keep it simple

I want to stop worrying about things that are clearly out of my control. I try so hard to control situations that are out of my hands. I want to keep my life and my mind simple and as stress free as possible. Nobody got time for that.

-Take more pictures

Self explanatory. And maybe if I'm lucky I will get in a few of them :) 

-Continue our Wednesday date nights

These have really given me something to look forward to during the week. It's nice to slow down and have good conversation with my husband sans phone, dog, TV, or computers. I really treasure these nights. Probably more than he knows.

-Read my Bible more. Not just when I "have time". 

-Learn to sew at least five things.

I just got a sew machine from my parents for Christmas and I am bound determined to sew, even though I keep telling myself that I can't do it and won't be good at it. Spreading a little positivity and hard work this year.

-Be healthy 

-Have fun

Who doesn't want to have fun in 2014? I want to ride rides, travel, have wine nights, be spontaneous, play more games, and just do things that make me smile.

2014, let's do this thang!

A Breath of Fresh Air

Every single time I come here to type up a new post of what has been going on in my life, I find it very hard to believe of how long it's been since I stopped by.

I swear it feels like yesterday but somehow it was Thanksgiving.

If time could seriously sloooooow down, that would be much appreciated. My new saying of the year is to "stop and smell the coffee" instead of chugging it and not realizing of how entirely awesome it smells and tastes.

The past week has been nothing less than refreshing and fulfilling. I tried to soak up every second of being back in our hometowns and spending a whole week with family. The time still flew by but goodness gracious it was heavenly. Just what the doc ordered.

I really need to start carrying a notebook around. There were so many things I kept thinking to myself I needed to remember and…well, we all know how that goes. But there are so many moments that go by that are short lived, but oh so great that I'd like to jot down and be able to look back to.

We got to spend the start of break in Lawrence watching little Bro sing in Allen Fieldhouse (also known as the greatest place on Earth). There we met up with my mom, dad, and Aunt Janet. We started feeling all Christmasy as it snowed about 6-8 inches while we were there. 

After that we came back to our old stomping grounds and stayed there about a week. A week or home cooking, lots of a laughing, couch naps, movies, family time, crazy dogs, lots of presents, and even more relaxation. 

There really is nothing like Christmas time. Nothing like it at all. Thank you Jesus for being born! I think it should be mandatory to get all of your family together once a month. It's just not right only seeing everyone once or twice a year. I am requesting that for my present next year.

Unfortunately I didn't take many photos, also a goal of mine in 2014, so here are a couple I happened to take. Hopefully someone else got some! 

Now I am sitting here back home thinking of how blessed I am, we are. Even when things really just downright suck, I still always have the best family in the flipping world on my side. Makes it a little easier to conquer life that way.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and got to spend some quality time with the special people in your lives.

Cheers to 2013, you were pretty sweeeeeeeet!

Thanksgiving 2013

Some things are just hard to put into words. Family and being so stinking thankful you want to explode, are a couple of them.

There are a lot of things that pop in my head when it comes to this past week and all that has been going on. A lot as in I seriously cannot type a post because my mind is all over the place. Not that this is unusual, but it makes sitting down and writing something that makes sense a little difficult.

Thanksgiving is awesome for many reasons.

First of all, I get a few days off of work. That in itself is magical.  Secondly, I get to see all of my people. This year I didn't get to see my friends from home, but I did get to see a lot of pretty spectacular familia. And lastly, I get to eat seconds and third of my meal and it's a okay. Oh, and I can't forget about putting the Christmas decorations out. That is hard to beat.

This year we hosted Thanksgiving at our casa. Wowee do I have more respect than ever for my mom and anyone else who makes holiday meals. That stuff is WORK. I mean like breaking a sweat work. I was thankful for my turkey grilling husband, and second hands from my mom to make Thanksgiving go smoothly.

We did almost have a Thanksgiving crisis as I could seriously could NOT find my deviled egg plate anywhere. I mean, anywhere. That is one thing I just cannot do without on any holiday. It always reminds me of my grandma and well, yeah, if I don't have it…I will freak out. Which I almost did. So thank the LORD St. Anthony helped me find it. Whew, that was close. We would have definitely had to cancel Thanksgiving.

We ended up having the majority of both families all in one place and it was pretty great to spend the holiday with them all and so glad they came. Our little house is now official broken in!

After many pounds of food, Jeff's mom's awesome dessert, and some good ol' fashioned football….we spent the rest of the night decorating for Christmas and getting a couple of deals and steals. We only venture out to Black Friday if we think we will get to see some action.

Work in progress….

This year was not near as exciting as in our hometown where Wal Mart is literally the one place people go to for Black Friday. It's nuts, and so entertaining. I just can't do lines. I can totally do www….click buy….free shipping….no crazies.…delivered to my door in the comfort of my home though.

And last but not least, we ended our awesome Thanksgiving weekend in Kansas City and Lawrence…where all  of your dreams come true. Unless you are the KU football team (which hopefully makes dreams come true SOON!).

Photo by Kansas Athletics

We spent the night on Friday eating our for my dad's birthday with my brother, sister-in-law, and nieces, checked out the perfect Plaza lights, and then headed back to watch a depressing KU basketball loss. Good thing the beers tasted good and the company was even better.

Saturday was a full on day of football, chili, and more football. Oh and FINALLY a Kansas win against UTEP. (And a BIG Happy Happy Happy Birthday to the best dad around!)

I hope you all had an awesome Thanksgiving!

That time I didn't die running

If I'm blogging, you know there is something exciting going on. As we all know life is…well, life.

Last weekend something pretty crazy happened.

Well, two crazy things in fact.

KU won their first big 12 game in three years. 

and….

I ran a 5K.

Ran as in literally didn't stop. Just ran. That last mile I was pretty sure I was going to have a heart attack. 

I coached Girls on the Run this fall and we had our race on Sunday. I ran with one of the girls and I'm pretttttty sure she was carrying the team on that one. I kept asking her, "you okay?" and she looked at me like really, I could go for days you old woman.

How I was smiling over there on the very left…I will never know.

Either way, it was pretty dang awesome to finish and now I'm ready for the next one! Just hopefully not so pokey next time. 

One thing I am pretty pumped about these days is that the weather is actually making me get ready for the Christmas season. I just can't put out or even think about putting Christmas decorations until it's like 30 degrees. Warm and Christmas just don't flow.

Happy almost Hump Day!

Cheers to the Freakin' Weekend

Drink to that, yeeaaaah.

How about a flashback for ya on that song?

Okay so this weekend flat out ROCKED my socks off. Gosh I just love weekends that are relaxing, filled with awesome people, and getting a few things knocked off of the to-do list.

I guess it always makes things a little better that I had off two whole days from school. It was pretty glorious. No really, like it was something that I needed so severely bad.

It's been a rough go at times this year and I think these few days off are just what I needed to recharge. Get back on track. And ready to go go go again.

I filled the days off with deep cleaning and just enjoying putting my ever thinking mind at rest for a few days. Oh how that is good for my soul. And sanity. And complexion. And a million other things I'm sure.

On Friday night my parents came to town and got to hung out with us for the weekend.

Somehow we always have some kind of project going on and on Saturday Jeff and my dad put new doors on the main level of our house. The doors are finally gone that have driven me absolutely INSANE since the day we moved in.

I feel a sense of relief now that the horrid things are gone. ha ha ha. No, but really. It's awesome.

I think it made a HUGE difference. The left picture is from last year when we were painting the entire upstairs. It wasn't completely painted in this picture, but you get the idea. I am pretty much in love and they aren't even painted yet.

While they were hard at work, Jeff surprised my mom and I with a manicures and pedicures. Mani/Pedis/Shopping > Hanging Doors.

It was a beautiful thing and I really loved that I got to spend that time with my mamacita. Just relaxing, having fun, doing our thang. Now my fingers and toes are ready for some KU football (and basketball) and Christmas. Too soon? No...never too soon.

We also went to a Japanese Steakhouse, Kobe, and it was de-flippin-licious.

Nothing like watching your food get cooked right in front of your face by someone else. Thank goodness my hair is all still intact from the big fires.

Unfortunately all of the other pictures were completely blurry, but what can ya do. All I know is it was the bomb and I can't wait until we can go back again.

It's weekends like these I wish I could just bottle up because they are just so awesome. Simple weekends with good company tend to be my absolute favorite ones. It almost makes me sad when they are over. Okay, it totally does. But I GUESS I have to go back into the real world now.

Okay now I'm ready for the next one to get here :)

5 Years, Halloweenie, and a Favorite Photo Canvas

For the first time in a bit, I actually have something to say. Okay who am I kidding, I always have something to say. But this time I actually have pictures to back them up. Whoop Whoop!

As we all know last night was Halloween. Halloween happens to be my least favorite "holiday". I don't know why I just can't get into it, but I do like the left over candy from the trick-or-treaters. I've just never been the dress up kind.

Even though come to think of it, my favorite Halloween costume growing up was when I was a "baby" because I got to drink out of a bottle. It was pretty much the highlight of my Halloween life. I don't even want to remember how old I was then. Gosh I have to find a picture of that.

But I have found that having a dog makes it way more fun to dress this them up and torture them instead.

Piper was a little pumpkin and decided to eat her outfit for a good few minutes before she realized how cute she was. Then she decided to pimp the pumpkin. I think she was disguising herself to get some candy. Not today sista....

On another note, it is Jeff and I's five year dating anniversary. It's crazy to think it's been that long....and some days it's crazy to think it's only been that long ;) I kid, I kid.

Five down, a lifetime to go!

We also just got our one year anniversary pictures back and even though my hair was, let's just say...a little wild and free, I loved so many of them and am so glad we took them. I think we may have to make it an annual thing. Just maaaaaybe not in August. Maybe one day we'll learn :)

Photo Credit: Simple Splendor Photography

Speaking of pictures, I had the privilege to review a canvas from easycanvasprints.com. If you have been to my house, you know I love some me some canvases. Jeff and I are plastered all over our walls from our dating years, wedding, and other random pictures we have taken.

It was time for something a little different. Or we just need to have a kid so we have something else to take a picture of. You can only have so many dogs on your walls, too. :)

When I ordered my print, I decided I wanted to try something different and got one of a verse I loved and wanted to put it in my office so it would always be in my view.

I couldn't be more pleased with the canvas, as well as just the quality and process of it. Super durable, super easy, and awesome quality. It fits perfectly into my little space. Plus, you can order one for 25% off right now AND free shipping, say whhhhhhat?!

I seriously don't think I'll ever get over my canvas obsession. They are just perfect and fit literally anywhere in the house. And now I think I'll head on over and order more ;)

HAPPY FRIDAY! HAPPY NOVEMBER! HAPPY....WEEKEND!

life update

There is just something about Sunday. I always just have time to think. Time to process. Time to stop time for just a bit before gearing up to another hectic and crazy week.

Sunday is just always peaceful to me. Or maybe it's because I'm holding on the the last seconds of relaxation before Monday. Either way, it rocks.

And here I am, with actual time, to write down all that has been going on in my head, and in reality.

First things first, I am now an auntie to another beautiful little girl. Miss Kallie was born this past Saturday and is of course absolutely perfect. I forget how tiny God's little gifts are at first. Nothing like the sweetness of a newborn baby.

Second things...second, my Jayhawks are not making this football season much more enjoyable than last. C'mon, just give me a bone here folks, just ONE more W. I promise I'll be satisfied with that. Just give me something to hope for! Oh another Jayhawk note, we tore up the town like we were in college again. It was awesome....until the next day.

Lastly, I found this line in the book I'm reading, A Purpose Driven Life, that just kept making me say wow, whoa, wow, whoa, etc. It said: "The Bible says, "What do you have that God hasn't given you? And if you all you have is from God, why boast as though you have accomplished something on your own?"

True that. Thank you Lord for these gifts, this husband, this family, and this life. I am forever grateful.