Just the three of us

Getting this place in shape!

2009-08-24T14:52:00.000-07:00

For so long, I have been saying that I will just be happy if we could get the house "finished" as far as the decorating/organization goes. Well, slowly but surely, we have started to get some things accomplished.

1. Drapes-We got the drapes awhile ago, but they are still "new."
2. I replaced the metal circle "thing" above the fireplace with a painting that I LOVE. The candlestick and candles are a nice complimentary accessory. THANKS to Home Goods!!
3. The buffet lamps were a suggestion from my dad (as everything was) and they look wonderful!
4. I replaced the oddball knick knacks (aka JUNK) that were in my little cube shelves with more coordinating items.

So...I am starting to be happier with my house. Yay!!

My little cubes!
New "look" for the living room!
Cubes from farther away!

Back to school...back to blogging!

2009-08-18T19:10:00.001-07:00

WOW! You would think that I would have more time to blog during the summer. What happened? Summer went so fast, but I hope to stay updated with my blogging once I get back into a routing. There is something to be said for routines.

As usual, I had many summer projects along the lines of decorating. I did not accomplish any of them...not even ONE!! Well, today was my last day off, and I was not about to say I didn't get to check even one thing off of my list. So.......

Off to Michael's I went to buy frames for my picture wall that I had been wanting to make ever since I saw Joi's at Nuestra Vida Dulce. She is a master of design! Check out her blog if you haven't.

Well, this is what I came up with, and for once, I am really happy with it!! I took one picture of the entire wall, then a few close ups of my favorite pictures. And YES, I took the photos myself! Yeah!

School starts tomorrow, so I am off to bed!!

Here is the wall...it's better in person!

A favorite picture I took looking out over Salzburg...gorgeous!

One of my favorites...the old library in Ephesus!

Oh Venice...so fabulous!

It's been so long...

2009-06-28T19:49:00.000-07:00

One would think that I would have MORE time to update the blog during the summer...so what happened?? I don't know. The summer is flying by. It has already been fun, relaxing, exciting, and productive...hence the lack of blog posts.

Update:

1. I just returned from dance camp at Mizzou. It was fun but completely exhausting! I enjoyed watching some really amazing dancers though, and spending time with the FZN dancers. I will not be teaching or coaching at North next year, so this was a nice weekend.

2. Our garden is growing like crazy! We have LOADS of tomatoes and lots of other yummy stuff.

3. Rick saw another snake in our yard. I will not be going outside again. Ever.

4. We leave on Wednesday (yes, THIS Wednesday) for our big trip! We fly to Austria, run around there for a bit, ride an overnight train to Venice, board a cruise ship that will take us to Greece, Croatia, and Turkey, then we spend two days in Venice! AAAAHHHH!! I am completely excited.

Now it is time to unpack from dance camp and begin packing for our trip!!

Farmers Libbi and Rick

2009-06-01T17:58:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I know that we aren't REAL farmers, but we decided to plant a garden this year. It is AMAZING!! I was extremely skeptical, but our garden is really growing. We planted tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and a whole row of fresh herbs. Here are some photos.

This is a photo of when we started to see some things pop up.

These are our first tomatoes!!

My basil is taking over! Lettuce is behind it.
This is the first lettuce I used from the garden! We had salads and they were great!

It is so cool to know that everything you are eating is super fresh and healthy!

Pride

2009-05-20T18:11:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know that "pride goeth before a fall," but I am willing to risk it. Last weekend I was extremely proud. Yes, I was proud that I graduated with a Master's, but I was more proud of my "baby" sister Katie. She graduated with her Bachelors in Theater. Here are the details:

1. Katie graduated from Columbia College Chicago (a GREAT arts college)
2. Katie graduated with honors.
3. Katie graduated in 3 1/2 years! WOW!
4. Katie moved 5 hours from home at the age of 18, and is working her tail off to really make something of herself.

I am SO proud.

Many people who claim that they will have a career in theater never finish a college degree, and believe that jobs are just going to fall into their lap. Katie definitely does not love taking classes like I do, and this will be it for her (I think) as far as college goes, but she graduated, with honors, and has a degree in theater. She did what she loves.

I am SO proud.

Katie is going on tons of auditions while working other jobs to gain references and experiences. She doesn't ever take the attitude of, "Well, that's beneath me," and I really believe that she will be successful.

As a teacher, I always hope that I send students out of high school to follow their dreams. Not just to wait for their dreams to happen, but to MAKE them happen. I also hope to have "raised" students who are independent, responsible adults. I have had a few students like Katie, and it is wonderful to hear of their successes. So I know I am not the only one who is proud of her...

But did I mention: I am SO proud!!

Katie on the Jumbo Tron walking across the stage!
Outside!
Before the ceremony.
Getting ready...and excited!

from Chicago

2009-05-17T09:39:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to post a quick update from The Windy City! We are here for Katie's graduation. Friday night I graduated with my Master's in Education, and Saturday morning we hopped on a plane to come here to see Katie graduate. Saturday we spent SIX (gorgeous) HOURS walking around this amazing city enjoying the weather and taking a million pictures. The pics. will come later...I promise!

After walking our legs off, we came home and got ready for a night of FUN eating dinner and bowling at The Lucky Strike. It was sooooooo cool. If you ever get the chance to bowl there, do it!

Now we are here getting ready for Katie's graduation. She graduates at 3:00 today and we fly home after that.

A whirlwind weekend indeed!

Rambling?

2009-05-06T19:12:00.000-07:00

Preface: Rick is out of town. We are state testing at school. So...after hours of strict SILENCE, I am coming home to no one to talk to. I apologize if this is rambling, but this is my "talking" for the moment.

We have three full weeks of school left after this one. WOW. I cannot believe it. I knew that, especially learning of my new job next year, the year would go fast, but this is insane. I was, initially, excited beyond words to be moving to Zumwalt East High. And don't get me wrong, I am still incredibly excited. I know that I will be a better teacher for moving, and I will finally feel the freedom to teach in my own style, try new things, and do what good teachers do.

But now that the end of the year is finally near, I am forced to face the people who I will really miss. People have started saying things like, "We will really miss you," and "What will we do next year?" It's a huge honor to know people care, but it is really hard too.

I have the best students this year that I have ever had, and they also keep telling me how they will miss me. Some have even said, "But what will we do? We were going to have you our senior year for speech." All of my teacher friends can understand how that completely rips your heart out.

Again, I KNOW I have made the right decision, and I will be much happier because of it, but the next few weeks are going to be a challenge in "keeping it all together."

SO EXCITED!!!

2009-04-29T17:37:00.000-07:00

I am SO excited for the Kona truck! What is a Kona truck, you ask? I will tell you! It is like an ice cream man only SO much better and not at all creepy. This Kona truck looks like a tiki bar. It is all painted, has cool lights, and the side is a bar with a window where you order. He drives around and plays steel drum music to give you the island feel. :-)

Last Friday, Rick and I heard the noise and looked outside. We both were not feeling well, so we didn't go get anything, but I did notice that this Kona truck sold shaved ice. WHAT??!! A truck that would basically bring tropical snow to my driveway??? I was excited.

So I have been listening and listening, and tonight, while I was drying dishes, I heard him! I grabbed money from Rick and ran outside like a 7 year old. I got my shaved ice, and it was great! You can even do your own flavors because they have them out of spouts on the side of the truck...super fun!

Here's the website for Kona, and here's hoping you have one in your neighborhood soon!

My project

2009-04-23T13:06:00.000-07:00

I was inspired by Joi at Nuestra Vida Dulce to complete this "do it yourself" project. I saw the most adorable little indoor herb garden in the Crate and Barrel catalogue and wanted it SO badly. But it had WAY too hefty a price tag. All together, it was upwards of $75.00. Ouch! So I headed to Lowe's to do it myself. With pots, spray paint, herbs, and potting mix, I am pretty proud of what I created! I guess I really CAN do it myself!

This is what I started with: herbs, super cheap pots, spray paint, and my iced tea (very important!)

After the first coat of white paint!

An "up close" picture of my stenciling...

The finished product! Parsley, basil, and mint!
Total cost: approximately $35.00. Good for me!

WE DID IT!!

2009-03-28T21:37:00.001-07:00

After the race!
Waiting in the car...
Getting ready to go!
Still at home...nice and dry.
Still at home...nice and dry

Today we ran our first 5K! I say first because there will definitely be more. This was the "Undy 5000" and it was called a "brief" run for colon cancer. The idea was that everyone would wear boxers...too bad it was freezing cold and raining. I still sported my boxers over my running pants and under my poncho.

Kind of on a whim several months ago, we decided to start really running and to run this particular 5K. Our goal was simple: to RUN the whole thing.

Guess what??? WE DID IT!! And...I came in 269th out of 534 people. Rick came in 243rd our of 534. We were both really proud of how well we did especially in the nasty weather.

Overall, it was a great experience, and we are trying to decide what to do next! Best of all, together, we raised $500 dollars for the Colon Cancer Alliance!

Sister Day!

2009-03-25T21:22:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I will pick Katie (my awesome sister) up from the airport at 1:00. I am SO excited to spend the day with her, have her at my house tomorrow night, and then spend another day together on Friday! We really don't see each other all that often...definitely not as much as I would like, so this will be a treat. There will be more to report later!

Day 1 Update

2009-03-23T15:24:00.001-07:00

OK...after Day 1 of Spring Break, here is the update of what has been accomplished:

watch Twilight tomorrow with Jamye "college style" in comfy clothes while eating nachos-This was amazing and super fun.
run errands with Rick-did that yesterday
complete our LAST week of training for the 5K next Saturday!We ran our first 3.1 miles on Saturday!! Now I am confident we can do it next Saturday!
write 10 lessons for one graduate class (ok...that's ambitious)Brace yourself-I have 7 done!! I am even surprised.
write a paper for another graduate class I have 5 pages done. Not too shabby.
PLAN for school-um...yeah...
take Lexie on LOTS of walks-Currently, she is sleeping because of all of her outside fun!
get my haircut-happening on Wednesday!
hang out with my uncle after he comes to town on Monday-heading out in a few minutes to meet the family!
hang out with my sister after she comes to town on Thursday
go to Jilly's Cupcakes-with Katie after she gets here
watch as many episodes of "Ace of Cakes" as humanly possible-3 down.
attend the second annual benefit put on by the Epilepsy Foundation of Southern Illinois with an entire table of some of our greatest friends who are willing to support a cause that is so important to me-Friday night!

So...I am quite proud of what has already been checked off of the list! 3 cheers for spring break!

Spring Has Sprung!

2009-03-20T21:38:00.000-07:00

I made it! Spring break is finally here! We are off school next week and I could not be more excited to just be here at home, hopefully get some work done for graduate school, get ready for my next units to teach, and do all of the other various activities I have planned. Here is a rundown:

watch Twilight tomorrow with Jamye "college style" in comfy clothes while eating nachos
run errands with Rick
complete our LAST week of training for the 5K next Saturday!
write 10 lessons for one graduate class (ok...that's ambitious)
write a paper for another graduate class
PLAN for school
take Lexie on LOTS of walks
get my haircut
hang out with my uncle after he comes to town on Monday
hang out with my sister after she comes to town on Thursday
go to Jilly's Cupcakes
watch as many episodes of "Ace of Cakes" as humanly possible
attend the second annual benefit put on by the Epilepsy Foundation of Southern Illinois with an entire table of some of our greatest friends who are willing to support a cause that is so important to me

I am excited for spring break...and for SPRING in general!

Happy Birthday to...

2009-03-11T19:13:00.001-07:00

Lexie!

She was two years old today! Wow!

I will post pictures of her birthday celebration later as I am WAY too tired now.

Sickness and Old Wives Tales

2009-02-22T12:00:00.000-08:00

This winter has been the worst for us since Rick and I have been together...at least in terms of being sick. We have been sick just about every weekend since the new year. This weekend though, really took the cake. Rick had the stomach flu and I had/have a terrible cold/low-chest cough/throat issue.

Since we (I hope) are now on the mend, I am now 100% trying to disinfect the house. I have been doing laundry all morning, lysol-ing everything, opening windows, etc. I think as a joke, Rick's mom mentioned that her grandma used to cut an onion and let it sit out claiming that it trapped the germs. At this point, I am desperate! I got an onion (because Rick's mom went to the store for us!) and have half upstairs and half downstairs. I am hopeful!!

Now the house smells of fresh air, lysol, and onion...strange, but I am going to trust this old wives tale!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T22:04:00.000-08:00

I hope a Happy Valentine's Day was had by all! We had a nice, low key day and it was great. We test drove some cars today, ran some errands, went out to dinner, then came home and relaxed. We had agreed not to do gifts this year because it gets a little silly. Now that we have a house, things to save for, and a real life, the money can be put in more logical places! Well, after I worked for my dad last night, we realized that we had finally saved enough to purchase our new camera!!! WOO HOO!! So, while we didn't exchange gifts, we did get to buy our camera! It was awesome to have saved enough to pay in cash and actually OWN a big ticket item upon walking out of the store! I will post pictures taken with the new camera when I figure it out...

Suddenly old...

2009-02-10T19:40:00.000-08:00

Wow. On Monday I stayed home sick from school. However, I had to take a paper to my teacher at Lindenwood because it was due that evening. So, I decided to just go after I picked up my medicine.

I got out of the car, walked to the main part of campus and suddenly felt older than I ever have...in my life. All of these college kids were moving from class to class, talking about the crazy fun they had over the weekend, looking forward to the next weekend, drinking Starbucks, and really, only having to worry about papers to write and laundry to do.

I came in with NO make up on, not at all dressed to impress, just in a hurry to get home (to my actual house I now pay for!), and I suddenly felt old. I missed the days when all I had to do was go to class, work a job, and do laundry.

Don't get me wrong, I love my life now and feel so lucky, but I have my moments. Monday afternoon at Lindenwood was one of those moments.

Jamye

2009-02-07T16:35:00.000-08:00

Jamye is my friend from school. I remember meeting her after I started teaching at North High. I remember thinking that she was nice, but I never could have imagined what a wonderful person/friend she would turn out to be for me. Countless times, she has brightened my days at work, helped me put things in perspective, or commiserated with me when I just needed someone to share in my anger/sadness. It is extremely rare that you find someone like this. It is extremely rare that you find someone who is always willing and happy to go out of her way to help.

It was hard for me to move here to St. Charles, because I had to leave all of my friends in Edwardsville. Shortly after, Corey, my best friend from the time I was 14 moved to Phoenix. Rachel, my other best friend was "finding her way" as I was and she moved and was busy as well. It was scary for me to move to a place where, essentially, I had no friends. Now I feel that I would be sad to leave St. Charles because of the friends I have, namely, Jamye. She is a major reason why I will not be leaving North High. While all jobs have their faults, if you work with really extraordinary people, it's hard to justify leaving for small reasons.

On Friday I came to school sick, tired, expecting it to be a really rough day. On my desk I found the most beautiful vase of flowers with a note thanking me for being a really wonderful friend. Wow. I'm not the one delivering flowers. Needless to say, they were from Jamye.

I hope everyone who reads this has a "Jamye" in their own lives. Here's to amazing friends!

Small things...

2009-02-04T18:48:00.000-08:00

I am sick. It just came today. I was fearing that it was coming, and here it is. I have the congestion, scratchy throat, stuffy nose, sneezing, and general tiredness that I hate. I will live, but it's just no fun.

However, my grandma Bette always says, "Thank goodness for small favors." I actually thought of this today. I pulled into the driveway and saw a package on the porch. I knew what it was. It was my Snuggie.

Yes, I wanted a Snuggie for my birthday and Rick ordered one. Make fun of them all you want, but it arrived on an evening when all I wanted to do was snuggle up.

So here I sit, typing on the computer, wrapped up nicely in my snuggie thanking goodness for small favors!

Snow Day #2!

2009-01-28T18:11:00.000-08:00

How wonderful it was to get the "no school call" last night! I got to stay up late, not worry about waking up...it was great!

Lexie enjoyed playing outside today...for a brief time. She LOVES snow, but when it gets to be almost as tall as she is, she gets scared. I think I would too.

Also, strange story: Rick, being the wonderful husband he is, shoveled the driveway today before heading to work. Rick, being the weather obsessed person he is, also took a ruler out to measure how much snow we had. So, after measuring, he put the ruler on the rear bumper of his car. He backed out completely forgetting about the ruler. Well bloggers, he came home today (after driving on the highway mind you) and the ruler was still on the bumper!!! It was not frozen either. It blew my mind and I thought I would share that.

Taco Bake Snow Day!

2009-01-27T18:41:00.000-08:00

My friend Joi had this recipe on her blog and it looked SO good, I knew I had to try it. It just so happened that today was a snow day so I had a lovely day to grade, lounge around, then leisurely fix dinner.

It was really yummy and easy to make. The recipe originally came from here, and was super easy. I even used whole wheat pasta, low fat cream cheese, and other low fat friends :-) and it was STILL mighty tasty. The other great news is that it makes a whole pan, so we will have a few more meals out of it.

Maybe I will eat it for lunch tomorrow while I am home AGAIN due to snow. :-)

Happy Wednesday!

Movies

2009-01-16T16:40:00.000-08:00

I feel like there are so many movies I want to see!! I am even "behind" on DVD rentals...whew! Luckily we got two months of Netflix for Christmas. I just have to strategically plan the two months to be when we will be home, I will be finished coaching, and we will really make good use of our unlimited rentals! :-)

I would like to know what you all think of these movies. If you have seen any, would you leave me a note telling me whether it belongs at the top, middle, or bottom of the priority list?? Thank you!

Swing Vote-I know it's older, but I really wanted to see it.
Batman The Dark Night-yeah, we really never saw it. I know.
Bride Wars
Valkyrie
Frost/Nixon
Marley and Me-I LOVED the book
Benjamin Button
The one with Meryl Streep as a teacher...what's the title???

Chicago

2009-01-07T18:57:00.000-08:00

Katie and me at my party. Yes, I am in my pajamas. It was my party.
Blowing out candles in my Skinny Cows.
me and the new Mr. and Mrs. Kohn!
The three of us at The Melting Pot for my birthday.
I got balloons!!!

Our reason for going to Chicago was to celebrate with my good friend Eric as he married his lovely fiance (now wife!) Becca. It just happened that the wedding was on my birthday so I got to spend my whole birthday weekend in Chicago! Who could complain about that??

I went with my two favorite people, Rick and Katie, to my favorite place, The Melting Pot. Then we headed to Howl at the Moon...it is an awesome piano bar in Chicago. We had a blast.

We ran around on Saturday during the day then did the wedding thing in the evening. When we got back to Katie's apartment she had a little party all set up with decorations, Skinny Cow ice creams, and gifts. It was one of the best birthdays...just because. It was great!

addendum

2008-12-30T20:37:00.000-08:00

I left out something very important from my previous post...

YES, the dogs are practically identical. NO, I am not a bad dog parent. It is uncanny.

You'll never believe this one...

2008-12-30T20:18:00.000-08:00

Well bloggers, brace yourself for a strange story. For this story, we must back up a week:

Monday, December 22: I dropped Lexie off at the groomers for her Christmas haircut. Later that afternoon, I went to pick her up. She was strange. She would not come to me, she acted afraid, and it was just really out of character for Lexie. We went home, she didn't get better, and began doing strange things that she had never done before. We started to think something happened at the groomers...something unpleasant.

Tuesday, December 23: I called the groomer. They said nothing happened.

Wednesday, December 24-Monday, December 29: Here are the strange observations we made about Lexie:
1. She was jumping on and off of our furniture. Lexie had NEVER done that before.
2. We have a mat on our porch for people to scrape shoes. Lexie never walks on it because it hurts her paws. She was walking right over it.
3. Lexie wouldn't play with toys.
4. When we left, Lexie had full on, 100% nervous breakdown panic attacks.
I really started to get concerned. It was difficult to see such a change in my little dog. We took her to the vet. They agreed she acted strange, but nothing was physically wrong. We took her to Christmas to celebrate. Again, everyone was concerned.

Tuesday, December 30: I wake up to a voicemail from the groomer asking me to call her right away. I did. Then the conversation went a little like this:
Me: "Hi."
Groomer: "Hi. How is Lexie doing?"
Me: "Pretty much the same. She is still acting like a different dog."
Groomer: "Oh my gosh...I don't even believe I have to tell you this...we are pretty sure we switched your dog and gave you back the wrong one."
Me: "............................................what?"

Ok, so at this point my head started to spin. It all came together and everything made sense. This dog that I had been treating like my own for 8 DAYS...was not. Here is how this all shook down:

The other owners noticed strange behavior as well. They took my Lexie (who they thought was Lyla) to the vet today. The vet scanned the dog (just to be sure) because Lyla has a micro chip. Lexie does not. Well...big surprise...no microchip. Lexie was coming home. The groomer brought me Lexie back, and I gave Lyla to her to take back. My head was still spinning, but I was thankful to have her back.

No sooner had I sat down to hold my little baby...RING RING. Animal Control calls. Why did they call you ask???? Because Lexie bit the man she was living with for 8 days and they now have to "watch her" and all of this ridiculous nonsense. Lexie was in an unfamiliar situation, and frankly, I probably would have bitten someone too. I was SO MAD.

Then, I find out that the other owner didn't even call animal control until AFTER the dogs were switched today so he did it just to be a jerk. I was really upset. I still am.

So you're probably asking, "What are you going to do to the groomer????" The answer is nothing. She feels horrible and was really shaken up. The mean old couple (Lyla's parents) were mean enough (apparently) for the both of us. EVERYONE makes mistakes...I have made mistakes in my job and they involve people's real children. I am always so thankful for the parents who DO NOT yell, scream, and threaten, and I refuse to be that person. The groomer is giving us money back and paying vet bills. That's all we need.

Now you're probably asking, "Who's this groomer?" I am not going to post it. I am not here to ruin businesses, or run a name through the mud. It's not important.

Last you're probably asking, "How's Lexie?" Well,,,she's ok. She is very groggy because the mean old couple took her to the vet today and told the vet she needed to be tranquilized...she is just super tired and worn out. She is probably stressed out as well.

So...we are ending 2008 on a positive note...we have OUR Lexie back. I am taking this final "episode" of 2008 as a lesson. I am going to really try to make people's lives better, and not do anything to make lives more difficult for any reason in 2009. These people have just been mean, rude, and crabby over an unfortunate situation that didn't need any added fuel.

So, I wish you all a great New Year's Eve. Ring in 2009 with happiness and joy! I definitely will!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T09:09:00.001-08:00

We are getting ready to start our Christmas Eve/Christmas festivities and I send out a Merry Christmas to all of you!

We are doing the Simms Christmas today and the Faltus Christmas tomorrow. It will be a great time!

Merry Christmas!

Coming to you live from...

2008-12-15T06:05:00.000-08:00

my first snow day of the year. I called it...all you naysayers may now apologize! :-)

Now, Lexie doesn't really respect the concept of sleeping in on snow days, so here we are at 8:00. Actually though, that is sleeping in for me, so who am I to complain?

I am thankful for my snow day so that I can clean a little, bake, wrap presents, and just have a great day overall. Seriously, what other job can you have in your adult life where you get honest-to-goodness snow days??? It's great!

I always think of parents on snow days. All the parents I know always dread snow days because it means their kids have to stay at home. My mom always loved when we had snow days when we were young, and I think that is so sweet. We would always do something fun at home, and that is just one reason why she is a great mom! :-)

Alright...I am off to begin my day at home!

Christmas Happenings

2008-12-12T20:49:00.000-08:00

Above are a few pictures of some Christmas happenings around here. The first is a photo of the ornaments I made for all of the girls on my dance team. The photo doesn't do it justice, but oh well. Our party is next Friday, and I think the girls will love them.

Next...Rick and I made a gingerbread house! It was really fun and it didn't fall down! :-)

I will post more pictures of Christmas happenings as they come. Hopefully, I will be able to report on a snow day very soon. Keep your fingers crossed!

And today is...

2008-12-06T09:28:00.000-08:00

Christmas shopping! :-)

Rick and I are going out later to do some Christmas shopping, go out to dinner, and then to see Four Christmases. I pretty much can't wait.

Happy Saturday to everyone!

Chicago

2008-12-02T17:24:00.001-08:00

We had a good time in Chicago. We did a little (very little) shopping, saw The Rockettes :-), and went to a really neat train exhibit at the Chicago Botanical Gardens. We had lots of fun, and lots of yummy food!

Above is the big tree at the Kriskindel (sp?) Mart in Chicago. Apparently, it is a miniature one of the big one in Germany.

Katie and I with our little cups!

I decided to embrace my German heritage with the braids.

My mom and I at tea at The Drake hotel.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-25T17:00:00.000-08:00

I want to post this now in case I don't get a chance to tomorrow. I wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy the day and eat lots of yummy food. I know I will! :-)

I can't help but think, especially in our current time, how lucky I am and how much I really have to be thankful for. Yes, even after a week that started off, well, you know...completely scary! I still have a lot to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's beginning to look a lot like...

2008-11-22T22:12:00.000-08:00

C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S!

Yes, we put up the inside decorations and tomorrow is the outside day. In case you have never met me before, or didn't realize it within 10 seconds of meeting me, I LOVE CHRISTMAS! This year, Thanksgiving is so late...when I realized that, I decided that this would be the decorating weekend. Plus, we are going to see Miss Katie in Chicago for Thanksgiving, so I want the decorations up and ready when we return. Too early...NEVER!

At the risk of going too "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," we purchased another outside decoration today. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we are now the proud owners of one of those enormous inflatable...things. It really is cute though. It is snoopy's dog house with him, Charlie Brown, and Woodstock decorating. I will post pictures tomorrow. So, with that, candy canes lining the driveway, house lights, deer, and light up trees, we should be looking good!

Joi, forgive me for being the opposite of your "less is more" tasteful holiday decorating. Can we still be friends? Haha!

So, my blog friends, here's to a wonderful holiday season to you all! I will post pictures of our decorations when they are finished.

Oh yeah...and Happy Thanksgiving week!

Happy Birthday to...

2008-11-16T20:16:00.000-08:00

Mom! Happy birthday to my wonderful mom! I hope you have a wonderful day...you deserve it! Enjoy the cupcakes! Love you!

Check it out!

2008-11-04T19:19:00.000-08:00

Libbi's Cupcakes is online!

www.libbiscupcakes.com

Halloween

2008-11-02T19:04:00.000-08:00

We had a great Halloween weekend and we hope you all did the same! We had our party (2nd annual!) and it was super fun. Rick and I dressed as Captain Hook and Tinkerbell and Lexie was Snow White. She was so good at the party, and she even wore her costume until about midnight. Fun! Here are some pictures:

Rick, me, Rachel, and Tony
Rick's graveyard in the back
Captain Hook and Tink!
Tinkerbell and Snow White!

Coming to you live from...

2008-10-29T17:21:00.000-07:00

my brand new laptop! After mine officially broke down, my amazing parents said they would buy me my Christmas gift early! Hello to the pink Dell! I LOVE it! Thank you mom and dad!

Farewell Samantha Parkington

2008-10-23T17:35:00.000-07:00

Ok...I must preface this by saying, don't make fun of me...I can't take it right now.

Now...American Girl is retiring the Samantha Parkington doll. To some of you this may make you say, "Uh...who cares?" For others, you will understand my sadness. I have a great deal of respect and admiration for what the American Girl company tries to do. I think they are wonderful. When I was about 8, I was introduced to Samantha Parkington (the original American Girl doll). I hoped and hoped that I would get her for Christmas. I did get her as a gift from my grandma Velma. I think that is another reason that the retirement of this doll makes me extra sad.

This is going to be the last Christmas for Samantha and all of her "accessories" and that makes me sad. I always thought I would have a daughter and get her her own Samantha.

I don't know...maybe it is stupid, but it's one of those pieces of childhood that is sad to say goodbye to.

Now, here's where I need your feedback. Over Thanksgiving we are going to Chicago. I have always wanted to go to American Girl Place, but it didn't exist when I was at the age to play with the dolls. Now that Samantha is being retired, I really want to go and just see what it's all about. Is that too stupid for words? Or, should I just go, enjoy myself, and not worry if people think I'm an idiot??? Help.

Life as I've Lived It, Part Four (24-1)

2008-10-16T18:31:00.000-07:00

Well, since I was called out on Jamye's blog, I decided to finish this list. Actually, I have thought about finishing it many times, and I don't know what is stopping me. I decided though, that I was not going to look back at my other posts, so if something is repeated, sorry!

These are in NO particular order:

24. The night when, at 2 am, Lexie heard a rooster, Rick went outside to "fix it" by throwing a firework in the street (which sounded like a gun) and us laughing hysterically in bed for like, 30 minutes after because the whole thing was so absurd.
23. The time I had with Dr. Denby while studying at SIUE. He was such an inspiration to me, and although I told him, I don't think he every truly knew what he meant to me.
22. My first "success" selling cupcakes!
21. The day when I went to get iced tea at Starbucks, and upon pulling up to pay, the guy told me that the woman in front of me had paid for my drink! She said someone did it for her once, and she wanted to "pass it on." Honestly, it made my day, restored my faith in humanity, and then I did the same thing about a week later. It was a small thing, but it had such a huge ripple effect.
20. When mom brought Ginger our dog home to us when I was 6 and Katie was 2. I remember dad saying, "We're not keeping her...she can stay overnight and that's all." Yeah...14 years later... :-)
19. Our first JV Dance performance this year. It was so exciting the see the girls on the field and it was great to see how excited they were.
18. Having Cuba Gooding Jr. "notice" me in a bar in L.A. Yeah, it didn't mean anything, but it made me feel pretty darn good. :-)
17. My dad reading "Santa Mouse" to us every single Christmas Eve regardless of how old we got, or how tired he was. Again, a small thing. Will I ever forget it??? NO!
16. Going with Rachel to see Sex and the City the movie. It was SO much fun! Even running through a downpour was fun...
15. Hearing Katie tell me that her college advisor sees "big things" for her and how proud he is of her. I am so proud of everything Katie has already done. She's awesome! I loving hearing from her.
14. Along that same line...hearing that Uncle Danny is teaching some classes at a private high school in LA (Harvard Westlake). I have always said he would be an amazing teacher and I am so excited that he gets this opportunity.
13. Making practice cupcakes with my dad. It was a big deal to me that he wanted to help me with this endeavor and that he was confident in my skills.
12. Getting chosen to go to Young Authors in elementary school. I remember thinking that I was basically amazing, and on my way to writing a bestseller. Granted, that didn't happen, but that really boosted my writing ability.
11. Yeah, it's materialistic...getting my first real Louis Vuitton. Say what you will, but it was pretty darn memorable.
10. Going to a haunted house with Corey and being chased to our car by the chainsaw guy. That was so freakin' scary...
9. J-A-M-Y-E: Here's the thing...she put this nice stuff about me before I posted so now it just looks like I am copying. I really am not. I love this girl...and if I had to pick one memorable moment, I couldn't. We have grand times together and we will continue to have more. No matter where we end up, we will always be "buddies." She is the best anyone could ask for...
8. Decorating our house for Christmas for the first time. I felt really grown up and it was really fun. I can't wait to do it again.
7. Going to dance camp with Cara and the girls...it was super fun!
6. Going to the farm...everytime we did. It is so much fun going to Uncle Ray and Aunt Doris's farm, going to the barn, getting tractor rides, etc. Love it!
5. Doing "St. Louis things" with Rick. We set this goal and have been trying to do things, and it is actually really fun!
4. TGIF + sleepover's + rootbeer floats + pigs in a blanket + grandma Bette's house=amazing.
3. Every moment with Grandma Velma...I only wish I had gotten more of them...
2. Sitting on my Papa's lap. Unfortunately, this is the only thing I remember about him, but it's a good thing if you only have one.
1. Grandpa Art telling me about family history stuff...it was really cool and I have never forgotten it.
0. Mom coming up to Eastern after a scummy boy broke up with me. I was in college and just needed my mom.

Yeah, I know that "zero" isn't allowed...tough cookies. I had too many. Hope you enjoyed it!

Here's to Pink!

2008-10-12T08:42:00.001-07:00

October is, of course, breast cancer awareness month. I love it because A: it raises lots of money for a great cause, and B: EVERYTHING is pink!

Salon De Christie in St. Charles and St. Peters, MO is raising money by offering a PINK hair extension for 10 dollars and 100% goes to breast cancer! I am getting one tomorrow. I will post a picture!

Announcing...

2008-10-05T07:47:00.000-07:00

Libbi's Cupcakes!
Hello there, blog friends. Well, I have not announced this yet because I was still "working it all out," but I think I am ready. I have started a little side business making gourmet filled, designed cupcakes. I have already done two showers and this weekend I sold them at the Belleville Chili Cook Off. They were a big hit! I am working on building up business, so if you need cupcakes for anything, I can do any theme or design. Here are some pictures:

This is one of the styles I did for a bridal shower. These were filled with raspberry filling.
Obviously, this is carrot cake! They are SO GOOD!
This was a design I did for the Chili Cook Off. People loved them! They were filled with either chocolate creme or lemon filling.
These were the "Kid Cupcakes" I took to the Chili Cook Off. We had "Cupcake Monster," "Princess," and "Superman." They loved them!
This was just one box of what I sold at the Chili Cook Off.

One of my favorite things...

2008-09-19T20:42:00.000-07:00

about teaching high school is going to Friday night football games. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my JV games as well...I feel like a proud mom when my girls perform. But there is something about Friday night, packed stands, pre-game, marching band, dancers, cheer, etc. that is just really, really fun. It's nights like that when I really realize how "good" our kids are. I mean, put a few thousand kids together and BAD things can happen. But they never really do. They cheer ENDLESSLY for our team (it's actually really fantastic) and they just have a good time. It's nice. I always enjoy football season.

Frustrations

2008-09-11T18:25:00.000-07:00

Ok people...I just need to vent these frustrations:

1. My computer is broken. Yes, broken. It will not even turn on. So, we have to share...YUCK!! We are so spoiled by each having a laptop...this sharing thing is tough.

2. Test scores. If you are a teacher, you feel my pain. Here's hoping that MAJOR changes are made to NCLB.

3. Election nonsense. Don't get me wrong, I love the election coverage...I am just tired of the NONSENSE/name calling/lies, etc.

4. Being old. Yeah, yeah, I am not THAT old, but hear this story: Today our principal made an announcement to remember September 11, 2001. Then, he so kindly stated that "our seniors were in 5th grade and our freshmen were in 2nd grade when it happened." I was like, "Oh Lord...I was a FRESHMAN IN COLLEGE!!" What's weird about teaching (especially high school) is that you feel like you stay the same, but every year the gap gets greater between you and the kids. It's WEIRD. Joi-I'm sure you get what I mean.

5. Headaches. For those of you who do not know, my neurologist is trying to wean me off of my seizure medicine. I have been on this medication since I was 12, and at first, it was very scary. I was constantly worried I would have a seizure. But (knock on wood) after a year or so, we are ALMOST down to nothing and all is well. However, I have been having lots of headaches again so I think I will have to go see him again for that. So, hopefully we can figure something out because most migraine meds. don't agree with me.

Ok, I am all done venting! I feel better now that it is all out in the open! Happy Friday!

I am so excited for...

2008-08-29T19:16:00.000-07:00

tomorrow morning! Tomorrow I am loading up the car with my parents and Uncle Danny and heading to southern Indiana to French Lick Springs Resort/Casino. Now, to many of you this may not seem like a big deal, but for us this is pretty exciting. See, we went there SO MANY TIMES when I was little and I have so many wonderful memories. About ten years ago, we quit going. They renovated, put in a casino, and we have decided to go back. My dad's cousins and spouses are going too and it will be really really fun. Rick is not going because he is boring. Just kidding! He wanted to stay home this weekend with Lexie. It should be a great weekend and I will post when I get back. Happy Labor Day weekend everyone!

Cupcakes!

2008-08-24T17:49:00.000-07:00

If you know me, you know I love them. Cupcakes, that is! This weekend I practiced making "pretty cupcakes" using made from scratch icing, and a pastry bag. It was REALLY fun and I was pretty proud of the end result. I only made 6 because they were the big ones, but I will be making more. I even made one for breast cancer. I know the actual "month" is October, but who cares??

All of my pretty creations!
Chocolate cake and pink frosting! I think it looks like a flower.
Breast cancer ribbon.
White and chocolate icing, white and dark chocolate shavings.
Chocolate icing with coconut.

Looking forward to...

2008-08-22T20:42:00.000-07:00

a SPA DAY tomorrow! My wonderful husband gave me a gift card for a massage at a NICE spa in Plaza Frontenac quite some time ago. Last night, after open house, I was dead on my feet and he told me that he was "making" me use the gift card Saturday because I needed it. So, I listened, called today, and will be enjoying a 50 minute aromatherapy massage tomorrow at noon! I can't WAIT! Here is the rundown of why this is oh-so-needed:

1. It was the first week of school...SO tiring!
2. I wore really cute shoes all week...that were HORRIBLY uncomfortable! 2 blisters, 3 cuts, and a painful heel problem later...well, you get it.
3. I had a few bad incidents with kids...already.
4. I was at school until 8:30 on Wednesday night.
5. I was at school until 8:30 on Thursday night.
6. I was at school, then at the football jamboree with the girls until 7:30 Friday night.

Yes, I think I will take my spa day! Whew! One week down...the first week is the hardest, so cheers to it being OVER!

Happy weekend!

1 down...

2008-08-18T17:06:00.001-07:00

Oh. My. Gosh. I think that no matter how many years I teach, I will never fully remember how TIRED I am after the first day. Scratch that...how absolutely exhausted I am. It is insane how you get used to a summer routine then that first day smacks you in the face. Whew!

Overall it was pretty good. I actually found myself "looking back" and thinking of my "first year self" and thinking about how differently I handled things then than I do now...things just don't bother you as much. It's nice.

My kids are ok. I am worried about a few, but hopefully it will all be ok. The traveling thing is NOT bad...it is pretty easy. I am lucky.

I brought NOTHING home to work on tonight. Yes, after two years, I learned that I won't do any work after the first day, so why even carry the bag home. I am going to try to tape my eyelids open and watch The Hills. Who knows if I will make it that far.

Have a great week!

Dance Team BBQ

2008-08-16T20:03:00.000-07:00

We had a BBQ today for my girls on my dance team and their parents/families. I was pretty nervous, but it went really well! We provided drinks, hamburgers/hotdogs, dessert, and Pasta House salad. Everyone else brought a side dish to share. It was really fun and I think the parents/girls enjoyed themselves. We could not have asked for a more beautiful day! :-)

I made really cute "Panther Pride" Rice Krispie treats. For some reason the pictures are sideways...sorry.

Our backyard all ready for the party!

Classroom!

2008-08-16T19:59:00.000-07:00

Well, school starts on Monday and, for the most part, I am ready to go. I am sharing my room this year with another teacher, so I also have a cart. Now, for those of you who teach, this is disastrous news. I mean, going from having a whole classroom all day to having a classroom for three hours and a cart for the other three???!!! Really though, I am not upset. I have my cart VERY organized and am pretty much self contained. So, it's all good! Here are some photos.

My "main" classroom
My desk area in my "main" classroom
My cart! :-)

Summer...where did you go?

2008-08-07T08:49:00.000-07:00

I am sad...summer is over! Why does summer always go so fast????

This weekend (tonight actually!) we are headed to the lake with friends for one last fun summer weekend. I will be desperately holding on to it! Then Monday starts meetings/workdays/etc.

I will update after the weekend.

OH! For those of you who are wondering about Lexie...her allergy is better. We had to get more medicine for her on Tuesday, but it seems to be working!

New Baby

2008-08-03T19:50:00.000-07:00

Well folks, I actually own one...a REAL Louis Vuitton purse. I can't even type it...I am too excited! For those of you who are not materialistic, this will mean nothing, but I have wanted a real Louis for SO long...

My parents and sister went on a cruise to the Mediterranean and we could not go :-(. So my family brought me this back as a gift. It is so beautiful and I love it. :-)

Running

2008-07-29T20:34:00.000-07:00

Ok, finally after YEARS of saying I was going to start running, I have actually done it! I think it is because Rick and I always go together, and it definitely helps to have someone with you! I am actually enjoying it and I feel SO MUCH BETTER when I finish! We have been running 2 miles a day! That's HUGE for me...let's hope we can keep it up!

Also, thank you to Joi for her "etsy" tip. I just received 4 orders in the mail and cannot WAIT to put them up! Love it!

Also, I want to give a "shout out" to Joi for her new job this year! I am so happy for her because I know she is moving to where she has wanted to be for awhile. I also know she is going to a great school because I student taught at GCHS and LOVED it! Good luck Joi! :-)

Odds and Ends

2008-07-28T10:11:00.000-07:00

I got a very welcomed phone call last Wednesday evening from my great friend, Johannah. She called to tell me that she, her mom, and her husband would be driving through St. Charles the next morning on their way to Iowa. So, we had breakfast. It was such a nice surprise and we had a wonderful time! I even got to meet their dog, Bailey who was in the car!

Me, Johannah, and Brian
Ok, after breakfast, I decided to make a trip to Home Goods to try and find some things for the house. The search is neverending. I found some cute things. Although I am constantly comparing our house to Joi's and Cori's, I still try! :-) Here are some of the new additions:

I got this little table and plant to put in the little "empty nook" (as I used to call it) at the top of our stairs. I love it!
Ok, our office is kind of a disaster. It is a jumbled mess of scrapbooking stuff, school stuff, two desks, books, and just other "stuff" that we don't quite know what to do with. So, for now my motto for the office is, "Just hide the junk." I found some lovely things to assist me with that motto!

Ok, here is my crowning glory. You need the back story though. Our closet is lovely. It is big and wonderful. My dream is to have St. Louis Closets design all of my closets. Well, we got an estimate and it was (drumroll please) $1,500.00 for our closet! OUCH!!! So, I was bound and determined to organize our closet on my own. So, in two hours last Friday, I did it. I should have taken a before picture, but oh well. I was very impressed with my work!

Well, that's the update. I hope everyone has a wonderful day and to all of the teachers I know: enjoy those last couple weeks of summer vacation! :-)

Whew...

2008-07-22T13:47:00.000-07:00

It has been a whirlwind! This post will have to be broken down into 3 parts: Lexie, Dance Camp, and Anniversary.

Lexie
Ok, here's the deal...Lexie is not doing so great! She has had a terrible allergic reaction to something. Actually, I am not sure it is a reaction, more that she is just allergic to something. That poor baby has scratched and bitten her ears, skin, and eyes so much that she looks just awful. We have been to the vet twice already for it. She has two eye medicines, allergy pills, a steroid shot, baby Benadryl, and I think that's it! The frustrating part is that we do not know what she is allergic to. I just don't know what to think...does anyone have any experience with dog allergies???

Dance Camp
Camp was fabulous!!! We went to SLU for 4 days and it was the most fun ever! My team did a great job and the girls bonded so wonderfully and were just a pleasure to be around. It really was so much fun. I was definitely in my element! :-)

Anniversary
Last night was our ONE YEAR wedding anniversary! I cannot believe how quickly the time passed! We went to dinner at The Melting Pot (my favorite place!) and when we got there they had roses on the table! This, of course was set up by my wonderful husband! It was a lovely evening topped off by an amazing (and unexpected) gift. Rick got me a second diamond band for the other side of my wedding ring. It is beautiful and I love it. It has been a great year!

You would think...

2008-07-15T22:33:00.000-07:00

that summer would allow me MORE time to post!! Well, you would be wrong! I wonder why that is...

A quick update:

1. I finished 2 graduate classes this summer! woo hoo! Only 5 more to go I think??

2. We leave for dance camp on FRIDAY!! Wish us luck!

3. My mom, dad and sister are in Italy, France, Africa...(you name it) right now. And we are here...in Missouri. Boo.

4. Monday is our 1 year wedding anniversary! I will let you know how our cake is! :-)

5. Lexie tore her eyelid. She had to wear a lampshade collar for 7 days. She is all better now!

6. We went to the lake for the 4th of July. It was lots of fun!

7. I think we are headed back there in a couple weeks.

8. I am LOVING coaching dance!

9. School will be starting all too soon...I am trying to enjoy the last month or so of summer!

10. I will be back to "regular posting" after Monday when I return from camp!

It's been awhile...

2008-06-27T21:20:00.000-07:00

Yes, it has been awhile since the last post. I don't know...I am in a blogging "funk." I just haven't really felt the vibe lately! :-) We had a great time in Disney World. It was SO much fun. Rick and I went to Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and The Magic Kingdom and stayed until close every night. We even stayed for "Fantasmic" at Hollywood Studios...I had wanted to see it before, but did not get to! It was great! Here are a few photos:

I will be back when we return from...

2008-06-15T19:38:00.001-07:00

The Happiest Place on Earth! Disney World, here we come!

Life as I've Lived It...Part 3 (49-25)

2008-06-13T20:12:00.000-07:00

49. Playing in Grandma Bette's garden/backyard as a kid. Her neighborhood kids were the best!
48. Bid day...getting a bid to my sorority.
47. Trips to Disney World with the family
46. Mom bringing Ginger home...and her being our family dog for 14 great years. Just for the record, my dad swore to us that we were "only keeping her for ONE NIGHT until we found her a good home." haha!
45. Teaching at Edwardsville...that was the best.
44. "Girls Night" with all the girls from the SIUE English group I was close with. I think we drank 14 bottles of champagne??!!
43. Living in Cougar Village with Rachel, Breanne and Mary...it was fabulous!
42. Going to LA with Rachel!
41. Registering for all of our wedding registries...it was so much fun!
40. Our honeymoon in Mexico. Did I already say this one? Oh well...it was amazing!
39. This is nerdy, but, the first time I read To Kill a Mockingbird. I absolutely love that story, and I will miss teaching it next year. Next year I have English II, and Mockingbird is English I. Boo.
38. Dates to Drunken Fish with my various "Sushi buddies"
37. The first night in our own house...what a crazy, awesome, overwhelming, grown up feeling that was!
36. Meeting my first college roommate for the first time. Kim was the greatest roomie I could have ever asked for!
35. Being the president of my elementary school Jr. Optimist Club in 5th grade. Hey, I was proud!
34. Watching Kaci get married. I had never been to a wedding of someone I have know THAT long...it was really cool.
33. Riding the Superman ride with Uncle Danny at Knott's Berry Farm. SCARY!!! (But fun!)
32. The first time we let Lexie outside with the fence! She didn't know what to do with herself!
31. Dance...classes, recitals, parades, teaching...everything and anything dance.
30. "Stay at home" nights with Rick. Sometimes it is so nice to just relax, watch a movie, and do NOTHING.
29. The last day of school...every year! It's exciting!
28. The first day of school...every year! It's exciting!
27. Water skiing for the first time
26. Rick sending me Valentine's Day flowers to school...every year
25. Going to a luau in Hawaii...FUN!

Stay tuned for Part 4!

Is she a baby or a dog? (Part 2)

2008-06-09T11:41:00.000-07:00

Ok, the second time I asked this question was yesterday. It was SO hot (as we all know) and she was outside, and I thought, "I wonder if she would like a little baby pool?"

So, off to Walgreens I go and I found the perfect little pool for her. I came home, blew it up and we put a tiny bit of water in. I put her in and at first she just drank the water. Then she actually started to play and she jumped in and out of the pool! It was hilarious!

Being off for the whole summer, one has to find a way to amuse herself! Haha!

Is she a baby or a dog? (Part 1)

2008-06-09T11:24:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I find myself asking this question in regard to Lexie. Lately I have asked it twice. First, I became very frustrated about her toys being EVERYWHERE! So, we were at Petsmart and I saw a dog toybox! The answer to all of my problems! I happily bought it, brought it home, put her toys in it and closed the lid.

How long did that last? Not long...after seeing that sweet/sad little face sniff the box, bat at it, and KNOW that all of her toys were in there but she could not get to them, I folded. So, most of the time the toybox is turned on its side so Lexie can continue to get every single toy out and mess up the house.

If I didn't love her so much...

Life As I've Lived It...Part 2 (74-50)

2008-06-08T18:49:00.000-07:00

74. Katie's "birthday weekend" celebration in Chicago. This is when I officially realized that I am too old to run with 21-year-olds!
73. Dancing in my final dance recital the summer after my senior year in high school.
72. Graduating from college with Cum Laude honors. It was a huge step and a huge relief!
71.Going to Hawaii with Mom, Dad, Katie and Rick.
70. Fearing for my life on the road to Hana with my dad behind the wheel of a yellow Hummer. JUST KIDDING! It was gorgeous!
69. Joe..."snorkeling" on 4th of July. Actually, all parties at Nathan and Melissa's are noteworthy.
68. Meeting Elle for the first time. She was the first baby to come into our group!
67. Renovating Bellecourt Manor with my dad. I will never forget painting the ladies restroom and my dad said, "You know, someday you will come in here on your wedding day and you will be able to say that you painted these walls." Sure enough, I did just that on July 21, 2007.
66. When I had a really rough Valentine's Day and my dad gave me a lovely little ring with a heart shaped diamond on it.
65. The Christmas when Rick gave me my diamond heart necklace. I loved it because my dad gave my mom a diamond heart necklace when they were dating, too!
64. All the summers spent at the Westhaven pool with Erin...we finally learned how to dive!
63. Going to LA for the first time to visit Uncle Danny. It was fabulous!
62. Playing ten cent ski ball at the Lake of the Ozarks with Mom and Katie
61. Singing "The Bear Went Over the Boatside" with Katie EVERY SINGLE time we took the boat out. How did that ever get started anyway??
60. Talking with Jamye during passing periods every day...we are worse than the kids!!
59. My 21st birthday...I had so much fun that night!
58. Spending TONS of time at Johannah's house swimming, playing, and eating that yummy popcorn her mom used to make us!
57. Trying to re-create the dance from "Dirty Dancing" with Corey in the basement at the lake house. Yeah, we definitely almost broke Corey's nose that night...
56. Rolling down the hill at our Robin Hill Lane house with Katie, Kim, Kristen, and Kelly.
55. All the good times we had at church when we were little
54. Partying on Green Street at U of I
53. Attending our high school graduation as a teacher. It is the greatest feeling to see all of your students achieve their proudest moment to date.
52. Sitting in the very front row of the Cardinal game!
51. The "pre-wedding sleepover" with the girls. I would not trade that for anything. It was the most fun...ever!
50. Trying on wedding dresses!

Stay tuned for Part 3

Life As I've Lived It...Part 1 (100-75)

2008-06-06T20:17:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite people, Joi, did this and I decided to take her challenge and do it too!. It entails making a list of 100 things that were worth doing in your life and reflecting upon them. As another blogger put it, "I hope these events are those that pop up should my life flash before my eyes." Here's my partial list! And, these are definitely in no particular order.

100. Getting the phone call offering me my teaching job at FZN.
99. Driving around in high school with Heather and Rachel after I got my convertible. It was snowing, but we still put the top down!
98. I have to say this one (Joi!) going to see NKOTB at Busch Stadium with my mom. I thought I was so hot!
97. Playing "tug on the rope" with my sister Katie!
96. All of the great summers spent on McKinley Drive with the "crew..." Katie, Katie, Kristin, Kaci
95. Lunches with my dad at Plaza Frontenac. It is a great annual tradition.
94. "back to school" shopping with my grandma Velma.
93. Actually, anything and everything I did with my grandma Velma!
92. Going to New York by myself to visit my uncle Danny! I will never forget seeing "Beauty and the Beast" on Broadway from the first or second row! That is HUGE to a 12 year old!
91. Picking Lexie up and seeing that tiny little face...SO CUTE!!
90. The first time I tried to take Ginger on a walk...we made it to the stop sign and she laid down!
89. Our family trip to London and Paris!
88. Our family trip to Alaska!
87. All of our family trips!
86. The moment Rick proposed on top of the Stratosphere in Las Vegas.
85. Getting to walk into the hotel and tell his family we were engaged!
84. Making "Pigs in a blanket" with grandma Bette.
83. Drinking grandma Bette's sweet tea...and swinging in her swing on Harmon Drive...
82. Being a munchkin in The Wizard of OZ
81. Meeting my mother in law for the first time. See, it was Christmas time and she was sitting on the floor in her pajamas wrapping Christmas gifts...while wearing rubber gloves to protect her nail polish. I love it.
80. Staying up late with my mom...for any reason.
79. Watching The Kentucky Derby...LIVE!
78. Closing on our house!
77. My dad walking me down the aisle to get married
76. Marrying Rick
75. Going "to the bars" with Corey. Ok, when Corey, Jenni and I lived together, our stairs had "bars." Well, one night Corey and I decided that in order to call ourselves "thin" we had to be able to fit through the bars. Well, we did it. And we continued to do it for company who didn't believe our story!

Stay tuned for Part 2!

Summer Break is here!

2008-06-05T19:11:00.001-07:00

Summer break is finally here and I am trying to live every minute of it to the fullest! Today, Lexie and I had a great day together, but my being home all day REALLY tires her out! She is used to getting more sleep!
First, we SLEPT IN! Three cheers for 9:30! Then we ate breakfast out on the patio and played with Lexaroo's frisbee. She LOVES that thing! Lexie told me that I ought to do something productive so I cleaned the first floor, did all the dishes, cleaned the bedroom ( just a little), made the bed, put some clothes away, then took a shower.
After that, I left Lexie to take a little nap and went to Petsmart and got her her very own little toy box! Yes, she has more toys than any dog I have ever seen.
My major story of the day is about going to Trader Joes! I LOVE LOVE LOVE that place! I really only go in the summer because it is just a little too far for a "normal" grocery store. But wow, did I get some neat stuff! I heart Trader Joe. And YES, he is a real person...Uncle Danny knows him personally.
Here are some new pictures of Lexaroo.

Our beautiful girl in her summer dress!

This was her today sitting outside in the sun. She was "mid-yawn" but it looks really funny like she was sticking her tongue out.
Lexie...sunning her back.
Lexie...sunning her tummy!
And another big yawn!!

Happy Summer everyone!

Everything I hoped for...

2008-06-02T20:00:00.001-07:00

Yes, Sex and the City was perfect. It was everything I hoped for and I am SO THRILLED with how it was written! It was wonderful...so wonderful that I saw it TWICE in its opening weekend! Ha! I will not write specifics, because that would be terrible, but it was great! And honestly, it was not all designers, and fun and frolic. There were some very touching moments that remind us all how important our girlfriends are! Below is a picture of me and Rachel in the theater. Yes, I was the person who took a picture in the movie theater...

The day I've been waiting for!

2008-05-29T19:04:00.000-07:00

After waiting soooooooooooo long, tomorrow is finally the day! Sex and the City comes to the movie theaters!!!! I absolutely cannot WAIT! Currently, I am watching the final 8 episodes in preparation for tomorrow night. Who doesn't love the two part "An American Girl in Paris"?????

Because I HAVE to...I feel like I need to give a shout out to my SATC partner in crime, Rachel. Rachel and I have been besties for eleven years. She is the best and I found myself actually thinking of her tonight in the second-to-the-last episode when Carrie says to the girls, "Last night I had a thought; what if I had never met you?" *sigh* I can say for certain my life would be very different...NOT a good different. I love my Rachel!

A few pictures of me and Rachel! Cuteness!

A full report of the movie will come later! Ta ta for now! 3 cheers for the LAST FRIDAY of school!!

5 Things About Me!

2008-05-25T08:15:00.000-07:00

Woo Hoo! I have been tagged by Ann at "Mamarazzi" to do this fun meme!! I decided to take a shot at it...

1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read the player’s blog.
4. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

What were you doing 5 years ago?
-I was just finishing up my sophomore year at Eastern. I was thinking about transferring to SIUE, which ended up happening.

-I had just received notification that I got a spot to go work at Disney World via the college program. For those of you keeping score at home, I didn't go.

-I was the very involved with Greek life at EIU on the university level.

-I was living in the sorority house.

-I was getting ready for summer...we were going to California that summer. :-)

What are five things to do on your to do list for the day?
-Make a fruit dip for Jon and Sara's house.
-Work on getting my coaching binder together for dance next year.
-Make a plan for tomorrow's shopping trip
-Organize something...lots to choose from here...
-Go to Jon and Sara's and try to have a good time even though it is raining like crazy.
What are five snacks you enjoy?
-Cheese popcorn...it could be the death of me.
-veggies and dip...it's best when it is all cut up for me!
-chips and dip
-cookies
-rye bread and dill dip...YUM.
What five things would you do if you were a billionaire?
-Stay home. End of story.
-Buy a new house...I like Ann's term..."forever" house
-Set aside enough money to send my children to college.
-Give everyone in my family money. Well, only the family that I see...none of the stragglers that would all of a sudden be my "closest relatives" when I became a billionaire! :-)
-Travel, travel, travel!!!!!!!!!!
What are five of your bad habits?
-doubting myself
-leaving food out too long...is that a bad habit? I don't know...
-complaining
-wasting time on the internet...well, Rick calls it "wasting" I really don't...
-getting make up ALL over the bathroom...not my fault. It is the product.
What are five jobs you have had?
-Victoria's Secret sales associate
-Macy's sales associate
-Dance teacher
-bartender
-High School teacher
What five people do you want to tag?
Joi at Nuestra Vida Dolce

Cori at Live for Today
YOU! If you wanna play...TAG!

I also tag KELLI K...But first she would have to make a blog...DO IT!!! :-)

What beautiful weather!

2008-05-19T17:30:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh! What a beautiful weekend! Yes, it went too fast, but only TWO more weekends until I officially am out of school for the summer! Yeah!

We had a great weekend...Friday I stayed home from school because I was still feeling incredibly sick with this cold/sinus thing. Friday evening Lexie and I went to see my parents at Art on the Square in Belleville. Lexie was a little angel and it was fun.

Saturday, we went to the wedding of one of my childhood friends and it was lovely! I have never actually been to a wedding of someone I have known as long as I have known Kaci...it was very exciting. Congratulations Mike and Kaci!

Sunday was spent improving the appearance of the exterior of our house. We cut grass, planted, cleaned, etc. It is really starting to take shape. THEN, we cooked a fabulous dinner of steak and lobster. For our wedding, someone gave us the coolest online gift...we got a giftcard and could pick any gift we wanted. One choice was steak and lobster. So, we finally ordered it, and it came in frozen. It actually was SO YUMMY, and I was really proud of myself for cooking lobster! We ate outside and it was lovely...even Lexaroo ate outside!

Frustrations...

2008-05-14T19:00:00.000-07:00

Grrr...I am in one of those "funks" where I just can't stand to be in our house. I feel like it is ugly, cluttered, un-decorated, and just blah. I get very discouraged seeing all of these beautiful pictures of houses on blogspot...what's a girl to do? I need help. :-(

Actually, I think I just need school to be over and then summer is: Operation, beautify the house!

Happy Thursday everyone!

The Run for the Roses, 2008

2008-05-05T19:44:00.000-07:00

What a day! Well, we knew that going to the Kentucky Derby would be exciting, but we had NO IDEA just how exciting it would be. It was the most wonderful experience we have ever had and it was just SO much fun.

We had tons of fun betting races, watching all the people, and seeing celebrities! Here is a list of who we saw: Holly and Bridget, (Hugh Hefner's girlfriends), Molly Sims, Travis Tritt, Stevie Wonder, Sammy Haggar, Eddie Money, Michael Strayhan, Dwayne Wade, Lenox Lewis, Fred Willard, Gabrielle Union...I think that's it. It was GREAT!

I highly recommend the experience to anyone.

Rest In Peace, Eight Belles. :-(

The Family!
Cute!
Big Brown, Derby Winner 2008
HOLLY!!!!!!!!!!!
Horses!

4 Days Until Post Time!

2008-04-29T15:05:00.000-07:00

Yes! We are going to the Kentucky Derby! Saturday we will be rubbing elbows with the elite Derby crowd...hahahaha. Really though, I have a hat and that is all that matters! I can't wait! Oh yeah, and Rick is about to explode since he is the one who actually likes racing. I'm just in it for the Mint Juleps! :-)

Ah, St. Charles County...how I love thee...

2008-04-29T14:58:00.000-07:00

Well, last Saturday, we participated in the St. Charles County Garage Sale. Yes, you read correctly. A county garage sale. It was free to have a space if you live in the county, and we actually made a good amount of money. AND got rid of a lot of junk! :-) Here is documentation...

Our space and Rick standing in it.
Other "vendors."
Sights...
Check out the lady in the sparkly cowboy hat...hot.
What the heck is coming out of his backpack??
You have GOT to love St. Charles County!

Fins to the left, fins to the right...I want summer!!

2008-04-29T14:47:00.000-07:00

Well, I know you have all been waiting on pins and needles for pictures of Jimmy Buffett! It was an absolutely AMAZING concert and was SO much fun! Our seats were fantastic and Buffett fans are like no other fans...wow! FUN!!!! I highly recommend going! Oh, and the concert definitely put me in a summertime state of mind! I can't wait!

This is the audience with their "fins" up for Fins. Buffett fans will understand...

One more day!!

2008-04-23T19:42:00.000-07:00

ONE MORE DAY until..........................Margaritaville!! WOOT!!!!! I also took Friday off of school, so tomorrow is my Friday...love it!

Quick post tonight due to my stellar performance at the donkey basketball game. MUST shower...gross. Donkeys are grotesque animals...except for Donkey from Shrek...they are NOT that nice to work with!

Happy Thursday!

You...shook me all night long!

2008-04-18T18:04:00.000-07:00

Ok, well maybe only 20 seconds...yes, I feel that I need to follow all of my fellow bloggers and tell my "Earthquake 2008" story. They say that dogs can sense these things and I am a true believer. Lexie was up all night last night and at 2:30 Rick put her on the floor and she hid under the bed. He finally got her out and back in bed thinking she was just a whack job! Then, low and behold, 4:30...she barks...EARTHQUAKE!! Rick woke up, felt it, but thought he was dreaming. I.........slept right through it. Yeah...I missed all the excitement. Rick's mom called at 6:30, asked if we felt the earthquake, and I thought she was crazy. Then, she kept talking and I realized that I had actually slept through an earthquake. I felt better, though, when I got to school and found out I wasn't the only one!

Then, during my plan hour, everything shook again, and THAT time, I felt it!

Craziness!

One week and counting!

2008-04-17T20:05:00.000-07:00

Yes, ladies and gentlemen...ONE WEEK from tonight, one of my life's dreams will be realized. I will have been to the Jimmy Buffett concert!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE him and have always wanted to go. Rick (the best husband ever) got us tickets...not just any tickets, but THIRD row CENTER tickets.

I can't wait...hopefully the weather will be nice and I will be livin' it up in Margaritaville!

Fondue!

2008-04-13T19:39:00.000-07:00

Ok, I have to begin with an explanation. For a couple of years, Sunday nights have always been really depressing nights for us. When Rick and I were dating and I lived in Illinois, and he lived in Missouri, we would spend the whole weekend together and it was so sad on Sunday when we would have to go our separate ways.

Well, now we treasure our weekends and have such fun! We are STILL sad on Sunday night because that means that we both have to go back to work Monday and back to our respective "real worlds."

I decided tonight that, once and for all, I am going to do something about the Sunday night blues! I talked to Rick and we decided that we are going to try and do something fun every Sunday night! Tonight...we made fondue! It was SO YUMMY! And now we are watching "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium!" How happy!

So, HAPPY Sunday evening to you all, and HAPPY Monday!

FYI...I won this Hershey fondue pot at Dave and Buster's..nice!

What a weekend!

2008-04-13T16:39:00.000-07:00

Wow! This has been quite a weekend!

1. Lexie got groomed! Yeah! I love that for two reasons...first, she looks beautiful when she comes home. Second, she is gone for several hours! :-)

2. WE GOT OUR FENCE!!!! This has already changed our lives drastically!

3. We did 1 million errands. Ok, maybe not 1 million, but pretty darn close.

4. We did some online Mother's Day shopping...watch out moms Faltus and Simms!

5. We went to church. It was nice.

6. We went to Lumiere Place...it was fun! We got to meet up with our friend John! We had definitely missed him.

7. We began using the Red Box at McDonalds!!! THANK YOU mom Faltus! This is the most amazing invention! For 1 small dollar you get a movie rental and they have ALL the new releases! Woo hoo!

8. We got a new beta fish. She is very beautiful. She is white with a little pink on her and we (ok, I) named her Posh. I think it fits!

Posh!

a few more...

2008-04-13T16:33:00.001-07:00

Just because there were SO many good ones...a few more wedding pictures!

Lexie in the bathroom at the hotel!
Libbi and Dave...the start of a beautiful friendship...
Mrs. Simms and Mrs. Hanson...Ft. Zumwalt North represent!
Yeah! Sara (Schack) Vogel and Libbi..."We just aren't meant to work."
Jon and Sara under the chuppa.

Jon and Sara's Wedding

2008-04-13T16:24:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, our wonderful friends, Jon and Sara, got married. Jon was the best man in our wedding and Rick was a groomsman. It was such a lovely day, and we are so happy for them! It was also wonderful to have all of our friends in one place and to spend a nice evening together.

We stayed at the hotel where the wedding was (which happened to be "pet friendly") and Lexie went along! She stayed in the room and was actually a very good girl!

Mr. and Mrs. Schack!
The Simms' and the Schacks!
Yes, Dave and I "buried the hatchet" on the dance floor!

Random!

2008-04-12T21:05:00.001-07:00

Things have been a little crazy lately, and I haven't gotten a lot of chances to blog. I also haven't posted many pictures! (And I know how you all love them!)

The first piece of randomness is the Blues game we went to. It was really fun! We went with Kris and Kellie and had awesome seats! I didn't know if I would enjoy it, but it was really fun!

The second piece is just TOO GOOD to pass up. Lexie has really taken a liking to hanging her head out of the car window and it just cracks me up! This was her on her way back from the dog park. She was riding the wind!

Today we lost a "good old boy"

2008-04-09T20:17:00.000-07:00

Well, after a long life, today Luke the fish bid us farewell. Let me give a little background on Luke:

Almost 3 years ago, I moved into a condo in Edwardsville with Jenni and Corey. After moving in, I decided to buy a beta fish. I went and picked him out with great care and he was beautiful with blue and green tones. He was my only pet and I really took good care of him and loved him. I named him Luke after Luke Duke from "The Dukes of Hazard." Now, the life span of a beta is 1 year, so I didn't expect much.

After a year, I moved into my own apartment and Luke went with me. We lived happily off of Esic Drive for a year. Then I moved to St. Charles to my apartment on Sun Lake Drive. Luke moved...again. He rode in my cup holder (in a cup!) from E-Ville to St. Chuck. What a trooper!

THEN, we moved into the house last March...ANOTHER move for Libbi and Luke! We made it again, me in the driver's seat, Luke in the cup holder. Well, again, he took it like a champ and adapted to his new surroundings. We lived together just the two of us until Lexie came...then Rick came.

We knew he wouldn't last much longer...lately he looked different. You might say, "Yeah, a fish cannot look different..." Well, they really can.

Believe it or not, we had become very attached to this little fish. For me, Luke was one thing that was with me through all of my moves and was something familiar. For Rick...I don't know what he was, but Rick really liked him too.

We will get a new fish this weekend, but we will miss Luke the fish. RIP little scaly friend!

New "Stuff"

2008-03-31T18:24:00.000-07:00

I am really getting obsessed (in a healthy way!) with decorating the house and making it look like all these beautiful homes I see in magazines and on blogs. (Yes, Joi and Cori, I mean YOUR homes!) Well, we went out yesterday and made a few purchases to help aid me in my endeavor. We found our great buys at Home Goods and Bed Bath and Beyond. Love those stores! Here are some photos of what we did.

We put these cool shelves up behind our dining
room table
Bedding! It was a STEAL
and we wanted an alternate "decor"

We got these mirrors, and I am looking for a neat looking
"S" to put on the glass shelf. Any ideas where I
can find something like that?

Lexie and a Baby...

2008-03-29T19:22:00.000-07:00

Tonight was a GREAT night. I got to babysit our friend's baby girl, Elle. Just a sidebar, Elle was born exactly one week before our wedding! She is so wonderful! Well, as many of you know, Lexie is...temperamental. Ever since we began dealing with her issues, I have been so worried about her being around kids/babies. I mean, eventually we will have one, and what happens then? Well, I got to babysit Elle tonight and it was WONDERFUL! Elle is 8 months old and they loved each other. They played on the floor and Lexie was so sweet and just wanted to lick Elle to death! Elle even pulled her tail, hit her in the face (normal "baby" things) and Lexie wasn't mean at all. I was so glad, and Rick was too. It gives me hope and puts me at ease for the future...the way, way, faraway future!

4 Questions, 4 Answers

2008-03-27T16:37:00.000-07:00

Wow! I was SO excited to be tagged for this by my lovely friend Ann! I am not so great at blogging, so I don't know how she actually put in a link as a tag, but oh well, I will do my best! Here we go!

4 Jobs I’ve Had:

High School teacher-this is my current job. As many of you know, this has been a tough year, but there really is so much that is wonderful about teaching at any level!
Bartender at Bellecourt-THE BEST!
Victoria's Secret-it's not as glamorous as you may think, and YES you have to measure anyone for a bra if they ask...no matter how gross they are.
Macy's-boring.

4 Shows on my Tivo (or DVR if that’s what you have):

American Idol! It's the best!
Dancing With the Stars-LOVE IT!
The Hills-I am still a high school girl at heart! I love the drama!
Nip/Tuck...because Rick is a freak.

4 Places I’ve Been:

The Riviera Maya...the honeymoon was so wonderful... *sigh*
Hawaii
Florida
Alaska

4 Favorite Foods:

Cheese- I have to agree with Ann...everything is better with cheese. And don't worry, since you can 't eat it right now, I will eat some for you too!
Pasta
Chocolate
Raw veggies

4 CDs recently listened to:

Jimmy Buffett "Meet Me in Margaritaville"-oh, and we WILL be meeting him in Margaritaville on April 24 in the THIRD ROW!!!!!
The Beatle's "One"
My mix c.d. I made my sophomore year at Eastern! Kickin it old school!
Colbie Caillat "Bubbly"

4 Things You Can Do To Make My Day:

Bring Cesar Millan to my house to train Lexie! (Again, I agree with Ann! Lexie is BAD!)
Clean my entire house from top to bottom. (I'm talking blood, sweat & tears kinda cleaning...not just picking up) (STILL in agreement)
Teach me how to work ALL of my technology "stuff" that is ALWAYS making me frustrated! (Computer, Blackberry, Digital Camera, IPOD)
Plant a money tree in my backyard so that I don't have to work! I just wasn't meant to work, you know?

4 People I Tag:

Joi
Cori
I don't think I have any other "bloggers..." sad...
Ditto the above statement!

Spring Break

2008-03-26T18:39:00.000-07:00

I LOVE spring break! It is half way over, and here are the "highlights" so far:

Lexie loves having me home during the day,
but she is a little tired from the lack of her
regular daytime sleep!
We took Katie to Lumiere Place because she
had not yet gambled since turning 21! We ate
at Burger Bar. SO GOOD!
I took Lexie to the dog park and she LOVED it!
She played with other dogs and was nice! That
tiny white dot is my baby!
My new place mats and napkins!
I have mad flower arranging skills...haha!

Happy Easter!

2008-03-26T18:30:00.000-07:00

Well, our first married Easter was a success! We split our day and began at the Simms family and ended at the Faltus family. Lexie went both places and was very good! She really is getting better! Here are some pictures.

My basket from Rick

Rick, me, Lexie
Simms house
Faltus house
And there's Katie...

Coloring Eggs! Happy Easter!

2008-03-22T21:28:00.001-07:00

Kind of at the "last minute" we decided to color Easter eggs even though it would only be the two, excuse me, THREE of us! It was fun and I am glad we did it!

Epilepsy Benefit

2008-03-22T21:17:00.001-07:00

Uncle Danny flew in from LA and did a benefit for the Epilepsy Foundation. It was a WONDERFUL night...he created a fantastic show and entertained the crowd 110%, and the event was at Bellecourt. The food/service/facility, of course, was perfect. The night was so lovely, and about halfway through the show, I had a thought...this "thought" will be relevant to those of you who knew my grandma Velma or know how close we were. Half way through the program I thought, "Wow, grandma Velma must be SO proud right now...her two sons, working together to benefit a wonderful organization. They are both so successful and using their talents/gifts for GOOD." Yes, that was my deep and meaningful thought. Sometimes when I think of her I get so sad because I miss her so much, but at that moment, I was happy...because I know she would be. Ok, here are some pictures!

This is Uncle Danny with the two singers from
the show. It turns out, they were in the choir
that sang in our wedding! Funny!

Cute picture!

Lucky me, in between two good lookin' men!

Ok, teachers don't often get to wear red, patent
leather heels! I LOVED it! I kept wanting to
sing "Red High Heels!"

Up and Running!!

2008-03-22T21:10:00.000-07:00

Whew...I felt SO disconnected not being able to post recent pictures! My wonderful husband fixed the problem and now I can upload to my computer. So...here's what we have been up to!

Lexie turned ONE! We had a little party!

She definitely wouldn't wear her hat...so I did!

These were her gifts...SPOILED????

Her CAKE!!!

A birthday profile shot!

It's been a long time...

2008-03-12T19:45:00.000-07:00

Everyone relax...I'm back! I know I haven't updated in awhile, but we have been crazy busy and I have been frantically trying to finish a Shutterfly photo album to get free shipping. Now I can get back to blogging.

My other huge frustration is my computer! I have SO many great pictures to post and my computer is being stinky and I can't upload anything! BOO!! I have pictures from Mandy's wedding, Lexie's first birthday, Joe's birthday...all kinds of fun!

Things are very frustrating lately and hopefully it will get better soon...I will hopefully post some pictures soon!

In the words of the Beatles..."Let it be..."

Random Stuff

2008-03-04T18:15:00.001-08:00

I thought I would post a few random pictures from the last few days. I should add...STRANGE days! We went from 80 degrees to a snow day and anywhere from 5-12 inches in the area! Craziness!!

This is the front of our house. I realized I have never posted a picture!

This is our street. Our neighbor's house is for sale if you want to move
in!

Rick and Lexie in the backyard...the two loves of my life!

Baby girl...

My newest "Uppercase Living"...it is on the front door.

Chicago Pictures

2008-03-04T18:09:00.000-08:00

We had SO much fun in Chicago!

The prettiest cupcakes EVER at the Hershey store!

Me with my pretty cupcake!

Katie and Libbi at "Ontourage"

Katie, Libbi, Becca and Eric (yes, that purse is Katie's
gift from Ellen Degeneres.)

Chicago Pictures!

2008-03-04T18:02:00.001-08:00

I had a GREAT time in Chicago! We did it all! Here are just a few of the photos!

This is me playing Guitar Hero...I rocked out.

This is Katie's cat, Mr. Big

Katie and me at "Howl at the Moon"--AMAZING!!

"Howl at the Moon"

Cool pic! Ice on the river!

BORING!!!

2008-02-29T20:02:00.000-08:00

Let's call tonight the MOST boring night! There is no particular reason, it is just boring! Here's the rundown:
1. We were really looking forward to getting fish tonight from a fish fry. Yummy! Oh, but yummy it wasn't...big disappointment.
2. Then, we both fell asleep like big losers! Boring!
3. Now, we are just sitting here watching stupid episodes of "Nip Tuck" because Rick wants to "catch-up." Sidebar: It is the weirdest show EVER.

What else?? It's been a crazy week at school...just the usual stuff. I don't get into details because this is the Internet after all...

Some other things are on the horizon and I will update when things are "official." NO, we are not having a baby! That seems to be a popular question...a popular question that I am VERY tired of hearing.

Well, back to Nip Tuck I suppose. I PROMISE to post pictures from Chicago soon!

Weekend...

2008-02-25T17:29:00.000-08:00

We had separate weekends. I went to Chicago to visit Katie on Friday morning. We ran ALL over Chicago, shopped, ate, slept, and had SO much fun!

Rick stayed here and took GREAT care of Lexie, took GREAT care of the house, went out with friends, and, overall, had a nice weekend.

I will post pictures later from Chicago. I am still trying to settle back in here in St. Charles.

Next weekend...off to Kentucky to see Brian and Johannah!

What a nice day!

2008-02-21T21:32:00.000-08:00

Well, we were off school today...what a nice surprise! I was almost all ready to leave, and then Rick saw it on t.v. I put got all snuggled up and went back to sleep! Later in the day...my candle thing arrived! I love it, and it looks great!

Then, the day got better because Rick's office closed at noon so he got to come home! Great! We had a nice afternoon, and we all three napped and relaxed...NICE! Flash forward...tomorrow morning I am supposed to leave for Chicago...on an airplane. I am not sure what is going to happen, but we don't have school tomorrow so I DO NOT get docked my personal day! Woo hoo! Now, Rick and Lexie and I are watching Saw II. Normally, I am NOT a scary movie person, but all the hype of these movies has me too intrigued...we popped some popcorn and here we are. Oh yeah, did I mention that we even popped doggie popcorn for Lex? She LOVED it!

Three Cheers for Uppercase Living!

2008-02-20T19:15:00.000-08:00

Well...Uppercase Living was one of those things that I hoped was going to be as great in person as in the catalogue. Well, I am EXCITED to say they are amazing!! For those of you who do not know what U.C. L. is, it is basically like transparencies for anywhere in your home. They have a million billion options/colors/styles/sayings/pictures, etc. to choose from. Now, this type of home decor is not for everyone, but I absolutely LOVE it...here are my photos!

This is above the pantry closet in the kitchen

Obviously, the laundry room door

Above our window in the guest bedroom...come visit!

Found It!!

2008-02-18T12:54:00.000-08:00

After deciding to "google" a description of my circular votive wall "thing" I HAVE FOUND IT!! Of all places...Ace Hardware online!! I guess you never know....It will be here in 3-8 days! Also, my "Uppercase Living" stuff has shipped. I will post pictures when I get it all in place in the house that I am hoping will one day look like a show house...tee hee!

Happy President's Day!

2008-02-18T11:23:00.000-08:00

I know, I know...it seems like we have had a lot of days off since Christmas. Well, we kind of have! But today is legitimate...Happy President's Day! I hope you are taking advantage of all the President's Day sales! Sadly, I am not because I am trying to save money, and I am resting from my EEG this morning. For those of you keeping score at home, I had an EEG because we are hopeful that I can get off of my seizure medicine! Woo hoo! My doc. thinks I have outgrown it. Sooooo...every three months, after we decrease the medication, I go back in for another sleep deprivation EEG. It's annoying, but will be a small price to pay for what, I hope, will mean no more medication!

More good news...I think I am FINALLY feeling better!! I thought I was going to die/dead on Saturday night/Sunday morning, and I think I have turned a corner! Yeah! I am all better for my big weekend in Chicago this weekend!

Here's a plea: We are looking for a very specific item to hang above our fireplace. It is a circular design and it holds lots of little votive candles. I have seen them before, but now because we want one, they don't exist! HELP! If anyone has advice, please share! Oh, and I have already tried Old Time Pottery, Crate and Barrel, West Elm, Target, Wal Mart, Garden Ridge, and Ikea. So, those are out...any thoughts??

Lexie update: For those of you who know, Lexie is bad. She is a bad dog. I think she was lacking oxygen at birth or something! Even though she is bad, we love her. We have really been working with her and are starting to see great changes! This is great! We love our little bad girl...

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T17:47:00.001-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day to you all! I hope the day was nice in some way. My day started out so wonderful because first hour I received a note saying that I had a flower delivery in the office. My husband sent me flowers!! I was so surprised!! Now, Rick has sent me flowers for Valentine's Day every year since I have been teaching. He started at Edwardsville, and has continued. It is so sweet and I never expect it!

We had a pretty simple Valentine's...I just picked up take out and we ate here. I really have not felt like cooking because I have been SO sick. Yes, I am still sick...I cannot seem to get better!

Tomorrow is our "big" night out...California Pizza Kitchen (yum!) and seeing Juno! I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE IT!!!!!!!

Happy Valentine's Day! xoxo!

Snow Day AGAIN!!

2008-02-12T09:00:00.000-08:00

Yes, you read it right...again! It could not have happened on a better day...let's recap:

3 weeks ago: I get sick with whatever is going around. I was so sick that I actually missed two days of school. I got medicine...that never worked. I decided to just wait and try to get over it.

Last Friday: I wake up sick...still/again. I realize that I probably need some more medicine. I can't call the doctor until Monday...ugh.

Monday (yesterday): I go off to school. On my plan hour, I call the doctor and they say they will call in a prescription. GREAT! The end is near! By the time school ends, it is sleeting like crazy and I leave around 3:30. I call Rick and tell him I am going straight to WalGreens and straight home. I go to WalGreens and get my medicine. As I am sitting (stopped completely) at the light, someone is turning in and slides right into my car. EXCELLENT. (Can you sense the sarcasm?) So we get out and I say that I need to call the police. This lovely individual begins to explain that I shouldn't call the police because he HAS NO DRIVERS LICENSE...AT ALL. So I start to get really worried...but I knew I had to call. So, I did. The police came and were as nice as could be...to me. They cuffed him and took him away. Sorry about your luck, sir! Now we have to worry about what is going to happen with my car. There is quite a bit of damage, and if they want to total it out, we do not have $$ for a new car right now. I had JUST started saving to hopefully get one next year at this time...**sigh**
So then I get home and decide, well, I am definitely going to take this medicine so at least something can happen! So, I take it and was SO SICK to my stomach for the rest of the night. I thought I was dying. Then, at 4 this morning I got "The Call"...thank you LORD!!!!! I seriously needed this snow day.

Tuesday: I sit...in my pajamas...watching my shows...waiting for a call from my insurance.