Merry Christmas

Do you know what's difficult? Narrowing down our family and friends to just 100 Christmas Cards.  Especially since we keep moving and meeting new people.  So, apologies to those of you who didn't make the cut.  We still love you!  Happy Holidays!!

 

To number 51!

Saturday was AWESOME.

I don't know how many of you have been to an auction before, but I had not.  I went with our really good friends Rob and Melissa who just bought a house so they have plenty of room to fill.  Auctions are nothing new for them but as soon as the auctioneer started with his "onedollarbadabadatwodollardolllarfifty" Rob said I got reallllly wide eyed and stunned.  I had no idea what he was saying and I'm pretty sure I heard a "yaba-daba-doo" thrown in there somewhere.  As time went on, I got a hang of it and we all became the joke of the auction.

You see, all 3 of us were using the same number to bid.  That was one man and two women.  They were all a little unsure of our relationship.  We also were by far the youngest ones there actually bidding.  And we were bidding on things no one else wanted to they began to look to us if they couldn't sell something.  It wasn't that we were bidding on junk, we were just bidding on home basics that apparently everyone else has and doesn't need.  For example, I saw them holding up two Pyrex bread pans so I paid $2.  Little did I know I got a whole box of kitchen things, including an electric wok.  All for $2 - SCORE!  I was hooked.  

I did buy some totally useless things as a joke, but I am really happy with the majority of my purchases.  I got some really cheap kids stuff (sleds, swing, bouncy horse) that my nieces and nephews can use until we need them.  I also found a quality wooden child's rocking chair that I'm really excited to strip and redo.  But my favorite favorite purchase is a sewing machine cabinet for $35! It came stocked with an old Singer sewing machine, and a cupboard full of thread, scissors, some yarn and other miscellaneous sewing stuff.  In retrospect I'm realizing that my sewing machine probably won't fit... looks like Rob and Ryan have a little project on their hands!

And as far as auctions go?  I will definitely be returning in the future.  Especially when we have our own house to fill!

Tantrums

I've realized this before, but I was reminded of it again last night.  If our kids take after me, we're going to have to deal with some terrible tantrums!  I throw them more often than I should, especially at my age.  Most of them are just playful and Ryan thinks they're cute, so they help me get my way.  Last night, however, was a real hissy-fit.

Ryan got a cold a few days ago which means I'm just starting to get it.  I was sleep deprived yesterday and when it came time for bed, my body refused.  My nose was plugged and running at the same time and I was battling being too tired to fall asleep.  Poor Ryan was trying to sleep next to me as I huffed and puffed and rolled over and even threw my pillow on the floor.  I was quite the whiner.

I have a feeling I am doomed.  My children are going to be quite the terrors if I don't get my act together!

Service Advent Calendar

As Ryan and I got a little carried away with out Black Friday shopping we both realized we need to think more about others.  We're really good at serving one another, but it's time to go outside our marriage comfort zone.  I've seen Service Advent Calendars floating around pinterest and decided that is just what we need!  They made theirs all pretty:

However, I'm not much of a "make things pretty" person unless it's permanent (like our stockings or our tree advent calendar).  Therefore, mine is much less impressive.

I was going to put the list of activities AFTER you saw the picture, but blogger is being silly so here is the list of service opportunities that we came up with.  Most of them (okay all of them) came from others' suggestions.  I think there is a good variety of quick/easy, extra thought required, time consuming, costing money, etc. Most of the lists were for children, so it was actually a little difficult to find 24 that weren't things such as "read a book to your little brother."

1. Pick up any trash you see laying on the ground 
2. Write a letter to a loved one
3. Address and mail Christmas cards 
4. Do Family History Together
5. Put money in a Salvation Army cup
6. Help at the Food Bank
7. Anonymously give flowers to someone
8. Go caroling
9. Say hello and smile to everyone you meet today
10. Pray for those you know need a little extra help
11. Leave change in the vending machines for the next person
12. Buy hot cocoa for Salvation Army bell ringers
13. Make a meal for a friend
14. Purchase a toy for a child in need
15. Bake and deliver Christmas treats
16. Organize a potluck with friends
17. Speak kindly all day long - NO complaining!
18. Buy and deliver Christmas gifts for a family in need
19. Leave a gift for the mailman
20. Tape candy canes and "Happy Holidays" notes on ATM's, vending machines, etc.
21. Attend the Temple
22. Offer to babysit for a friend for free
23. Write a quick note to five people telling them how much you appreciate them.
24. Find the home with the best Christmas lights and write a thank you card
    
    So there you have it! You should give it a try, I'm really looking forward to it. 

Classy, huh?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Very Luke Family Thanksgiving

This year was actually the first year that Ryan and I spent Thanksgiving with my family.  We've gone to St. George twice and then stayed in NC for the other year.  In the past we've had an official "Annual Thanksgiving Turkey Shootout" but it was a little more low-key this year.  I feel like everything went much more smoothly than it has in the past.  It's probably because we're all now old enough to each contribute a dish instead of leaving my Mom to do it all.  (Thanks Mom for all your hard work in the past!).  And we went shooting AFTER dinner instead of before.  Either way, I didn't feel any stress this Thanksgiving and I couldn't feel any from the rest of the family, so if it was there, it was hidden.

We went down to my sister Marisa's house in Pawnee City and had fun throwing around the football, and babies before dinner.  Sadly I accidentally deleted the picture where you can see her face of pure bliss.

Post dinner contentment.

These two seem to love us the most.  And we love them!

Once we'd cleaned up dinner and let things settle, we headed further into the middle of nowhere to go shooting.  As I said, in the past we each shoot 25 clay pigeons (or attempt to shoot them) and the winner gets to take home an awesome trophy that I made years ago to display proudly in their home.  This year, we just shot whatever we wanted and a variety of guns.  I promise we're not as redneck as it looks.

How could I NOT get a picture of this?

Shortly after arriving, someone couldn't hold their bladder (and it wasn't me for once)

All the ladies.

Ella loves her Uncle Ryan

Thankfully I captured a shot where Ryan hit a target!

Yeah, that happened.  She's 3 1/2.

Shelby wanted a new redneck profile picture.

I hit 3/5!

I just love those big headphones

Future florist?

Isn't he so good looking? Our children are going to be the cutest.

So there you have it, our not-so-redneck-Luke-Family-Thanksgiving.

Three more thanks

Day 20: I'm thankful for naps.

Day 21: I'm thankful for the internet and modern technology.  It would take so much effort otherwise to stay in touch with my friends! :)

Day 22:  On this Thanksgiving, I was most thankful for band-aids, that most often than not the body can heal itself, and thumbs.  Stupid sweet potatoes... I had no idea how hard they are and they got the best of me.  I also found out how many things you cannot do when you have a disabled thumb.

I know a lot of these weren't deep and profound, but that's me.  I am not deep nor profound.  I was really trying to be thankful for the things that were right in front of me that day.   If you wanted something more eloquent, I can refer you to some of my other Facebook friends who did a much better job with this.  I just thought it would be a good reminder for me of all the small things in life to be thankful for!

Days 17, 18, and 19

Day 17:  I'm thankful to live in the state of Nebraska and that I got to go to the last Husker home game of the season and Tom Osborne's last game working for the University.  Go Big Red!

Day 18: I'm thankful for good food, games, and friends.  That's what Sundays are for, right? (Oh, and family. But no family this week).

Day 19:  I'm very thankful that Ryan and I have everything we need (sadly we're not to the point where we don't WANT things).  We have plenty of food, a warm house with a place to sleep, plenty of clothing (both cute and functional), vehicles that should run for many many years to come, and all the other fun stuff of life (games, tv, bicycles, craft stuff, and many other things that make life enjoyable).

Days 15 and 16

I'm thankful the weather has been so gorgeous here! Funny how in Arizona I was cold in the morning with lows in the 60s and now I don't even wear a cost and bask in the sun and warmth of the 50s.

I'm thankful that my trip to the dermatologist came out with no negative results! I may have a lot of moles, but they are all just fine. Hooray!

I'm a little behind...

Day 8: I'm thankful to know that we will all be resurrected one day and be reunited with those we love.

Day 9: I'm thankful for my sister Marisa.  She has always gone above and beyond to take care of the family, and now her own.  She is a great example of a mother, wife, sister, friend, and member of the Church.  She always makes a point to include Ryan and I in whatever she can and I know I can always turn to her.  I love you! (Sorry, other siblings, if your birthday was in November, you'd get a shout out too!)

Day 10: I'm thankful we were able to get one motorcycle ride in before winter! And I'm also thankful we didn't get blown off the road as the storm blew in.

Day 11: I'm thankful I have a home to return to in Lincoln with two loving parents to welcome me and let me relax and do nothing.  Because that is what home is for.

Day 12: I'm thankful I have my scriptures on my phone.  It makes reading WAY easier! I WILL finish the Book of Mormon by the end of the year.

Day 13: I'm thankful for pinterest.  Silly, I know, but however did we plan dates, make crafts, find recipes, and decorate without it? It's saved my butt a time or two for sure when I was in a crunch!

Day 14: I'm thankful to watch a baby who sleeps right through two very loudly barking dogs.  My days would be a very different story if that weren't the case.

We're in Omaha!

I realized I haven't really told ya'll what we're up to in our daily lives.  I'm here to remedy that.

This is where we currently live:

Tommy and Jayme (Ryan's best friend from HS) are kindly letting us take over their newly renovated bedroom basement in their house here in Omaha (120th and Center-ish if you want to come visit).  They are so easy to live with, and we enjoy having Tommy to play games with any night that Ryan has the energy after work.  AND Rob and Melissa (our other best couple friend) only live 7 minutes away.  We spent A LOT of time with them our first weekend here.  It reminded me of the good ol' college days where Rob was only a few buildings over at the dorms.  However, we call it a night at 11 now instead of 2 a.m.  Lame old people.

I spend my days with this cute grin:

 

And these begging eyes:

So far, so good! It took Ryno a few days to figure out what the heck that thing was that was always on my lap.  Now he just deals with it and shares his space (and me).

Luna is a great baby and really only cries when she is hungry or needs her diaper changed.  But I am getting a nice taste of what it's like to be a mother and no longer have your time be YOUR time.  She still eats every two hours so it's been an adjustment trying to get things done in her 20 minute - 1 hour naps.  Great training for my future! (No, this is not a pregnancy announcement).

Ryan is working full time at Community Rehab down in Bellevue.   He was supposed to be working here in Millard, right next door to his gym, and was quite upset when they moved him to Bellevue which gives him a 30 minute commute each way.  He's learning how to handle long days and early mornings as his schedule is 7-6 MWF and 8-12 T/TH.  And I'm learning how to be at home with a baby and new car.  Needless to say it's been quite the adjustment for both of us.

We've loved being back in Omaha, however! Nebraska weather has proven that it hasn't changed one bit.  On Saturday we were able to enjoy the 75 degree weather with a motorcycle ride.  Then, the winds and rain kicked in and we woke up to a chilly 28 degrees on Sunday.  Just lovely.

 We still have A LOT of people to see, but that's what is so great about this place.  We have so many friends of all personalities so we can always find someone to join us in our crazy endeavors. Although, we can't seem to think of any crazy or fun things to do here.  We're at a loss of things to do that are inexpensive/free.  So we've spent a lot of nights playing games.

Suggestions?

Day 7

I'm VERY thankful...

To have a dog that doesn't shed.  Or beg.  Or snatch food practically out of my hand.  Or barks a lot.  Or licks.  Or runs away if he's off the leash.

Pretty much I'm super thankful I have the perfect dog.  (Can you tell I'm a little annoyed by the other two dogs I'm living with?)

Day 6

I am thankful for...

Sunshine.  It can do wonders to lift the spirit.

Day 4 & 5

I am thankful for...

My membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day saints and the comfort it provides me.

My health. Although I've been having weird sciatica lately, I am thankful that I have two arms and two legs that function properly along with the rest of my body.  So many people are fighting internal battles with their health and I need to remember how lucky I am that I am not one of them (at the moment).

Day 3

Today I am thankful for...

A good haircut. It can make a girl feel beautiful with just a few snips of the scissors!

Day 2

I am grateful for...

All of our wonderful friends in Omaha. This really is home.

I laughed SO HARD

I laughed so hard today that I couldn't speak or even breath. And, the story probably isn't going to be as funny to you guys.  Oh well.  Ryan and I were driving to go on a bike ride and I was playing around with his Gatorade water bottle. You know, the ones that all the athletes have? Looks like this:

 

Anyway, when you squeeze it, it puffs out some air that sends just an itty bit of water spraying. (Driving through the mountains it scared the heck out of me when it would spray on its own. Or I thought Ryan was spitting on me while he talked).  Today, I decided to spray it right in Ryan's face for a good laugh. He was surprised and we laughed a bit.  Then, I thought it'd be even funnier to spray it in Ryan's ear, you know, kinda like a wet willie. However, when I squeezed it this time not just a little spray but water, a full on stream of water went flying right into his ear and down his face. I laughed so hard. Luckily Ryan did too. Gosh, I am still laughing about it, now!

Oh and Ryan wanted me to mention that we went on a 7 mile bike ride around Lake Zorinsky. Man, my muscles are not used to those motions and I had jello legs.  Oh, and in case you were wondering, 55 degrees on a bicycle is cold.  A hat or ear warmer and gloves is recommended (of course we learned from experience). 

Day 1

Today I am thankful for...

A husband who can work the knots out of my back, take the topper off the bed two nights ago, then put it back on tonight all so he can hopefully stop listening to my whining about back pain.

Uh oh

Ryan and I got to Omaha on Thursday and my efficient husband was done with all of his packing/unpacking by Friday.  I, however, am putting most of it off.  I decided, however, that today was the day.  I opened up the giant tote labeled "Caitlin's Clothes" and began switching out the seasons.  (We dropped about 60 degrees when we arrived here). 

As I started digging I realized I'm missing a few essential that I believe are buried deep in our storage unit. Crap.  Unless we dig or I buy new stuff (which I definitely do not need) I will be surviving this winter with two pairs of jeans, no socks taller than my ankles, no tights for church, and worst of all, only one pair of sweatpants.  Heaven help me.

I also realized I have way too much clothes.  I'm ready to purge but will save that until the final unpacking after all this moving junk is over.

Clockwork

Bodies are so weird. In many way, but here is just one example.

For three days in a row last week I woke up at exactly 4:28 am.

For the third day in a row this week it's been 5:20. How do they do that??

Here we go again!

Today is what now... Tuesday?

Guess what Thursday is.

Ryan's last day of work here in Arizona!

Can you believe it? I can't.  Where did the past three months go?  I feel like we just drove across the country and now it's time to pack it back up and do it again.  It's time to test our Tetris skills to see if we can fit everything back in the Jeep.  Wish us luck!

And of course, everyone here is reminding us that we're leaving at the wrong time.  It's just finally starting to cool off.  And by cool off it's still highs in the 90's.  BUT, I will say it is much more bearable and the mornings are beautiful.  Will I miss this place?  Probably not.  Sad to say, but we didn't really connect with anyone here or fall in love with the area.  More than anything, it has been a wonderful vacation for me - a time to develop my sewing, crafting, and cooking skills as I've enjoyed being a stay-at-home wife.  But all good things must come to an end. 

Adios, Arizona!!

Say "Hello" to My Little Friend!

[I've removed the picture because apparently the website I saved it from has occasional problems with Malware]

Meet... my bike.  I don't have a name for him/her, yet. 

We'll see how things go as we become better friends.

Ryan and I are constantly trying to find things to do together and especially things that will keep us active and healthy because we spend too much time on our comfortable couch enjoying Fall's new line up.  A month or so ago we decided we should get bikes.  Keep in mind, it has been probably 10 years since either of us have really ridden a bike, so maybe it wasn't the best idea.  But we're going with it. 

 Someone told us now would be a good time to buy 2012 bikes as stores make room for 2013.  However, brand new bikes are expensive and nothing seemed to be on sale more than $50 or so.  Then a friend recommended we look on Craigslit and that Phoenix would be a great place for used bikes.  Boy, was he right!  Ryan likes new shiny things, but I like a good deal.  So the hunt was on.

We started looking Sunday night and Ryan found one he was really interested in and felt really good about. The owner was super nice and agreed to hold it until we could get there.  I was shocked when Ryan trusted me to look for my own bike.  We did our research and had a list of brands and types we wanted and we knew base prices so we felt fairly educated on the whole thing.  I was still nervous.  Ryan is picky!  

I downloaded the Craiglist app (I remembered you loved it, Maegan!) and got to work.  When I got out of the shower I saw a posting for a 6-month old Trek 7.3 (purchased for $590) being sold for $250.  The poor woman needed cash fast.  I was going to put off calling but felt prompted to call then.  I found out someone was going to look at it later that day but it was first come first serve and I could be there in 45 minutes so I threw on some clothes and hopped in the Jeep.  As I was driving I realized I was in a sketchy part of town, but it was noon and we were meeting at a Walgreens.  I felt safe enough.  

This was my first Craiglist purchase and I had to please Ryan so I was nervous throughout the whole thing!  I felt like I wasn't asking the right questions, or really any questions at all, but I could tell it was the new edition of the bike and despite a few dings, it was in good condition.  Holly, the owner, was really nice and sad to see it go and I felt bad that she was in such a position in her life that she so desperately just needed the money.  The ATM I went to only gives $20's so I actually gave her an extra $10 (aren't I so nice?).

I texted Ryan but didn't expect to hear anything because the most I ever hear from him throughout the day is maybe one text over lunch.  But he did call over lunch, shocked at what I had done.  See, it's scary trying to please this man, sometimes.  But I happened to be right by the hospital so I swung by and showed him and he approved! He approved even more when he saw it at home.  I did awesome, phew.

So awesome, he really wanted to go find a bike when he got home.  We drove all over the valley (over an hour away) looking at new and used bikes but no luck.  We ended up driving even further away to get to the original bike that Ryan found online.  The owner was fantastic and lived in a reallllly nice area.  He let us know which house was his by telling us the white BMW 328 was in the driveway.  Then, we happened to see a Porsche and Harley Davidson in his garage.  This guy has some cash to spare.  The bike was bought in Abu Dhabi a few years ago but is in pristine condition.

Long story short, here is Ryan's new bike:

[I've removed the picture because apparently the website I saved it from has occasional problems with Malware] 

I went for a 5-mile bike ride this morning and it's much harder than it looks.  My legs are tired and my butt hurts.  Recommendations for comfy seats? I have a bony butt and I don't think I'll last long on mine.

Sorry for the long-windedness of the post.  Moral of the story: We bought ourselves our early Christmas presents and got two very nice bikes for nearly half price.  Go Craigslist.

"I'm not a girl"

The other day I said to Ryan, "I was just thinking today about how I'm not a girl."  I continued to explain (which I will shortly) and he corrected me that I am in fact a girl, according to my parts.  I was informed that what I meant to say was I'm not girl-Y. He's right.  I'm not girly and I'm very low maintenance.

I posted this picture on instagram around the same time I was having this realization. 

This is a perfect picture of my ideal outfit.  It's actually way cuter than what I wear most days.  Take today for example.  This picture was taken on Tuesday when I actually showered  and styled my hair.  Today is Thursday and I have not washed my hair since that picture.  And my outfit?  Men's soccer shorts and an Under Armour Duke Rowing shirt that I bought for $5 at their merchandise sale.  Yesterday? Men's basketball shorts that go down past my knees and a work-out shirt.  And yes, I even go out in public dressed like this.

Now let me say this.  If it weren't still triple digits here, I would be wearing jeans because I do love them.  But it's hot and I sweat so if I wear workout clothes all day it's okay to sweat, right?

Other examples of my low maintenance, non girly ways:

• I don't know how to "officially" do my makeup.  I just make it up as I go.
• I use the same purse every day
• Toms go with everything, right? Because I wear them every day
• Ryan will most likely never buy me any jewelry and that's the way I want it
• I only wear jewelry on Sundays and date night
• What I consider "dressing up" is all y'alls daily outfits
• I go shopping these days and have no idea how to wear any of the "in style" clothing

My few "girly"ways

• I do love my hair.  I don't mind a ponytail, but if it's down, it needs to be styled.
• I refuse to have pictures taken of me unless I look "cute."  I don't care if strangers see my slob ways, but heaven forbid it is posted online or worse, our permanent photo albums!
• I never go make-up less.  Our family is blessed with thin, light-ish eye lashes and purple bags so I need me some daily mascara and good cover up.  Otherwise, I get asked if I'm tired or sick.  True story.
• Sexy Sunday 

Sedona

We went up to Sedona, AZ on Thursday afternoon to stay the night and hike all day Friday.  Oh my goodness, it was beautiful!  I've gotta say, of all the vacations we've been on, this is definitely in the top three.  I realized I love to be outdoors where it's peaceful and quiet and breathtaking.  I already feel too old for the hustle and bustle of city life so this short little trip was divine.  It was hard to narrow the pictures down because every single one was gorgeous! Now if we could just afford one of the gorgeous mansions in the rocks...

Los Angeles

FACT: I've never been to California.

FACT: We currently live 6ish hours from LA

FACT: Chris and Erica live in LA-ish

FACT: We went to see them this past weekend

FACT: They need to always live close

After only five hours of sleep, Ryan and I hit the town on Friday morning. Our first stop was the Warner Brothers Studio Tour.  I am so fascinated by everything that goes into making movies and TV and how much they can do right their on their set.  

Top Left: This scene was used as part of Jurassic park when the Jeep is

 being chased as well as many other movies/TV that I can't remember.  

But they fooled us into thinking they're in the middle of nowhere!

Top Right: This city has been New York, Chicago, Gotham, Cincinnati and so on...

Bottom Left: This is Loralee's house in Gilmore Girls (I believe) but 

it's obviously only used as a facade.

Bottom right: Russel Brand's Rolls Royce Golf Cart

We then wandered through the prop areas.  If you are making a movie/show you can just walk through and put a label on what you want and rent it for the time needed.  They have a price per week listed.  I'd never really thought about how everything from furniture to lights to centerpieces and vases had to be thought out!

Top Left: Their sculpting department.  Who knew you'd need a sculpting department? 

They also had carpentry, metal work, painting, etc.

Ryan absolutely loved this next part.  These are the real cars, not replicas from Batman, 

Chuck (the Nerd Herd Car), the Space Capsule from Big Bang (LOVE that show!) and 

the General Lee from the original Dukes of Hazzard.

Our guide took us to see the Friends set before they take it off to the Smithsonian.  

Again, this is all the originals (or so they tell us).  Check out the giant/small laptop!

We got to see the Warner Brothers tower but sadly no Animaniacs.  The timing also worked out

perfectly for us to see the Space Shuttle Endeavour fly over on it's trip around Southern California. 

Talk about once-in-a-lifetime experience!

 

We tried going to the Griffith Observatory which is supposed to be really neat, but we didn't connect

the Space Shuttle with Observatory.  When we got there, they had closed it down to clear it out.  

They had thousands of people there to watch the fly-over and they needed to get them out 

before they could function again.  Bummer.

So on we went to the Hollywood Boulevard! 

After driving down Route 66 (Santa Monica Boulevard) we hit the coast and the Santa Monica Pier. 

Erica, Chris, and Hattie joined us for a beautiful sunset, dinner and some good friendship.

I love this picture in the bottom left.  

Ryan was trying to get Hattie to smile which made Chris and Erica laugh.  

Aren't they just the cutest family?

On Saturday we slept in, which was heavenly.  Bless Hattie, she's a champ for letting us sleep until 10! I needed it.  All day Friday I had a headache that developed into the worst headache I've ever had.  All I wanted to do was sleep it off but sadly it was still there when I woke up.  Thankfully, I have a very skilled husband who relieved the tension in my neck and back so it magically went away.  Those PT skills have come in handy quite often in this household.

We packed our beach bags and headed to Huntington Beach where Ryan was once again in heaven.

This kid is such a California boy at heart.  Except the water was much colder than what we're used to so we all opted to watch the National Championship Beach Volleyball tournament.

We are so grateful Chris and Erica let us stay with them and were willing to drive all over to spend time with us.  We're excited to see them and the whole Jensen clan at Christmas in Omaha!

On the way out of town on Sunday we stopped and had lunch with Ryan's Aunt Pearl.  She is his (adopted) mother's sister and she is something else!  She is a spicy little thing that even at age 74 always has a boyfriend.  I had never met her before but I'm glad I got the chance.  I also got as much information from her that I could about her parents and grandparents so I can do more family history.  I'm on a roll. :)

 

Next stop? Sedona this upcoming weekend.

Making Mom Proud, Part 3

I want you all to realize that I know I'm living quite the good life right now with no responsibilities other than to put dinner on the table every night.  I'm trying to take advantage of all this free time that I won't have again until I'm an empty nester. Being the perfectionist planner that I am, I want perfect stockings for my family.  I bought the fabric last year, but spent all the time making my advent calendar.  When I tell people at church that I've been making Christmas stockings, I don't think they understand the extent of my Christmas stockings...

Now I debated showing this picture or not because it shows how anal/crazy I am and just how much time I have on my hands.  When I say I want perfect stockings for my family, I'm including my future-non-existent-children-I-don't-have-yet.  So besides Ryan, Ryno, and my stockings, I'm making five extra.  Go ahead, call me crazy.  Maybe I'm cursing myself, maybe it's bad luck, but I don't care.  We've talked about having 4-6 children so I settled on making 5 stockings with some extra fabric stashed to the side just in case.  It's my time, I will do with it what I want!  So here are the stocking tops (minus Ryan's - I was waiting on Husker fabric from my mom).

Pardon the quality of all the pictures, I took them from my iPhone because I was lazy.


I've gotta say, quilting is a lot harder than it looks! The concept is easy enough: you cut and sew a bunch of square/triangles together.  Execution? Not so easy.  My mom deserves a lot of credit for the amazing quilts she makes with matching corners! With 30 years experience, maybe mine will look as good as hers.

I made my stocking first, but I was a little hasty. You'll see later...
 

Ryan's was next.  Do you see the difference? Besides the obvious difference in patterns?
Let me help - PIPING.  I jumped the gun on mine and forgot I was going to do piping.
 

So what did I do? Took mine apart and redid it.  Yep, ANAL.  I also changed the cuff because I didn't want both mine and Ryan's to be green and he really wanted green. 

 

Don't you LOVE them? I sure do!!  

Oh and in case you're wondering, I got the idea from here.

But I used the template from here.

And what's a post without a few pictures of our cute puppy? He loves them, too.

This weekend did not go as planned, but at least it ended on a good note.  Remember how last weekend we were supposed to go to the water park but it was cloudy? Well, this weekend was our last chance to go before our Groupon expired.  The weather was gorgeous and our plans were set:  Big Surf on Friday and a relaxing Saturday before going to Roller Derby that evening.  

On Friday we woke up refreshed after a solid 8-hours of sleep, got ready, took Ryno to the dog park to get his wiggles out and hit the road.  We live near NOTHING so it was an hour drive to get there.  We showed up and were a little confused.  There were five cars in the parking lot.  We knew the kids were in school and the park would be less busy but five cars, really?  I had looked up the hours of the park but not the schedule. FAIL.  It was closed and we had just driven an hour.  Talk about frustrating, right?  We ended up going to a few sporting goods stores to look at bikes because we're considering giving biking a try.  First we will be borrowing our neighbor's bikes to see if we actually enjoy it.

SIDE NOTE: What do you married (or dating) people do with just the two of you? We're still trying to find things to pass the time that doesn't involve sitting in front of the TV.  I had never been in a relationship before Ryan so I don't know what type of couple-y things we should be doing.  Plus, we've discovered that how we spend our time is one of our large differences.  So please do share what you do to keep from getting bored!

Back to Friday, we just got a general idea of type and price range of bicycles and made the long drive home, rented War Horse, and had a lazy evening.  I woke up grumpy on Saturday so that made things interesting.  We debated if we make the long drive to the water park again (we knew it would be open) or if we lost the $26 we spent so that we could have a productive and relaxing day.  If we went to the water park, coordination would get tricky because we were meeting some friends at the Roller Derby and we wouldn't come home in between so we would be gross from sunscreen and chlorine.  I know that Roller Derby isn't a beauty pageant (well, it kind of is in its own unique way) but in my grumpy mood I did not want to go unshowered and gross.  When really, I was mostly concerned about my hair.  It's not at a length that I can just throw it in a pony tail and go so I knew it would be a mess after the water park.  To appease the crowd (Ryan) I decided to just suck it up and go.  

The water park was... different.  When did I get so old?  We got headaches from banging around on the slides and the sun was rapidly sucking our energy from us.  BUT, the food was cheap.  Winner!!  All ice cream novelty treats were only $1 as was a "scoop" of ice cream.  And by scoop I mean a whole cup.  YUMMM.  The hot food was also half off and I wanted me some $1.75 nachos! But we got up to the window and they were out of nacho cheese.  Bummer.  Ryan chose chili-cheese fries instead.  Well, because they were out of nacho cheese, this is what we got:

 It sufficed.

 When it was finally time to go we got as cleaned up as best we could in a water park "bathhouse."  I brought all the stuff to take a full shower, but I just didn't want to at that point.  My hair was okay so that was good enough in my opinion.  I at least washed my face and reapplied my make-up but that was as good as it got.  My clean husband did take a full shower and looked pretty darn good.  However, (and he's going to hate that I put this on here), he forgot to pack underwear. I laughed SO HARD.  And I'm laughing now.  

Wow, this has gotten long.  But I think I will be copying it onto my journal blog so I'm going to just keep going.  The Roller Derby did not disappoint.  How could it, it's a roller derby?  We met up with Sarah and Derek and we just love them. (Derek aka Parker served his mission with Ryan in Ukraine).  They are just so easy to talk to and we desperately wish they lived closer. 

See, my hair is okay, right?

The last Derby we went to was in a large arena at the State Fair Grounds but this one was much more intimate.  We could smell the sweat and see plenty of booty up close and personal.  That Roller Derby, it never disappoints.  The first bout started off competitive, but within about 15 minutes it could have been considered abuse.  When it was finally over, the winning team won by over 100 points. Ouch. Will we go back again? You betcha (if there's another Groupon).