Stuff and Such

The past week or so has proved to be lots of fun... and full of lots of friends.

Last weekend Dac and I had two dates. Count them...two. I managed to NOT get pictures of either one of them but they were still fun and definitely worth mentioning. That Friday night, we went out to eat a Biederman's and later we watched "Waiting For Superman". It was interesting I guess - but that's just not really my cup of sweet tea.

Saturday, we each did some house work, went out to eat for Dac's Mom's birthday, then went down to Ponca for a fun family session. =)

THEN, on Sunday, we finally got to go see "X-Men: First Class". Dac and I have watched all the X-Men movies together and we love them. Well, I take that back, for some reason we still haven't watched "Wolverine". It's next up on our Netflix Queue though. Anyway, the movie was awesome - probably my favorite of the series.

On Tuesday - I went to lunch with Heather. We hadn't had a lunch date in decades. We hit up Grinder Man and laughed a lot. =) Perfect.

Since we were on the movie kick... we decided it would be fun to go watch "Super 8" on Wednesday night with Val, Cori, and Steve. Val and Cori pretty well hated it. Dac wasn't too impressed and I don't know about Steve but I didn't think it was all that bad. It definitely wasn't amazing though.

After a kinda bonky day Thursday - I came home to these:


Pretty sunflowers from Dac. =) They sure did brighten things up a bit... including my mood. I have a better picture I took with my big camera but for now - the snapshot will have to do.

That night, Val, Cori, Steve, and Charli came over for Wii night. We really haven't played Wii in a couple years... we usually just stuff our faces and look at each other. =) The past couple times though we've been catching up on Dexter. Love that show. I know - clearly I'm a little morbid - but he's just so darn likeable. haha. After a delicious meal of Parmesan Chicken a'la Cori... we made a mad dash to the store for a "few" treats.

We came back with this loot and each made our own sundae! (That's rocky road and moon pie ice cream in the back).

Be still my beating heart. No, but seriously, I thought I might have a heart attack when I was done. The scary show didn't help much.

Oh - and that little Charli. I just love her to pieces. I got a big hug from her and a "Hi Yissa, I've missed you SO much". MELT.

Friday - I took the day off. It was FRIEND DAY-FUN DAY. The second annual birthday party Kayla and I throw ourselves as our "gift" to each other since both our birthdays are in June. =) We started the day with donuts (maple long john and a strawberry cake donut), got our toes did, went shopping, ate at On The Border, shopped some more, and got frozen yogurt with all the toppin's. It was a super fun day - hints the name - and I already can't wait for next year! =)

I'm uber upset that I completely forgot to get pictures of us. =( How can I not have a picture of Fun Day?

I did snap this one that morning before Kayla got to my house. Cue creepy eyes.


And here's one of my toes the next day:

Speaking of the next day - we had pictures for one of our regular families - we always have a blast with the Wiley's. Then, we went to a family reunion. THEN - Kayla, Journey, and I headed over to Tabitha's little man Jonathon's 2nd birthday party. It was hot tamales out there - hints the red foot - but that little Jonathon was so super cute that it was worth it. =) I got him a cute little red t-shirt with a boom box on it and some too-cool-for-school gray camo cargo shorts from Old Navy.

Here he is on his cool new 4-wheeler.


And here's a quick shot of Journey and I. I loved getting to hang out with her for a bit that day!! =)


I also got to see Erika, Jana, and Heather that day too - in addition to Tabitha and Kayla. Good times.
Sunday, we went to church, to my Grandma and Grandpa's house for Father's Day lunch, then to Dac's mom and dad's for a cookout. All the food was fabulous and so was the company.

We are both so blessed to have great Dad's. I've always been my dad's buddy! We used to go for rides in the old Jeep Scrambler - with the top and doors off. We would go fishing, wash the car in the driveway, play intellivision, watch crime shows and lots of baseball, eat Banana Supreme sandwiches (haha), give each other crap, and no matter what - always had fun. =)

Here's a quick picture of him walking me down the aisle.


Since then, my Dad has quit smoking and even since that has lost around 55 lbs! He looks great! I'm thrilled for him and couldn't be more proud! =)

Happy Father's Day to our Dad's and to all the great men out there who have fathered in one way or another!

THE Supreme

Like I mentioned last time - things have been crazy busy and our photography schedule is packed! Follow our photo blog to see the latest and the greatest happenings in that adventure. We've had some great sessions and are super excited for those that are coming up!

In other important news - Julie one of my greatest friends (and former roomie...but hey... roomies for life yo!) got engaged recently. I. Could. Not. Be. More. Excited. for her. Seriously people!! I'm pumped. I'm pumped and SO incredibly happy for her and Jon. AAAAHHHH! =) Oh - but the excitement continues - they've asked us to photograph their big day. Can't wait!

Now then, today - I had lunch. A special lunch. A Banana Supreme. Dac is appalled by this lunch and things I'm ridiculous for even admitting that I eat it - let alone on the internets but I, for one, am rather smitten with it.

My Dad used to make this for us. It's peanut butter, miracle whip, and bananas. OH YEAH. Check it out!

You don't want to put too much mayo on it - just enough to make it a tad tangy and help it slide down.


Because what sandwich isn't better cut into triangles?


Finished it off with a Diet Dr. Pepper. Good stuff Maynard. Who is Maynard anyway?


So - that's that. To finish off the day, we're going out to eat for Dac's Mom's birthday then headed south for a sure-to-be-fantastic family session.

Oooh - Oooh - and tomorrow we're going on an X-Men movie date! =)

Whew

Well ya'll - things have been nuts around here. Busy-busy I tell ya. I've been one blog-neglectin' fool now! Basically, there's not much new to report. Work has been crazy busy, photography is picking way up again, and to be real honest - there isn't much time for anything else.

We photographed our second wedding of 2011 (the first was back in January) yesterday. I always get a tad bit nervous before weddings - I mean they're such a big deal! Once we got going though I was fine and we had a great time! =)

Today, however, I'm feeling a little on the SORE side. OK, more like A LOT on the sore side. Exhausted actually. I always forget how much weddings drain you... especially when you haven't shot one in a while.

Earlier this week (the 1st) marked the anniversary of when we lost my Grandpa Carl to cancer last year. Sigh. I've actually done really well with that lately... I guess I've just been too busy to think about it much. The day before though, I got pretty down. Of course I got sad on that day as well. Then... last night when we got home from the wedding, kind of out of nowhere I had the song we played at his funeral stuck in my head. Then, it REALLY hit me. Just like last year - April-June was rough. I'm glad to be on the other side of it again. It's always hard though - I always miss them.

The good news is - Laura got our photo slideshow done. Check it out!! Password is "call".

Storms

Wow. Storms have pretty well taken over the week at this point. We live in Kansas and have our whole lives (minus my 4-year stint at OSU) so storms - even tornadoes - don't typically startle me too awful much. In fact, I tend to find them exciting, and I love to get a great picture or two out of the deal. But the storms this week have been devastating. Thankfully, our little town has been pretty well missed but oh how many other communities have been practically destroyed. It's sad. I talked more about Joplin, MO over on our photo blog. Since then, several other lives have been lost and a lot of people have lost homes and businesses. Praying for all of them.

Not-So-Timely-Two-Week-Recap

I had a great weekend... (referring to last weekend... I wrote this first part last week but never posted it...oops!). Friday, Dac and I went to a coffee shop for a little dinner date. Then we drove around, took some pictures of the softball complex for work, and watched "127 Hours". It was really good but kind of hard to watch at times.

Saturday morning I picked up my awesome friends Kayla and Heather (along with some tasty donuts) for a shopping trip in Wichita. Since we were having pictures taken by Laura McPherson of Elephant Juice, I wanted to pick up a few things. I didn't have the best of luck but that's ok... I got a couple things and the pictures will be fun no matter what I look like, right?! =) That's right!

Dac started working on the bathroom/spare room project again... he got a lot more tore out. The house was an absolute dusty disgusting mess but I'm glad we're making progress. I cleaned up a bit when I got home and then we hung out and watched another movie - but we both fell asleep during that one.

Sunday we went on a breakfast date to Brick's. I got my usual jumbo fatty pancake and egg. Delicious. I sorted through stuff from the spare room closets so Dac could get those ripped out. Then, I ran some errands and hung out with Heather for a bit before going to our friend Erika's daughter Jessi's 2-year barnyard birthday shindig! =) It was fun. I made a barnyard craft and played little kid games.

Speaking of Jessi - we get to keep her and her sister Jazzy all weekend! We're going to have a blast! =) Can't wait!! More on that later.

After the party we grabbed some ice cream (like we really needed it after the plethora of Cheetos and animal cupcakes we had...ha). Then, I went home. It was literally a construction zone in there and I couldn't breathe - so I went and crashed my MIL and SIL's pizza party! =) They hooked me up with some stuffed crust, we watched TV, and then I went home and cleaned again.

Monday night was our friend Tabitha's birthday outing. We planned to eat at Red Lobster and play putt-putt - but the mini golf place closed too early so we decided to just eat at the Warren movie theater and watch Bridesmaids . Man oh man. It. Was. FUNNY. Sure it was a little on the crude side but I seriously laughed SO hard. We all did.

I had a seriously crazy, ridiculous, grump-inducing work week. It was awful-falafel people. So come Thursday - instead of cooking for Wii night - I pansied out and we met Steve, Cori, and Charli at La Fiesta. Then, the girls came over and we watched the Greys Anatomy and Private Practice season finales.

I took Friday off. HOLLA. I had lots of errands to run (including picking up a couple last minute things for pictures), laundry, and house cleaning to do before we headed over to Erika's to begin our weekend-o-fun as super nanny extraordinaires. =) We're thrilled they trusted us with the girls and I for one had a great time.

Here's Dac and Jazzy snuggled up watching a movie. Jessi was taking a nap and I forgot to use my camera the rest of the time. Jazzy loved Dac and he was a big help. He'll make a good dad one day.

Saturday, we took a little break and had our photo session with Laura. EEEEK! It was a blast!! Like a little date night which is exactly how we like photo sessions to be. =) Perfect perfect.

Today, we took the girls to church and then to my grandparents house to celebrate Grandpa's 80th birthday! That's big time. Then, once the girls were down for a nap and their house was picked up, I kind of just crashed. Having two toddlers thrust into your life like that can wear ya out! =) But they were really good and it was a lot of fun. I'm so glad we got the opportunity to hang out with them and that their mom and dad were able to enjoy some much deserved alone time!

Now, I'm vegging on the couch in my pj's, taking the last sip of my route 44 vanilla Diet Dr. Pepper and finishing off some leftover chicken-n-noodles from lunch. Mmmm.

SO - here's to two, busy, good weekends!!

Mama...oooh ooh ooh oooh

It's Mother's Day - but we'll get to that in a minute. First, a little on our fabulous weekend.

Friday - We went to my parents' house for a scrumptious dinner, good conversation, witty banter, and lots of laughs. I tell ya, sometimes it hurts to be as cool as we are. =) Dac helped my dad cut down some trees and while he did that, I stayed in and "helped" my mom with dinner. I also got to see my Heidi girl (Mom and Dad's dog that is really my dog and she knows it! =)) It was definitely a good start to the weekend.

Saturday - I met my pal Kayla for breakfast at the donut shop. We had a nice chat and a chocolate long john and orange cake donut later, we were on our way to check out the house they're in the process of buying. It's perfect for them.

Then I came back because our good friends John and Anna (and sweet little Ruby) were coming for Ruby's 6-month pictures. We went to Braums for lunch, came back, played, took some pictures, played, slurped some Sonic drinks, played... it was fun. =) We love to hang out with them and we already can't wait until next time! Also, Ruby is at such a fun stage. I had a blast with her. You'll be able to see her pictures over on the photo blog in a few days.

After they left and we downloaded the pictures, we ran to Lowes. Then, Dac unclogged our shower drain. Myyyyy hero! =) As he was finishing up, I heard Peety making this awful sound outside. I thought he was seeing Dac in the basement and when I looked outside, I didn't see him. Well Dac heard him and ran outside...Turns out Peety had gotten his dog tag stuck between two boards on the deck. It was choking him. =( I felt awful that I didn't realize he was hurt. He was a sad, traumatized mess the rest of the night... he wanted lots of hugs and belly rubs but this morning he was back to his wild, crazy, stubborn pug self!! After that, we took it easy and watched "Date Night". It was funny!

We slept in and skipped out on church this morning then we took pictures of Dac's parents for their 30th anniversary next month. Next up was a delicious lunch at my Grandma's. Then, we went to Dac's cousin Darci's college graduation party. We edited some pictures tonight and now I'm trying to relax and enjoy the last weekend time I have before an extremely busy work week. Sigh.

So - it's Mother's Day today. Here's a picture of my mom and I from my wedding (duh) back in 2006.


I'd like to say happy Mother's Day to both our moms and to all the fabulous moms out there. To all the moms with babies, grown kids, those that have lost children, those who want nothing more than to be moms, grandmas, aunts, pet moms, mentors, and any woman who's ever done some mothering to someone. =) I'm so thankful and blessed to have had so many "moms." Not that I needed any extras... mine was perfect... but still, I love all of them! =) Moms, women, help make the world go round.

This and That

This weekend was good for the soul. We were quite productive. Friday night we went out to eat BBQ with Dac's brother and sister. We went on a little driving tour and I purchased a new read. The book is super cute and I just had to have it. =) Then, we stopped for ice cream on the way home.

Saturday, we woke up and got right to work. We took our piles and piles of recyclables to the drop off, took tons of bags of clothes to the Salvation Army, and took some old pipes and stuff to the metal recycling place - even landed ourselves $30 for that. =) The house is like a whole new place now! Then we got ready and headed to Pitt for a fun engagement session! We had a really good time and I'm hoping we got some great pictures to show for it. We stopped at McDonald's in Independence on the way back to grab some chow at around 9 p.m. This McDonald's was seriously W.T. (That's white trash people). It. Was. Horrible. I don't think I've ever left a restaurant so mad in all my life.

Yesterday was church, pizza, and lots of house cleaning and laundry. Still lots of cleaning to do, but I did get a few heavier cleaning-type things done so I feel good about it. =) I even took a nap - and when I woke up I had my Scentsy order waiting for me on the porch. Hallelujah, I love me some Sugar Cookie Scentsy people. Mmm Mmm good! Speaking of Scentsy - a blogger I follow is hosting a giveaway for a plug-in warmer AND a bar.

In other news, Osama Bin Laden is apparently dead, as I'm sure you've probably all heard by now. I'm certainly glad that he personally is not a threat anymore. Unfortunately, his ideals live on in many others. I'll tell you what else is unfortunate... this justice does not bring back the lives that have been lost due to his heinous acts of terrorism or those lost in the hunt for him and for those like him. I find myself a bit torn. I'm definitely no softy when it comes to criminals and I do not oppose war or the death penalty. I do, however, find it hard to truly rejoice in a death. I think that kind of misses the big picture not to mention it doesn't really do any good. Anyway, there's my two cents. I'm still glad the hunt is over and I'm grateful for all the work and sacrifice that our armed forces have done to make it possible. Here's praying they all stay safe and that the war on terror can end soon.