Kid Friendly

I've had the total pleasure of seeing most my friends' kids lately. It's been fun! They're all so cute and at fun ages.

First off, a week or two ago, Erika sweetly invited us over for a delicious dinner. I haven't been cooking much lately so it was even more exciting. =) We had a great time and enjoyed the company. I brought ice cream and it was an apparent hit with their girls Jazzy and Jessie! These girls are sweet as can be. Jessie's still warming up to me but Jazzy always acts thrilled to see me! Sure, she acts like that with everybody, but it still makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. =)

Later in the week, we had dinner with Mark, Kayla, and Journey. After we ate, we snapped a few pictures of Mark and Journey all dressed up for the local Daddy-Daughter Dance. They looked so good and I'm sure they had a blast! I just loved J's dress!! Isn't she a doll!? =) More of these pictures will be on our photo blog in the near future.

Last week, I met up for Mexican food with Tabitha and her little Man Jonathan. TOTALLY failed and forgot to get a picture of his adorable little face though. =( He has got to be the most laid back kid I've ever met. He's fun!

Friday, Charli and I had a slumber party!! We camped in the family room (she in her super exciting princess sleeping bag, and me on the couch with no exciting sleeping bag...haha). She was SO good for me the whole time. Saturday, she went on a road trip to OKC with me to see the ol' college gang. Love those girls!

First, we hit up the donut shop (duh), then after a few pit stops, we met the girls (whom she thoroughly impressed with her awesomeness!!) and had lunch at McAllister's. Then, we watched Rango... which, honestly... I was NOT impressed with. Sure, there were some funny parts, but it was pretty dark and I didn't think it was very toddler-appropriate. Afterward, we hit up Orange Wave then headed home. It was a long day, but other than me not feeling 100%, it was a blast. I'm so glad I got to see the girls and I couldn't have asked for a better travel buddy!! =)

PS - Can NOT believe I didn't get pictures in OKC. =( Beyond sad about this.

PPS - Peety got to play with both Charli and Journey the past couple weeks and he just LOVED it. He likes to chase them around and run circles to show off. He's super good with kids and loves the company. =)

PPPS - Celebrated my friends Erika and Jana's birthdays last night... more on that (with pictures) soon!

A 'BIG' Anniversary

This past week I celebrated a very special anniversary. It marked my 4-year match with Sky - my "little" through Big Brothers/Big Sisters. =) I had known for a long time that someday I wanted to be a Big Sister. After I finally dove in and filled out the paper work and was interviewed (you know to make sure I wasn't a creeper and to see who'd be a good fit for me), I was given two folders to look through. The folders had the names of two little girls... both around 8 years old who were on the waiting list for a Big. I've heard stories of some people taking weeks to decide on a Little... but I had mine picked in less than 20 minutes.

To be honest, there were times when I doubted my ability to connect with her and make a difference. Now, I still worry about not making a big enough impact, but I have no doubts that our match really was meant to be. I'm so glad I've gotten the chance to get to know her! She's stuck with me now. =)

Let's look at some pictures back from 2007. Sky was 8, I was a newlywed, and had just started my job, oh and was living in our little rental house with "vintage" shag carpet. (I figure if I put vintage in front of it, which is certainly accurate, it makes it seem less hideous and more trendy).

The picture in this frame is from Spring Break just a couple weeks after we were matched. We made the frames (and had a mini pom pon fight) a couple months later.

So ignore my scary face and look how little Sky looks!!!!
Now, before we move on to some pictures from this week's celebration, I'd like to take the chance to talk more about Big Brothers/Big Sisters. Not only am I a Big, I'm also on the BBBS Board of Directors. I'm a big believer in the program because I have witnessed time and time again the difference it can make in a child's (and a Big's) life. I frequently hear two main questions, so I'm going to answer those here! =) If you have any other questions about how to get involved, just let me know!


1 - What do you guys do together? I think there's a lot of a concern about this... I had these same concerns. It's really been pretty easy though! We've done all sorts of things... we've gone to movies, played arcade games, gone to the park (a lot), gone out to eat, made lots of crafts, gone on a Sonic Coke date, had a slumber party, baked cookies, played lots of Guess Who, went to Exploration Place, rented movies, carved pumpkins, went to the Renaissance Festival, rode bikes, planned a meal and went grocery shopping for it, went bowling, volunteered, watched funny YouTube videos, did homework, jammed out, and the list goes on and on. BBBS suggests not spending a lot of money on outings and I've followed that. Occasionally we'll do something a little "bigger" but for the most part our time together is fairly inexpensive. By far the thing we do the most is just hang out. Sky makes herself at home at my house... most weeks she comes in, grabs herself a pop (recently I was deemed really cool b/c we happened to have Mountain Dew... haha), pets on Peety for a little bit, then does homework at our kitchen table. It's that simple.

2 - How much time does it take? Sky and I are what's considered a "community match". This means I had to commit to spending 2-4 hours with her a week and that she could come to my house and we could do things out in the community together... as opposed to just in school, but more on that in a minute. Now that we've been matched for so long, things are a little more flexible and we get together every other week. While a "Community Match" is obviously the most flexible option, it's also a more time-consuming commitment. If someone doesn't have a few hours a week, they can still participate by being in a "School-Based Match". These matches require 30 minutes a week and typically involve the Big eating lunch with the Little at school, reading with them, participating in a project, etc...

Now then, here's how we celebrated Wednesday. I knew Sky would probably have homework so I wanted to allow time for that. So, we headed to College Hill Coffee in Winfield for a snack while she finished up homework, then we played Garfield Go Fish. =) Hey, you're never to old for Go Fish.

Here you'll see ALL of Sky's matches... and my two. Yeah, she stomped me.

Here was my snack: a sugar free/caffeine free Vanilla Chi Tea and a Morning Glory muffin (kind carrot cake-ish.) Both were really good!

Here's Sky having fun and humoring me by letting me take a picture. After seeing the pictures above... can you believe how much she's grown and changed in four years!?!? Holy smokes!!

And her snack: a salty caramel cupcake with caramel filling and a tall glass of milk! She assured me it was real good too.

Happy anniversary to us! =)

PS - I want to give a shout out to Sky. She has really made some awesome improvements over the years. Her attitude is lots better, she has more confidence and it shows in how she takes care of herself, her grades are MUCH improved (she's even student of the month in science right now!!!!! YES!) and she really has a good head on her shoulders. I hope she continues to believe in herself because I know she can do anything she sets her mind to.

That's that... I'll be back soon with an update on the rest of the week's fun activities.

Party Harty!

This weekend was essentially Dac's second round of birthday celebrations! =) That's how he rolls. Friday night he worked a bit late then I made some wheat beer bread (with coke instead of beer) and some creamy wild rice soup (a la Tastefully Simple) and we just relaxed and watched "The Book of Eli"... I wasn't a big fan honestly. Of the movie I mean... the food was good... the movie... not so much. Still, it was fun to spend an evening together, obligation free.



Saturday we got up and met these guys' sweet little bitty guy. We took some pictures, got peed on a few times... you know, the usual! =) Then, we got wild and crazy and headed down to Stillwater for a day of shopping, eating, and hanging out. We got Dac some new shoes and did lots of walking around. He also go to enjoy some Aspen Coffee and we ate Wild Buffalo Wings for supper since he missed out on our last trip there. It was a fun day! =)


Today, we went to church then I had a lunch date with Kayla. =) That was fun too! Then, after some housework (why is it that it never ends?!?!?) I met my mom in Winfield to run a couple errands and of course, hit up Happy Hour at Sonic. Also fun. I did more housework and Dac and I took a walk to Braums for supper and little treat.



We've been under a Tornado watch and warning for most the day... which gets me as giddy as a kid in a candy store but all that's past us now, so I guess I need to just settle down. It's not that I like death, lost homes, damaged property, etc.. and I certainly hate the thought of people being stuck in storms... plus I worry sick about all the animals out there without a house to go in but I just LOVE storms. I can't help. I think I watched too much "Twister" as a kid or something.



In other not-important news, I have an ear ache. It feels like swimmer's ear so I got some drops last night. We'll see how it goes. =) Told you it wasn't important.



PS: I'm sorry, but I was LAME and didn't take ANY pictures of this weekend. =( FAIL. Have a great week! =)

Happy Birthday To Yooooouuuuuu

Today is Dac's birthday. He's 29. You know, OLD! =) I kid, I kid. I've known Dac practically forever. We went on our first official "just us" date when he was 16. Wowzers! Needless to say, he's been around a while. I've decided he can stay! =) (How thoughtful of me.)

Dac is great. He is one of the most caring, helpful people I know. He would truly do anything for anyone without even thinking twice. He's a family guy and he cares for his friends just like they're family too. He's funny. He's a thinker, a reader, a problem solver. He's a tell-you-how-it-is encourager. He dives into projects head first and gives 100% until it's done (except our bathroom remodel...haha). He loves to hear people's stories and really listens. He likes to be active and try new foods (I like to think this is rubbing off on me... or maybe will rub off on me.) He's a coffee and beer connoisseur. He's incredibly good looking and just happens to smell good too. He loves the Lord. He's good with money. He takes our stinky dog for a walk and rubs his belly. =) I could go on and on about all the great qualities he has but I'll spare you the novel.

Just know that he's great.

He holds my hand.

He always makes me laugh.

And he likes to stand on top of parking garages in the wind and look lovingly at me. =)
He's the best for me and I don't take for granted that I found him (even without a wait) and that I get to enjoy his company every single day. Happy birthday to my husband, best friend, business partner, and everything else he is to me. Hope it's a great one!!

PS - Thanks for being my perfect match and for accepting my forgetfulness, Target addiction, my fear of bad guys being in the house, my ponytail and sweats style, and for loving me in spite of all of it (and so much more).

Shopped 'til I dropped

We had a very busy (but not work busy for the most part) but enjoyable weekend. Let's break it down (because I know you care that much.) =)

Friday: I worked and though the morning wasn't all that delightful, by noon I was in another one of those "the weather is awesome and I'm blowin' this joint soon" moods. I went and got my brows ripped ever so delicately from my face. Seriously... not that it can ever feel good, but my wax girl, Regina at Ionic, makes it feel more like a spa day than the cruel, inhumane torture that it is. That is appreciated. I emerged a little red but much less gorilla-like... which I'm sure Dac (and everyone else for that matter) appreciated too.

Then, I went on a spur of the moment, quick trip (that ended up not being so quick) to Derby with my MIL and SIL... you'll notice a "hanging with the Call's" trend for this weekend. Anyway, we mostly just piddled around and tried on lots of cute (and even not so cute), fun, scandalously high heels. Like practically every pair we saw. It. Was. Kinda. Fun.





I found these at Kohls and loved them. They're not my usual style by any means (I tend to go a tad more classic than these) but I thought they were super fun and, surprisingly, pretty daggum comfy too. They almost felt like fuzzy slippers to my Flintstone feet. I was this close to leaving with them, but I haven't found my dress for the cruise yet, so I didn't want to buy heels until I was sure they'd go well with that.

After trying on shoes at every store we went to, we enjoyed some Buffalo Wild Wings.

Saturday: I did lots of laundry and the usual house work then went on an adventure to retrieve my purse and phone from Terese's car/house... and to Sonic.




Then Dac and I went to Wichita to look for some replacement interior doors for the couple rooms we're remodeling. We're trying to keep things pretty close to original when at all possible. At least for the more permanent fixtures. We came home empty handed. We went to Old Chicago to redeem Dac's free birthday pizza. We had "The Classic" with pepperoni, Italian sausage, and garlic... Chicago style of course. It was fun to sit and hang out for a bit... and eat free pizza. That's always good. We also kind of shopped til we dropped at the mall, Lowe's, the lumber store, and Dillon's Marketplace.

Sunday: We went to church then headed back to Wichita with Dac's family for his birthday dinner. We ate at Two Brother's BBQ. We had the new buffet and it was alright, I just don't think it's my kind of BBQ. Then we went back to the mall to shop for the boys' cruise attire. We got back and put on a fashion show for Val, then the two of us settled in to watch "Grownups". We really liked it. =) It was the perfect end to a busy weekend.

Sister Sky

Yesterday was Wednesday... and it was a good day. Work wasn't nearly as awful and crazy as it was Monday and Tuesday. The weather was fabulous! You know the type... the kind that makes you all hyper and nuts because all you want to do is get outside run, scratch that, walk briskly around like a wild woman. Arms flailing. Yeah, it was that day. Also, on top of all that, and on top of it being Criminal Minds night with Heather, I got to see my "little" Sky. With all the bad weather, etc... it'd been about a month since I'd seen her. I swear she grows more each time. =) Great, now I'm sounding old. Sheesh!

So, I picked her up and she had homework to do. Not like write a paper, read a play script, or draw a picture homework... but MATH homework. UGH!! I didn't like it when I had to do it back then, and I don't like having to do it now! I didn't even know how to do most of it. I can't believe I just admitted to that on the Interwebs of all places. Anyway, Sky was wanting to go to Subway but she had to finish her homework first.

Here's me interrupting her (I was getting bored of window shopping online if you can even believe that!)





I stopped and she got back to working hard.





Meanwhile, I'm doing stuff like this! I told you I was antsy. All I could think of when I saw this picture was "QUACK!"



Then, when she was done with her work, we took a minute for a dance party.





Then, we met Dac at Subway. At this point Sky was D to the UN with pictures. I mean, who can blame her?



As we drove back to her house we jammed ( I introduced her to the band Fun) with the windows down. All-n-all, I say it was a success.

After that, I perused Wal-Mart (and ran into my ol' pal Kasie...yay!) for some Cosmic Brownies to take to Heather's. You know, I don't want to hear it... it was the first night of the new spin off Criminal Minds that came on right after the original and you can't very well have a double header of new Criminal Minds episodes without Little Debbie snacks. =) We had fun.

Today all I have planned is work and housework. Maybe I'll go grocery shopping too? (For healthy things, not brownies). I don't know... that's pushing it.

Hold the Love Boat...

Maybe I'm a fan of Valentine's Day after all!! =D


How did I let this happen? Ay yi yi! Oh well. Happy Valentine's Day to me!!