June Potpourri #2

As promised, here are more random bits from June:

 

 

We bid farewell to our beloved clunker, the Santa Fe. She served us well through those years of medical school and residency. I think moving to the snow sped up her decline, however.

 Rick kept her running with his handyman abilities. I'm sure he saved us hundreds, maybe more!

Emma found a new talent. She spent a lot of time watching YouTube tutorials so that she could do her own nail art. Here is a sampling of her work:

I developed (revisited?) some hobbies this summer myself. My dear friend Anita coerced me into running my first 5K. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the experience! Ever since I quit teaching aerobics, running has been my main form of exercise. I usually view it more as a chore. This was different. I found out running could be fun when the music is blaring and the people are cheering!

We didn't beat any speed records, but we stayed consistent and finished at a respectable time. I do believe I'll try that again some time...

Anita also got me out of my comfort zone with theater this summer. She and her daughter Christy both auditioned for our new community theater's production of The Sound of Music. Anita landed the role of Sister Sophia, and Christy was cast as Leisl. (I was too chicken to even try). Fortunately, the powers-that-be discovered a need for more nuns, so Anita recommended me to the directors. Without having to go through the scary audition process, I got to join the nun chorus - YAY! The down side? I had to sing the low Alto part - BOO!

Though the rehearsals ate up a lot of time, I made some wonderful new friends. The other women who played principal nuns were all teachers of some kind or another, so we had A LOT in common. I already knew a lot of the teens in the cast too because they're friends with Jake and Emma. The best part of all though,was hanging backstage with my bestie!

 

In an effort to advertise the week of the show, several of us nuns wore our habits to visit some of the local establishments. We sure turned a lot of heads, especially when we would burst out in song! Anita and I also made it a point to run to Circle K in costume every day for our Diet Cokes.

When I wasn't joining in the backstage shenanigans, I assisted my beautiful and talented friend Betsy who played Maria. She had about a dozen costume changes, so I got to be her little helper off stage. I enjoyed that role as much as being on stage because Betsy was such a hoot to work with and watch from the wings. Truly, we had an AMAZING cast.

Almost as quickly as it began, it ended. I went through withdrawal for a few days. Thank goodness for Facebook so I can keep up with my Sound of Music family! And, thank goodness for a friend who helps me overcome my fears!

 

June Potpourri

Not to brag about my genius kids or anything, BUT Jake and Emma achieved Triple Honor Roll status last year in school. They had a special awards night back in early June. I think I remember Emma spending lots of time getting ready for it.

Emma got a lot of recognition during her 6th grade awards assembly. I was a proud mama!



Jacob was also promoted from the 8th grade to high school.

Rick and I updated the landscaping in our front yard. Here are a couple BEFORE pictures:



 

 

And AFTER:

 

 

For Mother's Day, Rick gave me some raised planter boxes from Costco, so I decided to try my hand at gardening over the summer. I got a handful of anemic tomatoes, tons of cilantro, different varieties of lettuce, and zucchinni. The stawberries and a blackberry bush will hopefully yield something next summer. I totally failed at carrots, sugar snap peas, green peppers, and green onion.

Sadly, I'm the only one who really ate the stuff from the garden. A lot of veggies and WATER went to waste I'm afraid. I'm not sure it was worth it...

One plant that's easy to grow at my house:

 

Emma said goodby to her cute friend Maryn by having one last sleepover before the big move to Utah.

 

They consoled themselves by taking hundreds of pictures of the Chloe and eating half a pan of brownies.

 

 to be continued...



Our Trek West: The Final Leg

The final leg of our trek was spent with my parents in Peoria. We could not get over the changes to our old stomping grounds! It definitely got us thinking about moving back as we spent time with old friends like the Olivers and my old singin' buddies.

Alli, Whitny, Annie, and me at the Cheesecake Factory

 Another great night that I failed to photograph was a Colyar shin-dig with my Dad's side of the family. It was great to see everyone and catch up on the news. Some folks we hadn't seen since we moved! Plus, No Bake Cookies = Good times.

My folks were great hosts and they gave very convincing arguments for moving to Peoria. Rick and I spent several hours driving around neighborhoods and looking at homes by the new temple and Thunderbird Mountain. There are some great deals to be had in the Valley right now for home buyers!

All in all, our trek west was a fantastic experience. Spending time with family was definitely the most rewarding part of the trip, but we enjoyed the change of scenery too. It was sooooooo good to be near the mountains again after all the flatness of Northwest Ohio.

Our travels home were completely uneventful. We were just plain tuckered from all the fun so we got a lot of snoozing done on the flight to Detroit.

Though we arrived after dinnertime, we couldn't wait to pick up our Shelby from the doggy sitter's house. Man! We sure missed our funny little mutt!

Vacations are the best, but being home feels good too!

Losing our Neighbors

The unthinkable has happened. Our beloved friends and neighbors, the Dworzcyks, have moved to Georgia! They weren't really planning on moving, but a job fell into their laps that they couldn't refuse. Who would have thought that they'd be the first to go? We moved into this neighborhood because of them!

Saying goodbye is the worst. We've really had to do a lot of it lately, so you'd think we'd be good at it. Not so. Now where are we going to eat the best chocolate chip pancakes ever? Who is going to make sure our basement doesn't flood when we're out of town? Who am I going to call to distract me while I clean my house?

Last night our 'hood got together in the streets for one last hangout with the Dworczyks. There were kids and bikes everywhere! I snapped a few pictures of those cute Dworzcyk kids alongside my own cute fam. How we'll miss 'em!

Thanksgivving 2010

We have never made our own Thanksgiving meal before. We've always had a family reunion or something. Since Rick and I have been married almost 15 years, we figured it was about time we cooked for ourselves. Rick was in charge of the turkey and stuffing. I was in charge of the vegetables and rolls. Costco was in charge of the pumpkin pie. The kids were in charge of getting along nicely while we worked in the kitchen.

Rick followed a recipe from my Better Homes and Gardens magazine to cook the turkey. He said it turned out really well. We both enjoyed the vegetarian stuffing he made too.

The Rhodes brand multigrain rolls turned out great, as did my mashed potatoes and almond green beans. It was a very respectable dinner.

Rick took a moonlighting shift from 4:00 to 10:00, so the kids and I stayed busy by going to see the new movie Tangled with friends. We absolutely loved it. It wasn't the princess movie we were expecting. Even Jacob said he wants to buy it when it comes out on DVD.

After the movie, we went to a dessert party at the Torres's house. Hours had passed since our Thanksgiving meal, so we were in prime condition for eating pie. Fortunately, there were many options from which to choose. We ate the night away with our friends!

Amber, Ashley, and Kaitlin:

Georgia:

Jen and Anthony:

Jared and Catharine:

Wendy and Rey:

Jess and Christy:

Max and Jake:

Penny and Christy:

We weren't with our family, but we had the next best thing. This Thanksgiving was a keeper!