Weekend Rewind

What a beautiful weekend! As I mentioned, the weather this weeked was picture perfect--Highs in the low 80s, lows in the upper 60s and almost zero humidity. This was definitely not typical Missouri weather in July. Friday night we just spent the evening at home & rested up for my big debut on Saturday. I was definitely a tad bit nervous about my first 18-hole round of golf, but I do have to say I did have some moments of brilliance. I actually only finished about 12 of the 18 holes--if I got frustrated or really tired I would just pick up my ball. The main problem I had was just getting tired because the course was busy and we had to wait a little bit on almost every hole before teeing off--plus, since this was my first venture at 18, I don't think I really knew what I was getting into. I managed to hit some shots that even impressed my wonderful coach, Hubby and I was even able to hit par on at least 2 holes & one really impressive bogey on the hardest hole on the course.

Our first official golf outing

One of my best holes of the day (I even managed to get it across the water on my first shot!)

The professional golfer--I love to watch him play!

We had a great time & I always love to watch Hubby do something he's passionate about & we all know he's certainly passionate about his golf!

After golf we headed down to the Branson Landing for dinner. Hubby had made reservations at our absolute favorite place to eat: Cantina Laredo. I think I could eat here almost every week & while there are certainly other great places to eat in Branson we don't hardly drive down there without eating at Cantina. It was a beautiful night & we were able to enjoy a lovely table outside on the patio overlooking Lake Taneycomo. We had a great view of the wonderful fountain/fire show & just enjoyed the lovely evening.

Cantina Laredo!!! YUM YUM!!! Oh how I love thee...Hot Apple Pie with Brandy Butter & Cinnamon Ice Cream!

The awesome fire & fountain show at the Landing!

Today I headed to a baby shower for the daughter of one of the ladies I work with. Her little girl is due in September. I failed to take any photos but she got lots of really cute things & some of those definite essentials as well. Hubby also did some yard work & we just worked around the house getting ready for a new week.

80 Degrees in July?!?

Yup, you read that right...today & the rest of the weekend. 80 degrees in the middle of July in the midwest when it's normally at least 90 degress with 100% humidty. It almost felt like fall this morning when I walked outside. I can't wait to spend tomorrow & Sunday outside in the beautiful weather! Stay tuned for a recap of my first ever 18-hole round of golf tomorrow--it promises to be very entertaining!

Baby Time=Birth Control

Yesterday I left work a couple hours early to go visit one our friend Miranda and her new little boy, Easton. He is about 3 weeks old & we wanted to let them get settled at home (as much as they could be) before we headed down. One of my best friends Sarah & I took off about 3:00 & drove the hour or so down to their house. Let me just tell you...he is adorable. He has an incredible head of hair & is just precious! He was just the perfect little boy until he was ready to eat...and then he certainly let us know!

Notice how he's starting to get fussy--I think this was because I stopped moving! Look at that hair!

Their min-pin Sophie...she thought she was a lot bigger than she was!

All I can tell you is that while I am absolutely certain that I want to be a mother in the future & I cannot wait to experience all the ups & downs of motherhood...it is not something that I'm anywhere close to being ready for. Between the children in our neighborhood, our two adorable nephews, & the children at church...Hubby & I have plenty of good birth control because while they are all adorable & precious it is certainly nice to be able to head in the house, shut the door, & enjoy a little bit of piece and quiet. I realize that children are all a gift from God & a miracle, but right now I definitely enjoy a full night's sleep & a clean house void of all things baby or child.

Weekend Rewind

We had one of those crazy weekends, with lots of stuff going on. Friday night we had dinner with Hubby's mom (who is in from Michigan) & then spent the evening with his sister & our adorable nephews. Saturday Hubby played golf & then we headed down to my parents' house to have an afternoon of pool time with our Small Group. We had a great time & all of the kids really enjoyed themselves. We finished off the evening with a BBQ & homemade ice cream.

Apparently most of the kids didn't even make it 5 minutes in the car before they crashed from exhaustion! Here are a few photos from the afternoon!

Sunday I went solo to church while Hubby played in the second round of his golf tournament. He got home mid-afternoon & then we did some yardwork. We sprung for pizza carry-out for dinner & watched the Cards vs. Cubs game. CARDS WIN!! It was definitely one of those weekends where I felt like Hubby & I didn't see each other at all, but it happens. I know that next weekend, will be much better as we've already got plans to do fun things!

I am also happy to report that even after a 4 day break (due to crazy schedules & a horrific level of pain) Hubby & I started back up on the Shred last night. I actually felt really good throughout the entire workout...I think if anything my endurance level is certainly on the rise.

Shredded---to a pulp!

Yes...Hubby & I started doing Jillian Michael's 30-Day Shred on Monday Night.

Yes...that means we've only completed 2 nights.

Yes...my legs & arms are aching and screaming at me: WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?!?

Yes...I plan on continuing to put my body under such extreme torture in order to tone up!

No...I do not like it, but I'm hoping it will be worth it in the end.

Holiday Weekend Rewind!

I have decided that I absolutely love having Friday's off from work!!! Hubby & I both got lucky & didn't have to work on Friday so we had a fabulous 3-day Weekend. Friday we slept in (for us) & then got up and headed to a really fun 9-hole, par 3 golf course. We had a great time and I actually played really well. I played my first shot the entire round & I shot 43, which is very very good for me! I love golfing with Hubby & he's actually a very good teacher. Friday afternoon we came home & did some work around our house (lawn care, cleaning, etc.). My parents have season tickets to the Springfield Cardinals so we headed out with them for a beautiful night at the ball park. Oh how I love ball park food...corn dogs, peanuts, cotton candy...you can't much better than that!!! We had a great time & they had a wonderful fireworks show after the game. On the way home we also couldn't pass up the opportunity to stop at 2 more fireworks stands--we definitely had plenty of stuff to blow up!

On Saturday morning Hubby & I were less than motivated to do much of anything so we laid around the house & did venture out to Walmart & Lowe's. We finally got ready & headed down to my parents' house for the day. Bogey was excited as always to be able to run free on my parents' land. We helped set up & get everything ready for the big party. We also spent some nice time in the pool cooling off before everyone arrived. I think my parents ended up having about 20 people show up for the festivities. What a blast! (pun intended)

Lydia practicing being a supermodel!!

Lydia playing patty-cake with her mom!

My dad, Hubby, & cousin Lathan taking the loot down to the launch site

Dawson was super-excited with his parachutes

The viewing gallery for the big show

When you have so much stuff, it's very important to be organized! ;o)

There wasn't much wind, so the smoke hung around for awhile

I also spent a little bit of time trying to get some good shots of the fireworks--I was actually pretty happy with how they came out.

Sunday after church, Hubby & I had a nice lunch date. We grabbed a quick lunch at Panera & then caught a matinee showing of The Proposal. This movie was fantastic--I laughed super hard several times & Hubby enjoyed it as well. We came home & I enjoyed a nice little nap before the work week gets started back up again! Oh how I love long weekends!

Pyro-Crazies!!

Last night Hubby & I joined my parents for a bit of pre-July 4th shopping...aka buying an obscene amount of explosive items used for entertainment. This has been a tradition for my family since I was a little girl. My brother & I would always load up with my parents & my cousins & head out for fireworks shopping. Dinner was always at a local Mexican restaurant, Mexican Villa, followed by traipsing around a huge fireworks tent filling our baskets with as much as we could fit. Each year we would come home with more & more to shoot off & we have always ended up with a huge production.

This year was no different--we did have some minor mishaps as they tent we normally go to has closed & the next tent we went to had priced their selection incredibly high. We finally ended up stopping at 2 good tents & supporting some great local causes by doing so. We ended up with a suburban full of fountains, sparklers, smoke bombs, artillery shells, 500 gram box fireworks, and much, much more!!!

Our office is closing on Friday so I've got a 3-day weekend & I couldn't be more thrilled! As you can tell, 4th of July is a big deal with our family & I can't wait for Saturday! Hopefully I'll have some good pictures to show!