Monday....Already!?!?

As is quite obvious by my lack of posts, things have been just a little crazy at work recently and blogging just hasn't made the top of my priority list! After some busy days at work, when I get home I'm ready to just relax for a bit!

Thankfully, Hubby & I had a fab weekend that also allowed for a little time to relax. We had dinner with the whole fam (my brother & sister-in-law were in town for the weekend) for belated birthday celebration for my brother. Hubby & I worked on improving our mental skills with a puzzle...I just love puzzles!

Saturday was a fun-filled day with a big win for the Missouri State Bears! Missouri Valley Conference Champions for the first time in the program's history! Such a fun afternoon with family!

The entire family, minus my sister-in-law...missed you Millie!

Boomer crowd-surfing in the student section

Rushing the floor after the big win!

My precious parents! They have season-tickets and have been so generous to buy some extra tickets for Nick & I! We're loving going to the games!

Coach Cuonzo Martin soaking up the excitement

The sign says it all!

Saturday night we finished off a great day with dinner at a local Mexican restaurant and a movie. We watched Unknown, definitely highly recommend this one!

We had a typical Sunday with church, nursery duty, some work outside, and small group! I can't believe it's already time for another week. We're implementing some major technology changes in the next month so my blog will probably be a little lacking....but not to worry, I'm still here!

Long Weekend Rewind

Oh how I love 3-day weekends! There's something about coming to the end of a Sunday evening and knowing that you don't have to go to work the next day!


We've certainly enjoyed the weekend and thankfully we had beautiful weather with above-normal temps the entire time! Friday night was girls' night and these are always special...if for no other reason than spending an evening with the women who are nearest and dearest to me. We opted for fondue and drinks at a local place & it was a fabulous evening. Cheese fondue for dinner followed by chocolate fondue for dessert...it just doesn't get much better!

My girls...Amy, Andrea, myself, Bethany, Jacinda, & Andrea

Besties old & new...Soon-to-be mama Jacinda & Andrea

I honestly don't know what life would be like without these women who I'm able to be authentic with and able to truly do life with. I can be my crazy self but I also have a group of godly women who are first on my list to call if I have a need. God always knows what he's doing, but putting us all together is an incredible blessing and one that I will be grateful for my entire life.

Saturday was work for both Hubby & I in the morning and then some relaxation before a big surprise party for my sister-in-law. Her 30th birthday was on Saturday and with a lot of little white lies, a room-full of princess decorations and a crowd of family & friends, my mother-in-law really managed to surprise her. It was a great evening devoted to celebrating a woman who for the most part doesn't ever get enough credit for all she does!

It was a princess party...complete with princess hats!

The birthday girl pulling up to the party...we were all outside on the porch! Think we might have surprised her?

Love this shot! She was so surprised at all the people who were there! There were definitely a few lies told! The costume is a story all in itself...not sure how Dustin fully convinced her to put it on, but I think it had something to do with him wearing a pink tie so she had to wear her Madragal Medieval costume!

She even had a tiara...Jackson decided to wear it for a bit but DID NOT want his photo taken!

Yummy, yummy cake. It was yellow cake with raspberry filling!

The birthday girl!

Sunday was a fairly laid back day with church, lunch, & some quality time with my mother-in-law. We drove all around the area trying to scope out some places for them to live once they retire back to Missouri! I can't wait for them to be here full-time!

Yesterday I was off work so it was a nice extension of my weekend. I ran several errands, watched a movie at home, and then we had dinner with some great friends. They have XBox Kinect...it was our first time playing and I WAS EXHAUSTED!!! Who needs a workout when you have that?

It's back to the real world today, it's been crazy around here already...

Thursday Loves

My blog has definitely been getting the shaft as of recently. I'm still lacking in motivation to post, comment...trust me, I'm still seeing everything in my Reader but life has just been a little busy lately! However, I've got some things I'm loving today!

It's 71 degrees outside right now. We have the screen open on the backdoor of our office and it's so nice to smell the fresh air, listen to the birds chirping, and hear the wind blowing. I fully realize Spring won't last forever, but it's so nice to see temps like this in the middle of February!

www.ky3.com

Nick is a huge fan of Oreos so for Valentine's Day I made Homemade Oreos! They were so yummy and definitely a big hit for my icing, loving husband! Thankfully, these are almost gone! We don't do well when sweets are kept around the house!

Tomorrow night is GIRLS NIGHT!!! The girls from my small group finally found a night when we could all get together & I'm so excited! We are headed to a local fondue place for fondue & drinks! See that drink below...yeah, that's what I'm having! It's delicious...a crushed Nerd rim & a blow-pop to finish things off! www.fedorasocialhouse.com

And finally...Aloha Maui! Hubby & I have booked our vacation for the year. We'll be leaving fairly soon after tax season says goodbye for another year and we'll be spending 7 nights and 7 days in Maui! I've been to Maui one time a few years ago with my family, and I can't wait to experience all of Maui's beauty with my husband! We've got our flights, rental car, & accomodations booked...now it's just time to figure out some details! I'm so excited!

image courtsey of Orbitz

my favorite

On this Valentine's Day and every other day I can't even believe how much God has blessed me with this man. Life hasn't been the same since he walked into my life and I can't imagine living each day with anyone else!

Happy Valentine's Day to my husband, my best friend, and my favorite...I love you!

Snow, Snow...it's Going Away!

In addition to some really fun weekend activities, the weather has been absolutely gorgeous. Unfortunately, with 10+ inches of snow still on the ground we haven't really been able to take advantage of the warm temps like I had wanted to...but at least the snow is melting away quickly!

Hubby & I have had a wonderful weekend! Friday night we thought we only had time for a quick dinner before Beauty & the Beast, so we stopped at a local sandwich shop. Fortunately, that ended up being a bit quicker than we needed so we took advantage of the extra time and stopped in at The Cup for a little bit of dessert...or I guess a LOT of dessert!

I took advantage of their seasonal selection the Ruby...strawberry & red velvet swirled cake topped with raspberry cream cheese icing and a sugary heart! OH my goodness this was so delicious! Nick opted for his standard, double chocolate...chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream icing and sprinkles. Doesn't get much better than that!

After our sugar rush, we headed to the show and I was definitely entertained. Thanks to my parents' being season ticket holders, we had great seats on the orchestra level right in the middle. Beauty & the Beast is one of those productions that I know so well that I want to sing along...of course I'm sure everyone around me was glad I kept those notes to myself. It was a great show & even more fun to watch all the little girls be all excited for the theater!

Saturday was a morning at home for me, which has turned into the weekly time for laundry, grocery shopping, etc. I was more than surprised when Hubby walked in the door with these!

Yes, I fully realize that red roses are cliche' on Valentine's Day...but I still absolutely LOVE getting them!

We really wanted to try a new steakhous in Branson, but that just wasn't feasible with tax season & Valentine's Day falling on a weeknight. So...we chose to have our fancy Valentine's Day dinner out on Saturday evening & we were able to have a perfect, relaxing dinner. Level 2 Steakhouse is located at the Hilton on Branson Landing and we were definitely impressed. Every aspect of the meal was great, and we'll definitely be back. The restaurant even features a "knife presentation" where you can choose your own steak knife...and after your 5th visit they engrave the knife with your name for you to use on each return visit. It may take awhile but I'm sure Hubby is counting on having an engraved knife at some point in the future!

Love dining out at fancy places with my husband! We both definitely appreciate a good meal!

The meal was wonderful, but dessert certainly deserves it's own photo. Recently our local magazine, 417 Magazine, highlighted the best chocolate desserts in the area. Nick & I both LOVE chocolate cake and the cover story was about the cake at Level 2. Of course we couldn't have dinner without ordering the cake! However, nothing prepared me for the dessert that was going to be placed between us!

7 layers of moist, chocolate cake with alternating layers of chocolate ganache, raspberry, and white chocolate cream. Let me also say that we brought more than half of this dessert home and there were several couples walking out with to-go bags that I can only imagine also contained most of this dessert! It was incredible, but definitely the biggest piece of cake I've ever seen!

Today after church we've enjoyed a lazy Sunday afternoon. I love being able to relax on Sunday as we get ready for a new week. Top off the night with small group and it's been a pretty perfect weekend!

random

I had big plans to write up a nice long post about something of substance, but that just didn't happen. So today all I've got is a list of random thoughts to document my fairly uneventful week.

• This week I actually had 3 new recipes in my sights...2 entree's and 1 side dish. First, I fixed Pizza Stuffed Chicken from a recent Paula Deen magazine. This was really easy & really yummy...plus I like to tell myself it was fairly healthy! I served this with Roasted Asparagus from none other than PW...Hubby even liked this so it was definitely a success! And finally, last night I fixed Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos. Another success! These will all probably be put on the regular rotation at our house!
• For those of you with kids, or husbands who act like children, the Taquitos bring the opportunity for a fun game when they're out of the oven. Simply blow on one end and steam will come out of the other...of course, please don't blow too hard or the chicken/cheese mixture will be blown all over the table. And yes, I most definitely am speaking from experience!
• I think the heated mattress pad is one of the best inventions ever made, with these below-zero temps it's so amazing to get into a nice warm bed.
• I started on Week 2 of Couch 2 5k last night. I'd been sticking with Week 1 because my running had been so sporadic with the weather. I'm still having doubts on running a 5k in a few months, but for now I'm sticking with it.
• I've been in a blogging rut lately, while I still look forward to blogging; I've been a terrible commenter. Work has been really busy & when I'm at home I hate to sit around on my computer all night. Anyone else having this issue?
• Today the high is going to be near 25, 35 tomorrow, 45 on Saturday, and 55 on Sunday...with possible 65 degree temps next week. Seriously?!? I mean seriously?!?
• I can't wait for the weekend, it promises to be fabulous! Warmer temps, Beauty & the Beast tomorrow night, & an early Valentine's Dinner in Branson with my Hubby on Saturday. Glorious!

Stay warm everyone...the forecast looks like it's gonna improve for everyone in the midwest very, very soon!

Blogger Bookclub: Ape House Ch. 1-12

The online bookclub, Book Beginnings & Bookends, has started back up and it's time for a review of this week's reading assignment. Just a little sidenote, we just started back up so if you're interested in joining us...click on the button below and link up!

Our first book of the new year is Ape House, by Sara Gruen. I should preface this by saying that I haven't read her first bestseller, Water for Elephants, so I went into this book with absolutely no preconceived notions or expections. So far I'm really enjoying this book and I'm also trying to follow the rules of only reading a certain amount of the book each week...I think that's the hardest part! So...onto the discussion questions.

1. What was your initial reaction to the idea of a language lab with bonobos who are capable of having conversations with humans?
~I certainly wasn't opposed to this idea, I was assuming in the beginning that bonobos were a type of monkey but I'd never actually heard of them before reading this book. As with most everyone else, it seemed that the monkeys were being treated incredibly well and in some cases treated better than humans.

2. Isabel said early in the book that the apes know they're apes and know that the humans are humans, but they don't see any superiority with either... What do you think the major difference is between the two?
~I think that while each species can understand who they are, and that they're not the same as the other...it still boils down to who has control. While the monkeys certainly didn't want to be sold to another owner, it still happened. Of course, there are many instances where humans lack control of circumstances as well...but all in all, it's humans who are controlling the destiny of the apes. As much as they might want to manipulate and control their day-to-day activities, in the end most humans are still going to consider them exactly what they are...animals.

3. What are your thoughts on John and his feelings toward Isabel? How do you think their relationship will play out?
~I got a bad vibe about this relationship from the very beginning. It's perfectly acceptable for two people of opposite sex to respect each other for their knowledge and abilities...and completely another to become infatuated with that person. I'm hoping their relationship won't move forward into anything but a professional one...but I have a feeling this won't be what happens in the end.

4. How do you think Isabel will respond to the apes being taken?
~I'm thinking she's gonna freak! The book has yet to indicate any other family members, and even when she needs help she calls on Celia. So...I think the apes are the only family she has. Her fiance' is there but obviously doesn't have the same passion about the apes that she does.

5. Do you think Celia is part of the team that ambushed the learning center?
~I'd like to hope not, but all the timing certainly lines up against her. However, I'm hoping that this was simply a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time...or in her case, not being in the right place to prove her innocence!

6. What are your thoughts on John and his relationship with Amanda?
~I think they certainly love each other...but do they love each other enough to survive Amanda's depression? She is viewing herself as a failure in her professional life and I think all too quickly she'll feel like a failure in their marriage if something doesn't happen very fast.