tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70339940024262142312024-03-13T06:26:14.339-05:00Destination: Jeff and Heather's PlaceA quick way for us to update our friends and families on our adventuresJeff and Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09636243630724466702noreply@blogger.comBlogger99125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7033994002426214231.post-6135028248089327312011-06-16T09:35:00.005-05:002011-06-16T10:12:40.315-05:00Constant Catch-upNo. Not "Constant Ketchup". That is an idea I had while my friend James was eating a corn dog at lunch during my first year of college.<div><br /></div><div>What I am alluding to, friends, is the seemingly never ending game of catch-up one plays upon coming back home from a weekend road trip where you are in the car more than you are out of the car. We all still feel like we are moving.</div><div><br /></div><div>This past weekend, Heather, my mom, Duncan, and I went to South Dakota for my grandpa's 90<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">th</span> birthday/family reunion. 90 YEARS OLD! He assures me he stopped ridding a horse last year. I can't say I entirely believe him. We also celebrated my grandma's 85<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">th</span> seven months early. Happy birthday to them both.</div><div><br /></div><div>While we were in South Dakota, we got to see what 150,000 cubic feet per second looks like as it juggernauts through release gates at the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Oahe</span> Dam. I'm not able to bring to words what a powerful experience that was to see first hand, so I will just show you a video.</div><div><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyNsuipxKZhEO9e_-KfPb4IjBemO1jfEGqcl87qUXXh5pyCsORwkdMZwjOn2DMX7P3Y9SX8LTWRjZk7JTd3eA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><div><br /></div><div>Yeah. Powerful.</div><div><br /></div><div>For those of you who are unfamiliar with the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Oahe</span> Dam, it is one of many dams that are on the mighty Missouri river. This release, and others, are responsible for the flooding in Pierre/Ft. Pierre, Omaha, and many other places down stream.</div><div><br /></div><div>As you might expect, the flooding impacted our traveling routes significantly. Traveling to South Dakota we experienced two detours (one was caused by a wreck near St. Joe, MO). Coming back home we had one long detour around Omaha/Council Bluffs.</div><div><br /></div><div>A quick <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">PSA</span> for highway travel in areas where the Missouri river makes its path. You will be detoured, in some cases for hours, from your chosen route. Allow for extra time, pack plenty of water and snacks, and if you think you need to use the restroom, find a rest area immediately. Don't wait.</div><div><br /></div><div>That being said, we got home safe and exhausted from our travels are are now playing the catch-up game.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hope you are all having a fun summer.</div>Jeffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13613377377313223452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7033994002426214231.post-13895412252104559692011-06-07T09:09:00.007-05:002011-06-07T09:52:53.659-05:00Who Wears Short Shorts? :)My dear friends, with the nicer weather and warmer temperatures, I feel it imperative to address the problem that many of us face: shorts that ride up while walking.<br /><br />There are many different ways to solve this problem, and those who experience it seem to have come up with a variety of solutions to fit their body type, level of fitness, and activity.<br /><br />In general, I have noticed a large uprising of capri type workout pants. These are wonderful for cooler weather or for when you simply do not want to bother with rising short lines, but seem pretty impractical for the heatwave we are currently experiencing.<br /><br />Please note, my friends, that I am not only coming to you as the president of the anti short riding committee, I am also a member. ... ? Or something like that. I'm sure you remember the commercials.<br /><br />As I have been walking Duncan lately (and walking, and walking, and walking... seriously, I have been discovering MORE about our neighborhood with this beautiful weather... I found a park the other day!), I have been experimenting with different ways to keep down shorts that have been riding up, and I thought this would be the best forum to share with you my critiques these methods. :)<br /><br />1. The popular "lean down and pick." Pros: Effective solution for lowering shorts that have risen up your legs. Cons: You look like a stinking idiot, and it calls attention to the problem.<br /><br />2. The "climbing a staircase" step, often used in combination with the "lean down and pick." By raising your leg high to step up onto a curb or stair, the "pick" does not require leaning down. Pros: Less noticeable than the "lean down and pick," quick method for lowering shorts that have risen up your legs. Cons: Short term effectiveness, often no curbs or stairs located conveniently enough on your walk to make this a practical solution, and if you miss the pick at just the right moment, it solves nothing and you are stuck with the "lean down and pick" option.<br /><br />3. The "zig zag" step. This is where you widen your steps and move your legs in a zig zag pattern. Those of you who have done this know exactly what I am talking about. The zigging (or zagging) allows for extra space between the legs for the shorts to fall down naturally. Pros: No leaning and picking here, folks! Cons: Not effective for all people, all the time. Also, I would like to point out that if you have a "shelf" where the shorts have made a comfortable home, this is not likely to be an effective solution.<br /><br />4. The "basketball pivot to see if anyone is behind you" step. This particular move is gold, my friends. Here, you would do a basketball type pivot, where one foot is planted and you spin your hips approximately 90 degrees behind you so that your body opens up. You would simultaneously look over what is now your back shoulder as you touch your non-planted toe on the ground, straighten your leg (and possibly give a little shake or flex to your leg... depending on the strength with which you pivoted, this may not be necessary), and your shorts should fall back into place. Pros: Nobody knows you are doing this because your shorts have ridden up; it is polite to keep an eye out for other walkers, runners, joggers, and dogs that may be coming up behind you and need space on the sidewalk. Cons: Incessant use of this step may cause people to become suspicious of you having a paranoia disorder.<br /><br />5. Wear capris... in the insane heat... *shudder*... ugh.<br /><br />These are a few solutions I have been trying during our evening walks. If you have any others you would like to share (for the good of all humanity), please do so. <br /><br />Hope all is well with you and yours (and that this made you chuckle)! :)Jeff and Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09636243630724466702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7033994002426214231.post-46428656997419358532011-05-19T15:44:00.002-05:002011-05-19T15:56:38.574-05:00Radio SilenceFor all those who care (and I know all of you do), Jeff and I have been ill this past week(end). So much so, that in hindsight, I'm wondering if we should have gone to the hospital... Anywho, hindsight's 20/20, and I know we're both at this point still alive and seem to be on the mend. :)<br /><br />I had posed the question last week as to whether or not we would/should slow down... little did I know that as I was typing that very post, a chest cold was beginning to overpower my immune system and would quickly claim victory over my healthy ways.<br /><br />I have pretty much been out of commission since last Friday. This is actually the 2nd day I have woken up not believing in some part that I was dying... ok, not really, but I was able to wake up and feel like there was hope that I was getting better. From Friday to Monday evening, I managed to take 2 showers and cook 0 meals. The meals part may not seem too unusual for those of you who know me... but the shower thing, not like me at all. I like to be clean! :)<br /><br />In any case, Jeff was sick with something else, something that at this point I know involves headaches and was not a cold like mine. I'm not entirely sure what it was, as I was wrapped up in my own misery, but I know he was sick as well. Duncan could not escape the germs that invaded our home, and he is currently on steroids to slow down his allergies and incessant sneezing and coughing.<br /><br />There is one particular experience I wish to share with you... I began Lysol-ing the house as soon as I was able to get out of bed. I had a time in college where I kept managing to re-infect myself with whatever I had due to not immediately cleaning everything, and I assure you this will NOT happen again under my watch. :) So I was Lysol-ing everything... EVERYTHING. Let me tell you, I took this duty (tee-hee, I said "duty") so seriously that the only reason Duncan did not get Lysol-ed is because he was running from me. In any case, I put on shoes so I could head out to the garage and start delousing my car. I noticed there something small in my shoe rubbing my foot, presumably a fuzzy from a sock. I took off my shoe to shake out the fuzz, and low and behold, A SPIDER fell out of my shoe. A. SPIDER. FELL. OUT. OF. MY. SHOE.<br /><br />Needless to say, it was NOT a good afternoon in our home. However, things are getting better, and I am on the lookout for more of our 8 legged friends. Oh, and the boys have been looking at me funny, as I have become obsessive about shaking out everything that I may think about putting on my body prior to doing so. :)<br /><br />Hope all is well with you and yours! :)Jeff and Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09636243630724466702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7033994002426214231.post-70646916369838002052011-05-10T15:40:00.003-05:002011-05-10T15:48:38.729-05:00Wedding WeekendHey all! This weekend was a jam packed celebration of all things good! We were lucky enough to celebrate love, Mommies, and time with friends and family!<br /><br />For those of you who may have missed a few posts, my friend Kym got hitched! It was a crazy time in Manhattan. We got our nails did, our hurr did, and Kym walked down the aisle and said her "I do"s! <br /><br />It was GREAT seeing friends whom we haven't in awhile... there were people there I had not spoken to since high school. Some looked a LITTLE bit different.... :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG7sMQhjEOlrR83Qsrc676e0pwVYPXKSUhBVh5L115BVO8HNZAjU_kMlakrGh63ccx-1HlcA8-rOF8-2-Ysu2BEMf8JWua90Ls4ot0qMDCBDmYZ6bDW0bzgf0XT1l07Bvap2XvUDInBdSe/s1600/206.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 226px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG7sMQhjEOlrR83Qsrc676e0pwVYPXKSUhBVh5L115BVO8HNZAjU_kMlakrGh63ccx-1HlcA8-rOF8-2-Ysu2BEMf8JWua90Ls4ot0qMDCBDmYZ6bDW0bzgf0XT1l07Bvap2XvUDInBdSe/s400/206.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605191900754159250" /></a><br />My folks followed us back to the city to watch our first win at sand volleyball (well, and to spend Mother's Day with us)! :) Afterwards, they EVEN treated Jeff and I to yummy ice cream! YAY! :)<br /><br />All in all, it was a FANTASTIC weekend, one which we are still recovering from! Perhaps one of these days we will be all caught up on sleep... NAAAAAHHH!!!! :)<br /><br />Hope all is well with you and yours! :)Jeff and Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09636243630724466702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7033994002426214231.post-32675439216785576562011-04-29T16:40:00.002-05:002011-04-29T16:42:37.076-05:00Mom's BirthdayHappy Birthday to a very special lady!!! :) Love you!Jeff and Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09636243630724466702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7033994002426214231.post-13376639030894472412011-04-06T19:47:00.005-05:002011-04-06T20:08:01.828-05:00Ashli, with an "i"Dear friends, it is with great regret that I am passing along this particular piece of wisdom.<br /><br />1. Never, EVER trust a girl named Ashli... especially if her name is spelled with an "i"... AND ESPECIALLY if the "i" is dotted with a heart.<br /><br />As some of you may have figured out, I am the Matron of Honor (I know, MATRON?! It sounds SO OLD!) for a wedding near the beginning of May. I had the great fortune of trying on my dress the same weekend of the shower. It looks GREAT! (... it's even LOOSE! WOO HOO!) :) There was, however, a moment of despair when I looked at myself in the mirror and realized my farmer's tan from the past 4 years was still visible with the cut of the dress. This was the moment I decided to sign up for tanning sessions at a local tannery. <br /><br />Ashli, with an "i," dotted with a heart, did her best to sell me on the various packages. The best thing to helping me that was described? The "high pressured, no-burn guaranteed bed"... which the tannery was having a sale on. It spoke right to my heart. She assured me that she would be there the next day as I purchased the package and had my first burn free tan.<br /><br />Now, I know fake baking is bad for you. Trust me, I get it. But do you know what else is bad for you? I can recall the images of every single girl in a bridesmaids dress that had tan lines or an improperly fitting dress I have ever seen. Evil versus evil. I only fake bake for certain occasions, and spread it years apart. Tanning = lesser evil, trust me.<br /><br />I went back in the next day to meet *sigh* Ashli, with an "i," dotted with a heart, and she was nowhere to be found. Her... um... enthusiastic? co-worker assured me that the bed was indeed high pressured, no-burn guaranteed, and on sale. The total was slightly higher than hers, and even the manager when summoned agreed with me that Ashli, with an "i," dotted with a heart, has no basic math skills.<br /><br />My first experience with the bed was pleasant. I was worried about burning, especially after I got in and had to consciously suppress the remembered aroma of vinegar haunting my childhood memories. <br /><br />As a kid, I liked to be outside. My skin does not agree with the sun or allow sunblock to form an actual "block," and many sunburns were so severe that vinegar was used to lessen pain. As a direct result, I can remember being the "stinky kid" that nobody wanted to be seen with and had no idea they were so stinky or that nobody wanted to play with them. These realizations have come to me as an adult, and I look back at that time with fondness, so make no mistake that I am and have always been happy with my childhood. :)<br /><br />My second experience was today. Ashli, with an "i," dotted with a heart, was present, and set the bed for me. She also led me to a different bed, farther in the back, and gave me instructions. After setting the timer for TWENTY FOUR MINUTES (yes, TWENTY FOUR MINUTES) and assuring me that this was a low time for new beginners in this particular bed, she left me to my demise.<br /><br />The word of the day is "sunburn," my friends. Closely following that is "I knew I shouldn't have trust that b*tch at the tanning place." <br /><br />Needless to say, I now have reason to refuse service (and/or RUN) from anyone named Ashli, with an "i," dotted with a heart, forever more.<br /><br />Hope all is well with you and yours. :)Jeff and Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09636243630724466702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7033994002426214231.post-86994539343427180292011-03-28T10:24:00.004-05:002011-03-28T11:17:54.065-05:00Party Weekend<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ncx6s0Xk8mdEAVt10TBMiarkv24dU66BFL1ckz7sd_Vp2xf54fJK12M56U2MEysJ2K76OA4MPdakT-M0FUPI6IiuSQMTpme6Bp0nPD-kAqkMk9sgAZzQ4MsoFNXO779Lyxxr8UxKJzvc/s1600/047.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ncx6s0Xk8mdEAVt10TBMiarkv24dU66BFL1ckz7sd_Vp2xf54fJK12M56U2MEysJ2K76OA4MPdakT-M0FUPI6IiuSQMTpme6Bp0nPD-kAqkMk9sgAZzQ4MsoFNXO779Lyxxr8UxKJzvc/s400/047.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589165763609379730" /></a><br />Overall, I'd like to think this weekend was a big success. This weekend, the fruits of my labors came together for Kym's Bridal Shower and Bachelorette Party. Of course, I could be biased about how great it went. :)<br /><br />The festivities truly began last weekend, as I finalized details of the weekend, picked up what I thought was the last of the decorations and miscellaneous items needed, and bought the outfits I was to wear to the parties. Thursday, Jeff's Mom was nice enough to bake 2 cakes for the shower (chocolate sheet cake and carrot cake -- YUMMY!) for me to pick up after a LONG day of working. Friday brought driving, baking the last cake, seeing my family, and seeing Kym. I also had a few panicked moments when I was told some guests (who had not RSVP'ed) were coming into town (and may be bringing their children to the shower) where I ran back to Dodge to buy what was truly the last of the decorations and extra supplies for said guests.<br /><br />All in all, the parties were a smash hit. I absolutely cannot thank my Mom for helping, the other bridesmaids and families members who helped decorate and put everything together, and the guests who came and made Kym's day memorable.<br /><br />The festivities began Saturday at 11 as we decorated the hall and ended at 230 am when I arrived home after the bachelorette party. Yesterday, I made the 6 hour trek back to KC and arrived exhausted and exhilarated. Duncan had apparently been sitting watch at the garage door for my arrival since Friday evening, and wasted no time greeting me with puppy kisses, puppy cuddles, and puppy farts. Jeff was even excited to see me, too. :)<br /><br />In all, it was AWESOME seeing my family and friends, and seeing the labor of the last 3 months finally come together into an amazing day for my friend. Hope all is well with you and yours. :)Jeff and Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09636243630724466702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7033994002426214231.post-30694095730589153962011-03-11T09:23:00.002-06:002011-03-11T09:36:55.876-06:00Read the Directions First TestOk, so any of those who know me know I struggle with few things... those few things just happen to be in large areas. <br /><br />The other evening, Jeff and I decided to cook a raspberry swirl cheesecake... the recipe had been sitting on our counter with the ingredients in our fridge, taunting us for the last few weeks, as we have not had time to make it. <br /><br />Jeff immediately took over the KitchenAid Mixer, while my particular job was gathering and measuring ingredients to add. 1 package cream cheese, check. 1 egg, check. 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice (or whatever it was... we like lemon and just always use a whole lemon), check. Pour half in pan and then drop in raspberry preserves, check... whoa, wait a minute. The raspberry preserves sunk to the bottom of the mixture like the Titanic. This didn't look right... and further more, why was the mixture so fluffy?<br /><br />Well, upon Jeff and I intently reading the recipe again, we found the lemon juice was supposed to be "divided," my guess is to lighten up the preserves to prevent major sink-age. Also, the mix was simply suppose to "combine, but not mix the ingredients well." Oops, that would explain why it looked like Meringue (and yes, I had to look that up). Hmm... we decided to bake it anyway and see how it turned out.<br /><br />DANGER, WILL ROBINSON, DANGER! The cheesecake ended up to be a disaster... it looks like someone got sick and vomited on top of burned Meringue... with a gentle heart and adventurous nature, my husband decided to dish it up and see how it tasted. Well, remember what I said it looked like....??? Yeah, tastes about like that, too. We figured it MIGHT get better with time to sit (like those, 'eat the next day because it tastes better after sitting' dishes). Nope. Still the same, if not a little worse.<br /><br />Jeff had remarked upon finding our mistakes in the recipes that I may have had trouble with some of my schoolwork. The conversation went a bit like this:<br /><br />J: "You know those read-the-directions-first tests we used to take in school? Did you ever have problems with them?"<br />Me: "Why do you ask, what what does it have to do with this?" <br />J: "Where you'd be the only one writing, and everyone else is just sitting there?"<br />Me: "Yeah...."<br /><br />And then it hit me: Real life application of those tests to cooking. NO WONDER I'VE BEEN HAVING SO MANY DISASTERS (toasters aside, because I swear those 11 pieces of crap malfunctioned on their own!).<br /><br />In any case, I tried to upload pictures of the "cheesecake," and even my computer rejected it. :)<br /><br />Hope your day is tastier than ours! :)Jeff and Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09636243630724466702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7033994002426214231.post-68009696046790425562011-02-24T15:32:00.002-06:002011-02-24T16:51:42.156-06:00Heather, Party Planner ExtraordinaireHeather, Party Planner Extraordinaire. Let me tell you, in addition to my domestic diva skills, I am also becoming quite the party planner extraordinaire. In fact, I could probably add both to my resume pretty soon. :)<br /><br />As some of you know, I am the Matron of Honor for my dear friend Kym. As her wedding is quickly approaching, I have found myself ordering invitations, booking venues, and planning the ultimate good time in party games. In fact, I've even wrangled her fiance into helping with some. :)<br /><br />As per usual, there is usually a setback in my abilities. As many of you know, when I cook the setback is typically the smoke detector. I am somewhat ashamed to admit that when it comes to party planning, doing too many things at once seems to be my setback... For instance, I was checking out Jeff's cousin's registry for baby items while ordering invitations, and included the location of the cousin's registry instead of the couple's on the invitations. Oops. At least it was a quick fix, and Kym was totally ok with registering for more cool kitchen gadgets at another location. God bless dear friends! :)<br /><br />Hope all is well with you and yours!!! :)Jeff and Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09636243630724466702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7033994002426214231.post-75461420601713425022011-02-18T11:01:00.003-06:002011-02-18T17:17:09.858-06:00The 8 Do-MoresI have been staring at The 8 Do-Mores each time I am with my clinical supervisor, and this week more than any other time, these have found a special place in my heart. <br /><br />THE 8 DO-MORES<br /><br />1. Do more than exist, LIVE.<br />2. Do more than touch, FEEL.<br />3. Do more than look, OBSERVE.<br />4. Do more than read, ABSORB.<br />5. Do more than hear, LISTEN.<br />6. Do more than listen, UNDERSTAND.<br />7. Do more than think, PONDER.<br />8. Do more than talk, SAY SOMETHING.<br /><br />Hope all is well with you and yours, and that you, in your own way, find yourself Doing More. :)Jeff and Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09636243630724466702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7033994002426214231.post-74329653473650099272011-02-04T09:17:00.002-06:002011-02-04T09:32:46.332-06:00The Snow-pocolypseYou may have all noticed the last 2 titles of blog posts both contained the theme of what is considered to happen near the end of the world. While it is not 2012 just yet (tee-hee), these are also terms that the media have been throwing around freely over the past week or so.<br /><br />While they may have used these terms as "shockfactor" to indicate a blizzard headed our way, I honestly remember worse from when I was growing up in western Kansas. We DID get quite a significant blizzard (it looked like an angry 5 year old was shaking a snowglobe violently outside of our home); news reports indicate our neighborhood got anywhere from 15 to 23 inches (how scientific is that... I can guess-timate that the North Pole's temps may vary from cold to colder, so THERE people who get paid to pay attention!). It WAS really nice to get to actually "do lunch" with my husband, who was able to work from home for 2 days (we had Heather-sized drifts in our street and driveway, and our garage door was iced shut). <br /><br />We also have been shopping for new glasses for me. We realized my eyes may have began declining when Jeff's favorite game became "Guess what my wife thinks this movie is" on Netflix, but had no idea the significance of what would occur in my recent eye appointment.<br /><br />For those of you following along at home, I have had glasses since 8th grade. At that point, they were more "optional" than not in order to work with my astigmatism. They became mandatory when I entered graduate school, as my eyes could not keep up with the amount of reading. At this point, they are pretty much a daily feature. I tell you this to explain how much of a surprise it was when my eye doctor suggested something that still makes me shudder to this day: bifocals. WAIT, WHAT?! I'm only 20-something!!! He noticed immediately my disdain for this recommendation and began backpedaling quickly; in truth, I may have been a bit forceful when I politely declined his recommendation. At this point, he explained, they were merely optional, although he indicated in 5 years they would no longer be optional.<br /><br />This has, of course, rattled me slightly. My dreams have been riddled with my new white hair motif as I sit knitting in front of various situations (I kid you not). Jeff has had a few good laughs out of it. It has also made me think about our lifestyle. I cannot tell you the last time we went out with friends, the last time I went to a *shudder* bar (perhaps my bachelorette party..???), the last time I CHOSE to be young. I also spend much of my time doing responsible, previously thought to be boring things, like scrapbooking, cooking, and working. My biggest excitement over the past month has been getting groceries for a whole week for the total of $9.18 (thank you coupons!). Perhaps my dreams are not too far off.....<br /><br />As most things that are labeled "optional" in my eye care, I have chosen to not partake in getting bifocals this year. I believe I will save this as a 30th birthday present to myself... if I can last that long. :)<br /><br />Hope all is well with you and yours! :)Jeff and Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09636243630724466702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7033994002426214231.post-59919340503729122142011-01-31T17:21:00.002-06:002011-01-31T17:32:14.094-06:00Snow-mageddonHey all, it's been awhile! We are expecting snow-maggedon here. I'M SO EXCITED (side note: I can work from home)!!!!! <br /><br />The New Year has brought us many blessings so far: Jeff and I are both healthy for the first time since Thanksgiving-ish (we blame the kiddos I work with for bringing us the gift of contagious germs), we're happy, and Duncan is continuing to grow. <br /><br />New Year's resolutions for the year include decreasing toxicity and dark energies in our lives (Jeff tells me I sound like a hippy... I have no idea where he gets this idea LOL). This means that we are going to spend less time stressing, less time with technology, more time cuddling with our puppy, more time laughing, and less time with people who try to make us feel like we're less than we are.<br /><br />Jeff spent a weekend sanding, painting, and building for me to have a craft room/home office. I am excited to have my very own space where I can go to get some quiet time. He EVEN promised to help me move the Ugly Chair in from the garage, where it's been exiled since we moved into our house (BIG improvement, as he told the people helping us move that it would be ok to drop the chair in gasoline and accidentally light a match over it). <br /><br />We also got to spend almost a whole month celebrating Christmas... Jeff's work party was on the 10th, mine the 16, family in town from the 18-23, celebrating with Jeff's mom on Christmas day, and with my family the weekend of the 8th. We truly had a blessed Christmas season with our families this year.<br /><br />Jeff is now home safe, so I will sign off. Hope this message finds you healthy, well, and warm! :)Jeff and Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09636243630724466702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7033994002426214231.post-72787470320961819652010-12-28T16:36:00.000-06:002010-12-28T16:36:52.114-06:00Merry ChristmasHey all! I have been trying to post this since around the 23rd.<br /><br />MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!<br /><br />That is all.<br /><br />Love,<br />Jeff, Heather, and Duncan<br /><br /><div style='text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;'><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM8Dbofg-zm8l2zfYVPpP5KT6FFt1i6KeVlpuMl00yVzmuc7nmUExtqEiYBhaY3kA7WRFeiP7QI4bi7h4mmz_5mqkOwdHBWNhSjDTbzmW1xQatd-xpR_3kMcxlmL3N_ezb4ge0oqh2VY3V/s1600/004.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM8Dbofg-zm8l2zfYVPpP5KT6FFt1i6KeVlpuMl00yVzmuc7nmUExtqEiYBhaY3kA7WRFeiP7QI4bi7h4mmz_5mqkOwdHBWNhSjDTbzmW1xQatd-xpR_3kMcxlmL3N_ezb4ge0oqh2VY3V/s320/004.JPG' border='0' alt='' /></a> </div><div style='clear:both; text-align:CENTER'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Jeff and Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09636243630724466702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7033994002426214231.post-73394136872170607962010-09-01T16:34:00.006-05:002010-09-01T17:10:37.412-05:00Heather the Spider SlayerYes, that was a lame reference to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffy_the_Vampire_Slayer">Buffy the Vampire Slayer</a>. You'll never guess what I've been up to!<br /><br />As we moved into this house at the end of September of last year, certain things were, erm.. um... "taken care of" by the previous owners. Loosely translated, this means that we had no idea our home would be overtaken by these nasty little critters often referred to as spiders. Sure, of course we expected some. I mean, this is a house with a dark basement, right? <br /><br />However, let me share with you my experiences. <br /><br />#1. When we first realized there may have been spiders, we put traps D-O-W-N. Exterminators would be impressed by the quickness in our response time. This did not comfort me when we had the water heater incident. A plumber had come to help us replace the dip tube in the water heater, and my part in this task was to turn on the hose leading from the water heater to an outflowing drain when I got home, and turn it off before bedtime. Easy enough, right? WRONG! After turning on the water, I decided to leisurely pass the time in our living room reading... Duncan came to me and began using the "Timmy-is-stuck-in-the-well" voice often reserved for emergencies. I went running downstairs and, upon hitting the linoleum, did the splits in a way that an olympic gymnast would be proud. As I was attempting to gain traction to stand up, I saw a group of dead spider bodies floating by me. <a href="http://wallpapers.free-review.net/54__Skydiving.htm">This</a> illustrates the image. I did what anyone in this situation would do: I screamed and clawed my way back up the stairs. <br /><br />#2. Pulling weeds outside. I was pulling to my hearts content only to see beady eyes staring up at me. In my weed pulling gear (read: tank top, shorts, and flip flops), I did what any sane person would do: I screamed and ran away. After I halfway caught my breath, I described the spider to Jeff. He indicated it sounded like, from my description, a black widow spider that was big enough to have it's own SyFy show. <br /><br />#3. I took Duncan outside to use the restroom. Little did I know, as I closed the door behind me, a spider would be waiting to eat my head. I screamed and called Jeff (who, thank goodness, was right inside the door). He quickly eliminated my problem and said I "MAY" have been over-exaggerating how big it was. Who, me? <br /><br />#4. This one was in the basement. It was probably super close to being dead, but I swear to you, even in it's last throws of life, it was trying to kill me and suck all of my blood out. I screamed (to which Jeff was not amused... apparently 6:30 in the morning is a little too "early" to be frightened a spider will take my life), grabbed Jeff's shoes, and began whacking away. <br /><br />***Here's a tip for all you would-be-spider-slayers. NEVER use your own shoes. What if it gets stuck, alive, to the bottom of them, and you don't know and they wake up and kill you and suck your blood out?!***<br /><br />#5. I let Duncan out last week at 6:30. I noticed nothing unusual. I let him out again around 7:45 before I left. He immediately ran outside and began pulling at a spiderweb that can only be described as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte's_Web">Charlotte's Web-worthy</a>, except in the middle it was written: "I'm going to kill you and suck all your blood out! HAHA! With much love, but even more love after I kill you, The Nasty Ugly Spider." You can't make this stuff up. As the spider closed in on Duncan, I screamed and quickly ran to his aid. After getting Duncan out of the sticky (har har) situation, I ran inside to grab Jeff's shoe. The spider at this time had now attached itself to a top piece of wood on our deck... out of reach of the shoe. I ran inside and found the next best thing: a broom. While the shoe would not attach to the broom, I used it in poking, slashing, and finally stabbing actions when the spider fell to his doom. Jeff had a good laugh imagining what the neighbors saw.<br /><br />#6. Yesterday, I found a BIG spider (Jeff even begrudgingly admitted it was big -- "not smallish" was the term he used, but any victory is a victory) on our outside patio table. I screamed and began using my <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacGyver">MacGyver </a> like skills to bring it to its demise. I began throwing Duncan's toys at it until 1 finally made contact. At this point, I moved in for the kill (read: about 3 feet away) and continued to throw bigger, heavier objects at it until it had to have been dead. Needless to say, when I was satisfied he was dead, the air strikes stopped. Jeff laughed as he sorted through the rubble (Duncan's toys, garden hose apparatuses, decorative stones from out back, you get the idea), but then agreed with me (at least in my head) that our lives were in danger and I had no other choice.<br /><br />You know, it's hard saving the world from spiders, but someone's gotta do it. Hope all is well with you and yours. :)Jeff and Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09636243630724466702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7033994002426214231.post-89175458148452569672010-08-21T15:05:00.004-05:002010-08-21T15:24:33.899-05:00Things Duncan Has EatenHello, friends. As many of you know, we absolutely love Duncan, our son/dog. He is crate-trained and spends his days while we work (and until recently, nights) in the crate. Of course, Grandma Jaye comes over and plays with him regularly (especially on our long-days), so he is not caged up all the time.<br /><br />He recently celebrated his 1 year birthday, which for us meant it was time to take his crate-training in a new direction: free reign training. This, of course, means that we are training him to be a free reign doggy... one who is not destined to be in the crate unless by his own choosing while we are not at home. He will have access to his toys, not have to drink out of a hamster water-thingy, and, of course, can sleep on the sofa all day long (his preferred activity of the weekends). <br /><br />Until recently, he had been on steroids for his allergies, and with the frequent overnight accidents, our training was delayed. We did, however, get him a doggy bed outside of the crate with the anticipation of beginning training when the sickness cleared. He has since been doing great with sleeping outside of the crate, and aside from a few bizarre incidents where I wake to find him licking my armpit from the side of the bed, he spends his time on his bed until we wake up in the morning.<br /><br />Now, with free reign doggy training, we have been leaving him for short times outside of the crate, typically while doing errands such as getting the mail, running to the store, taking a tree stump out of our yard, etc. <br /><br />Duncan had been doing great with all of it until recently... I am not sure which was the first to go, but here are the things we have so far noticed:<br /><br />1. Puzzle pieces. This actually occurred while I was downstairs doing laundry. I have been working on a <a href="http://mystoriesandpoems.com/puzzleordermarblecollection.aspx">marble puzzle</a>, which is perhaps why I did not notice it immediately. So far we estimate he has pilfered about 100 pieces.<br /><br />2. A camping chair bag. We knew by little blue pieces of fabric left next to the chair, which interestingly enough, was left intact. <br /><br />3. Many pieces of my... ahem... lady laundry was pulled out of the dirty clothes hamper and hidden at various locations around our house.<br /><br />And here's the big one...<br /><br />4. Jeff's glasses. Duncan somehow managed to get them off the middle of the table, and left us chewed up lenses (but not broken, much credit to LensCrafters and their "no-break guarantee") and a long piece of wire. <br /><br />Needless to say, the free reign training has taken a few steps back. Perhaps, one day (most likely when we pay off the extra pair of glasses), we will begin again, but it is still a work in progress. Hope all is well with you and yours. :)Jeff and Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09636243630724466702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7033994002426214231.post-50216499542126342642010-07-29T16:27:00.021-05:002010-07-29T17:21:20.229-05:00ExamWell, guys, here's something that's been keeping my time quite occupied.<br /><br />My clinical supervisor asked me awhile back (read: about a month ago) to take my Clinical Licensure Exam. I immediately dived in to the intense studying, often working many hours a day and coming home to study until it was time for bed. The reason for the time crunch is that this exam was only available for me to take until the end of this month; due to changing regulations, I would need to wait until the end of my clinical supervision (around 2 years) to be eligible once again to take this exam.<br /><br />Jeff, bless his heart, was patient and understanding, even though we came to a mutual decision that THIS SUCKED!<br /><br />Flash forward to this morning: I set off, confident, towards the exam center. As I drove toward the testing location, I had plenty of time to mentally review key points of my studies (thank you, road construction). A pan-handler in the parking lot threw off my concentration some, but I was still determined to pass this test.<br /><br />As the test began, I quickly realized the questions were MUCH harder than I had studied and prepared for. My confidence began to wane the farther I went into the exam. Per exam software, I was able to "flag" questions I was unsure of the answer to and that I wanted to go back and review. At the end of 170 questions (and 2 hours), I had flagged all but 12. As I began to go back through the questions, my confidence continued to decline and my anxiety began to increase. I had passed the practice test offered online (for a fee) and the knowledge of this is probably what helped me to stay in that room. I went through the flagged questions, and another hour had passed. I only had 1 hour left. Now the number of questions remaining flagged totaled around 20. As the timer continued to count down the minutes, sheer panic overtook me. My eyes were beginning to cross and tears were beginning to form.<br /><br />Finally, with 10 minutes left (and the timer now blinking red), I sat staring at not more questions, but at a button on the screen asking me if I was sure I was finished. Was I? Did I get enough correct? The last month of intense review, hours with my family lost, and the fear of admitting failure to those dearest to me weighed on me like concrete blocks. I kept asking myself: Was it all enough???<br /><br />I clicked the button, as mentally prepared as I was ever going to be. In a terrifying moment where I began to second guess my answers and wanted to go back, the screen changed. A testing location survey appeared in front of me. I laughed as tears rolled down my face. A short reprieve while I answered the survey questions. Again, I had to summon the courage to state I was finished with the survey questions and ready to see the test results. A lump formed in my throat and my body became weak as I clicked "Yes, I am ready."<br /><br />So, was it enough??? Did I pass??? Stay tuned for the next episode of this crazy rollercoaster ride, same Bat time, same Bat channel!!!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />JUST KIDDING!!! I PASSED!!!!!!!!!!!!Jeff and Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09636243630724466702noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7033994002426214231.post-46077710112055268042010-07-20T16:31:00.000-05:002010-07-20T16:32:00.077-05:00Long TimeWOW LIFE IS CRAZY!!!<br /><br />Hopefully, we'll be able to update soon! Hope all is well with you and yours! :)Jeff and Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09636243630724466702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7033994002426214231.post-25662524180415594742010-05-16T22:13:00.002-05:002010-05-16T22:26:53.535-05:00Catching upAs with any vacation, the arduous process of re-entering the life you previously had begins with sudden force... typically occurring before you are ready and taking you by surprise. "Why, yes, of course I know it is Sunday, and here are the plans I have made to be ready for work tomorrow..." and so on and so forth. HOWEVER, I am certain that anyone can attest Sunday is a restless night, Monday morning deadlines appear out of nowhere, and you are left wondering how in the heck you dealt with all of this madness in the first place.<br /><br />Now, I began this process last week. All of the pre-planning in the world could not have assisted in the transition from waking up to a mountain view to begin my day of non-planned activities to seeing clients, making phone calls to various professionals, and catching up on the world... we have also missed the news the last month or so, and it has been fascinating on learning all of the things of significance that have and have not happened. <br /><br />Jeff will begin this process tomorrow. As I am typing, he is snuggled in bed preparing for the week ahead. I shudder to think of how his week of video games will transition back into the "real world."<br /><br />On the plus side, we were able to have some friends over this weekend. The weather deemed it necessary to rain out our cook out, so we were reduced to inside dinner ideas. We decided to have "build your own Chipotle burrito night," complete with veggies, rice, meat, tortillas, sour cream, guacamole, cheese, and salsa. They were pretty good, if I do say so myself (and I will: They were pretty good). :) It was an excellent opportunity to catch up on the happenings of life (can you believe things have been happening to other people, too?!), see some friends, and reminisce about the old times (most of which I was not present for but enjoyed listening to anyway). <br /><br />Now bed is calling, and I bid you goodnight. Know that I miss everyone and think of you often, no matter who you may be. Hope all is well with you and yours.Jeff and Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09636243630724466702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7033994002426214231.post-74417569985429372252010-05-11T08:07:00.004-05:002010-05-11T08:33:32.118-05:00VacayHey all! Yes, we made it the 2 month mark without blogging! WOO!... (I am writing that in the hopes that you will think our break from blogging was intentional... did it work?)<br /><br />We sure have been busy (NO, NO BABIES YET). The month of March flew by as we got settled in with our new car, new furniture in main living room, cleaning out plumbing lines, and working working working! I am sure some other stuff happened, too.<br /><br />April was filled with visitors, auctions (we got 1/4 of a cow!), visiting others, and working working working!<br /><br />We decided to take a vacay to rest from our exhausting lives. First up was Oklahoma City (Jeff's cousin was getting married). Our arrival in OKC was certainly notable. We decided to take Duncan with us on our 10 day whirlwind tour of the midwest, and our hotel in OKC would not allow pets. We had to drop him off in Doggy Daycare... the only problem was everything had been booked online and took us by surprise when we arrived in OKC. For instance, I probably would not have selected that particular daycare knowing that windows would be barred in the neighborhood, or knowing there would be that many broken down and busted out cars would be sitting there. In any case, it was a tearful goodbye as we left him in the garage of a shady looking establishment. I spent all weekend making Jeff call them to ensure he had not been sold, had all of his teeth replaced with gold or silver, and that they were actually taking care of him. <br /><br />When I finally was able to stop crying (mostly) upon arrival to the hotel, I promptly locked our only set of keys in the car. Welcome to the first day of our vacation. <br /><br />As we were checking in at the hotel, me with tears still streaming and Jeff looking upset because of the car issue, Jaye mentioned we were in town for a wedding and the clerk began looking at me as if to ask if I needed assistance in escaping from a kidnapping. All too funny.<br /><br />In the end, Duncan was returned to us in perfect condition. He even smelled better! And the grand total for Doggy Daycare for an entire weekend was the same as our KC Doggy Daycare fee for 1 day: $22.00. I am still grateful we were able to get him back before he was sold. <br /><br />The next leg of our trip included a journey to Western Kansas. Spearville and my folks are great and it was wonderful to spend time with them. Duncan enjoyed the football field next to the house and spent much of the time chasing tennis balls and pondering the meaning of life... or something. He just seemed really happy. I also got to see some of my friends from high school, spend the afternoon in the park with my niece, and beat my Mom in Scrabble a few times. :)<br /><br />Liberal, KS, aka my birthplace came next. We have been trying to get my baptismal certificate updated since August. Jeff and I decided that we would arrive at the parish of my baptism and remain until the certificate was updated. Boy were we wrong. They would not update it with the materials I had available, and I was not able to get the "necessary" items while there (did you know that a marriage license, even though signed by a priest, would not work as proof of marriage?!... and in fact, neither would the paper mailed from the Archdiocese at the time of marriage indicating that we WERE MARRIED?!). So we spent all to brief a morning there and still dead-ended on getting the certificate completed.<br /><br />On to Colorado! We spent a wonderful time with Jeff's family in the Denver area, had some wonderful home cooked meals, and even got to see a movie. We met with my cousins 1 evening for dinner and saw the prettiest sunset I think I have ever been privy to.<br /><br />We then loaded up the car and prepared for a LO-O-O-O-O-O-O-ONG trip home. Overall, I calculated we spent 30 hours in the car simply driving from KC to OKC to Spearville to Liberal to Denver and back to KC. I can't imagine what the total would be if we were to add in all the driving we did while in these locations to go to the wedding, sightsee, and visiting friends and family. I am sure it would probably double! <br /><br />***Rant alert*** On a connected note, I do believe that when we travel Jeff and I will start holding visiting hours at a public location. For instance, if we are in town from Sunday night to Wednesday, we will be at a restaurant on Monday from 4-8 and Tuesday from 9-2 (maybe not even the 2nd day). Anyone who wants to see us can stop by, and if they are not able to make it we will be happy to see them next time. I became pretty frustrated with the amount of driving to see others. People who lived out of town and drove through where we were could not be bothered to stop, but we were expected to then drive out of town to see them, tacking on an hour in additional travel time (and time away from our family). Yep, I do believe we will be letting people come to us in the future. We spent waaaaaay too much time traveling during our travels to spend time away from our families for people who would not take the time to stop and see us (other mama in dodge: this is not about you). <br /><br />In any case, we love all of you, am glad to be back from vacation, and can't wait to see what the future holds. Hope all is well with you and yours. :)Jeff and Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09636243630724466702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7033994002426214231.post-5913607760967568782010-03-02T13:13:00.005-06:002010-03-02T14:51:24.192-06:00DMV-tasticAs with buying a new car, there comes the wonderful trip to the DMV to change over tags, register the vehicle, etc. I thought I would share with you experience #1 at the DMV (as I did NOT stay today and will need to go back at a later date).<br /><br />I was almost hit in the parking lot, both while driving and then while walking. I do believe this could be one of the most dangerous places EVER!<br /><br />Now, I want to preface all of this by stating that I have intentionally done some annoying things to speed up the line in the past (a rousing few rounds of the song "BINGO," anyone?). However, even my tricks could not have held up against what I faced before me.<br /><br />I stood in the "check in/information" line for several minutes. I declined going to the 2 open kiosks for checking in because I had a few questions for the DMV Lady (as it has been several years since my last car purchase... DMV Lady will re-appear later in the story, so keep your eyes peeled). When it was finally my turn, I began asking my questions. As I am talking (and I am not even exaggerating or kidding in the slightest here), an arm REACHES around me to begin typing on the kiosk. I quickly survey the empty space surrounding the other 2 kiosks before I turn to confront the reach-around-er. "Seriously? You couldn't have gone to the other one? Do you mind backing up a little bit?" Because I turned slightly to confront the other woman, this apparently opened up an unidentifiable but pre-requisite amount of space at the counter telling the woman I was finished. She began asking questions over my head (because I was still standing there, after all). The DMV Lady began to answer them over my head! After this example, several people followed in suit doing the same thing. It was as if I was not standing there, and was booted to the back of the line even though I was at the front.<br /><br />When I finally grew tired of waiting in the middle of conversations, it was time to wait the hour for my turn to register my vehicle. During the five minutes I actually waited, I was asked by three separate people where the restroom was located ("Do I LOOK like I work here?!" I wanted to ask, but politely answered "Further down that way, I believe.") I'd had enough. I went back to the DMV Lady to ensure I had the proper materials and that my waiting would not be in vain (my previous question that had been abandoned).<br /><br />I noticed there was nobody standing in the 6 foot deep area allotted between the information check in kiosks and the back wall, so I took my chance. As I was standing asking my questions, I felt something jostle against my back. In turning, I saw a middle aged woman who obviously felt the clothing on us was an appropriate amount of space to stand and wait in line. I requested she ALSO scoot back. I got a sweet smile and no movement. I handed my ticket to the DMV Lady (who also saw nothing wrong with this scenario) and told her I would try again another time. She also just smiled sweetly.<br /><br />Ah, the DMV. Another world that makes my mental health training go into overdrive and want to do social skills with anyone available.<br /><br />Hope all is well with you and yours!Jeff and Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09636243630724466702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7033994002426214231.post-85571414439587344822010-03-01T21:09:00.006-06:002010-03-01T21:46:48.201-06:00RIP Gracie LouWell, as you may have guessed by the title, Gracie Lou is not of our world anymore. She's definitely a part of SOMEBODY'S world, and I'm fairly certain that somebody is cursing our existence right now... tee hee. We'll get to that.<br /><br />First, as many people know, Jeff likes to research cars on the internet. As he's been driving Gracie Lou for the past month or so, he's been on research OVERDRIVE. We've talked to people in California, Minnesota, and the eastern coast discussing the finer parts of different vehicles. Finally, he found one at a nearby CarMax that he wanted to take for a drive.<br /><br />Let me preface by telling you the first time we looked at our now-car, it was way past my bedtime. Jeff got a phone call as I was falling asleep on the couch, and he helped me put on my shoes as he loaded my sleepy butt into the car. The saleslady was not impressed when I told her I wanted to drive it during the day so I could tell if my view was truly blocked or if it was the "goofy $^%#" they put all over the windows. <br /><br />We decided to do another test drive on Friday while the sun was still up. Well, as typically happens in our lives, we ended up having plans on Friday that we had forgotten prior to driving the car. We arrived immediately before closing (and very close to the point in time where the saleslady went into stalker overdrive trying to get the sale). We test drove it again and decided it couldn't hurt to have Gracie Lou appraised.<br /><br />Well, Jeff and I have come the agreement that it was dark, near the end of the evening, and the worker did not feel like appraising Gracie Lou thoroughly (or even possibly at all). <br /><br />Let me back up and tell you about Gracie Lou's recent rapid descent out of our lives. First, I'm fairly certain everyone knows about the cosmetic damages from when I ran into a pole in the parking garage, and the cracks in the window from passing dump trucks... oh, and the smell. What was that smell, really?! However, I'm not sure everyone knew of the leaking coolant (even after spending hundreds of dollars to repair it), heater gone out in the dead of winter, and the check engine light which would come on at least once a month that typically meant more hundreds of dollars down the drain. In addition, Jeff hit a pothole that led to bubbling of the tires.<br /><br />The appraisal process were supposed to have been very thorough. He was supposed to have driven the car, taken it to a well lit garage, and checked it over. We have reason to believe he did none of these, because the appraisal came in WAAAAAY over what we expected and took less time than it usually takes to start Gracie Lou. Needless to say, when we saw the numbers we quickly signed anything put in front of us and giggled to ourselves on how upset CarMax would be come daylight.<br /><br />We hadn't planned on it, but we ended up driving a white 2005 GMC Envoy Denali home that evening (actually, around 11 that night). So far it has treated us wonderfully. Best of all, no check engine light on and the heater works. :)<br /><br />Hope all is well with you and yours. :)Jeff and Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09636243630724466702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7033994002426214231.post-26293225109868855092010-02-22T16:15:00.002-06:002010-02-22T16:19:44.912-06:00Something to remember...Something to remember, as this next round of weather hits: No matter WHAT you think about how this time will be different, it won't. NEVER try to cut your hair yourself. I just have to keep telling myself I won't look like a <a href="http://crunchbang.org/uploads/102307110452-beaker.jpg">Muppet</a> for long...Jeff and Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09636243630724466702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7033994002426214231.post-49244111835828841022010-02-10T19:26:00.001-06:002010-02-13T15:31:35.406-06:00Surprise to JamesThis past weekend we went to Wichita to kick off the year's first of many surprise parties. We had a feeling James was clueless: this had been in the works for many weeks already. The plan? To show up at James and Melissa's doorstep Friday evening, go to a melodrama Saturday evening, and as a side, give James the best birthday EVER. It went like this...<br /><br />Friday evening James began texting Jeff to see if they could meet online to game. Jeff, as usual, indicated we had something planned with my friends but would be happy to meet up later. As usual, my friends "can't shut up" and Jeff was stuck away from the XBOX throughout our drive. <br /><br />A very unimpressed James met us at the door asking why we ended up getting to Wichita so late. I think he may have guessed at some point that we were headed that way. <br /><br />Little Duncan, who is no longer THAT little at a whopping 63 lbs, had a great weekend playing with Boomer and Baxter, and we suspect cried the entire first night because he was not ready to stop playing and go to bed at bedtime. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtXObPNZwSVy_ihy4q5e8_VOf3LfLzcmYouneQP-G0tg3-eXl1jT2d4ljX_u3ahnHMICUh5HpOcmNJ7LU-eiHyX9PeQvd-v7EQJ2qxWiHrEUKj0Sfet0JedNVobSyBGejLFU9oUcZ_0Av_/s1600-h/194.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 226px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtXObPNZwSVy_ihy4q5e8_VOf3LfLzcmYouneQP-G0tg3-eXl1jT2d4ljX_u3ahnHMICUh5HpOcmNJ7LU-eiHyX9PeQvd-v7EQJ2qxWiHrEUKj0Sfet0JedNVobSyBGejLFU9oUcZ_0Av_/s400/194.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437841027528494882" /></a><br />The melodrama was amazing. We went to <a href="http://www.mosleystreet.com/">Mosley Street Melodrama Dinner Theatre</a> and watched The Legend of Molly Malone, followed by an Irish Musical Review. It was a fun evening of dinner, theatre, comedy, and laughter with friends we always miss oh so much. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ZruQlt06FtYizQVqb-fM-P1M3sjtS4QlH4XdFnj7OC6gVKT3RRZSW-Klibv8e8e_CkEJcOYHdf4q5XDTnQPAQQGd2ScIMkGCVIELErRZiwRtt_GPh9gGYyYGdp1k3GNIsZtnKOtxJPoC/s1600-h/176.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 226px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ZruQlt06FtYizQVqb-fM-P1M3sjtS4QlH4XdFnj7OC6gVKT3RRZSW-Klibv8e8e_CkEJcOYHdf4q5XDTnQPAQQGd2ScIMkGCVIELErRZiwRtt_GPh9gGYyYGdp1k3GNIsZtnKOtxJPoC/s400/176.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437842649502993794" /></a><br />Also, James had the spotlight on him several times, as Melissa phoned in early and James was constantly called upon during the sketches. It was an excellent time. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMES!!! :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-pcr7cABxPnPLwe_YGq8EdYsOqEPfCW-X_SMdEY4YFsR51my7ND0F3Ypgn4rXAN6li5HO2UytvWUZBahxCD2B9EXZNf3_1OrVAbb8R1E-ulnZGZy1WMTzmze8VKyqH6gmn9QiF0rBPuSz/s1600-h/170.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 226px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-pcr7cABxPnPLwe_YGq8EdYsOqEPfCW-X_SMdEY4YFsR51my7ND0F3Ypgn4rXAN6li5HO2UytvWUZBahxCD2B9EXZNf3_1OrVAbb8R1E-ulnZGZy1WMTzmze8VKyqH6gmn9QiF0rBPuSz/s400/170.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437843348216095618" /></a><br /><br />Hope all is well with you and yours. :)Jeff and Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09636243630724466702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7033994002426214231.post-26410332364332902172010-02-04T21:16:00.002-06:002010-02-04T21:17:13.439-06:00Guide to ParentingJeff swears when we have kids, this <a href="http://i.imgur.com/h6IXl.jpg">guide</a> will be our saving grace. Click on the image to enlarge. :)Jeff and Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09636243630724466702noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7033994002426214231.post-89595966701867609292010-01-26T22:26:00.002-06:002010-01-26T22:36:50.888-06:00HomeownersJeff and I have learned ALL about the definitions and responsibilities of being homeowners over the past 4 months, but nothing has beat the information acquired in the past week. <br /><br />Here are a few of the things I have learned: <br /><br />1. If a garage door goes up, it will not necessarily go back down. The opposite is also true.<br /><br />2. If a garage door experiences difficulty, for Heaven's sake move your car out of the garage before fiddling with it! <br /><br />3. Muscles you do not realize you have will be sore for days after manually lifting and closing garage doors.<br /><br />4. Garage door openers cost a lot of money.<br /><br />5. Areas on the carpet that have been saturated in dog vomit will need to be gone over several times with a steam cleaner to get rid of the smell.<br /><br />5. Steam cleaners cost a lot of money.<br /><br />7. Dried chunks of dog vomit ruin vacuums.<br /><br />8. Vacuums that don't suck cost a lot of money (well, more than I'm willing to pay 'cause I'm kind of cheap).<br /><br />9. Gracie Lou will catch on to other things not working and decide to give us problems.<br /><br />10. Fact: New cars cost a lot of money. Fact: Gracie Lou is just being temperamental and we will drive her until she falls apart.<br /><br />11. Water heaters built within a certain number of years and installed in every house are missing a type of chemical in their pipes. This chemical prevents calcification and back up of plastics in the lines, which lead to low water pressure. Fact: our water heater was obviously built during this time, and no, it is not covered under any home policy we have.<br /><br />12. Water heater issues cost a lot of money.<br /><br />13. It appears we only had 1 mouse.<br /><br />Finally, to sum up (and I'm fairly certain if I asked my wonderful husband he would remind me of a few more issues in our recent homeowner history), the last few weeks have been pretty stressful. Funny, but stressful. Hope all is well with you and yours. :)Jeff and Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09636243630724466702noreply@blogger.com0