Monday, October 29, 2007

Wickedly Cool!

Another weekend in the big city with my Mom and sister! Mom's best friend's (my Godmother) daughter got married in Chitown so we made a whole weekend of it. Finally got to see Wicked! Yay! It was really, really cool. One of those rare times when I love the show much more than the book. The girl who played Glinda was absolutely fabulous! Kept us laughing the whole night. Defy Gravity!!

We cruised Michigan Ave. in search of shoes. Well let me tell you, there was not a single pair of size 9 anything...well, except for the $400 pairs...geesh! I guess that was a good thing. We all had a mini makeover at the Bobbi Brown counter in Neiman's....ouch! But we all learned a few things about looking younger, much needed as we get older and older.

I just love that city. Can't wait to go back, especially now that I really feel like I've got the lay of the land down. Do I hear a little trip to the American Girl Place with our daughters??? That would be so much fun!


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Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Use those SB supplies...

....and put them to good use for Halloween costumes. LOL Some HS flowers and bling, a little silver Stickles and the little blue felt dots for the earrings... instant Sharpay accessories. Bop bop bop, bop til you drop....
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Monday, October 15, 2007

Jelly Bean

Hee hee, I finally got to see it! I have wanted to check out that bean for a long time! We took a little trip to Chi town this weekend. Rode the train down to Union Station, walked the city, went to the Shedd. The kids had a blast and it was a good day. Something we really should do more often...it seems shameful that we live so close to the city but hardly ever get down there.

Now, to catch up with the house, some scrapping, and start getting ready for Thanksgiving. We will be hosting the family this year...that means about 40 people in our little house...and one BIG turkey. Lots to do!

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Sunday, October 07, 2007

For the Moms

My sister Jenifer sent me this...it has to be pretty impressive for her to send it because she hardly ever sends this kind of thing! :) Enjoy.

William Tell Mom Song

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Soccer Fall

This is what our weekends are like until November...but the kids love it, so all is good. :)
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Tuesday, September 18, 2007

***sigh***

Another summer over...another goodbye to Gran & Gramps. They are headed back to the beach and we will miss them. The sleepovers, the s'mores and the constant spoiling....and of course Dad working his butt off on my house projects. Thanks Dad! We love you guys. Drive safe!
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Thursday, September 13, 2007

I Made This

:) DH and I had a little weekend away and on the last day he went on a bike ride and I went to a bead class. I have wanted to learn basic beading for a long time and I am surprised at how easy it is. And oh sooooo fun picking out the beads. Like I need one more hobby at this point. But I love making photo jewelry pendents...so now I can make them from scratch.

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Monday, September 10, 2007

OMG

Ony 3 more years to the big four-oh. That is really freaking me out right now. Had a great little birthday weekend with the hubby. Thank you so much to my Mom and Dad for loving, entertaining and keeping the kids alive while we were gone...an invaluable birthday present! Love you guys!
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Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Day 7 cont. The End



After dropping the fancy bikes off and hopping back on our old ones we still had another quarter mile to the Mississippi River...the end of RAGBRAI. A little bittersweet. There was a short strech of road where the cars were on the route and it was quite a traffic jam!

But we got back...eventually all of the Dogheads found the motorhome and we said our goodbyes. Another one down...how many more to go??? :) Hmmmm I'm thinking the Bahamas might be a little more relaxing next year!

Congrats to Barry on completing his 20th RAGBRAI....check out the tags on his bike!

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Day 7 Cont.


BARRY! We found Barry on the route today!

Didn't get to stop much on the route today. Everyone is kind of in a hurry to reach the river and find their shuttle home. The end of RAGBRI is really kind of anticlimatic...most people just dip their tires in the Mississippi and then find their bus/van/shuttle home! Before we knew it we were hitting the end town, time to turn in these sweet bikes.

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Day 7 RAGBRAI Last Day!


Dyersville to Belleview, 59.7 miles

Sean and I snuck out in the early morning, before the kids woke up. This was our last day of riding and we got to go by ourselves (thanks Mom & Dad!), but we had to be to the finish by 1pm to return our bikes, ugh! This was also the first time we would ride the WHOLE day...It would be the most I had ever ridden at one time. Everyone said that if I could do a half day on my old dionsaur mountain bike that on this awesome bike it would be a breeze. Sean was giddy with excitement getting to demo his super fancy bike. It was the first time we weren't the LAST ones to leave the campgrounds! It was a beautiful morning and the perspective was so different....the shadows are different...the light is softer....and there are so many more riders to ride with if you get up before 8am!



We hit the first big breakfast stop, I tried to get a panorama shot of our view from the top of the little hill we were sitting on...looks cool if you can blow it up! The biggest line is always for the pancakes!

So all day, Sean would sprint ahead of me....pull off, wait for me to pass him (while taking a picture), let me pass him and get ahead, then he would sprint past me again, repeat....all 60 miles! It was really pretty funny! :)




I love this shot of me with the cows in the background. It is always so funny to watch the cows watch all the riders...wonder what's going on in those big heads!
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Friday, August 31, 2007

Sooooo LUCKY!

I have, by far the best BEST friend in the world. We have been friends since we dated the same guy in Jr. High. :) I have been so lucky to have her in my life. She is an amazing person with the most amazing talent for art and sophistication and design. (NOT a scrapbooker but a true lover of ribbon and paper). I wish that she was a scrapbooker because I am quite sure she would be a huge inspiration to many many people. Sooo I am left to be inspired by her amazing gifts, which I totally look forward to every Xmas and birthday.

I got my birthday present from her today...a whole week early. Normally I would force myself to wait until my birthday to open it...it is always my favorite gift. But I had the sudden urge to spread things out this year and I knew it would just make my day. So I opened it. :) The first thing I noticed was this wonderful, beautiful aroma bursting out, a gorgeous silk ribbon (she always has a beautiful ribbon on her gifts) and inside...this amazing little bowl, so beautiful and inspiring. The theme was beautiful florals with touched of bees and butterflies. (This would make a stunning SB kit!) I knew immediatly I would be getting some great ideas for scrapbooking from this gift. Inside the bowl...a pretty floral card with a beautiful message...yummy milk soap...the amazing aroma....a little tube of "wish" hand cream...equally as delish smelling...these gorgeous green crystal earrings in a pretty little terqoise floral pouch...the prettiest nail file that I have ever seen and these gorgous little seasonal pocket pads...each a different little treat for the eyes. It will be hard to write in them...for fear of spoiling them. But wow...I love each and every thing here.

I swear, I am so lucky...lucky to have such a long lasting, caring girl friend who knows me better than I know myself. Someone who will always listen and always keep me close. And someone who I know will always be my best friend.

Amber, I love ya girl! Thank you so much for yet another wonderful wonderful gift!


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Thursday, August 30, 2007

Day 6 RAGBRAI con't


So after we roll into Dyersville...we find Mom and Dad at the campground This one was one that we paid for ahead of time...so we could have an electric hook-up....a very nice thing to have on RAGBRAI. Well we get there and Mom and Dad are peeved because the circuit keeps blowing. Turns out we needed a nice new, heavy duty extension cord. Quick trip into town and we were set! Yay!

Sean and I also got to go down to the Expo pick up our cool new Specialized demo bikes for the next day. He got to demo some crazy $8000 bike...I was on a Dolce Comp chick road bike...much less intimidating. I was really freaked out because the last time I was on a real road bike..with those skinny little tires I hit the pavement really hard when I went down after hitting a curb. Turns out, the Dolce was super comfortable and unbelieveibly light and fun to ride. Were were planning on leaving the kids with Mom and Dad the next day and do a full day just the two of us...hey, it's about all the romance I get anymore!! ;)

Gabby was still hanging out with team RADPAN, they took a little drive to the Field of Dreams and then down to the Expo for dinner. We ran into them when we were getting our bikes. She was having a blast! So while we were waiting for Gabby to get back we took Gavin to the pool. WARNING: Here comes another one of those super sappy proud parenting moments. Gavin noticed that a bunch of dudes (and 1 chick) were taking turns on the diving board doing wild flips and stunts and the croud in the pool (aka Biker Soup) were cheering and clapping at the best ones. Well Gavin decides he wants to try. Well he had only jumped off the diving board and swam to the side BY HIMSELF a handfull of times...so Daddy went with him. Sean did a big jack knife and then Gavin walks out there, does a little chicken dance thing and jumps like a crazy boy! OMGosh, it was so cute....and the best part was that crowd went wild!! We were so darn proud...Sean and I had one of those little glances that says it all. Gavin strutted his stuff on the diving board a few more times...he was having so much fun playing with the big boys. It was such a great thing to see.

Off to bed asap tonight. Gotta get up early to get a whole day of riding in...yikes!
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Hallelujia!!

The first day of school has finally arrived! Well, Gavin still has one more week but Gabby started today. She was so excited and happy to go. She is our big first grader now...that means a FULL day at school. That's my favorite part! Yay! She got up, got dressed, brushed hair, teeth...all without even being asked. Wow, think this trend will continue until June?

Gavin starts next week..which is a great thing because he woke up with a fever this morning, ugh!

Happy Labor Day weekend!
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Sunday, August 26, 2007

Born 1030-1979

Here I am in my Mom's tummy in 1970....my sister sent this little email about this. It really helps me put a lot into perspective! I changed a little at the end...put the respnsibility into our own hands.

Enjoy!

Those Born 1930-1979

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes. Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.

As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags. Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose! and NOT from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank Kool-aid made with sugar, but we were not overweight because, WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 ! channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or chat rooms....... WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever! The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

If YOU are one of them...CONGRATULATIONS! You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before we regulated so much of our own lives for our own good ..While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave (and lucky ) that our parents were.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!
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Monday, August 20, 2007

Day 6 Continued Again


We stopped for Iowa Double Dog Draft Root Beer. Ahhhhhhh. Refreshing!









Here's Gavin impressing us all with his Double Dog Root Beer BELCHES!














Before we knew it we were riding into the sleep over town, Dyersville. We were greeted by the beautiful sound of the bells of this gorgeous Basilica as we entered town. I couldn't even get the whole thing into my frame...it is so big and so beautiful.

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