A Bitchin Bunton

Ladies night with a touch of hoarding

2010-08-17T14:33:00.000-05:00

Before I get into the thick of my post, I have to say THANK YOU to my hubby. I came back to my desk today to find this beautiful arrangement staring back at me. The occasion....nothing? Totally unexpected and completely out of the blue. It had been a rough day right from the start and this made it all better.

The pictures do not do the flowers justice. The colors are absolutely amazing and the arrangement is beautiful.

On to my faboush Saturday evening. My girlfriend, Jennifer, invited me over for a little soiree with her girlfriends, who were visiting from Minneapolis. The ladies couldn't have been friendlier. I felt like I had known them for years. When I left her house my stomach and cheeks both ached from all the laughing we did. Stomach ache + cheek ache = good girls night!

We did a little eating, a little laughing, a little more eating, a little drinking, discovered Jen's got a hoarding problem and oh yeah, did some more eating!

Eats for the night:

Best brand ever!

I may have gotten a little decoration happy with the hummus

Ten Bucks from Mount Pleasant Winery. It was delightful!

My Vinturis. No party would be complete without them!

The spread

So, so good...

Random acts of the night:

Jennifer taking a picture from the floor...because that's how she rolls.

Too much laughing.

Group shot

The hoarding:
A simple trip to the bathroom revealed that Jennifer has somewhat of a hoarding problem. If she finds a product she really likes, she starts buying it by the boatload for fear that it will be discontinued. Those fears have come true almost every time. The bucket of 10 year old Revlon ColorStay nail polish says it all. I want it noted that I was frisked before I left her house that evening. My pockets came up empty.

Some were so old they had black gunk floating in them.
My poor Jen...I still lover her!

One stop shop for all your cosmetic needs.

Her beloved Fructis Ultra Strong hairspray is no more,
hence, the two rows of bottles.

That's all she wrote, for now. Hope you're having a fab week! See you soon!

Happy Birthday Papaw Dave!

2010-08-11T09:09:00.002-05:00

May your day include a LOT this...

Some good eats from the grill

Make sure not to let this guy

do the cooking because your birthday meal will end up looking like this...

And finally, your birthday wouldn't be complete if time wasn't spent with these cuties...

Much love to you on your birthday Papaw Dave!

Summer Fun

2010-08-07T12:54:00.004-05:00

Hello! I can't believe how fast this week went by. I kept promising myself I would post on the blog earlier and here it is Saturday! Oh well, better late than never.

I thought I would share some pics of our pre-canoe/canoe weekend (last week, not this week).

Wednesday
Started off with dinner here...

P.F. Chang's off Brentwood in St. Louis

With these yahoos (who were passing through town)...

I'm not sure what's up with Evan's face here.

Is it too much to ask for a normal picture from these guys?

Dinner also included live outdoor entertainment...very nice!

Thursday
Holly, Chad, Michelle, Kent and Jennifer arrived. We did a little lunch here....

And a little shopping here...

St. Louis Mills Mall

Michelle was extremely thirsty from all the great deals she found and treated herself to one of these bad boys from Chevy's...

Friday
We had a little breakfast and went to wine country before heading to our canoe resort.

Taste testing. Chad's such a ham!

Jennifer didn't realize she was having her photo taken, therefore, she put no effort into smiling.

Montelle's amazing view

Chillin on the patio

Our next stop included a tasting at Augusta Winery.

And finally, we traveled up the hill to Mount Pleasant, only to find out they were closed. They let us use the restroom and I snapped a few shots in the interim.

Mount Pleasant Winery

Augusta has some really quaint B&B's, shops and antique stores. The girls stopped at one antique store and the guys stayed in the parking lot and had a beer.

I think this antique jacket accentuates my sandals beautifully!

Jennifer and I didn't know if these would be considered an antique item per say, but we were stoked about finding these old school Reeboks!

Saturday
Let the fun begin!

Waiting for the bus

Blue Springs Resort

Look at that happy crew!

Evan taking care of business

Jennifer gave Chad the annual smack-on-the-back trick...classic!

Nice!

Chad thought it would be funny to untie my swimsuit when the photo was snapped. My face is priceless!

The damage...

The rest of the photos from this trip are probably not postable. Things go down hill pretty fast with our group; I'd say like 10 minutes in and things are bad.

Sunday
Jen and I had to fly back to Dallas on Monday (insert sad face) and Evan suggested we head downtown for a day-o-fun. It was a beautiful day in St. Louis and perfect for a trip to The Arch and a little sightseeing.

Down on the riverfront

Taken inside The Arch

Taken from Laclede's Landing looking south. I love this shot!

Whew...that was a long post! I guess that about wraps things up for now. See you soon.

Happenings

2010-07-25T19:28:00.001-05:00

Ciao! How is everyone? Things here are pretty good...busy, but good. The past two months have been extremely chaotic with summer vacations, house selling stuff, long distance relationship travels, etc.

We took our long awaited 4th of July trip to Fort Walton Beach with Holly, Chad and the boys. It was fabulous! We had beautiful white sandy beaches, clear water and no oil! Even the weather held out while we were there. We had two days of rain, which was not a big deal. We had plans to shop and we did it on those two days. The last half was nothing but sun, sun and more sun. We have lots of burns to prove it!

It was sad to see that tourism was down. I am really happy that we decided not to cancel. We were fortunate enough to find this site Destin Oil Spill, which was a huge help to us. Daily videos of the beaches were posted and you could see exactly what was going. Either way, I don't think we would have canceled. Our resort had several pools, a floating river, and hot tubs. We knew there was plenty for us to do if the beaches were less than stellar.

I won't bore you with the 300+ photos I ended up with, instead, I'll post a few of my favorites.

Our resort

The lazy river...very nice!

The beach in front of our resort

The beach looking the other way. This is the pier they shot the fireworks from. We were so close!

Cole and Ross working on sandcastles

Luke as a race car

Ross, Evan and Cole with their cool new skimboards

A little surprise in my bathroom drawer. You know whoever left those was probably peeved when they got home and found out they had left all of their good bras behind.

Evan got pooped on and Chad captured the moment on film

One our favorite photos of Luke being goofy

Farley family photo

Evan and I teaching the boys the proper way to take a photo

Apparently, I'm running for sheriff

The Crab Trap...a must eat!

Putt putt golf right across from The Crab Trap.

If anyone wants the information for the resort we stayed at, please contact me and I'll get it to you.

Alright, on to other things. I made this delish recipe yesterday and wanted to post it. 1.) It's super easy to make and 2.) It's sooooo good!

A couple of notes on the ingredients:
1.) I used 1 can of diced tomatoes, not fresh. I drained them for 5 minutes.
2.) I did not have fresh parsley; I used 1/4 cup dried.
3.) I only used 1 tsp. of salt.
4.) I used 4 frozen chicken breasts and defrosted them for 10 minutes. They were still slightly frozen and that's OK. I cooked the chicken for 30 minutes then turned off the oven and let the dish sit in there for another 10 minutes. It was perfect.

Before I go, I want to give a quick shout out to Chad. Yesterday was his birthday. I think he turned 50 or something. I kid, I kid. Evan said he had some birthday smacks he wants to give you when we see you this week. I wonder if they'll be upside the head? Anyway, hope you had a great day!

Off to run errands. I hope you all had a fantastic weekend...later!

Running barefoot

2010-05-12T07:00:00.012-05:00

Someone please clue me in on this phenomenon. I have witnessed 3 people in the last month running barefoot. What??? I was at a stop light in downtown Dallas when this guy came running across the street barefoot. I stared for a long time to make sure I wasn’t crazy. I wasn't crazy. Then last week, I was coming from the Katy Trail and two girls passed me running barefoot. Again, I stared. I’m puzzled by the whole thing. I’m weird about clean feet and I think it’s a tiny bit gross and slightly strange. I’ve seen plenty of people run barefoot in the sand, but this seems dangerous. I could MAYBE see trying this technique on a running track that sees little else but sneaker traffic; however, running barefoot on a busy street that’s littered with trash and multiple construction or work crews, I say, “No thank you!” I kept thinking, what if one of them stepped on a nail or something…yikes! I’m sure there is a benefit to this, so please enlighten me with what it is. And, does it hurt? It looks like it would be painful.

The most amazing thing ever!

2010-05-10T22:18:00.027-05:00

OK, well maybe not ever, but darn close. Yesterday, I was catching up on blog gossip and one blog led to another and I stumbled across an amazing discovery. Did you know you can make ice cream with one single ingredient? Believe it or not, you can. What is the single ingredient….frozen bananas? I laughed and thought, “Yeah, right.” Of course I tried it and it’s true. If you freeze bananas and place them in a food processor they will take on the consistency of soft-serve ice cream. It was weird and great all at the same time. You can even freeze it after processing it and it will scoop just like ice cream. If you don’t like bananas then you’re out of luck on this one. I can think of so many who would enjoy this...parents with small children (what says fun more than whipped bananas), dieters, people with intolerances to food, etc. The possibilities are endless.

My plan is to experiment by adding new things each night – yes, I will be making this every night. Tonight I added cinnamon and a splash of vanilla extract…yum! It would be so good with chocolate sauce on top and a dollop of Cool Whip. Maybe that will be tomorrow night’s experiment.

Anyway, I just had to share because I think this is the best thing ever since sliced bread.

Directions:

Slice and freeze two overripe bananas

Once frozen (at least 2-3 hours) place into a food processor and turn on. It will be chunky at first but continue processing. Then out of nowhere, magic happens. You'll see the bananas turn into this wonderful creamy frozen texture. Depending on the type of food processor you have, you may need to scrape the sides occasionally to get all of the banana chunks to the bottom. My processor has a "pulse" button which whips it up in less than a minute.

When it's done, you'll have something that looks like this:

(Oops! I ate it to fast and forgot to take a picture.)

What to do now? Eat and thank me later. Shoot me an e-mail or post a comment if you try this. I'm curious what you think.

Need another roadie for the drive?

2010-03-27T15:18:00.008-05:00

Am I the only one who knows what a roadie is? If I say, “Let’s grab a couple of roadies for our drive” do you know what I’m referring to? Apparently, I’m speaking my own language. Of course I know what the ‘real’ definition is, but it also means something else...at least in mind it does. And, this is not a Nebraska thing! Urban dictionary knows what I'm talking about! Please see my in-laws last two posts Farley Family. It's like I get no respect!!!

Oh my!

2010-02-25T10:53:00.005-06:00

I had to post this picture because it's just too funny not to! Plus, it's so wrong! Evan and Scott passed this billboard yesterday driving through Dallas. Be sure to read the website addresses on the bottom of the billboard, otherwise, it's not funny. I keep looking at that poor cucumber's eyes...he knows where he's going and it ain't pretty!

House for Sale

2010-02-14T14:58:00.005-06:00

For those of you who don't know, we are moving to St. Louis! We are beyond happy! We are very anxious to be moving closer to our loved ones. Both of our families and our friends will be just a few short hours from us.

Yesterday, we put the house up for sale. We have a beautiful home and I will be sad to leave it. However, we never had plans to stay here long term and we're never truly settled in. I will be very happy to make our last official state move and settle down permanently. I hope good things are ahead for us. Wish us luck in our journey!

If anyone is looking for a house in the Dallas area, I've included our listing below.

Must See! This gorgeous home sits on 2.99 acres and backs up to trees. Covered patio(s); split bedrooms; large master bedroom and bath; beautiful kitchen; open floor plan; living room with large fireplace; game room with home theater screen and projector; 3-car garage; 1200 square foot detached shop; landscaping and so much more! Only minutes from Rockwall, The Harbor, Lake Ray Hubbard and Downtown Dallas!

Interior Features:
Carpet, Hardwood floors, Ceramic tile floors, Game room with home theater screen and projector, Separate master shower, Master walk-in closet, Split Bedrooms, Breakfast Bar, Bedroom 2 is 10x11, Bedroom 3 is 11x11, Study is 13x12 with closet (could be 4th bedroom)

Exterior Features:
2.99 Acres (1.44 is woods), 30x40 detached shop with two-post car lift, Covered Porch(es) and Gutters

Birthday wishes and lots of snow

2010-02-11T09:32:00.002-06:00

A couple of birthday wishes are in order on this beautiful snowy day! Happy birthday Evan and Lisa! Lisa, I hope my brother got you something really special for your birthday. Evan, I got you nothing...just kidding.

I had to adjust my eyes and do a double take this morning. I thought I was dreaming but I wasn't; it is really snowing in Texas! It is snowing A LOT here. This has to be some sort of record snowfall. We're still expecting another 3 inches! They said it was coming but I didn't believe them. I love these types of days when you wake up surprised and find out they were actually right! I think my day will consist of: staying inside, doing some work and drinking lots of warm coffee.

Crazy flight and we're only half way there!

2010-01-16T11:09:00.002-06:00

Evan and I are on a spur of the moment trip to Fort Lauderdale to pick up a jeep we purchased. The flight has been rough to say the least. We just made an emergency medical landing in New Orleans. After a scary and very, very turbulent first half of the flight (a lot of Hail Mary's and I'm sorry Lord were being shouted throughout the cabin) we finally settled down. It was short lived because the next thing we see were multiple people running up the aisle towards the front. One of the passengers had a seizure and they decided to land us for medical care. I'm positive that we did a nose dive as we were descending. We've safely landed are waiting to take off again. We're stuck on the plan for a length of time and while the attendants handle the medical stuff Evan is taking care of the passengers by handing out peanuts and beverages to anyone who visits the bathroom (he had to ride fourth). People are walking by me with handfuls of goods. Hopefully my next post will be pictures of the jeep. Wish us luck!

Family Meals Blog

2010-01-15T07:00:00.009-06:00

Check out Cheryl James new blog called: Sitting Down with the Family. It's geared towards families who want to put good home cooked meals on the table but are short on time. She would love to hear from you. If you have any recipes to share, please feel free to send them to Cheryl.

Sitting Down with the Family

Back into the groove

2010-01-13T12:28:00.058-06:00

I think we’ve finally settled back into a routine in our house. This is my first full week back at work and it sucks. I’m still in vacation mode.

We went back home a few days after Christmas because Evan had to work Christmas Eve and neither one of us wanted to fly standby with the holiday crowds. It worked out really well. We ended up driving home, which worked out really well.

Evan made the mistake of telling me that we would be going by Lambert’s Café in Sikeston, MO – “The Only Home of Throwed Rolls”. I’ve been hearing about this place for years and was dying to go; it did not disappoint. The waiter tossed me a fresh hot roll from the oven as we were walking to our table. It was LOVE almost instantly. This is definitely not a good place for a carb addict like me. The place was packed and the service was fantastic. I took some shots of our meals with my phone, so the pictures might not be great, but believe me the food was yummy!

From there we headed to Newton for a week of relaxation. We got the privilege of attending Holly and Chad’s Euchre Tournament. We’re never home when they have it but this year we were. I didn’t play because I had just learned and they had plenty of players. I had a great team of teachers, though and I’m ready for next year’s tournament. Congratulations to Kent Schafer and Jeff Zumbahlen, the winner of this year’s tournament.

I’ve posted lots of pictures below from Lambert’s, New Year’s and the Euchre Tournament.

Those yummy rolls!

Giant sized drinks to help wash down the rolls

Fried okra...yummy!

Chicken fried steak with all the fixins!

The night begins with a delicious bowl of tortilla chips in the car on the way to the party

Nice dashboard skills Shane!

The newly engaged couple

We're a VERY close group

Pam and Caleb

I think it's love

All I can think of when I see this picture is "Schwing"

The euchre gathering

Will's getting excited just thinking about winning this year's tournament

There was a lot of smack talking at this table

Holly looks good in anything, including this hat

Just in case you wanted to see the gum I was chewing

Sarah wears it best

The euchre winners

Chad extremely intoxicated. If you were there you know what I'm talking about.

A lonely Christmas Eve; a blistery winter mix; a bottle of Holly’s Reserve and 24 hours of a Christmas Story = a very thankful girl.

2009-12-24T19:43:00.018-06:00

Yesterday was 70 and humid with tornado watches. Today is 29 with sleet, snow and 25 mph winds (white out conditions)! I chose the latter; it must be the Midwestern girl in me! It feels so much more like Christmas with those types of conditions outside.

Evan has to work a double shift today so I am here all by my lonesome. It’s part of the job that I will never get used to. I know he’s bummed he has to be at work instead of at home with me. He does, however, have off tomorrow – Christmas Day.

Tonight was spent Skyping with Dave and Lisa. I got to watch my nieces and nephew open their gifts. It was like I was right there with them. It almost brought tears to my eyes. Thank goodness for technology!!!

Tomorrow we will spend the day with our friends, Carl and Diana (they introduced us). It’s as close as home gets and we’re thankful they are willing to have us over. It should involve lots of good food, entertainment and drinks.

Even though I’m alone tonight when many are with family and friends, I am thankful that I have a roof over my head, food on the table, presents under the tree and a fire in the fireplace.

Here’s hoping all of you have a wonderful Christmas. Remember everything you have to be thankful for; there are so many less fortunate. Merry Christmas to all!!!

Three years of wedded bliss!

2009-11-17T11:25:00.004-06:00

Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband! I can't believe three years have gone by already. I wish I could go back and relive some of the fun we had that week in Cancun. It was one of the most memorable times in our lives.

Long time no post

2009-10-22T07:00:00.000-05:00

I can’t believe my last post was way back in August. School started and I guess time got away from me. Not only that, but we’ve been back and forth several times to Omaha and St. Louis to visit family and friends. Time flies when you’re having fun.

The weekend of October 10th I flew to St. Louis and ran in the DaVita Kidney Awareness 5k. My flight to St. Louis was anything but pleasant. Right after takeoff my stomach turned sour. Let’s just say that I am very aware of wear the barf bags are, and I now know the lavatory features inside and out on Southwest’s 737’s. To top it off we had a nice dose of turbulence. I fly this route very often and there’s never turbulence. I guess it just wasn’t my flight.

Anyway, back to the 5k. It was a lot of fun and very chilly. I think the temperature hovered right around the 41 degree mark. It took me until mile two before I warmed up. I even had my very own cheering squad there to support me - thanks Mel, Mike and TT!

Heading to the race

Some light stretching

Off we go!

Victory is mine!

Then this past weekend we headed back to St. Louis for Holly and Chad’s anniversary weekend. The day started off with lunch with a girlfriend of mine that I had not seen in years. We ate, drank and laughed for almost five hours.

That evening, Holly, Chad, Evan and I stayed downtown and had dinner at the Morgan Street Brewery. Saturday we switched hotels, had lunch and headed out to the wineries for the rest of the day. It was a spectacular weekend. We had such a great time with Holly and Chad. My only wish is that we could do it more often.

That sums things up for now.

Valerie and I

View from our hotel. Our camera did not do this view justice. Time for a new camera!

Morgan Street Brewery

Mt. Pleasant Winery

Holly & I

Chad & Evan

Us at Montelle Winery - love this place!

Scenic views from Montelle

A dream come true

2009-08-13T21:28:00.008-05:00

The Omaha World Herald did a special write up on my niece, Noelle. Project Nightlights, a non-profit organization, created a dream bedroom for her. They help design rooms for children who have special medical needs. It's a very sweet story. You can check out the link below.

http://www.omaha.com/article/20090813/NEWS02/708139785

Jon Gosselin...the douche bag

2009-07-14T21:34:00.010-05:00

I'm happy to see that Jon Gosselin is finding out who he really is. Maybe the cigarettes and the 20 something girlfriend are helping him find the 'inner Jon'. By the way, who picks up smoking in their 30's? I feel so sorry for those kids. I'm almost embarrassed for Jon because I don't think he realizes there are going to be serious repercussions for his behavior. I sure hope that Kate is at home providing a stable environment since their father is too busy smokin it up in St. Tropez.

Attention Keurig Coffee Owners

2009-07-09T07:00:00.002-05:00

Shortly after I got my Keurig, I started looking for a way to re-use my k-cups. Since I am the only coffee drinker at my house the Keurig has been my main coffee pot. I don't use the other one unless we have company over because it is too much coffee for me; however, the cups for the Keurig are somewhat expensive. Plus, I felt bad because I wasn't sure I could recycle them. Anyway, I came across this website called My-Kap (http://www.my-kap.com/MYK/). You can purchase this little plastic piece that fits into your old k-cups so you can re-fill them with whatever kind of coffee you want. There are instructions and a video on the website on how to use them. They are very inexpensive and they work beautifully. It takes a matter of seconds to fill the cup and pop on the lid. I ordered a pack of five but wish I would have ordered more.

http://www.my-kap.com/MYK/

Final Farewell

2009-07-07T07:00:00.003-05:00

Today we say our final farewell to MJ. I'm sure his memorial service will be fitting of a king. They are predicting that up to a million people could show up for his service. That's absolutely insane!

I wanted to post a video that showed a sliver of the enormous talent that he had. It's also the way I want to remember him. It's not a performance that most would pick but it is a personal favorite of mine. It's the Jackson 5 performing 'Dancing Machine'. Watch as Michael (about 1:44) goes into the robot. It is simply amazing. He seems so happy. What a sad day this is.

Obsess Much

2009-07-06T12:30:00.016-05:00

I'm going to come clean. I've been a little more than obsessed with Michael's passing. I feel like part of my childhood is gone now that he's gone. He's the reason I took singing and breakdancing lessons (yes, you read that last one right). I guess I thought one day we would do a duet together and I could impress him with my newly acquired dance moves. Those days are long gone.

Poor Evan has had to endure hours worth of his music. We listened to 4 hours non-stop on our way down to San Antonio this weekend. We both sang and danced (as much as one could while driving) and it was fun. Not only that, but I've bought every magazine, watched what seems like every news channel, taped every special, checked every website from TMZ.com to Perezhilton.com to People to stay abreast of the latest news. I've also contributed to the re-surge in record sales this past week due to the fact that all of my MJ music is on records at my parents house.

I don't care if I'm crazy. He was one of a kind and unmatchable. I don't believe we'll see someone of his magnitude, his creativity, his soul, or his voice again for a long time. R.I.P. Michael.

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T10:57:00.000-05:00

Want to see some professional wakeboarders?

2009-06-23T22:47:00.011-05:00

Well keep looking because you won’t find any in the photos below.

Evan and I took the Dulski’s out on the boat this past Saturday to cool ourselves down from the scorching Texas heat. We floated for a while and relaxed in the party cove but the guys got antsy and wanted to wakeboard. Evan and Eric have been doing it for some time and are good at it. I’ve tried a couple of times but it’s been a couple of years. Lisa had never been and announced she wanted to give it a go. I figured if Lisa’s doing it then I have no excuse not to. She did really well and got up the 3rd or 4th time. We managed to get some photos of each other right as we were getting up on the board. We are hardly professional but it felt like we were when we finally got up. I wonder if we’ll be jumping wakes and cutting into the waves by the end of summer.

Evan cooling off his bod

Lisa up front...Eric in the rear

Party cove

Ahhh...the water feels so good

Lisa's first attempt to get up

She did it!!!

Oh crap...she's going down!

Getting ready to take off. Damn that sun is bright!

I'm already down. It helps to hold your breath before you hit the water.

On my way up!

All time classic photo. Look at my face!

I look scared even though I was having a blast.

Great friends, good times, good fun

2009-06-15T22:03:00.015-05:00

I wanted to post these pictures last week but technology had other ideas for me. Anyhoo, I’m back up and running in the photo department.

Below are pictures and a video from our visit home to Newton. Holly & Chad planned a jeep outing for us on Saturday and we had a blast! Honestly, I can't think of a time when we haven't had fun with this group. They're such great friends and I miss them already.

Did anybody watch?

2009-06-03T08:09:00.004-05:00

Did anyone watch Conan O'Brien take over the Tonight Show on Monday? Thoughts? Does anyone watch the Tonight Show anymore? I personally like Conan and am excited about him taking over. I like Jay, too, but never got into the show. I'm REALLY hoping they bring Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog back. That would be a huge plus in my book.

Happy Days: The Musical

2009-05-27T22:02:00.003-05:00

For the past month, on my drive into work, I’ve passed this billboard that has been advertising musicals. I guess musicals are on the rise. Who knew? Some of them have been completely ridiculous. This morning I saw the latest one - Happy Days: The Musical…really? Give me a break! Has everyone run out of ideas that they can’t think of anything fresh to create? And, coming to a stage near you in 2010…Sleepless in Seattle: The Musical. Yes, you read that right. What’s next…Lost: Seasons 1-6: The Musical? I have a musical then can make. How about Sarah Kinkade: The Stalker Musical. Now that would be worth seeing!

Fishing at its finest

2009-05-20T22:15:00.039-05:00

Here are some photos from Evan’s Southwest fishing trip. I’ve decided that I’m going next year whether or not I’m invited. Looking at all the pictures of the guys relaxing, drinking and soaking up the Florida rays has got me jonesin’ for a tropical vacation big time.

OK, enough about me and my wants…on to the fishing. Our very own Kid Rock had himself a pretty exciting day. He caught a nice big hammerhead shark. They tried for one last year but had no success. Evan managed to take some videos of him reeling it in. I forgot to ask if they cooked it or not. I’m assuming you can eat shark, right?

I couldn't take the pressure anymore!

2009-05-04T20:42:00.016-05:00

I've been obsessing about this coffee maker ever since Jamee posted about it over Christmas. Wal-Mart finally broke me. They had a deal going I couldn't refuse. They just started carrying the Keurig Elite model and had it on sale for $99.95. The package included a variety pack of 18 k-cups plus a Wal-Mart gift card for $10.00. The way I see it is that I got this little sucker for $89.95. I'm already burning through the k-cups just testing them out. I'll be lucky if I have any left by the end of the week.

Dave and Glenda if you are reading this, do not worry, I am not getting rid of the big coffee pot. I still need that one for those crazy stressful days and your visits.

May Day Baskets…a Nebraska thing?

2009-04-30T21:19:00.010-05:00

I love the first day of May because it can mean only one thing…it’s May Day and it means making May Day baskets, filling them with candy, leaving them on a friend’s doorstep, ringing the doorbell and running like hell. Okay, I actually haven’t done that since I was little but I would love to do it again. When I mention this tradition to people, I get a look like I have horns growing out of my head. I get this look often when I refer to things from Nebraska or my childhood. Like the time I asked Holly to hand me a koozie for my beer and she looked at me like WTF??? She politely told me that they refer to them as “huggies” in Illinois and that she had never heard the term koozie before; therefore, I must be nuts. Or, like the many times I ask for a pop and I get the “Oh you poor thang, you must be from the Midwest” response…whatever that means.

I want to know if I’m alone in my May Day haze and if this special little holiday spans other states besides Nebraska. Man, just talking about it makes me want to get out my Styrofoam cups so I can decorate my little heart out. It's too bad my neighbors have security cameras on their house otherwise; I would be ringing doorbells like crazy tomorrow.

The newest Hobza member

2009-04-07T21:40:00.019-05:00

The Hobza family welcomed it's newest member last week. His name is Tye Kenneth Hobza and he's the first Hobza boy. This may have been the highlight of my brother's life. He has wanted a boy for so long and he finally got one. I was positive that he was destined to have all girls, but I was wrong.

Noelle and Addyson are going to be such great big sisters. Addyson already knows how to rock him, pat his head and give him lots of kisses. Dave said that when Tye was crying the other day, Addyson told him he was doing it all wrong. She showed Dave how to rock him and give him kisses so that he would be okay.

Evan and I are flying to Omaha this weekend for lots of one-on-one time with the kids. I'll be posting more pictures soon. In the meantime, enjoy the mixture of photos below.

Addyson & Tye

Such a good big sister

Noelle in her cute Sesame Street t-shirt

Addyson checking on Tye

He's so sweet!

Tye, Dave and Addyson

Noelle with ice cream face!

Tye, Lisa and Addyson

The proud parents

Big sis, Noelle, checking out her new brother!

He is so alert!

Noelle and daddy

He's barely awake!

My dad and Tye - precious!

The proud papa!

Watchmen and a new kitchen gadget

2009-03-25T15:09:00.024-05:00

We finally got a chance to see “Watchmen” this week and all I can say is, “Holy cow, full frontal male nudity!” A couple of guys at Evan’s worked warned him of this before we saw the show but I still wasn’t prepared for it. It’s like it was staring right back at me! At one point the guy quadrupled himself and there they were in all of their glory. This clearly made up for the years of topless chicks I’ve had to endure while watching movies. It’s about time they had something for the ladies.

Sorry, I guess I got a little sidetracked. Anyhoo, the movie was long…like almost three hours long. While I really liked it it wasn’t what I was expecting. I was hoping for more camaraderie between the watchmen (the group of superheroes) but some of them were at odds with each other. The matrix-type action scenes were good but gory and there were a lot of sexual references. So, if you are into male nudity, gory action scenes and sex then this is a must-see movie for you!

Wok...me love you long time!

Here is my latest and greatest kitchen gadget. I love it so much. I have used it every single night since I got it. I was an achievement award from work. I was able to select from among several different items and this is what I picked. So, if anyone has any fabulous recipes, tips or tricks they want to share with me I would love to hear from you. I’m still in a testing phase with my beloved wok but if I come up with some miraculous creation I will be sure to post.

Two little piggys went to market...

2009-03-19T22:54:00.007-05:00

to get processed that is. Evan got invited to go on a hog hunt and invited his dad to join him. This was a first for both of them. Evan is not exactly hunting material and managed to get a pig with the bow, which I hear is difficult. I was very proud of him. Currently, are pigs are off getting made into yummy food. They asked if we wanted pork burgers and neither Evan nor I could do it. Nothing is as good as the pork burgers we get from Dave and Glenda back in Newton.

Overall, I think the guys had a good time. Dave cracked me up when he referred to their hunt because every sentenced started with "This weekend at hog camp..." I wonder if that's anything like band camp?

Crockpotting

2009-03-11T17:26:00.005-05:00

Crockpotting 365

I ran across this blog from a forum I belong to. This lady used her crockpot everyday for a year in 2008. She made everything you could possibly think of and documented it. She has a picture of all the ingredients she used along with the recipe and the outcome of the dish she made. I love reading her posts…she is super funny! She has a ton of recipes to choose from and they are all neatly organized. I had to post this since there are so many of us who are limited with our time. I mean, who has the time to plan out a huge meal anymore?

Let me know if any of you make anything and how it turned out.

A little laughter now and then

2009-03-10T16:12:00.002-05:00

I’ve been having a bit of a rough day. Actually, the past few weeks have really sucked. The one thing that always makes me laugh is this.

Trouble in Jon & Kate Plus Eight Land

2009-03-06T22:55:00.017-06:00

I was catching up on my weekly gossip from PerezHilton.com and came across this juicy piece of information. Very interesting to say the least. My experience with PerezHilton.com is that usually what they report happens.

"In case you haven't head of Jon and Kate Gosselin, they're the stars of TLC's most popular "reality" show, Jon & Kate Plus 8. The couple has one set of twins and one set of sextuplets.

Jon is the laid-back, quiet, pushover husband, while Kate is the bitchy, controlling, pain-in-the-ass wife. And that's putting it nicely.

Although the couple seem to have a "loving" relationship on the show, that might not really be the case when the cameras are off.

Jon said about filming the show that, “We’re having a good time — a blast," however it looks like he might have been embellishing a bit.

In Touch Weekly is reporting that Jon is spending increasing amounts of time in Huntingdon, Pa., near where his mom lives, three hours away from the home he shares with Kate and their eight children.

And, on February 6th, Jon showed up to a Juniata College house party.

WTF??????

“He walked in with two girls he met at Mimi’s bar,” senior Evan Heisman tells In Touch. “It was so cool.” According to witnesses, Jon played beer pong with some girls on the volleyball team and then joined a group of students who headed to Memories bar for a nightcap. “We were talking and chilling,” reveals Heisman. Jon returned to Memories the next evening. “He was obliterated,” says Pott. “Juniata girls were flirting with him and he was loving it and having a great time.” “We might be getting a divorce,” Chloe Pott, a junior at Juniata College, heard Jon tell her friend at Memories bar on February 7.
Kate is gonna lose her shit!

Wonder if they'll mention any of this on their "reality" show, soon to be titled Jon Plus 8 Minus Kate. "

www.perezhilton.com

You know you've all been waiting for this post!

2009-02-28T20:03:00.023-06:00

I'm going to repeat myself for the umpteenth time and say, "I can't believe I went to watch midget wrestling at the strip club last night." I had way more fun than I anticipated. Actually, it was a blast! I did refrain from sticking any one dollar bills in the strippers’ g strings while waiting for the show to begin. I know you are all disappointed to hear that. No worries though, there were plenty of men dropping fat cash on the ladies so I could save my hard earned cash.

It took forever for the show to start but once it did it was on like donkey Kong. So, without further ado, I present Midget Palooza 2009! Sarah Kinkade, this one’s for you!

Empty Bowls 2009

2009-02-23T23:28:00.018-06:00

This is one of my favorite yearly events here in Dallas and it’s all for a good cause. I’m happy to say that this is my third year going. You pay $30.00 to attend Empty Bowls, which benefits the North Texas Food Bank for hunger relief. Your ticket gets you in the door and downstairs to a sea of handmade bowls. It’s total chaos and craziness. You get to fight your way through the crowds and pick out any bowl of your choice. Every year I look for the ultimate oatmeal bowl.

Once you’ve picked out your bowl you get to go upstairs and enjoy tons of soups, breads and desserts. Many local restaurants sponsor the event so you get to try out some of the best places. And no, you don’t eat out of the bowls you picked out. They give you a bag to take that home in.

This year was extra awesome because they went more “green” with the event. They handed everyone a recyclable bag and all of their soups were served in recyclable made bowls. Very cool.

The mass chaos! You have to be tough to fight your way through this crowd.

The girls and their hand picked bowls (l to r) Laurie, Jennifer and Rachel

Me - sporting our cool new bowl bags and my new Sarah Sellz purse

Me and my girl, Jen

Wolfgang Puck's stand. This soup was yummy!

The dangers of drinking

2009-02-21T14:21:00.012-06:00

Warning: Kids, this is what can occur when you’ve been drinking. Don’t let this happen to you.

This is what transpires after Evan and Scott (Stan) have been out in the shop "working" on stuff.

Scott was laughing so hard he apparently couldn’t look at the camera. It’s either that or he was too embarrassed to show his face.

Evan thinks he has awesome looking calves in high heels. Actually, he couldn't stop talking about how great he thinks his legs look. I'm a little concerned.

Breckenridge

2009-02-18T23:37:00.006-06:00

Here are a few photos from Evan and Scott’s trip to Breckenridge last week. I would have more to post but both Evan and Scott gimped themselves up on the first day of snowboarding. Evan thinks he may have separated two of his ribs and Scott’s ankle looks like an extra large grapefruit. The bruising is nicely making its way up his leg. Evan said he usually waits until day two to pull out all the fancy tricks but apparently he couldn’t wait that long. And Scott…well, he’s a beginner and we don’t have an excuse for his injuries.

Birthday Wishes

2009-02-11T13:20:00.005-06:00

I want to say happy birthday to Evan and my awesome sister-in-law Lisa. I hope the two of you have a fantastic day. Much love to you both.

A birthday for two

2009-02-06T06:00:00.002-06:00

We had a dual celebration at Gloria's Restaurant for Evan and Claire's birthdays. Claire turned 10 on Monday and Evan turns 33 next Wednesday. It's hard to get us all together because of the guy's work schedules but we managed to do it and had a great time.

Group shot

and another...

Lisa and baby Luke

Nice face Scott. He's laughing because we had the wait staff serenade the birthday boy and girl. Evan was a little surprised.

Apparently, you don't get birthday cake at Gloria's...you get birthday flan! Can we say "yummy?"

Claire enjoying her serenade

It's the McNabb family! (l to r) Cole, Clair, Granny Sara and Scott

I always save the best picture for last. Scott went to get the vehicle and proceeded to pull out a step latter from his FJ. We're all like, "What the heck is he doing?" His mom, Sara, can't get up into Scott's lifted truck so he has to carry a step stool with him. I almost peed my pants laughing. She was gracious enough to let me take this photo. Thanks Granny Sara!

Tag and I'm it

2009-02-04T11:21:00.018-06:00

Sweet, my first blog tag! Thanks Sarah of Sarah Sez!

1. Go to where you store your digital photo folders & open the 4th folder.
2. Go to the 4th picture and post it.
3. Explain the picture.
4. Tag an additional 4 people.

Oh, the memories. This is a picture of Holly and me on our annual canoe trip. This was the first year I got invited to go with the Farley's and I've never looked back since.

What made this trip memorable was that Evan and I were in limbo between Orlando and Dallas at the time. We were in the process of selling our Orlando home and I was supposed to have gone home to Orlando for the week and then we were going to fly together to St. Louis for our canoe trip. Unfortunately, work got in the way and I decided I would do my Orlando trip on the back end of our canoe trip. What I didn't know was that Evan was going to pop the question and his plan would be that we could show everyone we were engaged on the trip. Everyone on the trip knew Evan was going to ask me so they kept asking to see my hand. They didn't realize the plans had changed. Thank goodness I was oblivious to the hand questions.

Funnier yet, was that Will Fritchley, who I didn't know well at the time, seized this opportunity to make my life hell for an evening. We had all been drinking that night and Will started asking Evan why he hadn't asked me to marry him and did he have commitment issues, etc. It got me all worked up and I was like, "Yeah Evan, why haven't you asked me?" By the end of my drunken night Will had me so fired up that I was giving Evan ultimatums that if he didn't propose within a year I was out of there! It seems that everyone got great pleasure out of my misery. Pour Evan bit his lip and didn’t say one word the whole night. It had to be so hard on him. Little did I know what was in store for me the next week?

I am tagging:

Cheryl James
Jamee Baltzell
Amanda Friskopp
Kelly Hatcher

Two snow days...

2009-01-28T09:19:00.006-06:00

but no snow. We got a ton of ice last night, which has shut down the entire city. According to several news sources, this is the worst storm Dallas has had since 1980. I haven't seen this much ice in a long time. So, what does that mean for me...snow day yesterday and snow day today!!! Can I get a woot-woot? Did I stay in my pajamas all day yesterday...heck yeah, I did. Today I decided to at least make an effort to get dressed so I wouldn't feel like a bum. So far, so good. Now, I think I will sit back, relax and enjoy a little show called "The View."

Giveaway from Sarah Sellz

2009-01-25T22:56:00.006-06:00

Hop on over to Sarah Sellz's blog and enter her giveaway. There's accessories, purses and stuff galore!!! Ladies, if you haven't visited Sarah Sellz's blog before you must go there now! You will be addicted!

http://www.sarahsellz.blogspot.com/

Here are the rules for the giveaway:

How do you enter?? Visit SARAH SELLZ look everything over and leave me a comment with the number of the item that you want the most. If you don't have a blogger account you can send me an e-mail with your info and the item number to sarahsellz@gmail.com Got a blog?? Share this with your readers, let me know and I will add five more entries in your name. Enter from now until Tuesday (1*27) at 9:00 am central time, after that the winner will be drawn (using a random number generator) and announced. Have fun & good luck!!!!!!!***don't worry if you don't live in the area, I'll cover shipping if you win!!!!

Something cool

2009-01-22T20:48:00.002-06:00

I found this cool new website that will recycle your old cell phones. It was so easy to do. I placed them all in a box, printed out a shipment notice, a free shipping label and sent them off. It doesn’t get much better than easy and free. Plus, you can print out a document for tax purposes. They will either repair your phone for future use or dispose of it properly if it’s no longer usable.

Good riddance old cell phones! If anyone has questions about the process, please let me know.

It's here...

2009-01-20T09:14:00.003-06:00

Inauguration Day!!!

US Airways plane crashes into Hudson

2009-01-15T15:58:00.004-06:00

Holy cow!!! As of right now, it is being reported that everyone has made it off the plane safely. Let's hope that's true.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=6656804&page=1

My dirty little secret

2009-01-08T22:39:00.005-06:00

Thank you Tri Dan Du of Luxury Nails and Spa! You give the best calf, knee and foot massages ever!

I got my pedicure tonight and was secretly excited when they assigned me to Tri Dan Du. I've had him before and he is the best pedicurist/manicurist/masseuse. I almost feel a little dirty when he gives me his super secret Asian massage. Sometimes I giggle. He does all these weird cracking things too that feel amazing. I can't even communicate with him to tell him how awesome it feels because he barely speaks English. It's probably for the best. I would probably say something totally inappropriate. Now, if I could only teach Evan these special techniques I would be in heaven!

Patrick Swayze

2009-01-08T00:03:00.008-06:00

Did anyone catch the Barbara Walters interview with Patrick Swayze tonight? What a tear jerker! He has such a great spirit and attitude about the whole thing. His one vice...he's STILL smoking! Even though his treatment is going well I guess I shouldn't hold my breath for a Road House II. I love that movie.

Housewives of the OC

2009-01-06T23:00:00.005-06:00

Can I say that I really like the new girl Gretchen? I am not going to lie and say that I didn’t judge her a bit at the beginning; however, every time I watch I can’t help but like her more and more. Am I the only one?

Recipe Swap

2009-01-06T22:48:00.013-06:00

Jamee, this post is for you. Evan and I made this recipe a couple of weeks ago and loved it. We thought this was easy to make and it’s was healthy too. I hope Hank and the kids like pork chops! Actually, I think somewhere on the card it mentions that you can use boneless skinless chicken breasts in place of the pork.

You should be able to click on the image and enlarge it for the ingredients and instructions. If anyone has problems, please let me know.

2009-01-02T09:02:00.000-06:00

Please say some prayers for my friends Aron and Amanda Friskopp and their family. Aron’s mom lost her battle with cancer early yesterday morning. Even though they knew she had a short time to live I don’t think you can ever truly be prepared for losing a love one. My heart goes out to all of them.

Christmas with the Bunton/Farley Families

2008-12-30T22:11:00.008-06:00

Before I came along the Bunton's were lacking in the photo department. As the new daughter-in-law I vowed to change that. I promised to make everyone's life hell by snapping every minute of their lives so that it could be documented for future reference. This is a trait I inherited from my photo obsessed mother (thanks mom). I am confident that the Buntons and the Farleys thank God for me everyday. :=)

Having fun rolling around in the mess

Have I mentioned how cute he is?

One of my favorite photos. For those of you who know Chad, I hope you appreciate this photo. It was a special gift I made just for him.

Holly's new pajama set...sexy!

One of Evan's many tools

Cole's new circuit set...sweet!

Ross is such a ham...love him!

So darn cute

2008-12-30T21:57:00.004-06:00

Here are a few spectacular photos from Christmas Eve up at the Westside. Oh what fun it was!

My weirdest post yet

2008-12-29T00:05:00.003-06:00

There seemed to be a lot of holiday sadness this year - from tragic deaths to prolonged illnesses, so I figured I would try and lighten the mood with one of my weird and random thought processes.

I did everything possible today to avoid the mess that Evan and I brought home from Christmas. I would unpack an item and decide that I needed to clean that drawer, closet or room to avoid unpacking everything else, hence making a bigger mess than what I started with. I went to unpack my panties (undies, underwear, whatever you want to call them) and decided that I should clean out my drawer. I ended up with a stack of panties that I have never worn or have worn once and decided I didn’t like. Most of these were gifts given to me (don’t ask). So here is my dilemma…what do I do with the ones that I have worn once and that are in perfectly good condition? I have a pile of stuff ready to donate and think that I can donate the ones that I have never worn but what about the others? I hate to clog up the landfills with perfectly good underwear yet I’m grossed out at the fact of donating underwear even if it has only been worn once. I have plenty of cleaning cloths so I don’t think I want to use these as rags. Help!!! I don’t know what to do with this huge stack of underwear. I’m anxious to hear your thoughts on this completely random and odd subject.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T19:37:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas everyone!

Season Finale

2008-12-16T13:49:00.004-06:00

Tonight is the finale of the Biggest Loser. I don’t know if anyone watches but it’s one show we enjoy at our house. It’s amazing to watch the transformations these people go through. However, this season has been a little different. There are three blue team members who have been deceitful this time around. They have taken game play to a whole new level and have been downright dirty. Of course, they made it to the finals. There is a fourth person, who is a black team member, who deserves to win more than anyone. She “gets it” and has learned so much about herself and why she got big in the first place. The other three are there to win the money and will most likely gain their weight back once the show is done. I will be on the edge of my seat to see who loses the most weight and I pray that Michelle will be this season’s biggest loser! Go Michelle!!!

Goodbye Fat!

2008-12-14T22:32:00.004-06:00

Fat, fat go away don’t come again no other day. That’s my new motto. I’m on my way to thinner buns and thighs. Probably not before any of you see me though. I got my new original health club step from Cathe of Cathe.com. I LOVE this lady…actually I’m obsessed with this lady. I’m ready to start pumping some iron and stepping my way to a rock hard bod. Merry Christmas to me!!!

Our new toy

2008-12-12T08:25:00.004-06:00

We FINALLY got a Wii. We have actively been looking for over a year now and have been unable to get one. Evan managed to snag one off of Amazon.com. This thing is so addicting! And, the best part is that I rule in bowling. I have kicked Evan's butt every time. He just can't get his stance right. I love rubbing it in too because Evan is always better at everything that he does so it's nice to watch him suffer a bit.

Now, what I really want to know is if anyone else has WiiFit? I'm contemplating ordering it but I want to hear from someone who has it first.

Please welcome...

2008-12-08T00:18:00.006-06:00

Luke Richard Dulski
Born: Saturday, December 6th
Time: 11:18 p.m.
Weight: 8 lbs. 13 oz.

Congratulations Eric and Lisa! We couldn't be happier for the both of you!

UPDATE:

2008-12-06T12:05:00.004-06:00

My dad had a PET Scan on Tuesday, which revealed that the spots on his chest were cancerous. He had to go back Thursday to have them biopsied so they could determine what type of cancer it was and and how they would treat it. However, when they went in to do the procedure the doctor said the spots had started to break up and were foggy so he had nothing he could take to biopsy. I'm frustrated because I don't even know what that means. How could it be there one day and gone the next. He goes back to the oncologist Monday to discuss what this means and what the next step is.

Thanks again for all of your kind words and support; it means a lot to me.

Say a prayer

2008-12-02T23:24:00.005-06:00

Please say a prayer for my dad. He had to go back to the doctor yesterday for some tests. They found a couple of small pea size spots on his chest. I pray that his cancer is not back. The first time was rough enough and I can't bear the thought of him having to go through it again. I'll post again when I have more information.

Am I crazy?

2008-11-24T22:27:00.001-06:00

Does anyone watch “The Duggars?” I like the show, I really do…but…does anyone get a weird cult feeling from them? Sometimes it almost makes me feel uncomfortable to watch. Evan can no longer watch it with me because he said it makes him feel uneasy. I completely respect their lifestyle but there are some things they do or say that makes my jaw drop. Tonight’s episode was like double Duggar with their friends “The Bates.” The two wives looked eerily the same. Please tell me I’m not the only one who thinks this way!!!

Keys off Vegas on!

2008-11-13T12:57:00.008-06:00

After weighing all of our options, it looks like we won't be able to go to the Keys after all. The weather there was going to be crappy and we didn't think we would have enough time there between non-revving and driving. Instead, we decided we would go to Vegas. We've been several times and wandered around and enjoyed the sights but this time Evan said "if we are going to go then we are going to do it all this time." We plan on taking in a Cirque show, all the Stratosphere rides (help me), possibly the Hoover Dam and the strip clubs! Okay just kidding about the strip clubs. We also decided to stay in downtown as opposed to the strip. The main reason for that is the major remodel of the Golden Nugget and its new shark tank pool. It looks awesome!

I'm very excited about our trip but extremely nervous about the Stratosphere rides. Two of them hang over the edge. We can pay $27.00 and gain admittance to the top and ride the three rides they have. Evan said I need to "man up." I guess I'll just suck it up and do it, but I am going to have a glass or two of wine before I get on. That should make everything better.

Has anyone seen any of the Cirque shows? I hear 'Love' is a favorite. We still trying to decide on which show to see, so send me your suggestions.

That's all for now. Peace out!

Need Your Suggestions

2008-11-10T12:19:00.003-06:00

This weekend is our 2nd wedding anniversary and Evan and I were thinking about going to Key West for a few days. Has anyone been? Can you offer any suggestions for hotels? I’ve picked out a couple that we can book, but I always like to here suggestions from people who have been there. Anything special we should do while we are there besides drink, be merry and make babies? We’re open to suggestions if you’ve got them.

History has been made

2008-11-04T22:04:00.003-06:00

Folks, welcome your new president.

2008-11-04T21:49:00.003-06:00

Today Evan and I went and voted for the very first time. I know, I can hear all of you yelling on the other end. I think I speak for both of us when I say that we have very apolitical most of our lives. This year was different and important and we gladly cast our vote. Now, we play the waiting game.

A baby shower, a Hot Carl and a whole lot of black velvet

2008-11-03T22:54:00.016-06:00

I have been meaning to post the pictures from Lisa's baby shower that we had last weekend, but I've been a little slow. We had a great time! She got permission to use one of her model homes for the shower. It was beautiful! We ate lots of food, played the poopy diaper game and opened gifts. Lisa is the cutest pregnant women ever! I can't wait for Baby D to get here.

The spread

Smelling the poopy diaper

Examining the poopy diaper

Diana looks very perplexed by the diaper pooh

Very funny

The cake

Lisa opening her gifts...so cute!

Awww!

So many cute clothes!

Eric is going to look fabulous wearing his man carrier!

After Lisa's shower, Diana, and I headed over to a friend's to pick up the hubbys. Fortunately, Hot Carl was three sheets to the wind by the time we got there. He provided us with some excellent entertainment. I hope that he pays Diana huge sums of money to put up with his shenanigans because I would have disowned him by now. He finished an entire bottle of Black Velvet by himself!!! It makes me sick just thinking about it. Apparently, it made him sick too because Diana had to pull off the interstate to let him watch the Black Velvet come up the other way. She said he passed out but woke up one time randomly singing a song and then he passed back out again. Oh the power of the Hot Carl.

He's like the brother I wish I never had!

He actually looks sober here...too bad he's not.

No Evans were harmed in the making of this photo

Diana and I drinking our wine out of some fancy Bass Pro Shop cups

This picture says it all.

For those of you who know Hot Carl and know what Hot Carl means, I hope you thoroughly enjoyed this post.

Southwest's Smokin Spirit Party

2008-10-28T22:31:00.007-05:00

Last night we attended Southwest's Smokin Spirit Party. It was a big hangar party to say goodbye to Herb Kelleher, the founder of Southwest Airlines, and Colleen Barrett. I have yet to hear the final count but they were expecting at least 10,000 people (insane). This was for employees only and their families. Employees non-reved from all over the place to attend. It was a lot of fun! I wish every Monday could be that exciting!

Look who turned 2!!!

2008-10-28T21:14:00.014-05:00

My littlest niece, Addyson, turned 2 earlier this month. My mom was nice enough to send us the pictures from her party. I had to post them because they are sooooooo cute!

The Birthday Girl! This could be one of my all time favorite photos of her ever! Don't let the cute face fool you...she is ornery!!!

Blowing out her candle!

(l to r) Lisa, Noelle, Addyson and my bro Dave

Big sister waiting for her piece of cake! So cute!

All smiles!

She looks peeved. I'm guessing this was before she got her gifts.

Halloween Spirit

2008-10-27T13:50:00.005-05:00

My mom sent these to me and I couldn't help but share them. Everyone needs a little laughter now and then!

I really want...

2008-10-13T21:45:00.005-05:00

A new HP Touchscreen. Does anyone have one of these? I love technology so much even though it can be frustrating at times. I wonder if Evan will let me put this on my Christmas list?

Movie Review

2008-10-12T20:31:00.010-05:00

City of Ember

Evan and I were surfing the web this morning and came across a movie called City of Ember. We watched the trailer and thought it looked really good, so we hit the Sunday matinee. It's about a city built deep underground that was created to last only 200 years. Time is up and the city's main source of light and electricity (a generator) is about to crap out. Two of the town's children are determined to find a way out for everyone. If you have kids then this movie is a must see. If you are an adult who likes children's movies, like Evan and I do, then you too can enjoy this movie. I would say that it has the feel of a Harry Potter movie. I'm not comparing it to that but the kid actors and the fantasy aspect of it are similar. Let me know if you see it and what you thought of it. Happy movie going!

Fayetteville Arkansas – Hyatt Place – Razorbacks Softball

2008-10-08T20:18:00.020-05:00

Last weekend was our first visit up to Fayetteville to visit Brittany. My mom and dad made the trek from Omaha, so we decided it was a good time to go.

First, I have to tell you about our hotel. We booked a room at the new Hyatt Place hotel. It was freaking awesome! It was very contemporary and trendy. We had free Wi-Fi access, a 42-inch flat panel TV, wet bar, sofa and a super comfy bed. It was more of a suite than a standard room. The staff was super nice and took the time to tell us about the hotel. It’s something new they are marketing and I would highly suggest staying at one if you can.

After we got settled in we met the P’s at Applebee’s for dinner. Dad was a little tired from their drive and wanted to catch the end of the Husker’s football game. Evan and I headed back to the hotel, parked the car and walked to Outback for a few brewskies.

Sunday we took our time getting ready (mainly because I didn’t want to leave our cool new hotel room.) We grabbed lunch and headed to watch Brit’s softball games. She played so well and had some amazing plays. We were happy we got to see her play. They had great team spirit and were a lot of fun to watch.

It was nice to spend time with my mom, dad and Brittany. It was a short weekend in Fayetteville, but definitely fun.

So...

2008-10-03T00:01:00.001-05:00

Did you watch the Vice Presidential Debate? What did you think? Talk amongst yourselves.

My first love...Evan Bunton

2008-09-30T23:30:00.015-05:00

My second love...

Evan got me an iphone for my birthday (thank you honey). I am giddy! I have waited for several long months until our contract expired so that I could upgrade my phone. I love this thing; it is so addicting!

Not only that, but it goes so well in the new purse I bought yesterday from Sarah of www.sarahsellz.blogspot.com.

Watch out...here comes fashionably cool Ashley (that almost sounds like a barbie name)!

Weekend in St. Louis

2008-09-23T23:26:00.018-05:00

After six long months, I finally got a chance to go and visit my BFF, Melissa, in St. Louis. We really kicked up our heels and caused a little trouble along the way.

Friday, we hit the bar to see some old friends and to watch a Van Halen cover band. The band was awesome, but their looks…not so much. The lead singer had major porn stash on his upper lip and the drummer was well, just icky. To my surprise, many women were throwing themselves at them during intermission. In addition to the band, we also had some side entertainment. We had some hoosiers hitting on us, a couple sucking face right by us, two chicks dancing together while their boyfriend’s snapped pictures of them, and finally some not very cute chick wearing a partial Playboy bunny outfit. Melissa said “Oh look she must have come from a Halloween party.” I let her process this comment until she realized Halloween was over a month away…too funny.

Saturday, we headed up to wine country. We went to Montelle Winery (love that place). I was sure to call my sister-in-law and rub it her face politely. We had a great wine tasting and then sat outside to enjoy a bottle or two of wine. Again, the free entertainment was in abundance. I could sit and people watch all day, especially drunk ones.

Modeling the sign

Testing out the wine...yummy

One glass down...many more to go!

View from the winery...beautiful!

Sunday we had lunch at Norton’s Café down in Soulard. After stuffing ourselves silly, I dragged the rest of my group to the St. Louis Arch. I had never been and was itching to go. Melissa is scared of heights and enclosed spaces, but she went anyway. Her mild panic attacks on the way up the arch made for a fun afternoon.

Checking out the pod

What we would look like if the pod got stuck

Andrew (Mel's son) and I in the pod.

Mike and Melissa

View of the stadium from the arch

Happy Birthday Momma Bunton

2008-09-21T07:00:00.002-05:00

Glenda, don't you wish this is what we really got you for your birthday this year? Oh well...happy birthday! We love you!

Happy Birthday Momma Hobza

2008-09-20T07:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday Mom! Much love and happiness on your special day!

Stuff

2008-09-16T22:31:00.005-05:00

Well, we made it through the weekend without any scratches. The storm was not as bad by us as they had predicted. We got a ton of rain, but the wind was not that bad.

Speaking of weather, it has been gorgeous here, which is unusual! It has been in the high 70’s in the day and upper 50’s at night. I love this time of year. I wish it would stay like this longer, but it always seems to disappear so fast.

Work and school have been crazy. I’m trying to get it all done before I head out of town this weekend. I’m going to St. Louis (yippee) to tear it up with my friend, Melissa! I’m sure we will get into some sort of trouble. No sooner do I come back and then Evan and I leave to go to Newton the following weekend. To great weekends back to back…should be a lot of fun!

I’m posting a picture of my new “green” grocery bag. I bought a couple at Kroger the other day. I am so pumped. Good riddance plastic bags! These new bags are so sturdy and big. I can jam so much stuff into them…its great! Plus they’re useful for a lot of other things.

That’s all for now. Later my little peeps.

Hurricane Ike A-comin'

2008-09-11T10:56:00.003-05:00

It looks like we might be in for a rocky weekend of weather. They are saying that Ike could make landfall as a category 4 hurricane. That is insane! I’m guessing that evacuees will head this way for the weekend. The Dallas area could possibly see 10+ inches of rain and up to 50-60 mph winds.

This brings back bad memories of the 2004 hurricane season when Evan and I lived in Orlando. I feel for the people who have to evacuate their homes. I still remember one of the radio stations in Orlando playing a clip from a caller who said if you plan on staying you better “hunker down bitch!” That’s my advice to all of you.

9/11

2008-09-11T10:52:00.002-05:00

I cannot believe it has been seven years already. I will never forget that day, where I was and what I was doing. The details are so vivid in my mind that it's hard for me to comprehend this much time has past. This country has forever been changed because of that day. Never forget.

Advice

2008-09-10T07:00:00.000-05:00

I need some studying advice from my ladies. I am so drained after work and don't feel like I have the mental energy to study. I don't know if I'm absorbing any information. So tell me how all of you working mommies go to school and find time to study? Give me some tips on how and when you study? Maybe you all have some secret weapon to balancing it out that I don't know about. Also, is it totally unreasonable to try and maintain straight A's or should I give up that idea?

Redneck Weekend

2008-09-08T07:00:00.004-05:00

Evan and I went to Devil’s Bowl Speedway this weekend to watch dirt track racing. The experience was redneck fabulous!

I’ve never been to a race before. It was loud, dirty and I’ll admit…fun! We had a good group of people, so that made it that much more enjoyable. I still have one nagging question though, why is it the bigger the girl the shorter the shirt?

2008-09-08T06:55:00.001-05:00

Evan finished installing the lift on his Chevy this past week and I told him I would post some pictures of his new ride. Some days I wonder if there is anything that boy can’t do.

Trail Riding

2008-09-03T07:00:00.003-05:00

This weekend Evan took me trail riding in the Jimmy. This was my first time, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’m not going to lie and say that I didn’t act like a girl on the first few hills we did. I was positive we were going to roll over, but we didn’t. Evan would look over every so often to see if I was still breathing. I managed to work through it and dropped the girliness about an hour in.

He also took me over to the hardcore trails and we watched several people climb some scary hills. The videos I took don’t even do the hills justice. You can’t even tell how steep they really are.. In order for you to go up them, you have to be equipped with a rollbar and harness seatbelts, neither of which we have, so those were a big fat no for us!

After lunch is where the real adventure began. On one of our runs, the Jimmy started acting funny. It was chugging a little, but I didn’t think much of it until it died while we were side ways in a ravine. I may have crapped my pants a little. Somehow, Evan managed to get the truck started again and got us up out of the ravine and up the hill a ways before it totally died. Since we were by ourselves, we had no choice but to walk. We walked 1.3 miles back to the heavy Chevy, so we could tow the Jimmy to safety. As we were walking, I told Evan I felt like Clark Griswold in National Lampoons Vacation. The temperature was hot, the park was like a desert and I was so tempted to put my pants on my head for a little relief. As much as Evan thought that was a great idea, I refrained from doing so. Anyway, we made it back, got the truck and towed the Jimmy back. All is good. The end!

This is one of the trucks I filmed, while on a tougher trail. I'm mainly posting this for my brother because I know he would have loved to have been there.

80's Weekend

2008-09-02T11:13:00.002-05:00

Did anyone catch VH1’s 80 hours of 80’s this past weekend…no, not all 80 hours, but a least a portion of it? It was awesome! There were so many videos neither Evan nor I had seen in ages. We started reminiscing about some of the 80’s groups we saw in concert; his being cool bands like Metallica and ACDC and mine being New Kids on the Block. There were a couple of times I thought he was outside, while I was singing my little heart out, only to find that he was standing behind me. He was not impressed with my singing skills. Oh well!

Sad

2008-08-29T07:00:00.002-05:00

Tragically, our neighbor's house caught fire this past June. Thankfully, the family was not at home when it started. When the fire trucks arrived to put out the fire there was no water in the hydrants. It seems this has been a big problem in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.

In Texas, it is a law that if you have a non-working fire hydrant it must be painted black. Ours were at one time painted red. I'm not aware of when they were painted, but no one from Cash Water Supple bothered to notify us that our hydrants were no longer working. Cash’s lame excuse for why the hydrants are off is pathetic. Apparently, after 911 they turned them off to prevent vandalism and terrorist activity. Really? Terrorist activity? And, aren't all fire hydrants susceptible to vandalism? Whatever! They say that the local fire departments were notified and were told they could turn the hydrants on with a special tool, yet no one had that tool the night of the fire. I’m sure that information is very consoling to our neighbors. I don’t understand the point of having fire hydrants in a neighborhood if they don’t work.

Anyway, as of right now, our neighborhood is in the process of purchasing this "special" tool so that when someone has a fire we can let them know that they need to use it. Grabbing a “special” tool is not exactly what I'm going to be thinking about while my house is burning down. Right now, my only hope is that our neighbors can put their lives back together and start over.

Below is the news story. Very sad.

http://www.wfaa.com/video/index.html?nvid=276576

The brilliance that is Denis Leary

2008-08-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

If you don’t watch Rescue Me with Dennis Leary then you need to. You are missing out on one of the best t.v. shows…ever! Evan and I love this show! Right now though I am in a little bit of pain since the show is not on, due to the writer’s strike earlier this year. However, to keep everyone hanging on until next season they have filmed 8-minute minisodes. The minisodes are such a tease! I want more, but I’ll have to wait until 2009 before they return.

Click below to watch Tommy, Mikey, Lou, Franco, and Sean pull out all the stops. They're hilarious and strange all at the same time.

http://crackle.com/c/Rescue_Me_Minisodes/#promo=30
(Each minisode will run one right after the other.)

Texas Government?

2008-08-27T07:00:00.007-05:00

UPDATE: According to the polls, the two people who voted that they took a state specific government class where indeed from Texas.

I wouldn’t be a Bitchin Bunton if I didn’t have something to bitch about, so here it goes.

Last week I registered for one of my “required” classes for school. I have to take American Government, which is no problem, but I also have to take Texas Government in order to get my degree. I asked my sister-in-law, Holly, since she is a professional in the course-taking department, if she had ever heard of such a preposterous thing. I believe her response was this. “That Texas Government is a crock of shit!!! I have attended 3 colleges and universities in the state of Illinois and hence received 3 degrees, and not once have I been forced to take "Illinois Government!” She told me I should take to my blog. I was fired up about it anyway, but she sealed the deal for me. I cannot believe I have to take a Texas Government course to graduate. Not only that, but the book for the class is more expensive than my American Government and Economics books that I purchased for this semester.

Has anyone else had to take a state specific government course in order to get a degree? And, I am not referring to the elementary/middle school specific information you learned about your state when you were little.

Brunch with the ladies

2008-08-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

My friend, Jen, had us over for brunch this weekend. The concept behind it was very cool. Jen hosted the brunch and made food for all of us and the rest of brought an entree that we would split up and share to have for lunch this week. Jen even provided the Tupperware! Essentially, I ended up with four different entrees for lunch. How cool is that? No cooking, no frozen meal, no trying to figure out what I'm taking because it's already made. The only thing we would have done differently was to bring the recipes to go along with the meals. Other than that, it was awesome! Thanks again Jen!

(l to r) Jenny, Lori, Laurie and Jen

(l to r) Jenny, Lori, Laurie and Me

Bye Brit Brit!

2008-08-20T07:00:00.000-05:00

My little Brittany leaves for college tomorrow. I had to fight back the tears as I said good-bye tonight. It was a combination of being sad that she's all grown up, she's leaving, and that I'm so proud of everything she's accomplished. Good luck Brit!

Before she left, there was one final and important thing she had to take care of. I think she's hoping to sneak off to school before anyone else in the family finds out. Good luck with that! Grandma and Grandpa, if you reading this...don't be mad!

Canoeing Part II

2008-08-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

Here's part II of our canoe photos. These are photos of us on the river canoeing, drinking, relaxing, etc.

I have more photos to post from our canoe trip and from our trip home. I'll post those over the next few days as I get back into the groove of things.

We're baaaack!

2008-08-17T22:49:00.004-05:00

Here's part one of our canoe trip photos. I'm sad it's over with. I look forward to this trip all year and it was gone in a flash. We have such an amazing group of friends; there's no expectations or drama...it's just good times and good fun.

2008-08-12T20:03:00.004-05:00

We just got back in town last night, so we have not had a chance to catch up. Plus, things are crazy at work. I will post our photos and stories from this past weekend as soon as I can.

Book review...sort of

2008-08-06T07:00:00.002-05:00

Okay, so I haven't actually read it, but I'm trusting the opinion of my niece, Brittany, who has. Her and her friend Ashley were raving about this book series that they are really into right now. It's called the "Twilight Series." Twilight is the first book in the series followed by: "New Moon," "Eclipse," and finally, "Breaking Dawn," which was released last Friday. I am hoping to pick this up before we leave on Thursday, but chances are slim.

All I know is that the story is centered around a young man and woman, Edward and Isabella, and Edward is a vampire. Since my description is lacking, I've included the link to the book for more background information.

If anyone gets to this before I do, please let me know what you think.

http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/twilight.html

Forecast for today = MISERY

2008-08-04T13:17:00.005-05:00

Temperature yesterday: 107 degrees
Heat Index: 117+

Temperature Prediction for Today: 108 degrees
Heat Index: HELL…it's going to feel like hell!

Well, let's head to the water...oh wait, we can't because there is some weird disease going around Texas lakes and pools that gives you diarrhea. So basically, just sit in your house all day and do nothing. It might as well be winter because at least I would have energy and I wouldn't have to worry about dying the minute I step out the door.

Bathroom Etiquette

2008-07-31T14:54:00.003-05:00

I'm all fired up and decided to use my blog to vent. Talking on your cell phone in a public restroom is one of my biggest pet peeves. It's disgusting! There is no phone call important enough that needs to be handled in a bathroom. I just used the restroom and listened to a lawyer on the sixth floor carry on a conversation while using the restroom. I could hear the guy on the other end as they discussed their case. I do not...I repeat...I do not want to hear your conversation while I'm going to the bathroom. There were toilets flushing, germs flying and gosh knows what else. I can't imagine what the guy on the other end was listening too. Don't ever call me from a restroom, because I will hang up on you. I don't need to know your business!

Bummed

2008-07-30T07:00:00.003-05:00

CSI Vegas is one of my favorite shows. I just read that William Peterson a.k.a. Gil Grissom is leaving. From what I read, he is out of there mid season. He is staying on as executive producer and will make appearances from time to time. How can he leave? He makes up half the show...heck, he is the show! First it was Sara, then Warrick and now Grissom. If this becomes another ER where all the original members leave and get recycled with new actors then I refuse to watch. Does anyone else watch CSI Vegas? Will you keep watching when Grissom leaves? So sad, so sad. :=(

My friend, Jesus

2008-07-28T07:00:00.015-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, Sarah, the coolest blogger and friend in the world, sent me a link to her new accessories blog. However, when I selected the link it took me to a biblical site and a 1000 ways to learn about Jesus, the Bible, etc. At first, I thought she was messing with me. I carefully checked the address of the link and it was correct. It was very bizarre and a little weird. When I told Sarah, she said, “It’s a sign that I am Jesus!” From then on, I referred to her as the “Holy One.” I can’t tell you how many e-mails went back and forth asking “Jesus” for her opinion and conversing about the latest gossip from her holy land. So, imagine my surprise when Jesus arrived at my doorstep Saturday. No, not Sarah, but Jesus the biblical action figure. Evan and I laughed for a long time over Sarah's gift. So, we decided to put together some photos of Jesus' visit so that we could share them with everyone.

Here he is blessing breakfast

Speaking to his peeps

Oh Jesus, you're so funny! Here he is telling me a story. He's quite the jokster.

He is such a huge help around the house. Here he is shamming the car.

Off to the grocery store. Don't forget your seat belt Jesus; Texas drivers are crazy!

Here he is telling Katy Perry why she shouldn't be kissing other girls!

Thanks again Sarah. It's been fun having Jesus here. He is already giving us signs. Immediately after he showed up, I picked up my magazine, flipped the page and there was a random article about living in St. Louis. It was a sign for Evan and I. A sign that we will one day be closer to our families. As far as I'm concerned, Jesus can stay as long as he wants.