Flood!

Some pictures of the flood from today.

I have no idea who took them (I'm sorry). They were sent by a friend to a friend to me.

Just so crazy that this happened. .. I feel like it was out of nowhere.

My Bridesmaid Outfit for KT's Wedding!

After I thought I would have to go naked to KT's wedding (eek!), because I could not find anything . . . I finally found my dress that I am wearing! KT is having a very eco-friendly wedding and wanted us to get something that we would wear again!

Let me tell you . . . . I SUCK at shopping for clothes. You can ask any of my friends or mothers or sister-in-laws. I just hate it. I always go really excited, and then NEVER find anything I like, or nothing fits me right, or everything is too expensive, and then I leave feeling very frustrated and depressed because then I feel like I have just wasted the day away.

But with some help from my friends (especially Mase), they steered me towards White House Black Market (mainly b/c a lot of them got their dresses from there). So on our way back from the Kenny Chesney concert (which I still have to blog about . . . oops!), we stopped at Grove City and I tried on the dress above and loved it! Thank goodness! It was actually exactly what I was looking for, and it was on sale too! I guess once in a while I get lucky! And I was getting so frustrated about this dress for the wedding because I went to the Millcreek Mall twice (went through the ENTIRE mall . . EVERY store that sold dresses), and could not find ANYTHING that worked! Maybe I am just too picky . . . but alas, I have found the one!
Then of course comes the shoes . . . ugh! Another thing I suck at . . . shopping for shoes. And I guess it's just one of those things that isn't really important to me. . . I would rather be doing something else than spending time looking for shoes that are too expensive, don't fit, or that I don't need. But Mase, once again, came to my rescue! Well . . she originally bought the shoes above (but in black) for her, and thought that an 8 1/2 would fit her, but lucky me . . . her feet are too small and mine are bigger, so I tried them and loved them and bought them off of her!! So now I am set! Thanks Mase! :-)

p.s. - It's 89 degrees in our office (seriously . . the one guy just looked at his thermostat) . . . we have no A/C this week or next b/c of maintenance! And wouldn't you know it would be the hottest week of the year! Fun!

Short Sale - Light @ End of the Well?

photo credit here

Well, we received an approval letter from our first lender yesterday on the short sale of our house! We started this process back in February, and the first lender JUST approved it, 4 months later. I just love this picture I found, because I feel like it explains our situation perfectly. We were at the bottom of the well 4 months ago, and now we are finally seeing some light! Now we must get our 2nd lender to approve , as well as make sure all the closing items go smoothly (before August 1st), and then hopefully we will be house free. Although, because of the situation we were in, our credit is crap now. We went from having the highest credit scores you can have at our age, to having credit scores that will block us from getting another house for quite some time. It is very unfortunate how this society works and how the economy and housing market took such a fall, but we are pushing through and trying to climb out of the well, leaving all of this frustration behind us. Keep praying that everything works out, because we need it!

Hummingbird!

I loooove hummingbirds! They are so dainty and smooth when they fly! So quick and so tiny!
These were taken at Rita & Don's house while we were sitting in their anti-gravity chairs, soaking up the sun and taking in the beautiful weather!

The New Cam! First Pics!

My first favorite pics with the new D-SLR!
Sooooo excited!! :-)

Happy Daddy's Day!

taken by my hubby on our new Canon Rebel T1i!

My Daddy!! I got to spend some time (but never enough) with my daddy today! We went to visit my grandpa at the cemetery. It was sooooooooooo beautiful outside! A perfect day for my daddy! He loves the warm weather!

And I just love my daddy! He is one of the most supportive, handy, intelligent, funny, caring people I know. He makes me laugh, he is an amazing cook, and is the best grandpa to our pup, Behren. I am so blessed to have such a great relationship with both of my parents, and could not ask for a better daddy! I love you! :-)

The New Cam Cam! Canon Rebel T1i!

Well, I finally twisted Shane's arm enough . . . we are getting the Canon EOS Rebel T1i Digital SLR Camera! I am suuuuuuuuuuuuuper excited about this! If you know me, you know I loooove taking pictures (almost too much), and I really want to be able to learn and understand the camera really well so I can take lots of pictures of all my family members (especially all the new bundles of joys) and friends! As well as all of the beautiful scenery Erie has to offer! I really have to thank Shane sooooo much for doing a lot of research to find the best camera for us. He is so good at it, and it just makes me so glad to have a husband that is so supportive in my passions! Although, I'm sure he will enjoy "figuring it out" as well!

I also want to thank one of my favorite photographers, Meaghan Elliott for all of her help in what cameras and lenses are best. I know she is super busy, and I greatly appreciate the time she took to help me out! She introduced us to the site, Adorama, where we actually ended up buying all our goods!
We ordered a "kit" that comes with the Rebel, the 18-55mm lens, a 4GB SD memory card, an extra rechargeable battery, and the Slinger camera bag (below). We also ordered the 50mm f/1.8 lens because we heard from two awesome photographers that the 50mm f/1.4 was the best lens to have, but . . we settled on the 1.8 because it does pretty much the same thing and is quite a bit cheaper.
So hopefully soon I can start clicking away with the new Rebel!

Does anyone know of any photography classes or photoshop classes in the Erie area?

Bryce's First Steps!

Bryce's First Steps!



Our niece started walking on her own!! She is 10 months and 1 day old! She has been standing up and sitting down all by herself for a while now! We knew it was a short time before she could walk on her own! I love when babies first learn how to walk and they waddle around like penguins!! Cutest thing ever!! Brycee goes so fast though! I can hardly keep up!

Welcome to the World, Lilyauna!

This morning I got to visit my cousin Carrissa, and her brand new baby girl, Lilyauna!

7lbs, 2 oz

Born 6:25am

So adorable and so sweet!! Can't wait to go visit again later!

Altar Boys!

Went to see "Altar Boys" Friday night with my hubs, Mommy, Daddy, Mommy-in-Law, and Step-Diddy-in-Law!

It was at the Erie Playhouse, and this is their synopsis of the show:

In this feel-good musical, a squeaky-clean group of boys from Ohio, who met in church, are guided by the voice of God to share the Gospel through pop music. The show joins them on the last leg of their tour, poking innocent, good-natured fun at boy bands and contemporary Christian music. Join Matthew, Mark, Luke, Juan and Abraham for this "holy hit!"

Photo Credit

At first I wasn't too sure, but as it went on, it sucked me right in! All the boys were such great singers and stuck to their characters so well!! Even in the way they danced and walked and moved around! It definitely made me remember the days my mom and dad and I used to go to the theater all the time!! I hope we make this more of a regular thing, because it was great! :-)

New Bikes!

Shane and I got our new bikes on Saturday morning, so of course we had to take them right out and test them out!
We went to the peninsula, and it was a PERFECT day for a bike ride!!
Us after our 12.5 mile bike ride around the entire peninsula!! We saw ten million chipmunks, lots of bugs, and even more "white snow"! We ran into our step-diddy, Don, too!!
Then we made our way to the beach for a little volleyball!
And some football and frisbee!! It was an awesome morning!! Followed up with some Sara's fries and orange sherbert and vanilla twist ice cream cones!!! Yum!

The Irony.

Saturday we were faced with the two year anniversary of my grandpa's death.
It was definitely a hard day for us all. My grandpa was one of the greatest people. His humor is something I will never forget, and something that made my life better in so many ways. His urn to teach me about life (whether it was how to drive, how to bowl, how to put a handle on a door, how to cut a piece of wood, how to swim, how to answer the phone with "yellllllllloooowww", and how to yell at telemarketers when they call . . "don't you know it's Sunday and I'm trying to watch my football!") is something I will always remember.
I have never had someone so close to me die before, and I struggle with it every day. I know he is living better now though, and I know that one day I will be with him again. I can't wait to hug him . . . and keep hugging him . . and him say "ok. . . ok . . . ok. . . geez. that's enough." I love you Grandpa.


And the ironic part of the day . . . we celebrated my cousin Tyler's 2nd birthday! He was born the exact day that my Grandpa died.I just love these kids! They are so adorable and so cute!
They definitely enjoyed the cake and got it all over their mouths!! Austin ate the "road" so his was even better!
God pours life into death and death into life without a drop being spilled. ~Author Unknown

Deutschland!

Dan and Marissa are in Germany, and they sent me the pictures to prove it!
I mean seriously . . . it's just one of those things that you just can't comprehend . . . when someone moves away for THREE years for work all the way across the world!!!
But here is proof!! Either that or they are somewhere where everything is in German!We miss and love you Dan & Marissa!! Looks like so much fun!! Can't wait to come visit!! Keep the pictures coming! :-)

New Bikes!

Shane and I get to pick up our new bikes tomorrow from one of the best bike stores in Erie, Competitive Gear! (I can't say it's the best b/c this is the only one I've been to, but I have heard lots of good things about it and they were very nice and helpful to us!)!!! Shane is getting the top bike (the Gary Fisher Tiburon), and I am getting the bottom bike (Gary Fisher Zebrano Step Thru)! We did lots of research (and by we, I mean Shane . . I did a little). We wanted "hybrid bikes" . . ones that are good on the road and good on paths.

Hopefully it will be nice enough out tomorrow so we can ride them around the peninsula or something! Sooooo excited! :-) Yay!!

P.S. - I originally wanted the 20" women's version of Shane's Tiburon bike, but they were sold out. So then I got the very last 20" frame for the Zebrano StepThru (last one in the nation!!)!! :-)

Saved By The Bell!

Zack Morris is back!



This is so crazy! I cannot believe how much he STILL looks exactly like Zack Morris! I was obsessed with this show!!

Saved By the Bell Reunion?! Heck yes!

Bryce's New Playground!

Sunday we went to help Sommer and Bry get Bryce's playground!

She is getting so big! She will be 10 months old in a couple days and from what I've heard, she can walk on her own now!! I will try to get some video of that!

I Still Got It! . . . Kinda.

Shane and I try to spice up our workouts so we don't get bored doing the same thing every day. We go to the Y, go for a run, go for a bike ride, play some tennis, pepper the volleyball, but today we decided to go to a local highschool and run around. The high jump mat was still out, so we really had no choice but to see if I could still jump after 3 years out of college competition. . . .



Not too shabby . . . I was definitely a lot more out of shape . . I did 3 or 4 jumps and felt my legs tiring already, but I made 4'10" easily . . . (probably a 5'4" jump at least), so I went up to 5'2" and kept nicking it with my bum (not getting enough speed to go over the bar), and went down to 5'0", where I made it!! (that's what this video is showing)!! But I was happy with that! 3 years since high jumping, no practice, very minimal running/lifting, and not getting my steps . . I'll take it!

First Country Concert!

So . . . this weekend I am going to my first "real" country concert. The only other country artists I saw were Martina McBride (but it was a Christmas concert), and Toby Keith (which was awesome, but was at the Crawford County Fair) . . . I actually have to drive an hour or two and not only will there be one awesome country artist, there will be 5!!!
I am going with my hubby, Shane's brother (Bry), and his wife (Sommer)! I have my cowgirl hat and everything, so I am ready to go! And the weather is supposed to be awesome! 80's and sunny! Concert doesn't start until 4pm though, so when the sun goes down, we'll be moving to keep warm (aka dancing . . . p.s. - did you catch the corny kenny chesney song reference?!)! Not sure the order of the artists, but the two fellows above like to call themselves Montgomery Gentry. Out of all the artists, I probably know the least of their songs, but I'm excited to hear them nonetheless! Hope they give me something to be proud of!
Besides Kenny, I am probably most excited to hear/see Lady A! I have their CD and love EVERY song on it!! It's such a feel good and fun CD, so def looking for a good time with them!
Miranda Lambert! Actually . . I'd probably say I know equal number of songs for her and Montgomery Gentry . . . but I'm getting ready to hear "Dry Town". It's so fun!
Sugarland! How cute are they!? I heard they are absolutely amazing in concert too, so I'm super psyched for something more! I know a lot of their songs, but my fav right now is "It Happens"! Because it's so true! Stuff goes wrong, and you just have to deal with it!
The headliner, Kenny Chesney! I already gave my cheesy "try to put a song lyric in my paragraph for that artist" bit for Kenny, so I will just say that with him getting the "Entertainer of the Year Award" a gazillion times, I have big hopes for him!! I hope he can live up to it! I will let you know!

KT's Shower!

Sunday was one of my bff's (Katie's) shower! Her future mommy-in-law hosted the shower, and did a lovely job!! Here is Katie, Mike's mom, and Mike!
KT and her girls (my other BFF's . . . aka SKANK). Mase, Nikkie, Moi, KT, Katie's Sister (Amy/Sissy), and Kristen! So excited for the wedding! KT and Mike have been together forever and are one of the cutest, most genuine couples I know!
I tried to get the SKANKS on the tramp, but only Mase wanted to jump with me. But how perfect was this?! Thanks to an awesome shot by her sissy, Rachel.

Super excited for the wedding! It's going to be unique and gorgeous and I can't wait to spend more time with my awesome friends!


- All photos courtesy of Mase's cam . . . (I believe the first one was taken by Mase herself, w/the following 2 by her sissy, Rach)

Bon Voyage . . . for 3 Years!

Oh man . . . this post is both sad and exciting. Shane's brother, Dan, and his wife, Marissa, are heading off to Germany tomorrow . . . . for 3 years!!! They are going for work, and I know we are all very excited for them, but we are also very sad knowing that they are going to be so far away. But I mean, this is an awesome opportunity for them, and they are going to grow closer together and have so many unforgettable experiences and awesome memories.
Us all together one last time before the journey to Germany @ Marissa's parents Memorial Day picnic (Shane, me, Rita, Bry, Sommer, Don, Bryce, Dan, & Marissa)
Dan and Marissa, you are such a great brother and sister to us, and we are so proud of you and excited for you! You are so lucky to have this amazing opportunity, and we wish you nothing but the best. Don't worry, you can't get rid of us this easy . . . we'll be sure to come visit a couple times! You'll be our tour guides, so you better start planning! ;-) We will miss you so much, and so will our kitties (and Behren too)! You better start a blog so you can blog about everywhere you go, and to help keep in touch! Have a safe "trip", and don't have too much fun without us! We love you so much!

P.S. - Bryce says no cousins until you get back ;-)
P.P.S. - She said kitties are okay though.