Priceless

Laughter. Lots and Lots of Laughter. Talking. Very Little Sleep. Junk Food. Fast Food. Sonic Limeaides. Lots of Sonic Limeaides. Memories Made. 5 Finger Discounts and Lost Cars. Shopping. More Laughter.

Sarah's visit was all of this and so much more. There just aren't words that can tell the story of what a blessing her visit was to me. God is so good and this time with Sarah was just the pick me up i needed. I laughed more in those 3 days than i have in months! It all started when i picked her up at the airport Saturday morning w/ starbucks in hand! We went strait to Target and then the mall. We sat at the food court for probably an hour just talking and enjoying each other's company. Then we went to Gap. I found a couple of shirts i wanted to try on so i held on to them while we chatted and looked around some more. And then we WALKED OUT. And walked ACROSS the mall before i even noticed that i still had those 2 shirts. HA! We almost peed ourselves laughing. And the best part was that NOBODY even said anything. Its not like they were hidden at all! We were just busy talking and catching up or maybe i'm just an airhead but either way it was HILARIOUS!! And of course we had to have a picture so here i am right before going back into Gap to actually try the shirts on!

After the mall we landed back at the casa for a pit stop and so that Sarah could say hi to the boys and John! We relaxed for a few hours and then headed to Kohls. Let me start by telling you that the parking lot was EMPTY when we parked. So we shopped and then we walked out to leave and the car was NO WHERE to be found in that empty parking lot. And what do any sensible chicks do when they realize the car seriously is NOT there??? We laughed. UNCONTROLLABLY!! And about the time we realized that we might actually have to call the police because the car was GONE....Sarah looked over and realized that we were on the wrong side of the parking lot. And then?? We really lost it laughing. I would have loved to be a spectator watching all of this take place. I don't think i will EVER be able to look back on either of those memories w/o giggling. Laughter truly is the BEST medicine!


On sunday morning we were blessed to share in hearing a wonderfully challenging and relevant message at church followed by lunch out with the whole family. Then we headed to the beach for some family pictures. I don't know if i've ever mentioned it but Sarah is a photographer! So even though the weather didn't exactly cooperate we figured we would give it a try. It was windy and relentlessly sunny which made for ALOT of shots with hair in someone's face or someone squinting! But we managed to get a few good shots and we had alot of fun! That evening we talked and watched tv and pretty much got lost in the world that is the couch!!

Monday brought lots of relaxing and running a few errands. And of course too much time spent on the internet over analyzing bachelor clips and looking forward to the finale!! After a trip to the store for a junk food refill, sonic for what had to have been the 6th or 7th time in 3 days, showers and getting in our jammies we settled in for the 3 hr Bachelor marathon. And then another hour of talking about it and analyzing it before we decided we better get some sleep before that 4:30 am alarm went off to get Sarah to the airport!


Sarah~ thank you so much for coming! Our friendship is truly priceless and i am so incredibly grateful for those 3 days of memories made. Thank you for who you are-for your forever selflessness and love. I'm so incredibly blessed to have you in my life, near or far! Should we buy lottery tickets and hope for a win so we can be together for the bachelorette finale?? Ha!! Countdown to Times Square has begun so you better be good!!

"A friend is one who strengthens you with prayers, blesses you with love and encourages you with hope."

Disgusted

That title pretty much says all there is to say about how i feel after watching last nights Bachelor events unfold. I dont even know where to start but i guess i will begin with a few thoughts about the finale and then dig into the ATFR special.

The finale was actually good. Even though i knew he was going to choose Melissa it was still enjoyable to watch it unfold. The Deanna bit was all for show and really awkward....a total letdown but whatever! Even after last night's finale i just didn't see it with Molly. Were they attracted to each other? Absolutely. But was there much beyond that?? If there was than the producers did a fabulous job of not showing it. I thought the proposal was really sweet and it was fun to watch them all together afterwards. I just really wish that it would have all ended with that!

But it didn't. And the after the final rose was sickening. Do i believe that the whole thing was scripted?? No. I truly don't. I think it was all just Jason changing his mind. With that said there is absolutely NO reason to do something like that on tv. He completely disrespected Melissa and i lost all respect for him. He could have easily done that in private and they could have done a special where they spoke to them separately and presented the information. Melissa deserves better than someone who would do that to her. My own personal feeling is that Jason didn't even give his and Melissa's relationship a fair chance. He jumped ship the second it got hard and i'm so glad that Melissa called him on that. Of course you still have feelings for Molly.....that doesn't go away over night and when you are watching the show over and reliving that over again i can see where it would be hard to not think about her. BUT that doesn't mean you throw in the towel and go running back. And then there is the whole next part with Molly. I don't believe for one second that he had not been talking to Molly. She put on a horrible surprised act. She wasn't very surprised at all.....and she sure changed gears from utter shock to playing tonsil hockey pretty quickly. The only other thing i am going to say (because i might just go off and say some really ugly things if i don't just cut this off!) is that i dont see it with Molly. I will not be the least bit surprised to hear of their break up. Maybe tonight's 2nd part of the after the final rose will sway that thinking but i'm doubtful.

To sum it up i'm disappointed. I'm disappointed that ABC thought it acceptable to allow that kind of humiliation for Melissa on national television. Did she sign on for a reality tv show? Yes. That does not mean they had to handle the situation the way they did. And most of all i'm disappointed that Jason just isn't the sweet, sensitive dad they made him out to be. There was nothing sensitive AT ALL about the way things were handled. While maybe he can't help the way he feels he CAN control how those feelings are played out.

What are everyone else's thoughts?? Shocked? Ok with it? Not so ok with it?? What are you thinking???? If the rumors are again true tonight, then they will be announcing that Jillian is the next bachelorette! Will you be tuning in for that if its true?? I'm gonna miss the tuesday bach chats!! Can't wait to hear what everyone is thinking!

ps...Sarah is on her way back to seattle. =( What a blessing this weekend w/her was....i will be posting about it soon!

Mission Complete!

In honor of the fact that we are FINALLY done unpacking, i thought i would share some pictures of my two favorite little people and the fun they had with ALL the boxes around here that first couple of weeks after moving in!

They built ALOT of forts made entirely of packing paper and boxes! Here is one of them...

And of course....what are two BOYS going to do with that fort when done playing in it?? DESTROY it!!

And another favorite was to play made up games inside HUGE empty wardrobe boxes!! Here they are in one of their "secret" spots!

They really did make the best of being stuck in the house with stuff EVERYWHERE and parents who were doing their best to juggle unpacking and trying to get into a routine while still being parents!! Now if only i could make the broken down boxes magically disappear from the garage....... ;)

A lot of laughs!

I don't know about anybody else but last night's Women Tell All had me cracking up!!! It was fun to see Trista and Ryan as always....little Max is getting big and sure is a cutie! Charlie and Sara were cute i guess. I thought Jason handled himself well for the little bit of time he actually spent "facing the girls"! Jillian looked GORGEOUS and what class that girl has! It would be fun to see her as the next Bachelorette!

One of my favorite parts of the show was when Chris Harrison was interviewing Jason....i thought he asked some good questions and Jason just seems so real that it reminded me that all the theories and talk on the web are just that.....theories! I refuse this week, to get caught up in it.....i will see what happens next week at the finale! And until then i will choose to stay in my little bubble of hope that all the hoopla is way wrong! But i did catch one thing in the preview for the after the final rose ceremony that i missed last week and that is...Chris Harrison said that what was happening was potentially emotionally hurtful. That one word opens a window in my mind for it to all be a normal bachelor type of ending and not some huge scandalous deal! Everything about this show is potentially emotionally hurtful!

And now onto my favorite crack me up moments of the night!

~Jason on the horse. SERIOUSLY! I had tears coming down my face i was laughing so hard! And i laughed every time they showed it! Why so funny you ask?? Truly i don't know...but i think alot of it is that its supposed to be this romantic scene and it goes so wrong and then his reaction only added to the humor! So funny!

~When Chris Harrison was interviewing Natalie....there was so much there that i could list but the one that cracked hubby and me up the most went a little something like this....]
natalie~like i didn't have my blackberry and my blackberry is like my life. and i didn't have my ipod......
chris~so we took away all of your superficial things....
natalie~whoa chris, you need to settle down
WHAT??? hahahahahaha......we cracked up! She just didn't have a leg to stand on! But her reaction was certainly comical!

~and last but certainly not least is hubby's favorite crack me up quote of the night! This one came from Charlie during his and Sara's interview....
"she said the drinking was 99% of the problem so i'm pretty much 99% perfect"
Hubby was cracking up, i was cracking up....Great line Charlie! Makes sense to me if thinking from a simple minded manly perspective. These men folk are funny creatures i tell ya!!

So now we wait! What is going through everyone's mind?? Is it going to be a shocker or is it going to be a good ole bachelor ending?? Only 4 more days till Sarah is here!!!!!! I am so excited and so glad i atleast have something besides tv to look forward to this week! =) So everyone weigh in....what are your thoughts after last nights Women Tell All??!!

Mug Cake

My mother in law sent an email a few days ago titled the most dangerous cake in the world. Well darn....i've gotta check this out! Oh my goodness! It looked like fun to me.....a chocolate cake in 5 minutes. Thats right! A chocolate cake ready to eat in 5 minutes. So we decided to try it out with the boys last night! Here is the recipe and a few pictures.....

4 tbsp flour

4 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp cocoa

1 egg

3 tbsp milk

3 tbsp oil

3 tbsp choc. chips(optional)

a sm. splash of vanilla extract

1 lg. coffee mug

*put the dry ingredients in the mug and mix well

*add the egg and mix

*pour in milk & oil and mix well

*add choc. chips (if using) and vanilla & mix again

*put mug in microwave and cook for 3 minutes on high

~the cake will rise over the top of the mug so don't be alarmed!

*allow to cool a little and tip out onto a plate if desired

*EAT and ENJOY!!!

The email made it seem that this was supposed to make a single serving but hubby and i agreed that there is no way we could eat that whole thing by our self! The boys shared one and we shared one! We also used reese's peanut butter chips which were good in it!! Its certainly not anything gourmet but its quick (kept the 3 yr olds attention), easy (the boys were able to pretty much make it on their own w/ a little supervision!), and fun! A couple of added benefits are that there is a limited amount of cake so you get your sweet fill but there aren't lots of leftovers to tempt you for days afterwards, and there is very little mess for mommy to clean up!!

Dinner and a Show

Erin, over at Bringing Up Burns, (who by the way is fabulous...seriously....if you haven't checked out her blog your missing out!) has a second blog called Haute Plates. There are recipes for all kinds of things and pictures to go along! On Wednesday night i made her teryiaki sauce and it was amazing! A big hit with the hubby and with the boys which isn't always easy to pull off!! We had it with chicken, rice, and broccoli~YUMMO!! Of course i forgot to take pictures of it but trust me....it was delicious!

After dinner, hubby and I were treated to a puppet show put on by our very own in house puppeteers!! To be completely honest i couldn't tell you the whole story line, which is bad...i know, but i couldn't help but get caught up in how cute they were! Seriously. The cutest little puppeteers EVER! Apparently Colby's class at school had done a puppet show that day and they got to make their own frog and toad "puppets" to bring home. So Colby was sweet enough to take the time to teach Brayden a few parts and include him. They were so excited to put on the show for us and we were just as excited to enjoy it! They did such a great job! It truly was a wonderful evening.... a great dinner and an even better show!!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!! We are going to be busy trying to finish up a few projects around the house and get the guest bedroom (which is like a storage unit right now!) all ready for Sarah next weekend!!!! Anybody have any big plans for this weekend? What are all of you going to be up to??

I'm so excited.....

....and i just can't hide it!!!!

Oh.My.Goodness. Ya'll! One of my bestest girlfriends from Washington is coming to see me!!!!!! I CANNOT wait! And not only is she coming to see me but the icing on the cake is that she will be here for the Bachelor finale!! I so wanna cyber scream right now....i am just soooo excited!!!

Sarah is that friend. You know...the one that gets you on every level. The one you know you can call day, night, or inbetween and she will be there. Regardless of what is going on in her world she will be there. I have learned so much from our friendship~she truly makes me strive to be a better wife, mom and friend. And i miss her more than any words here could ever show. God is amazing and and i'm so grateful that this opportunity has presented itself. This visit couldn't come at a better time and it is just the pick me up i needed right now! She will be here for 3 whole days.......3 whole days of hanging out, girly talks, laughter and FUN!!!! Let the countdown begin!!!!!

Shock.

Wow. I am in a little bit of shock over last night's Bachelor episode! For the most part i have been pretty good at predicting how things would go, who he would send home, etc. Last night...i was soooo wrong and in shock at the end! I really, truly thought it would come down to Jillian and Melissa in the end. Jillian is such a sweetheart~she's gorgeous, fun, outgoing, comes from a great family and so much more. Anyway....here are my thoughts on each date......

*Jillian's date with him could have been so romantic. It seemed like they had fun but deep down i think i kind of sensed that maybe something wasn't quite right. All the "friend" talk sent up a little red flag but i still didn't see that ending coming. She looked AMAZING at the rose ceremony and it broke my heart to see the hurt in her eyes.

*Molly's date was good. The bungee jumping was CRAZY.....i really don't think i could do that but it seemed like they had a good time doing it! And her list of questions was fun but i still just don't see it with them. Hubby hasn't really been consistently watching and even he looked up from the laptop during Jason and Molly's dinner and commented on how it just seemed like there was awkward friction there. When she was trying to tell him how she felt it seemed to me like she was trying to convince herself as much as him. Anybody else feel that way??

*And then there is Melissa. Their date was great as always. The chemistry between them is easy....its just there and i never feel like either of them is having to force it or work at it. I was glad to see them atleast talk about the parent subject again....thats such a tough one but i agree with Jason that he's not marrying a girl's parents and truly there's nothing they could say or do to change how he feels about Melissa. I'm definitely hoping it will be Melissa in the end!

Now....lets get to the really good stuff. The first shocker was him choosing Molly over Jillian. Even after the dates i felt like there was just more there with Jill than with Molly so i really didn't see that one coming. And then there was the previews of the finale. The whole Deanna thing is just getting irritating.....but i'm ready to see what in the world she is doing there. She didn't seem very emotional so i'm still holding out hope that she isn't there trying to win him back...we'll see. But what about the previews for the after the final rose??!! Isn't that usually taped live?? And what is "so emotionally hurtful" that they have to keep it as private and intimate as possible?? Did the happy couple already split? But that has happened before and they didn't make all that fuss about it. Any ideas?? What do you ladies think is going on here??? This 2 week wait is going to just about kill me but the Women Tell All should be fun next week!! Can't wait to hear all of your thoughts on last night!!

This + This

Roses randomly received days before V day

+

the cutest gift from Colby

+

the love of these two little men

+

the best hubby a girl could ask for

=

A VERY HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!

May each of you have a day full of love and everything special in your lives today! Let today be the beginning of a year full of cherishing the ones you love and thanking God for all the love in your life!! Happy Valentines Day!

Aubrey Needs

Saw this on facebook this morning and got a good laugh so i thought i'd share it with all of you! So the directions are simple....google "your name needs" and see what comes up!! Ha! Too funny. Or maybe i'm just easily amused but anyway...here is what aubrey needs!

*Aubrey needs to knock it off!*
how in the world did they guess?? And no i will not share what it is that i need to knock off but
it just might have to do with a little reality tv addiction.....

*Aubrey needs help*
ha! in oh so many ways!

*Aubrey needs to stop referring to herself as pretty in every single episode.....*
they must be confused....this yoga pant, t shirt, pony tail wearing chica is hardly over using the
term pretty when referring to herself!

So go check out just what it is you need!! ;) And laugh....alot...cause it just feels good to!!