Fat Ass 5K

This year I was able to convince the hubs to head down to Springfiend for the Fat Ass 5K... did he run it?  No, but he came along for the street party portion.  We had so much fun, can't wait until next year!

The whole gang...

Welcome to the Smith's

We went over to a friends' lake house on Saturday, JC wasn't able to make it so my neighbor Ashley and I made the trip with Monkey and her little buddy D-Man.  

The last time we were at the lake house it was about a year ago and the directions that were given to us were wrong.  So this time we were trying to be pretty diligent about taking the right roads.  It's an hour drive there and while the kids did really good on the trip, they were starting to get a little restless and were ready to get out and play.

We find the right road, but got a little confused as to which house it was.  We finally pull up to the house, get the kids out of the car, unload all of the groceries, diaper bags and what not.  D-Man was super ecstatic about the new sandpit they put in the front yard and Ashley and I were impressed with the new two-car garage.  

With our hands full of bags and kids we walk into the front door and into the hallway.... and then Ashley looks at me and I look at her and say, "I don't think this is the right house!" 

We of course laugh hysterically at how ridiculous we are and turn to go back to the car.  That was when we notice a BIG sign out front that says "Smith's, Est. 2005"... did I mention our friends' last name isn't Smith??  Whoopsie!

After finally getting to the correct house we had a lot of fun hanging out and the kids had a great time playing in the water, even with the rain that we got.  We are definately looking forward to the next trip over, and this time I think we'll get it right!

Wordless Wednesday: Fat Asses

It may have rained the entire time we were there, but we certainly enjoyed ourselves once again at the Fat Ass 5K!

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Luck o' the Irish

Myself and a small group of friends did our first race of the year on Saturday.  I haven't ran since early December and wasn't really looking forward to it, besides it being a St. Patty's day race and I knew there was surely fun to be had. 

Once we got there, I was elated to find out it was not only a St. Patty's day race, but it was ONLY a 3K instead of a 5K!  I thought life couldn't have gotten any better at that point for me.... until the green beer started flowing! 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Thursday Thirteen

1. Tonight is our last night of volleyball.  Very sad about that.  But we'll start up the next league in January,  so I don't have too long to wait!

2. I've got all my Christmas shopping done!  And I did 95% of it online, I LOVE not having to step foot in a store and fight the crowds.

3. Speaking of Christmas shopping, I found an awesome site that gives you daily discounts on all sorts of kids (and adult) items.  I've got some great deals on it!  

4.  Three of my classmates from high school are in a band together (Crickets & Cars) and yesterday, they released their debut album.  Check it out, they are awesomely talented.

5. Have I ever mentioned that I went to high school in a corn field?  It's true. 

6. One week from today Annie will be home.  I haven't seen her since her wedding in June.  I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve waiting for Santa to come down the chimney!

7.  We don't go to the movie theater often.  In fact, it's been over two years since we have gone.  I'm squirmy.  I'd rather sit in the comfort of my own home and be able to pause it when I have to go pee.  But I REALLy want to see the movie 127 Hours.  I'll even go sit in the theater for it!  I've heard it is an awesome movie based on an amazing true story.  I love movies that are based on true stories, but what also hooked me, was that people are literally passing out and getting sick during it because of one gruesome scene.  I'm intrigued!  Does that make me odd?

8.  Have you noticed stores are putting out their spring merchandise already?  We haven't even hit the first day of winter yet and there are spring clothes on the racks!

9.  Along the same lines... I'm sick of Christmas music.  It's been playing since Thanksgiving and I'm over it.  I'm not a Christmas music fan in the first place and with the constant playing of it, it's just run into the ground before Christmas even gets here.  Am I alone on this?

10. You know that white cheese sauce Mexican restaurants serve?  Well, I'm trying to perfect that and haven't got it figured out yet.  Any suggestions?  I'll be trying a batch again this weekend.

11. I'm craving Japanese food. 

12.  No, I'm not pregnant.

13.  And I'll leave you with a little piece of wisdom... I've  learned everything from my cows: Never walk on the path that others have made because at some point you will step in crap.

Thursday Thirteen

1.  It's volleyball night.  We are back to playing indoors again and while I miss the sand, with the weather being as chilly as it has been at night, I'm glad we are inside.

2.  I won a blog giveaway, and it's so cool!  The last time I won something was probably back in 6th grade when I won the "Sponsor Wheel" on the local AM station.  I was one stoked kid.  Thanks to Hollie at Blog-o-"Holl"ic and Jill at Lime Tree Gifts for the sweet keychain.  I can't wait to get it!

3.  We have a reception on Saturday for some friends that got married in the Bahamas the same weekend as my sister-in-law's wedding.  They are so cool they even made it on Good Morning America! 

4. Pretty excited to eat leftovers from last night.  Does anyone else get excited for leftovers?  I'm having brat burgers and grilled mac n cheese.  YUM!

5. A friend joined the local roller derby team, the McLean County MissFits, and I'll admit it... I'm jeolous.  I don't have time for both volleyball and roller derby, but I really wish I could do both.  I will have to make it to watch her kick some tail at least once or twice. 

6. Monkey had her 18 month checkup on Monday, even though she won't actually be 18 months until the end of the month.  Anyway, she's in the 95th percantile for height.  Which means she's taller than 95% of the kids her age.  I was not surprised when the doc told me this, it's hard to find pants that are long enough for her!  Poor thing is destined to be like me.  She'll never be able to dry her jeans... ever.

7. I've been reading the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins and only have 40 pages left in the final installement.  Good books, would definately recommend.  Any suggestions on what I should read next?

8. After the incident of JC busting out the bedroom window we decided it was finally time to replace all the windows and doors in the house.  We've had one estimate so far... yikes!  Who would've thought windows could be so pricey?

9.  Last Friday, I went over to my parents to visit after work.  I ended up chasing a herd of cattle through a few fields before getting them back into the pasture RIGHT at dark.  It was a workout, but it kind of made me miss living at home and doing that sort of stuff on a regular basis.

10. We have Dish Network and we love FX shows: Rescue Me, Sons of Anarchy, Justified, etc.  Apparently Dish Network and FX are having a lovers quarrel because when we tuned in Tuesday night to watch SOA, we no longer get FX!  I was quite disturbed, still am actually.  They need to resolve their spat ASAP.

11. I dreamed last night that we won the lottery.  Wishful thinking or a glimpse into the future?  Oh please, tell me I have fortune telling capabilities!  

12. Monkey and Hank have been getting along so great.  For a puppy, he's very gentle with her and she adores him.  One of their favorite games is playing fetch.

13.  Oh, and have I mentioned how much that kid makes me smile?  Like, really smile.  I think I'm going to keep her.

Wordless Wednesday

Float Trip!

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Toes in the Water, Ass in the Tube

Every year for the past, oh, maybe 10 years or so, a group of my friends head down to the Current River for the weekend. Nestled deep in the wilds of Missouri, we camp out, tube, canoe and relax. It really is one of my favorite times of the year. And that time is quickly approaching; we head down next weekend and I can't wait!

I love having nothing pressing to do for the entire weekend. I look forward to being able to sit around a campfire or float down the beautiful river having conversations with some of my best friends. Friends that have stood the test of time and continue to be there for each other. I really find it quite amazing that after all of these years we continue to be such a large, tight-knit group.  Numbers have fluctuated from 20-some to 50-some, and back down to around 34, but the same core group is still there, floatin along.

The cold beverages we share don't hurt the weekend either. 

Do you have a tradition with your friends that you hold close to your heart?  Please share!

You've Got a Friend in Me

We spent some time over the weekend at a family friend's lake house (that was where I snapped this photo).  The weather was gorgeous and Monkey had a wonderful time hanging out with her little buddies.

All of our friends have boys, so we can't help but wonder which one will end up being Monkey's boyfriend when they are older.  I'm thinking this little guy already has his eye on her and is making his move before the other boys get a chance!

Goin to the Chapel

We had a very eventful and fun weekend.  The most exciting part was that our great Oklahoma friends, Scott and Annie, got hitched! 

The weather was a little dicey at first, but it ended up being a gorgeous day.  And of course Annie looked amazing!  Monkey was a flower girl and had such a great time running around with the other kids playing in the yard.  

While I had my camera with me, I barely snapped any pictures.  My favorite of the day, by far, was this one:

Congratulations Scott & Annie, I hope you enjoy your honeymoon in Hawaii!

Happy Birthday to Me!

I mentioned the other day that Hubby does a great job with gifts.  Some years we agree not to do gifts at all, other times we'll buy something big (like a tv or a computer) and call that our gifts to each other, since our birthdays are only two days apart.  But the times when he buys me something special, he always outdoes himself.  I really think he's made a mistake by setting such a precedence of great gifts.  What is he going to give me 20 years from now? 

Some of the gifts he's given me include jewelry.  You can never go wrong with jewelry, I say.  Unless it has hearts on it.  I hate jewelry with hearts.  He's never given me jewelry with hearts on it.  This man knows me.  He has given me a watch... necklaces...one being this shiny thing:

He's also given me less flashy gifts such as a fishing pole and a mailbox.  Things that I wanted.  My favorite one that he's doled out to me so far though, is this beauty:

An H&K 9mm pistol!  It's just not any ordinary pistol, it's also ambidextrious.  Because I'm special and do things with both of my hands.  This gun is awesome, fits my hands perfectly and shoots like a dream.  My grouping is spot on with it.  Of course, I could say that's just me and my awesomness, but really I think it has more to do with her.

I didn't think it was possible for him to outdo this gift, but he may have done it this year!  He started off by throwing a surprise birthday party for me Saturday night!  So many of my wonderful friends and family came together to celebrate me turning the big 3-0.  I had a great time and loved every second of it.

He then gave me this present:

A Kahr .380! Such a gorgeous slim little gal!  I've been wanting a smaller pistol to carry just for self defense and this baby is the ticket.  What a fabulous husband I have.  I love you baby and thanks for the greatest birthday thus far!

Yo Quiero Oklahoma

I'm baaaaack! 

Oh, you didn't even know I was gone?  Well I completed two things on this list, oh wait, actually make that three!

1. We took our first family vacation/road trip.

2. We made it to Oklahoma to visit these amazing people.

And the third thing, you ask?  Well Annie and I drank wine while we were there... and it was wonderful!  No cutting back on that vice for this gal, no sirree.

We had a wonderful trip and the only complaint that I have is that I wish we could've stayed longer.  Spending time with Annie just makes me remember all too clearly how much I miss her being here.

Monkey did great the whole trip.  I couldn't believe what a great traveler she was. Twelve hours in a car is a long time and it didn't faze her at all.  Once we got there she had so much fun.  She got along famously with their two dogs, Diesel and Nova.  Actually I think Diesel made a new best friend. 

She loved dancing and clapping to Elvis along with Scott's mom.  Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of it!  I actually didn't get many pictures all weekend.  I don't even know why, I think we were too busy being Chatty Cathy's to even think about whipping out the camera.

Here are a few that I did manage to snap....

 I wish I would've taken more pictures, but there is always next time!  Thanks for having us Scott and Annie, we had a blast!

In Remembrance

Happy birthday Jonny L.  We miss your laugh, smile and friendship every day.

Flashback Friday

I can't explain why, or what we were thinking, but one of my best friends from high school and I liked to have our sports pictures taken in random places.  We thought it was fun... we even had one taken in the school's mailbox!  I'm not sure where that one is, but if I can ever find it, maybe I'll share.  Here are two others though...

Don't you just love the poses?  I can even remember talking about how we should do it... where our hands should be, how to do our hair, etc.  Cracks me up looking back at them, but I also miss those times of carefree living and the hardest decisions we had to make were what we should do in a picture!

Road Trip!

Do you know why Monkey is so happy?  No?  Well check out that sweatshirt...

That's right, we are going to Oklahoma to see Scott and Annie!  Look how excited she is to show them how she rocks that OK attire.  Alright, maybe I'm excited too. 

And we're even getting to make the trip before Monkey has grown like a weed and is walking and talking!

Smothered Ranch Chicken and Taters

I'm hungry. 

I had a an apple for breakfast and it just didn't satisfy me for long.  So I'm waiting for the clock to keep turning so I can go meet a wonderful friend for lunch.  Josh doesn't ever read my blog, actually I doubt he even knows that I have one.  So I can say all sorts of terrible things about him and he'd never even know, but I won't. 

This time.

Instead, since I'm so hungry I'll share a recipe that I made not long ago.  It wasn't the prettiest food on the plate, but my oh my it was yummy.  Classic feel good comfort food.  I called it Smothered Ranch Chicken and Taters, you can call it whatever you wish.

You'll need:

4 chicken breasts
6 tablespoons spicy ranch dressing
1 medium onion
1 small can of mushrooms
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons butter
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Splash of beer
4 large potatoes
4 slices of bacon
½ a bag of Monterey jack cheese
Salt, pepper and seasoning salt
EVOO

It's really quite easy to make, a little time consuming, but easy.  Just follow these steps:

Marinate chicken in dressing for a few hours, the longer the better.
Preheat oven to 400F.
Sauté chopped onion, garlic and mushrooms in butter over low heat. Add a few dashes of Worcestershire and seasoning salt and a splash or two of beer.
While mushrooms are sautéing, chop potatoes. Place in dish and microwave for 4-5 minutes.
Pour a little EVOO over potatoes, salt and pepper and toss to coat.
Sauté chicken on each side for 1 to 2 minutes, do not cook through, just enough to brown up.
Place the chicken on top of the potatoes.
Drizzle spicy ranch dressing on top of chicken and potatoes.
Smother chicken with mushroom topping.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Sprinkle cheese on top and bake for another 20 minutes.
While the chicken is baking, fry up the bacon.
Add bacon and bake for another 5 minutes.

**I would normally use fresh mushrooms but didn’t have any on hand; canned work just fine, but I would recommend fresh.

**Chopped scallions would be a good garnish as well, but I didn’t have any. Try it! 

And now I'm even hungrier than I was before I wrote this.

Thursday Thirteen: Thanks

As today is Thursday, Thanksgiving is right around the corner and I am feeling a mental drain, unable to write anything really worthwhile, I thought I would list thirteen things that I am thankful for.

1. My little Monkey. She’s the best baby in the world and I’d do anything for that sweet little face.

2. My husband. I may complain about him on occasion, like when he ruins a perfectly good toaster. But I love him and am thankful he’s in my life.

3. My family. No words can express how much they mean to me, period.
This picture was taken at my baby sister’s wedding…. Please excuse the bowling ball underneath that dress, I was 8 months pregnant.

4. My friends. I’ve got some of the greatest friends in the world. We’ve seen some really hard times having to say goodbye to a handful of us, but we’ve made it through, coming out closer, stronger and tighter knit as a group, on the other side.

5. My freedom and the Bill of Rights.

6. Good food and the ability to enjoy it.

7. My dog. He makes me smile, simple as that.

8. Sunshine and blue skies. We’ve had some pretty drab, rainy days here recently, but it’s been looking good with clear skies! I love sunshine.

9. My in-laws. You hear a LOT of horror stories about the crazy Mother-in-Law and such. I’m sooo happy that I don’t have to deal with that. My in-laws are awesome and no I won't trade with you.

10. Clean air and breathing easy.

11. My husband’s job. We are in open enrollment for insurance right now and it just reminds me how lucky we are that his employer pays for 100% of our health insurance. That is something almost unheard of these days and I sometimes take it for granted. They also provide us with a chance to travel and visit new places. So far they’ve paid for us to go to Denver and Portland for a company party. Very cool.

12. My good health and the ability to run. I may not always like running, but I am able to do it!

13. Good literature. I love to read and appreciate a quiet moment to curl up with a great book.

Experimentation

I had a friend come over the other night to do me a huge favor, I told her I’d make her supper for helping me out. One problem… I haven’t been grocery shopping and the pickings in the kitchen were slim.

Since she’s such a great friend I thought I’d make her my guinea pig and just throw some stuff together. She’s always honest and I don’t have to worry about her sugar coating it and telling me it tastes good when it really has the flavor of an old shoe.

So what I came up with was Pizza Burgers!

Ingredients:
1 pound of hamburger
1 pound of Italian sausage
¼ onion, chopped
¼ green pepper, chopped
7-8 tablespoons pizza sauce
Grated Parmesan cheese
Sliced Mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Chop up onion and green pepper, mix with hamburger and Italian sausage. I also threw in a few shakes of seasoning salt. Make 7 – 8 patties. Cook in frying pan until almost done. Spoon approximately a tablespoon of pizza sauce on top of each patty. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top and then add the slices of mozzarella. Let cheese melt and serve on a bun.

Verdict was…. Good!

I didn’t take any pictures of the food, so instead here’s a picture of Jenny and myself. Thanks for being my taste tester!

We Miss You Already

I mentioned the other day that one of my best friends, Annie, was home from Oklahoma for the weekend and that Monkey and I were jetting off to meet her and her fiancé, Scott, for lunch. We had a wonderful time with them and only wish they could stay longer…. as in forever.

I am by no means a professional photographer, I wouldn’t even classify myself as an amateur, but I love taking pictures and stocking them away to look at down the road and reflect on the wonderful memories they hold for me.

I was able to snap a few photos while we were at lunch and I love love love the way Monkey has her hand on Scott’s arm and is looking up at him while he speaks, like he has the most interesting story to tell her and she is just captivated.

Or maybe it’s that she’s patting him on the arm saying, “It’ll be alright buddy, this rain will stop soon.”

Or it could be a plea, “Please don’t leave, you just got here. I’ll be so OLD by the time I see you again, I’ll have teeth and be walking and talking. If you go back to Oklahoma now, there’s a good chance I might develop a stutter. Puh-puh-puh-please don’t do this to me!”

Or maybe I just have an overactive imagination and I’m projecting my feelings of not wanting them to leave on to my baby.


Nah, that can’t be it.

We Did It!

I'm not a runner. I don't necessarily enjoy it and I'm not good at it. I was in track waaay back in high school, but I really only did that as a means to keep in shape in the off season of volleyball. And now that I've got a few more years under my belt, I'll just be honest... it hurts. Hurts my ankles, shins, knees, and hips. They all hurt when I run and I'm not a fan of that.

So a few weeks ago when a very dear friend asked me if I would run a 5K with her to raise money for our high school, I was apprehensive to say the least, but figured what the heck, let's do it! We had both recently had babies and while she's run many races in the past, she assured me she wouldn't leave me in her dust. And besides that I'd surely have plenty of time to train.

Then she told me when it was and I literally had 3 weeks to prepare for it. THREE weeks. Like I've said before, I'm a procrastinator sometimes and this was one of those times. I've run twice since I agreed to do this and neither time was for more than a mile. What had a I gotten myself into?

Well the race was this past Saturday and I am happy to report that that we made it! We finished and the best part is that I'm still able to walk!

My younger sister also ran the race. This isn't her first rodeo though, er, I mean race. Here we are at the beginning of the morning.


And here we are after finishing the race.

I would never stage a photo for comedic relief. No I wouldn't, not ever.