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Hello friends! I'm in the process of moving. That's where I've been and, oh, how I've missed you!
My blogs will be few and far between for the next few days, but please stand by. I'll be back with many interesting tales to tell.
Like:
Why I held an Otter Pop for 13 hours straight.
Why I knocked on the neighbor's door bawling like a baby.
Why pennys are more funny than quarters.
And then some...
Remember when I first moved to Grapevine and I was totally overwhelmed about making new friends?
Well I did it.
I made truly lovely friends. They are kind, smart, interesting, and most importantly HILARIOUS. They are the leading reason why I'll miss Grapevine so very much. They threw me a little going away bash yesterday and I felt so loved. Thank you ladies for making this last year so memorable!
The is my friend Breanna. I love her! She is my sister in the gospel and my sister in So You Think You Can Dance. I wish we lived by each other for always. Doug's bff is her sweet boy, Michael . #2 is on the way.
This is Tristen and Megan. Tristen is so smart and lighthearted. I have so much in common with Megan, except she has WAY better social skills. She always knows the right thing to say and it is almost always hilarious.
Here we got me, Jennica, Megan and Tara. We were at Tara's house and it is fabulous. Look at the fireplace below. Sigh. And I will always remember Jennica's pee story, which inspired me to record my own.
Anna and Breanna. Anna is so open and willing to make you a part of her life. She makes me feel liked.
Meggie and Cherie. Also hilarious and beautiful women. I will miss them.
Not pictured: Christina, Karen, Krista, Stephani, Crystal, Michelle, and Hallie. I will miss you ladies!
A new house is still a year away. Sigh. But a girl can dream, right?
Let's begin with kitchens. In my heart of hearts, I truly believe that my food can only be truly delicious if cooked in a white kitchen, with stainless steel appliances and a hardwood floor. It is the only way. After surfing the web, I have compiled a list of my favorite white kitchens.
Join me:
Kitchen #1. The brown paint against the white walls is beautiful! Tile back splash might be a little too traditional for my taste... but I still like it.
Kitchen #2: Very modern. Would I dare? Maybe.
Kitchen #3: Natural light is a must!!! Lots and lots. (did you notice the flooring?)
Kitchen #4: Wow. This Kitchen is REALLY white. Maybe too white. But look at those floors! The most beautiful dark hardwood floors in the world. I love them so much that I would lick them.
Kitchen #5: Tile floors. Pooh. But, while I've never considered myself an "orange" girl, I'm digging these walls. Reminds me of autumn time... the best time of the year. With a different back splash and dark hardwood floors, this kitchen would be unstoppable.
Kitchen #6: Very Nautical. I like everything about this kitchen, even the Navy fridge. Do you think it is too cold-looking?
Kitchen #7: I love the subway tile back splash. It is my tile of choice. Modern meets traditional.
Kitchen #8: So bright and cheerful!
My favorite kitchen would be #6... or #2 or #5. They all have lovely things about them.
Which do you like? If you could have a dream kitchen, what would it look like? Or better yet, post some pictures on your blog! Yes, do that! Post pictures!
I got the fever. Bad. It’s all I can think about.
I am watching THAT channel again. You know the channel, the one where all of the shows are a little gooey. Young couples. New additions. Celebrations. Big changes.
I get teary-eyed as I watch that channel. I dream in pinks and blues, greens and purples.
I know it hasn’t been long since the last one, but I feel like I’m ready. Ryan is ready too.
Especially when he watches the channel.
My hubby did gooooood for our anniversary. He took me to a fancy-shmancy Brazilian Steakhouse, where a beautiful bouquet of flowers was waiting (for me), and where we ate until there was meat leaking out of our tear-ducts.
I gave Ryan a bottle of Acqua Di Gio. Ryan gave me a watch and a card (courtesy of Chris Harrison) inviting me to the fantasy suite. I accepted.
But we both decided to take a rain-check on the fantasy suite because... there was meat leaking out of our tear-ducts.
But maybe that was too much information. Sorry Mom.
This picture was taken before the meat. I do not intend to post the "after" shot being that I looked like a milk dud with appendages.
Today is a day to celebrate!
Four years ago today, my beloved spouse and I got hitched for time and all eternity... and we are STILL not even sick of each other. In fact, we are crazy about each other! I love that sexy, smart, considerate, handsome and extremely buff man of mine (and the papa bear to my little cubs).
Ryan makes me feel like I am the co-star of a romantic comedy. And every day has a happy ending. And the world smiles upon us.
Also, today is a day to celebrate because Ryan was offered a SUPER-COOL job. And it is not just ANY job, but THE job. And I am proud of him and happy for us! And sad that we are moving, but happy to be moving somewhere closer to people who are genetically required to love us (and babysit our offspring).
All we had to do was go without TV for a year. In return, my mom promised Jared and me one crisp hundred dollar bill each. Any seven-year-old would’ve sold their soul for that kind of loot.
It took a whole year to earn that hundred dollar bill and exactly one hour to spend it. Jared and I went halfsies on a Nintendo. We sold that very same Nintendo two years later at a garage sale for twenty bucks.
I have a lot of sad feelings about this series of exchanges. First of all, my mom totally took advantage of us. A HUNDRED DOLLARS! The sacrifices I had to make: the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Kids Incorporated, the Love Boat… Oh the opportunity cost! I should have asked for triple… AT LEAST.
Second, why on earth did we sell that beloved Nintendo? Hours of fun, laughter and hatred spawned from that plastic gray box. No doubt, my cut of the garage sale proceeds were invested in my ten pound gum collection, which, in a weak moment, was disposed of in two feverish hours of serial chewing.
So as you know, Ryan and I are a superb match and get along capitally. This is not to say that we are similar types of people. We are very different.
My idea of art is Degas, Monet, Klimt. Ryan’s idea of art is a picture of the beach that has rotating light bulbs behind it, so it looks like you are watching the beach on TV.
A sport Ryan enjoys is tackle football. My favorite sport is flat-ironing my hair.
My idea of entertainment is Gilmore Girls. Ryan watches ultimate fighting.
We both enjoy outdoor activities like hiking and exploring, but in the summer, when it’s so freakin’ hot, Ryan and I must get creative with activities we can enjoy together. Usually we make compromises. I’ll watch UFC with him if he gives me a half-hour back rub. He’ll play Nertz with me if I agree to never make him play Scrabble ever again.
Lest this post gets unreasonably long, let me get to the point. When Ryan and I found an old-school Nintendo for sale at the mall, we jumped on it. Both of us felt nostalgic about the hours we’d spent with Super Mario, Luigi, and Donkey Kong. While the $50 price tag raised our eyebrows, we figured that the Nintendo was an investment in our marriage.
We played Mario and Tetris until our eyes blurred and our thumbs felt numb. I won sometimes, Ryan won sometimes. We laughed, we cried, we called each other names like “Stupid Luigi Face” and “Flower Power Hoarder” but even after all the bickering we had a renewed sense of giddiness for one another. He became the Sexy Plumber, Mario, and I become his Sassy Princess. I’ll leave the rest to your imagination…
And while I still harbor angry feelings about my mom duping me out of TV for a year, I guess I can’t be THAT mad. I went to my friend’s house and watched her TV every chance I got.
Independence week, as you will see, was especially fun for the Lee cubs.
We sat on Bean Bags
We wore extra cute hats.
We made extra cute faces.
We got all thugged-out.
We wore our swimsuits and then got all wet.
We played with real live helicopters.
We wore festive outfits.
We sat on grass and watched airplanes do really cool stunts without crashing at all.
Sometimes the planes made sparks.
Sometimes we got sloshed.
We really enjoyed watching fireworks with our daddy.
We made a good-looking group.
We got really exhausted!
