The Duncan Daily

Lazy weekend

2011-03-20T17:39:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how the weather was in your area, but in Louisville it was perfect! The hubs played softball in Ohio this weekend so I had a whole weekend to myself with NO PLANS! It was perfection.

On Saturday I slept in and spent some time with the dogs. When I finally got out of the house I went to the gym, grocery store and Family Video. I tried to rent movies from Redbox, but the movies I wanted weren't there. Does anybody know if Redbox gets movies later or maybe this one was just out of those movies? Anyway, I rented two movies and watched them both! I also made homemade pizza and it was so good that I made another one for Billy tonight! The movies I rented were

Love and Other Drugs was a really good movie. There was a lot of nudity, but I guess it was part of the story. If the nudity wouldn't bother you, I recommend it! Life As We Know It was also good, but definitely more light-hearted. I really like Katherine Heigl and she was good in this movie.

Today I didn't sleep in, but I pretty much just laid around! I did walk the dogs and make it to the grocery and I plan on doing laundry. This relaxing weekend combined with the beautiful weather has re-energized me! Don't ya just love spring?

Better Safe Than Sorry

2011-03-07T08:08:00.000-08:00

In my previous post I vented about a recent break-in a couple doors down. Billy and I have discussed things and shuffled things in our budget. As I type a security system is being installed! I hate that we are doing this, but I really just don't feel safe. Especially if Billy is out of town... no way I'm staying here! Hopefully this security system will give me a little security!

In other news, Megan at In This Wonderful Life is hosting a Lisa Leonard giveaway. I know my future mommy friends will be interested in this! http://www.inthiswonderfullife.com/2011/03/new-giveaway.html

I'll do more fun blog posts soon! Happy Monday!

A little too close to home

2011-01-26T20:07:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, Billy and I were told that the house two doors down from us was broken into and robbed during the day on Monday. I mean, there is only one house between my house and the house that was robbed! When Billy told me, I immediately got nauseous. I can't bear the thought of coming home and knowing that some stranger had been in my house, let alone stealing my stuff! And our fur babies would be here all alone and scared or maybe they'd run away? I can't even think about it!

We both feel like we live in a good area and we still feel safe here, pretty much... but it is just something else to worry about, ya know? We talked to the guy who's house was broken into and he said he's lived here for 22 years and has never had any problems. He was pretty shaken up about it, which made me feel selfish for thinking of the possibility of a break in when he had an actual break in.

I'm not sure why I'm blogging this, but I obviously cannot stop thinking about it so it just came out. I guess I'm just wondering when I won't worry everytime we leave the house and when I'll feel safe staying here by myself again.

Sunday night ramblings

2011-01-23T19:23:00.000-08:00

It's Sunday night after a semi-busy weekend. Both dogs are asleep on the couch...

One more gracefully than the other :)

And all I can think about is going somewhere warm FAST, as in yesterday! I am pretty sick of the cold and definitely sick of the snow. I believe the Ville is supposed to get snow tonight or tomorrow and maybe Tuesday. I try not to watch the weather too closely these days because I just cannot take it! We are going to Daytona FL in August and I just keep telling myself it will warm up soon.... not soon enough for me.

On a brighter note, I've lost 6lbs in the last 3 weeks and I'm pretty excited! I weigh in tomorrow morning and I'd be surprised if I lost anything this week because I've been cheating, but I just need to keep myself on track for the long term. I've set up some goals for myself and I still feel pretty motivated. I enjoy going to the gym so I've been able to go at least 3 and sometimes 4 times a week which I'm happy with. I'll update my progress as it's made!

Today I had a lia sophia jewelry party. I always have such a good time when the girls get together! My friends are spread out all over KY so it was mostly family and a friend from work, but we had a good time. I made a veggie pizza that looked really similar to this one.

It was really yummy, and not too bad for you. Email me if you'd like the recipe I used, or this link is pretty similar. I also made my signature Buffalo Chicken Dip which I'm sure I've posted about before. I know a lot of people dread those parties like Pampered Chef and others but I really like them!

If you've made it this far in my post, I applaud you. I just felt like rambling tonight before I pass out like my doggies on the couch! Here's to a great week for all of you!

In which we travel to Knoxville, Lexington, Frankfort and the movies

2011-01-17T19:27:00.000-08:00

I have thoroughly enjoyed my long weekend! Saturday, the hubs and I ventured to Knoxville, TN to go to the Tennessee vs. Vandy game. This was our second game at TN, our second game TN was not supposed to win, and our second game that they did win! I think we are a good luck charm! We got up pretty early on Saturday and drove down for the game. After the game we went to a mall in Knoxville and took our time coming back home. We even made a pit stop in Lexington so that Billy could visit Half-Price Books, his current obession.

We parked in a lot that was pretty far away from the arena because last year we parked at the closest lot and ended up being stuck for at least an hour. We didn't mind walking and we didn't hit any traffic trying to leave. The only problem was that we weren't exactly sure where the arena was so once we found it we had to walk ALL the way around! I did snap the photo above on our sight-seeing walk, so it wasn't all a loss.

Because ESPN Game Day was at TN and because they were playing Vandy, the game was almost a sell-out. We were crammed in there like sardines! I did manage to get a picture of us that isn't too terrible. You'll notice that I'm not wearing orange! Last year I wore some of Billy's TN stuff and I just felt like an impostor! I was scared I was going to be struck by lightening! This year, I opted for neutral colors. You better believe I cheered for those Vols, though! I really do want TN to win, unless they're playing my Wildcats, obviously.

On Sunday I went to Frankfort to visit with baby Jackson and Crystal. Apparently he has been fussy lately because he has acid reflux problems. I don't believe a word of it, though because he was the sweetest thing while I was there! I got to feed him a couple times and hold him a while. He fussed a little while I was there, but what baby doesn't! I didn't get any pictures because I was too busy holding and squeezing his chubby cheeks! I can't wait until he is toddling around so I can spoil him rotten!

Today, I had a dentist appointment with NO CAVITIES! :) Billy and I ran some errands and went to the gym. We also finally found time to see Black Swan. I really, really liked it! It was super weird, but not really scary. Parts were pretty freaky, but I did like it.

Now, B and I are winding down from our exciting weekend with some laundry and college basketball. I hope this week goes by fast since it's a short one! Never seems to work out that way though!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2011-01-02T13:03:00.000-08:00

Billy and I rang in the new year with some great friends. Lacey and John and Jennifer and Danny came over for game night and some serious Dick Clark watching! We have concluded that he is a robot. We felt so bad for him, but once again, he weirded us all out!

We also ate some good food! There was Buffalo Chicken Dip, Pinwheels, Sausage Balls, Cheese Ball, Cheese Sticks and Red Velvet Cake. Oh, and there was wine and punch! haha We all had a great time playing games and chatting.

The only pictures taken were at the very end of the night... yuck. Anyway, here they are.

Lacey, me and Jennifer

Jennifer and me

I have made some new year's resolutions. I make them every year, but I usually just make one and it is almost always the same.... lose weight! Sometimes I have succeeded and other times I have not. This year there is no doubt in my mind that I will succeed!!

My other resolutions are to be more positive and visit at least one place I've never been. Hopefully I will keep all of them. 2010 was a great year but I am ready to start 2011! Good thing, because it is here! Tomorrow I go back to work after being off since the Wednesday before Christmas and I'm starting my diet and gym routine! Please pray for me!!

Baby Jackson

2010-12-19T18:03:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend, Billy and I traveled to Florence to meet Jackson. He is just perfect! While we were there I got to feed him twice and hold him for quite a while. Surprisingly enough, I still do not have baby fever! He is amazing, but still not ready for one of my own.

I even talked Billy into holding the little guy. Jackson slept almost the whole time we were there.

I'd like to point out that Jackson has had an outfit change from the very first picture. That's because he peed ALL OVER ME and himself! One second he was sleeping and the next he was wide awake and my hand was soaking wet. It was SO much pee! Hilarious! My shirt had to be washed and he had to have a wardrobe change.

I am so beyond happy for Crystal and Jordon. They have been blessed with a perfectly healthy little boy just in time for Christmas. God is so good!

And just in case you weren't in the Christmas spirit yet....

Oh baby, baby, it's a wild world

2010-12-11T20:34:00.000-08:00

My friend, Crystal had her beautiful baby boy today! I haven't seen him yet so it is very surreal to me that my best friend since childhood now has a child herself! Regardless, I couldn't be happier for her and Jordon, or more antsy to get up there and hold him! He was born at 5:28pm, weighing 8lbs 10oz and 20" long.

Jackson Randal

Proud Mommy and baby

Proud Papa and baby

Like I said, I haven't met him yet, so there isn't much to say (yet). But I wanted to share the good news!!

Thanksgiving weekend

2010-11-28T17:11:00.000-08:00

I have been off work for five days, and I feel like I may need just one more day to recuperate from this weekend! Wednesday I took off work to get an extra day and to do things around the house. It rained ALL day! I had to go to an Insight (cable company) store to exchange our remote. Lucky for me it was right beside a Kroger, the day before Thanksgiving. In. the. rain. Let's just say, it was a mad house and I was so thankful that I didn't have to grocery shop!

Thursday was Thanksgiving and we were super busy. Our first stop was 10am at Billy's mother's house in Louisville. I helped her cook a little and then we ate around noon. We left there and went to Frankfort for my mom's get together. From there we went to Shelbyville for Billy's dad's get together and then finally to Lawrenceburg for my dad's get together. It was exhausting, but great to get to see everybody. I'm glad our family is close enough that we can squeeze everybody in!

My sister, Leah, came home with me Thanksgiving night and we went Black Friday shopping. It was pure madness! Here we are getting ready to leave my house at 11:30pm. It was SNOWING at this point and I was seriously considering just staying home.

At midnight we were in line to get inside Old Navy in the mall. We actually didn't buy anything there so we walked around the rest of the mall and shopped at places that were open. We killed some time in Brookstone until Kohl's opened at 3:00am.

Here I am in Brookstone trying out a massager that made me look like an ox in a harness or something. It was really awesome feeling though.

And here's Leah trying out some weird head massager. Strange!

There were people as wide as the sidewalk wrapped all the way around Kohl's waiting to get in. We waited in the car until 3 because it was just freezing!!

See all those people? I'm really not sure how we all fit in there, but we did.

After waiting in line at Kohl's for probably an hour, we met Tiffany and Vicky at Target around 4:30am. While they stood in line there Leah and I ran over to Meijer's around 5:00 to grab a Wii for myself. I got one! I'm super excited about it. At this point I had been awake for almost 24 hours and I realized it was time to call it quits when I almost lost it on our cashier. He was being ridiculous, but still. I restrained myself and we went home after grabbing some breakfast at Cracker Barrel. I can honestly say that I shopped til I dropped. I was awake longer than 24 hours and I was so tired that I couldn't fall asleep!

Saturday Billy and I put up our Christmas decorations, did some shopping together and ate at Outback. It was the best meal I've had in a restaurant in a lloooooong time. We will be going back! Here we are waiting on our food.

Today, we did some more Christmas related things (secret!) and just tried to chill out from our busy weekend. If this post wasn't already a million miles long I would say everything I'm thankful for, but I'll keep it short.

I'm thankful for my husband who has loved me unconditionally for about 9 years now! Marrying him 2 years ago was the best decision I've ever made, and the best decision I will ever make. He makes me happy everyday and never ceases to amaze me with his humor and compassion.

I'm thankful for my two fur babies, Laney and Cali. Since we don't have children we treat them like our kids. These dogs make me laugh daily! Of course they're spoiled rotten.

I'm thankful for my family. I have the best immediate and extended family. On a related note I'm thankful for my husband's family. I love them like my own!

I'm thankful for my friends. We are all miles apart now, but all it takes is one phone call and I feel like no time has passed! I am so lucky to have so many close friends. I love you all!

Lastly, I think we're all thankful that this post is over :)

The good wife

2010-11-16T19:59:00.000-08:00

Today, my friends, I was a good wife. I didn't cook a marvelous dinner, clean the house or touch a piece of dirty laundry...

All I did was call Insight, our cable company, and sign up for ESPNU. On the very day that the Tennessee Vols played on, you guessed it, ESPNU! I had been meaning to call and add this channel and cancel HBO for a few weeks and just kept forgetting. Something today made me remember to call and in turn I got wife of the year award! Not really, but it was much appreciated. I can tell because my husband has been glued to the TV since the game came on at 9:30!

It's the little things, really.

Let the Christmas madness begin!

2010-11-13T11:43:00.000-08:00

It seems to me that all things Christmas started much earlier this year than usual. I started seeing Christmas commercials the day after Halloween! One of my close friends has already put out most of her decorations and a house down the street is already decked out in full lights.

I should admit that I've jumped on the band wagon of Christmas-ing early. My decorations aren't up, but I already started trying to get the perfect picture of Laney and Cali for our Christmas cards! They're going to be cute, so be prepared!

I don't have a picture of last years Christmas card, but we had a picture of Laney on it and the message read "peace, love and pawprints" I really love sending and getting picture cards so much more than boxed cards. I even keep all the picture cards we're sent and sit them out the following year before we start getting new ones in the mail! It is really neat to see how children have grown and families have changed year to year. Plus, it feels much more personal to me to get a photo card. Although the family may not write a single word, they sent a picture! Pictures are so much more fun!

This year I'm using Shutterfly for our cards. Their designs are beautiful and their prices are reasonable. Here is a link to their Christmas cards: http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery

Here are some of my favorites, not including the one we will be sending!

I like the next card because it is a folded card so you can still write something. I know some families include a letter that summarizes happenings for them throughout the year. Cards such as this one allow for that. Also, I like that this one has pictures that aren't necessarily 'holiday.' You could add pictures all throughout the year to share. That way people can see you and your family as you really are, not just decked out in holiday gear in front of a tree. (Not that that would be bad either!)

Shutterfly also has great gifts such as wallcalendars and canvas wall art. Whose grandmother or mother wouldn't love a calendar or wall canvas?

No matter what kind of card you send, you can't go wrong with photo cards!

Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly… sign up: http://blog.shutterfly.com/5358/holiday2010-blog-submission-form/

Our newest addition

2010-11-10T17:09:00.000-08:00

I have neglected my blog in the worst way possible. It's been MONTHS since I've posted! I know, terrible. No excuse! Since I last posted we have added a new fur baby to our family. Meet Cali...

Her and Laney had a love-hate relationship at first. Specifically, Cali loved Laney and Laney hated Cali. For the first week or so Laney seemed to be pretending that Cali didn't exist! Slowly but surely, Cali has grown on her though and they can frequently be caught doing cute things like this...

We were told Cali is a Yorkie, but now that she's grown up a little bit, it's obvious she is mixed with something. She is Yorkie-ish and just too cute.

The day we got her we were trying to think of a name and Billy was sick of playing that game. He started naming things he saw such as 'mailbox, sign, car.' Then we were home and the TV was on ESPN. They happened to be talking about the one and only John Calipari.... and Billy said 'Calipari.' I suggested Cali and it just stuck.

We are so happy with our two doggies! I can't imagine life without them!

Moment of Silence for Cohen

2010-07-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

T minus 30 days

2010-05-17T19:42:00.000-07:00

I am in my cousins wedding in about 30 days. I think it is a great honor to be asked to be in someone's wedding, however it causes me great anxiety! All those people looking at me! I know they aren't really ALL looking at me, but at some point people will be looking.
The dress for this particular wedding isn't all that flattering. (Which is fine, it's not my day.) I have, however, been dieting and exercising and hoping! I've lost 6 pounds so far, but it's not at all what I'm shooting for. I have set some goals for myself and they are as follows:

10 lbs: pedicure
20 lbs: haircut
50 lbs: tattoo

OBVIOUSLY the tattoo is a long, long way away. As it seems, even the pedicure is a long way away! I'm being realistic about the weight loss by trying to lose 1 pound a week. Losing weight is hard work. Unless you're my husband. He eats whatever, whenever and doesn't gain much. He is trying to lose weight too though. And by 'trying to lose weight' I mean he cut out a couple large fries from McD's a week. Sheesh! It isn't helping my mood that I'm currently watching a show on TLC where they are making crazy things out of chocolate. Who do I do this to myself?

The day after my cousin's wedding we leave for vacation at the beach. I love the beach, but again, there are people looking at me! Maybe not as much as in a wedding, but I'm much more exposed so it feels worse. I ordered a swim suit from newport news, which looked a bajillion times better on the model. Who would have thought, right? It didn't help that I ordered it one size smaller than I am right now. Can you imagine?! haha! The goal is to fit into that swim suit by vacation. I'm not sure if that will happen, but I'll keep you posted.

Tomorrow is a primary election day so the hubby and I get off work 1/2 a day to vote! I would vote anyway, but it doesn't hurt to get 1/2 a day off! :)

Nadda

2010-04-16T17:54:00.000-07:00

I haven't really posted in a while, not that anyone probably noticed! Our days are pretty much the same and they all tend to run together. This doesn't make for a good blog! We have had some almost interesting things going on, so I'll highlight those.

About a month ago, Billy and I switched from T-mobile to Sprint and got these snazzy little babies:*swirly fire not included

I am borderline obsessed with this phone! It has apps like the iPhone and it multi-tasks really well. Oh who am I kidding! The only thing I care about is checking Twitter and Facebook 14,029 times a day! It is good for that!

Last Friday, Billy and I traveled to Cincinnati to watch the Reds with some of his family.

We parked at Newport on the Levee and ate at a place called Arnie's. It was really good but way too much food! One thing I noticed is that Newport doesn't have a smoking ban in restaurants and I'd like to say I am not a fan! I had forgotten how gross it is to try to eat while it smells like smoke. At this point, it just seems normal to not have smoking in restaurants so I was a little caught off guard. Any-who! We walked from the Levee to the stadium and let me tell you this was a real deal walk! Walking across the bridge was pretty fun and I stole this picture on the way back of the field at night.
Last night the hubs and I went to the Louisville Bats game. They are actually the AAA team for the Cincinnati Reds. (How's that for a segue!) Last night just happened to be a little thing called Thirsty Thursday! It was packed since it was the first night, but never fear, we'll be returning next time and the next... and the next.

My car has been with my mechanic (who is great, by the way, if you are looking). I have been driving my grandmother's old car that now belongs to my mom. Here's a pic, so you'll get the full story:
I am so thankful I had a car to borrow, but I was missing my car by day one! I remember riding around Frankfort with my grandmother in this car and jammin' to Vince Gill with my grandfather with the windows rolled down waiting on my grandmother outside of JCPenny's. It was nice to take a trip down memory lane, but it wasn't nice to feel like I was driving a tank! Alas, my car is fixed and $400 later it is mine again!

Tomorrow is Thunder Over Louisville to kick-off the Derby celebration! Just don't tell my nephew, Cooper. He believes the fireworks are for his birthday! Too cute! I don't want to be there the day he finds out that the 'largest annual pyrotechnic display in North America' may be a bit over-the-top for one little boy's birthday celebration :) I will not be venturing downtown to watch by the river. I will instead view it on TV or from a friend's house with a view!

Shew, this marathon recap has worn me out! I think I'll go watch a movie on the couch with my honey and beagle!

I'm in mourning

2010-03-27T21:04:00.000-07:00

Last night, the great state of Kentucky (the blue parts, at least) were all in mourning together. It's true, our Wildcats lost to WV in the elite eight. It really happened. I still can't believe it! But, it happened.

I know UK fans can be a bit extreme. We just love our Cats! Some people may come out pointing fingers and blame, but this UK fan is here to say that I am proud of our boys. They gave us a hell of a year! I mean, last year we were in the NIT and this year we not only made the NCAA tourney, but we were a #1 seed and in the Elite Eight! And don't forget about that little thing called "SEC Champions!" That is a turn-around if I've ever seen one!

Thanks guys for an incredible season!

Shannon's Seven

2010-03-14T19:21:00.000-07:00

Ashley from The Happily Ever Afters of the Lancasters tagged everyone to follow her foot steps and share 7 things about themselves. I have been in a major blogging slump lately so I figured I'd join in!

1. I've got this dog, and I'm kinda in love with her. I've always had a dog growing up. I think it's so neat to see their different personalities. Laney is very calm (maybe too calm)! She gets excited when we go on walks and when she is given food. She is in love with her daddy so much that I get a little jealous from time to time. Regardless of who she loves more, we are both smitten with this little girl!

2. I love watching sports. College basketball is my favorite, but I also have found that I like pro football and pro baseball. Baseball is much better in person. I can hardly stand it on tv!

3. My job is not what I pictured myself doing and it isn't really what I picture myself doing forever, but it is just a job. At first I stressed about finding 'the' job that I would never mind getting up for. After nearly 2 years I've realized that I work to live, not live to work. Those are wise words from my husband! My job is just that, a job. Now, I don't hate my job by any means, but it isn't all fun and games either.

4. I like to always be in the middle of a good book. Starting books is something I put off, but I'm always excited to finish the story. If anyone can recommend a good read, I'm always looking for suggestions! I just finished the 3rd Harry Potter and I started Dear John by Nicholas Sparks this weekend. I would recommend Something Borrowed and Something Blue by Emily Giffin. They are good, quick reads that you won't want to put down!

5. I have no idea how to style my hair! It is pretty much the same everyday. I have two faithfuls: pony tail and straightened. It's really sad, but I don't know what to do! I am currently in need of a hair cut more than I can express in words. Sad. Just sad!

6. Shopping is something that I l-o-v-e to do. I don't have to buy a thing. Just going shopping is enough to keep me happy for a while. When I do buy things, I feel so excited when I find a deal! This goes for everything; vacations, cars, houses. I just love a good deal! It doesn't hurt my feelings if I do find something not on sale, but I have to really really like it to get it!

7. I never thought I'd say this, but I would like to go back to school to get my masters. I haven't really decided what I will get it in or how I will finance this journey, but lately the idea doesn't disgust me like it once did! ha! Now, if the state would pay for it as they have in the past for state workers, I'd already be enrolled! I have checked and they aren't paying now and they don't know when they will again. If I had to guess it will be a while!

So there's my seven! I hope they were entertaining enough... I feel like they weren't. I'll throw in an 8th!

8. GO BIG BLUE! They may have given us a tough road in the NCAA tourney, but to be the best you have to beat the best!! (I'm a Kentucky Wildcat fan, in case you missed the memo)

The Oscars

2010-03-08T13:10:00.000-08:00

Last night I watched The Academy Awards. I don't remember the last time I've watched them... but I had a good time none the less! It's amazing what I'll watch when Desperate Housewives isn't on. Sad! I don't really have anything to say about the show itself, but oh goodness the dresses! First, the worst in my opinion.

Oh no, Kate Winslet. This dress looks like two mismatched pieces of a prom ensemble gone wrong. Not a fan.
Miley, is that a bra with a shimmery skirt? I hope she didn't pay too much for that!

And here is my favorite:
That dress is so beautiful! Also, I believe that Demi is magic. How do you look that good at her age? I can say that she looks better than me... and most other twenty somethings I know!! What were your votes for best/worst dressed?

Go... vols?

2010-02-06T09:05:00.000-08:00

Let me preface this post by stating that I bleed blue. I always have, and always will! My husband on the other hand, bleed orange? Pretty sure they don't use that catch phrase, but he is a UT Vols fan. Don't ask me why, I'll never know :) For Christmas I surprised him with tickets to the UT vs FL game in Tennessee. The UK vs UT tickets at UK are ridiculous to try to get, and they don't go on sale until 2/10. Plus, I thought we could make a weekend of it in Knoxville and Billy would get to see the Vols play at home in an SEC game. All the good intentions I had were ruined by the snow storm! This game was on January 31 aka the Sunday after a huge snow storm hit Knoxville. It turned out to be not as bad as they were predicting, but we stayed home on Saturday just in case. So that meant Sunday we drove down and back... lot of quality time in the car! lol

I had only ever been to UK games in Rupp, and let me tell you, the Vols arena was as big as Rupp but no where near as loud! There were a lot of times it was completely silent during play. It felt very strange to this Kentucky girl! The guy sitting beside me provided endless entertainment, however. If I heard "That's MONEY!" once, I heard it a million times! His other faves were "Get it to Prince and let him DO WORK!" along with "GIVE IT TO HIM!" and "This is my favorite line-up." If you were to tell me I was on candid camera, I would believe you! I was cracking up!!

All in all, we had a good time. The Vols won by ONE point! It was a pretty great game... although quiet. Billy was like a kid in a candy store! We have decided to make the trip down once a year to see the Vols play. Sadly, the UK game was only available for season ticket holders. I'm guessing they don't want all of us crazy UK fans buying up all their tickets. You know it would happen! Here are some pics of our TN day.
And here is the picture that will accompany my entry form for wife of the year 2010.
I know, I can't believe it either!! This is Billy's hoodie, I do not own any UT orange. I do cheer for TN now when they aren't playing UK. They're an SEC team, right?! At least it's not Louisville :)

Hello, lover.

2010-01-18T20:02:00.000-08:00

What am I in love with? (Well, other than my husband, of course.) My brand new dishwasher! I'm not sure if you all are aware, but the Duncan household has been without a dishwasher for a full year! Luckily, I finally convinced Billy that his life would be much happier if we had a dishwasher. Mostly because I'll have one less thing to complain about! HA! Without further ado, I'd like you to meet my new love :)

That's her!

Or one very similar. It's a Whirlpool with some buttons and an Energy Star rating. I mean, shouldn't we all try to buy Energy Star at this point? I was surprised to discover while shopping that not all appliances are Energy Star! Anyway.

Sunday the hubs and I traveled to Lowe's to pick out my new baby. We had shopped around and Lowe's seemed to have the best prices. We picked her out and paid and scheduled a delivery for Monday! I was so excited! Who knew I could get so pumped about an appliance?? We then came home and unhooked the old dishwasher/bane of my existence. We got pretty far, but eventually had to call for help! Once help arrived it was unhooked in minutes. I'd like to think it was because of all our hard prep work, but probably not!

Monday arrived and I was anxiously awaiting the delivery. (Doesn't it sound like I'm talking about a baby?? lol) The guy called and said he'd be by within 20 minutes. COUNT DOWN! He arrived as promised and delivered the new guy and took the old one. I mentioned on twitter or facebook that I almost hugged him I was so happy! He may or may not have approved, we'll never know! Billy's uncle Bryan, aka life-saver, came over and hooked it up (after a run by yours truly to Home Depot for a part that wasn't included.) We're still having some small leaking issues, but hopefully we've fixed it with our last try! So sorry this post is so long about a dishwasher! I guess you'd have to understand how very much I despise washing dishes by hand to understand my excitement. :D

On a side note, I'm watching the Texas (1) vs Kansas St (9) game right now and Kansas St is up! I hope they hold out for the win! I'm SO glad college basketball is exciting again! It's all thanks to my CATS! Let's all say a little cheer for Kansas St!

2009 in review

2010-01-01T16:17:00.000-08:00

January 2009: We got hard wood flooring in our dining room after owning the house for a full year! Embarrassing that we waited so long, but it was necessary! Also, the ice storm. OH THE ICE STORM. Most of Billy's family was without power for 3-5 days or longer. Luckily we didn't lose power, but our backyard looked like an ice forest.

February 2009: We celebrated Valentine's Day I'm sure. I think I remember driving around Louisville trying to find a restaurant with a wait under 2 hours. We failed! We ate ice cream for dinner instead and drove to Frankfort to pick up my car! I also bought my car this month, a 2005 Volkswagen Passat. She is a beauty!

March 2009: I don't remember anything from this month. I'm sure it was just great! haha

April 2009: I turned 23! We celebrated with friends and family.

May 2009: High school five year class reunion. OMG do I feel old! This was maybe in June, I can't remember!

June 2009: Billy turned 29. Our one year anniversary was also in June. We spent a day at Huber's Orchard and Winery, complete with a wine tasting! We bought a gas grill together as our gift. So worth it! Our air conditioner also broke this month. Possibly the hottest week of the year. What a bummer! Here we are at Huber's.

July 2009: Alex and I hosted a paintball wedding party for Lacey and John. It was quite possibly the best wedding shower ever! If you missed it, you truly missed out!

August 2009: Flooding in Louisville!! Luckily our house and the houses of our family members were spared. Downtown where we work, not so lucky! This month I also became an official state employee since my one year probation was up. We took a short trip to Gatlinburg, TN with Crystal and Jordon.

September 2009: Lacey and John were wed on 9/19/09. Before the wedding, there was the bachelorette party!!

October 2009: I went on a girl's vacation to Panama City Beach, FL with some women in my family. We lounged on the beach in 80 degree weather while Billy froze at home with weather in the 50's! Billy and I also ventured to Florence, KY to visit with Crystal and Jordon and attend their Halloween party. We went dressed as an old man and woman. On Halloween night my car was egged and our pumpkins were smashed. GREAT!

November 2009: New Moon was released and I went to a midnight showing with my SIL and a couple of her friends! I hadn't laughed as hard as we did at dinner in a good minute! Thanksgiving was also this month and it felt like our celebrations lasted for 3 days!

December 2009: During Christmas we opened too many presents and ate too much good food, but got the most enjoyment out of giving to others. I got a digital camera (Kodak MD81) that I am in love with, along with money to get my windows tinted and a start on my very own Mustang fund! Billy got TN basketball tickets, clothes, and money as well. New Year's Eve Lacey and John came over for a game night complete with Twilight Scene It that I got for Christmas :)

Our 2009 was busy, but blessed for sure! We are so lucky to be surrounded with our friends and family. My new year's resolution is to lose weight. I know it's cliche, but it needs to happen! I'm doing it healthy by exercising and eating right. I'm setting goals that I haven't set in stone yet, but I am excited to get started! Here's to making each moment count in 2010!

What would I do with $128.6 million?

2009-12-30T16:52:00.000-08:00

Funny you should ask, because I'm going to tell you! Evidently someone in Georgetown, KY won this life changing amount of money. Whoever it is, they aren't talking! If it's John and Lacey, I'm hoping they'll let us in on their secret sooner or later... and maybe share just one million of their 128.6! Oh, a girl can dream, right?? So here's just a few things I would do with the money. Keep in mind I would do these things RIGHT AWAY. The more charitable things would come later. Those aren't as much fun to talk about though.

First, I would quit my job. I might not even tell them I was quitting. It would just be understood.
I would buy a beach house with a view like this:

And a couple of these babies...

And this, because I've been drooling over one for a few months now.
Also, season tickets to UK basketball would be awesome!

I would also give my family and close friends enough money to be comfortable. I mean, I can't even imagine how you could spend that much in a lifetime! Billy and I would spend the rest of our days traveling and living STRESS-FREE!

But, in reality, I can't quit my job, won't ever own a beach house or a Mustang Shelby. Possibly I'll have an iPhone soon, but we're still trying to work that out! What would you do with $128.6 million?

Wordless Wednesday

2009-12-09T20:50:00.000-08:00

Up on the roof there arose such a clatter

2009-12-09T20:30:00.000-08:00

As newlyweds, there isn't a whole lot that my husband and myself can do without assistance when it comes to home maintenance and handy work. We have figured out somethings on our own, but the big stuff usually requires assistance. What I'm saying is, we are not professionals... not by a long shot! So when I gave my husband puppy eyes and asked him to hang icicle lights on our house, I knew it wasn't going to be easy. He agreed and we arranged to borrow a ladder. Everything was going according to plan until we actually tried to get started!

First of all, this ladder did not seem very sturdy. I'm sure it was, but I would not have crawled up it. Secondly, the ladder only reached high enough for Billy to climb on the lower part of the roof. This means he would have to walk on the roof to get to the higher part. How he was going to do this and get the lights up, I'll never know! Anyway, long story short, I would not let him climb on the roof! He was making me nervous and he never even climbed above the 4th step.

After we x-ed the icicle lights idea, I remembered I had bought some LED lights after Christmas the previous year. I thought we could just put those in our bushes and put out the light up reindeer. That would look good right? Right. I go get these lights, and I realized that I bought the 'mini' strands. They are only 4 feet long. We have 5 big bushes. Not even one tiny strand per bush! X that idea too. If you're keeping count that is the second 'x-ed' idea in less than 30 minutes.

Now I'm trying to figure out how to save Christmas and salvage what's left of my hope of having lights outside for the first time! We have two trees in our yard. One is a huge 20 feet tall Bradford Pear or something. The other is a 4 foot tall, half dead, Japanese Maple (or something). Guess which one ended up wrapped in 'mini' LED lights?!

Did you guess right? These pictures are way too dark to tell, but the tiny tree got wrapped in lights. I think it turned out ok, but definitely not great. It's a solid showing for our first time, but there is room for improvement! Here are some more dark picture of the outside decorations!

This wreath is white with pink, green and purple ornament balls on it. I just love it!

My Dad made this snowman cut out for me a couple of years ago. It's painted on a big piece of wood. LOVE!

The goal for this year was to put out Christmas lights, and we accomplished it! We even got the set up on a timer! I'm so impressed! The goal for next year is to get the icicle lights up... somehow.

FREE computer?

2009-12-09T16:42:00.000-08:00

MckMama and Kelly are giving away an HP touch computer? Count me in! Check out their blogs for a chance to win for yourself!

Christmas with the Duncans

2009-12-06T23:30:00.000-08:00

I've shown you my trees, now it's time to show you the rest of the decorations! My favorite thing about having a fireplace is getting to decorate it for Christmas. It's easily my favorite thing about the fireplace because we have never lit it and it is really just in the way the rest of the year!If that doesn't look like Christmas I don't know what does!

*Please ignore the printer sitting in the bottom right of the photo and the dog toy on the bottom left* Thanks.

Maybe you've seen something like the tree on the left? It's an antique that a few people in my family have. I had admired/stared at this one that was my dad's all season last year and wouldn't you know he gave it to me! I'm not sure why, but I just love it! The snowmen on the right sing some silly song about eating too much. It's cute.Nothing says Christmas like a fiber optic village!That little guy on the bottom appears to be getting smashed!And last but not least, the reason for the season! There are scripture verses written on all the figures.

In an upcoming post I will show you our outside Christmas lights! I am so proud that we actually got some up this year! 'Tis the season!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2009-12-03T18:10:00.000-08:00

The temperature is finally dropping, Starbucks is serving holiday coffees and I have been shopping like a crazy person! It must be getting close to Christmas!! (although, the shopping like a crazy person has been known to happen when it wasn't Christmas) I love Christmas because I like to drive by and look at Christmas lights or snuggle up and watch a Christmas movie. Also, Christmas is just a great time of year! A lot of happy memories I have center around the holidays and I am always so excited to get together with family and friends for celebrations. Another thing I love about Christmas is dragging out all the decorations and making my house feel more like a home. The house just feels cozier when the Christmas decorations are out! I would have put them up in early November, but Billy would not allow it! Without further ado... here are some shots of the indoor decor!

This is our main tree that is in our living room. Our tree doesn't have a theme because when I was growing up our trees were always full of hand made ornaments and other sentimental ones we gathered over the years. I do think themed trees are beautiful, but for my tree I stuck with what I know!

Most of our ornaments were given to us, or we bought them for each other. The white and red one was made by my grandmother.

And of course we'd have Superman flying around on our tree!

Our second tree is in the dining room. I wanted a tree that could be seen from outside, so that is how it ended up in there! It has red lights and poinsettias instead of ornaments. Possibly that was too much red, but when I bought the stuff the day after Christmas last year it sounded like a good idea. I'm not so sure that I like it, but it's staying for now! It also needs something on top. I think a star would look weird... maybe a huge poinsettia?! haha

I have to say, the big tree that is in the living room is a dream to put up. It is 3 pieces, pre-lit... pure joy! The tree in the dining room, I found out this year, is one where you put each branch in individually. WHAT?! I did not know they still made these! It was not fun. If you don't already have a tree that puts itself up, I highly recommend purchasing one. The day after Christmas, of course!

Things

2009-11-19T19:40:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged in quite a while... guess you've noticed! Not much has been going on and I've just not felt inspired. I've been trying to think of inspiration all night (well, maybe for just the last 15-20 minutes) and here's what I've come up with - a list of random thoughts!

1. My life would be much easier if: I had a dishwasher that worked, could teleport to work in .5 seconds, or if I could inherit a substantial of money.

2. I am going to see New Moon tomorrow with my SIL, a couple of her friends, and Billy's cousin. I could not be more excited!!! I wish I could take off work and sleep late so the movie time would get here quicker. I won't, I promise.

3. Starbucks has started serving (brewing?) their holiday flavors and they are just as delicious as I remember. Today I had a WHITE chocolate peppermint mocha for the first time and it was a-ma-zing! It tasted much like the regular peppermint mocha, but sweeter. MMM!

4. I am completely ready for Thanksgiving, Christmas and all things holiday. I have wanted to put up our Christmas decorations for at least a month! The hubs wouldn't allow this crazy behavior, so they still aren't up... but trust me, they're coming! I'll be sure to post pictures because our Christmas decorations are much more impressive than our Halloween decorations.

5. I actually like the "Party in the USA" song by Miley Cyrus. However, I was not too happy about her "Twilight" bashing comments I heard on the radio. She said "I’ve never seen it and nor will I ever." Miley, if a 23 year old woman can jam to your songs, anything is possible.

6. College basketball season has arrived :):):) AND the Cats are looking impressive already! No, they aren't great but I think they will be! If nothing else, they will be fun to watch.

7. I need to diet. Yeah.

8. I want a tattoo. I have always wanted one, but I just have no idea what to get! If it's going to be on my body forever, it's got to be good.

9. Oh... here's a big one... While on vacation to FL in October I found GRAY HAIRS! OMG. I've found some, like one at a time, over the last year or so. I've never found more than one until now. There were so many I could not pull them out!! I had a small freak out, but then moved on. Right now they just make my hair look shimmery in the light! lol I'm just hoping I don't have to start dying my hair at age 25. SHEESH!

10. My dog is probably the best dog you could ever imagine. We've had her since June 2008. We house trained her with a crate which worked amazingly well. Up until I was gone on vacation, she spent the night in her crate and the day while we were away at work in her crate. It broke our hearts to lock her up so much, but attempts to leave her out had resulted in poop on the floor. While I was gone on vacay Billy decided to try leaving her out overnight and she didn't poop! He left her out every night that week with no accidents. Then we tried leaving her out during the day... long story short, she now is crate-free and is also accident-free since mid October! I'm so proud of her! She's so good and such a sweetheart. Best.Dog.Ever. :)

Alright, that's enough! This is getting a wee bit ridiculous! Please excuse this random post in list form because I was too lazy/uninspired to form it into a comprehensive piece. I hope you all have a fabulous weekend! I'm hoping to start blogging more regularly, but I make no promises!

TRICK-or-treat

2009-11-05T17:11:00.000-08:00

I had been saving this post until I could upload my pictures. However, it seems that is just never going to happen so you'll have to use your imagination! A couple days before Halloween, Billy and I carved pumpkins. Mine was a mask type face and his was a vampire getting ready to bite someone. He usually draws his own, but was feeling a little uninspired this year. I digress!

Halloween night we went to Anderson Co to my grandmother's house. Every Halloween we go over to her house, eat chili, play cards and hand out candy. Last year Billy and I stayed home to hand out candy, but decided to go this year. Anyway, as we were leaving I was loading stuff in the back seat of my car and I see this white thing sticking to my car. It's dark outside so I'm not sure if it's a bug or what... so I get closer only to discover that my new-to-me car that I am in love with has been egged! CRAP! I drive that Neon for 6 years and never get egged and I have my car for 8 months and here come the eggs! After saying a few choice words, I drove to a car wash and everything was solved. The hubby and I get home safely and head to bed around 1am after watching some tv.

Cut to Sunday morning. I open the door so the dog can look out only to find that our pumpkins we so lovingly carved 2 days before have been SMASHED to bits in the road! Some punks snuck up on our front porch and stole our pumpkins! I would feel better about it if they stole them and took then home to admire, but NO, they stole them and then immediately smashed them in the road! The scene outside our house looked something like this...

Now I have seen these things happen in the movies and maybe heard about them happening to other people. Just my luck I get not one but two Halloween tricks in the same year! Total bummer. The upside is that I had a good time at my grandmother's house and the pumpkins were good while they lasted! I hope you all had a trick free Halloween!

UPDATE: Here is my pumpkin
And here is Billy's pumpkin.
And here are our masterpieces smashed in the street! OY.

Cookie confession

2009-10-26T19:31:00.000-07:00

Remember this post? The one about the cookies/runny mess in my kitchen? I discovered something just a minute ago while making sweet tea (my guilty pleasure of the moment). It's big news... and more than a little embarrassing. Of course I had to update! :)

So I store things like sugar, flour, powdered sugar, brown sugar, chocolate chips, and salt in these sleek little guys:

Notice they are unmarked... and you can guess where I'm going with this. Tonight I opened one of the larger canisters looking for the rest of the sugar only to find what I used as flour for my oatmeal raisin cookie recipe. It looked a little funny, and I might still be obsessing over what went wrong with those cookies. I stuck my finger in to get a little taste..... can you guess?

IT WAS POWDERED SUGAR!

So the bad news is I'm a crazy loon who cannot tell the difference between flour and powdered sugar! The good news is that I can still probably make oatmeal raisin cookies. We shall see. Note to self: powdered sugar does not substitute for flour!

MckMama giveaway

2009-10-24T07:51:00.000-07:00

I'd like to give a little bloggy love to MckMama. Reading her blog is such a joy! Those kiddos are super adorable and her photography is perfection! (I'd suggesting following her blog just for the photos alone!) Anyway, MckMama is hosting a giveaway of a $200 gift card from Best Buy for a new appliance!! Check it out here: http://mckgiveaways.blogspot.com/2009/10/amazing-best-buy-giveaway.html

Here is a link to her blog as well: http://www.mycharmingkids.net/

Panama City Beach, FL

2009-10-18T13:14:00.001-07:00

As you know from an earlier post, I spent last week at the beach with some of my family. Billy did not join us and it didn't feel right without him there! I did have a lot of fun though! Everyday except the day I was sick and the one day of shopping was spent lounging on the beach with highs in the upper 80's and low 90's. It was amazing! Our last day it was pretty chilly in the morning because the sun wasn't out, but other than that the weather was perfect!

Besides the day above when a storm forced us in early, we were on the beach from about 9am-4 or 5pm only going back to the house for lunch and potty breaks! I don't know if it was because our beach was a private beach or the time of year, but we pretty much had the beach to ourselves. There were hotels nearby so we could at least see some people, but all around us was usually just birds.

The picture below is my cousin, Alisha in the water. The water was clear blue so you could see your feet at all times! You can't tell from this picture but there was also a big sand bar out about 10 feet. To get to it you would be in water up to your waist and once you were on it the water would be up to your shins. It was weird!

We only ate out once which was nice. We ate at Margaritaville... and yes I had a margarita! It was delicious! Here is a picture of the ceiling.

And this is my crazy sister, Morgan in Margaritaville.
After eating we walked out on a pier. The picture below is looking back at the shore. We didn't see any fish while we were out there, but we did see quite a few jelly fish!
Driving back towards home at every stop we could feel it getting colder! I am still adjusting to these chilly fall temperatures we're having here in KY! I am glad to be home, but not looking forward to returning to work. :(

Cookies?

2009-10-18T13:01:00.000-07:00

Betty Crocker, I am not. This post is proof! Around labor day I tried to make oatmeal raisin cookies from scratch to take on a trip. I found the recipe I had used before and headed to the grocery store. After getting home with my loot I started baking. As I was mixing everything together it seemed too runny, but I figured it would work out ok so I kept going. I measured the cookies onto a cookie sheet and popped them in the oven. I kept an eye on them because they seemed not right. After about two minutes the cookies were running everywhere. Being the genius that I am I decided to wash those off and put some batter into a muffin pan. You know, to hold it while it got all runny! LOL This method appeared to be working after the first 5-7 minutes so I walked away. When the timer went off I returned to this nightmare...DAMN. I know, you're going to tell me I used the wrong kind of flour, but I didn't! The recipe called for all-purpose with baking soda. I tried this same recipe (that I have used successfully before) the next night and got the same result. It didn't take me as long to figure it out the next time. I even called my MIL and got a new recipe... same thing again! Finally I gave up/ran out of time and just bought some cookies at Kroger :) That solved the cookie problem but not the problem of the huge mess in my kitchen from making 3 batches of runny cookies! After this disaster I'm afraid to bake again!

Surprise!

2009-10-09T15:28:00.000-07:00

I am leaving for the beach tomorrow morning at 5:30am! I haven't been meaning to keep this a secret, but I realized today that I hadn't mentioned it yet... so surprise! I have been looking forward to this since we planned it way back in July!! My dad's family knows someone who recently bought a house in Panama City, Florida and they only rent to family and friends. SO, the women in my dad's family decided to take a little ladies vacay! Billy was actually invited, but he decided not to join us for some crazy reason! Actually he isn't joining us because he needs to stay home and work/play softball on the weekend/going out of town with 6 women might not exactly be his idea of a fun vacation. :) Billy and I tried to plan a beach vacation over the summer but it kept falling through so we went to Gatlinburg instead. It was the economical choice and it allowed me to take a week off now for this vacation! It feels weird going on vacation without Billy, but trust me, I'll deal! I will miss him and Laney, but again... I'll deal. Maybe the sand, sun and surf mixed with margaritas will ease my troubles ;)

Speaking of Laney, Billy has taken her to spend the weekend at my MIL's house since he will be away playing softball most of the time. On my way home from work today I was thinking about how excited she would be to see me, but I realized she wouldn't be here. SAD! When I get home from work she is always pumped and wallers around and steps on my feet (weird, I know). Then she'll lay down beside me on the couch and just wag her tail! She's been a part of our little family since a month after we were married, so she just makes it feel like home. When she's away I miss her way too much! We really do treat her like a child and she is spoiled rotten as a result.

Welp, it sounds like Billy may be home so I will wrap it up! Think of me next week lounging in the sand with my toes in the water while you all shiver in this crisp fall weather we're having! Try not to be too jealous! I'll post, hopefully with pictures when I return!

Worry

2009-09-25T18:01:00.000-07:00

I have had a lot on my mind here lately... Hopefully this post won't alarm any of you, but I'm not exactly going to say what it is I've been worrying about! I will say that no one is sick, or hurt, or in danger, or anything else like that. I've just been worrying about something, stressed is probably a better word, but worried worked better for this post! As we've all entered (pseudo-entered?) the grown up world, I have been reflecting on things that used to cause so much worry or stress that just don't seem like that big of a deal anymore. Here's my list, feel free to add your own in the comments!

1. Who is dating, broken up with, talking to who.

2. What to wear the first day of school (does anybody actually remember what you wore the first day of any school year, let alone what someone else wore??)

3. What color shoes you should wear with your new dress, shirt, skirt, outfit. I know, this still is a worry sometimes, but in the big scheme of things nobody cares what color shoes you have on!

4. What to name your Tamagotchi...

5. Or, just worrying about your Tamagotchi in general!

6. Obsessing over stupid boys so much that friendships are ruined and countless hours of your life are thrown away.

7. Having the coolest SpaceMaker, Trapper Keeper, Lisa Frank folder, etc.

8. Who you were going to sit with at lunch or on the bus.

9. Getting your homework done. I know I stressed about this from 1st grade through college. I know the homework needed to be done, but looking back I wish I hadn't stressed about it so much.

10. How to fix your hair. In middle school I woke up at 5:30am everyday and took a shower. Then I'd go back to bed for a little bit before getting up and spending an hour on my freakin hair! I'm not sure if you all remember my middle school hair or not, but I can tell you it wasn't worth it!! lol I so wish I had a picture of that on my computer.

So, there's my list of things I used to worry about that just seem silly now! Feel free to add your own. If I think of more I'll add them. I was stumped at #10, but I know there must be a million more!

Lacey's Final Fling Before the Ring

2009-09-14T17:10:00.000-07:00

Guess who's getting MARRIED this weekend :)

What's better than a weekend with the girls including this room...lots of dancing, drinks and dresses?

Almost nothing.

This past weekend was Lacey's bachelorette party, as you can see from the first picture. Lacey, Alex and I stayed in the Hyatt in downtown Louisville. Our room was super nice! We were on the 14th floor and had an amazing view of downtown Louisville to go along with this posh room!

Friday night Lacey, Alex, Whitney and I ventured down to Connections for a drag show. We were all pretty nervous because we had no idea what to expect. If you've never been to one of these, trust me when I tell you whatever you're expecting probably won't even come close! It was a lot of fun! The drinks were expensive, but that was fine because we walked about a mile anyway and had to walk back. Needless to say I won't post pictures of that night. I'm not even sure we took any... it was an experience that's for sure!

Saturday Lacey, Alex and I went to Louisville Stoneware and painted our own pottery. We were pretty bummed when we found out we couldn't pick them up for 10 days! I guess they have to wait in line to be fired and glazed. We all really enjoyed this and are already talking about going back! If anyone is trying to think of a creative Christmas gift, I suggest this place. The pottery is already made and you pick whatever you want. They supply the paint and you just go to town!

After pottery painting we went to get mani-pedis. Normally this is a relaxing experience, but we had a nail tech that pretty much harassed us! It was funny and he was only kidding (I guess)! So we are ready for the wedding in the nail department. Believe it or not after getting our nails done we went back to the hotel and laid in bed for about 3 hours! We were all feeling sickly in one way or another (not hangovers MOM). HAHA After our down time we were pumped and ready to go out to 4th street! At this point, pictures will explain better than words, so here is our night at 4th street in pictures!

Lacey and her MOHs
Dancing the night away!

The whole group on Saturday night.

I hope everybody who came out had an amazing time. I know I did! I am so excited for Lacey and John's wedding I can hardly stand it! Hopefully I'll see a lot of you readers there :)

Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-07T16:06:00.000-07:00

This weekend, the hubby and I packed up the car and headed to Jamestown, KY with my dad's family. The picture above is the house that we stayed in and the view of the lake from the back deck. We go on a weekend trip somewhere in KY every labor day weekend. This year there were 12 of us on the trip. Talk about a full house! We do a LOT of eating, card playing, and sight seeing. This weekend was especially fun because we rented a boat like this one...We started out just sliding down the slide, but then my brother had the bright idea to jump off the second level. I did it once and I was scared to death! On top of that I got a nose/mouth full of nasty lake water. Needless to say, I was done jumping off the top. My brother jumped off probably 20 times though!Here are the 5 kids in the water. My family still considers me a kid... it's true. Sadly, Billy didn't join me on our boat outing, but we had fun anyway! The next two pictures are pics of our views. This little excursion reminded me of when I lived on the KY River with my mom. We had a pontoon boat (not double decker) and we had friends with speed boats for tubing :)
Other than the boat ride, we ate spaghetti, pizza, brownies, cookies, chess bars, all kinds of chips, chicken salad, ham salad, cheese ball, pinwheels (so amazingly good), oriental salad and lots of other things I can't think of off the top of my head.

Here is the recipe for a ramen noodle salad that sounds very close to the one my family makes:

DRESSING:
1/2 cup oil
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
seasoning packet from ramen noodles

SALAD:
1 pkg. broccoli slaw mix
1 cup sliced almonds
2 pkg. chicken ramen noodles (broken up)
2 cups shredded/chunked cooked chicken

Mix oil, sugar and vinegar. In large bowl, mix together broccoli mix, almonds, chicken and broken ramen noodles. Add dressing and toss. Let stand for a few hours.

We had a wonderful weekend, but tomorrow it is back to reality complete with work and other fun obligations of adulthood! This week I'll also be gearing up for Lacey's wedding festivities, starting with the bachelorette weekend this coming weekend!

***UPDATE***
I forgot to mention that the CATS won their season opener vs Miami OH 42-0!!! I didn't get to see the game because I was out on the lake, but I was pumped to hear they played well. Next the boys play UofL. I won't get to see that one due to Lacey's wedding, but you better believe I'll be updating when possible! GO CATS!

Not ME Monday!

2009-08-24T08:31:00.000-07:00

I think today is as good a day as any to complete a ‘Not me Monday’ post like MckMama! Mondays are just so perfect for a list such as this one. I wish Mondays could be eradicated from all our lives. It really is an awful way to spend 1/7 of your life!

I did not spend a good portion of the last week trying to think of ways to get out of my upcoming jury duty. Since I did not do that, I haven’t been able to come up with any good ones… I’m open to suggestions!

I did not spend an embarrassing amount of time on Farmtown last week. I will not do it again. I totally will! It’s addicting!

I did not bribe my husband into doing laundry by saying I would pick him up a ‘surprise’ when I went grocery shopping. (surprise = candy bar) Lucky for me it did not work! ;)

I did not work 9 hours of overtime last week to pay for a Coach purse I most certainly did not buy while on our trip to Gatlinburg. It was outlet prices people! Give me a break!

I did not stray from my diet once again while at a family get together. Oh forget it, YES I did and it was gooood!

Based on the diet straying, I did not only lose 1 measly pound this week! Hey, one is better than none, right? My goal for the week is to start running or using the elliptical. We’ll see. Ha

My brother did not start his first day of college today, and my youngest sister does not turn 11 this Friday! I’m really in denial about both of these things.

I did not spend a good chunk of time this morning day dreaming about lounging on the beach! I love my job, remember? And I probably will not continue the day dreaming after lunch!

Smoky Mountain getaway

2009-08-11T16:56:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, the hubby and I took a little trip to Gatlinburg, TN with Crystal and Jordon. I think it's safe to say that a good time was had by all!

Billy and I picked up Crystal and Jordon around 2:00 on Thursday and we got on the road. We got to Gatlinburg, went to the grocery and made the 20 minute trek up the mountain to our cabin! They should really tell you how long it takes to get to the cabin before you book! ...I digress.Here it is, our lovely cabin home for the weekend! The views were amazing. I wish we could come back to this cabin in the fall when the leaves are changing.

Thursday night we just decided to hang out at the cabin and get the gaming started! The boys played a few games of pool and then we played games until way past mine and Crystal's bed times. Friday we got up and walked around Gatlinburg. Crystal had never been, so this was really fun for her! We went into a bunch of neat little shops. On Friday we also went to the Ripley's Aquarium and the Ripley's Believe it Or Not Museum. Billy and I had never been to either, so it was quite an experience. The aquarium was amazing! The museum.. not so much.Here's Billy and myself and the Aquarium. There was a tunnel through the big aquarium with a moving sidewalk. There were sharks EVERYWHERE during this part. At the end we got to pet a sting ray. I'll be honest, I tried to do it (not too hard) and never got to touch one. We had a lot of fun at the aquarium!
We found Captain Jack Sparrow in Gatlinburg! What a hottie!Billy and me at the fountain in Gatlinburg...

...and in the huge chair!

Saturday Crystal and I made the boys take us to the Tanger Outlets. We had fun, but I'm not so sure they did! We also ate at Applebarn and played two rounds of putt-putt. Billy won both games. The first game Crystal, Jordon and I all tied for 2nd! It was CRAZY! Also, the first game Crystal got a hole-in-one on the last hole to win a free game!

This picture was before the free game winning hole-in-one, but she still looks pretty excited!

Friday and Saturday nights we played games in the cabin. Turns out we're all pretty competitive! Sunday we just got up and drove home. Of course it took 6 hours instead of 4 due to traffic. It always seems to work that way coming home from anywhere! Jordon sleeping like a baby. :) We were all pretty tired on the way home! We were all sad to come back home and face reality, but all good things must come to an end! We can't wait to go back!!

I was looking for Noah's Arc

2009-08-04T19:37:00.000-07:00

As many of you have probably heard by now, Louisville got a little rain today. By little, we're talking 6 inches in 1.5 hours. Yeah, we got some rain! I'm pretty sure I left my house about 30 minutes into this mess. My drive to work was stressful to say the least!

At about 8:15 I was getting ready to walk out of the house to head to work. About that time the weather man said downtown was getting ready to get hit with a severe storm carrying hail. I decided I would wait out the hail part of the storm in the safety and comfort of my living room! Little did I know, the hail would be the least of my problems today.

I decided to leave my house at 9:00 thinking I had surely missed the worst. On the interstate about half way to downtown, it started raining much harder. The right lane was even beginning to get covered with water. At this point I went from stressed to a little scared! If the interstate is getting covered, who knows what is going on downtown. At this point I called my husband, who was already downtown, only to find that he was stuck in a car at a road blocked with water. That didn't make me feel great! Then I called a co-worker who I was sure could give me a run-down of the roads around my office. He tells me he is stuck in the parking lot of the U of L football stadium. While we were on the phone he had to move his car because even the parking lot was getting flooded! When I got off the phone with him, I didn't feel any more confident about the situation. The radio was saying all kinds of roads were blocked by high water all over downtown. I couldn't really turn around to head back home, as much as I wanted to, so I just kept trucking.

When I got off the interstate, the roads I had to take were probably covered with 3-4 inches of water in the deepest places. Luckily, I never ran into very high water. I made it to my parking garage in one piece, only to find that it was pretty much under water! The water level on the ground floor was probably very near the bottom of my car, but I didn't really have any choice except to keep driving. That part was only a few feet and then it was up, up, up. I had to park on the top of the garage (uncovered). I was sitting in my car, relieved that I made it in one piece. THEN I had to make the trek into the office during pouring rain. Now, faithful blog stalkers, I am one smart cookie, so I thought 'I'll roll up my pants legs to keep them dry!' Seemed like a great idea. When I opened my door and stepped out, I stepped into 5 inches of water! OMG. My rolled up pants got soaking wet in my first step. I got back in and moved my car to a different spot, and then resumed my soggy trip inside. It was pretty uneventful, if you consider walking 2 blocks in 2 inches of rain uneventful.

Eventually the rain stopped and the roads around my office drained very well. I was one of the lucky ones who did not suffer injuries or even damage to my house or car. I will post some pictures I found on WLKY.com. These are not my pictures, but they are all from Louisville during today's storm.YIKES!This is outside the main branch of the public library. I've heard the library had flooding inside and lost a lot of books :(Thank goodness the buses were still running! Louisville bus drivers are brave souls....and this is me walking to work. Kidding! I don't know who this is. The water I walked through was not that deep. I bet they had to throw those soggy shoes away!

PS. The hubby made it safely to his destination this morning and my co-worker waited out the storm in the parking lot. He eventually made it to work safely, too. I just realized I left that out!

Puppy tales

2009-08-03T18:44:00.000-07:00

This week we are doggy-sitting for one of our favorite pooches! Her name is Harley and she is my mother-in-law's dog. We always dog-sit for my MIL when she's away and she does the same for us. While we love doing her a favor, we also love having Harley here! Laney and Harley play very well together and I feel like Laney could use some social interaction.Meet Harley, the spunky, wild, crazy, attention hogging Boston Terrier! This picture is from a while ago, but she still looks the same. I remember taking this picture and Billy and I joking about how ugly she was! I guess she grows on you because I don't think that anymore. Now I believe that she is so ugly she's cute! Her favorite things to do are lick your face, arm, feet (as she is now to me until I wiggle them) or her all time favorite, Laney's ears! GROSS! I know. Billy and I try to make her stop but she is fast! She's also a champion cuddler and will just crawl under the covers with you. She cries every morning when we have to put her in her cage to leave for work. She's such a drama queen! She has more energy than any dog I've ever seen. This is my favorite picture of Laney. I think she has such a cute face and this just captures it! Her floppy ears also make this a cute picture. She is a very laid back dog. By laid back, I mean when we first got her Billy said "If I would have wanted a dead dog, I would have gotten one." LOL She basically lounges on the couch with us, eats, sleeps and goes outside for short intervals. During that lounging she likes to snuggle up next to us and she LOVES to be petted non-stop. I think she may be a little spoiled, but I'm not sure who is to blame. Most definitely not me! She loves to go on walks and that is the only time you'll see her excited for more than 5 minutes. We actually took both girls on a walk tonight and it was a disaster! They kept getting tangled, barked at other dogs, and were just generally wild and crazy. I'm sure they had fun though and that's all that matters!

So if you're wondering what I'm doing this week, I'm probably feeding, letting out or loving on some doggies!

Show us your wedding party!

2009-07-29T20:22:00.000-07:00

I am super excited to show you all my wedding party and flowers along with Kelly at Kelly's Korner! Let's get started! My MOH was my partner in crime and roommate of 3 years at the time, Lacey. This girl helped me make crucial decisions. She also listened to way more wedding babble than any person should ever have to endure! We were roommates, and I'm sure I had wedding brain.These two lovely ladies are my C(K)rystals. I must be drawn to the name! Krystal (on the left) is my bff from college. We were pretty much inseparable from the first day we met. Crystal (on the right) has been my best friend since middle school. We have been through a lot together. I love her like a sister and can't imagine what I would do without her!

Here is me, my mother, and my junior bridesmaids. These lovely ladies are my sisters. It is amazing to see how much they have all grown since this picture a little over a year ago... wow, I feel OLD!Here is a picture of all the girls. The only bridesmaid I couldn't find a picture of me with on my computer is Tiffany, my SIL (sis-in-love). I like to think that her and I are a lot alike, in that we are both hil-ari-ous! Seriously, she is very funny and I am blessed to call her my sis!
These little doll babies are my second cousins, Amelie and Kaylyn. Are they not the cutest? They were great flower girls!I'll just post one picture of the boys. From left to right: Aaron, my brother, Billy, cousin of groom, Cooper, nephew of groom, Billy the groom, Cade, nephew of groom, Jerry, best man and cousin of groom and Chris, brother in law of groom. Great group of good looking men right there!Ok, I lied. Two pictures of the boys. How could you pass up a picture of Cade and Cooper? They were great ring bearers.Here is the whole wedding party.

I searched, but I don't seem to have and pictures that show the flowers really well. We didn't have any flower arrangements at the church, so the ones we are holding are the only ones to show so far! Next Friday when we show receptions (I think) I will be able to show more flowers... if there are pictures of them! ha Our wedding was one of the happiest days of my life, and I think it shows in our pictures! I hope you enjoyed them :)

Show us your life Friday

2009-07-24T17:49:00.000-07:00

Since the home tours are finished, Kelly has changed to 'Show Us Your Life' Fridays. This week is wedding dresses and I'm happy to say that I had one! I'm not happy to say that a year later it is still hanging in the garment bag that the ladies at the bridal store said to only keep it in for 3 months. What can I say? I'm a procrastinator! I do check on it now and then, and it still looks okay.
The dress is by Casablanca Bridal and I bought it from Wedding Wonderland in Lexington, KY. If you're looking for a reasonably priced dress I highly recommend Casablanca Bridal. Their dresses are all pretty much gorgeous! Without further ado...Here is Lacey, my MOH, helping me into the dress.Here's the front of the dress. I loved the ruching on this dress. I wanted something simple, and this dress just felt like the one! I feel like it really worked for me and our day.
Here is the back of the dress. It is bustled at this point. Oh, and the hubby is in this picture too! :)

My dress was only the 5th dress I tried on. I probably tried on 50 after this one, but I kept comparing them all to this dress. The first time I tried it on I was torn between this one and another one that was just over the top. I finally decided I didn't want over the top and fell in love with this dress.

Virtual vacay

2009-07-24T07:07:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not in Ft Lauderdale. This is a picture message I received from the hubby one day this week while I was working OT. I was sitting at my desk, slaving away and he was taking a stroll on the beach!! Before you freak, he didn't abandon me for a bachelor vacation. He has been traveling this week for work. Being the lucky dog that he is, he has been traveling in Florida about 20 miles from the primo spot where this picture was taken! He felt he should send me a message because he knows how much I love the beach. He really wasn't trying to rub it in, but it sure felt that way when I was in my 10th hour of work that particular day! Anyway, my hubby returns home today and I'm pretty excited! I sure have missed that crazy guy :)

Love is in the air

2009-07-20T19:38:00.000-07:00

This weekend was crazy busy with wedded bliss. It started on Saturday with my cousin, Brittany's wedding. I was guest book attendant, in all my smiling, "Hello, how are you? Would you like to sign the guest book?" glory! Their wedding was seriously the most entertaining wedding ever. The bride and groom had microphones on, and they wrote their own vows. Brittany sang a surprise song, which brought nearly everyone to tears, including herself and her hubby-to-be. I wish I had a video to link to so everybody could see how excited these two really were. When they were announced husband and wife I'm pretty sure I remember Brittany jumping up and down. It truly was a beautiful wedding! I wish them all the best in their new life! Oh, and by the way, Brittany and I were born the same day although she is a few hours older. She won't hesitate to point that out either!

Saturday was spent getting ready for the wedding shower Alex (Cindy Crawford) and I threw for Lacey and John. Sunday was the big day, and it was a blast! We didn't have as many turn out as we originally thought, but we had a good group (but way too much food)! This party may be a little different than you might think. First off, it was in a field that had just been bush hogged the day before. There were even a few piles of random materials piled up nearby. Second, and most important there was paintball! We played bride's team vs groom's team. The bride's team was mostly girls, and we put up a good fight! I will say someone brought their own paintball gun, and it hurt exponentially more than the rented paintball guns. That person will remain nameless for their protection! haha

All the girls were very nervous about playing paintball for the first time. We spent about half an hour waiting on Paintball Dave. The whole time we were freaking out about whether it would hurt, whether we would be any good, and whether we would even be able to shoot the gun for fear of being shot ourselves!

Here is 'team bride.' I made sashes to designate teams, since we were mostly all amateur paintballers. Lacey's says "bridezilla," Alex's says "Britney Spears," Afton's says "Hurricane," Tory (Lacey's friend from work) says "Captain Chaos," mine says "sharp shooter," and Brittany's says "Sarah Palin." I had a good laugh making all those at 1am Sunday morning!

The picture to the right is 'team groom.' Please notice John's tuxedo hat! I don't exactly remember the names of all these boys, but some of their sashes say Buzz Lightyear (Bubba), K-Fed (to go with Britney Spears), Colonel Sanders, Soulja Boy, Flava Flav, and John's says Groomzilla of course!

This is Afton, Brittany and Lacey with their paintball gear. Pumped and ready to go!

Everybody getting ready to go paintball.
This is us right after coming off the paintball field. We were paint splattered and hot! (Also we were pumped up because we won the last game thanks to a sneak attack from Bridezilla!)

After paintball we joined the non-paintballers and had a cookout complete with burgers, hot dogs, pasta salad, fruit salad, mac-n-cheese and cake! Here is my attempt at a paintball wedding cake :)

I hope you all had a wonderfully busy weekend as great as mine. Today at work I was exhausted, but it was well worth it to celebrate John and Lacey's upcoming wedding! PS. Ladies, now it's time to start getting excited about the Bachelorette weekend! (Sept 11-13th) Don't say I didn't give you advanced notice:)

Show us where you live Friday

2009-07-10T07:17:00.000-07:00

Today is Friday, and you know what that means! It's time for show us where you live Friday's with Kelly at Kelly's Korner! This week is foyers/entryways. I'll just go ahead and tell you, I just posted a picture of my entryway in the previous blog post. I won't post it again, but I do have some pictures of outside that you may like! They fit the foyers/entryways blog because they are of the front and back porches :) Just bear with me here!

This is the walkway to the front door. BORING! I know.

Here is the front porch (the part that makes this blog qualify for show us where you live) :)

This is the side of the house. I worked really hard planting those flowers as bulbs, mulching and watering. As you can see there are no blooms yet. The flowers don't appreciate my work evidently! There is one that is starting to bloom and I am way too excited about it! I check it everyday. haha

Final picture. This is the back patio. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to keep that hanging basket to the left of the doors alive! I think it dies and comes back to life once a week! The one on the right is incredibly easy though. Do we ever sit on the Adirondack chair or at the bistro table? No! Billy can't stand to be hot so we are inside dwellers. I make it outside every week for a few hours, but not near as much as I'd like!

So that's my revised tour of the entryways/foyers. If you really did want to see a picture of my entryway, you should look at my previous blog post. Not that it is anything to blog about, but I thought you should have the option! :) This post completes the tour of the Duncan home. I left off Billy's comic book room because who wants to see that, right? As well as our master bath. I actually really like our master bath, but for some reason I just didn't get a picture on here. I hope you all have an amazing weekend!

The Duncan home

2009-07-08T17:41:00.000-07:00

Our past few days in a nut-shell: 4th of July weekend we went to cookouts at our families' homes and watched fireworks from our back patio. On Monday Billy's back left tire had a blow-out. He was shaken up, but everything worked out fine. Billy's sister Tiffany was in a bad wreck. We thanked God that no one was hurt! She was majorly shaken up, much more than Billy with his flat tire! Other than those events, we've been working and hanging out at the house with Laney!

Speaking of the house, I finally took some updated pictures AND I uploaded them on my computer. I know. The stars have aligned and you bloggers now get a tour of my home. It's not even Kelly's show us where you live Friday! Lucky you! :)

Welcome to our home!
This is the view from the front door. Straight ahead is the kitchen.
Our kitchen is red and I am just in love! The island was made by Billy's uncle. We are borrowing it from Billy's mom, Vicky. It looks perfect in there. The sign above the stove says: Cherish life's simple pleasures. The small one right above the stove says: I kiss better than I cook ;)
This is the view from standing near the island in the previous picture. We found the painting at Kirkland's just a few months ago. I had been searching for something to go on this wall, and finally found something I was happy with! The room down the stairs is the family room where we spend most of our time.
BIG couch and BIG TV. Worth every penny! The chest behind the couch was a wedding gift from my father. We store blankets in there. Trust me, if you visit you'll need one! ha
Here is my lovely piano in the nook beside the stairs in the family room. Come over and I'll play you a tune while you lounge under a blankie!

Here is the bathroom off the family room. Billy, myself and Billy's mom installed the vanity ourselves!
This is our workout room that is decorated UK and TN. My side is the UK and Billy is the TN. Notice the valance made by the one and only Vicky Duncan :) Rachel, I know you love at least half of this room!

This is the view of the top of the stairs. The door to the right is our master bedroom. I won't post pics of that since I did on a previous post. To the left are the other two bedrooms.
Here is Laney lounging in the guest bedroom.
This is the bathroom at the top of the stairs. It's the same color as the one downstairs, which I would like to change! Billy isn't so fond of the idea... we'll see.
Last but not least is our beautiful dining room. It's so pretty I'm afraid to eat in there! The floor was recently installed by Billy's uncle. We got the table and chairs at Ashley Furniture and the curtains from Pier 1. I love everything about this room!

Well folks, that's all for now. I took pictures outside of my flowers, but I'll save that for another post! This one is getting a little lengthy. I hope you all enjoyed your virtual tour of the Duncan home. Head on over and I'll give you a real tour. Maybe I'll even fix some margaritas!

Kings Island and naps

2009-07-03T18:21:00.000-07:00

So here it is, 9:15pm, dark outside... on a FRIDAY. A show us where you live Friday of yards/garages. I don't have a garage, and now my yard is cloaked in darkness! I do have a basement, but who wants to see that? Anyway, I missed show us where you live Friday and I'm bummed! The reason I missed it is because I have been napping :) Yesterday Billy and I went to Kings Island along with my Auntie and sister, Morgan. We also ran into my mom and sisters, Leah and Kayla who also ventured to the park that day! Small world! We were in the park from 10am-10pm and rode the. whole. time. It did not rain one time, although we saw it coming down very hard from the top of a coaster. I'm pretty sure the temperature never reached 80, and I did not sunburn in the slightest! Now, it was a little crowded, but with weather like that the lines did not seem that bad.

All this Kings Island talk brings me to my next topic: the new coaster, Diamondback. It. Was. A-MAZ-ING! The seats are designed so each rider feels like they are on the edge. There is also not a lot else obstructing your view. You sit in a high back chair and a bar thing closes over your lap. Basically it feels like you could fall out. Oh, and I didn't mention that your feet don't reach the floor! You feel weightless if you can get to that point past the sheer terror! ha Here is a picture of the seats:
The first drop of this coaster is crazy scary. Not to mention the ride up to this drop. I believe it was 215 feet or something like that. It made all the other coasters there seem like kiddie rides! Here's the drop:
At the end of the coaster it sprays up water at the back of the coaster. We even rode in the very back on one of our three trips and did not get wet. It does create a mist on the walkways around the ride, which I'm sure will be much appreciated on those super hot days! Here is a picture of the spray:
Pretty cool, huh? We were quite impressed! I urge everybody to go ride this ride. We rode it three times and I would have ridden it again, but it was time for the rides to shut down when we got off!

Today I took Laney to the vet for her one year shots. We were supposed to meet Crystal, Jordan and the little one on the way at a Red's game, but we were just way too tired! We will definitely go up there for a game soon though. We were bummed that we didn't feel like going. We even watched some of the game on TV (which I never do!) We did make it out of the house to walk around the flea market at the Fair and Expo Center, but we both napped afterwards :)

Well bloggers, since I have been napping I now have energy to get into something! Tomorrow is filled with cook-outs and 4th of July celebrating. I hope you all have a happy 4th!

Shows Us Where You Live Friday

2009-06-26T18:03:00.000-07:00

It's my first show us where you live Friday! This is a little something hosted by Kelly, another blog I have been reading. I'm excited! Actually, I'm only excited because I had pictures of the master bedroom, the room of the day, on my computer already. (This means I didn't have to pick up the room, take pictures or load them to my computer!

I love our master bedroom. The furniture is my high school graduation gift from my grandmother. I picked it out 5 years ago and I still really like it. The walls are red, which I've seen people trash on those design shows, but it is way more interesting than a boring color. I would insert the colors I think are boring, but I don't want to offend anyone who may like those colors! Ok, enough talking. On with the pics!

Since the above picture was taken we have moved the nightstand, centered the bed on the wall and added two cubes above the bed for alarms clocks and cell phones. The door on the left is the master bathroom and the door to the right is out into the hall way.

Now in that empty space to the right of the TV is the dresser and mirror. We still don't have a window treatment. I just haven't found any that go with the quilt and mood of the room. Who am I kidding? I haven't really looked hard at all. If anybody knows of any, let me know!

I love signs like this. There is one in almost every room of the house, which you would know if I had been participating in this little blog world for very long! I'll get pictures up of the rest of the house soon. Anyway, this sign says "Always kiss me goodnight"... and he does :)

Here are the his and her closets. I really don't understand how people stay married without separate closets! I highly recommend two closets. (Those of you who know me and Billy can probably guess whose closet is hanging wide open in this picture and always)

Well that's it folks! Hopefully you all enjoyed the tour of my master bedroom! Next week is garages and yards. I would love to get pictures up of my flowers, but we'll just see how that goes.

Brrrrr!

2009-06-25T19:36:00.000-07:00

Currently it is 85degrees outside and my car told me it was 102 when I left work at 5:30 today, but blogging friends, I am chilly willy in my house! The AC has been fixed!! Turns out the motor was just worn out. Not too pricey, but not cheap either. I am thankful we got it fixed so fast! I don't think I could have made it much longer without air! Actually, it was bearable in the living room, but the rest of the house was quite steamy.

On to other news. Michael Jackson died! I used to love his music. He was a great entertainer and he will be missed! I used to jam to his music on tape all the time. Once, I put one of his tapes into the tape player of my mom's car. For some reason it was stuck in there and that stereo would automatically play a tape if it was turned on and one was in. You couldn't listen to the radio as long as a tape was in the player. I loved it I'm sure, but I'm guessing my mom didn't appreciate the endless MJ music! Sorry Mom! Did that tape ever come out? I don't remember!

Well tomorrow is Friday and I am already looking forward to getting the weekend started!

Heat advisory

2009-06-24T05:24:00.000-07:00

So as you can see from the picture, my air conditioner is on fire. Just kidding, it isn't on fire. Actually the opposite, kind of.

Here's the story. We get home around 8:00pm last night and it was hot in our house. Anybody who knows Billy at all knows this was immediately noticed and a major problem! We go to the thermostat and it is 80 degrees. That means the lower level of the house was 80. The upstairs was more like a million. Anyway, we venture to the basement to see what is going on to find out that the furnace has frozen. This happened some last summer too, but we aren't sure why. I went and picked up a new AC filter thinking that would help because it has before. We change the filter and leave the AC off until 10 or so giving it some time to thaw. Meanwhile every fan in the house is on and we are confined to the living room. Oh, and forget about using the stove, dishwasher, etc. So about 10:30 we realize the AC is not working and must still be frozen. We turn it off again and decide to just leave it off all night so we won't do damage that can't be fixed by thawing.

Leaving it off all night seemed like a good idea, but let me tell you, it was one hot night. And not in a good way! ha! We slept on our couch to stay on the lower level, which was sleep-able but not great. Add to that the dog in the middle of the couch and Billy's tendency to kick/punch/do ninja moves in his sleep and the heat. It was a crazy night! I thought once I fell asleep I would be fine, but no. Way hot. All. Night. Of course if I was hot, we all know Billy must have been way more miserable. I won't even go into that! haha

So currently, the AC is still off at the house. We are both at work (I'm blogging at work because I am still trying to cool down so I can concentrate!) and poor Laney is in her crate probably wondering why her mommy and daddy don't love her! If we get home and turn it on and it doesn't start working we are going to assume it is broken and probably go to my MIL's house. We aren't proud! Power outage or AC breaking are both legit excuses to flee to someone's house :) I'll keep you updated on this breaking story.

Not me Monday

2009-06-22T18:46:00.000-07:00

So this is a little something I have uncovered in my blog stalking, I mean reading. Not Me Monday! I got this from reading the blog of MckMama. Her adorable little family is a lot of fun to read about and I have prayed a prayer or two for her sweet baby Stellan. Check it out when you get a chance! I think this not me monday thing is great and I can't wait to get started on my list!

I did not have a moment of pure bliss when I walked into work at 8am to find the phone system down. And I most certainly did not cringe when all of sudden my phone rang at 10:30am! That hour and half was probably the most productive of my whole day due to the absence of annoying phone calls. (I mean completely necessary phone calls, of course)

I did not spend a good portion of my day thinking of things to put on this, my first Not Me Monday post! I did not even have the urge to write them down as I thought of them. (Promise I didn't do that)

I would never neglect my messy kitchen for the 120549372 time. The dishes can wait, right? :)

I did not eat rice and cheese at my fav-o-rite mexican restaurant tonight. And I did NOT have a margarita on the rocks with two funny funny ladies!

I did not cause said margarita to come out of said lady's nose. I would never do that. And I didn't even laugh when it turns out she was ok!

I did not, and I repeat, did not take my wall calendar to the restaurant because date planning was going to occur and I do not have a portable planner. I also did not lay this BEAGLE wall calendar on the table for the entire meal. HA

And since I was so good today, I'll have to mix things up a little tomorrow!

Here is a picture of me and my hubby about a year ago on our wedding day. If you couldn't already tell, the process of getting pictures from my camera to my computer is somewhat difficult so I will be sharing oldies, but goodies for a bit.

I'm a blogger...

2009-06-17T18:45:00.000-07:00

So, I have a confession. I have (and will continue) been reading blogs of friends, and blogs of people I have never met. When I say reading I mean that I log on once a day to see if these people have updated! When I'm bored at work sometimes I will just try to find a random blog to read to pass a few minutes. I tell you all this to say that I finally caved and decided to start my own blog so that I may entertain some bored worker, and to get it off my chest that I may be a blog stalker :) An added bonus is that I get to blog about my life. Some might find it boring, but they don't have to read!

I guess in this post I will tell you a little about myself and my life. My name is Shannon and I live in Louisville, KY. I moved here from Frankfort/Lexington, KY when I married my best friend, Billy in June of 2008. I graduated from Transylvania University and Billy graduated from U of L. (Don't worry. He isn't a UofL fan!) I guess I should say here that I am a UK fan and Billy is a TN fan. Billy and I both work for the state in different departments. We have the best dog in the world, Laney. She is the calmest Beagle you will ever meet. Her favorite thing is to lounge on the couch, which is good because Billy and I can do some serious couch lounging! I like to read and I'm always open to suggestions for my next book. I also like to scrapbook, but I haven't done it much lately. Billy lives to play softball and for superman! Anybody who knows him already knew both those things! We have a lot of fun and hopefully I can remember the fun to write about in my blog!

Soon I will post pictures of our house, but for now I will leave you pictures of my little family!

Here is Laney, the beagle

Me and the hubby