My Life...

Vacation from Long, Long Ago :)

2009-08-25T19:37:00.012-04:00

A few weeks ago...think its getting close to a month ago now...Ashlee, Josh & I went on vacation to Phoenix, AZ. We drove out there (well, I drove - they rode :)) we went through 14 states (Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky and finally Ohio!) in 9 days. This includes 3 that I'd never been to and I think 10 that Ashlee & Josh had never been to. It was ALOT of fun. Unfortunately I didn't take very many pictures and the ones I do have on my camera were mostly taken by Ashlee. I was a little busy with the whole driving thing... :) I finally gave up on getting more pics from Ashlee so here are a few that I have. They aren't necessarily in chronological order but here goes...

Friday & Saturday were spent driving; we left about 5:30 am on Friday and arrived around 10:00 pm on Saturday (1am OH time). I may post a few from these days later on...

Sunday we spent hanging out at the condo. Needed to relax and stretch after all those hours in the car :)

Monday we drove over to California - through part of the Mojave Desert...again no pics...up into Nevada - to Las Vegas, then back to Arizona and stopped at Lake Havasu. The lake was beautiful!

Also at Lake Havasu is London Bridge...here are a few pictures from visiting the Original London Bridge...

We all squeezed into this phone booth :)

And the bridge....

On Tuesday we went to out to breakfast at a place featured on Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives...more on that later. Then Ashlee needed to take a test for school so we went to the Phoenix Library. That place is Huge...it is 5 stories!! Makes Cincinnati's downtown branch look small :)

Then we tried to go to the art museum cause our tour book said Monday & Tuesday was free...we got there and it was closed...I think the tour book needs updated :) After that we just hung out at the condo (and the pool!) cause I didn't want to drive all day every day!!

Wednesday it was up to the Grand Canyon with a drive through Sedona on the way and the Painted Desert on the way back. Sedona was beautiful...all of the big rocks...I even saw the Snoopy rock. However, you have to buy a pass to stop in the parking areas and we didn't do that so all of the pictures were taken while driving...

Here are Ashlee and Josh on their first trip to the Grand Canyon. I do believe they were amazed at the size of it. Pictures can't even begin to do it justice, but here are a few anyways.

Trying to capture it in pictures...

Okay, I look really short in this picture...I promise they are standing on a rock :)

The watchtower at the Grand Canyon...I didn't realize that there was one there

Here are some pictures of restaurants that we visited. I have pictures of lots of food, but they are on my phone and I haven't sent them to my email yet...

We stopped here in Amarillo...yummy food especially since we just pulled in at the last minute. Definitely a family restaurant, there was a little girl probably 8 or 9 that was helping out as a waitress :)

Here are our stops that were featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. They were all so good and I would recommend all of them. Except of course that BBQ place in Kansas that was closed. Didn't think to take a picture of that one :)

Matt's Big Breakfast - Phoenix, AZ

This place was tiny!! Seriously, the little table outside is the waiting list, you write your name on it and when there is room for you the waitress comes out and calls your name. Thankfully it wasn't raining or too long of a wait when we went!! I've heard its usually lined around the block on the weekends!

Salsa Brava - Flagstaff, AZ

I didn't get a picture of the outside of this one. All of the restaurants had picture of Guy and a stamp on the wall that said "Guy ate here"...once again, pics are on my phone :( The food of course was scrumptious here too, Josh had a burrito that looked like the size of a football!!

Twisted Root Burger - Dallas, TX

This was probably my favorite...Loved the burger and sweet potato chips that I got here. Was definitely worth the few extra hours it added to the trip!!

Leaving Dallas was the worst traffic we ran into the entire trip. There had been an accident that required multiple air care flights so the highway was backed up pretty far. We were fortunate to be able to get off and go around the accident but the road we were driving on went right along the highway so we saw some interesting things people do when they are stuck...

Someone broke down and needed a jump...

Not sure if you can enlarge this picture, but if you can you'll see a man lying on the cement wall in the middle of the highway (behind the white car). No, he wasn't involved in the accident...only taking a nap it appears :)

And this one...not sure why I took it guess I just liked the name...Arkadelphia. Thought it quite unique ;)

Latest Art Project

2009-06-06T23:39:00.003-04:00

Sara, Erika, Hannah, Sis. Hooker and I worked on the Little Kids Church room today. Hannah really enjoyed 'helping' me clean up some chairs that had been out in the barn. Unfortunately i think she rearranged a couple of rocks that were in the flower beds! :( Oops! It was a long day but well worth having this train nearly completed. We have to add the smoke coming out of the stack, it's finished just need to get the two connected....i guess you can't just nail them together :)

Anyways, he's a cute little train and I think the kids will really like it!

Workin' Hard

2009-06-06T23:08:00.004-04:00

Last weekend most of our family went up to the church campgrounds to work on our room. Here a few pictures that Sara took while we were there.

Matt deciding what areas of the ceiling need replaced

Jimmy putting up the insulation and Dad supervising while eating lunch :)

Cutting a 2x4

Getting ready to go...

...up here!

My first re-screening job

Complete!!! :)

Mom this isn't very comfortable

All tired out from a fun day of playing and getting rides in the wagon! Nate Jewett would drive the lawnmower pulling a wagon over to the dumpster so we wouldn't have to carry everything...on the way back Hannah and I would ride in the wagon. She got to where everytime she saw him she'd run to the wagon or the golf cart he was driving...definitely found a new friend!! :)

Happy Belated Birthday

2009-05-05T16:56:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday Jimmy! Sorry I'm late but I hope you had a wonderful day and weekend of celebration :)

Warning: Picture Overload!

2009-05-05T15:51:00.000-04:00

Well, someone requested more pictures from vacation so...Mom, this is for you :) These are definitely in random order. Sorry!

Extreme emotional difference :)

wonder what Hannah wants (i'm sure she got it!)

Uncle Jimmy and Hannah down by the creek

Hannah & Mommy

Me getting beaten up for winning mini-golf :)

Josh imitating someone...don't remember who!

sick, sleepy little baby :(

Feelin' a little better, enjoying the comfy rocker

Me & Ashlee about to fall over

Eatin' chocy donuts - I think she had just put a whole one in her mouth!

Josh ~ probably on Facebook

He'd never be able to do that at home!!

Yummy tacos!

Josh - the mountain climber

Cheese!

Erika & Matt

Jimmy & Me

Our cabin....was AWESOME!

Josh had just gotten a hole-in-one at the Hillbilly golf

Hannah enjoying the hot tub...I was too lazy to go get her swimsuit :)

Matt setting up the camera for...

a group picture. Yeah, I know, he isn't in here...he was setting up his camera :)

Chillaxin'

2009-04-23T00:57:00.000-04:00

Absolutely love this picture of Hannah...looks like she's chillin' on the couch with the remote!

My aunt and uncle came over and visited with us today. They also brought my cousins two little boys with them. It was so nice to see them all again.

Uncle Rodney and Andrew (he's one day older than Hannah)

Ethan was my little buddy...wore me out chasing him around the decks outside :)

This evening we went and played mini-golf. I actually won!!! That is definitely a first!! Here a few pictures from a very fun evening

Dad trying out his Arnold Palmer pose...he almost fell over! :)

Jimmy taking a seat...hope he doesn't ignite the box! haha

Vacation!!!

2009-04-21T12:18:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posting recently...no real reason, just laziness I guess :) I am so happy to be on vacation now! Here is what I've been doing so far...

A lil' bit of air hockey and pool

a lotta pin ball

learnin' how to play BlackJack

Breakfast at the Apple Barn...of course!

and lovin' the view from our cabin!!

Another Day Off :)

2009-02-10T20:18:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning I had to report to the Warren County Courthouse for jury duty. I was a little disappointed that I wasn't able to actually be on the jury...I was an alternate and then the defendant decided not to show up for his trial! Oops...too bad for him :) So I had the rest of the day off! Yay! I decided to try and get a few things accomplished...first off I got my new bedding set all together

Jax doesn't seem to understand that he's supposed to be completely on his bed...not my comforter :)

Got my curtains up (including the curtain rod)

I had originally bought a curtain rod that braced itself inside the window frame...no screws/holes in the wall...sounded perfect. Unfortunately I hadn't measured how big the window was and it was too short! So I had to go back to the store and get a different one. Of course there wasn't one long enough like that so I had to get my drill out last night and put this one up!

I also bought new windshield wipers, got Dad to replace my headlight, did some laundry, went to Curves...and I think thats about it :)

I also had this picture on my camera...it is from last Tuesday on my way home from work. Can you tell where I was? BTW...my car wasn't moving when I took the picture! :)

Snow Day!

2009-01-28T17:48:00.000-05:00

A rare thing happened today...work was closed! First time in at least three years for winter weather! I have thoroughly enjoyed being at home and lazy all day; however, I am getting bored and will be ready to go back tomorrow :) Here are a few pictures that I took from our balcony.

This one is actually from last year. I would have taken a new one of Jax but I took him out w/out his leash on and he ran around the back of the building. I was worried that he would try to chase the ducks and fall through the ice into the pond so I didn't get any of him :)

One of the many pine trees around here

You can't even tell where the pond begins!

If you look closely you can see the ducks in the small part of the pond that isn't frozen :)

Dad's Birthday

2009-01-26T20:06:00.000-05:00

...was last Wednesday and we celebrated on Saturday with breakfast at the Original Pancake House...I've heard the have the best maple syrup around :) Saturday evening we had dinner, cake & ice cream and gave him his gift. We all went together and got him tickets to the Gaither Homecoming that is in March. Instead of giving him them in a card...

looking like something is going to jump out and bite him :)

...we made "The Ultimate Concert-Goers Practice Kit"

Complete with microphone and lighter!

a closer look...candy, popcorn, peanuts, soda, glow bracelets, mic, harmonica, kazoo, lighter and of course a Gaither DVD w/ the tickets inside :)

with an information label :)

On to dinner...we had wings from Buffalo Wild Wings...yummy!! along w/ pasta salad, cheeseball, green beens and veggies

Finished off with a yummy cake that Ashlee made and Erika decorated...I posted a side shot so you could see the wonderful job she did...all the way down to around the plate!

Trying to help Papaw blow out the candles

Not really liking the icing on her finger :)

Hockey!!

2009-01-26T19:57:00.000-05:00

I went to the Cincinnati Cyclones vs. Dayton Bombers game on Friday...first hockey game I've ever been to. It was so much fun and they (cincy) won 7 - 1! Here are a few pictures that I took...sorry for the flash in some of them :)

the goalie...yes they were wearing pink jerseys :)

A few action shots

the mascot...his name is Twister and his number is F5 :)

A Fun Filled Day!

2009-01-17T23:57:00.000-05:00

I finally got to have a flying lesson today that I had received as a birthday gift last year! It was so much fun...hopefully dad will let me go w/him when he uses his!

Here is the plane we flew in. I wish I would've gotten a picture of Dad & Matt in the backseat! They were quite cozy :)

This is the road that Mom & Dad live on. I put a red box around their house.

We took off from the Dayton Wright Brothers Airport, flew over my parents house and headed to Kings Island. I also saw the Burger King that I occasionally work at. We circled over Kings Island a few times then headed back. I actually got to fly the plane on the way there and back...loved it! Strangely enough I wasn't near as nervous in that tiny little plane as I am in bigger planes!

This evening my whole family went to Longhorn for dinner. After waiting for more than two hours we finally got to sit down and eat...I guess tonight was the night for big groups there!

Hannah sitting with Uncle Josh.

Jimmy enjoying Hannah's kids menu :)

A few Christmas pics

2008-12-29T18:04:00.000-05:00

I didn't take near as many pictures as I wanted to, but here are a few that I did get.

Hannah enjoying breakfast...eggs, hashbrowns, biscuits & gravy...yummy!

Jimmy was heard on Christmas Eve saying that he didn't believe in Santa Claus...something happened to his stocking before Christmas morning :) Although, I believe it was already planned ...

Jimmy's tiny stocking next to Josh's stocking

Hannah getting a ride in her LEGO wagon

I love trying to think of new/creative gifts for people...a few of my favorites this year were a scrapbook for my Mom and a digital scrapbook for Erika. A few weeks ago Erika, Sara and I spent the weekend creating a scrapbook from our family vacation this past spring. It was so much fun and I think it turned out pretty good...especially for being a first for all of us!

I made a scrapbook on Shutterfly for Erika that was pictures from Hannah's first year. I also had alot of fun picking out pictures for that one...much easier to assemble than the one for Mom :)

Another one that I really liked was for a guy at work...he is an Ohio State fan and my boss and I were trying to think of something for his basement (recently remodeled into a 'party' area). We had thought about a dartboard but found out he already had one but that he could use some new billiard balls. Yep, we found OSU ones...they were awesome!!

I wish I was here again!

2008-11-24T21:09:00.000-05:00

With the cold weather that has made its way to the area I am wishing I was back in Arizona!

Some of the gorgeous scenery...makes me warm just seeing it :)

...and the spa, how relaxing it was. I could go for a massage or a facial right now!

What was he thinking?!?!

2008-11-21T22:37:00.000-05:00

With THE GAME tomorrow you would think Dad would have gotten his cast any color except for blue! (and of course yellow:))

Hodge Podge of Photos

2008-11-18T20:25:00.000-05:00

The cutest, sweetest, happiest baby ever!

Somebody got this for their birthday...and no it wasn't Hannah :) I thought it was quite funny!

BTW...I added the 'sensor bar' to make it more blog friendly :)

A few weeks ago, Sara and I along with our cousin Laurie and her husband Cory went on a murder mystery train ride in Lebanon. It was alot of fun...here are a few pictures of the ride.

Our Invitation

Cory and Laurie

It was a Gilligan's Island theme and Gilligan sat next to Sara a few times and 'chatted' with us.

New Outfit

2008-11-18T20:07:00.001-05:00

Jax got a new sweater/shirt over the weekend. Some say he is an old man now and needs glasses and a pipe to go with it :) I had to bribe him with treats to get him to sit still for pictures.

Happy 1st Birthday...

2008-11-18T19:45:00.000-05:00

Hannah! Sorry I'm late :)

The Birthday girl chowing down on pizza...yummy!

Not entirely sure what that face is about...maybe the icing is super sweet?!?

Happy Birthday Erika!

2008-10-27T18:10:00.000-04:00

Hope you had a fantastic birthday!

Love you lots!

Game Day

2008-09-28T14:06:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was Scarlet & Gray Day at the OSU Football game. They honored all the student athletes during half time and had them all out on the field in the middle of the block O.

Before the game

What a difference just a little while makes :)

It is neat to watch them raise the US flag. They do this before every game.

Everyone in place and ready

On it's way up

If you look close you can see the guy that has just come running down the ramp with the rope to tie down.

Flying high above the field

We had a different perspective from our seats this time...we were in the endzone about 9 rows from the top of the stands. Still pretty good seats :)

General (boring) Update...

2008-09-26T22:41:00.000-04:00

Hmm...what has been going on...sorry I haven't taken any pictures to include in this post.

We finally got power back on Monday at work then we got to begin the 'catch up' process this week. After being out for 7.5 days it was about time! We had some generators set up for the end of last week so we could get some work done...on Saturday right before the last few people were leaving, one of the computers caught on fire. Thankfully they hadn't left yet since our alarm system needs electricity to work :) We had a security guard there but I don't think he would have noticed anything until the entire building was in flames...anyways, the only damage was to the computer and the cubicle that it was in.

Mom & Dad have decided to keep the puppy...now named Molly (short for Molasses). Actually I think the puppy is Josh, Ashlee & Jimmy's, but Mom & Dad let them keep her :)

I have left Jax out of his crate all week while I was at work...no messes! Yay!!

Been to Spanish class this week...enjoying it for the most part. I think I'm finally picking up a few things :)

Went to Erika's tonight for Taco Pizza and games...had alot of fun. Hannah is walking really well. I need to take some more pictures!

And tomorrow I'm working a few hours and then...

I'm going to be here!!!! :)

Go Buckeyes!!

A guy at work is unable use his alumni tickets so he gave them to me. Twice in one season, I don't know if I'll survive :)

Unplanned Vacation

2008-09-18T15:42:00.000-04:00

What's a girl to do when she doesn't have to go to work for four days??? (no, I haven't been trying to eat my toes :))

We haven't had electricity at work at all this week...kinda of nice to not have to go in, however, I'm afraid I will regret it when payday comes around. They've gotten some generators so some people are supposed to go to work tomorrow, I'm going in to help get the backlog of orders started. They have also said for the employees to plan to work the weekend! Hopefully power will be fully restored soon!!
I have been picking up extra hours at Burger King since they have been extra busy because of the power outages. Monday was super crazy! (Sunday night was too, but I wasn't there) We never lost power at BK and were one of about 3 restaurants in the area that didn't. During lunch we had two hours that were over $1,000 each...we've never been that busy even during the summer!

Puppy, Poppins, Sissy...

2008-09-02T19:39:00.000-04:00

This cute little puppy showed up at Mom and Dad's house yesterday so we all had fun playing with her...even Jax! Everybody had a different name for her :) Hopefully we won't be able to find her family and someone can keep her! I think she looks a little bit like Jax when he was a puppy.

Little Miss Hannah

2008-09-02T19:30:00.000-04:00

Hannah loves ice cream :)

not really liking when it gets moved away!

sad that its gone...

Here she is after she got a head wrap for her 'boo-boo'...I think someone was just having fun with the ace bandage :)

The Best Band in the Land

2008-08-31T12:59:00.000-04:00

Here are some of the pictures I took of the band performances. It is so much better to see them actually performing them, but pictures will have to do. I can't get very many videos on my camera without using all the memory.

Pre-game formations

This is the current band along with the alumni band

Current band only

Block 'O'

This is the new formation they began doing this year for the team entrance. The band forms a block 'O' and the cheerleaders are in the middle of the 'O'. If you click on the picture you can see the football players getting ready to run through. The band splits and they all go running through...so neat!!

Half time show

This is the alumni band...they played the 'theme' song (not sure what it is) from the Olympics. They are welcoming back the 13 OSU alumi that participated in the 2008 Olympics

Celebrating a 40th reunion...so cool to see those drum majors, some of them probably at least in their 70's, leading the band and twirling their batons!

Finally, the beginning of Script Ohio. With the alumni band being there they do 4 at the same time. Extremely fascinating to see!

'O'

'Oh'

There's two of them...the other two are in the endzones.

Go Buckeyes!

2008-08-30T20:53:00.000-04:00

Ahh...Buckeye football has begun again! So very exciting! The season started with a fantastic win (43-0) over Youngstown State today. I absolutely love going to the games...wish I could go more often! Dad, Matt, Sara, Josh, Quentin (my cousin) and I headed to Columbus about 8:15 this morning. After parking and walking what seemed like 5 miles at least we finally arrived at The Horseshoe...the band was already there and you could hear them before you got there! After a stop at the concession stand (I wasn't planning to traipse back down all those stairs once I got up them!) we climbed the many steps to our seats. Sara and I were on the 35 yard line, we also managed to get the shade not long before halftime! It was alumni day so the alumni band, drum majors and cheerleaders were there as well. I have several pics of the band but that will be a separate post :)

The Buckeyes getting ready to score a touchdown!

After every field goal, 4 cheerleaders run through each endzone with the O-H-I-O flags

After the touchdowns, the cheerleaders get on their knees on the edge of the endzone and raise their arms up and then down

...and that's another Ohio State first down ( the annoucer said the first part and the crowd shouted 'first down'...every time...this was the first time I've been there when they did this)

(1st down)

The final score

Here are a few more 'action' shots

On our long journey to and from the stadium there were several 'Brutus on Parade' statues. They included a Phantom of the Opera, Ceasar, Astronaut, Tin Man, Irish Leprechaun, Disco, Woody Hayes and many more including the ones below.

We were trying to take our picture so the man behind us offered to take it if we wanted to stand up so the stadium would be in the background.

and of course you must have the perfect pedicure for any game! :)

Reds Game

2008-08-30T20:19:00.000-04:00

On Friday night I went to the Reds' game with Deb. She was meeting a friend from high school there. The Reds won...yay! and then there were fireworks after the game. This was the first time I have ever stayed for the after-game display.

I was worried that it may begin storming again because of the clouds. Loved the color of the sky!

We ordered a pizza from LaRosas that they delivered to our seat....yummy!

Obviously the game wasn't interesting enough for this guy! :)

Between the game and the fireworks display they did a few different things...one of which was sing, 'Hang on Sloopy' complete with O-H-I-O.

Ahh...love those Buckeyes :)

And some fireworks

So busy...but tons of fun :)

2008-08-30T20:01:00.000-04:00

Wow! These last couple of days have been extremely busy but alot of fun and I'm glad I was able to do everything that I did :) I've been to La Comedia, the Reds game and the Ohio State football game in the last three days. I have a ton of pictures so I will have to pick a few to put on here. I will also attempt to get three different posts done tonight :) Beginning with La Comedia...

Thursday night Deb, Sara, Mom and I went to see Beauty & the Beast at the La Comedia dinner theatre. We were celebrating Deb's new job (she's my new co-worker!). It was alot of fun, the play was fantastic and the food delicious!

Our waitress was nice and took a group photo

The salad

Buffet dinner

For desert...Peanut Butter Pie...scrumptious!!

Tomorrow...

2008-08-29T08:54:00.000-04:00

This is me...tomorrow morning :)

YAY!!

Family

2008-08-25T20:51:00.000-04:00

On Saturday we drove down to Louisville to meet some of our family for dinner. My aunt, uncle and cousin live in Tennessee so every few months we try to meet halfway to visit for a little while.

Here are some photos from dinner at Buckheads. Yummy food! The cutie pie at the top of the post is Ethan, my cousin Shauna's son.

The girlies table...we got kicked away from the table with everyone else :)

Uncle David, Aunt Penny, Shauna & Ethan

Aunt Cathy, Uncle Rodney, Mom & Dad

The baby is Shauna's other son, Andrew...he is one day older than Hannah.

Some uncooperative targets

Matt was so nice and cooperated after the previous two wouldn't!

Hannah grabbed a roll out of the bread basket...note the progression!

Oohh...what did I get? It looks awfully big...

Well, maybe if I smush it a little bit, then I can fit it in my mouth...

Yes! I got it!!

Here's another picture of Andrew...he shared my dessert with me :)

Everybody hanging around after dinner

Ethan being shy

Looks like he got over it! He was giving Hannah a hug...looks like she has ahold of his shirt and is pulling him back again :)

Noodles

2008-08-19T21:50:00.001-04:00

For dinner tonight I went to Noodles and Company for a 'tasting'! Yum-o!!! A month or so ago I went there for lunch and dropped my business card in the fishbowl to win a tasting. I had forgotten all about it until they called me last week and told me I had won! I was able to take up to 7 friends/coworkers with me and they give you two dishes from each of their menus (Asian, Mediterranian and American). I think we ended up getting more than that though. I ate way too much but everything was s0 good...I would definitely recommend it!! I had taken my camera but failed to get a picture of the entire group which consisted of Mom, Erika, Sara, Ashlee, Josh, Hannah, Brenda H. and of course me!

Here a few pics that Sara took for me. Unfortunately we only got food pics from the American menu.

Mac and Cheese

Marinara Dish

Hannah trying to be like Aunt Ashlee :)

A successful endeavor...

2008-08-19T21:27:00.000-04:00

in spite of the blue and yellow shirts! :) We almost had a mutiny when Pastor Hooker invited all the 'Wolverines' to gather around for prayer before we left! No, really we had a great time on Saturday at the canvassing for VBS this coming weekend. Here are a few pictures that I managed to get.

Part of our team ready to go

Betty telling Tim the correct way to tie the balloons

Everyone listening to the plan

Konnor all ready to go

The whole group

Heather and Erika

Brianna has a balloon and is ready to get out and give it away!

Michael shows just how good the food afterward was :)

O-H-I-O

2008-08-15T17:11:00.001-04:00

I felt the need to make sure everyone knows where my allegiance lies since I'm going to have to wear this shirt tomorrow! :)

GO BUCKEYES!!

Traveling Companion

2008-08-14T22:30:00.001-04:00

Please allow me to introduce our new friend, Klinger. While driving along 741 this evening on our way to my parent house, this little guy landed on the hood of Sara's car. He stayed with us all the way there, stayed on the car while we went to visit little Mariah and her family, and all the way back home...including stops at Graeters and Buffalo Wild Wings. We'll see if he is still there in the morning :)

A picture with my cell phone to give you a little perspective on how big he is.

New Bundle of Joy!

2008-08-14T22:12:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to my cousin Amber and her husband Doug. Their first little one arrived yesterday afternoon.

Mariah Nikelle is a beautiful little girl who is already loved very much:)

New mom and dad

Proud Grandparents with their first grandbaby.

BB Riverboat Cruise

2008-08-12T22:46:00.000-04:00

I was able to go on a Riverboat cruise on the Ohio River tonight with some of our sales reps from work. It was alot of fun...such a beautiful evening! After dinner, Carrie (a co-worker) and I spent most of the ride with Jerry and Kevin who are both from the U.K. They were so funny and I loved their accent (though they talked really fast so it was hard to understand them sometimes). Jerry has been in the U.S. since Saturday (I think) and his luggage got lost. As of last night, he still didn't have it. He said he's been to TJ Maxx everyday that he has been here! When they first got to Cincinnati, Kevin told Jerry that the Ohio River was the River 'Nati...too funny :) There was also Jurgen, who is from Belgium, and Carlos from Chile.

Here are a few pics from our river adventure.

Ever wonder where the USS Nightmare is when it isn't Halloween? It looks like a junk heap!

Obviously the paddle wheel is only there to look pretty...no way that was making us go anywhere!

Carrie and I

Do you see the tent? There is also a clothesline with laundry drying on it...I think I saw a 'Room for Rent' sign if anyone is looking for a new abode :)

Sun beginning to set over Cincinnati

Looking the other direction you can see the moon.

I couldn't seem to get a good picture of the skyline...it was either too dark or too blurry but here is one of my attempts.

Ice Cream and Miniature Golf

2008-08-10T17:12:00.000-04:00

To celebrate Ashlee's birthday yesterday, we went to Adventure Golf and then to Friendly's. Here are some pictures of all the fun!

Some of the sundaes we got at Friendly's...YUMMY!!!

Obviously they were very much enjoyed :)

Papaw won "Myrtle" for Hannah out of the claw machine game.

Erika and I were trying to take a picture of ourselves (and not doing too bad) when Dad decided to get in on the action :)

Three different "Hole-in-One" achievers

Matt and Jimmy "feeding" the fish...amazing what those fish will eat!

Jimmy was in a violent mood last night!

The Birthday Girl

Happy Birthday!

2008-08-10T16:56:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday Ashlee! Sorry I'm a day late, but I hope you had a wonderful birthday! You are one of the best sisters a girl could have and I'm glad your mine! There's never a dull moment when you're around and you are usually up for any mischief we can find :)

(Hopefully I survive posting the following pics)

A perk of the Job :)

2008-08-05T21:13:00.001-04:00

I just got back from a VIP event at GameWorks. (I coordinated an event for work last year around Christmas time...hence an invitation) It was alot of fun. Free food, soda, games, and prizes. Unforunately I didn't win any of the prizes and we stayed the whole time just in case we did. Out of the ten or so prizes I think there were only two that I would want anyways...they gave away a "Party on Us" gift certificate for up to 20 people it included food, games, drinks...would have really like that one!

They had some neat events you could play, there was a murder mystery to solve, an Olympic game, karaoke, a music trivia "Game Show". Of course, I didn't participate in the last two :), lots and lots of yummy food and of course the normal arcade games they always have. I had never been to one of these before so I wasn't sure what to expect, but next time I will inviting more people to come with me. The invitation said you could invite other "party planners" from work, but there were several kids and teenagers who I doubt would be considered party planners for any company :)

Sorry for the lack of real pictures or anything more interesting, however I have been told more than once that I need to update my blog. Now it is done :)

Wedding Bells

2008-07-20T13:34:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was my cousin Billy's wedding. I don't have a picture of the bride and groom, but Erika does. Hopefully she will update her blog and include it. Here are a few other photos from the happy occasion.

Brayden and Jillian.

Brayden was an usher and Jillian was the flower girl. They were both so cute and did very good jobs!

My Grandpa and Grandma

Table decorations

What? I'm not messing with anything I'm not supposed to :)

Congratulations Billy and Amy!

Happy Birthday!

2008-07-20T13:25:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was Sara's birthday, but we went to a wedding so we celebrated some on Friday night and then will celebrate some more today. On Friday, Dad, Mom, Erika, Hannah, Ashlee, Josh, me and Sara went to Bravo's for dinner. It was very yummy! After dinner everyone came back to our apartment for ice cream cake and to play games. Here we are playing Phase 10.

Josh chillin on the couch.

Hannah is very focused on her cards...can't decide which one to get rid of.

A New Endeavor

2008-07-13T14:22:00.000-04:00

I've been wanting to learn to golf so I finally went and bought a set of clubs. Now if only I can learn to hit the ball instead of the ground :)

Jax being good and performing his 'sit, stay'.

Happy 4th!

2008-07-04T19:23:00.001-04:00

Hope everyone has enjoyed this Fourth of July Holiday!

Red's Game

2008-07-04T19:04:00.000-04:00

This past Tuesday I got four tickets to the Red's game from work along with a parking pass. Yay! I love to go the games, especially when its free :)

Oh no...what are we going to do?!? (The bases are loaded so Pittsburgh had a little "mound conference")

Dunn telling tales to a few Pirates.

Sara, Deb and I

Old dude with his rally cap on :) Sorry, it just made me laugh when I saw him

I had alot of fun! Thanks Deb and Sara for going with me!

And finally...

2008-06-29T20:01:00.001-04:00

The Ocean!!

Other Scenes from the Road

2008-06-29T19:53:00.001-04:00

Essentials for any road trip:

Ipod and an Atlas...

Mapquest directions and MickeyD's Sweet Tea :)

Check out these gas prices!

Unfortunately it was closed...obviously had been for awhile!

Ashlee's view for most of the trip

Ashlee and her new pet turtle, George.

Ashlee's Countdown.

2008-06-29T19:40:00.000-04:00

During the many hours in the car there were many funny and entertaining moments. Most of them were not recorded although we tried. Ashlee made up a song and Josh tried to record it on his phone but she confiscated both our phones and my camera. One thing I do have pics of is Ashlee's countdown of the states. Note the many faces of Ashlee...

Yes, this a different outfit. Since we had a rental car I was the only one able to drive and I couldn't quite make it all the way in one day :(

Family Pictures

2008-06-29T16:55:00.001-04:00

The family reunion that we went to was on my mom's side of the family. My grandma and her sisters started having them in the early nineties (not sure of the exact year). We did it every year for a few years, then it was decided that we should only have them every other year. (Gets kind of expensive to do it every year) With family in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, Ohio and Tennessee its nice to see everyone. I'm sure if we didn't do this, there would be some family members that I wouldn't have ever met :) There wasn't very many of us this year but we still had a good time and I enjoyed catching up with the ones that were there!

Every reunion, we take pictures of individual families, each sister's family and a group shot. Somehow I think we missed the group shot this year and some people left early so I don't have a picture of them, but here are the ones I did get.

Jeanette's Family

The Martin Family - Benny & Jeanette, June Michelle & Bill

Mae's Family

The Johnston Family - Me, Ashlee, Josh, Terry & Denise

June's Family

The Hesson Family - Greg, Natalie & Noah...June and Ralph were there, I didn't get a picture with all of them

Elaine's Family

Rich & Kathy, Kim & David

(Mike, Becky & kids left before the picnic where we took the pics)

More Vacation Pics

2008-06-29T16:39:00.000-04:00

Breakfast at IHOP on Friday morning.

Josh and Ashlee on the beach behind our hotel. This was Josh's first time to see the ocean.

Playing Dominos in the shade

Our makeshift "trains" :)

Noah eating his pizza.

Busy, Busy, Busy

2008-06-26T19:20:00.000-04:00

Seems like the only time I have time to update this blog is when I'm on vacation! I'm glad that hotels have wireless internet!! Last week Ashlee and I went up to church camp for the end of the week, then her, Josh and I left Tuesday night for Myrtle Beach and a family reunion. It seemed like a super long trip, but we had a few detours along the way. Josh wanted to eat at The Apple Barn in TN, so we drove to Pigeon Forge on Tuesday night, arriving about 3:30 am on Wednesday. Needless to say, we slept to late for breakfast :) On Wednesday we stopped at Harold's, a little diner in Gaffney, SC. It was featured on the Food Network show, Diners, Drive-ins and Dives...yummy food!! Finally we made it to our destination about 9:30 pm on Wednesday.

Josh wanted to go Deep Sea Fishing, so this morning I called around and found a place in NC (about 40 min. away) so off we went. Ashlee caught 10 fish and i caught 4, we didn't keep them cause we don't have anywhere to put them :) Here are a few pics from our ocean adventures!

Cyclone - the boat we rode on

Ashlee - the super fisherwoman

Obviously, a tad bit windy :)

One of Ashlee's fish

One of mine - a silver snapper

Ashlee caught two at one time.

I caved...

2008-06-02T21:25:00.000-04:00

I thought Jax tore his bed up because he was bored so I bought a new bed and put a Kong toy with treats in it in his cage with him today. He did good while Sara and I were at work today, however we went out with Lisa tonight and when we got back he was not so good.

He wouldn't even look at me.

Guess he is just being a stinker and angry that he had to get back in his box. I didn't know the bed contained so much stuffing! Back to the hard plastic again...

Looky what I did!

2008-05-29T22:35:00.000-04:00

Sara and I went out to dinner tonight, when we got back this is what we found. I had started cleaning it up when I took the above picture. I made him get back in to take it. :) Think someone was mad that they got left home in their cage? He hasn't torn anything up this bad in his big cage (the one we have here at home) If my mom puts anything for him to sleep on in his cage at her house he tears it up, I just assumed it was because that cage is too small for him. Guess not...not sure if he's bored or mad!

Here are a few more pictures of the mess before I started to clean it up!

and the blanket that used to not have holes in it...he has been working on this one for awhile now.

Someone gets to sleep on the cold, hard plastic tonight!

Any suggestions of indestructable bedding?

Happy 1st Birthday Jax!

2008-05-25T23:01:00.000-04:00

Today is Jax's birthday...the date I picked as his birthday anyways. When I first got him and took him to the vet, they said he was 10 weeks old, so I counted back 10 weeks and voila! today is his birthday :)

Wearing his birthday shirt, hat and eating his birthday bone!

His super cool birthday shirt.

We had a little "birthday party" with Cocoa and Honey. They both got a cupcake for their treat.

It's Almost Over

2008-05-20T17:31:00.000-04:00

Well, I've been back out here in AZ since last Friday and it is HOT, HOT, HOT!! I think it got up to 108 degrees yesterday...of course the day of the golf outing. I am not a golfer, but I got to sit out on the course the whole time to take pictures. It was actually fun :) There were several people playing that are not regular golfers, some had never played before...quite entertaining! After two years of planning, our event is almost over; the meetings finished up this morning and all that's left is the awards ceremony tonight which promises to be full of laughter! Here a few pictures I've taken so far...sorry you probably won't know anyone that is in them...

Our Hacienda

My Room

Kitchen/Breakfast Nook

Living Room, Dining Room in the back

Back Patio...there is a fire place in front of the chairs

Patio off my bedroom

View from the back patio

Goofy people...one co-worker, one rep...posing in our "photo op"

A groups of golfers...love the background

One of our Canadian Regional Managers sporting some cool glasses on the golf course.

Another Regional Manager (Carribean)...he swung...umm...quite hard

Home again, home again...

2008-05-11T19:26:00.000-04:00

Well, I must say the flight home from AZ. was much smoother than the one out! Hopefully later this week it will be smooth as well! Since I've been back Jax has stayed right with me while I'm home! I think he knew I was leaving him again, last Monday night he started having "digestive" issues at about 3 am! When I took him outside, he decided to go play with the ducks and investigate other areas in the neighborhood...I was NOT a happy person! He stayed at Grandma & Grandpa's house while I was gone; Sara got there before me on Friday and he was very excited to see her. When she left to pick me up, Mom said Jax was moping around :) Just like a little kid...anyways, the "issues" are no more! :)

Beautiful Arizona!!

2008-05-08T19:02:00.000-04:00

Ahh! Relaxation at its finest!

We started out about 4:30 Wednesday morning, Sara was kind enough to drive me to meet Sharlene and Shawn, and landed in Phoenix at 10:30 am (1:30 OH time). I think the flight from Cinci to Phoenix is the absolute worst flight I have ever been one! (not that I've flown alot) It was extremely turbulent and I thought is was never going to end! But it finally did and we landed in one piece:) As soon as we got to the resort we had a lunch meeting with a few of our contacts here at The Boulders...lots of people stopped by to welcome us here. Everyone is so friendly here! We had meetings pretty much all day, I think we finished up by 4:30 or so...went to dinner and then went back to our rooms. It was a long day, but very productive. I think two of the three of us were in bed by 8 pm...
Today we started meetings at 8:30...not too bad when you are used to a different time zone! Finished with our meetings about 1:00, then we...went to the spa!! YAY! We all received a massage compliments of the resort. Like I said they are soo incredibely nice out here! :)
I haven't taken alot of pictures but here are a few.
When we came back to our rooms after the meetings yesterday, we had these welcome gifts waiting for us. Anyone for some Chardonnay? just kidding!! Last time they brought us chocolate dipped strawberries...much prefered over the alcohol!!!

Here is the view from my back deck...not sure what hole this is, but it sure is busy this afternoon...got to be quiet when I'm outside I guess.

I can also see one of the boulder piles from where The Boulders gets its name.

Well, we have one more meeting tonight...kind of a wrap up meeting then its on to dinner.

Happy Belated Birthday!

2008-05-04T23:09:00.001-04:00

Happy 23rd Birthday Jimmy!

Your one of the best brothers a gal could have!! You may seem tough to some people, but I know your just a big teddy bear when it comes to your favorite sister, right?!? You have been so nice to keep all the unwanted guys away with threats of shotguns and such and are quick to offer to "take care of" anyone who messes with me...though I have yet to take you up on that! I hope you had a wonderful birthday and that this year is your very best one yet! Love you lots!

A somewhat rare moment of brotherly love :)

Okay...so I had a picture of him by himself, but i figured I would be in less trouble if I had a silly picture of me too! :)

Busy, busy!!

2008-05-04T22:23:00.000-04:00

Wow! It seems I've been very busy since returning from vacation! Work has been extremely busy with planning for our Rep Owners Meeting which begins in 2 weeks, along with all the other things I have to do. I think this past week I had lunch meetings 4 out of the 5 days. Bright side is free lunch :) This week I leave bright and early Wednesday for Arizona (6 am flight from Dayton back to Cinci then on to Phoenix). We are going out to meet with the people at the resort and make sure we are all on the same page as to how this event is to unfold. Cause you know if any thing goes wrong, we'll never hear the end of it! :) Here are a few scenery pictures from when we went out in August. Also a picture of some javelinas (wild pigs) that were digging on the golf course!

I've also been working more hours at Burger King since Kings Island is open on the weekends now. From now til September/October I'm sure I will have to work every Friday and Saturday unless I request it off! I have been told that since I've requested about half the month of May off (because of my other job) I have to work every weekend in June, July, and August. haha...I already have two weekends I need off in June and one, possible two in July! :) We did get a 99% on our last OER (an inspection) so the management team, including me, gets to go out for dinner! Don't know how I'll fit that in...

Friday events

2008-04-19T10:30:00.000-04:00

Friday morning we headed back to The Apple Barn for breakfast. After breakfast, we went three different ways to shop.

Apple Barn/Shopping

Friday evening we met Merl, Bev and Kathi Blevins for dinner at Calhouns. We had a great time! Especially when the waitress asked Jimmy to go out w/her later that night. You should have seen how red his face got! Too funny!!

Sorry Erika, she cut you out of the picture!

What we've been doing...continued

2008-04-19T09:22:00.000-04:00

Thursday everyone except Josh and Ashlee went to Clingman's Dome. It was Hannah's first trip to North Carolina. :) When we got to the parking lot to begin climbing, if you weren't near the edge when you looked out all you saw was sky. The view from the top is absolutely beautiful!

Clingman's Dome

For dinner on Thursday we headed to Texas Roadhouse and made it with no problems :) After dinner we went to Old MacDonalds Mini Golf for a little competition. Can't have a family vacation without at least one putt-putt game :)

Texas Roadhouse/Mini Golf

Both pictures are links to the photo albums.

What we've been doing...Wednesday.

2008-04-18T21:59:00.000-04:00

On Wednesday the guys spent the day at the Nascar Speedway. Us girls went to The Hard Rock Cafe for lunch and then went on the Roaring Fork Nature Trail. If you click the picture below, you will see more from our adventures.

Hard Rock Cafe/Roaring Fork Trail

One thing I didn't get a picture of was when we got to the end of the Nature Trail, we were sitting at a stop sign and the lady in front of us backed into the front of the van. We were driving my grandma's van. Thankfully there was no damage to the van. The other driver had a little mark on her bumper but nothing major!

After we all met back up at the cabin, the plan was to go to Bennetts for dinner. Plans changed quickly when we got to the bottom of "our mountain" and we heard a strange noise coming from the van. It had a flat tire. Not the best day to be driving :) We ended up back at the cabin for dinner!

Flat Tire

I think the above picture should be a link to more. I'm trying to figure out how Picasa works. :)

A True "Mountain Jewel"

2008-04-16T10:42:00.000-04:00

The name of our cabin is Mountain Jewel Lodge and it definitely is true to its name! I believe it is a unanimous opinion that this is our favorite cabin yet! It is extremely spacious and has an awesome view. I tried to take video of the inside, but can't seem to upload it so I have taken some pictures and will attempt to give you a tour of our cabin!

Entry Level

Entry

Living Room

Dining Room/Kitchen

Dad & Mom's Room

Lower Level

Josh's Room

Arcade Games

Matt, Erika & Hannah's Room...Laundry to the right

Jimmy's Room

Game Room

View from Game Room/Lower Deck

Hot Tub

Upper Level

Erin & Sara's Room

Windows in Erin & Sara's Room

Ashlee's Room

Loft/Sitting Area

View out from Loft

View down from Loft

Biggest Loser: Finale!

2008-04-15T17:40:00.000-04:00

The results are in...we have had our final weigh in and the winners have been announced! They are me and Sara!!! YAY! Here are some pictures from our celebratory dinner.

The first place losers decided to cook the winner's choice for dinner.

The Menu: Fried Chicken, Mac and Cheese, and Corn on the Cob...Yum-O!

The winners enjoying their meal :)

Dessert: Brownie Sundaes

Last place losers had to clean up afterwards!

Smokin smoky mountains, playing games, and hannah too :-)

2008-04-14T15:09:00.000-04:00

After a yummo breakfast at Apple Barn it decided to rain, by the time we got to the cabin we could not even see the mountains across from us. Hence the smokin smokies :-)

Hannahnanna being as adorable as ever :-)

Of course no vacation is complete without our favorite family pasttime, GAMES!!! :-)

Posted by: Guest Blogger, Ashlee.

Vacation!!!

2008-04-13T21:05:00.000-04:00

YAY! Vacation time is finally here! We left this morning about 10:30, we got to our cabin in Gatlinburg about 5. It is extremely spacious with an incredible view! I am so excited and looking forward to some serious R & R!

What an exciting game!!!

2008-04-02T23:35:00.000-04:00

I had the opportunity to 'entertain' a new employee at OhmartVEGA tonight...by taking him to the Reds game. Of course I couldn't pass up this experience! :) (just so you know, every new employee does not get this same treatment...he is a Regional Sales Manager located in Canada) It was an extremely cold evening to be sitting outside!!! During the 8th inning the Reds were down 5-3 and I was thinking maybe we should leave, but I didn't want to pressure others in the group so I didn't say anything. Well, for those of you who don't keep up on the Reds, the 9th inning was the best of the entire night!!! Brandon Phillips was up first, got a base hit. Next came Griffey Jr., base hit. At this point the atmosphere in the ballpark had completely changed! Third was Edwin Encarnacion who after a few botched bunt attempts HIT A HOME RUN!!! and the game was over with the Reds winning 6-4!! YAY!!! Here are a few pics from the game.

Ken Griffey Jr.

YAY! A home run!

...and this one belongs to the Reds! :)

Happy Spring!

2008-03-27T21:54:00.001-04:00

I think Spring may finally really be here! The weather has gotten a little warmer...Yay!! Hope everyone has a terrific weekend!

...and the celebration continues

2008-03-19T21:21:00.000-04:00

I was treated to P.F. Changs for lunch on Tuesday. Soo yummy...I'd never been there before. This is what my desk looked like when I got to work that morning.

And of course another birthday cake!

Needless to say the most asked question of the day was "Is it your birthday?" No, why would you think that?!?!

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised since I was threatened after I completed the following deeds :)

Shawn is a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, so of course I decorated his office in Bengals Orange & Black for his birthday!

We also 'Welcomed' Sharlene (my boss) back from vacation with the following. (we missed her birthday...oops!) I had help with this one. The little purple gift on her desk is actually a bottomless box filled with confetti...NOT my idea :) Sorry for the lack of quality picture, this was taken with my phone!

Going to fly an Airplane...

2008-03-17T10:23:00.000-04:00

...anyone wanna ride with me? haha

Today is my birthday and I celebrated with my family yesterday.

This is the yummy sunflower cake that Matt made.

Thank you Matt it was very good!

Dad and Mom got this Gift Certificate for me...an airplane ride where they give you a flight lesson and let you fly the plane too! YAY!! Thank you! I can't wait to go!!

And of course, no birthday is complete without a game of some sort. We played Imaginiff...lots of fun and laughs!

Today, I am going to lunch with Mom and Dad at Max & Erma's...yummy! I also have the day off work, combined with being off this Friday (for Good Friday) that makes for a very short work week...double YAY!!

2008-03-17T08:39:00.000-04:00

Here are a few pictures of the cutest, most adorable niece ever! :)

Telling Aunt Erin a very serious story!

Check out my new ballerina slippers.

Oh no...Mommy's finger is getting my chin!

I'll use my Kung Fu skills and get her back!

Snow, Snow, Go Away...

2008-03-08T15:19:00.000-05:00

...and please don't come back til NEXT winter!! Well, our 'blizzard warning' has about 40 minutes left. Hope it quits snowing soon! I don't do stuck in the house very well! I'm not sure how much total snow we have here, it's hard to tell with it all blowing around, but here's a picture of Jax in the snow.

This was taken a few hours ago so there is more snow out there now. He has to hop through it. Quite funny to see :)

Snow covered ducks on our pond. Do ducks fly south with the birds? I think they came back too early!

Please can I go play in the snow?

Much better than snow!

Graduation

2008-03-08T15:05:00.000-05:00

Jax had his last class and 'graduation' on Thursday. He has done very well picking up most of the cues that we've been taught. Now I need to take the time to keep working with him!

It was quite difficult to get this graduation cap on him! For some reason, he doesn't seem to like wearing hats :)

Here are some photos of him practicing a few of his cues.

Sit

Down

YAY! I passed!

2008-03-01T12:49:00.000-05:00

I went to the office and took my ServSafe test this morning and I passed! Now I am officially a Shift Leader. Glad that is over with and that it lasts for five years! Since I finished that and Jax is almost finished with Obedience Classes I figured I would need something else to keep me busy so I have enrolled in a Spanish class. :)

Here are some pictures from the last few weeks.

Jax keeping an eye on...

...the ducks on the pond.

Please let me out to chase those ducks!!

Last weekend, we order wings from Buffalo Wild Wings. Yummy! These are Spicy Garlic...my favorite!!

Anger Management

2008-02-22T15:34:00.000-05:00

What do you do to release any bottled up anger? I received this story through email...this is the 'sanitized' version :)

When I have the occasional bad day and need to take it out on someone, I don't take it out on my loved ones anymore...I got the idea one day when I was sitting at my desk and remembered a phone call I had forgotten to make. I found the number and dialed it.
A man answered, saying, "Hello." I politely said, "This is Chris. May I please speak with Robin Carter?"
Suddenly, the phone was slammed down on me. I couldn't believe that anyone could be so rude. I tracked down Robin's correct number and called her. I had transposed the last two digits of her phone number.
After hanging up with her, I decided to call the 'wrong' number again. When the same guy answered the phone, I yelled, "You're a jerk!" and hung up.
I wrote his number down with the word 'jerk' next to it and put it in my desk drawer. Every couple of weeks, when I was paying bills or had a really bad day, I'd call him up and yell, "You're a jerk!" It always cheered me up.
When Caller ID came to our area, I thought my therapeutic 'jerk' calling would have to stop. So, I called his number and said, "Hi, this is John Smith from the Telephone Company. I'm just calling to see if you're interested in the Caller ID program?" He yelled, "NO!" and slammed the phone down. I quickly called him back and said, "That's because you're a jerk!"
One day I was at the store getting ready to pull into a parking spot. Some guy in a black BMW cut me off and pulled into the spot I had patiently waited for. I hit the horn and yelled that I had been waiting for the spot. The idiot ignored me.
I noticed a "For Sale" sign in his car window, so I wrote down his number. A couple of days later, right after calling the first jerk, (I had his number on speed dial), I thought I had better call the BMW jerk too.

I said, "Is this the man with the black BMW for sale?"
"Yes, it is."
"Can you tell me where I can see it?"
"Yes, I live at 1802 West 34th Street. It's a yellow house and the car is parked right out front."
"What's your name?" I asked.
"My name is Don Hansen," he said.
"When's a good time to catch you, Don?"
"I'm home every evening after five."
"Listen, Don, can I tell you something?"
"Yes?"
"Don, you're a jerk." Then I hung up and added his number to my speed dial, too.

Now, when I had a problem, I had two jerks to call. But after several months of calling them, it wasn't as enjoyable as it used to be. So, I came up with an idea. I called Jerk #1.

"Hello."
"You're a jerk!" (But I didn't hang up)
"Are you still there?" he asked.
"Yeah," I said.
"Stop calling me," he screamed.
"Make me," I said
"Who are you?" he asked.
"My name is Don Hansen."
"Yeah? Where do you live?"
"I live at 1802 West 34th Street, a yellow house, with my black Beamer parked in front."
He said, "I'm coming over right now, Don & you had better start saying your prayers."
I said, "Yeah, like I'm really scared."

Then I called Jerk #2.

"Hello?" he said.
"Hello, jerk," I said.
He yelled, "If I ever find out who you are!"
"You'll what?" I asked.
"I'll kick your butt," he exclaimed.
I answered, "Well, here's your chance. I'm coming over right now."

Then I hung up and immediately called the police saying that I lived at 1802 West 34th street, and there was a huge fight in my front yard.
Then I called Channel 2 News about the gang war going down on West 34th Street.
I quickly got into my car & headed over to 34th Street.

What I've been up to...

2008-02-13T21:55:00.000-05:00

I am training to be a Shift Coordinator at Burger King (almost a manager, but not as many hours) so I have to finish this online course and be ready to take a test in a few weeks (March 1st). Hopefully I will do better on the post test than I did on the pre-test. I think I got a 55% on the pre-test. I didn't know how to correctly heat up beef stew and some other non-Burger King related stuff :)

On a much happier note, at my "real" job I am helping to plan/coordinate our Representative Owners Meeting in May. This meeting will be held at The Boulders Resort in Carefree, AZ, and I get to go! YAY!! My boss and I went out this past August to begin "finalizing" the details...it is awesome! We also may go again before the actual meeting...can't hardly wait!! Here are some pictures of the invitation that we put together...along with a girl from the Marketing Dept. of course!

The entire invitation packet.

The actual invitation is inside the brown envelope with the rope around it.

It is all inside a big gold envelope. We've been calling it the golden ticket :)

Besides work I've been to doggie obedience class, baked cookies, had crafts for Kid's Church, and of course shopped with Jenny! I had a ton of fun on Saturday shopping the outlet mall and a few other stores. We found lots of great deals. Seems like most of them were on baby clothes :) I bought an outfit for Hannah...sorry no picture...for $17, saving $65! Thanks for the fun Jenny! It was nice to catch up and we shouldn't wait so long next time!

Biggest Loser...Center Edition

2008-02-04T21:44:00.000-05:00

Most everyone in our family is involved in a little competition until we go on vacation in April. We have divided into three teams and are trying to lose the largest percent of weight. Well, Sara and I are one of the teams and after five weeks of competition we are winning and have been the whole time. (Hope I didn't just jinx us!)

BTW...if we have lost weight at our Sunday weigh in, we take Monday as a "free day"

(explaining the sundae in the previous post).

2008-02-04T21:37:00.000-05:00

I bought a set of OSU bowls last week. I think they are so cool!

They are perfect for a yummy sundae!!

Dad's birthday party

2008-01-27T20:34:00.000-05:00

On Saturday our extended family went to Golden Corral for breakfast to celebrate Dad's birthday together. It was fun and the food was good. I took my camera so I could get lots of pictures...however, my memory card was still in my computer from the last time I uploaded pics to it. Oops :( So I didn't get very many pictures but here are a few. Sorry that most people are not looking at the camera.

Mom and all us kids got him a gift certificate for a flying lesson.

Opening his gift from everyone else.

They got him this really nice OSU watch.

A group picture of most of us.

Aunt Jean Ann...Dad's older sister.

Another group picture.

Uncle Mike and Aunt Mary....Dad's brother and another sister

Please excuse the Steeler's fan...he isn't a relative!

And the answer is...

2008-01-27T20:27:00.000-05:00

Tom Hanks! The person in the black shirt in the below post is Tom Hanks. He and Ron Howard (played Opie in The Andy Griffith Show) and someone else 'famous' who I had never heard of and can't remember his name came to the same game that we went to. Kinda cool. Security would let us go down any farther...believe me I tried many times:) Here is another picture where you may be able to tell it is him. (if you enlarge it)

Wishing for Warmer Weather!

2008-01-24T17:34:00.000-05:00

Brrr! It has been so cold around here; I wish it would warm up! I found a Dog Park near where I live and would love to take Jax, but I don't want to go sit in the cold! I heard it might get into the 50's next week so maybe i will have an opportunity to take him next week. I know he'd love to go run! Here he is helping me pick out pictures to put on here.

Please excuse the messy background and the non-matching pj's!

Even though it's only January, I'm sure time will fly by and it will be spring time :) With that comes baseball and I love to go to games. Here are some pics from a game I went to awhile back.

It had rained early in the game so alot of people had left...we took some of their seats :)

Can anyone guess who that is with the black shirt?

Well, gotta run. Off to obedience class with Jax.

Happy Birthday Dad!

2008-01-20T22:19:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow (Monday) is my Dad's birthday. We were told not to say a certain number so I will just say that he is no longer in his forties :) Here are some pictures I dug up to post in celebration of this special day!

Hopefully he has matured a little in the last
two years so we can all enjoy the cake :)

Grandpa with his lil buckeye.

Riding the mini bike

I'm guessing he was winning in this picture? :)

Dad, I hope you have a wonderfully Happy Birthday!

I love you!

Sunday at Mom & Dad's

2008-01-20T22:03:00.000-05:00

We spent the day at Mom and Dad's house. Here are few pictures I took while we were there.

My favoritest little person smiling big for Aunt Erin!

Hannah told me lots of stories today :)

Jax found a comfortable place to sleep while his mommy

tried to get the perfect picture of Hannah.

Josh got a new haircut.

Notice the curve to his mohawk!

Can't wait for vacation!

2008-01-19T23:18:00.001-05:00

I am so ready for vacation. The bad thing...I still have to wait about 3 months :( My family has rented a cabin in Gatlinburg for the third year in a row. (I didn't get to go last year because of meetings at work so I kept the doggies.) Here are a few pictures from when we went in 2006.

Home for a week and what a nice home it was!

Everyone outside the Apple Barn. Absolutely the best place for breakfast in Pigeon Forge!!

Grandma eating an Apple Fritter from the Apple Barn. Yummy!!

Starting out on our "easy" hike. We decided that easy only means that the trail is paved!

Stopping to take a break on our hike.

Riding the skylift.

Grandma & I agree that once is enough for an entire lifetime :)

Aunt Karen - my roomie for the week.

So sweet!

A very serious game of pool.

Obviously something intense going on in the theater room!

2008-01-14T22:08:00.000-05:00

This is Jax, my puppy. He is about 7 months old now, I got him back in August.

No hearing problems! :)

What a difference a few months have made!

This picture was taken at my parent's house in August while I was out of town.

(He weighed about 9 lbs. here...last check he weighed 32 lbs)

Too many guests for one day!

We had a baby shower at our apartment for my sister back in October. After everyone left, Jax sacked out on the floor.

2007-09-04T21:14:00.000-04:00

Jax