Three months ago...

On June 12th, this guy

Asked this girl

To marry him.

He gave her this ring

And of course she said, YES!

(Note: the picture above was meant to be overly cheesy)

The next day they came over to celebrate with...

Dad,

Mom,

Stephanie,

Nick, and me.

We played ball

and explained what an uncle was to the boys.

Nate was happy to soon have his first uncle.

And so was Shane, but sometimes it's hard for Megatron to smile.

We popped open some bubbly to toast the happy couple.

An entire pan of brownies was also involved. Jackie and Shane cut and served them.

Another brownie please!

What? There's nothing wrong with being a chocoholic!

Cheers to Jackie and Nick! We are so happy for you!

Soccer Star

Tonight was a special night because...

it was this little man's very first soccer game!

Shane was decked out from head to toe in cleats, shin-guards and of course that wonderful purple jersey that went down to his knees. He looked so little and cute I could not stand it.

None of the kids really knew what they were doing, which made it that much more entertaining for us. Shane ran around the whole time chasing the other kids and flashing us big grins.

When I asked Shane if he liked his coach he quickly answered, "YES! Because he gives us snacks at every practice!" Good logic, if you ask me :)

Way to go Shaners! I am so proud of you!

Reflections

Whilst driving in the car eating a delicious ice cream sammy, I heard a song on radio that really spoke to me. Here are the lyrics:

You’re gonna miss this

You’re gonna want this back

You’re gonna wish these days hadn’t gone by so fast

These are some good times

So take a good look around

You may not know it now

But you’re gonna miss this

Great song, right?

I sometimes complain about this “in-between” stage of my life. This is the first time in my life I don’t have a “label,” per say. I am no longer a “College student” and I am not yet a “Wife” or a “Mother.” So what does that make me? How’s this...I am a, “24-year-old-college-grad-who-is-on-her-second-year-of-a-job-she-adores-but-seriously-wishes-she-made-more-money-so-she-could-stop-living-off-of-Easy-Mac-and-tortilla-chips.” Yes, I think that label fits just right.

So, lately I’ve been throwing myself an internal pity party. I heard the song and it was like a punch in the face that screamed, “Don’t wish these days away!”

And so I will not.

I will relish in the Easy Mac and tortilla chips and share with you several reasons why I love this oh so amazing “In-between” stage of my life.

What I LOVE about my life RIGHT this second:

I love being 24. I feel old enough to be taken seriously, but still young enough to be irresponsible when I want.

I love spending time with my nephews, all the while knowing they are not my kids and I can just pass them off to my sister at the end of the day.

I love that I don’t have to pay for my cell phone bill because I am still on my parent’s family plan. Thanks M&D :)

I love that I am living in a brand new apartment with one of the coolest girls ever as my roommate. And I love the area where we live. The energy in this neighborhood makes me feel determined and alive.

I love that I can drink without getting a hangover. And that I can dominate the world with my beer pong skills.

I love that Nick and I are young enough to have fun and enjoy spending time with each other without having to be weighed down with a million responsibilities.

I love that I consider my family members my best friends. We have always been close, but now that the crazy hormonal years are over I feel like we are all even closer. We actually spend time with each other by choice.

I love that I grocery shop like a 12 year old and buy fruit snacks, Lucky Charms and rainbow sherbet.

I love that I have ridiculous amounts of possibilities in front of me. The future is looking pretty damn bright and I can’t wait to see how the next several chapters are written.

The Constitution only guarantees the American people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself. ~Benjamin Franklin

Email from Momma

Just wanted to post a quick email from my Momma. She sends me and my sisters an email (almost) every single day to give us wonderful advice, quotes, and stories. She has been doing this for two years now! She calls them her, "One-a-days."

Here is today's:

Hello chicks!

Just sharing about a conversation I had yesterday with a woman at Kroger. Jackie already knows this...

I was in the checkout line and remarked to the woman behind me how pretty the Gerbera daisy plant was that she was going to buy. She told me it was for her daughter - to celebrate her daughter's five years of remission from cancer. The plant even had five blooms on it! Her daughter is 22 years old now. Isn't that something? Here we are - kind of stressed out about all this moving that we are doing - all the financial worries - all the stuff we all naturally worry and get uptight about....and at the same time another family is struggling with far greater challenges. God bless that woman and her daughter. God bless us, too! Keep us safe and help us appreciate how fortunate we are.

I love you!
Mom

A to Z

A-Age: 24

B-Birth date: June 24

C-Chore you hate: Making my bed (I love when it’s made, but I just hate doing it)

D-Dog's name: Don’t have a dog at the moment. It was Corki, who was the sweetest dog in the world.

E-Enter or Exit: Enter. Lots more exciting.

F-Favorite color: Green, Blue, Black, and Brown

G-Gold or silver: Silver

H-Hair color: Brunette

I-Instrument: I can play a mean recorder. Not even kidding.

J-Job Title: Toddler Teacher

K-Kids: 15 of them, but I get to leave them everyday at 4pm :)

L-Living arrangements: Living at home for 8 more days, then moving into an awesome apartment with Erin.

M-Monkey or Moose: Definitely moose. I hate monkeys.

N-Nicknames: AJ ;)

O-Odd thing about you: I am going gray at the age of 24. Not so sure I should admit this, but I consistently find gray hairs on my head, eek.

P-Pet Peeve: Loud chewers.

Q-Quote from a movie: “Our fingerprints don’t fade from the lives we touch.” -Remember Me

R-Right/Left Handed: Righty

S-Siblings: Stephanie and Jacklyn...my (almost always) wonderful older sisters, Chris (brother-in-law), and coming soon....a new brother-in-law, Nick, who I’m sure is just honored to be on this list, haha

T-Time you wake up? 6:20

U-Underwear: Yes, please?

V-Veggie you dislike: Haven’t found one yet.

W-What makes you run late: Thinking 6 hours of sleep is enough.

X-X-Rays: Chest and teeth.

Y-Yummy food you make: Appetizers and desserts. Need to challenge myself more.

Z-Zoo Animal: Polar bears are my new favorite. Right up there with otters and giraffes.

Crutches

When I was little there was one thing I wanted more than anything (beside a horse, obviously). It wasn’t an expensive toy, an awesome bike, or anything fancy like that. No, the thing I wanted most in the world was a pair of...CRUTCHES!

I used to hope for a twisted ankle, a broken foot, or anything that would enable me to own and use crutches, but it never happened. I think it’s because I am unbreakable. In my 24 years of life I have never had so much as a broken finger. And don’t worry, I’m not going to jinx it...it’s never worked before.

My crutches obsession was so crazy that back in 1996 I even tried making my own.

Crochet mallets and duct tape. Genius, if I do say so myself.

Well, fast forward to present day...

My mom walked in the door on Saturday with one of her best garage sale finds to date...my very own crutches!

I tried to fake Nick and Jackie out and it worked...for about 30 seconds.

Reality Check Moment: I feel very blessed that I have never been seriously injured and although a tiny part of me may still long for the chance to legitimately use crutches, I know that work and my health are more important that a silly little wish, no matter how awesome it may be. Furthermore, I'm sure crutches are a pain in the ass after using them for more than 10 minutes.

Patience

There is no doubt about it, my job requires patience. Massive amounts of it. And this week summer has tested it.

I am a toddler teacher which requires me to be a woman of many trades. I am...a diaper changer, a snotty nose wiper, a peace promotor, a curriculum planner, a boo-boo fixer, a dance partner, a lunch/snack server, a blanket coverer, a crying child comforter, and most of all I am one of three people in charge of the safety and wellbeing of 15 young lives.

Although some parts are not that glamourous (ie. blowout diapers, vomit (my weakness), snot-dripping noses, a large group of two year olds all wanting the same thing at the same time (think the seagulls on Finding Nemo- Mine, Mine, Mine)) I love my job. I can truly say I enjoy what I do.

Lately however, my patience has been tested. And the reason why can be summed up in two words....Nap Time.

Nap time used to be one of my favorite times of the day. Picture this....a dark, cozy room with beautiful music filling the air. Now add a dozen peacefully sleeping children spread out around the room all snuggled up on their cots looking angelic and perfectly innocent. My own personal heaven in the middle of the day. A chance for us teachers to eat lunch, get work done, and actually take a minute to breathe and relax.

But that is not my reality anymore. This summer, especially this week, has been absolutely insane. They. do. not. sleep.

Jackie once made a perfect analogy. You know that game at carnivals where you have to hit the things with the hammer and every time you get one another one pops up? That is what nap time is like for us these days.

It’s really not all of them that don’t sleep. Just a couple that scream at the top of their lungs make enough noise to wake up everyone else way before they should...therefore destroying our chance for a relaxing break.

Am I complaining too much? I so do not mean to...I’m just tellin’ it like it is.

Despite their malfunctions during the hours of 1 and 3, I adore each and every one of them. I so wish I could post pictures of their adorable faces so everyone could understand just how precious they are, but for privacy reasons I can’t do that, so you’ll just have to trust me on this.

TGIF :)

Weekend Recap

Friday:

I kept it real low key Friday night. After work I drove to my soon-to-be neighborhood and filled out an application for my soon-to-be apartment! My good friend Erin and I will be moving in on July 31st! So glad the stress of choosing an apartment is over.

I went to Nick’s house afterwards and we relaxed for the rest of the night. We rented the movie, Taken but never actually got around to watching it.


Saturday:

Nick and I decided to watch Taken in the afternoon and it was really good. The ending was a little underwhelming, but other than that I was entertained throughout. That night we had a pong tournament and....I definitely won the whole thing. And it felt good cause competitive is my middle name :)


Sunday:

Sunday was all about summer weather and good friends. In the afternoon I met Nick at a park for Michelle’s surprise party and ending up playing sand volleyball and taking lots of fun photos.

Next, I hightailed it to meet Jackie, her Nick, Lydia, and Ben at a free concert in a park. The stage was at the bottom of a hill and everyone had blankets spread out on the hill to sit, listen and relax. It was the perfect way to end a weekend.

Summer weekends are my favorite.

About three things I was absolutely positive.

First, I had finally given into the Twilight phenomenon. Second, there was a part of me-and I wasn’t sure at first how potent that part might be- that knew I would love these books before I even opened the first cover. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably addicted.

I held out as long as I could. But every time I saw Robert Pattinson’s beautiful face in yet another Twilight trailer I just knew I had to be one of them...a Twihard.

Urban Dictionary defines Twihards as “stupid obsessive people (mostly teenage girls) who are in love with fictional characters and wouldn’t know a good book if it punched them in the face.”

In that case maybe I’m just a Twihard-Lite.

It took me approximately ten days to read and watch the first two, Twilight and New Moon. For those ten days vampires and werewolves were constantly on my mind. I could take any random thing that someone would say and turn it into Twilight talk...which in result made me one of the most annoying people to be around.

My oldest sister is bringing me the last two books on Wednesday from her library (I was number 43 on the wait list at my library). I cannot wait to have them in my hands and finally finish the series once and for all. It will be nice to finally see Eclipse so I can stop screaming and covering my ears every time the trailer comes on.

And for the record...at this point I am Team Edward.

We’ll see if the addiction continues with Eclipse...

Nine Months

I am back and I promise: To update frequently and To blog for myself.

And now may I present my (almost) year in review...

October 2009

*After a long process Nick finally closed on his house! I could immediately see the change in Nick once he moved in....this house makes him so happy, and therefore makes me happy.

*Halloween

Jackie and I dressed up as “Black Eyed Peas” and were super comfy all night in our lovely green sweats (as we worked it on stage and won 4-ish place in a costume contest) :)

November 2009

*I made it through my first parent/teacher conferences without puking, although I did get very nervous before. My kids are 1.5-3 years old, so the idea of conferences may seem silly, but trust me they're not.

*On a very sad note, my wonderful Grandma died in November...actually on the last day of conferences. She was an amazing woman, stubborn as they come. And it was evident that she loved all of us all very much.

*Nick’s band asked me to take photo’s for their upcoming album. Nick has amazing connections and somehow got us on top of a 10-story building overlooking the highway. Ridiculous. Here are a few favorites. I want to save the rest for another day.

December 2009

*A group of us had our annual Christmas party before the holidays. Jackie and Lydia's apartment was beautifully decorated and there was some amazing food. The night was fun, as always.

*I had a reunion with my best friends from high school. Two of them live out of state now, so it’s very rare to have the entire group together in one place. I love how easy it is to fall back into our friendship like we've never been apart.

*Merry Christmas!

*My New Years Eve plans consisted of me, Nick, sweatshirts, a bottle of champagne, and a TV to watch the ball drop. Exciting stuff, right?

Wanna know a secret? It was probably my favorite New Year’s celebration ever.

January 2010

*I began the Day Zero Project. A list of 101 things I must complete in 1001 days (approximately 2.75 years). Thanks to (Jackie’s) Nick for helping me complete my first task, “Eat sushi,” which was absolutely delicious.

*I saw Owl City with Jackie, although we were totally bummed our third sister couldn’t go with us. The concert was great...it’s hard to find live music we don’t like. And as an added bonus, I was introduced to Lights, who is great to listen to while running or Shredding.

(Note to Jackie: "Look, my owl can dance!" "Yeah, and it can fly too!" ....owl gets thrown off balcony)

February 2010

*My parents both celebrate their birthdays this month, so my sisters and I planned quite the surprise celebration. It started out with bowling, went on to a delicious lunch, and ended at a dueling piano bar. Happy Birthday M&D!

*February began the tradition of “Triple H” aka “Hump-Day Happy Hour.” Triple H equals me, Nick, Jackie, Nick, sometimes Lydia and Ben going out for drinks and food on Wednesdays after work. It very soon became the highlight of my week.

March 2010

*Saw Train and Butch Walker in concert with Nick and company. We went for Butch, but I quickly fell in love with Train.


*Art Show at my work. Beautiful artwork, beautiful families, one of my favorite nights ever.

April 2010


*Happy Easter!

*Out of my three best friends from college only one lives in the same city as me. So it was decided that a reunion must take place. We celebrated Minnesota’s birthday (the girl, not the state. And no, thats not her real name) and had a fantastic time! I adore these girls!

*Since Kenny decided not to tour this year, we knew we had to see him in 3D at the movie theatre. Lydia, Jackie, Kathleen and I attended with 3D glasses and CPC waterbottles in hand. It was actually really cool...beach balls flying at us, hands in the air...not as good as the real thing, but still a rockin’ good time. The highlight of the night was when we got tired of sitting down and got the whole first row to stand up and dance with us. Life is meant to be fun, right?

May 2010

*My nephews both had birthdays this month.

Now may I introduce....

Four year-old Shane

and Two year-old Nate

Their birthday party was a dinosaur pajama party (the pajama part wasn’t planned until the birthday boys changed into them a few minutes before the party began). I love them.

*Nick, Jackie, Nick, Lydia, Ben and I attended dime-a-dog night at the Clipper’s baseball game. How can life get any better than ten cent hotdogs?! I ate a total of SEVEN! Woo! Stomach-ache....

June 2010

*June marked the one year anniversary of me working full time in my toddler room. June also meant that most of my kiddos would be moving up to the preschool room. It was incredibly sad to see them move up. After spending 8 hours a day with them for a whole year, how could it not be?

*Jackie and Nick got engaged! Details and more photos to come soon!




*I celebrated my 24th birthday!


And let me just say...my family, friends, and Nick are too good to me. I had a small celebration with Jackie, Lydia, Kathleen, and Katie (food, wine, cookie cake, and Remember Me), surprises at work (iced coffee from Jackie, banner made by the kids, flowers brought in by one of my favorite two year-olds ever, ice cream for afternoon snack), family dinner (subs, potatoes, watermelon, cake, and ice cream) and a night out with Nicholas (mexican food and sketch comedy).

On my very first day of being 24 I learned that I am surrounded by the world’s greatest people, who truly care about me. I also learned that my family is the most important thing in the world to me (Quote from my mother that only a few of us can truly appreciate: “I’ve got booze!”)

So, thank you to everyone who made my birthday special...I’m determined to make this my best year yet!

*Erin, whose birthday is also in June, and I usually do a joint birthday “celebration.” This year’s did not disappoint. Color coded markers, checklists, bonus challenges, shark week conversations, piggyback rides, and big plans for the very near future.



There it is...NINE months of good living wrapped up into one gigantic blog post.
And I must say...it feels good to be back.