Happy Anniversary to us!

Friday Ben and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary. It really is hard to imagine that it was five years ago that we said "I Do" and pulled away in that sea green mini van with "Dude take it easy on my sister" on painted our windshield.

I was in St. Louis and Kansas City all week prior, so Ben had plenty of time to work on a surprise for me. He picked me up from the airport and I arrived home to a dozen roses and a new piece of artwork over the fireplace. The flowers are really pretty, a red/ white /pink hybrid kind (that IS the technical name by the way). The art, on the other hand is an original, and you thought we were cheap! He took out the old poster that I'd bought from Hobby Lobby the summer before we got married and replaced it with a panoramic picture of Sonoma Valley from one of our favorite spots, Artesa. It looks amazing, and I'm pretty sure the print cost as much as the flowers, even better! I may need to get it re-matted (Dad) but for now it will do.

Friday night Ben made dinner reservations at a place called Nada downtown. It's a high end Mexican restaurant with loud music, a great outdoor patio, and even trendier indoor seating. I had the chicken and corn enchiladas with a strawberry margarita. Ben had the chicken iron pot, which was like a tortilla soup with rice on the side. Everything was extremely good, and the service was amazing. My water glass was never less than 3/4 full (which is how I judge a restaurant).

Saturday we decided we wanted to spend the money we had so graciously received from our family members on a fire pit. We had reservations about buying one since we really wanted it for the deck, but after discovering that the traditional 5th wedding anniversary gift is wood (in our case a burning deck), the decision was made for us. After shopping around at several places we decided to sleep on it before we jumped right into the purchase. We got home changed and headed to the golf course to play nine holes. I haven't played all summer and Ben has been out a few times, so we were well passed due. I couldn't sink a putt to save my life or keep my drives from going into the neighboring fairways, and Mister I'm a Tiger Woods, decided to chip in on the 9th and kill me with his short game. Needless to say, there was no competition to be had...THIS time. We're going to try and hit the driving range up later in the week in preparation for our weekend in Nashville when we play/beat Ben's brother and his girlfriend. We finished up the round with a cold beer, a little shop talk and headed home to grill out.

Sunday we got up, headed to church, and then decided the day was so beautiful it would be silly not to take advantage of it. Ben headed out for a 36 mile bike ride and I ran 7.25 miles. We both cooled off outside before making the big decision to go ahead and purchase the fire pit we both knew would work best for our outdoor area. So last night we had left overs and spent the rest of the evening around our new addition and indulged ourselves with s'mores.

Life can't get any better. I've enjoyed these five years with Ben. Each day/week seems like a date night and we enjoy being together and each others company. Wednesday is his birthday so I may splurge and take him to Cracker Barrel for the old timers breakfast and hit up the driving range afterward! It such a lively life around here, I'm not sure how the years could possibly fly by!

Family weekend Part III

Yes, we had family visit again this weekend. That's one of the benefits (drawbacks) to living closer to home. Mom and Aunt Judy made the trip down for a girls shopping spree. Aunt Judy visited when we first moved in during the coldest months of the year. The only thing she got to do was eat, play board games and sit by the fireplace.

When they arrived on Friday we headed out to dinner at a local restaurant. This is Ben's and my go to spot, it's in an old house with a great patio for drinking beer and socializing with friends. We sat outside, had the house cocktail for the night (awesome), soft pretzels & chips with pepper jack queso (Mmmm, queso....) and assorted entrees that made us want to sit back and unbutton the top button. So, overall, a successful meal! We followed up our dinner with a few rousing games of Sorry, all of which Judy won (beginners luck my...).

Saturday Mom, Judy, and I loaded up in the car and headed to check out a new outlet mall in town. We were slightly disappointed to find that new stores don't have clearance. Being the cheapskates that we are, we were looking for clearance at an outlet mall. Which is sad now that I say it that way. Judy got new shoes, Mom got a shirt and I ended up with nothing, NOTHING! I was shocked. Ben was pleased.

We stopped off for pedicures on the way home. Mom got a manicure, but after running 25+ miles for the past few weeks my feet were dying for some attention. I always feel bad when the lady puts the gel all over my feet, waits awhile, waits a while longer, does another client's pedicure, and THEN proceeds to slap on the rubber gloves and go to town with the pumice stone. Yuck, her tip was definitely earned. I always struggle with which shade of pink to choose, but this time I found the one that fits me best, " You're a pisa work!"

After a long day of saving money, Ben made us guacamole and Margarita's. We played a few rounds of Hill Billy golf, one of which Judy won. She's never invited back if she keeps winning at all the games. We had stuffed pork loin, lightly seasoned red potatoes on the grill, along with a side salad and rolls for dinner. We were all so stuffed we could barley keep our eyes open. We looked through some vacation pictures and all headed decided to call it a day.

Sunday Ben was our short order cook and made us all our own omelets to order with an array of ingredients from fresh green pepper and tomatoes from the garden to ham and cheese. And of course, no visit to our house would be complete without a visit to Home Goods. At least this shopping trip was more successful. I got a new center piece and runner for the kitchen table along with a birthday present for Brady. I even walked away with a new pair of shoes from TJMaxx next door. Ben was unenthusiastic.

Overall, it was another successful family weekend. Ben and I are free of house guests for awhile.
Next weekend we'll celebrate our five year anniversary and head to Ben's brothers house for Labor Day weekend. So, even though we won't have a full house, we'll still have a full schedule.

Looavul

Ben called me on Thursday to see if I would be interested in attending an open house for his work on Saturday in Louisville, we would get to stay overnight and have dinner on them. Did he even have to ask? I love getting to stay at hotels away from home and eating dinner at new places, especially for free!

So Friday we headed down to Louisville and stayed at the Marriott downtown. It was gorgeous! Huge lobby, sitting areas off the bar, two restaurants, and beautiful flower arrangements all over. And, lets not forget the spectacular view of the vacant parking garage that was being well utilized by Louisville locals. As a platinum member (so elitist) we received a half bottle of wine, fruit, and pretzels as an arrival gift. After devouring everything on the plate, we changed and headed out for dinner and entertainment. We'd heard about 4th Street Live, "the place to be" in Louisville. This was a city block blocked off for, well, clubbing/drinking. We had to show our id's and get a wrist band as soon as we crossed the sidewalk. Ben and I were a little taken aback and that was before we saw the free standing bars in the middle of the road selling jello shots and Rum Punch. This should be interesting.

Earlier we'd ask the concierge for dinner recommendations, which led us to Red Star Tavern. It was a great spot to be. We ate outside on the patio, listened to the free country music concert and watched guys prove their manliness on the Marine pull up challenge. It was really very entertaining but the food, not so good. We started our meal with lettuce wraps that were extremely greasy, we couldn't even finish them. Ben ordered a chicken dish and I got lemon chicken pasta. Both were so, so. Mine tasted like an entire lemon tree had been squeezed over my pasta and Ben's had a mango salsa that looked and tasted like an afterthought. Not that we consider ourselves foodies, but we were very disappointed in our free meal.

We walked around for a bit and decided to have dessert at the hotel restaurant. We should have eaten there from the get go, they had a Moroccan band playing and the food smelled delicious. We sat in the lounge and ordered dessert, Chocolate Lava Cake. This, hands down, was the best part of the weekend. It was awesome, the only thing it was missing was a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.

On Saturday, after having a delicious breakfast, (yes, this weekend revolved around eating) we headed to the open house. The open house was fun, a typical family day outing, with dunk tank, bouncy things, and a picnic lunch. Ben gave me my own tour of their new building and it was amazing! Put my old office to shame for sure, the cubes were even nice! I met a lot of people and their families and I think we're even considering driving down for the Christmas party this year.

Saturday afternoon when we got home, our palates had not been satisfied so we headed to our local Chinese buffet and consumed enough calories, MSG, sodium and cholesterol to shorter our lifespan by about three years. If that wasn't bad enough, we had Mexican tonight for dinner. Overall, a very productive weekend. Off to the gym!

SORRY!

I'm dreading the end of summer and I know it's near. The days are getting shorter and Hobby Lobby has ALL their Christmas decorations out. That's absurd, really! This is the time of year when I definitely miss the south. We could grill out, enjoy the pool, and go for evening walks well into October. Not around here. By October it's cold and dark by 4pm.

Anyway, last night Ben and I decided to take full advantage of the beautiful evening by having dinner on the deck, a bottle of wine from Sonoma and a competitive game of... SORRY! I know, I know, our life is soooo exciting. But I won two out of three games, I'm awesome! Ben has declared a rematch for tonight, he just can't admit when he's been beaten!

Family Weekend Part II

Sunday afternoon Ben and I wrapped up another fun filled family weekend. His folks came down just to visit, drink beer & margaritas and, of course, hit Home Goods. His Aunt & Cousin, on the other hand, were on a road trip, hitting up towns along the world's longest rummage sale.

We made full use of the athletic club's member appreciation week activities. We kicked off the weekend by taking the family to the Luau. For $5 bucks, it's all you can eat BBQ and all you can drink wine and beer. It was great! We got there just as the Silverfoxes were deciding that dusk had fallen and "it'd be best not to drive after dark, Henry." We enjoyed watching the health conscious club members drink themselves into oblivion. The highlight of the evening had to be the giant splash that came from the previously vacant pool. Yes, there was someone swimming, not naked, but definitely drunk.

Saturday Sherry and I had big plans to attend the Zumba class, while John and Ben worked out. Well, turns out Zumba was canceled, so next on the list was Belly dancing. Sherry and I decided that could be interesting so we headed over to check it out, only to find several members standing around waiting for an instructor. That class ended up being canceled as well. I was upset and decided an email to the club director was a must. Sherry's response: "let's go shopping!" Gotta love that! We headed home, showered and, before taking off to the ever popular Home Goods, we met the guys for lunch, back at the club. It was a free buffet lunch poolside, we didn't want to miss out! The food was even better than Friday night. I think I ate my weight in chocolate chip cookies, they were amazing. I made a mental note for the next time I was hanging out at the pool to order a few...dozen.

Sherry and I hit Home Goods, TJ Maxx and Macy's furniture clearance store. We successfully bought her all new bedding and a rug for her bedroom. She decided that, with new hardwood floors, a bedroom maker was a must! I'm actually very jealous of her selection, she ended up with navy and white themed bedding. I have wanted to do navy for some time, but decided now that I've painted the bathroom to match my current bedding, I'm stuck. So I lived vicariously through her. The guys, on the other hand, made a trip to Sam's and then ended up in front of the TV, beer in hand, watching Tiger.

Saturday night we grilled out and had a great time visiting and catching up. We ended up outside playing Hill Billy golf (ladder golf) and with the amount of beer and wine consumed we couldn't hit the ladder for anything! We spent the rest of the night laughing (or, if you're John, giggling) and eating dessert until we wanted to throw up.

Sunday was early morning mass, 7:30am, then breakfast at the house. The girls made a return trip to Home Goods to make sure we didn't miss anything the first time. Ben and John headed back to the club to work out and ended up in the build your own sundae line by the pool. I'm sorry I missed out on that activity, but at least someone got to enjoy it. We got everyone packed up and headed home just in time for Ben, Hobbes, and me to take a nap.

"Demi Moore had it done"

The following is a conversation I overheard at our elitist athletic club pool while I was pretending to be a lady of leisure. And no, I'm not exaggerating.

Lady of Leisure 1: You're looking tan, your complexion is great!
LL 2: Yeah, when I'm 50 I'm going to look 90 at this rate.
LL 2: I feel like I'm beginning to look older. (I'm guessing she's 40)
LL 1: I think you look great!
LL 2: I'm considering getting my knees lifted & tightened.
LL 1: Demi Moore had it done, but I don't think you need it.
LL 2: (gets up from her lounger and grabs the skin above her knees) Look how it sags when I just stand here without flexing. I think I'll schedule it for this fall when I'll be wearing jeans.

Needless to say, it was an entertaining afternoon.

Member Appreciation Week

While the county fair was, perhaps, below our league, a new schedule of events came in the mail that some might argue is out of our league. It's member appreciation week at our elitist athletic club. The club's members are primarily made up of doctors, lawyers, dentists, corporate vice presidents, and...us. Ben's work gives him a dramatic discount so, while we think we fit in, there are some definite telling signs that we don't. For example, our last name, our paychecks, the car we drive, our 15 year age gap from the 'younger' members, my lack of any surgical enhancements, and the size of my... diamonds. Nevertheless, we make full use of the club, so this weeks activities are very appealing. Here are just a few of the highlights, other than the typically organized group fitness.

Tues:
10 - 2pm Free 10 min chair massages

Wed:
6:30am Free bagel breakfast (it's early, but free!)

Thurs:
10 - 2pm Free 10 min chair massages

Fri:
7-11pm Luau - All you can eat and drink (beer/wine included) $5 bucks

Sat:
12 - 2pm Family day at the pool
Free poolside buffet
Free Chair Massages
Free Caricatures

Sun:
1 - 2pm Free Build your own Sundae bar by the pool
4 - 6pm Pickleball challenge

They've also waived all guest fees this week and the in-laws are in town soooooo...guess what we'll be doing?

Family Weekend

Phew I'm exhausted! Ben and I hosted family weekend once again this year, and once again, we had too much fun!
Thursday night Mom, Dad, Brian, Heather, and the kids came down for our annual family get together. We kicked off the weekend with pizza, margaritas, beer, and red velvet cake! We had a mini birthday party for Heather and Mom whose birthdays are quickly approaching. I made a DELICIOUS layered red velvet cake with cream cheese icing, decorated with strawberries and shaved chocolate! Mmmm mmmm.... it was AWESOME!

Friday we set out for Kings Island. The weather was perfect, the kids were in a good mood, and Ben & Heather were dying to get on the new coaster, the Diamondback. We picnicked in the parking lot prior to avoid the $15 hot dogs and $50 beers. Charlie was tall enough this year to ride more of the rides in the Nickelodeon area. We had a blast watching and riding with her. Brady fell a little short in the ride department but his favorite, by far, was Swiper's Sweeper... the kids were able to ride it together and just watching them giggle made me giggle.

Ben and Heather rode pretty much every roller coaster, while Brian and I stuck to the kiddy rides. Dad decided he wanted a taste of the roller coaster action and rode with Ben on one. Ben came out laughing, Dad came out looking a little green. Brian and I did manage to muster up the nerves to ride a few adult rides; bumper cars, swings, and thunder river. Actually, we rode thunder river three times and laughed so hard I thought I was going to barf. I guess that means, all in all, it was a fun day!

Saturday we hit up our elitist athletic club to swim with the kids. Brady spent his time doing laps around the kiddy pool (literally he ran laps around the pool with me filling up his cup and him dumping it on the ground). I think this lasted about 2 hours before we decided to try the big pool. That didn't work out too well, maybe next year. Charlie loved playing with all the kids toys, Brian got a nap, Heather hit the spa, Ben got in a work out, and Dad finished a crossword book. Successful trip!

Saturday after the kid's nap, Mom and Dad had brought a special surprise for the them. A Harley Davidson F150 truck! It was awesome, real radio, tailgate that works, and adjustable seats. They LOVED it! Charlie drove and Brady got whip lash. Brady was holding his neck with one hand and gripping the door with the other while his sister drove. It was so funny, she was such a big girl and driving with such attitude as she passed other neighborhood kids. We grilled out shish kabobs, played hillbilly golf, drank wine & margaritas, opened random presents from Mom and Dad and enjoyed each others drunk company.

Sunday came quickly, but before everyone packed up, a trip to Home Goods for Heather, Mom, and me was in order. A trip to Home Goods wraps up every visit to my house, in fact, it's on the schedule for next weekend when Ben's folks are here.

Busy August, but we are having so much fun so far and it's only the 4th!!