Turning ugly into sort of ugly......

So Chris has been gone for two weeks now (he is doing an away rotation at the U of U and at a urology clinic for 4 weeks) and so I have been trying to scrape up projects to keep me busy in order to get me off the couch and to turn the tv off. Here are a few things I came up with:

I got a few old window panes a few years ago (we were driving in Kirkwood and we saw them by a garbage can so I went and knocked to ask the people if they were going to throw them away that I would love to have them instead). I was thinking of using it as a frame so now I need family pics to hang behind it.

I also decided that it was time to do something with these ugly nightstands that we have had since we got married. Thanks to Wendy's hand-sander, some paint, many visits to Lowe's, some fabulous new handles from Anthropology and a few phone calls to my dad, here are the finished products.

As you can see, they are far from perfect, but they now seem a little less ugly then before which is really all I was going for.

We're High Class

Yes, we have joined the high society of people that own barbecues. After 2 hand-me-down barbecues (1 which never worked, while the other worked maybe half the time), we decided that we would like to have a grill that actually worked. So we got one in time for our 4th of July barbecue this year. You're probably thinking, "Hey weirdos...having a new grill doesn't make you high class!"

To that I respond, "You're absolutely correct." But I should note that the method of getting our new barbecue home is what has launched us into the upper echelon of high class society. Obviously our car is too small to have put the pre-assembled unit in the trunk. We tried to fit an unassembled unit in a box into the trunk, but once again, to no avail. So we decided to wheel the pre-assembled unit home, from the parking lot at Lowe's to our back porch...almost 1/2 mile in total. As you can see, we were beaming with pride as we brought our new little friend home.

The best holiday of the year...

So I happen to really love the 4th of July. I mean, you get a BBQ, fireworks, parades, summer, and friends all rolled into one (oh yeah, and it happens to be my birthday!)

Yes, I did get a delicious ice cream cake from DQ that

was decorated for a 5 year old little boy complete with

lime green and orange monsters

Allen's and Van B's didn't let us down with quite a firework

show (note plastic baseball bat being used as launcher)

No firework show is complete without starting a fire

in the sewer...or at least not when you live in Mecham Park!

(Thanks to the White's for providing their jug of

Kool-aid to extinguish it)

After much anticipation.......

Well, graduation finally came after what feels like years of never ending schooling. I found out that I passed my board exam the day before (I am still shocked that in a mere 75 questions they know that I am qualified and know enough to be an RN!)













Hatty and Terry came to share in the celebration. We feasted at Pappy's Smokehouse afterward and then went to Grant's farm and then to a Cardinals baseball game. It sure was hot, but we didn't let that stop us, we just consumed shave ice and ice cream to make it bearable!

Oh the places you'll go.....

Kylee graduated from high school last night. We wish we could have been there to celebrate with you Ky. I am so excited because she has so much in front of her. She is even following in my footsteps and heading off to Utah State (maybe she will actually become a True Aggie).

Thinking about this made me want to reminisce so I pulled out some old photos. This was 7 years ago??? I can't even believe that! Look how little Kylee is:


(Dad-check it out, your hair isn't even gray...that must have been all Ky's fault)


Welcome to the adult world Kylee, we always knew you would make it!

Branson

Branson, MO is not just a vacation destination for old people as I once thought. We decided to go on a weekend trip and it was between Memphis and Branson. Branson won out. We went to a show, shopped at the outlet malls, went to Table Rock Lake, and went on a zipline.

This is the awesome old-man chair in our hotel room.

(as a side note, I have an irrational fear of heights. I mean, I have done a lot of things to try to overcome this like the sky-coaster at Lagoon and repelling/rock climbing, but in the end, even diving boards freak me out. It is not the climb that gets me, it is the fall. I remember growing up my friend Kathryn had a zip line in her backyard and I could never do it. I was the only one that didn't cliff jump at Lake Powell on our senior girls trip among other things.)

Well, I saw the ad for the zip line and knew Chris would love it so I suggested it. We went to sign up for it and they told me that after the zip line you have to jump 100 feet off the tower to get back onto the ground. It was the only way down. I watched some people do it and decided I can do that...remember above note...what was I thinking! There was like 8 people in our group and we ended up going last.

Needless to say, the nerves were racing through me and I wanted to vomit by the time I got hooked to the zip line. Then I got to the point of no return and had to jump off a tower. Ugly blubbering face showed up (thank goodness for sunglasses) and three guy workers spent about five minutes telling me I could do it. One said to me, "Mam, you can take one step." I told him, "no I can't, I really can't". Finally I took the step and the ugliest noise I have ever heard exited my body. I had told Chris that I thought I would say in the end, "that was scary but fun." Well, instead I think I said, "I hated that".

On a happy note, Chris loved it and he let out a pretty girly scream on the jump down. That somehow made it worth it.

Don't let the smile fool you- this was before I knew what I was getting myself into!




Homemade panoramic view of Table Rock Lake...it was better in person


We decided to eat at some of the local joints....branch out because we usually stick with what we know. Let's just say that Billy Bobs DairyLand does not rival Nielson's in Utah (and the fact that they did not advertise that they don't take credit cards, the adjoining gas station does not give cash back, and the ATM machine there took 4 attempts before it would give us our money didn't help them), and that the Rib Crib is a sad excuse for BBQ (and their sausages are nothing like a Brahtwurst).

On the drive home Chris saw a sign for the world's largest rocking chair and decided to stop off and see it. I am pretty sure he was as excited to see the chair as he was to go on the zipline! It is quite remarkable though, don't you think?

1+1+1+1 = 4 years of bliss

It has been 4 years since this day....

Can't believe it. The funny thing is that you think you know a person that you live with day in and day out for 4 years, but I am still learning new, quirky things all the time. I guess that is what keeps ya one your toes. Happy Anniversary!