Oh what to do, what to do

need your help

I have been struggling with what to do for our first wedding anniversary for some time now. But, now, the day is approaching fast and I still have no plan. We'd like to do a day and night in Chicago or somewhere on Lake Michigan. Anyone have any ideas for cheap and fun entertainment in those parts? I have found a few things (lunch/dinner cruise out of the Navy Pier, Chicago Comedy Series at the Apollo and the Jersey Boys musical) but I'd like more input before I go full out and start booking things! HELP! :)

Just had to share!

mo' money, mo' money, mo' money

I was just given 20 more hours a week for the tobacco grant to add to my current 20 hours! I am still a contract employee, but the hourly pay is sooo awesome. AND... we got a little tip from someone at the federal level that we have received our federal Drug Free Communities grant, which means I will soon become a full time employee with benefits. YAY! I knew taking the part-time gig would pay off eventually. I just hope I can get back into working full time hours, I got a little spoiled :)

Now if we can just sell our house that would be icing on the cake and then we can start the baby train a rollin'. :)

Have a wonderful Monday everyone!!!! I know I will!!!!

100 things about me

cause my gal Sarah challenged us

I have to say I kinda like these blog challenges and topics. It is fun. So, Sarah's challenge to her bloggers was to come up with a list of 100 things that, maybe, no one knows about you. It sounds like a long task, but I am gonna give it a whirl since everyone else is.

1. I was only 5 lbs when I was born
2. I was born with a severe case of strabismus (crossed eyes)
3. My mom was worried that I was blind
4. My Paw paw thought I looked Chinese :)
5. I had surgery on my eyes when I was one and went through vision therapy in high school
6. But I will always have problems with my eyes
7. And when people say something or tease me about my eyes it really hurts my feelings
8. I moved from Oklahoma to Kansas when I was 9
9. My first boyfriend was Nick Engels (he was also my first kiss)
10. I was engaged right out of high school
11. But didn't marry him and I am glad I didn't
12. I have a big mouth
13. And many times it has gotten me into trouble. But I am working on it, as always
14. I cry very easily
15. I often cry when I watch Extreme Makeover Home Edition
16. I love Mexican food
17. My mother has leukemia
18. and I worry about her all the time
19. I worry about my dad traveling all the time
20. I hurt my sister very badly
21. and I am not sure if we will ever be the same
22. I cannot stands friends of "convenience"
23. I am almost always on time
24. I hate waiting on people
25. I still miss my golden retriever Rosie
26. I felt responsible for her dying because she got sick when I moved away to college
27. I often talk to my friends and family that have passed when I drive long distances in my car
28. I wish I would have been closer to my PePaw before he died
29. I wish I was closer to all my relatives
30. I tried to play tennis in middle school
31. I completely failed at it
32. I tried to play volleyball in middle school
33. I was ok... best server on the C Team :)
34. I love to sing
35. I was in showchoir in high school
36. I participated in musicals through middle school and high school
37. I had my wisdom teeth out in high school
38. I was the Editor-in-Chief of the Butler County Community College Newspaper, The Lantern
39. I miss Kansas
40. I miss my parents
41. I light up when I get home and my little kitty Jada is waiting for me
42. I crave salt more than sugar
43. I suck at eating healthy
44. But I am trying with the help of Weight Watchers
45. I bought my first house at 24
46. My first real job was a sacker at Dillons in El Dorado
47. I am a planner
48. My husband is not a planner
49. However, my husband is better with money than I am
50. Jared and I have been through many difficult times
51. But we made it through and I think it makes us stronger
52. He has been there for me when others haven't
53. I want kids so bad that my heart aches whenever I see a precious baby
54. But I am scared to death to be a parent
55. I love pickled okra
56. I am proud to say I was born in Oklahoma
57. I love summer and hot weather
58. but I hate humidity
59. and I refuse to drive on ice
60. I miss my job in Kansas
61. I wake up every morning with a back ache and neck pains
62. My chiropractor told me a year ago that I was the most messed up, out of wack 26 year old she has ever seen
63. I love Rx medications
64. But not in a drug addict kinda way
65. I work in drug and alcohol prevention
66. I am so proud of my husband for turning his life around
67. I am kind of a home body, even though I don't like to admit it
68. I have severe allergy and sinus issues
69. My dream is to someday live on the water, somewhere
70. I have a potty mouth that I have been trying to improve on
71. I collect shot glasses
72. and, sadly, I used to collect Beanie Baby bears
73. I dislike people who think they are better than everyone else
74. I drink a glass of milk in the morning and one before bed
75. I am very much loving the blogging scene
76. I am an emotional eater... every time I have any kind of emotion, I think I need to eat
77. I love all kinds of music
78. My first concert was New Kids on the Block in 1990 (and I am going to see them again this fall)
79. I wish I was athletic and competitive
80. The only thing I am competitive at is karaoke contests
81. I won 2nd place my first karaoke contest at the Prairie Port Festival in El Dorado in 2001.
82. I won first place at a karaoke contest in Pittsburg in 2003. The prize was $400
83. and I beat a guy that already had some lame recording deal, haha. He thought he was real cool. NOT!
84. My first car was a 1986 Honda Accord
85. I loved that car
86. When I look into Jared's eyes I feel safe
87. I am nervous when I make new friends
88. I have a hard time relaxing, which would explain the chiropractor one earlier in the list.
89. I am so proud of my dad for everything he has accomplished and provided for our family.
90. I am sooooo grateful I had a normal childhood with loving parents
91. I think about my sister every day
92. I worry about the future, alot
93. I worry about everything actually
94. I like to say I am laid back, but I am far from it
95. I have a hard time REALLY listening to people. I have been working on it for a while now. It is like a continuous training I have to give myself
96. I miss all my old friends from college and high school
97. I am SEVERLY jealous of people, another thing I have gotten better at over the years but it still bugs me
98. I learned more about politics and government from working at a newspaper than I did in high school and college
99. I am addicted to reality tv and social networking sites
100. I am OCD about clutter around the house in the open, but still wish I was more organized in the hidden places (closets, drawers, etc.)


:)

Nothing too exciting

just felt like I needed to post something

We had a pretty laid back, but fun weekend. We had free tickets (the secretary at Jared's work got them for us. Thanks Paula) to the Shinedown concert at Club Fever. I wasn't real familiar with all the bands (Theory of a Deadman and Black Stone Cherry was there too), but I had heard a few of their songs on the radio. Kind of a mix between Nickelback, Daughtry and Hinder. At least, I thought that was what they all sounded like! :) It was a pretty good time and then we met Julie out at The Landing with her friend Adam. We danced the night away to a live band. Good times.

This week has been pretty laid back so far. I am feeling the sinus pressure coming on (imagine that, I am the queen of sinus infections). In fact, I didn't go into work Monday cause I woke up feeling like a bus had hit me. No fun.

This weekend is a fundraiser/beach party for the Center for the Homeless. On the River 2008, is organized by the Young Professionals Against Poverty and it held right across the street from my office building right on the river. There will be live bands, food, ice cold beer :) and other beverages, and they are bringing in 1,500 tons to sand to make it look like a real beach! It is only for adults 21 and over and it sounds really cool. Plus, all the advertising, planning and marketing for it is very professionally done. So, I think we will probably go check it out for a while, I mean after all, it's for a good cause :).

In fact, I might get some more information on this group and join them. I am already a part of the Young Professionals Network through the Chamber of Commerce, so this group might be a nice networking and volunteering opportunity as well. And, the Center for the Homeless here is really cool (if there is such a thing as cool homeless centers). Not sure what other homeless centers in other cities look like, but this one is amazing (thanks to Notre Dame's backing). We have meetings in their briefing center for the Young Professionals Network and it is amazing the services and resources they are able to offer people to help them find homes and get back on their feet. I imagine in this downward economy and the closing of several RV plants, and cuts at the Hummer Plant, in the area that they are seeing more and more people in need of services. :( It is sad and I sure hope something changes soon and helps those thousands of people who have lost their jobs.

Vacation

GBE topic #46

This week's topic for the Group Blogging Experience is Vacation and I gladly jumped on this one.

The first thought that popped into my head when I heard vacation was the trip my family took to San Antonio when I was a child (well, and all the childhood trips we took).

Growing up, my parents made a point to take us to as many places as their finances would allow. While, we never really made it out of the midwest, our trips were full of fun and adventure.

We took our trip to San Antonio when I was 10 years old and we had only lived in Kansas a short time. Our friends Rick and Lori from Moore, OK invited us to come along with them as their daughter Brandee danced in a competition there. Brandee and I were best friends growing in Moore before we moved to Kansas, so it was so great for me to spend time with her again.

We traveled from Wichita to Moore and then down to Dallas. In Dallas we visited Six Flags. This was my first time to visit a large theme park (Silver Dollar City doesn't count) so we had a grand time riding rides until we were sick and eating lots of greasy, sweet foods.

After that we drove to San Antonio where the real vacation began. As I look back on this trip I realize that we did a heck of a lot of stuff in a short time. We visited the Alamo, the river walk, Sea World and traveled to Padre Island for one day to see the ocean (which was the first time Alicia and I had ever seen it). Padre was an adventure in itself. It was sunny when we get there, but in a short amount of time, storm clouds rolled in and we found ourselves fighting the wind, which was blowing sand at us from every direction. Nothing hurts worse than sand hitting you at 50 mph. But, we did manage to gather up a ton of seashells which we loaded in the van to take home, not even thinking that they would begin to smell like dead fish in a few days. That was a lesson learned, yuck.

Even with all the places I have been able to visit throughout my life, this Texas trip will always be one of my favorites. I am surprised how much I actually remember from it and how much I learned. I hope to take my kids there someday and share with them the great memories and experiences that I had.

Take me out to the ballgame...

take me out to the crowd

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am not the worlds biggest sports fan, especially when it comes to baseball (I love me some football though!). I can't STAND to watch baseball on tv. However, I love watching it live and we are lucky in South Bend to have our own Class A Affiliate team, The South Bend Silverhawks, part of the Arizona Diamonbacks league.

Well, we decided to check it out for ourselves last night at a home game at Coveleski Stadium (which the commonly refer to as The Cove) in downtown South Bend. IT WAS SOOOO MUCH FUN!!! The stadium was really nice and clean and, surprisingly, there were a lot of people there! Our tickets were in the front row right on the first base line (can't get any better than that) and the weather was a perfect 83 degrees and no humidity.

To top it all off, it was a close game. It was tied 3-3 with the Beloit Snappers in the 10th inning. With the bases loaded, Silverhawks hit a homerun for the win. WOO HOO! And, there was even a Kansas boy on their team. Eli Rumler from Little River, Kansas. We rooted him on pretty good... gotta support our Kansas folk.

We plan on attending many more of these games in the future. Gotta love cheap, fun and local entertainment!

Anyhow, here are a few photos from the game.