tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50302784450806440312024-03-12T23:05:08.539-05:00Officially DifferentStaciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16798304037261355262noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030278445080644031.post-42069337865303934582011-11-08T12:04:00.012-06:002011-11-08T14:06:44.930-06:00Our New Baby<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">It's official. Brad and I are now responsible for a little life, other than our own. We now have a cat. :) Meet Dora...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Slkx-lu-zTY/TrlokHU8mMI/AAAAAAAAATk/HDSdlG4RIVU/s1600/IMAG0269.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Slkx-lu-zTY/TrlokHU8mMI/AAAAAAAAATk/HDSdlG4RIVU/s640/IMAG0269.jpg" width="382" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My brother and sister-in-law may as well be the cat whisperers. They have rescued many cats and Jessie, being a licensed vet-tech, has a HUGE heart for anything furry. Dora showed up on their doorstep a while back and after unsuccessfully trying to find her original owner, they took her in and gave her the name Pandora. Unfortunately, they already had three cats...and those other cats didn't take too kindly to her. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">John had told me that they were trying to find a new home for her, because she was basically living in fear of the other cats and that she would probably do much better in another home. I thought about it, but wasn't a huge cat person, so I sort of brushed off the idea and tried to forget about her. On Halloween I went over to John and Jessie's house to see my nephew dressed up in his peanut costume. It was that night that I saw firsthand what Pandora's life was like. The other cats were very mean to her and she was one stressed out little kitty.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I went home that night and told Brad that my heart was just breaking for her. Brad, who has a HUGE heart for animals, suggested that we take her in. I wanted to, but we had two big hurdles to get over. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1) I am allergic to cats. Whenever I would touch a cat, my skin would break out in a rash. And I had never been around a cat long enough to know if I had any more allergies (sneezing, coughing, etc).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2) Our apartment complex doesn't allow animals, unless you have a note from a physician stating that you need a pet for companionship. Legally, they have to allow "companion pets." Since we don't NEED a companion pet for mental or emotional reasons, we sort of felt like it was wrong to ask our doctor to write a note.</div><br />
A few days later, the nurse from my doctor's office called to give me some test results. So, for some reason I got really bold and asked her if they had ever written notes for companion pets. She said, "Sure! I'll have the note ready for you at 8am tomorrow." WOW! I also asked what she thought about my cat allergy. She said that I most likely have an allergy to all pet dander (I even get itchy sometimes after petting my parents dogs). She said that most likely, if I live with a pet, I will get used to and become immune to their dander. She thought it would be rough at first, but that I'd eventually get used to the cat.<br />
<br />
After I got off the phone with her, I called Brad and he said, "Call your brother and tell him we want her!" So I did. That night, they brought Pandora over. Jessie had told us that she would probably hide for a few days, because she was in new surroundings. When she figured out that we were nice and that there weren't any other cats around to attack her, she'd probably warm up to us.<br />
<br />
Well, it didn't take long and she was on the couch wanting to be cuddled! We have definitely fallen in love with her!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F2AVo-V4HPM/TrloilGAwGI/AAAAAAAAATc/sPCilbeSVGc/s1600/IMAG0267.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F2AVo-V4HPM/TrloilGAwGI/AAAAAAAAATc/sPCilbeSVGc/s640/IMAG0267.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-02OUsSKaqvo/TrlolW4p06I/AAAAAAAAATs/gxhHADfvfWo/s1600/IMAG0272.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-02OUsSKaqvo/TrlolW4p06I/AAAAAAAAATs/gxhHADfvfWo/s640/IMAG0272.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
My allergies are doing great. I am careful and make sure to wash my hands before touching my face and I have taken a few doses of Benadryl to help with the itchy skin and itchy eyes, but other than that, I seem to be doing well. Oh, and it just so happens that Dora (as we call her) has a favorite spot on the couch. And it happens to be my favorite spot on the couch. :) We'll see how that pans out....<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2HENImjkp3w/TrlooR2mKXI/AAAAAAAAAT0/Deg1On5pgKg/s1600/IMAG0275.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2HENImjkp3w/TrlooR2mKXI/AAAAAAAAAT0/Deg1On5pgKg/s640/IMAG0275.jpg" width="382" /></a></div></div>Staciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16798304037261355262noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030278445080644031.post-13527179844431592542011-11-07T13:01:00.001-06:002011-11-07T13:10:05.562-06:00The Birthday Boy and Halloween<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">October 19th was my hubby's 28th birthday. TWO YEARS FROM THE BIG 3-0! I try to remind him of that quite frequently. :) This year, Brad wanted something simple, so I made him dinner and dessert. Not too exciting....but the recipe I made for dinner was delicious!<br />
<br />
Our dinner was delicious. I got the recipe off of Pinterest and it came from <a href="http://thelarsonlingo.blogspot.com/2011/05/easiest-dinner-ever.html">this website.</a> It was so easy. I took a package of frozen chicken, a can of black beans,a can of corn, a brick of cream cheese, a can of green chiles and a can of rotel tomatoes and threw them all in the crockpot on low while I was at work. I came home, shredded the chicken, and VOILA! You can put it over rice, in a tortilla shell, or use it as a dip with chips, like Brad and I did. It was yummy!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mNGG-xrdaSU/TrgqDkn6gTI/AAAAAAAAASU/947rkO-lIfQ/s1600/IMAG0229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mNGG-xrdaSU/TrgqDkn6gTI/AAAAAAAAASU/947rkO-lIfQ/s640/IMAG0229.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eYg9T2Woov4/TrgqZr4C_9I/AAAAAAAAASk/hAEogq1XXhg/s1600/IMAG0230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eYg9T2Woov4/TrgqZr4C_9I/AAAAAAAAASk/hAEogq1XXhg/s640/IMAG0230.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7m7wCKpK7bQ/TrgqEickVlI/AAAAAAAAASc/Nf92sxqbnp4/s1600/IMAG0232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7m7wCKpK7bQ/TrgqEickVlI/AAAAAAAAASc/Nf92sxqbnp4/s640/IMAG0232.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Oh, and I made Brad birthday brownies. Oh....and my nickname for him is Stinky. Kind of embarrassing...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HlNCNItMSgs/Trgqage6geI/AAAAAAAAASs/Qze-UVrT7E4/s1600/IMAG0231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HlNCNItMSgs/Trgqage6geI/AAAAAAAAASs/Qze-UVrT7E4/s640/IMAG0231.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
About a week and a half later, we celebrated Halloween! Brad and I aren't super into Halloween - we don't really dress up or party. But, I did go see my nephew Cooper for his first Halloween. He was, of course, ADORABLE! His prenatal nickname was "Peanut," so that's what he ended up being for his first Halloween. John and Jessie played along and dressed up as a box of cracker jacks and a snack vendor. It was very cute!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z3aYQ9D15mQ/TrgscjnL3MI/AAAAAAAAAS0/1smt-Iygqy4/s1600/IMAG0243.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z3aYQ9D15mQ/TrgscjnL3MI/AAAAAAAAAS0/1smt-Iygqy4/s640/IMAG0243.jpg" width="382" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">My brother - the cracker jack! </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fNg8o05ieOU/TrgsdqrQX0I/AAAAAAAAAS8/uiXHaFv2_co/s1600/IMAG0246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fNg8o05ieOU/TrgsdqrQX0I/AAAAAAAAAS8/uiXHaFv2_co/s640/IMAG0246.jpg" width="382" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">HOW CUTE! </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3kvLa3aA3Bw/TrgsegqoNMI/AAAAAAAAATE/V5Hfyn1z1kQ/s1600/IMAG0251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3kvLa3aA3Bw/TrgsegqoNMI/AAAAAAAAATE/V5Hfyn1z1kQ/s640/IMAG0251.jpg" width="382" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> The whole family...</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TxQxQ0mKk6c/TrgsgbZ934I/AAAAAAAAATM/3_3bxRGRwmY/s1600/IMAG0252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TxQxQ0mKk6c/TrgsgbZ934I/AAAAAAAAATM/3_3bxRGRwmY/s640/IMAG0252.jpg" width="382" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Mom and Dad stopped by as well! Cooper was already tired, obviously....</div><span id="goog_1746479868"></span><span id="goog_1746479869"></span></div>Staciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16798304037261355262noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030278445080644031.post-16324089428943381502011-10-25T11:37:00.000-05:002011-10-25T11:37:17.138-05:0040 Days of Organization<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Recently I was reading <a href="http://augustfields.blogspot.com/2011/03/40-bags-in-40-days-preparing-for-easter.html">this blog</a> and loved her idea of delving deep into her house and organizing things. The idea is called "40 Bags in 40 Days." Last week, I got the itch to make my own list of things that I wanted to get to a good place. So, I sat down, numbered a piece of paper from 1-40 and started writing. I didn't stop - even writing things that were "okay." By making this list, I was committing to [everyday] picking something off of the list to get done. The idea is to get your house deep cleaned and organized without feeling overwhelmed. It's just one thing everyday - and hopefully that one thing won't take you more than an hour. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Here's my list!</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YK5SJSTduXI/TqbeqelT3uI/AAAAAAAAARM/yBp51FsPM4A/s1600/IMAG0213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YK5SJSTduXI/TqbeqelT3uI/AAAAAAAAARM/yBp51FsPM4A/s640/IMAG0213.jpg" width="382" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div> Now, Brad and I have only been living in our apartment for a little over a year, so it was kind of shocking to me how many spaces needed deep cleaning or serious organization. Some of things I wrote down weren't terrible and to the naked eye may not be a problem, but that's because they don't look close enough. :)<br />
<br />
After I made my list, I actually got started and started cleaning and organizing the outside of my fridge. We had a lot of old Christmas pictures and the top of the fridge was pretty dusty...<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">This is a picture of the THIRD clorox wipe I used to wipe off the top.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6R9j0Epu4L0/Tqbeo1r16TI/AAAAAAAAARE/SkXAvGFTgiY/s1600/IMAG0211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6R9j0Epu4L0/Tqbeo1r16TI/AAAAAAAAARE/SkXAvGFTgiY/s640/IMAG0211.jpg" width="382" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Here's the front of the fridge after I wiped it down and organized important pictures, etc. I wish I'd gotten a before picture...it was so disheveled!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w0DpvxSOED8/TqbergPuhjI/AAAAAAAAARU/HiY7Zi5R8e8/s1600/IMAG0215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w0DpvxSOED8/TqbergPuhjI/AAAAAAAAARU/HiY7Zi5R8e8/s640/IMAG0215.jpg" width="382" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I had kind of gotten into the mood to organize after making this list and knew that I wouldn't have the opportunity to clean in the following few days (due to weddings, etc). So, I decided to get a head start and not get behind. I went ahead and organized our medicine cabinet in the main bathroom and our pots and pans cabinet. Then I deep cleaned the microwave. The medicine cabinet is the only place that I got a before picture of...sorry!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
Pots and Pans "After" Picture</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sSEoPdFPUO4/TqbevVWsEdI/AAAAAAAAARs/GXWOxROwFwY/s1600/IMAG0222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sSEoPdFPUO4/TqbevVWsEdI/AAAAAAAAARs/GXWOxROwFwY/s640/IMAG0222.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Medicine Cabinet "Before" Picture</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NxYcFhDtZcw/Tqbes2HaKzI/AAAAAAAAARc/5Lk1GoeRfLU/s1600/IMAG0217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NxYcFhDtZcw/Tqbes2HaKzI/AAAAAAAAARc/5Lk1GoeRfLU/s640/IMAG0217.jpg" width="382" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The Medicine Cabinet "After" Picture</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qEtwGnsFZbE/TqbeuN_McvI/AAAAAAAAARk/_K4m8lTRbf0/s1600/IMAG0220.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qEtwGnsFZbE/TqbeuN_McvI/AAAAAAAAARk/_K4m8lTRbf0/s640/IMAG0220.jpg" width="382" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The microwave "After" Picture</div><div style="text-align: center;">I saw a post on <a href="http://pinterest.com/">Pinterest</a> that said to fill a bowl half full of vinegar and the rest of the way with hot water. Place it in your microwave for 5 minutes on high. Then wipe it down. Our apartment smelled a little bit like vinegar for an hour or so, but all the baked on stains in the microwave wiped away like nothing! It was great!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7a908JXRmH8/Tqbe0GDr2iI/AAAAAAAAASE/g_Ax0xz2LTg/s1600/IMAG0226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7a908JXRmH8/Tqbe0GDr2iI/AAAAAAAAASE/g_Ax0xz2LTg/s640/IMAG0226.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Here's my list after I finished my first few projects. It is a nice feeling to see some of those red "X's" on that sheet! I have a ways to go, but I'm excited to do it all!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m2-f8q3BSC4/Tqbey_d2i8I/AAAAAAAAAR8/6NDnKASp_Ks/s1600/IMAG0225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m2-f8q3BSC4/Tqbey_d2i8I/AAAAAAAAAR8/6NDnKASp_Ks/s640/IMAG0225.jpg" width="382" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I guess I forgot to mark off the microwave... :)</div></div>Staciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16798304037261355262noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030278445080644031.post-85090055257470849132011-10-20T11:31:00.000-05:002011-10-20T11:31:02.877-05:00I Am No Longer A "Name Twin"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Some of you may not know, but my husband's sister and I share the same first name. I think it was kind of weird for Brad in the beginning - the name that he used when referring to his older sister that he loved/teased/etc was the same name of the girl he was dating. They are spelled differently - I am "Stacie" and she is "Stacey." Needless to say, his friends gave him lots of flack about it. Brad's side of the family has come up with many ways to differentiate between us. The most common one is just calling us by our first and middle names. I'm Stacie Marie and she is Stacey Lynn. Stacey's boyfriend would always call me "Future Stacie." :)<br />
<br />
Anyways, when I got married, I obviously changed my last name to match my husband's. Since Stacey Lynn was unmarried at the time, there were officially two "Stac-ie/ey Salinas'." Multiple people added me on Facebook, thinking I was the "original" one and it made for a lot of confusing conversations, trying to explain to people that we are related, but that I'm not the one they're looking for. (Sigh....)<br />
<br />
WELL.....now I am alone in my name again. Last weekend, Stacey Lynn got married! Her last name is now Withrow. It was a beautiful, unique, private ceremony. The bride, wore a pale green (almost seafoam) dress. It was beautiful!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r9dcBznnc0w/TqBCyPRSoZI/AAAAAAAAAPM/F9886zl0vw0/s1600/S6301689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r9dcBznnc0w/TqBCyPRSoZI/AAAAAAAAAPM/F9886zl0vw0/s640/S6301689.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br />
Brad's cousins, Casey and Jeremy, came in from the East Coast to celebrate, so Brad was in hog heaven. They were ushers at our wedding and Brad has a very special place in his heart for them. We had lots of fun, hanging out with Brad's family and partying the night away! <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jr0Kj1QtdKY/TqBDvDlEkMI/AAAAAAAAAPU/P4JFzQKNrS0/s1600/S6301684.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jr0Kj1QtdKY/TqBDvDlEkMI/AAAAAAAAAPU/P4JFzQKNrS0/s640/S6301684.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brad and his grandma Dee</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hNcU-GVcSr4/TqBDvsTggNI/AAAAAAAAAPc/M8HXym-beGo/s1600/S6301686.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hNcU-GVcSr4/TqBDvsTggNI/AAAAAAAAAPc/M8HXym-beGo/s640/S6301686.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, Brad, Stepmom Wendy, Brad's Dad, Stacey Lynn & Gary</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VQmEGOVWzKQ/TqBDwe6vxaI/AAAAAAAAAPk/c1ISOeTDMtc/s1600/S6301690.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VQmEGOVWzKQ/TqBDwe6vxaI/AAAAAAAAAPk/c1ISOeTDMtc/s640/S6301690.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gary and Stacey</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aBBDAdZPb4E/TqBDw19JOWI/AAAAAAAAAPs/0XGZlVH1_T0/s1600/S6301693.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aBBDAdZPb4E/TqBDw19JOWI/AAAAAAAAAPs/0XGZlVH1_T0/s640/S6301693.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stacey Lynn, Brad and their mom, Cheryl</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ChCj4xbRFkQ/TqBDxZPfQCI/AAAAAAAAAP0/cxb7ewu7pAc/s1600/S6301694.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ChCj4xbRFkQ/TqBDxZPfQCI/AAAAAAAAAP0/cxb7ewu7pAc/s640/S6301694.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stacey Lynn, Brad, and their dad, Larry</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K_0hZdqL83A/TqBDx8k9q4I/AAAAAAAAAP8/k8D2KGZuwL4/s1600/S6301698.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K_0hZdqL83A/TqBDx8k9q4I/AAAAAAAAAP8/k8D2KGZuwL4/s640/S6301698.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gary and Stacey cutting the cake - they had an xBox cake on the left and a Hulk Hogan cake on the right!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RUXgUL97EkA/TqBDydwu1wI/AAAAAAAAAQE/2CygdhWnlCE/s1600/S6301701.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RUXgUL97EkA/TqBDydwu1wI/AAAAAAAAAQE/2CygdhWnlCE/s640/S6301701.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">KISS!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cI9uLc-RTfY/TqBDytb9hoI/AAAAAAAAAQM/RKoA8QAejfY/s1600/S6301702.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cI9uLc-RTfY/TqBDytb9hoI/AAAAAAAAAQM/RKoA8QAejfY/s640/S6301702.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brad's cousin Jeremy warming up on the dance floor!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hVTY34PnrjU/TqBDzNo--NI/AAAAAAAAAQU/wJ1aMsbVGk4/s1600/S6301706.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hVTY34PnrjU/TqBDzNo--NI/AAAAAAAAAQU/wJ1aMsbVGk4/s640/S6301706.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeremy and his girlfriend Danielle, showcasing Jeremy's signature move!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4nmH5bE-x1I/TqBDzu6eoUI/AAAAAAAAAQc/cXISaEBek9A/s1600/S6301708.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4nmH5bE-x1I/TqBDzu6eoUI/AAAAAAAAAQc/cXISaEBek9A/s640/S6301708.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brad, me, and Danielle trying to lift Jeremy up - not successful...obviously.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HrS7PTHapa4/TqBD0PP8kbI/AAAAAAAAAQk/QNBid2z2eYU/s1600/S6301710.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HrS7PTHapa4/TqBD0PP8kbI/AAAAAAAAAQk/QNBid2z2eYU/s640/S6301710.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brad, Me, Danielle, and Jeremy</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I3EnTH832l0/TqBD0sqN8EI/AAAAAAAAAQs/0u6zWsw5WG4/s1600/S6301711.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I3EnTH832l0/TqBD0sqN8EI/AAAAAAAAAQs/0u6zWsw5WG4/s640/S6301711.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeremy and Casey were so funny - constantly getting Grandma Dee on the dance floor!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dweBiijFw6o/TqBD1Dy-v4I/AAAAAAAAAQ0/Ri1fOLMbMkE/s1600/S6301713.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dweBiijFw6o/TqBD1Dy-v4I/AAAAAAAAAQ0/Ri1fOLMbMkE/s640/S6301713.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grandma Dee and Casey "taking pictures" of Jeremy's moves!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fQ0TPVmXcI0/TqBD1j4rMFI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/5sbWv50IhCk/s1600/S6301716.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fQ0TPVmXcI0/TqBD1j4rMFI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/5sbWv50IhCk/s640/S6301716.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aunt Cristie and Father-in-Law Larry warding off the paparrazi!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
</div>Staciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16798304037261355262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030278445080644031.post-22702753589197293602011-10-06T16:57:00.002-05:002011-10-06T18:39:55.451-05:00One Year Down<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Hi all -<br />
<br />
Over the last few weeks, I have done many things that I thought to myself, "I should blog about this." But, alas, I have not blogged about any of them. Sometimes I feel caught in a pickle - do I let life get in the way of blogging (therefore, not posting for awhile) or do I let blogging get in the way of life? Hmmm...we'll let the philosopher types mull it over. In the mean time, I'll just say sorry for keeping you all waiting to hear more about my mostly mundane, sometimes eventful life. :)<br />
<br />
The biggest thing that has happened over the past few weeks is that Brad and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary. Sometimes it feels as though time has just flown by and other days, it feels like I can't remember my life before we got married. For our first anniversary, we kept it low key. We had dinner at the Upstream, watched a movie at home and ate a slice of cake from the store (since the top of our cake wasn't kept for us!)<br />
<br />
Over the last 12 months, we have had our ups and downs. I've laughed, cried, thrown fits, thrown dishes, been blissfully happy and slightly enraged. We jam packed a lot of feelings, learning experiences, and love into the last 12 months. Overall, I'm happy and totally love.<br />
<br />
Now, I do not claim to be a marriage expert, but I do feel like Brad and I have learned a lot this first year. So, is this a doctoral thesis on marriage? No. But it is the random list of advice that came to my head when I thought about what I'd tell a girl who's about to get married. :)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-swxU7xcM_8E/ToyS2LLShJI/AAAAAAAAANo/DFlqS1wZEYA/s1600/IMG_2849.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-swxU7xcM_8E/ToyS2LLShJI/AAAAAAAAANo/DFlqS1wZEYA/s640/IMG_2849.jpg" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I can't believe this has been over a year ago...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>1) <u><b>Show your husband respect, (even if he's not acting respectable).</b></u> I never realized how even the most seemingly insignificant behavior or words, could tear my husband down. In a book called Love & Respect, it talks a lot about a man's deep need to be respected. You can love a man all you want - love him to death, but if you don't respect him, it's all null and void. I used to say that I couldn't stand those women who talked down to their husbands in public...but doing it in private is just as damaging. If/when your husband isn't acting respectable, treating him with disrespect won't remedy the problem. It will only make it worse. <br />
<br />
2) <u><b>Space is okay</b></u>. In the first few months of marriage, I thought that if Brad needed time away from me, that meant that he....didn't love me/didn't want me/wasn't happy/etc.... Space is good. I need it, but I never thought that Brad needed it too. A dear friend wrote in our wedding card, "When you're in a disagreement and it starts to escalate, take a 20 minute break. Come back together to discuss it again. If it escalates again, take another 20 minute break. Take 20 minute breaks until you can find a solution without yelling, name-callling, or disrespectful behavior. It won't be easy (my husband and I took 20 minute breaks for 3 days straight one time), but it saves a lot of feelings from getting hurt." We don't use this method to the "t," but the concept is one that we have benefited from.<br />
<br />
3) <u><b>Make time to relax and have fun.</b></u> Brad and I found that we were so busy and always tired. Before we got married, I had taken a second job to help pay for the wedding. After the wedding, I had planned to quit, but then it was the holidays and I thought I could use the money to pay for gifts, etc. It's a vicious cycle and you seem to always "need the extra money." We argued more often and let a lot of things get away from us. Once I quit my second job, we learned to say "no" to a few things and we carved out specific time every week to spend together, we got along so much better.<br />
<br />
4) <u><b>Whenever you think about how much you love your spouse, tell them.</b></u> Brad does this a lot for me and I try to do it to him as well. I have gotten several cards over the last week from Brad "just because."<br />
<br />
5) <u><b>Surround yourself with people that support marriage.</b></u> Sometimes people with negative views towards marriage (or just differing views) tend to insert their opinion into YOUR marriage. It's uncalled for, and quite frankly, very rude. Those people need to be drop-kicked in my opinion. Anyways, make sure that the people you're talking to are actually safe to talk to about your marriage and that they understand your commitment. Stop people from saying disrespectful things or things that tear down your spouse.<br />
<br />
6) <u><b>Flirt often.</b></u> This is just fun and builds confidence. Enough said. <br />
<br />
7) <u><b>Consider your spouse's background.</b></u><b> </b>Often times, when your spouse is really upset, but it seems odd to you or like an overreaction, it usually has something to do with their background. Brad and I found that talking about our childhoods, past relationships, etc, helped us to understand where our sensitivities lie. Before getting frustrated, consider trying to understand what in their past could be contributing to this overreaction.<br />
<br />
8) <u><b>"Counseling" isn't a curse word.</b></u> I'm not ashamed to say that Brad and I have seen a professional counselor together. We went originally as a supplement to our pre-marital counseling, but it turned into one of the BEST things we've ever done. It sort of couples with number 7 in learning much more about your partner's triggers and the best way to communicate. I dare say that Brad and my marriage would be much much different, and a lot less enjoyable, had we never gone to counseling.<br />
<br />
9) <u><b>"Don't go to bed in the middle of an argument" is sort of a crock.</b></u> I was adamant when we first got married that we'd never ever go to bed angry with each other. Maybe in a perfect world that is the goal, but unfortunately Brad and I are human. It happens...and it actually gives a little perspective to arguments when you've had a full night's sleep. I mean, honestly, who is very nice or understanding when they're tired?<br />
<br />
10) <u><b>Don't commit to something without talking to your spouse.</b></u> Oooooh...this got both Brad and I in trouble on a few occasions. We learned quickly that we are no longer two single people who make solo decisions about scheduling. We are, as the Bible puts it, one. On a couple of occasions, we both committed our night to some event and when we came home, we realized that we'd double booked! We have a calendar on our fridge that we track things on, as well. That definitely helps! <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Now to indulge a bit of nostalgia, here are some photos from our wedding day!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dJRunh0g3Fc/To4cAmAbb0I/AAAAAAAAANs/NsQsZccatWw/s1600/IMG_2666.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dJRunh0g3Fc/To4cAmAbb0I/AAAAAAAAANs/NsQsZccatWw/s640/IMG_2666.jpg" width="456" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UNS83BU7wlI/To4cOPsYuYI/AAAAAAAAANw/p3sIpE4aWhQ/s1600/IMG_3092.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="436" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UNS83BU7wlI/To4cOPsYuYI/AAAAAAAAANw/p3sIpE4aWhQ/s640/IMG_3092.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8BDtIezuOc4/To4cdChi7QI/AAAAAAAAAN0/X3qkGhWpsL8/s1600/IMG_3102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8BDtIezuOc4/To4cdChi7QI/AAAAAAAAAN0/X3qkGhWpsL8/s640/IMG_3102.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eZkEt5tKRs4/To4cqjUkroI/AAAAAAAAAN4/7nFHSwz5_5M/s1600/IMG_3122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eZkEt5tKRs4/To4cqjUkroI/AAAAAAAAAN4/7nFHSwz5_5M/s640/IMG_3122.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FvibwYofM7g/To4c2aYwRiI/AAAAAAAAAN8/ohKDHuO-mCw/s1600/IMG_3132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FvibwYofM7g/To4c2aYwRiI/AAAAAAAAAN8/ohKDHuO-mCw/s640/IMG_3132.jpg" width="436" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XBkLPSZu9LU/To4dPKrTM5I/AAAAAAAAAOE/JHQ28L7nSbo/s1600/IMG_3355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dk4CYd-0SxY/To4dF8iPqdI/AAAAAAAAAOA/_0PjFf3dQ4I/s1600/IMG_3328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FqbamSx9N3w/To4dUZb5HgI/AAAAAAAAAOI/MQGKJRvkmJg/s1600/IMG_9211+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FqbamSx9N3w/To4dUZb5HgI/AAAAAAAAAOI/MQGKJRvkmJg/s640/IMG_9211+-+Copy.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q4E2AvL46eo/To4dZv0VFhI/AAAAAAAAAOM/YgmbThOGdjg/s1600/IMG_9378.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q4E2AvL46eo/To4dZv0VFhI/AAAAAAAAAOM/YgmbThOGdjg/s640/IMG_9378.jpg" width="438" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n8_uZZaitKc/To4ddyM2bRI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/i0ZomTh_vo8/s1600/IMG_9381+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n8_uZZaitKc/To4ddyM2bRI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/i0ZomTh_vo8/s640/IMG_9381+-+Copy.jpg" width="438" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Lek1qWE5D6Q/To4di07jKPI/AAAAAAAAAOU/HpoxHz7fDjg/s1600/IMG_9487.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Lek1qWE5D6Q/To4di07jKPI/AAAAAAAAAOU/HpoxHz7fDjg/s640/IMG_9487.jpg" width="438" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dk4CYd-0SxY/To4dF8iPqdI/AAAAAAAAAOA/_0PjFf3dQ4I/s1600/IMG_3328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dk4CYd-0SxY/To4dF8iPqdI/AAAAAAAAAOA/_0PjFf3dQ4I/s1600/IMG_3328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dk4CYd-0SxY/To4dF8iPqdI/AAAAAAAAAOA/_0PjFf3dQ4I/s640/IMG_3328.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dk4CYd-0SxY/To4dF8iPqdI/AAAAAAAAAOA/_0PjFf3dQ4I/s1600/IMG_3328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XBkLPSZu9LU/To4dPKrTM5I/AAAAAAAAAOE/JHQ28L7nSbo/s1600/IMG_3355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XBkLPSZu9LU/To4dPKrTM5I/AAAAAAAAAOE/JHQ28L7nSbo/s640/IMG_3355.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Many more cheers to many more years!</div></div>Staciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16798304037261355262noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030278445080644031.post-35162220268109087452011-09-06T13:15:00.001-05:002011-09-06T13:16:42.458-05:00Go Big Red!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Well, I can't believe it's that time of year again! On Saturday, we watched the Husker's football season opener. They played in Lincoln against Tennessee-Chattanooga. My parents hosted a party at their house - but last minute, my dad got invited to actually attend the game, so we missed him there! So, altogether, it was me, Brad, my mom, my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew, and my aunt Janis, uncle Rich, and cousins, Josh and Kyle. It was a lot of fun! Also, we learned that we don't know how to cook for smaller groups of people. We had enough food to probably feed the entire football team if they had stopped over after the game!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iTSx75y23Ic/TmZhejG4wII/AAAAAAAAANA/gq4rQAEUEoA/s1600/IMAG0129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iTSx75y23Ic/TmZhejG4wII/AAAAAAAAANA/gq4rQAEUEoA/s640/IMAG0129.jpg" width="382" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9ZIKGkBl5Mg/TmZhgGkpZHI/AAAAAAAAANE/SqND3ZMW8FM/s1600/IMAG0130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9ZIKGkBl5Mg/TmZhgGkpZHI/AAAAAAAAANE/SqND3ZMW8FM/s400/IMAG0130.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of food! :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-itJ7L9PfdOw/TmZhhvh9v7I/AAAAAAAAANI/LCRtcJrNur0/s1600/IMAG0131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-itJ7L9PfdOw/TmZhhvh9v7I/AAAAAAAAANI/LCRtcJrNur0/s400/IMAG0131.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Janis, Rich, Josh, and Kyle</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CxZczl_Uhh4/TmZhi0ppEWI/AAAAAAAAANM/KrieUbQJek0/s1600/IMAG0133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CxZczl_Uhh4/TmZhi0ppEWI/AAAAAAAAANM/KrieUbQJek0/s640/IMAG0133.jpg" width="382" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cn72UzaH3kU/TmZhlgAyKrI/AAAAAAAAANU/KIw0V_ZlXWA/s1600/IMAG0136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cn72UzaH3kU/TmZhlgAyKrI/AAAAAAAAANU/KIw0V_ZlXWA/s640/IMAG0136.jpg" width="382" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thought this was so cute! My aunt Janis got this for my nephew, Cooper.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FGab5Z_ZEMg/TmZhkJvmFUI/AAAAAAAAANQ/FLi8Px073Ng/s1600/IMAG0134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FGab5Z_ZEMg/TmZhkJvmFUI/AAAAAAAAANQ/FLi8Px073Ng/s400/IMAG0134.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ep0mMCsvsgI/TmZhok30FSI/AAAAAAAAANc/hGfdwyqDQc8/s1600/IMAG0138.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ep0mMCsvsgI/TmZhok30FSI/AAAAAAAAANc/hGfdwyqDQc8/s640/IMAG0138.jpg" width="382" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gl81nSlksuA/TmZhqiAfceI/AAAAAAAAANg/DNJ2bfG13Y8/s1600/IMAG0144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gl81nSlksuA/TmZhqiAfceI/AAAAAAAAANg/DNJ2bfG13Y8/s640/IMAG0144.jpg" width="382" /></a></div><br />
</div>Staciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16798304037261355262noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030278445080644031.post-33967301718148859672011-09-03T14:30:00.001-05:002011-09-07T10:22:53.737-05:00The Amazing Flying Dog<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Last Sunday, Brad and I went to Lincoln to spend some time with some of his closest friends. We asked his friend Clayton, who also lives in Omaha if he wanted to ride with us. Brad and Clayton had spent a few hours after church getting homemade dough, homemade sauce, and all the fixins' for Brad's yummy pizza ready to serve. They packed it all up and we headed to his friend Gene and Whitney's house. We arrived in Lincoln and Brad and Clayton got to work, put the pizzas together, and popped in them in the oven. <br />
<br />
While they did that, I pretty much just played with Gene and Whitney's 2 year old son, William and held their adorable, smiley 9 month old, Henry. I was pretty upset that I forgot to get a picture of them, because they really are adorable kids...like the kind of kids who should be in commercials...seriously. :)<br />
<br />
Anyways, after dinner, Gene asked if we wanted to come with him to the park while he ran his dogs through some practice drills. Brad had told me that he trained dogs and was really talented. I must be honest...I was kind of skeptical. I thought, "Wow, impressive...he can teach dogs how to sit and stay." Boy was I wrong...<br />
<br />
When we all got out of the car, Gene had a vest on. I asked what that was for and he said, "So I don't get scratched up when the dogs jump off of me." WHAT?!?!? Gene has two dogs, Mabel and Bandit, whom he has trained to do really cool frisbee tricks. They were amazing! I could've watched him work with his dogs for hours! I couldn't believe how incredibly smart they are and how enthusiastic the dogs were to do it! <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NCjVotzFpo4/TmJ-TfcMNyI/AAAAAAAAAM4/ndy4a1r6W5I/s1600/gene2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NCjVotzFpo4/TmJ-TfcMNyI/AAAAAAAAAM4/ndy4a1r6W5I/s640/gene2.JPG" width="478" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A42Q4g75keY/TmJ-TxTKrXI/AAAAAAAAAM8/9fDSFYj0l6s/s1600/gene.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A42Q4g75keY/TmJ-TxTKrXI/AAAAAAAAAM8/9fDSFYj0l6s/s640/gene.JPG" width="478" /></a></div><br />
You can seen Gene at Vala's Pumpkin Patch this season, as he was hired to do shows there with his dogs - whose stage names are Air Bandit and The Magnificent Mabel! Their schedule for October is...<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Fridays: </b></div><div style="text-align: center;">5pm and 7pm</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Saturdays: </b></div><div style="text-align: center;">11am, 2pm, 5pm, and 7pm</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Sundays: </b></div><div style="text-align: center;">11am, 2pm, and 5pm</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">I hope you all can make it out to see Gene and his amazing dogs - you will be impressed! :)</div></div>Staciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16798304037261355262noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030278445080644031.post-74612558144860825322011-09-01T14:40:00.001-05:002011-09-01T14:41:24.182-05:00Cooper Time and Mini Golf<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">This past weekend, my brother and sister-in-law were getting ready to go out of town, so they asked me to stop by and hang out with my nephew Cooper so they could get more done without distractions. My brother calls it something like the "WalMart Effect." Cooper is like WalMart in that every time you go there, even if your intention is to only pop in and grab something quick, you end up spending a lot of time in the store. With Cooper, you mean to just bend down and give him a kiss as you're doing laundry and getting chores done, but before you know it, you've spent 20 minutes giving him endless amounts of kisses, playing peekaboo, and going to embarrassing lengths to get him to smile. SO...of course Aunt Stacie came to let John and Jessie have a couple hours of diligent, distraction-free packing.<br />
<br />
Cooper is so much fun! He's now officially 6 months old and rolling all over the place! Towards the end of my time with him (nearing his bath/bed time), he got a little fussy and my sister-in-law told me to take him outside. It was AMAZING. Cooper apparently loves being outside. The minute I opened the front door, he stopped crying and was quiet as a church mouse until we came inside...at which time, we went back outside. :) He didn't even care if we were walking. He enjoyed just looking around while sitting on my lap on the front stoop. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">This is exactly what he looked like the entire time we were outside - tired, but quiet and observant.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UgiHSL7ylEo/Tl_csX9AqII/AAAAAAAAAMg/QGaKfbI2yjw/s1600/IMAG0115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UgiHSL7ylEo/Tl_csX9AqII/AAAAAAAAAMg/QGaKfbI2yjw/s640/IMAG0115.jpg" width="382" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">I tried to get a picture of Cooper sucking his thumb as we were sitting outside, but he reached out and bumped my phone as I was taking it. I still kind of like the picture. :) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NZoEvru14TI/Tl_ctuumSEI/AAAAAAAAAMk/v5ADxJLbZfw/s1600/IMAG0117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NZoEvru14TI/Tl_ctuumSEI/AAAAAAAAAMk/v5ADxJLbZfw/s640/IMAG0117.jpg" width="382" /></a></div><br />
On Saturday night, Brad and I went on a double date with my parents. We went mini-golfing and then got ice cream. Brad won! It's was his dashing good looks and mini golfing skills that reeled me in! It was a lot of fun and a nice time spent with my parents.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c6tuIfN7xp0/Tl_eGRnMXvI/AAAAAAAAAMw/FRuG9zBnM1Q/s1600/IMAG0122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c6tuIfN7xp0/Tl_eGRnMXvI/AAAAAAAAAMw/FRuG9zBnM1Q/s400/IMAG0122.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AS3xGdZoNAE/Tl_eEmaJWLI/AAAAAAAAAMs/M5mqNvz6fCk/s1600/IMAG0120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AS3xGdZoNAE/Tl_eEmaJWLI/AAAAAAAAAMs/M5mqNvz6fCk/s400/IMAG0120.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div><span id="goog_1051081419"></span><span id="goog_1051081420"></span><br />
<span id="goog_1051081419">We had a long weekend - jam packed with lots of things to do, so it was tiring, but it was also fun. </span><span id="goog_1051081420"></span>And back for your enjoyment, here's another adorable picture of Cooper. :)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ucb2Af0bdfA/Tl_ft55eBEI/AAAAAAAAAM0/cDPptG_N898/s1600/Cookin%2527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ucb2Af0bdfA/Tl_ft55eBEI/AAAAAAAAAM0/cDPptG_N898/s640/Cookin%2527.jpg" width="382" /></a></div><br />
</div>Staciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16798304037261355262noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030278445080644031.post-85053534316380240842011-08-23T13:05:00.000-05:002011-08-23T13:05:42.000-05:00Hydrocortisone Dependency<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">A little over 25 years ago, the genetic profiles of two people came together to create a new human being. Nine months later, two days before Thanksgiving, that human being emerged into the world. At that time no one could have guessed what mixing those sets of DNA would do. It wasn't until many years later would anyone discover the problems that would arise: Terrible skin. Dun dun duuuuun!<br />
<br />
That's right, folks. I'm talking about me. I'm talking about my parents, neither having great skin, coming together and foolishly expecting any offspring to have a shot at semi-normal skin. Okay - I'm being dramatic. But, I really do have a higher propensity for skin problems than the average person. Let me list off the issues...<br />
<br />
1) I have the palest, whitest, blind-you-as-you-look-at-it skin. I can sit in a tanning booth or sit outside all day and nothing happens. I do not tan. I burn. And then I peel. And then I am white again. (It doesn't help that I married and often take pictures with someone who has some Hispanic DNA - he walks from the door of our apartment to the car and gets a nice, even tan.)<br />
<br />
2) I have lots of freckles. Some people think it's kind of cute - Brad, having no freckles, is actually fascinated by them. But I don't like them.<br />
<br />
3) I have eczema. It's not a terrible case (I should be thankful), but it's bad enough to be annoying and inconvenient - especially in the winter time. Thanks Mom!<br />
<br />
4) I have just generally dry skin...again terribly annoying in the winter. My dermatologist has actually said that I should only shower every other day and I shouldn't use really hot water, because my skin's "natural oils" need to rebuild. Gross.<br />
<br />
5) I seem to be allergic to most any body soap, lotion, or laundry detergent with any dies or perfumes. I will break out in a rash if I attempt to use them.<br />
<br />
6) If I get a bug bite (mosquitoes, spiders, etc), I seem to swell up really bad and the bites get really tender. My dad has the same problem.<br />
<br />
Anyways, you may be wondering why I'm rambling/complaining/whining. Last weekend, I met up with some friends who were camping. One of them actually wrote about it on her blog and posted wonderful, not-so-flattering pictures of me. :) You can find her blog <a href="http://livingeasilyinspired.blogspot.com/2011/08/slept-in-tent-this-weekend.html">here</a>. Well, even though I wore bug spray both days, somehow I got eaten alive. I had heard the mosquitoes were really bad this year due to all the flooding, but oh my word! When I got home, I counted 32 bites...all over my feet, ankles, legs, arms, and one right on my backside! Good grief! Like I said, I swell up so bad with bug bites. I had CANKLES folks. Cankles! My feet and ankles were so swollen that I looked like I had two tree stumps for legs. It is gross. They are also SO itchy and sore.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o1F9WTb1kU0/TlPcz_weXNI/AAAAAAAAAMc/5cey0SETT24/s1600/hydrocortisone+cream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o1F9WTb1kU0/TlPcz_weXNI/AAAAAAAAAMc/5cey0SETT24/s400/hydrocortisone+cream.jpg" width="400" /></a>How did I treat it? Note the title of this blog. Hydrocortisone cream and several doses of Benadryl (or Waldryl for all of us poor folk) made the following days semi-tolerable. When I got to a computer yesterday, I was curious what else I could do to help with itching that isn't just jamming more medicine down my throat. I came across <a href="http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/natural-medicine/home-remedies/home-remedies-for-itching.htm">this website</a>! It was very interesting! It even said that the average human has 20 square feet of skin...the only thing that came to mind was Silence of the Lambs. Moving on...<br />
<br />
Another website (and one of my favorites) can be found <a href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/itchy-skin/DS00847/DSECTION=lifestyle-and-home-remedies">here</a>. It is Mayo Clinic's website and had lots of useful information. Who knew that lemon could be used to cure an itch? Anyways, I know this was probably the most boring, complain-filled post I've ever written, but now that it's out of my system, I can move on with more interesting things in the future!<br />
<br />
Hope your guys' week is itch free! ;)</div>Staciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16798304037261355262noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030278445080644031.post-28050133413928774362011-08-18T13:43:00.000-05:002011-08-18T13:43:33.322-05:00Soothing Sorrows...one bite at a time!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">One of my very best friends from church, Marlo, is such a great lady. I really enjoy spending time with her - we seem to have similar thought processes and personalities. Her husband is in the Army and they moved here almost two years ago. They also have three lovely daughters, who all have a little piece of my heart and a dog that doesn't like me. :) Marlo, her husband Doug and I all went to Romania together last month and got even closer during that time. <br />
<br />
Anyways, Marlo called me up on Wednesday after she'd had a very long morning. The first words out of her mouth were, "I need a stiff drink." Being the good friend that I am, I told her, "Well it IS before noon, but I'm down." :) Nah, she was just kidding, but we did decide to get together for lunch that day. Marlo spent her time growing up in Mississippi and Louisiana, so I suggested that we go get some good Cajun food at Jazz! An hour later, I was picking her up and we made our way downtown.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6YgMEFcVbII/Tk1bgO3h5bI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/D00RdYd4ODY/s1600/IMAG0090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6YgMEFcVbII/Tk1bgO3h5bI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/D00RdYd4ODY/s640/IMAG0090.jpg" width="382" /></a></div><br />
I ordered Chicken a La Mer. Being the true Southern gal that she is, Marlo ordered a crawfish po'boy. YUCK! Anyways, she said it wasn't like her grandma's cooking, but it was okay. We've both had a long summer with lots of stress, so we decided to eat away our sorrows with fried pickles (my favorite thing at Jazz) and beignets. I first had beignets in New Orleans at the world famous "Cafe du Monde." I waited in line for over 25 minutes to get my bag of beignets (they throw them in a bag with about 2 cups of powdered sugar), but it was worth every minute. I had almost forgotten how good they were, so I'm glad we splurged and got them.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s8XTPaWAvYg/Tk1begcCh8I/AAAAAAAAAMM/qndZOqzbPGU/s1600/IMAG0089.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s8XTPaWAvYg/Tk1begcCh8I/AAAAAAAAAMM/qndZOqzbPGU/s400/IMAG0089.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> As good as the beignets and fried pickles were, we unfortunately had to find a bug that had been rolled into Marlo's silverware. Gross! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RbvP5a-t3rI/Tk1bhhaLj1I/AAAAAAAAAMU/W1oxBiSXSMs/s1600/IMAG0091.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RbvP5a-t3rI/Tk1bhhaLj1I/AAAAAAAAAMU/W1oxBiSXSMs/s320/IMAG0091.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">That's 3 demerits for Jazz. :( But still a good time to talk and relax with a good friend!</div></div>Staciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16798304037261355262noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030278445080644031.post-78387330736780153992011-08-16T15:49:00.000-05:002011-08-16T15:49:14.312-05:00Balloons and Wine<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Last Saturday night, Brad and I met up with some of my old college friends, Dave and Lacy, at the Nebraska Balloon and Wine Festival in Gretna. I had gone a few years back and wasn't super impressed, but apparently, the popularity of the event has grown, allowing for some expansion, making it pretty awesome this year. For $15, you were admitted to the festival, given a souvenir wine glass and enough tickets for 5 wine tastings per person. There were kids activities, food and alcohol vendors, a live band and of course, the hot air balloons. It was really quite fun! Between 7pm and 7:45pm about 10 balloons took off. They landed elsewhere and then were brought back after the sun set and all lit up for us to see again. They even did a little "light show" that accompanied the music. Pictures are below - and take note that I actually forgot my camera for this event, so all I had was my cell phone. Shockingly, I was quite pleased with how my cell phone's camera worked and how the pictures turned out!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-64Oo8tbK2zA/TkrWcksVKKI/AAAAAAAAALo/L782CMIIjJw/s1600/IMAG0060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-64Oo8tbK2zA/TkrWcksVKKI/AAAAAAAAALo/L782CMIIjJw/s400/IMAG0060.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VQ9DTmanmSc/TkrWdw8SMGI/AAAAAAAAALs/owOldWRDzyI/s1600/IMAG0061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VQ9DTmanmSc/TkrWdw8SMGI/AAAAAAAAALs/owOldWRDzyI/s640/IMAG0061.jpg" width="380" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5ZBXug1fwfw/TkrWfbLTzSI/AAAAAAAAALw/6lRdwAHp3N0/s1600/IMAG0068.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5ZBXug1fwfw/TkrWfbLTzSI/AAAAAAAAALw/6lRdwAHp3N0/s640/IMAG0068.jpg" width="382" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2-2U5scqrPU/TkrWhIVtrSI/AAAAAAAAAL0/ypb3f9DboXM/s1600/IMAG0070.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2-2U5scqrPU/TkrWhIVtrSI/AAAAAAAAAL0/ypb3f9DboXM/s640/IMAG0070.jpg" width="382" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u1egForRPVE/TkrWit0I6kI/AAAAAAAAAL4/E83lkt5Unc0/s1600/IMAG0072.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u1egForRPVE/TkrWit0I6kI/AAAAAAAAAL4/E83lkt5Unc0/s400/IMAG0072.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iwdRqzzrjN4/TkrWjBI9byI/AAAAAAAAAL8/ymGOxj5hG6c/s1600/IMAG0076.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iwdRqzzrjN4/TkrWjBI9byI/AAAAAAAAAL8/ymGOxj5hG6c/s400/IMAG0076.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3tLSK9wd6-M/TkrWkkgAVCI/AAAAAAAAAMA/DxAe2esNS_4/s1600/IMAG0083.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3tLSK9wd6-M/TkrWkkgAVCI/AAAAAAAAAMA/DxAe2esNS_4/s640/IMAG0083.jpg" width="382" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dave and Lacy</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-muLWjEdo9rI/TkrWl67nL3I/AAAAAAAAAME/yDgaadPKHZQ/s1600/IMAG0084.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-muLWjEdo9rI/TkrWl67nL3I/AAAAAAAAAME/yDgaadPKHZQ/s400/IMAG0084.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NBzG6R0yvrk/TkrWnBDb8kI/AAAAAAAAAMI/yx6O9svr8Jo/s1600/IMAG0086.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NBzG6R0yvrk/TkrWnBDb8kI/AAAAAAAAAMI/yx6O9svr8Jo/s640/IMAG0086.jpg" width="382" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">All in all - it was a fun night! I'd do it again, for sure!</div></div>Staciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16798304037261355262noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030278445080644031.post-78287245969367850582011-08-15T16:21:00.002-05:002011-08-15T16:22:32.209-05:00I Heart Romania<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Well, this summer has been crazy/stressful/fun/rewarding/tiring/etc. I won't recap the whole summer, but I do want to talk a little about the best part. I went to Romania from July 8-19. When I traveled there in 2009, I fell in love with everything about Romania. This year was no different. I had new experiences with old friends and it was great! Below are just some of the reasons why I HEART ROMANIA....<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">1) They have an IKEA in Bucharest. :)<span id="goog_411336551"></span><span id="goog_411336552"></span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pZ_iwYfuXfc/TkmATK1ch8I/AAAAAAAAAKw/dHYG1TjrfQ4/s1600/SDC10060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pZ_iwYfuXfc/TkmATK1ch8I/AAAAAAAAAKw/dHYG1TjrfQ4/s400/SDC10060.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;">2) They have what seems like endless fields full of sunflowers!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TvFj1iinONk/TkmAiYh2rCI/AAAAAAAAALA/TKVbjwAdVGs/s1600/SDC10115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TvFj1iinONk/TkmAiYh2rCI/AAAAAAAAALA/TKVbjwAdVGs/s400/SDC10115.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">3) It sort of reminds me of Nebraska.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w5O3FjmISGk/TkmAWzEVk8I/AAAAAAAAAK0/hsXM5sdDaow/s1600/SDC10068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w5O3FjmISGk/TkmAWzEVk8I/AAAAAAAAAK0/hsXM5sdDaow/s400/SDC10068.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;">4) They have ferries to take you from one side of Braila to the next. I got to ride one!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eCCOYXuT9PE/TkmA0BPODFI/AAAAAAAAALQ/9TwOubUoon0/s1600/SDC10234.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eCCOYXuT9PE/TkmA0BPODFI/AAAAAAAAALQ/9TwOubUoon0/s400/SDC10234.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">5) They have ruins from an old Greek settlement, dating back to the 13th century.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-psNJ4TKDrrc/TkmAr4UnkHI/AAAAAAAAALI/AKPPzmQ0XsU/s1600/SDC10196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-psNJ4TKDrrc/TkmAr4UnkHI/AAAAAAAAALI/AKPPzmQ0XsU/s400/SDC10196.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;">6) The car of choice there is lovingly called "The Romanian Death Trap." Also known as The Dacia.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_q-wOA5aR78/TkmAmIFhd5I/AAAAAAAAALE/nCMu4028HEg/s1600/SDC10165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_q-wOA5aR78/TkmAmIFhd5I/AAAAAAAAALE/nCMu4028HEg/s400/SDC10165.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span id="goog_411336581"></span><span id="goog_411336582"></span><br />
7) Although it's slightly annoying while you are there, it's also sort of cute/endearing. Many of the "old" Romanians believe cold air or moving air is bad for your health. So, there is no air conditioning and no fans. This picture is our bus driver. He put on a makeshift hat when we insisted he roll down the windows since there was no AC and it was 97 degrees. When asked why he did that, he said he didn't want to get sick. :) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q5_iQsU15x8/TkmAPP_RSFI/AAAAAAAAAKs/9gkNj_Uz4Vo/s1600/SDC10059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q5_iQsU15x8/TkmAPP_RSFI/AAAAAAAAAKs/9gkNj_Uz4Vo/s400/SDC10059.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;">8) The food is...amazing...to die for...and in abundance.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pQ3d6VSkQB4/TkmALMsasSI/AAAAAAAAAKo/Lmwzh2bprFQ/s1600/DSC_7318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pQ3d6VSkQB4/TkmALMsasSI/AAAAAAAAAKo/Lmwzh2bprFQ/s400/DSC_7318.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">9) They have really neat trains and train stations. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-89dPjmKWhS0/TkmAa-QgHiI/AAAAAAAAAK4/MxtpSjuLke4/s1600/SDC10077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-89dPjmKWhS0/TkmAa-QgHiI/AAAAAAAAAK4/MxtpSjuLke4/s400/SDC10077.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;">10) I got to spend time with my two closest friends from church. Lovely ladies.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ch2lDpqPzJo/TkmAwACxvFI/AAAAAAAAALM/UhK-LaRUnjQ/s1600/SDC10209.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ch2lDpqPzJo/TkmAwACxvFI/AAAAAAAAALM/UhK-LaRUnjQ/s400/SDC10209.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">11) There's a lot of times where you sort of feel like you've traveled into a different century.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bZ7vEBkKnUw/TkmAepf4VII/AAAAAAAAAK8/GsDwJuBQreE/s1600/SDC10112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bZ7vEBkKnUw/TkmAepf4VII/AAAAAAAAAK8/GsDwJuBQreE/s400/SDC10112.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;">12) Kids are kids anywhere you go. Here in Romania, they are cute and spunky and I love them.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FNNo9f-xrws/TkmADsffOdI/AAAAAAAAAKc/dDbUJkGuLo4/s1600/DSC_6980.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FNNo9f-xrws/TkmADsffOdI/AAAAAAAAAKc/dDbUJkGuLo4/s400/DSC_6980.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">13) You can hang out at the beach - and not just any beach. THE BLACK SEA!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BMCf8r5BkGE/TkmB2KzUriI/AAAAAAAAALU/9yJxuuczBv8/s1600/IMAG0031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BMCf8r5BkGE/TkmB2KzUriI/AAAAAAAAALU/9yJxuuczBv8/s400/IMAG0031.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;">14) This little girl is so stinkin' cute. Her name is Lois - just like my mommy. But you can only find THIS Lois in Romania. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8ufwoZBE5FI/TkmB3mtg8VI/AAAAAAAAALY/e2wsVaFd_BU/s1600/IMAG0037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8ufwoZBE5FI/TkmB3mtg8VI/AAAAAAAAALY/e2wsVaFd_BU/s400/IMAG0037.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">15) They have a lot of pretty, brick streets. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pLW8Utq3vXg/TkmB8UmlmCI/AAAAAAAAALk/kMaetxO-rLs/s1600/IMAG0045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pLW8Utq3vXg/TkmB8UmlmCI/AAAAAAAAALk/kMaetxO-rLs/s400/IMAG0045.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;">16)The church is so loving and kind. Even though I hadn't seen any of them in 2 years, I still felt like I was saying hello to my family!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jBg88QL0FiU/TkmAIoCXXWI/AAAAAAAAAKk/M3DkWeeapPY/s1600/DSC_7281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jBg88QL0FiU/TkmAIoCXXWI/AAAAAAAAAKk/M3DkWeeapPY/s400/DSC_7281.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">17) I've never met more prayerful people in my life. It's a quality that I truly admire about the people there. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rxRAwWrVuv8/TkmAF3wlMyI/AAAAAAAAAKg/ZwnjAQP8eb8/s1600/DSC_7029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rxRAwWrVuv8/TkmAF3wlMyI/AAAAAAAAAKg/ZwnjAQP8eb8/s400/DSC_7029.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;">18) This couple, Costel and Gianina feel like best friends. They are an amazing couple whom I have kept in contact with since meeting them two years ago. When we saw each other again, we all had tears in our eyes - same as when I left to go home. :( Gianina speaks pretty fluent English, so deep conversations with her are easier to have. Costel is a ham - always trying to make you laugh, even though he doesn't speak any English. But they both have hearts of gold and hearts to see change come in Romania.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ShlGtwUrR3E/TkmB5cYX35I/AAAAAAAAALc/oOOumTCM6MU/s1600/IMAG0039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ShlGtwUrR3E/TkmB5cYX35I/AAAAAAAAALc/oOOumTCM6MU/s400/IMAG0039.jpg" width="237" /></a></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">19) Pastor Costica. He is my favorite person in the entire country of Romania. His gruff exterior fools a lot of people - and don't get me wrong...you shouldn't mess with him. But, he has the biggest heart, full of love and wisdom. If he ever says, "I have a question for you..." (In Romanian, of course!), RUN! He'll have your ear for about 2 hours listening to a "sermon" of sorts about something he's wrestling through. He doesn't speak a lick of English, but somehow he and I communicated and there is a mutual love and respect for each other. He is like a 2nd grandpa. He will be coming to Nebraska in October and I can't wait!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zm0BlbldSCY/TkmB6xvnF4I/AAAAAAAAALg/B3nho2HYDl4/s1600/IMAG0041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zm0BlbldSCY/TkmB6xvnF4I/AAAAAAAAALg/B3nho2HYDl4/s400/IMAG0041.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<br />
<br />
Writing this and looking at all these pictures have brought tears to my eyes. Romania is something I hope to share with my husband, my parents and my children someday. I heart Romania.</div></div>Staciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16798304037261355262noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030278445080644031.post-28130985963005430782011-08-15T12:35:00.001-05:002011-08-15T12:39:38.188-05:00The Springs, Days 3 &4<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3qyRrZHZey8/TklNoihisbI/AAAAAAAAAJk/51n-JAtALoo/s1600/Air+Force+Academy+8-15-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Well, it's been a crazy summer - and I was terrible at keeping up with blogging. When I used to scrapbook, the experts always said, "Don't work backwards." Basically, you'll never catch up if you keep trying to work from months or years back. Keep it recent! I will do that for the most part, but feel I should at least wrap up my "Colorado Springs Vacation Series." Here it is...</div><br />
Brad and I had a pretty long/productive day on Friday and we wanted to jam pack our Saturday as well. We started with a trip to the very prestigious Air Force Academy. Honestly, it was something that Brad really wanted to see, and I really only obliged to please Brad. But, I was pleasantly surprised when we got there - it was BEAUTIFUL! It was a free, self-guided tour and we got to see the amazing Academy Chapel. I was actually really impressed with and very ignorant about the requirements for admission into the Academy and what is expected of you while you are there. It's not just a regular college. You live there year round for 4 years taking classes and doing basic training, learning to fly, parachute, etc. It's crazy! Pictures are below!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cYAYNeSfmKU/TklM-HPl5gI/AAAAAAAAAJM/rRSvUIiyXDo/s1600/DSCF0194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cYAYNeSfmKU/TklM-HPl5gI/AAAAAAAAAJM/rRSvUIiyXDo/s400/DSCF0194.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k405p-yzeVo/TklNEEqaNXI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/TgX-o5Y0HVI/s1600/DSCF0198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k405p-yzeVo/TklNEEqaNXI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/TgX-o5Y0HVI/s400/DSCF0198.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tXGrdGVy92s/TklNUxTXDaI/AAAAAAAAAJc/GXMQLNgl3ms/s1600/DSCF0215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tXGrdGVy92s/TklNUxTXDaI/AAAAAAAAAJc/GXMQLNgl3ms/s400/DSCF0215.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The chapel was so beautiful. The main chapel was the protestant chapel, but they also had a Catholic chapel, a Jewish chapel, and a Buddhist chapel. In the basement, there is a multi-functional room used for other, smaller religious groups to worship. Thought it was pretty cool! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BGP7KgJwf9s/TklOlO_SyGI/AAAAAAAAAJo/Zf3FkmAz7oY/s1600/DSCF0203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BGP7KgJwf9s/TklOlO_SyGI/AAAAAAAAAJo/Zf3FkmAz7oY/s640/DSCF0203.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Djz6MJVmQ5I/TklOpelwiwI/AAAAAAAAAJs/Kqgl2yzp1Zc/s1600/DSCF0208.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Djz6MJVmQ5I/TklOpelwiwI/AAAAAAAAAJs/Kqgl2yzp1Zc/s400/DSCF0208.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The inside of the main (Protestant) chapel. There was a wedding scheduled there the afternoon we were there.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wkm0mEjLwSo/TklOv1gWZPI/AAAAAAAAAJw/xijN2kQm0CQ/s1600/DSCF0216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wkm0mEjLwSo/TklOv1gWZPI/AAAAAAAAAJw/xijN2kQm0CQ/s640/DSCF0216.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3qyRrZHZey8/TklNoihisbI/AAAAAAAAAJk/51n-JAtALoo/s1600/Air+Force+Academy+8-15-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3qyRrZHZey8/TklNoihisbI/AAAAAAAAAJk/51n-JAtALoo/s400/Air+Force+Academy+8-15-11.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal">(Top Left): Jewish chapel, (Top Right): Organ in the Protestant chapel, (Bottom Left): Catholic chapel, (Bottom right): Buddhist chapel.</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
After we left the Academy, we ate our usual cooler lunch and then headed to the Cave of the Winds. When you arrive, there is beautiful scenery all around, but if you are brave enough, you can take a tour of the cave. There are several different tours: some for families with kids, some that are "haunted," some that are a little strenuous and hard to maneuver through. We just picked the "non-family" tour that was leaving the soonest. Apparently we ended up on the "strenuous, haunted tour." :) Lovely. Before we went into the cave, they had each of us crawl through a hole in the wall that was 3 1/2 feet wide and 3 feet tall. They needed to know that everyone could do it without being claustrophobic. They warned us that we'd be traveling for several hundred feet through cave walls that were that small. I hesitated, but decided to put my brave face on....and it turned out to be probably my favorite thing we did in Colorado.<br />
<br />
Our tour guide was a really charismatic, young guy and a lot of fun. We had some rude, lame-o people on our tour and our guide was just determined to make it fun for everyone else. Everyone was getting really irritated with the handful of "Debbie Downers." He just made fun of them - kept blowing out their lamps, made them go to the back of the line, etc. It made the tour even more entertaining seeing the rude people get put in their place. Again, we were on the haunted tour, and we had to blow out all our lamps at certain points in the pitch black. But it was all in good fun - nothing scary. The guide had a lot of good information about the man that discovered the cave in the 1800's and his passion for it - and apparently how he and his wife haunt it now. :) Pictures below...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-95mdt1_seZY/TklVE9ESzMI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/2uFr6bdPMFY/s1600/DSCF0219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-95mdt1_seZY/TklVE9ESzMI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/2uFr6bdPMFY/s400/DSCF0219.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brad looking out at the scenery at Cave of the Winds.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qnCt9sia_7A/TklVQfjMmPI/AAAAAAAAAJ8/31FcN0AkI9s/s1600/DSCF0236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qnCt9sia_7A/TklVQfjMmPI/AAAAAAAAAJ8/31FcN0AkI9s/s400/DSCF0236.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the caves - it was dark and COLD!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8HhM3lvU880/TklVV9bsfTI/AAAAAAAAAKA/3clTIVifrMY/s1600/DSCF0240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8HhM3lvU880/TklVV9bsfTI/AAAAAAAAAKA/3clTIVifrMY/s400/DSCF0240.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not an amazing picture, but it shows a few of the original supplies used when they first discovered it and our awesome little lamps!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wyrmv-6RJDs/TklVbsE3O4I/AAAAAAAAAKE/A8sQqjjVKaQ/s1600/DSCF0249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wyrmv-6RJDs/TklVbsE3O4I/AAAAAAAAAKE/A8sQqjjVKaQ/s400/DSCF0249.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right after the tour, we headed back out to the veranda. It was such a beautiful view!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z9P6jh7YYGI/TklVhGIH9-I/AAAAAAAAAKI/N_jGwhdqePg/s400/DSCF0250.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I just had to take a picture of the winding road down the mountain and the GPS trying to keep up! It was so funny!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After Cave of the Winds, we headed back to our favorite little spot, Manitou Springs. We found an awesome wine bar that is tucked away behind a few builidings. The entire thing isn't any bigger than the size of my parent's living room, but it was so cool and intimate. We enjoyed a few glasses of wine and then grabbed a quick dinner and went to bed. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZDr_eJ75wfM/TklVm797nEI/AAAAAAAAAKM/kVJl6ubmbI4/s1600/DSCF0256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZDr_eJ75wfM/TklVm797nEI/AAAAAAAAAKM/kVJl6ubmbI4/s640/DSCF0256.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see here how the wine bar really is hidden down an alley way behind a few other buildings. :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZwFSf_wiPs8/TklVsNhT4YI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/XKpQxPIlKpA/s1600/DSCF0258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZwFSf_wiPs8/TklVsNhT4YI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/XKpQxPIlKpA/s400/DSCF0258.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
On Sunday morning, we woke up, packed our stuff up, and hit the rode to Denver. We had been told about a pretty amazing little breakfast spot there called Snooze. We got there about 7:30am and there was already a 35 minute wait. CRAZY! It was pretty packed inside and it got a little overwhelming for both Brad and I. We considered leaving, but were glad we stayed! I had the most amazing meal - breakfast pot pie (which was basically sausage and vegetable gravy in a puff pastry), scrambled eggs, and delicious hashbrowns. It was very good food - but the craziness was a bit much for us. When we left, the line was out the door and around the entire building.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ny4iXlALBWI/TklXuTbWt1I/AAAAAAAAAKY/0URN63cG0a0/s1600/DSCF0264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ny4iXlALBWI/TklXuTbWt1I/AAAAAAAAAKY/0URN63cG0a0/s640/DSCF0264.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We arrived home at about 5:30pm that night and started the lovely task of unpacking. :) We really enjoyed our trip to Colorado - it was a good getaway and a nice time of relaxation.</div><br />
</div>Staciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16798304037261355262noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030278445080644031.post-16349478475501602542011-06-04T11:47:00.002-05:002011-06-04T12:52:05.941-05:00The Springs - Day One & Two<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mEh9lvgO4sg/TepRlIk5u5I/AAAAAAAAAIc/EkL5f6h4fi4/s1600/DSCF0274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mEh9lvgO4sg/TepRlIk5u5I/AAAAAAAAAIc/EkL5f6h4fi4/s400/DSCF0274.JPG" width="283" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Well, okay. I didn't make good on my promise to update you guys on what was going on as quickly as I'd hoped. But better late than never, huh? :) Brad and I left on Thursday, May 12 for a little mini-vacation. We knew in April that we had a small window of time to get out of town and that we wanted to go somewhere "new." Brad had never seen the mountains and I hadn't been to Colorado in years, so we decided to go to Colorado Springs. It was BEAUTIFUL and a much needed getaway for us. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><b>DAY ONE:</b></u></div><div style="text-align: left;">We left at 7am on Thursday morning and had almost made it to Kearney, Nebraska when Brad got pulled over for going 8 over on the interstate. (Come ON! Everybody speeds on the interstate a little....dang it.) If you look closely at the ticket, you'll see that the lovely officer circled the damage. That's right folks, $73.00. Barf. He must have been really super bored. Anyways, enough whining. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The drive in was pretty funny - kind of eventful, actually. We had been told that Denver had been in the 90's all week (weather wise) and that it was supposed to be kind of warm. Having been to Colorado before, I know that it can get pretty cool at night and snow in May...all sorts of crazy weather. So, I packed everything from shorts and t-shirts to jeans and sweatshirts. Unfortunately, while I was worried about my own packing, I neglected my poor husband. I didn't ever tell him about the crazy weather changes, and having never been to the mountains, he was none the wiser. When we hit Castle Rock (between Denver and the Springs), it was snowing. I mean...heavy, wet snow. Needless to say, we stopped and bought Brad a sweatshirt. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>We made it to Colorado Springs by about 3pm mountain time, but we were hungry. So, we dropped our stuff at the hotel and headed out to find something to eat. We landed at a little pizza shoppe downtown. By far, the best pizza I have had in a long time.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EKSR-CY_K-4/TepT41vZkGI/AAAAAAAAAIk/lmP01QXdbEw/s1600/DSCF0120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EKSR-CY_K-4/TepT41vZkGI/AAAAAAAAAIk/lmP01QXdbEw/s400/DSCF0120.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>After dinner, we were pretty tired, so we stopped and got some local beer and went all "white trash" on our vacation. We laid around in our hotel, watched tv and hit the hay pretty early so we'd be up and ready to hit the town on Friday.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ERvQucUCkZU/TepT_VC_Q3I/AAAAAAAAAIo/XltMi_zukXo/s1600/DSCF0124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ERvQucUCkZU/TepT_VC_Q3I/AAAAAAAAAIo/XltMi_zukXo/s640/DSCF0124.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br />
We both woke up pretty early (obviously, Brad was up, but even I was up this early!) and were ready to leave the hotel at 7am. We planned on making the most of our day and were ready to get started. We began at Garden of the Gods. It's beautiful - but nothing like I remembered from when I was a kid. So, it was just like a whole new experience. Brad was very excited to be in the mountains!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g8Tui5K1c18/TepYZrxWtqI/AAAAAAAAAIs/Wq1vLpbdSJ8/s1600/DSCF0126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g8Tui5K1c18/TepYZrxWtqI/AAAAAAAAAIs/Wq1vLpbdSJ8/s400/DSCF0126.JPG" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e6L9EKkF6xc/TepYafO31lI/AAAAAAAAAIw/xGsX6yqacAQ/s1600/CO+Spring+One+6-4-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e6L9EKkF6xc/TepYafO31lI/AAAAAAAAAIw/xGsX6yqacAQ/s1600/CO+Spring+One+6-4-11.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>After we left Garden of the Gods, we headed to the Manitou Cliff Dwellings. They were built about 700 years ago and inhabited by the Anasazi tribe. (Impressed with my knowledge, eh?) They were pretty cool, just because it wasn't like a normal museum. You could go inside the dwellings and touch the walls.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gnHNUdzDK7M/TepYbknXftI/AAAAAAAAAI4/WMFpx_sHy9E/s1600/CO+Springs+Two+6-4-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gnHNUdzDK7M/TepYbknXftI/AAAAAAAAAI4/WMFpx_sHy9E/s1600/CO+Springs+Two+6-4-11.jpg" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We then went to Seven Falls. It is a natural waterfall and it's pretty. But that's about all I have to say about it. Not too exciting. Oh, but there were about 8 millions stairs you could climb to get to the top. Mixed with the high altitude and lack of gym time lately, I felt like there was an elephant on my chest. Brad, however, is the stair climbing master every morning at the gym, so it was quite a bit easier for him....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jlY1yBvT0M4/TepYbCPLA1I/AAAAAAAAAI0/ZG-dxzcVBlI/s1600/CO+Springs+Three+6-4-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jlY1yBvT0M4/TepYbCPLA1I/AAAAAAAAAI0/ZG-dxzcVBlI/s1600/CO+Springs+Three+6-4-11.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After Seven Falls, we stopped and ate our lunch we had packed in the cooler (Deli meat sandwiches, bananas and juice boxes! Note: I'm actually the only one that drank the slightly childish juice boxes - Brad drank vitamin water). We then headed for our tour of Pike's Peak. You can either drive up the mountain (which takes a long time and is slightly dangerous) or you can ride the Cog Railway. It only took about an hour and was actually pretty fun. When we got to the top, it is LITERALLY breath-taking. Obviously, the scenery was beautiful, but there is not an excess of oxygen when you get 14,000 feet in the air. We popped in the gift shop and got one of their world famous donuts. I must also admit that on the way down, I gave away Brad's donut. You know, the one that he was waiting to eat until later....the one that you can ONLY get at the top of Pike's peak and will probably never find another like it. Yeah. That one. I'm an idiot. When the lady across from us was saying she didn't have time to get a donut, I offered to give her our "extra." Moments later, I remembered that it wasn't an extra donut - it was Brad's donut. Luckily, Brad was very gracious and kind about it. Thanks honey. :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CnHOR1x_ss4/TepcDoYJa7I/AAAAAAAAAI8/YLVQjCaRDjM/s1600/CO+Springs+Four+6-4-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CnHOR1x_ss4/TepcDoYJa7I/AAAAAAAAAI8/YLVQjCaRDjM/s1600/CO+Springs+Four+6-4-11.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After we got back from Pikes Peak, we stayed in Manitou Springs (the most adorable little town) and hung out, drank some beer, and ate chips and salsa at our favorite place there...The Keg.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YBQPtSyhGTs/TepcjPru13I/AAAAAAAAAJA/46RuYLzfxz4/s1600/DSCF0191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YBQPtSyhGTs/TepcjPru13I/AAAAAAAAAJA/46RuYLzfxz4/s400/DSCF0191.JPG" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We also found this cute little outdoor arcade that used nickels and pennies. It had apparently been around since the 1930's and had most of the original games. I unfortunately talked a lot of trash, but got my butt whooped at Skeeball. My husband has a lot more humility when it comes to skeeball. :) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IkDHHl7dSKU/Tepco7aW9gI/AAAAAAAAAJE/3zB_uWuinTg/s1600/DSCF0192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IkDHHl7dSKU/Tepco7aW9gI/AAAAAAAAAJE/3zB_uWuinTg/s400/DSCF0192.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Lv5qOaUwse0/Tepct3NfGdI/AAAAAAAAAJI/XpfBW3xdp6A/s1600/DSCF0193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Lv5qOaUwse0/Tepct3NfGdI/AAAAAAAAAJI/XpfBW3xdp6A/s400/DSCF0193.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We left Manitou Springs and went to dinner in downtown Colorado Springs at "The Ritz." I wish I had gotten a picture of my meal, because it was the BEST meal I have ever eaten. Oh my gosh - I could barely walk when we left...which was unfortunate, because we had parked several blocks away. :) That's all for now. I'll be back later with days 3 & 4!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div></div>Staciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16798304037261355262noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030278445080644031.post-47890812022191846832011-05-21T12:56:00.002-05:002011-05-21T12:59:21.852-05:00It's a Roast!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Hey there folks - it's been a couple weeks, but it's been busy! So, to kick start my blogging again, I'll fulfill the request of my friends, Amanda and Kevin Kohler, to give my "recipe" for a roast. (You can check out Amanda's blog - which is much cooler and way more interesting than my blog - <a href="http://livingeasilyinspired.blogspot.com/">here</a>.) No worries, I'll be blogging about how life's going in the coming days, but until then...It's a Roast!<br />
<br />
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">It all starts with a crockpot. Not the most glamorous or trendy of all kitchen utensils, but definitely a tried and true tool for any "real," non-Martha Stewart/Good Housekeeping, working girl. ;)</div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TNJMOag5ReY/TdbFNRPJ4HI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/0I_UTlogPQQ/s1600/roast7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TNJMOag5ReY/TdbFNRPJ4HI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/0I_UTlogPQQ/s400/roast7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;">Then, you've got a roast! This is a sirloin tip roast (Brad and I invested in a quarter of a buffalo last fall and are still not through all of it.) My favorite roasts to use are arm roasts or rump roasts - both of which are a little more tender. </div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eRDsUbVpqHI/TdbFKsD9qbI/AAAAAAAAAH4/vNJurcjP95g/s1600/roast1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eRDsUbVpqHI/TdbFKsD9qbI/AAAAAAAAAH4/vNJurcjP95g/s400/roast1.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;">I believe that it's pretty stinkin' hard to mess up a roast. So, the instructions may seem short and simple, but that's because it's all I do for one. I always wake up, throw the roast in the crock pot. Then I peel some potatoes, chop an onion in half and throw those around or on top of the roast. I pour about 1 Tbs of "kitchen bouquet" (which is a browning, seasoning liquid) in about 2 cups of water and then pour that over the top. Note: You don't NEED the kitchen bouquet stuff, it's just something my mom always used from my childhood, so I use it too. Also, for added flavor, I sometimes cut little slits into the roast and stick peeled garlic cloves down into it (as seen in the top left picture below). <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cdPYA5D5cVI/Tdf42vkZLfI/AAAAAAAAAIU/-0MogHtwgKw/s1600/Roast+5-20-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cdPYA5D5cVI/Tdf42vkZLfI/AAAAAAAAAIU/-0MogHtwgKw/s400/Roast+5-20-11.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I throw in a little salt and pepper and WABAM! The prep work is done. I turn it on high until I leave for work (about 2 hours) and then bring it down to low until I get home (6-8 hours).<br />
After you pull the roast out of the crockpot, you have the option of making the drippings into gravy (which I prefer, but my waistline doesn't, so we rarely do it). Just pour it into a saucepan, bring to a boil and thicken with a mixture of cold water and cornstarch. Yummy!<br />
<br />
Oh and this may seem a might bit stalker-ish for Amanda and Kevin, but when I was over at their house the other night, they had the most delicious looking dinner. So, without asking for the recipe or looking it up online, I tried to recreate it...I mean, the entire meal, asparagus and couscous too. :) It was great! And Brad really liked it as well. Neither of us had had couscous before and we both REALLY enjoyed it. We'll make it again!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9sPnuCW1-Gg/Tdf8az2ewEI/AAAAAAAAAIY/CpvPqR0XTLA/s1600/DSCF0268.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9sPnuCW1-Gg/Tdf8az2ewEI/AAAAAAAAAIY/CpvPqR0XTLA/s400/DSCF0268.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
</div></div>Staciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16798304037261355262noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030278445080644031.post-48708986696831673362011-05-11T18:47:00.001-05:002011-05-11T18:47:11.472-05:00Jesus Juking<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MPeLaCYlikU/TcsdaiSM0kI/AAAAAAAAAHw/XATjrACV0Ag/s1600/jon+acuff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MPeLaCYlikU/TcsdaiSM0kI/AAAAAAAAAHw/XATjrACV0Ag/s1600/jon+acuff.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jon Acuff</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I was recently introduced to a blog written by Jon Acuff called "Stuff Christians Like." That blog actually sparked him to write a book by the same title - basically just poking fun at all the stupid, stereotypical things that Christians do. He, himself, is actually a Christian, so no one needs to go egging his door. Also, he is the right hand man to Dave Ramsey (famed author of "Financial Peace University").<br />
<br />
Anyways, one of his blog posts, which you can find <a href="http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/2010/11/the-jesus-juke/">HERE</a> is called "The Jesus Juke." With most of his blog posts, I laugh - but man, I LAUGHED when I read this one. I think Jesus Juking is something we're all a little guilty of and quite frankly, need to stop doing... So, what is Jesus Juking, you may ask? Well, you are more than welcome to read Jon's full definition, but I'll pull out the one paragraph that says it all.<br />
<br />
<i>"Like a football player juking you at the last second and going a different direction, the Jesus Juke is when someone takes what is clearly a joke filled conversation and completely reverses direction into something serious and holy." </i><br />
<br />
I'll be honest - on many occasions, I have nearly drop-kicked anyone who Jesus Jukes me. It is annoying and rude and like Jon said, kind of like Debbie Downer off of SNL....waaaah waaaaaaaaaah! And now, a recent example from my life:<br />
<br />
Recently, a couple of colleagues and myself were in my office joking about something...I can't even recall what it was. Anyways, we were all laughing and having a good conversation, when an older gentleman stopped in and said, "If only the plight of the lost souls were this funny, then maybe we'd have all your guys' attention to do ministry." WHOA! I think people are way too intense - WAY too intense. I know God has a sense of humor and I know that He appreciates when those He loves can laugh and enjoy life.<br />
<br />
I really like Jon's 3 "things to know" about the practice of Jesus Juking...<br />
1) It generates shame.<br />
2) It never leads to good conversation.<br />
3) I've never met someone who was juked to Jesus.<br />
<br />
Anyways, please read his article - it's so funny and so true and he explains it all in much further detail. I hope you all can enjoy his blog as much as I have!</div>Staciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16798304037261355262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030278445080644031.post-57275318128762230352011-04-29T11:46:00.002-05:002011-04-29T11:51:55.765-05:00Beef Enchiladas = Comatose HusbandIf I haven't informed the blogging world yet, I am officially down to ONE job. :) It's been the biggest blessing and I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. My favorite thing that has happened is that I've been able to use my kitchen and all my fun wedding gifts! I was so busy working two jobs that I had no time to cook - which is one of my favorite things to do! I had always dreamed that when I got married, I would make dinner and have it ready for when my husband came home from work...I hadn't been able to do that more than a handful of times because of our conflicting schedules, but now it's a priority. My mom swears that the excitement of cooking every night will eventually fade...apparently almost 33 years of making meals has her a little burned out. Ha!<br />
<br />
Last night, I made one of my (and my family's) all-time favorite meals: Beef Enchiladas. At this time I am going to give a shout-out to my Aunt Frances! She had us over for dinner one night a long time ago - she made these enchiladas and started the addiction. She gave us the recipe for them and it's one that I'll keep handy for the rest of my life! Thanks Aunt Francie - you are one of the best cook/bakers I know! (And now that I know you're reading my blog, you may get more shout outs in the future!)<br />
<br />
This recipe is by far the BEST enchilada recipe I have ever had - and I've tried a lot. In fact, this was the first meal I ever made for Brad when we were dating - he raved about them then and he got very excited when I mentioned making them last night. :) Unfortunately, Brad ate these and then slept for over an hour - missing the better portion of the movie we rented. If you choose to make these, you may end up with a very unproductive husband for the evening. You have been warned. Ha! Well, without further ado, here's the original recipe (with a few of my personal changes in <span style="color: purple;">purple</span>)...and a few pictures!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Beef Enchiladas</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zp_eQANZkMw/TbrjNS4N8KI/AAAAAAAAAHg/8w60hMQ2zkY/s1600/CIMG3950.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zp_eQANZkMw/TbrjNS4N8KI/AAAAAAAAAHg/8w60hMQ2zkY/s400/CIMG3950.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><u><b>Ingredients</b></u></div><div style="text-align: center;">10 large or 16 small flour tortilla<span style="color: purple;"> (8 burrito sized)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;">1 1/2 lbs ground beef <span style="color: purple;">(2 lbs - for meatier enchiladas)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">4 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese </div><div style="text-align: center;">3/4 cup green onion <span style="color: purple;">(1 cup)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;">3/4 cup sour cream <span style="color: purple;">(1 cup)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;">3 Tbs. parsley</div><div style="text-align: center;">1/4 tsp. pepper </div><div style="text-align: center;">24 oz. tomato sauce </div><div style="text-align: center;">1/2 cup chopped green pepper</div><div style="text-align: center;">3 Tbs. chopped green chiles <span style="color: purple;">(5 Tbs.)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;">1 Tbs. chili powder <span style="color: purple;">(2 Tbs.)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;">1/4 tsp. ground cumin<span style="color: purple;"> (1/2 tsp.)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><u><b>Directions:</b></u></div><div style="text-align: center;">Cook and stir beef until light brown; drain. Remove from heat. Stir in 2 cups cheese, onion, sour cream, parsley, and pepper. Cover and reserve. Heat remaining ingredients in medium sauce pan to boiling. Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f9quP7Ctf04/Tbrp6bGivII/AAAAAAAAAHo/n9s33hFyI0c/s1600/Enchiladas+4-29-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f9quP7Ctf04/Tbrp6bGivII/AAAAAAAAAHo/n9s33hFyI0c/s400/Enchiladas+4-29-11.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Spoon 1/4 cup beef mixture <span style="color: purple;">(I used a heaping 1/3 cup portion)</span> onto each tortilla; roll tortilla around filling. Arrange in 12x7x2 dishes <span style="color: purple;">(I used one 9x13 baking dish)</span>. Pour sauce over enchiladas, then sprinkle remaining cheese (2 cups) over top. Cook uncovered in 350* oven for 20 minutes. <span style="color: purple;">(I left them in for 25 min)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>VOILA!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8HR5nGn8QOU/TbrqSl_BNTI/AAAAAAAAAHs/xJCZWL13qtY/s1600/CIMG3949.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8HR5nGn8QOU/TbrqSl_BNTI/AAAAAAAAAHs/xJCZWL13qtY/s400/CIMG3949.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b></span> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple;"> <span style="color: black;">Hope you all get to try them sometime! They are truly delicious! Thanks, again, Aunt Francie!</span></span></div>Staciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16798304037261355262noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030278445080644031.post-48694629006572051552011-04-28T15:36:00.001-05:002011-04-28T15:38:50.511-05:00Sandwich Perfection<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tUrInkSXqvk/TbmxNPi67jI/AAAAAAAAAHY/-kC7XiM4ugs/s1600/blt2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tUrInkSXqvk/TbmxNPi67jI/AAAAAAAAAHY/-kC7XiM4ugs/s400/blt2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>There are 4 things in my life that make me unavoidably, incandescently happy. They go in the following order...<br />
<br />
1) My husband.<br />
<br />
2) My family.<br />
<br />
3) My friends.<br />
<br />
4) BLT sandwiches.<br />
<br />
Really, Stacie? A blog about BLT sandwiches? I know, I know. It's a sandwich, but I love it and I made one for dinner recently and haven't gotten it off my mind. For those of you that don't know what a BLT consists of, it has 5 ingredients: toast, mayonnaise, and of course, bacon, lettuce, and tomato (hence the name BLT). Bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches are pretty hard to mess up, so they are my "fallback" order when eating out at restaurants. (Note: Jason's Deli has unfortunately messed it up. Yuck.)<br />
<br />
It's a simple sandwich, but people have tried to add other ingredients to it over the years. Everything from cheese to ranch dressing to fried eggs to peppers. The only ingredient that I have ever added and been okay with is avocado, known as the BLTA.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nCDNL66B3ew/TbnF9YAQVZI/AAAAAAAAAHc/xdmWOCWVens/s1600/blt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nCDNL66B3ew/TbnF9YAQVZI/AAAAAAAAAHc/xdmWOCWVens/s320/blt.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
Even with all the crazy variations, the old traditional BLT is my favorite. Even better, is the <u><b>homemade</b></u> BLT with garden tomatoes and a healthy serving of mayonnaise. :) Here's a picture of my homemade BLT from the other night. It doesn't look as amazing, but it sure did taste good. Of course, there weren't garden tomatoes available, but we made do. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Call me dorky, but I did a little research on BLT's and I found out a few interesting facts. Here we go:<br />
<br />
- The BLT is the second most popular sandwich in the United States (behind the ham sandwich) and the MOST popular sandwich in the UK.<br />
<br />
- The first recipe for a BLT sandwich appeared in the 1903 edition of the Good Housekeeping Everyday Cookbook.<br />
<br />
- BLT's are most popularly eaten during the summer, reducing the stockpiles of pork and causing a spike in pork prices towards the end of the season. That's a lot of bacon!<br />
<br />
- Iceberg lettuce is the most common choice (and experts agree best choice) for the "L" part of the sandwich. It adds little flavor and lots of crunch!<br />
<br />
- Former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, named the BLT the "sandwich to unite all social classes." Talk about pressure for the BLT!<br />
<br />
How about everyone else? Do you love BLT sandwiches? If not, what is your sandwich of choice?Staciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16798304037261355262noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030278445080644031.post-71051946020278332122011-04-27T11:53:00.006-05:002011-04-27T12:11:02.104-05:00Easter Weekend (Part 2)Easter morning, Brad and I woke up and went to church. Brad got up a little earlier and headed to worship practice, since he was playing drums that morning. He really is a good drummer and continues to get better and better over time. It's interesting to me that he had never once had a professional drum lesson - completely self taught. I'll have to get some pictures of him sometime...he looks pretty cute behind a drum kit. :)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3trLl4J3HoM/TbhEPkLq4zI/AAAAAAAAAHE/XkKxykWdB94/s1600/muppets-animal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3trLl4J3HoM/TbhEPkLq4zI/AAAAAAAAAHE/XkKxykWdB94/s320/muppets-animal.jpg" width="270" /></a> Anyways, I woke up and, truthfully, worked. Sunday mornings are like work for me - finding substitute teachers for last minute Sunday school call-ins, etc. Overall, it was a good service and I received LOTS of compliments about my "amazing husband." The people at Wildewood really appreciate him and his skills. He has even been given the nickname "Animal" by some of the church members. Recognize the Muppets character they are referring to? ---><br />
We were blessed with the presence of Cheryl and Wayne (Brad's mom and stepdad) at the service and I know Brad was happy that they came. It was good to see them, if even for a little bit!<br />
<br />
After church, Brad and I headed over to my parents' house for Easter lunch with my dad's side of the family. It was a lot of fun - seeing lots of family and holding lots of babies! They were all so cute! Of course, I am personally a little partial to one baby in particular. His name is Cooper and he has red hair. :) He's getting very big and starting to really focus on you when you talk to him. He's smiling and cooing...I love him. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zoe8mOL0AOk/TbhHx8ae92I/AAAAAAAAAHI/E0Bhwell7UQ/s1600/CIMG3919.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zoe8mOL0AOk/TbhHx8ae92I/AAAAAAAAAHI/E0Bhwell7UQ/s320/CIMG3919.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4GCcotWYxug/TbhH3CkMZ5I/AAAAAAAAAHM/kzHLRRmqIBY/s1600/CIMG3923.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4GCcotWYxug/TbhH3CkMZ5I/AAAAAAAAAHM/kzHLRRmqIBY/s320/CIMG3923.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<br />
To the right is a picture of Uncle Brad - not too excited that Cooper's going #2 while in his arms. :) Ha! Little Stinker!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vX2iGAPtgM4/TbhI1ao_RUI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/xfEnMAkoUaM/s1600/Easter+4-27-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vX2iGAPtgM4/TbhI1ao_RUI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/xfEnMAkoUaM/s400/Easter+4-27-11.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photos of the family!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Brad hung out with this little guy for quite a while. Noah is my cousin Jacquelyn's little boy - such a happy baby. You may remember seeing pictures of him from <a href="http://officiallydifferent.blogspot.com/2011/03/catchin-up.html">this earlier post</a>. It's so cute to see how much he's changed in these 4 months!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h8JexL2_ukA/TbhI9LPP0WI/AAAAAAAAAHU/2AOxpaVxqt4/s1600/Easter+Two+4-27-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h8JexL2_ukA/TbhI9LPP0WI/AAAAAAAAAHU/2AOxpaVxqt4/s400/Easter+Two+4-27-11.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Overall, our Easter weekend was very good, but exhausting in the same right. We are ready to relax! We have a few mini-adventure trips planned for May, so we're gearing up for those and looking forward to the time together!Staciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16798304037261355262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030278445080644031.post-50255662067212044902011-04-25T10:11:00.001-05:002011-04-25T10:13:19.618-05:00Easter Weekend (Part 1)<div style="text-align: center;">To say our Easter weekend was busy is an understatement! Whoa! We had a lot going on! Friday night, we had Good Friday service at Wildewood (which I spoke at). Brad had to miss it because of work, but it worked out for him to pick up one of our favorite kids, Taiden, so he could spend the night at our house. Taiden's mom, Tara, had to work the next day and had no one to watch him, so we decided to take him. Here's Brad and Taiden on our wedding day - he was one of our ring bearers!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QmTtEpAy5bs/TbWIyIVI0XI/AAAAAAAAAGc/SIkK5sDHiZg/s1600/IMG_2808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QmTtEpAy5bs/TbWIyIVI0XI/AAAAAAAAAGc/SIkK5sDHiZg/s400/IMG_2808.jpg" width="285" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Friday night, we went and picked out a movie and some snacks so we could veg out in front of the TV and finish stuffing the last of the 6,000 eggs that would be spread out the next day at the annual Wildewood egg hunt! That's right....I said SIX THOUSAND EGGS. I think Brad and I got to bed around midnight and were up at 6:30. Ughh.... Not to mention, as much as we love Taiden and kids in general, we sure weren't used to being woken up 3-4 times in a night to help someone go to the bathroom, get a drink, rub their back.... :) It may have (most definitely) changed our "baby timeline" a bit. Ha!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Needless to say, we were tired when we woke up on Saturday morning. I had to be at the church by 8am to meet with volunteers who would help with the egg hunt, but Brad was nice enough to wake up and make breakfast for all of us. Taiden requested pancakes (which I was secretly excited about because I never get those anymore - Brad's blood sugar issues mean no mass carbohydrate meals if you plan on being productive). He made some eggs and sausage for us too!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Le9q48mKTlM/TbWK7Hc3zPI/AAAAAAAAAGg/yFl34BvRrP4/s1600/pancakes1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Le9q48mKTlM/TbWK7Hc3zPI/AAAAAAAAAGg/yFl34BvRrP4/s400/pancakes1.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LhhiyOcjt0M/TbWL4G_DTTI/AAAAAAAAAGk/7uSBiPt6QB0/s1600/Pancakes+4-25-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="201" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LhhiyOcjt0M/TbWL4G_DTTI/AAAAAAAAAGk/7uSBiPt6QB0/s400/Pancakes+4-25-11.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taiden LOVED the pancakes - he even had seconds!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> I headed off to the church to get things set up. Brad and Taiden joined me a bit later and were both really good helpers! The festivities began at 11am and were over by 11:35am. Those eggs go fast! Brad snapped a few pictures of Taiden at the egg hunt! He was a little shy - but eventually got in there and got some eggs!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--AMoc1IMMCk/TbWMyScao9I/AAAAAAAAAGo/g0C9iJp1R5o/s1600/CIMG3900.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--AMoc1IMMCk/TbWMyScao9I/AAAAAAAAAGo/g0C9iJp1R5o/s400/CIMG3900.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J9539LUHY0U/TbWM9fOyGII/AAAAAAAAAGw/XH-4oT87v24/s1600/CIMG3899.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J9539LUHY0U/TbWM9fOyGII/AAAAAAAAAGw/XH-4oT87v24/s400/CIMG3899.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">After the egg hunt, the three of us went to lunch and then headed to the park to play before Taiden had to head home. It was so fun - Taiden is a total ham for the camera and kept saying "Take a picture of me over here! Look at what I'm doing! Take a picture of this!" It was a lot of fun - and with such a photogenic kid - it was even more fun!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GXe_TOxSmQs/TbWOfie-3AI/AAAAAAAAAHA/DlKSJDt3lSg/s1600/Taiden+4-25-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GXe_TOxSmQs/TbWOfie-3AI/AAAAAAAAAHA/DlKSJDt3lSg/s400/Taiden+4-25-11.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TzKg1wBTAeE/TbWN3Ry_0TI/AAAAAAAAAG8/eGEL1zb9PuM/s1600/CIMG3907.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TzKg1wBTAeE/TbWN3Ry_0TI/AAAAAAAAAG8/eGEL1zb9PuM/s400/CIMG3907.JPG" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After the park, Brad took Taiden home and I made 2 desserts (Coconut cake and blackberry cobbler - both were DELICIOUS if I do so say myself!) and then we took a nap! We headed to an Easter dinner with my mom's side of the family and had a good time - I unfortunately forgot my camera and have no pictures from that event. :( Dang it! That's it for now - this post is getting pretty long! More Easter weekend news to come! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Staciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16798304037261355262noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030278445080644031.post-1170349977014090202011-04-22T12:54:00.002-05:002011-04-22T13:00:59.307-05:00That's My KingI love Easter - definitely my favorite holiday. And I know that's really "Christian" of me to say, but I genuinely love it. I had a conversation with someone at work the other day that was very interesting. She knew what I did full time (children's minister) and had questions about my faith. I was very complimented when she said she appreciated that I didn't shove my beliefs and values down her throat. That's my goal. In fact, I hate actually referring to myself as a Christian - not because I'm ashamed of loving Christ, but simply because of the negative connotation that so many idiots have attached to the title. Anyways, she asked me if I would call myself a Christian. I responded, "I prefer to call myself a Christ Follower or a Committed Believer or a Daughter of the King." That last one caught her attention and she told me that from what she knew, Jesus didn't live in a castle and have servants and affairs, and illegitimate children - so there was no way he was a King. I talked about how Jesus was a very different kind of King. The conversation that ensued was interesting and messy and really good...somehow, with her background and my fumbling words, we still left with a mutual respect and understanding of each other.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/yzqTFNfeDnE?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />
The more I thought about it after I left, I remembered a sermon from S.M. Lockridge that I heard in college that makes me tear up every time I hear it. I searched for it on google and found a video someone made with images from The Passion of the Christ set to the words of the sermon! What a great reminder of the kind of King we worship on Easter. Enjoy!<br />
<br />
P.S. No offense intended, but there is something about African American preachers that just get me all fired up! And what an incredible job of pairing adverbs and adjectives so well!Staciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16798304037261355262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030278445080644031.post-64532531399706867452011-04-19T15:34:00.000-05:002011-04-19T15:39:00.246-05:00La Tournée de Mon RéfrigérateurWhy yes, I do speak French. And yes, the title of this blog is "The Tour of My Refrigerator." Earlier today I couldn't get the phrase "Tour de France" out of my head - I must have seen or heard it somewhere in the past few days and it was brought to the forefront of my thoughts all day. Anyways, I thought it would be funny to say "Tour de (insert word for refrigerator)." Unfortunately, when I went to find the word for refrigerator at www.freetranslation.com, I was sadly reminded translations are just not that easy. So, the aforementioned (and what would've been really awesome) blog title is history. We have instead...La Tournée de Mon Réfrigérateur. Good enough. P.S. I wonder if anyone has ever told the big wigs at "Tour de France" that their translation is all off....<br />
<br />
Okay, so back to the actual subject of my blog - The Tour of My Refrigerator. I used to really like the show MTV cribs, particularly the part where celebrities opened the fridge and showed the world what they ate. Sometimes people had it all neat and organized and stocked for what looked like a Home & Garden Magazine shoot. Others opened it up and showed it "as is." It fascinated me what people loved and didn't love. Most rappers had a bottle of Cristal and indie chick singers had hummus and organic wine.... Pretty typical.<br />
<br />
Anyways, I decided to share what's in my fridge - the important stuff for the Salinas Family. So, here it is, in all it's glory!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I6t8qKq4UUA/Ta3tqL31zJI/AAAAAAAAAGY/v9r8WuxyQp0/s1600/fridge4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I6t8qKq4UUA/Ta3tqL31zJI/AAAAAAAAAGY/v9r8WuxyQp0/s400/fridge4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
EGGS! We seriously go through 3-4 dozen eggs per week. Every morning, Brad eats 2-4 eggs (or egg whites) and I eat 2 eggs. Obviously, 1/3 to 1/2 of a carton is used every morning. We love our eggs - but not the price! This is one reason I am SO excited for the Farmer's Market to open - farm fresh eggs that are way cheaper and LOCAL!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Imtji3oBB9A/Ta3tou6S1TI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/jQc3y2wxNzQ/s1600/Refrigerator+Uno+4-19-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Imtji3oBB9A/Ta3tou6S1TI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/jQc3y2wxNzQ/s400/Refrigerator+Uno+4-19-11.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><b> (Top Left):</b> BEEF! Brad loves beef - he grills burgers all the time and is a fan of my homemade meatloaf! We found a good deal for grass-fed beef at Whole Foods last Sunday and bought a lot!<br />
<b>(Top Right): </b>JUICE! One of my favorite things, that Brad has recently become quite fond of. My mom used to buy this juice when I was little, so it's kind of a nostalgia thing...<br />
<b>(Bottom Left): </b>BRITA SPIGOT! What would we do without our Brita UltraMax water filter??? We would be lost. End of story.<br />
<b>(Bottom Right): </b>YOGURT! I love yogurt and eat about 2 cups per day. Unfortunately, I have yet to find an organic kind that I like, so for now...Archer Farms it is!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kYEuPiteXW8/Ta3tplScT9I/AAAAAAAAAGU/G14hCASLPDE/s1600/Refrigerator+Dos+4-19-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kYEuPiteXW8/Ta3tplScT9I/AAAAAAAAAGU/G14hCASLPDE/s400/Refrigerator+Dos+4-19-11.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><u><span style="font-weight: bold;"><b>Favorites</b></span></u></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">(Left): </span></b><span style="font-size: small;">My personal favorite that would be very hard to live without...Pickles. No, not just any pickles - not those neon green walmart pickles. No... Trader Joe's Kosher Dill Pickles.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>(Right):</b> Brad puts ketchup on EVERYTHING. No joke. In fact, my brother actually coined the phrase "Brad it up," meaning to put ketchup on something. :)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">So, what about you? What's in YOUR fridge? What can't you live without???</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
</span></span></div>Staciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16798304037261355262noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030278445080644031.post-20420729953287770382011-04-19T11:44:00.000-05:002011-04-19T11:44:40.866-05:00Puttin' Around<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jApkKPEpc0U/Ta244hfBsnI/AAAAAAAAAGA/_cwGViNomcM/s1600/putt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jApkKPEpc0U/Ta244hfBsnI/AAAAAAAAAGA/_cwGViNomcM/s400/putt.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Sundays are always really tiring for me. And ever since Brad and I got married, I think he's began to understand how being in ministry (or being married to someone in ministry) is physically and mentally exhausting - especially on Sunday mornings. Usually, after church, we eat lunch with my parents, or occasionally his parents, and then we go home and take a nap. When we wake up, we usually sit on our butts and do nothing. This past Sunday, we decided we wanted to do something other than take a nap and watch TV, so we headed to Boulder Creek Amusement Park! Yes, the name is far more exciting than the actual place, but it still made for a good time. We decided to putt putt 18 holes through the "Adventure Course." Both being fiercely competitive people, there was A LOT of trash talking and reveling in each other's failures. Lots of love going on at the putt putt golf course.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Dm4yR0vQ4zk/Ta26OlBmztI/AAAAAAAAAGE/mtOPLk9x5zI/s1600/putt2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>This picture is Brad being a dork and obviously not taking my request for a "cute picture" seriously. Boo! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Dm4yR0vQ4zk/Ta26OlBmztI/AAAAAAAAAGE/mtOPLk9x5zI/s1600/putt2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Dm4yR0vQ4zk/Ta26OlBmztI/AAAAAAAAAGE/mtOPLk9x5zI/s320/putt2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> And this is Brad's "mad face" as his ball came rolling back down the hill towards him. Stroke 2!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MmV4vWeKrFU/Ta26OzoUv4I/AAAAAAAAAGI/gRo-0OvXOak/s1600/putt3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MmV4vWeKrFU/Ta26OzoUv4I/AAAAAAAAAGI/gRo-0OvXOak/s320/putt3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Honestly, it was a really close game the whole time, and we both knew it. We were VERY anxious to get done and add up our scores. Unfortunately, I was on the losing end....this time.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gp9K343iGoQ/Ta27ck81UUI/AAAAAAAAAGM/_Gc4GzqLIIg/s1600/scorecard.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gp9K343iGoQ/Ta27ck81UUI/AAAAAAAAAGM/_Gc4GzqLIIg/s400/scorecard.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">He won by ONE STROKE! Dang it! It was the third hole that killed me - and I was very disappointed. :( Brad, of course, was as giddy as a school girl. I smell a rematch.</div>Staciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16798304037261355262noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030278445080644031.post-56302764772014542762011-04-12T11:30:00.000-05:002011-04-12T12:32:57.346-05:00Certified Pasture?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SshnbI6VHso/TaR3oymEaxI/AAAAAAAAAFU/puUL2OUzRus/s1600/pasture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="154" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SshnbI6VHso/TaR3oymEaxI/AAAAAAAAAFU/puUL2OUzRus/s200/pasture.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>As some of you know, Brad and I try to to eat "all natural and organic" whenever possible. Sometimes it is dang expensive, but we feel like it is totally worth it. There have been times that we haven't been able to afford to buy everything all natural or organic, but typically in those situations, we buy organic "essentials." (Meat, dairy, fruits, veggies...)<br />
<br />
Anyways, we have been incredibly impressed with Target lately - really focusing a lot of their buying towards all natural/organic food. We've been buying their skim organic milk since before we even got married. About a month ago, HyVee really impressed us. After Brad left the gym early in the morning (before Target opened) he went to pick up some milk - because if you know Brad, you know that he rarely goes a day without a couple glasses of milk. Personally, white milk makes me gag and has no appeal whatsoever. I'm more a yogurt girl!<br />
<br />
When Brad brought home the milk, I noticed that it wasn't "organic," but "Certified Pasture." I asked him what that was all about and he directed me to the side of the milk carton. It was from a company called <a href="http://grasspoint.com/">Grass Point Farms</a> with all of their products coming from family farms in Wisconsin. It had this amazing chart comparing regular dairy industry guidelines and USDA certified organic guidelines to "Certified Pasture" guidelines. It was incredible to read and realize that even the USDA has semi-lax standards for organic farmers. The one that really stood out to me, was called "Dual Production." This allows large companies who want to tap into the ever-growing organic market to treat some animals inhumanely and pump them full of antibiotics and hormones and on the other side of their farm, abide by organic standards. In doing so, large corporations are taking the business from family farmers and making what should be a pure business practice into a twisted one. It's so sad to me that some organic farmers are finding loopholes to being legitimate and don't really believe in the cause itself, but love the money that rolls in because of it.<br />
<br />
I went to Grass Point's website and it is pretty incredible - they even have pictures of their farms and a "Meet the Farmers" page. They are very clear about their philosophy and state it very well on their website. Here's an excerpt from their description of "grass fed dairy."<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>A fundamental understanding of the grass fed dairy concept requires little more than a literal translation of the words. <i>Grass Fed Dairy</i> is the entire food cycle from providing natural pastures for dairy cows to graze upon to our wholesome, delicious milk, cheese and other dairy products that you enjoy. A greater understanding of grass fed dairy gets much more personal. It’s the farmer and his family making decisions around their kitchen table, choosing to run their business with what is natural for their cows, in harmony with the environment and right for their family. It’s our products that bring you the best that Wisconsin dairy farming has to offer. Surprisingly, the current national organic dairy standards do not require cows to graze as the cows graze at Grass Point Farms. </i></span><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Grass Point Farms brings the simple concept of pasture raising dairy cows from the past, to the dairy farms of today’s Wisconsin landscape. We follow the milk from our farms through our bottling and cheese plants, making sure that the milk, cheese and butter products are made solely from the milk of pasture raised, grass fed cows. The result? Dairy products that are healthier and more flavorful than any you have ever tasted.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Until now, standards for the pasture raising of dairy cows simply did not exist. Seeing this conspicuous void, Grass Point Farms created our own very detailed standards that follow the entire food cycle. We have addressed the natural diet and environment of dairy cows. By the design of nature, cows are grass eaters. Their first inclination is to peacefully wander through thick pastures, eating as they go. Because this is their nature, it is also the best way for cows to live long and healthy lives. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">Our standards address all the best practices of dairy farming. </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">From allowing for enough pasture land for each cow to graze on for as much time as the seasons will allow to requiring each farm to create an environmental stewardship plan, our farmers have taken every step possible to ensure the well being of each and every cow in their herd. </span></i><a href="http://www.grasspoint.com/cows.htm"><br />
</a><br />
I wanted to scan the side of the milk jug in, so that everyone could see the amazing chart, but it was pretty blurry. I figured this was just too interesting, so I decided to type it up. Here it is! Leave me a comment and let me know what you think!<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="left" border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium none; margin-left: 6.75pt; margin-right: 6.75pt;"><tbody>
<tr style="height: 44.75pt;"> <td style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(146, 208, 80); border: 1pt solid windowtext; height: 44.75pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.5pt;" valign="top" width="114"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Common Practices</b></span></div></td> <td style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(146, 208, 80); border-color: windowtext windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 1pt 1pt 1pt medium; height: 44.75pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 95.4pt;" valign="top" width="127"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Description regarding the well-being of farm animals</b></span></div></td> <td style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(146, 208, 80); border-color: windowtext windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 1pt 1pt 1pt medium; height: 44.75pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 76.45pt;" valign="top" width="102"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Certified Pasture</b></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>(Grass Point Farms) </b></span></div></td> <td style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(146, 208, 80); border-color: windowtext windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 1pt 1pt 1pt medium; height: 44.75pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.5pt;" valign="top" width="114"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Industry Guidelines</b></span></div></td> <td style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(146, 208, 80); border-color: windowtext windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 1pt 1pt 1pt medium; height: 44.75pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.55pt;" valign="top" width="114"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>National Organic Program (USDA)</b></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 13.55pt;"> <td style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 204, 0); border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; height: 13.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.5pt;" valign="top" width="114"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Outdoor Access for Cows</b></span></div></td> <td style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(217, 149, 148); border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 13.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 95.4pt;" valign="top" width="127"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Helps prevent abnormal behaviors and enhances vigor, heath and overall immune system</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 13.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 76.45pt;" valign="top" width="102"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Mandatory</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 13.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.5pt;" valign="top" width="114"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Not Required</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 13.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.55pt;" valign="top" width="114"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Yes; but with debate on definition</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 13.55pt;"> <td style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 204, 0); border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; height: 13.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.5pt;" valign="top" width="114"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Pasture Management Requirements</b></span></div></td> <td style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(217, 149, 148); border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 13.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 95.4pt;" valign="top" width="127"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Helps insure proper diet, healthy soils and grasses</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 13.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 76.45pt;" valign="top" width="102"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Mandatory</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 13.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.5pt;" valign="top" width="114"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Not Required</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 13.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.55pt;" valign="top" width="114"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Not Required</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 12.85pt;"> <td style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 204, 0); border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; height: 12.85pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.5pt;" valign="top" width="114"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Dual Production</b></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> (different standards of care are applied to different groups of animals</span></div></td> <td style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(217, 149, 148); border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 12.85pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 95.4pt;" valign="top" width="127"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Allows industrial agribusiness to raise some animals with higher standards and the rest under cruel conditions while out-competing humane family farmers</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 12.85pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 76.45pt;" valign="top" width="102"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">PROHIBITED</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 12.85pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.5pt;" valign="top" width="114"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Permitted</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 12.85pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.55pt;" valign="top" width="114"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Permitted</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 13.55pt;"> <td style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 204, 0); border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; height: 13.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.5pt;" valign="top" width="114"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Independent Family Farmers</b></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> (Family owns the farm, participates in the majority of the daily labor and the farm provides a meaningful livelihood.)</span></div></td> <td style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(217, 149, 148); border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 13.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 95.4pt;" valign="top" width="127"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Higher assurance that animals will be cared for as individuals and that a humane ethic will be passed on to future generations.</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 13.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 76.45pt;" valign="top" width="102"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Mandatory, with a minimum of 50% family farm labor requirement</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 13.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.5pt;" valign="top" width="114"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Not required</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 13.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.55pt;" valign="top" width="114"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Not Required</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 13.55pt;"> <td style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 204, 0); border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; height: 13.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.5pt;" valign="top" width="114"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Carbon Footprinting Standards</b></span></div></td> <td style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(217, 149, 148); border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 13.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 95.4pt;" valign="top" width="127"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Helps reduce the impact human and animal activities have on the environment in terms of green house gases produced</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 13.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 76.45pt;" valign="top" width="102"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Mandatory</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 13.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.5pt;" valign="top" width="114"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Not required</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 13.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.55pt;" valign="top" width="114"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Not required</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 12.85pt;"> <td style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 204, 0); border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; height: 12.85pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.5pt;" valign="top" width="114"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Comprehensive Farm Management Plan</b></span></div></td> <td style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(217, 149, 148); border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 12.85pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 95.4pt;" valign="top" width="127"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Requires a written farm management plan considering environmental stewardship practices</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 12.85pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 76.45pt;" valign="top" width="102"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Mandatory</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 12.85pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.5pt;" valign="top" width="114"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Not required</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 12.85pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.55pt;" valign="top" width="114"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Not required</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 13.55pt;"> <td style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 204, 0); border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; height: 13.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.5pt;" valign="top" width="114"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Farm Inspections</b></span></div></td> <td style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(217, 149, 148); border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 13.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 95.4pt;" valign="top" width="127"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Assurance that standard claims are being followed</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 13.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 76.45pt;" valign="top" width="102"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Mandatory</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 13.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.5pt;" valign="top" width="114"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Not required</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 13.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.55pt;" valign="top" width="114"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Mandatory</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 13.55pt;"> <td style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 204, 0); border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; height: 13.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.5pt;" valign="top" width="114"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Unified Grass, Animal Care, and Environmental Standards</b></span></div></td> <td style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(217, 149, 148); border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 13.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 95.4pt;" valign="top" width="127"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ability to address and comply to a complete list of standards impacting the health and well being of dairy cows, family farmers, land, air and water</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 13.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 76.45pt;" valign="top" width="102"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Yes</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 13.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.5pt;" valign="top" width="114"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">No</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 13.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.55pt;" valign="top" width="114"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">No</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div></td> </tr>
</tbody></table>Staciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16798304037261355262noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030278445080644031.post-71703602479304719452011-04-11T16:28:00.000-05:002011-04-11T16:34:16.327-05:00We'll Just Call This Skill Building...<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_2HuyJ5OI8s/TaNrYqNGBuI/AAAAAAAAAE8/Dij2zCo7jkE/s1600/coop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_2HuyJ5OI8s/TaNrYqNGBuI/AAAAAAAAAE8/Dij2zCo7jkE/s200/coop.jpg" width="150" /></a>Sunday, Brad and I were having a great day. We went to church, had lunch and spent some time with my parents, my brother and sister-in-law, and my favorite little person...my nephew Cooper. :) He is so stinkin' cute. Don't believe me? Here's proof. ----><br />
<br />
Anyways, we got home after church, changed into comfy clothes and decided to run a few errands. We planned to go to Best Buy, Red Mango and Bed, Bath, & Beyond to spend our last wedding gift card. :( Well, we went to Best Buy and BB&B in Shadow Lake Shopping Center. We left there and headed out to Highway 370 to catch the interstate. We wanted to take that to One Pacific Place to delve into some frozen yogurt! Well, about 5 minutes into our drive, we noticed the car was driving kind of funny, so we pulled over. Before he even got out of the car, Brad said, "I have a flat tire - and I think it's one of the new ones we got last month." I didn't believe him...I mean there's NO WAY we could already have a flat tire after 3 1/2 weeks on it. Well, unfortunately I was wrong. Dang it.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GPMxugrxb84/TaNre5rriJI/AAAAAAAAAFE/8re0JwAFtGc/s1600/car6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GPMxugrxb84/TaNre5rriJI/AAAAAAAAAFE/8re0JwAFtGc/s400/car6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Brad asked me if I had ever changed a car tire before and I said, "No." He then asked me if I wanted to learn. I said ever so excitedly (yeah right), "Sure." Then I got out and proceeded to learn a new skill! Wahoo! Brad told me that I should always call him first, but just in case I can't get a hold of him or whatever, I should know how to change one. And he's right. Quite frankly, I probably should've learned this skill a long time ago - I mean, I've been driving for 8 years and had never even seen it done. So, here I am - changing a tire. I felt very special!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_x8MkF30pu4/TaNrcX8jqcI/AAAAAAAAAFA/Qiqw37m492w/s1600/Flat+Tire+4-11-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_x8MkF30pu4/TaNrcX8jqcI/AAAAAAAAAFA/Qiqw37m492w/s320/Flat+Tire+4-11-11.jpg" width="320" /></a>If I'm being honest, I pray that I will always be able to get a hold of Brad (or my dad or any other strong, capable man) if I get a flat. Those bolts were HARD to get off. Even Brad was breaking a sweat getting them undone. I'm not entirely sure I could do it by myself. Granted, they had just gotten screwed on 4 weeks prior by a professional mechanic with one of those neato things you see on NASCAR. (Note: That is the first, last, and only time you will ever see any reference to NASCAR in my blog or in a normal conversation with me.) Anyways, there was a very nice passerby that stopped to help, even though we had it under control. After that, Brad said he felt like every guy that passed by thought he was a jerk for making his wife do it (even though I was enthusiastically learning), so he took over.<br />
<br />
That gave me the opportunity to turn around and realize we got a flat right in front of the new Werner Ball Park. Neato, huh???<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MlfSXFufA9A/TaNrhnfs8uI/AAAAAAAAAFM/39LRwhH5hTo/s1600/car4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MlfSXFufA9A/TaNrhnfs8uI/AAAAAAAAAFM/39LRwhH5hTo/s400/car4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Anyways, we got the donut (the temporary tire - for all of those, like me, that know nothing about cars) on Brad's car. Brad then educated me further and said that you should never really go over 40-45 miles per hour when driving on a donut, because they are cheap and thin and blowout easily. Glad he told me that! So, we decided to skip driving on the interstate, which meant no Red Mango . Instead (still feeling like we deserved a treat after all our hard work), we went back to Shadow Lake and got frozen custard at Freddy's. I have decided that they have THE BEST hot caramel sundae I have ever tasted. Yum!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ft-gpPOGP1w/TaNrg-EsGfI/AAAAAAAAAFI/WluYHnZwgTI/s1600/car7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ft-gpPOGP1w/TaNrg-EsGfI/AAAAAAAAAFI/WluYHnZwgTI/s400/car7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Oh, and a shout out to my amazing husband Bradley, who didn't get annoyed at me taking pictures and fiddling around while he worked so hard to change our tire. :)<br />
<br />
Anyways, our night ended up back at home, grilling out. We had picked up some natural casing hot dogs - my personal favorite - earlier in the week and some beef for hamburgers. I threw some potatoes in the oven and he did the grilling. Brad asked me to cook up some of the bacon we had and get out the cheese so he could put it on his burgers. I have officially decided to change their name from hamburgers to "Man-burgers." Whoa! That's a lot of stuff on a burger, don't ya think?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_K3qnoZNBfw/TaNyD5yBHLI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/xad4FFPyLHo/s1600/manburgers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_K3qnoZNBfw/TaNyD5yBHLI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/xad4FFPyLHo/s400/manburgers.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
After those mondo man-burgers came off the grill, we took our plates to the couch and watched an episode of Dexter before heading to bed. All in all, I'd say we had a good day that included "free" shopping, skill-building, hot caramel sundaes, good food, good tv, and good time spent together. :)Staciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16798304037261355262noreply@blogger.com3