27th Birthday Extravaganza!

Ok, ok. I admit it. There was no glamorous party or red carpet event, but John and I spent some quality time alone in Tucson for his birthday.

It started with our annual Priceline negotiation to get a lovely resort room at a decent price. We have been getting lucky and have stayed in the Westward Look Resort for the last two years. This year we got a resort, but it was El Conquistador Golf & Tennis resort. It was absolutely beautiful. It was only too bad that we don't actually spend much time in our room! The pool area was magnificent, and even had gigantic fire pits with a small bonfire in each one.

We had dinner at a restaurant called Cafe Poca Cosa. It was a terrific little Mexican food place in downtown Tucson. It wasn't your typical tacos and beans, but a much ritzier version. The menu items even change once a day. The food was delicious.

We then attempted to visit with a few of John's friends (or at least the ones that received the invite....sorry Bryan).

The next morning we enjoyed our breakfast at Mimi's Cafe, and went to the Tucson Mall for shopping at H&M. I love the clothes there, and John agreed to play the dress up doll. He looks amazing in his new clothes. After clothes shopping we did what John was really excited for.

(lol get your minds out of the gutter). I let John in on my Present plan. Let's be honest; I am not exactly tech savvy. This year I planed on getting him a surround sound/ home theatre system. We went to Best Buy to do some research. He plans on ordering it online, and hopefully having it ready for the super bowl.

In Saturday we had a lovely dinner at Ida's home. She made delicious steaks and shrimp for John, and I supplied a White Texas Sheet Cake. We had a wonderful time with the Nunleys. John even got a air soft pellet gun from his brother Daniel. He used Travis for target practice.

It was a wonderful weekend, and I am very blessed to be John's wife. He has given me smart, beautiful daughters and so much more!

Under a Rock?

With two young children, I am sure you are not surprised to find that I spend a vast majority of time tuned into Nickjr. This station provides preschool worthy cartoons with very little commercials. The ads that are shown are very children driven. So I know all about the potty dance, bowls that rotate for zero mess, and just about every toy in the book!

While John and I enjoy watching programs such as Grey's Anatomy and Person of Interest, we have to record them because they air on the same day at the same time! With DVR I hardly ever watch commercials for adults. Now, imagine my shock when I see Harry Potter (yes, i realize that isn't his name) is doing a horror film! I couldn't believe it! He even has facial hair! Mr. Radcliffe is definitely not a baby anymore, and determined to prove he can be more than the Prince of Wizards.

I generally don't watch scary movies. I enjoy sleeping, and when I do I really don't want to be interrupted by my imagination after a horror flick. I think John might actually manage to get me to go to this one.

Another One Bites the Dust

I am sure that you remember the angsty fairy that has been demolishing our electronics at a whim? Well, she has struck again. It was some time ago that our vacuum cleaner started emitting a horrible sound. This had been going on for sometime before I mentioned the problem to John.

Being the engineer that he is, he ordered replacement belts. He took apart the vacuum, changed the belts, and discovered that the rolling brushes were broken. So he decided that we might be able to use it without them. After a few attempts a new strange sound began.....then the smell....then the SMOKE!!!! Yes, smoke. I was so scared that the vacuum was going to explode on me!

John began researching various vacuums online (also due to the inner engineer), and we went down to Walmart and bought one. It is the Shark Navigator Lift-Away Pro. Ryenn was disappointed because the display model was purple, but when we pulled it out of the box it was white. John put it together, and then proceeded to hog it! I am not sure it I have ever seen him vacuum so much! I finally got to use it today, since he is working, and I have to say I am very impressed. It is small, light, easy to maneuver, and really powerful. It even comes with a hardwood floor attachment. (shown above). Seriously worth the money, and hopefully destructive fairy proof.

I'm a Big Girl Now!

On January 10th something amazing happened!!! I bet that you would not suspect the awesome person that is me to be afraid of traveling unaccompanied, but it is true. I had never before made a long trip on my own. This was a special occasion, however, as I flew to Mississippi to visit Robert, Mariah, and their precious baby Natalie Addison.

The flight from Sky Harbor ended in New Orleans, where Mariah and her precious bundle met me. I instantly feel in love with her! As soon as we walked out of the airport, I knew I was not at home! The humidity, even in the winter time is ridiculous! I felt sweaty, clammy, and cold all at once. I can say I don't miss that at all. However, they had beautiful trees. The magnolias were my favorite! I wonder if they can grow here?

While there we spent a good amount of time avoiding the very dangerous wildlife. How do you do that you ask? You simply stay indoors and watch "How I Met Your Mother" and "Bones" in marathon style via Netflix. By the end of my trip we made it to season 2 in both shows. (i guess i might have to petition hubs to get our subscription to Netflix back)  We also played a lot of Monopoly Deal.  I promise I will buy it, and attempt to get my killer instinct back.

The first full day of my visit we made a trip to the outlet mall. There I bought a few things for myself, but mostly for the girls. The Disney Store is a terrible place for a mother with small children to venture. You can spend way to much money and so quickly! Ry loves her Cinderella light-up, high heeled, jellie shoes.

Mariah took me to the Bayou Country General Store. The front of the store contained merchandise in a very gift shop feel. The back was reserved for the restaurant. I ate a very delicious Chicken Po Boy and a Sweet Corn and Crab Bisque. Then I bought a few things for the family. I also met the incredible 1 gallon jug of Tabasco sauce. I bought the girls some super cute water bottle holders. They have adorable little animals, and a shoulder strap. Unfortunately, Leah's broke within the first hour of my being home. I guess they are more cheaply made than I thought!

We tried to attend a Pampered Chef party at one of Mariah's friend's home. Natalie, however, had different plans for us. She cried so much that we had to leave. We didn't even get to eat!

On my last night in town Mariah took me to Chili's so we could watch the Denver Broncos get smeared across the field by the Patriots. It was a long night, but it was still a nice time.

My return trip was awful! When I got to the airport, the baggage conveyer was jammed. It took an hour to fix. I got a little lost leaving the airport, but I made it home safely. Thank you to the Cases for a wonderful time.

Just the begining......

I am incredibly annoyed!  I have been attempting to blog for several days now, but something always ruins it!  I think I may be having a small aneurysm and/or elevated blood pressure!  It all started with trying to upload pictures to my computer from my phone.  The computer stopped recognizing my iPhone.  I HATE MY PHONE RIGHT NOW!!  Anyhow, finally (after a great deal of stress, yelling at inanimate objects, and my husband talking at me like a  5 year old) I was able to fix that little problem.  Then, I couldn't get the pictures to upload.  Now, I can't make some of the pictures rotate because of property issues!  I am so angry!  I don't know what to do now!  So, we are experiencing technical difficulties.  Do not try to adjust your computers or mobile devices.

After our very uneventful New Year's Eve/Day we took a trip to the zoo for the Zoo Lights Extravaganza!  I was so excited for this experience with the girls.  In my mind, I had pictured "Ooohs and Ahhhs" to make Garfield the cat jealous.  I did not, however, expect the complete lack of interest Ryenn showed.  We drove 3 hours to get there, and she was more impressed with the root beer float she got at dinner, than with the lights on display!  Unfortunately, our night didn't get better.  Somewhere in the zoo we lost Leah's bottle, and our lifeline to peace and sanity.  Without decent pictures, I will have to conclude that the trip was not worth the effort.  

 We celebrated baby Kason's 2nd birthday, and will be celebrating Travis Jay's 24th birthday.  It has been a busy week.  On that note, I really need to start packing for my very first trip alone.  Eeek!  I am making a trip to MS to visit the miracle that is Natalie Addison Case!  I can't wait, but I can't pack either!  Maybe John will make a list of things I need. HAHAHA!  He loves his lists.  I am also hoping that my wedding ring will be back before I leave.  We sent it off to the jewelers to get it "dipped."  It has been a very strange week and a half without it.

Guess what!  After all that ranting, I can't get the pictures that I want to load.  I am going to end this post before I destroy something!

Christmas 2011

"If you really love Christmas, come on and let it snow."

This year, like every year, we had a crazy Christmas day. We actually had to wake the girls up at 7:00 am to get the ball rolling. The girls were both spoiled this year by our family and loved ones! We really are blessed to have such a wonderful family.

Ryenn loved her Mulan Barbie so much, that she took it to bed with her! She also decided to have a mini fashion show. We bought the girls a Wii this year because the system provides a ton more child friendly games. Travis bought the girls a child controller that Leah decided was better suited for a necklace. (better keep an eye on that little development)

With our gifts opened at home our rush to get to John's parent's home to visit with them began! The girls had a wonderful time playing with their cousins, and Leah only occasionally beat up on the other kids. Ida got me the cutest Paul Frank PJs! They are my new favorite! I was only able to spend a few hours with them, but it is always entertaining. I came home early to begin my mom's birthday dinner. I baked the cakes on Christmas Eve this year, and I think it made them taste even better!