Where we left off...

The past two weekends have been a blast... a little crazy but so much fun!

Two weekends ago my girlfriends, Molly and Rachel, came to Alta Vista to hang out. We get together every couple of months at each others houses and seriously have the most fun, laid-back time. We played with the boys, made chipolte raspberry bean dip (the recipe from So Long Saloon in Manhattan) found here, saw "The Vow", and had a yummy breakfast made by Jeremy. The movie was good but not half as good as I was expecting. The time with my girfriends was awesome though and was exactly what I needed that weekend.

Poor Molly, when we lived in Council Grove, Molly and Rach were staying at the house and Bella ran up to her, jumped on her lap, and excited peed on her! Well, Saturday morning, Bella jumped into bed with Molls, and peed on the blanket right next to her again! I'm pretty sure we'll have to take Bella to the grandparents house next time the girls come so she doesn't get nailed again!



Me, Rach and Molly when we were in college... thinking this is Fake Patty's Day.

 My favorite part about our weekends together is that we can do something fun, or we can just chill and watch a movie on tv and chat. We are always comfortable with each other and everyone needs great friends like that! :)

This past weekend, Jeremy and I had a weekend together away from home. It was wonderful. We did miss the boys, but we had some much needed alone time together. We actually decided Friday afternoon to get a hotel room Friday and head to Kansas City early. Friday night we booked a room through Priceline where you can name your own price for a hotel room. I was being SUPER cheap and requested a room for $40. I wasn't picky with where we stayed and actually ended up getting a pretty nice room at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Overland Park.

We got up early on Saturday morning and went to check out a boat that Jeremy is interested in. It was out in Lee Summit. The boat wasn't "The One" but I was very impressed with the dealership and would be happy if they had something he wanted in the future. We ate at a Waffle House while in Lee Summit and it was so good! I smelled like fried eggs and ham when we left but so did Jeremy so I guess we didn't notice so much...

Next on our day of fun was some shopping. Jeremy dropped me off at the Legends and went to Cabelas and then to Hooters to wait for me to get done. I actually really love shopping by myself and had fun shopping with the actual intent of purchasing something... which doesn't happen very often. I joined Jeremy at Hooters where we watched a bit of the K-State game. We stopped by the new Hollywood casino where one of our friends was working as a blackjack dealer. Obviously, we didn't do any gambling at his table but got there around the time that he was to have a break, so we got to chat with him for a while.

We headed to our hotel downtown to get ready for the concert and then met up with some friends for dinner at a Brewery in Power and Light. My friend Katie organized the dinner and it was so good to see her. Katie and I were friends growing up, roommates our freshman year of college and have been great friends ever since. We also met up with some other friends from home and got to hang out before and after the concert.

Jeremy actually had a nice shirt on under this hoodie - but he lives in his hoodie and apparently didn't want to take if off. :)



I obviously like taking pictures much more than my husband.



This was the last time, and I think only, time I've been to the Power and Light district in Kansas City. My bachelorette party. :) Picture is of: Myself, Lyndse (who had twins in 2011... see that here), Katie (as mentioned above), Rachel and Libby.


We had fun at the half of the concert that happend... Martina McBride has a beautiful voice and I loved listening to her at the concert. George came out and sang one song then told everyone he was going to reschedule for the next weekend. :( Thankfully, my parents were willing to watch the boys again this coming weekend and we get to go again, although, we won't be spending quite as much money or "living it up" quite like we did this past weekend.

Counting Down

A radio station in Wichita is having what I would deem a "King George Day" tomorrow. They are playing his 85 top 10 hits all day long. I'm planning on listening via the internet as much as possible tomorrow. Only one week until the concert in Kansas City!

If you were wondering... I've bolded my favorites below...

HERE'S THE LIST OF THE KING'S 85 TOP 10 HITS TO DATE:1) "Unwound" (1981)
2) "If You're Thinking You Want A Stranger" (1982)
3) "Fool Hearted Memory" (1982)
4) "Marina Del Rey: (1982)
5) "Amarillo By Morning" (1983)
6) "A Fire I Can't Put Out" (1983)
7) "You Look So Good In Love" (1983)
8) "Right Or Wrong" (1984)
9) "Let's Fall To Pieces Together" (1984)
10) "Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind" (1984)
11) "The Cowboy Rides Away" (1985)
12) "The Fireman" (1985)
13) "The Chair" (1985)
14) "You're Something Special To Me" (1986)
15) "Nobody In His Right Mind Would've Left Her" (1986)
16) "It Ain't Cool To Be Crazy About You" (1986)
17) "Ocean Front Property" (1987)
18) "All My Ex's Live In Texas" (1987)
19) "Am I Blue" (1987)
20) "Famous Last Words Of A Fool" (1988)
21) "Baby Blue" (1988)
22) "If You Ain't Lovin'" (1988)
23) "Baby's Gotten Good At Goodbye" (1989)
24) "What's Going On In Your World" (1989)
25) "Ace In The Hole" (1989)
26) "Overnight Success" (1989)
27) "Love Without End, Amen" (1990)
28) "Drinking Champagne" (1990)
29) "I've Come To Expect It From You" (1990)
30) "If I Know Me" (1991)
31) "You Know Me Better Than That" (1991)
32) "The Chill Of An Early Fall" (1991)
33) "Gone As A Girl Can Get" (1992)
34) "So Much Like My Dad" (1992) I would double bold this one if I could!
35) "I Cross My Heart" (1992)
36) "Heartland" (1993)
37) "When Did You Stop Loving Me" (1993)
38) "Easy Come, Easy Go" (1993)
39) "I'd Like To Have That One Back" (1993)
40) "Lovebug" (1994)
41) "The Man In Love With You" (1994)
42) "The Big One" (1994)
43) "You Can't Make A Heart Love Somebody" (1994)
44) "Adalida" (1995)
45) "Lead On" (1995)
46) "Check Yes Or No" (1995)
47) "I Know She Still Loves Me" (1995)
48) "Blue Clear Sky" (1996)
49) "Carried Away" (1996)
50) "I Can Still Make Cheyenne" (1996)
51) "One Night At A Time" (1997)
52) "Carrying Your Love With Me" (1997)
53) "Today My World Slipped Away" (1997)
54) "Round About Way" (1997)
55) "I Just Want To Dance With You" (1998)
56) "True" (1998)
57) "We Really Shouldn't Be Doing This" (1998)
58) "Meanwhile" (1999)
59) "Write This Down" (1999)
60) "What Do You Say To That" (1999)
61) "The Best Day" (2000)
62) "Go On" (2000)
63) "If You Can Do Anything Else" (2001)
64) "Run" (2001)
65) "Living And Living Well" (2002)
66) "She'll Leave You With A Smile" (2002)
67) "Cowboys Like Us" (2003)
68) "Desperately" (2004)69) "Hey, Good Lookin' (with Jimmy Buffett & Friends)" (2004)
70) "I Hate Everything" (2004)71) "You'll Be There" (2005)
72) "She Let Herself Go" (2005)
73) "Give It Away" (2006)
74) "It Just Comes Natural" (2006)
75) "Wrapped" (2007)
76) "How 'Bout Them Cowgirls" (2007)
77) "Shiftwork (with Kenny Chesney)" (2007)
78) "I Saw God Today" (2008)
79) "Troubadour" (2008)80) "River Of Love" (2008)
81) "Living For The Night" (2009)
82) "I Gotta Get To You" (2010)
83) "The Breath You Take" (2010)84) "Here For A Good Time" (2011)
85) "Love's Gonna Make It Alright" (2012)


Read more: http://www.kzsn.com/cc-common/mainheadlines3.html?feed=107458&article=9745344#ixzz1maQ02M3N

Jeremy and I have seen King George a few times in our past... We saw him in Memphis w/Ronnie Milsap and Taylor Swift (whom I was SUPER impressed the whole time and kept telling Jeremy... "She's younger than us!")

In Memphis on Beale Street

We saw him in K.C.the same year and in Oklahmoa City the next year and in Wichata a few years back... which I blogged about here.

In Oklahoma City

We love King George and can't wait to see him again next weekend!

My McDonalds Story

I told this story to some of the girls last night at dance. I had forgotten about this... It's highly embarrassing but I've never been above sharing embarassing or shameful stories about myself.

Let's first preface this with... 1. I have a quick temper. Sometimes it will come out about a very insignificant issue. 2. I can be tender hearted, and the LAST thing I ever want to do is hurt someone's feelings.

In college, I ate a McDonald's often. By often I mean about once a week. I was going through the drive thru to get my usual (quarter pounder w/cheese and no onions, fries, and a dr. pepper) and realized I had a "to go" cup that had leaked out the bottom in my console. *Side note - if this has ever happened to you.... it is VERY annoying!* When I got up to the window to pay and get my food I asked the lady there if she could throw my cup away. She said no she couldn't and that they had a policy about throwing away things for customers. Well, this is where the shameful part comes in... I argued with her for a minute and got so upset that I said something along the lines of, "If you can't throw away my cup, I'm not interested in buying food from you" and proceeded to throw my cup down on the ground outside my car and drive off - without paying or getting my food.

I drove about two blocks and felt considerable remorse. In all honesty, I felt like a horrible person... all I could think was what if that girl had a bad day and was on edge anyway and something like this sent her over? So...

I turned my car around and went through the drive through again. At the drive through ordering spot, I told the girl I was sorry and I realized it wasn't her fault that she was unable to throw my cup away... even as I'm typing this I realize how ridculous I had been. I apologized and told her I there was no way it was appropriate for me to yell at her.

I think about that day every once in a while and regret being such a bitch. BUT... I have learned a very valuable lesson about keeping my temper in check and that I never want to work in retail because I'm sure I'm not the only person that has become unreasonable for no good reason.

BTW - Part 2 coming soon. :)

Lately

I'm not so hot at updating this blog with what we do on the weekends and for fun during the week so...

The weekend of January 14th, Jeremy and I drove to Little Rock, Arkansas to buy a fishing boat he had his eye on. We left our house Friday at 6:00 and got to Little Rock at 2:00 am with only one stop to get gas and a very romantic dinner at Sonic. We met the boat guy at 8:00 the next morning and were headed home at 9:00, with no boat. You heard correctly, no boat. It just didn't look as nice as the pictures and story the guy told Jeremy didn't match up with the condition that we thought it should be. So we are still looking... For my sanity and Jeremy's happiness - I hope he finds one soon!

The next weekend we got to go on a trip to the Ameristar Casino with Jeremy's work. They had a goal they needed to meet for 2011, and when they met that goal Lexinet promised to charter a bus to the casino. It was a fun night. Not only did they charter a bus to the casino, they provided beer on the bus, gave each employee and their spouse $100 when they got off the bus and bought drinks/dinner while there. Jeremy pocketed his $100 but I lost all but $25 on roulette. :(

Jeremy and I at the casino

Me and Maggie on the bus

I'm not sure if the boys are dancing or just trying to not get their picture taken...

This past weekend we just hung out around the house on Saturday and then went over to some friend's house for the Superbowl. I was SUPER cranky on Saturday and pouted around the house most of the day... but something good came from it and it made me e-mail Molly and Rachel to make a date. Hopefully we'll be able to get together in the next few weeks.

Sunday went to the Superbowl party at Maggie, Lucas, and Parker's. They just added on to a house they purchased in Council Grove and it looked SO NICE! We had a fun time letting the kids play and just enjoying each other's company. We got to see some friends we don't see often enough and I found a bottle of wine I enjoy.



It wasn't very expensive and it was really yummy!

 I've decided that I enjoy red wines that are a little dry more than the white sweet ones... so that's what I'm going with now - maybe I'll try to branch out again in a few months!

I also took some pictures of the boys on Saturday morning for our Valentine's Day cards... which are likely going to be late! Needless to say... none of these are "the one" and not making the card. Hopefully we can get a good picture this weekend.

Headlock #1

Dill sucking his toe... :)

Pretty sure Dave is pinching Dill's cheek... not punching him!



Headlock #2



We have big plans for this weekend of going to a boat show in Topeka... Woo hoo! My dad is having a knee replacement on Monday... keep him in your prayers!

As promised... Part 1

In November, I posted many of the things/people/etc that I am thankful for. One of those posts was about Leilani/Mike/Miranda/Laken. I promised that I would share my story about being adopted and finding (and having a relationship with) my birth parents. It's a long story and I'll do my best to break it up so it doesn't get TOO long.

As a child, I always knew I was adopted. My parents told me for as long as I could remember. They read me this book growing up.

It's a funny cartoon book that shows parents getting kids out of a pop machine and explains that they adopted you (the child reading the book) because they couldn't have their own.

They also had a beautiful saying on the wall of our hallway.

Not flesh of my flesh

Nor bone of my bone

But still miraculously

My own

Never forget

For a single minute

You didn't grow under my heart

But in it.

I always knew my parents loved me and that they were my true parents. They always told me that my birth parents loved me so much, that they gave me to them. And its true.

As I started to get older, my mom started telling me the little things she knew about my birth parents. My mom told me most of the details she knew, mostly because I guess that's the kind of conversation I had with her and not my dad back then. It just never came up with my dad. But I'm fairly certain that my dad always knew what my mom had shared with me - in case I came asking...

I remember clearly being in the car when I was in middle school. I think I was in 6th grade. My mom started sharing some details of my adoption with me. She told me the lawyer that handled my adoption case from my parents side was from Council Grove. The lawyer that handled my birth parents side was from Kansas City but the brother of one of my dad's friends. Apparently, that's how the connection was even made. Side note, my mom sent a gift (flowers, card, or something) to both lawyers every year near my birthday to thank them for helping my parents get me. Is that not the sweetest? Back to the car ride... I can't remember exactly the details that came out but I do remember finding out that my parents had met my birth father before they left the hospital. He had been reluctant to go through with the adoption and wanted to meet my parents before he gave the final "okay." My parents used fake names when meeting him for safety's sake. My parents also had transferred vehicles several times after they left the hospital as the lawyer wanted to take extra precautions that they were not being followed. How funny is that!

A strange coincidence, I had this doll growing up that I loved. She was like my security blanket. Her name was "Cold Baby" because she was plastic and would get cold in the middle of the night. I still have her, and other than my children, husband & dog, would be the first thing I would grab if we had a fire and I wanted to save something. The strangeness of Cold Baby was that my birth mom's mother, Carol, had sent her, along with another stuffed animal, through our lawyers to me for my first birthday. I didn't know that until I was in middle or high school... but it always made her more special to me.

My parents had always told me that I could try to find out who my birth parents were when I graduated from high school. Legally, you can search for your biological parents at the age of 18, but I turned 18 at the beginning of my senior year, and they didn't want me to spend my senior year searching, and possibly disappointed with what I found.

The only other things I can remember talking about when I was little was just my parents reminding me over and over that I was their daughter and they think of me as much "theirs" as my brother, Troy, who's their biological child. They told me my birth parents wanted me but wanted to give me to a family that could give me what they couldn't. My mom did tell me when I was in high school that she thought my birth father's name was Devin and that both he and my birth mother were from the Kansas City area. I can remember looking into faces of people we'd see when we were shopping in Kansas City and wondering if they could be my birth parents. Little did I know, how close to them we actually were.

Part two to come soon!