happy hump day

... it's Wednesday people! You know what that means - it's almost the weekend!! Plus. it's Halloween!

This week seems to be going pretty fast. Not at all how I expected it. I had such a fun weekend with friends that are oh so awesome. On Friday night, we went to see Corey Smith - I loved it. The place was not packed - not even the slightest bit packed. Which meant plenty of room for dancing! And also the ability to be right up front. I - of course - drank my fair share. I think I forget that I am not 18 - not that I drank at 18... ya right - or 21 anymore. I just DO NOT recover like I used to. So, Saturday was a little more rough than planned. However, I was quite productive. Alex and I have been needing to clean out our laundry/storage room for some time now. It was fullllll of junk and empty boxes. So, I took the plunge and cleared the way for a lot of our wedding gifts that have been sitting in the basement - the ones not used on a daily basis. Obviously, this was way overdue since we got married in May! Oops. But hey - it got done. I love going through old things sometimes. I found all my old pictures from high school and the beginning years of college. It brings back good memories. Everyone needs to reminisce a little sometimes - just to remember where we came from - and how far we have come!

Anyway - Saturday night was rough at first. An old college room mate of mine asked me to go to the Carrie Underwood concert with her. I wasn't sure I was going to make it when I woke up on Saturday morning! But, I did. And I am sooooo happy I did. Not only was it great to catch up with an old friend, but we had awesome seats!! When we got there, we were in total surprise. Neither of us knew they were THAT close. We were dead center stage, 7 rows back. I have never been this close at a major concert before! Uhhh - scratch that - one other time, when my BFF and I were at Kenny Chesney we got pit seats! Those were pretty awesome too. I got hit in the head with Pat Green's drummer's drum stick. I thought I was cool. :) Back to Carrie - Hunter Hayes opened for her. I must say - he puts on a good little show himself. He was very good live. I hate when I see someone live and their voice is scratchy and off beat. Drives me nuts. He was good though. Now Carrie - she was AMAZING. Her voice is just breathtaking. That girl can wail! Her show was so much fun as well. She definitely puts on a good show. I recommend going if you can.

Carrie and I have an odd relationship. Jesus, Take the Wheel gets me every time. I cried at the concert - as I do most other times I hear this song. It touches my heart so much and brings me back to a certain point in my life. It just reminds me to be so incredibly thankful to be on this earth and live each day. God works in miraculous ways. Sometimes, we just all need a little reminder. This song - and these pictures - do it for me.

I was in a bad accident after slipping on black ice one winter while driving home to Arizona for Christmas. Thankfully, I wasn't hurt. But, sadly, I did lose my dog Piper.

Now for the goods... :)

Carrie blowing it up!

I've never seen an artist wave so much at a concert! Erin told me to wave at her while she was going over our heads. So - I did. And she waved back. :)

Erin and I before Carrie came on!

Hunter Hayes came out and sang with Carrie. It was great!

That's all for now! Have a safe night everyone!!

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS

Well.. this post is very delayed - so sue me.

This past Sunday was my birthday - and I am old. One year older, one year wiser, and one year happier. Here I was thinking this was going to be a low key birthday. Boy, was I wrong! And lucky :)

LAST weekend - the one before my actual birthday weekend - a great childhood friend came in town to visit me. We had a blast. It is true what they say - no matter time or distance,  true friendships never end and you can pick up right where you left off. She had a rough road getting into town with the storms in the midwest. Her first leg was delayed, which meant she might not make her connection in Denver. We got lucky! The plane leaving Denver had to wait on it's crew coming in from another delayed flight! So, we were in business. We spent Friday chatting and catching up at the house over some wine and margs. Perfection. Saturday was SUPPOSED to be beautiful weather, but instead - it rained. Booo. Oh well. We ate at Picasso's in the Delano district - if you haven't had it, go. The pizza is delicious. And HUGE! Then, we drove her around Wichita to show her the "sights." She was amazed at how much bigger Wichita is than she thought - like most everyone else. It's the biggest city in Kansas people! Thanks to Kansas City being divided into 2 states that is. :)

Saturday night we headed out to Mike's Wine dive for some dinner and drinks before the night out. I wasn't too impressed with the place. The Sangria was pretty good, and the bruschetta, but the hummus and pita were not too impressive. We shared a burger, which wasn't anything special for the money we paid - but nothing to complain about I suppose. What was I impressed with Saturday night, you ask? Ernie Biggs Piano bar! It was a blast. I have been to several larger dueling piano bars in the past, so I wasn't expecting too much from this one. They proved me wrong. The little lady on stage was quite the spit fire. We danced with friends, drank a lot, and had a ball! My awesome friends even paid for me to dance on stage for my birthday. Love you girls!

Sunday morning was a little rough. Until I talked the hubby into making breakfast - biscuits and gravy, taters and bacon. Yuuummm. After lounging around for far too long with a friend in town, we decided to get moving and get around town again. We ended up stopping at Emerson Biggins to watch the Chiefs game - for the hubs - and got "stuck" there alllllll day. Put a bloody mary in front of this girl and everything is A-OK. Lost track of time, and were almost late to birthday dinner at the in-laws. Oops. We went bowling after dinner, which I love! It's been tooooo long since we went bowling. I missed it. Monday, I played hooky from work, and Kristin and I spent the day shopping - I spent too much - Shocker. Then, I sent her off Tuesday morning and had to get back into "real" life. Boooo.

Having fun at Ernie Biggs!

The Mirror at Ernie Biggs. People pay to have things written on it! Dylan had them write this.. those are his parents' names. Awesome!

The hubs thought he was an artist at the bowling alley :)

Last Thursday, my boss and co-workers threw me an office birthday party. They are awesome. Carlos O'Kelly's Chips, queso and salsa with Margaritas :) I was a happy girl.

Friday night after work I came home to a surprise birthday gift from the Hubs - a Keurig. Heaven. He spoils me soooo much. I love coffee. Especially with how busy I have been lately. I need a lot of it! Then, he took me to dinner, and we enjoyed some drinks and fun together - my favorite kind of fun... with the hubs. THEN, he surprised me by telling me I needed to pack a bag cuz we were leaving early in the morning for Oklahoma City to see a bestie, Katie Jo! Man, this husband of mine is good. He definitely earned himself some bonus points :)

So, Saturday we headed southbound 35 to OKC. We spent the day with Katie eating an awesome lunch at an upscale sports bar called Republic. If you want to know where to get a good burger - go there! It was oh-so-good. I ate the crap out of it. It had a pickle relish on it with an egg and a pretzel bun - are you drooling yet? My kind of burger. I also had a pretty good Amber beer there that is brewed at a solar power brewery in California - go me for going green. I tried their Bloody Mary because it is made with - wait for it - BACON flavored Vodka. I was told a few weeks ago that this is the best way to make them, but I have NEVER seen bacon flavored vodka at the liquor store - or anywhere else for that matter. So, I was pretty excited about it. I will say, it was pretty yummy - I just wish the overall Bloody was made a little better. ---Hey Kim, if you are reading this, can you buy some bacon flavored vodka and make me a Bloody Mary with it???? - Kim - my sister - makes the best bloody mary's I have ever had. Too bad she lives so far away - or else she would be my personal bartender on Sundays in the fall. :) After lunch, we headed down to Norman to tailgate for the Oklahoma versus Kansas football game. These people sure know how to tailgate. It was enjoyable. I miss having that experience. We left around half time, went and got some food and called it an early night - I'm so old, I know. Sunday - my actual birthday - was low key and amazing. The husband made me Jalapeno popper Chicken - recipe I found on Pinterest. It was pretty darn tasty. We also returned home to flowers from my parents. Sunflowers - my favorite! :)

My "green" beer. It was very good!

Had to "borrow" beer after a while... I laughed because Katie didn't know what 'Old Style' was.

Tailgating and playing beer darts.

Right by the stadium.

And to top off October - best month ever - I get to see Corey Smith tomorrow night at The Cotillion with the hubs and some friends. I am super pumped. If you don't know who he is, look him up. He's probably best described as 'red dirt country' but he plays a lot of upbeat acoustic. THEN, my friend Erin has an extra ticket to Carrie Underwood and Hunter Hayes on Saturday! So - I am one lucky, and spoiled girl this month.

Thanks all for the amazing birthday love!

day trip

Well, yesterday was an adventure. A very long and fun adventure.

We took a day trip to Kansas City for the Chiefs game. My friend Christin picked me up at 4:55 AM, and we packed up our junk and headed to the fire station to get our hubbies. Then, it was time to hit the road to KC. I don't know if it is because they upped the speed limit, or that we were going to the close side of KC, but the trip seemed to be pretty short. I think we got out of the Fire Station at about 5:45, hopped straight on the turn pike and made it to the stadium about 8 AM - with only 2 stops on the way up!

I must say, parking at the stadium is just plain silly. They force you to park ON TOP of all the other cars and have parking nazis who go around and yell at people trying to set up for a good time - geeez. Anyway, we got all parked, made some Bloody Marys, drank some beer and waited for our friends to show up with the grill! Ate some brats and had a good time!

This was my first time at Arrowhead Stadium. I must say, it is pretty nice. Even the "cheap seats" up on the 3rd level give a pretty good view of the game. I felt like I could see the whole field very clearly. We sat in the "VIP" section - as we liked to call it - because we got the hook up with tickets - thanks Cara and John! The whole 2nd level was indoor with big bars and lounge areas. It was carpeted and warm. There are doors that you walk out to go to your covered seats. It was a great view! All in all - I enjoyed myself.

After the game, we were beat. So, we headed out, stopped for dinner at Jose Pepper's and then hit the road back to good ol' Ta Town. I slept like a baby last night - it was awesome.

Here are a few pics from our day!

Ready to tailgate!

I bought us some Chiefs cups.

Some hard core Chiefs fans.

Watching people come in from the "VIP" area. :)

View from our seats.

That's all folks! Happy Monday.

f.r.i.d.a.y.

... finally.

Friday and I have an odd relationship lately. I am ALWAYS late for work. My body thinks it is Saturday, and will NOT get up and get moving - not that that is much different than most other work days. But, still it is different. My weeks are exhausting lately. I don't know how some people do it - working 2 jobs, being a single parent, balance kids and work and school or the many other activities and events - kudos to them. By the time Friday rolls around, I am beat. I didn't think working and going to school full time were going to take this much out of me, but it definitely has. I am constantly on the go. Weekends SHOULD be study time, but most of the time I can't bring myself to open a book. Ohhh weeeelllll... gotta tough it out! Only 9 more weeks until finals! :)

Anyway - enough whining. Let's get down to business here... it's FRIDAY! woooo hooooooo. I <3 weekends. Even though Saturday will be spent studying - i am meeting a classmate, so i have to do it. But, Sunday morning we are going to KC for the Chiefs game! I am pretty excited. It has been a long time since I was at a football game - too long. I know what you are thinking... Chiefs? Really? Ha. Yes, they suck. No, I am not a Chiefs fan - but I did buy a $12 boys jersey from Marshalls for the game - gotta rep - I hate going to sports games and being "that" girl who looks like she doesn't belong. Plus, jerseys are oh-so comfyyyy. :) It's just going to be a fun time tailgating with friends, and spending some free time with the hubs. Just relaxing and enjoying ourselves. I feel like we barely see each other anymore. He works a lot - gone every 3rd day at the station - and has his side job for week days off. He is a busy man. And I am at work and school all the dang time - plus study groups and group project meetings on weekends. Tangent - why do teachers insist on group projects??? EVERY one of my classes has one! Do they not realize the time it takes for us to meet up to do these things? I can understand BIG projects - like senior design or things - but not the itty bitty things like reviewing an article and making a powerpoint. wtf. Anyway - back on point... It's October 5th, and it's already too cold for me. I guess I need to go shopping for some of these things sooner rather than later! Will I ever get used to this cold? My body hates it. I need my warm and sunny weather.

Speaking of - isn't it funny how you always want what you don't have? I swear I remember growing up in the Arizona heat saying, "no I would rather be cold because you can cover up." What was I thinking? I would endure the heat year round if I had my choice. I like to be outside. That doesn't happen much in the winter in Kansas. If I need a snow fix, I will travel north or to Colorado and go snowboarding! Maybe one day I will get it figured out.

That's all for now. Have a great weekend y'all!

Cheers!

oddly fascinating

I had a lab today at Via Christi, and it was AWESOME. One of my teachers is a research engineer in orthopedics at St. Francis Hospital. He takes us to the hospital and has a Doctor dissect an amputated leg in front of us. It is a full hands on lab - and I love it. I got to cut apart a knee and calf all in an hours time! We have had this lab before in another one of my classes, but this time it was even better because the Resident helping us was VERY imformative. There was a smaller group of students this time around too - which meant we were right up on the business - and we got to feel each and every part of the leg, including the ACL, miniscus, bone marrow, nerves, arteries.. you name it, we saw and touched it. Also - we tore the crap out of it.

I have decided that this is what I want to do. No - not be a surgeon. My hands are NOT steady and light enough for that! I want to work in orthopedics, orthopedics research and development
 -  to be involved in this area and have access to real hands on testing. Orthopedics have always been intriguing because they relate so closely to sports injuries, but this pretty much sealed the deal. The Doctor explained and showed the process of an ACL replacement surgery. I never actually understood how that worked until this morning. It's amazing. And the materials and components of a total knee are amazing. There is so much room for growth in bone and ligament repair. Not particularly the areas I mentioned. But I think more along the innovations and forward movement of elbows, running feet, limbs, prosthesis which allow mobility and athletics. Now, let's just hope I can make this happen.

wish list..

...it's never-ending.

I swear, as soon as I buy things I want oh-so-bad, I want more. It's a never ending cycle.

Right now, I am CRAVING a few much needed things. I just need to find them much cheaper than the few I have found. If there are similar cheaper things out there that I have found, they just don't "hit the spot" to fill my exact desire. Why does that ALWAYS happen???

Here are just a few...

1. Emerald corduroy pants 2. Long Fur vest. Pleather leggings. high tops. (Even though Alex told me he wouldn't be seen with me if I wore a fur vest - I tried to buy one at Marshall's and he said no.) 3. Leather palmed gloves with finger tip and thumb tip flips - although I would prefer them to be longer on the arms than these!

1. Black cowboy boots 2. full fringe boots (top choice of finds) 3. Brown/tan lace up military boots 4. Striped 3/4 tops with colored laces

1. Lightweight loose off white sweaters (or colored too!) 2. Sequined colored and patterned mini - you never know when you will need to go fancy 3. Knit chunky scarves 4. Collared lace 3/4 sleeve shirt. High-waisted with open top skirt - I love this.

Like I said.. the list is endless! I need to make more money :)

I have seen a few of these - like cowboy boots - on websites on sale - such as Ruelala - but I just can't bring myself to spend the money yet. I just found a pair of black military lace up boots - that are oh-so cute - online - and only $60 - so I think I might go snatch those up after work at the mall -let's hope they have them in stores! - sorry Alex :) I hate sweaters - i sweat too much - but loose knit and crochet ones are perfect! Just hard to find ones I love! I am also on the hunt for new black leather boots. Mine are getting worn out, but I want some different than what I have because mine still have a season or two left in them. This way I can alternate!

If you find any of these things, please feel free to purchase them for me! - my birthday is coming up ;) - or just send me a note to let me know where!

Happy Hump day! :)

Dominican Republic

Well.. I have obviously been MIA for a while on these Blog posts. But - I am back and ready to play catch up.

It seems that every second of my days has been full since we returned from our AMAZING vacation. Work, school, work, school, homework - blah. Not fun.

So, let's recap, shall we?

The Dominican Republic - or the "DR" as we call it - was beautiful, fun, relaxing, and eventful! We spent our days drinking, soaking up the sun, and enjoying friends and a beautiful beach and atmosphere. We definitely brought back a lot of memories. But, we also "lost" a few memories as well. Good thing we had friends there to remind us of some of the things we - meaning Alex - did. We probably drank more than we needed to, but hey- it was vacation! And an ALL INCLUSIVE one at that. So, let's just say we got our moneys worth. This was the first true "vacation" I have been on out of the country. I want to go back, and to MANY other places now. It's amazing to see the difference in life styles and living. Granted, Alex and I never truly left the resort, but we did drive through town on the way to the Booze Cruise Party Boat. It was a whole new world - literally. From the way they drive - crazy - to the "car lots" and shopping. It was just different. But the water was Gorgeous. The sand was perfect, and the atmosphere was peaceful. Chris and Rae's wedding was surreal and perfect. It was an amazing trip, and I can't wait to go somewhere else like this! 

The whole DR crew at Chris and Rae's wedding!

Resort activity board.

Alex and Nick catching the only fish of our deep sea fishing adventure / throw up on a boat adventure.

Before the wedding at the resort.

The "fishermen" and their fish.

Alex's friends.

My favorite Palm Tree.

Dinner at the Japanese Restaurant.

RaeAnn and Chris saying "I DO."

Booze Cruise Party Boat... Beautiful water!

Dance Party in the Discoteca by ourselves.

My love at the wedding.

Until next time-- Cheers!