So last weekend was my 10 year high school reunion. It doesn't seem like I should be this old yet it seems like another lifetime ago that I walked down the halls of Sumner Academy of Arts and Science. I loved high school. I cherished the moments because I knew that it was a special time in life and before long we would be adults in the real world. Call me nerdy, but I loved learning. I wanted to do my absolute best.
I would get to school early so I could either study a little more for a test or to socialize with my friends before classes began. While I had my "go to" group of friends, I was truly friends with pretty much everyone in my class. There isn't a single person I can remember who I disliked.
I was involved in activities that pushed me to be a more well-rounded person. I ran track and cross-country, was in debate and choir, earned a spot in the NHS 10th-12th grade and was an officer my Senior year.
There are days that I wish I could go back to the simplicity of life that was high school. Don't get me wrong, I love my life now; it's just a little sad to think that those days will never come around again.
So needless to say, I was happy to hang out with my former peers. Friday afternoon I drove up to KC and met the gang at a lounge in the Power and Light District. My favorite high school teacher and his wife were there. He taught history, but it wasn't just a lecture. He brought artifacts, showed pictures and really made the stories come alive. We ate appetizers while catching up.
Afterward, the group walked down to the Lucky Strike bowling alley. I am a terrible bowler, but I was in good company! The next afternoon there was a family lunch at a community center followed by the main event that night. The reunion committee rented out a nightclub from 8pm-11pm. We ate dinner, drank a special "blue Sabre" drink, and jammed to some old school music. It was nice to see everyone dressed up and having a good time. I rode with a girl I had known since kindergarten. A little after 11pm, we decided to go back to her apartment and we talked for a few hours. The next morning I skipped out on the breakfast because that afternoon I was heading to church camp to be the nurse (I will dedicate a post to that experience!)
Isn't it amazing how 10 years can bring about such dramatic life changes? I am married, graduated with my Bachelor's in Nursing, have 3 kiddos. It's kind of scary to think about the changes the next 10 years will bring!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Dinner Time Prayer
Malachi: "Thank you Jesus for a good day. Please help Daddy study harder and study faster. Thank you for healing our sins. Amen."
*James has been studying all weekend for his final in his grad level genetics*
*James has been studying all weekend for his final in his grad level genetics*
Friday, July 29, 2011
Playing Catch-Up
I'm SO sorry that I have neglected my blog! I was (and still am) having issues with uploading pictures and I wanted to have the pics to go along with the stories. But, I am just going to proceed without them and once the problems have been resolved, then I'll have a post full of the pictures.
Towards the end of June, the kiddos and I spent a few days up in KC with Grammie and Papa. We had water-gun fights, a trip to the Dollar Tree where the kiddos had $5 to pick out anything they wanted. The boys bought swords, helmets, and shields. Samara bought a headband with fake hair, a Barbie doll, a necklace/bracelet set, a tutu, and a baseball bat with a ball. They were thrilled with their purchases!
A few days later Matt (James' older brother) had us up for a trip to the Topeka Zoo. His work hosted a night there and he wanted the kiddos to enjoy the event. Before we went, though, he surprised the kiddos with a trip to the movie theater to see Cars 2. It was Samara's first experience at the movies! During part of the movie, all 3 of them were nestled close to Uncle Matt...it looked like he was being smothered. We all enjoyed ourselves at the Zoo. They were so excited to see the animals and the boys went down the inflatable slides there. We ended the night by stopping by Kristen and Nick's house for s'mores (a wee bit hot for a fire, but it was still yummy.)
For the 4th of July, we enjoyed a quiet celebration. I planned a yummy menu of grilled hamburgers, homemade potato salad, watermelon, black-bottom cupcakes, and chocolate strawberry pie. For fun, we played in a kiddie pool that I bought for them. On the evening of the 4th, we went to a friend's house. They live close to the lake where there's spectacular firework display. There were several "ooh's and aah's" over the pretty colors in the sky. Close to the end, Samara needed to go potty. There was no close bathrooms and it was too far to walk back to the friend's house. So she had her first experience of squatting in a field. At first, she was freaked out by it, but the need to go was too great so she did the deed and went on to enjoy the rest of the night.
The next weekend, Cousin Sofia celebrated her 3rd birthday up in KC. It was a Princess Tea Party theme. Following the party, we stayed the night at my aunt and uncle's house. It had been a long time since I got to hang out with them and my 13 year old cousin. On Sunday, we went swimming in their Mickey Mouse shaped pool. At first, they were hesitant to get in the water, but it was such a hot day, they soon were enjoying the cool water.
The next day started VBS at our church. It was at night so we had some late bedtimes that week! James and I were both crew leaders for a group of kids (I had 1st-2nd graders and he had 2nd-3rd graders). This was Isaiah's first year of being able to be in a VBS group; he went back and forth on whether he liked it, but ended up enjoying it. We love how it's a family event and not just a place where we drop the kids off and then pick them up when it's over.
After VBS ended that Friday night, we drove up to James' hometown because the next day Matt was in a BBQ competition in Hays. We got there around 1:30am and were so exhausted. At the competition, the kiddos had fun playing with squirt bottles filled with water. They would ask everyone if they wanted to have water on their legs/arms. Matt did great; he took 4th overall! Once we got back to my in-laws, my mother-in-law and I took the kiddos to their new community swimming pool. They had a slide in the shape of a fish that all 3 of them could slide down on. Malachi was tall enough that he could go down the big slide. He did it one time, but didn't want to do it again because it was scary. We stayed there for a few hours and had a blast.
The kiddos stayed the next week with Grandma and Grandpa Dinkel while I went back home. James had a college roommate and his wife needing a place to sleep that Sunday night because they were moving from Washington back to the Dallas area. We all stayed up until 3am talking and catching up. They are a fun couple so we enjoyed having them.
A week without kiddos...it's nice at first, but I really missed those little dears. I actually had a pretty busy week. Well, it was a different kind of busy! I had lunch a few days with some friends and then I went to a local Goodwill store to find some deals for back to school clothes for Malachi.
Speaking of school, last Friday I enrolled Malachi in Kindergarten. Say what?!? Seriously??? YES, I am now a mother of a Kindergartener. Tear. He is not excited about school because he is scared to learn how to read. I keep trying to encourage him, but I think after the first day, he will see how fun school is.
After enrolling him, I drove up to KC for my <clears throat> 10 year high school reunion. Oh. My. Goodness. How on earth am I that old??? Tomorrow I plan on posting about that weekend.
Hope I remembered everything that happened in the past month...as you can see, it's been insanely busy, but fun =)
Towards the end of June, the kiddos and I spent a few days up in KC with Grammie and Papa. We had water-gun fights, a trip to the Dollar Tree where the kiddos had $5 to pick out anything they wanted. The boys bought swords, helmets, and shields. Samara bought a headband with fake hair, a Barbie doll, a necklace/bracelet set, a tutu, and a baseball bat with a ball. They were thrilled with their purchases!
A few days later Matt (James' older brother) had us up for a trip to the Topeka Zoo. His work hosted a night there and he wanted the kiddos to enjoy the event. Before we went, though, he surprised the kiddos with a trip to the movie theater to see Cars 2. It was Samara's first experience at the movies! During part of the movie, all 3 of them were nestled close to Uncle Matt...it looked like he was being smothered. We all enjoyed ourselves at the Zoo. They were so excited to see the animals and the boys went down the inflatable slides there. We ended the night by stopping by Kristen and Nick's house for s'mores (a wee bit hot for a fire, but it was still yummy.)
For the 4th of July, we enjoyed a quiet celebration. I planned a yummy menu of grilled hamburgers, homemade potato salad, watermelon, black-bottom cupcakes, and chocolate strawberry pie. For fun, we played in a kiddie pool that I bought for them. On the evening of the 4th, we went to a friend's house. They live close to the lake where there's spectacular firework display. There were several "ooh's and aah's" over the pretty colors in the sky. Close to the end, Samara needed to go potty. There was no close bathrooms and it was too far to walk back to the friend's house. So she had her first experience of squatting in a field. At first, she was freaked out by it, but the need to go was too great so she did the deed and went on to enjoy the rest of the night.
The next weekend, Cousin Sofia celebrated her 3rd birthday up in KC. It was a Princess Tea Party theme. Following the party, we stayed the night at my aunt and uncle's house. It had been a long time since I got to hang out with them and my 13 year old cousin. On Sunday, we went swimming in their Mickey Mouse shaped pool. At first, they were hesitant to get in the water, but it was such a hot day, they soon were enjoying the cool water.
The next day started VBS at our church. It was at night so we had some late bedtimes that week! James and I were both crew leaders for a group of kids (I had 1st-2nd graders and he had 2nd-3rd graders). This was Isaiah's first year of being able to be in a VBS group; he went back and forth on whether he liked it, but ended up enjoying it. We love how it's a family event and not just a place where we drop the kids off and then pick them up when it's over.
After VBS ended that Friday night, we drove up to James' hometown because the next day Matt was in a BBQ competition in Hays. We got there around 1:30am and were so exhausted. At the competition, the kiddos had fun playing with squirt bottles filled with water. They would ask everyone if they wanted to have water on their legs/arms. Matt did great; he took 4th overall! Once we got back to my in-laws, my mother-in-law and I took the kiddos to their new community swimming pool. They had a slide in the shape of a fish that all 3 of them could slide down on. Malachi was tall enough that he could go down the big slide. He did it one time, but didn't want to do it again because it was scary. We stayed there for a few hours and had a blast.
The kiddos stayed the next week with Grandma and Grandpa Dinkel while I went back home. James had a college roommate and his wife needing a place to sleep that Sunday night because they were moving from Washington back to the Dallas area. We all stayed up until 3am talking and catching up. They are a fun couple so we enjoyed having them.
A week without kiddos...it's nice at first, but I really missed those little dears. I actually had a pretty busy week. Well, it was a different kind of busy! I had lunch a few days with some friends and then I went to a local Goodwill store to find some deals for back to school clothes for Malachi.
Speaking of school, last Friday I enrolled Malachi in Kindergarten. Say what?!? Seriously??? YES, I am now a mother of a Kindergartener. Tear. He is not excited about school because he is scared to learn how to read. I keep trying to encourage him, but I think after the first day, he will see how fun school is.
After enrolling him, I drove up to KC for my <clears throat> 10 year high school reunion. Oh. My. Goodness. How on earth am I that old??? Tomorrow I plan on posting about that weekend.
Hope I remembered everything that happened in the past month...as you can see, it's been insanely busy, but fun =)
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Happy 8th Anniversary
My, my, I AM an old married woman. Today James and I celebrate 8 crazy years of marriage. Where has the time gone?!? For those of you who don't know our story, I'll give a brief synopsis.
James went to Sterling College along with my sister. A month after they graduated, he and a mutual friend of my sister were attending a wedding in KC. They needed a place to crash so they stayed at my parents' house. I had just finished my freshmen year at Baker University and was a little excited when my dad called my cell phone to tell me that 2 college guys were going to stay at our house. I thought that MAYBE they would be cute. At the time, I was working a full-time and a part-time job while taking a college Microbiology class at night. Needless to say, I was BUSY. I had to be at work at 5am that Saturday morning so I quietly got ready and then peeked in the living room to see what these guys looked like (they fell asleep with the lights on). I noticed James right away...well, mostly just heard him right away. His snore was OBNOXIOUSLY loud. Once I got past the noise, I tried to see what he looked like. But I couldn't get a good look because he was covered with dark hair. At the time, he had crazy, unruly hair on his head, a go-tee, a white undershirt with hair popping out and hairy arms. I honestly couldn't tell what he looked like underneath all that hair. And so I went off to work.
I only worked 1/2 a day so I came home around the time he was waking up. We easily fell into conversation that lasted until he left for the wedding. When he returned, we continued to talk and talk and talk. Long story short, we quickly realized that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together and so a year from the day when we first met was our wedding day.
We have definitely filled the last 8 years with fun, fights, laughter ... many, many memories. Here are some of the highlights:
*Traveled to Russia for Spring Break 2004
*Bought our first home (a major fixer upper) Dec 2004
*I graduated with my BSN and passed nursing boards May 2005
*Welcomed Malachi into the world January 2006
*Welcomed Isaiah into the world January 2007
*Traveled to NYC to celebrate our 5 year anniversary June 2008
*Welcomed Samara into the world September 2008
*James went to school full-time while working full-time. I worked full-time and
took care of the kiddos September 2009-May 2010.
*Celebrated James leaving his 20's with a trip to Estes Park July 2010
*I became a stay at home mom September 2010
*Finished the fixer-upper house May 2011
*James continues to apply to med schools
*(and somewhere in there, James developed a huge bald spot on the back of his head so he now shaves all of his hair off...of course, he blames me for that!)
While our life together has been hectic, we continue to love and learn about each other. Happy Anniversary, Jamesy-Wamesy...Love ya!!!
James went to Sterling College along with my sister. A month after they graduated, he and a mutual friend of my sister were attending a wedding in KC. They needed a place to crash so they stayed at my parents' house. I had just finished my freshmen year at Baker University and was a little excited when my dad called my cell phone to tell me that 2 college guys were going to stay at our house. I thought that MAYBE they would be cute. At the time, I was working a full-time and a part-time job while taking a college Microbiology class at night. Needless to say, I was BUSY. I had to be at work at 5am that Saturday morning so I quietly got ready and then peeked in the living room to see what these guys looked like (they fell asleep with the lights on). I noticed James right away...well, mostly just heard him right away. His snore was OBNOXIOUSLY loud. Once I got past the noise, I tried to see what he looked like. But I couldn't get a good look because he was covered with dark hair. At the time, he had crazy, unruly hair on his head, a go-tee, a white undershirt with hair popping out and hairy arms. I honestly couldn't tell what he looked like underneath all that hair. And so I went off to work.
I only worked 1/2 a day so I came home around the time he was waking up. We easily fell into conversation that lasted until he left for the wedding. When he returned, we continued to talk and talk and talk. Long story short, we quickly realized that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together and so a year from the day when we first met was our wedding day.
We have definitely filled the last 8 years with fun, fights, laughter ... many, many memories. Here are some of the highlights:
*Traveled to Russia for Spring Break 2004
*Bought our first home (a major fixer upper) Dec 2004
*I graduated with my BSN and passed nursing boards May 2005
*Welcomed Malachi into the world January 2006
*Welcomed Isaiah into the world January 2007
*Traveled to NYC to celebrate our 5 year anniversary June 2008
*Welcomed Samara into the world September 2008
*James went to school full-time while working full-time. I worked full-time and
took care of the kiddos September 2009-May 2010.
*Celebrated James leaving his 20's with a trip to Estes Park July 2010
*I became a stay at home mom September 2010
*Finished the fixer-upper house May 2011
*James continues to apply to med schools
*(and somewhere in there, James developed a huge bald spot on the back of his head so he now shaves all of his hair off...of course, he blames me for that!)
While our life together has been hectic, we continue to love and learn about each other. Happy Anniversary, Jamesy-Wamesy...Love ya!!!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Playing "Pretend"
The normal conversation Samara has while playing "pretend" with her doll house (while using pirates, horses, and Buzz Lightyear instead of dolls)
Guy #1: "Hi, I a bad guy. What's your name?"
Guy #2: "I a good guy and I need to go potty. You help me?"
Guy #1: "I put you in jail!"
Guy#2: "NO, not put me in jail."
Buzz: "To efinity and beyond!!!" (while scooping up Guy #2 and saving him from
the jail)
Guy #1: "Hi, I a bad guy. What's your name?"
Guy #2: "I a good guy and I need to go potty. You help me?"
Guy #1: "I put you in jail!"
Guy#2: "NO, not put me in jail."
Buzz: "To efinity and beyond!!!" (while scooping up Guy #2 and saving him from
the jail)
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Happy Father's Day!
What an honor it is to be a parent. God hand-picked these little ones especially for us. What a privilege and sometimes an overwhelming task of raising these young ones so they can grow up and become who God created them to be.
I was richly blessed with an amazing set of parents. They always did what they could to support my dreams. I remember being Daddy's little "sunshine girl". I followed him wherever he would let me. He was a wonderful provider for our family and spent his evenings playing with his girls.
James is a wonderful dad, as well. When he gets home from work, he will tickle, wrestle, and chase the kiddos. He understands the needs of boys and so he will nicely let me know if I am being too strict because I simply don't understand the necessity of daily rough-housing. If I've had a rough day with them, he will take them outside or watch them while I escape for a little while.
So, on this day, as we celebrate Dad's, I leave you this song...
I was richly blessed with an amazing set of parents. They always did what they could to support my dreams. I remember being Daddy's little "sunshine girl". I followed him wherever he would let me. He was a wonderful provider for our family and spent his evenings playing with his girls.
James is a wonderful dad, as well. When he gets home from work, he will tickle, wrestle, and chase the kiddos. He understands the needs of boys and so he will nicely let me know if I am being too strict because I simply don't understand the necessity of daily rough-housing. If I've had a rough day with them, he will take them outside or watch them while I escape for a little while.
So, on this day, as we celebrate Dad's, I leave you this song...
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Dream Living Room
I thought I would share my vision for how I would like to decorate our living room at our "unknown" new house. As with Samara's room, a lot will depend on the size and shape of the room, but in the perfect world, this is what it would be. I consider the "living room" as the room on the main level that is used for entertaining. It's not the place where the kiddos would lounge around and watch TV (they could lounge and read a book, though!) Ideally, it would have a fireplace, but I COULD survive if it didn't ;-)
Throughout the main living areas of the "new house", I want to paint it a neutral light/medium gray. I don't want it to be dark, but to be comfortable and homey. The living room would be painted this color, too.
My vision for this room is Modern, Minimal, with some Vintage Fun. I want it to be a place where anyone can come and just relax, but also a place with some character.
I would want to buy a new couch for this room. I like how this couch has the clean lines that I love and plenty of room for people to sit. I like the color, too.
These chairs are currently listed on Craigslist for $85 for both. If I knew how much room our "new house" had, I would swipe these suckers up. But, I have resolved that I will not buy until we have a contract on a new house. I am confident that I will find exactly what I am supposed to have at that time. ANYWAY, back to the idea:
While the orange definitely is Vintage, it's not exactly what I had in mind. I would reupholster these chairs in "Solid Wheat" color shown above. I love the golden color and the lines. Since a new couch and reupholstered chairs are costly, I want a neutral palate of furniture so that the room could be easily altered, if desired, by switching out accessories instead of big ticket items.
One of the accessories that I love is a mid-modern coffee table. The clean lines and simplicity of the piece is what attracts me the most to it. Although the natural wood is pretty, I want to incorporate color into the room and this piece would be perfect for that. I haven't quite decided what colors I would use. Of course, I love red, but lately, I've been really liking the vintage green as well. Oh well, I'll have time to decide and get opinions! So here is a coffee table that I love so you can get an idea of what I'm thinking:
Here is a picture of a side table that I like as well. I would paint it to match the coffee table.
These Vintage lamps would add an element of fun. I would use drum shades...possibly black ones.
For throw pillows/possible color schemes, I like these fabrics (I like the green or the red, not together, though!):
A round pillow like below is a must!
On the coffee table/side table/mantel/or possibly some floating shelves on the wall, I would want to incorporate a few pieces of depression glass in the appropriate color scheme. I like the design of this:
I hope you aren't on design/color/print overload. I know I threw a lot out there, but I can see it in my mind and it looks perfect!
Throughout the main living areas of the "new house", I want to paint it a neutral light/medium gray. I don't want it to be dark, but to be comfortable and homey. The living room would be painted this color, too.
My vision for this room is Modern, Minimal, with some Vintage Fun. I want it to be a place where anyone can come and just relax, but also a place with some character.
I would want to buy a new couch for this room. I like how this couch has the clean lines that I love and plenty of room for people to sit. I like the color, too.
These chairs are currently listed on Craigslist for $85 for both. If I knew how much room our "new house" had, I would swipe these suckers up. But, I have resolved that I will not buy until we have a contract on a new house. I am confident that I will find exactly what I am supposed to have at that time. ANYWAY, back to the idea:
While the orange definitely is Vintage, it's not exactly what I had in mind. I would reupholster these chairs in "Solid Wheat" color shown above. I love the golden color and the lines. Since a new couch and reupholstered chairs are costly, I want a neutral palate of furniture so that the room could be easily altered, if desired, by switching out accessories instead of big ticket items.
One of the accessories that I love is a mid-modern coffee table. The clean lines and simplicity of the piece is what attracts me the most to it. Although the natural wood is pretty, I want to incorporate color into the room and this piece would be perfect for that. I haven't quite decided what colors I would use. Of course, I love red, but lately, I've been really liking the vintage green as well. Oh well, I'll have time to decide and get opinions! So here is a coffee table that I love so you can get an idea of what I'm thinking:
These Vintage lamps would add an element of fun. I would use drum shades...possibly black ones.
For throw pillows/possible color schemes, I like these fabrics (I like the green or the red, not together, though!):
A round pillow like below is a must!
On the coffee table/side table/mantel/or possibly some floating shelves on the wall, I would want to incorporate a few pieces of depression glass in the appropriate color scheme. I like the design of this:
I hope you aren't on design/color/print overload. I know I threw a lot out there, but I can see it in my mind and it looks perfect!
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