HOLA! Mexico!

Mexico was unbelievably fantastic. We ate, we drank, we spent time with family, we drank, we swam, we took photos, we drank.

There aren't even words for how amazing it was. So I will show you

I'm using today as a day to start over.

A year ago today, I realized just how dangerous my husband's job is. I learned exactly what can happen in one day, and how brutal our lives have the ability to be. He learned what its like to lose a friend, and to be in fear for one of your own.

Six months before that, his brother almost died, from something his dad almost died from too.

Ten months later, my baby brother did die.

I will never, ever again say something like "this year has to be better than the last, right?" Never. But, I can hope for better, hope for more, hope for happiness, hope for peace.

Maybe ?

I'm trying to set up my Blog so I can post mobile updates.
Not sure if it works or not!!

lazy sunday

Today was our first day of less than 80° weather YAY!

I never ever EVER thought that I would be happy about a day where it was 65° and raining but it was GREAT! We needed the rain so badly, and we went out to breakfast and then came home and were lazy all day. We didn't do laundry, we didn't vacuum, we didn't organize. I made cupcakes, thats about as proactive as we got.

It was great !

training!

I'm going to run a 5k!

I'm not sure when yet, but we'll get to that. I'm doing the couch to 5k program, because I figure that will get me started without too much too fast so I want to quit. I feel good after today (day one!).

Its 3 days a week, 30ish minutes per day. The guide is on my ipod so I can do it wherever, whenever.

Well, not whenever. I was going to do it before work this morning and it was too dark :( so I had do do it after work at the gym on the treadmill. But that actually is good because it means I can regulate my speed and not tire myself out by trying to go too fast too soon.

We'll see how it goes!

So bad

It has been way too long since my last post!

We've been crazy busy, running back to Toledo, cleaning for an open house, trying to keep the house clean after the Open House (that one is actually going well!)

I did some crafts the other night:

I don't know if I will ever be brave enough to wear this outside, but maybe!


My fall wreath... you can't really tell unless the sun is shining on it, but EVERYTHING sparkles. LOL are you shocked?

cupcakes

I think baking has to be better than Prozac. I don't even usually eat them (besides licking the bowl) because its the making them part I like best. Keith says they're good though.


Zucchini cupcake with homemade cream cheese frosting. I think next time I will half the sugar in the frosting, it is VERY sweet.

I am so excited!!!! I almost have enough in my camera fund to buy my new baby:



I saved all my birthday money (Oh, gosh, what am I twelve??? Oh well, I don't care!), all my loose change, everything I could.
Now I have enough to buy it, just waiting on enough for the tripod. I might just buy the tripod anyway.

EEEEEK!!!! I can't wait. I plan on using this blog as a place to show off all my practice shots. SQUEE!

Keith did go to Cincy for the weekend for his friend Tyler's engagement party. I didn't want to post that until he was back, just because sometimes I'm a little too pre cautious. But he's back now, so I can write about it!

I didn't go because I just wasn't up to a seven hour car ride yet. Apparently he wasn't either, because he said it was too long of a drive. He's happy he went though. Tyler asked him to be a groomsman (yay!) so it looks like next May we are Cincinnati bound!

I spent the weekend cleaning, laying around being lazy, watching TV, and spending time with some good friends. I had a pretty decent weekend, although I should have taken Jill up on her offer for Hershey and I to stay the night on Friday because Hershey DID NOT sleep. She is very routine-bound, and when she saw her Daddy peace out with a suitcase and her Mama took her to a weird place, she was freaking out, even after we came back home.

Sorry no new photos lately, we haven't been out much. I will post the ones from Douglas Lake later today. <3

I'm ready now!

I know its been a long time. It feels like its been forever since I've posted anything. It really has been forever since I've posted anything.

Since the last time I made a real post we've been home, back to NC, back home, to the lake, back home, and back to NC again. And let me tell you, that is a lot of being in the car to do. We're not going back home again until Labor Day, and honestly, I'm kindof relieved. That is just so much driving, and it takes a lot out of you. Keith is thinking about going to Cincinnati for an engagement party, but I honestly just can't even think about being in a car for that long yet.

No kayaking since the lake, hopefully the next time we both have a weekend off we'll get out to do that.

We haven't been doing a whole lot, been homebodies. Although we did manage to watch all 6 Star Wars in 8 days. I think that is a pretty great accomplishment!

I know how long its been

I'm just not ready yet. I'm not ready to update yet. Hopefully soon.

sorry its been so long...

we've been being boring people!

Keith had to work Memorial Day weekend so we didn't make any plans. He got Monday off unexpectedly though, so we went kayaking.

The Dan River Company offers a shuttle to take you (and your kayak) upriver 6 or 13 miles and then you just go down back to your car. Its a pretty sweet deal -- no upriver kayaking (because you all KNOW I would whine about that!!)

Too bad for us about 1 1/2 miles into our 6 mile trip it started lightning and thundering... oops! Maybe the middle of the river wasn't the best place to be! So we kept on until we made it to a spot we could drag our boats out and wait out the rain. AND RAIN IT DID! Oh well, we were in our bathing suits anyway. I'm not a big fan of rain on my face but I dealt with it :)

Once the heavy rain stopped (LIKE TWENTY MINTES LATER!) we got back in the water and continued down stream. It never really stopped raining, but it was pretty fun anyway.

No photos though, camera can't take the rain!

5:30 is so early

I've begun working out before work. After work I am so tired, and if I just get up and do it in the morning, its better for me.

That said, I really should have done it on a week I wasn't scheduled to open-- at 7:45!! That means I need to be up out of bed at 5:30 to have shower and coffee and news time. Next week will be better, because I don't have to be to work until 8:45 so I can sleep in until 6:30.

Today, Keith got up when I hit the snooze (okay, the second time I hit the snooze) and made coffee, fed the cat, and turned on the lights to help me get up. He is awesome !!

busy day yesterday

So yesterday a branch in Virginia needed some people to cover so they could all go to a funeral (sad).

The worst part? No one from any of the nearby branches would go help them!! So I went, because really, if it were me I'd want someone to go. I drove an hour there and back to work for about five hours, but Karma made it up to me because I just got to go home for the day after I was done. I got home at 3 and just got to chill until my softball game (which we lost, of course).

Now today I don't go in until 1 o'clock, but I'm having lunch with a friend at 11:30 so I'd better get my chores done and get dressed.

a night alone...

I worked in the morning and Keith worked this afternoon and is working until late tonight... so I'm packing!!

I know its early, but I feel like I just want to get a move on things-- plus it looks better if certain things are packed away. So that is technically my project for tonight... although how much I will actually do is still to be seen.

I really want to go to the beach in a few weeks. I don't know how I lived so far away from the ocean for so much of my life. I love every thing about it. The vendors, the sun, the sand, the water, the sounds, I don't even hate the birds (that much).

So it looks like my actual project is going to be finding a beach to go to, lol.

Sadface

We are in the car on our way back to NC. This is my least favorite thing to do-- I would rather clean toilets.
I just hate sitting in the car for 8+ hours heading back to real life. I love getting back to my house and my stuff but its so hard to leave a place where (almost) everyone wants to see us and spend time with us and do stuff for us.
Maybe that's just my spoiled self talking, lol.
I do enjoy spending eight hours with my hubby-- we have a lot to talk about these days!

Here we come ...

tomorrow is the day we come home!!!!

I. Am. So. So. So. Excited!!!!!!

It has been four months since we have been home-- one of the longest stretches we've ever gone. I can't wait. See you soon!!!

!!!!

Its my favorite day of the YEAR!!!!!

I know its probably silly for me to still get excited about birthdays but I DO NOT CARE!

This is my favorite FAVORITE day of the year. It is the day I get up early and spend the whole day being happy and not doing anything I don't want to do. I'm going to wear a dress any new Hello Kitty headband (thanks Brinda!).

I LOVE THIS DAY ♥♥♥♥♥

being grown up

I know that I probably felt so grown up when we made the decision to move down here.

I'm sure I felt grown up when we got married.

I probably thought I felt grown up once we actually moved (but I'm also sure I really didn't act like it because I missed home so much)

And now I'm feeling it again, about to turn 25, my baby brother just turned 21 and can buy beer, making another huge life decision. What will happen? We don't know. When will it happen? Don't know that either. All we can do is pray for peace while we wait, and put our faith in God and in Sandy and hope that the end result is good.

I feel so pulled in different directions right now. I know what I want, and I know what Keith wants, and the big picture is the same. But I'm scared. You would think that we know what we're doing, we've done it before. But nothing is ever the same twice. If you follow a path, you don't know it has changed behind you. If you jump off that path, and then go back, its going to be different. Different plants, different footprints, just different.

<3

Things I love about my husband:

-he fills in as many squares in sudoku as I need and never rubs it in my face
-he tells Hershey how pretty she is
-he appreciates the Golden Girls as much as he should
-he uses the word pressie because he knows I love it.
-he buys a Foster's and splits it with me
-he loves me without makeup and in sweatpants
-he snuggles the cat sometimes
-he understands how big of a deal birthdays are to me and accepts it (and plays along)
-he never says anything when I come home with flowers or a plant for the kitchen
-he's okay with Hershey's pink collar and harness.
-he knows how much better it is to drive the Jeep than any other vehicle
-he hangs my kayak on the wall and his goes on sawhorses

Keith Lennex is a fine husband and I love him very much!

Busy busy busy

Got lots to do before we come home next week!! Laundry, packing, house cleaning.

Luckily I have three days off before we leave next Thursday!!!

I am sooooo excited to come home, we haven't been back since Christmas!!

Okay, enough with the exclamation points. There will be enough of those on Facebook.

oops!

The neighbor is mad at us because we parked the boo in front of her house.

Listen up, girlfriend.

1- You do not own the street. So suck it.
2- Yes, I understand if I park IN FRONT OF your mailbox when they are delivering mail you won't get yours. But I didn't, and you did.
3- AGAIN, YOU DO NOT OWN THE STREET.
4- It won't hurt you to walk the 15 or so feet to the end of your driveway to get the mail out of the box.

I don't do well with irrational people. If you ask me nicely, I will deal with you nicely, but I'm still not going to turn my life upside down. If I need to park in front of your house for an hour and a half, in the middle of the day, in the middle of the week, I AM GOING TO.

Look at that, the neighbor made my hearburn flare up. Now I'm angry.

Madhouse!!

Keith worked the races at Bowman Gray last night... Normally no big deal except apparently Madhouse on the History channel is a bigger deal than we thought!

He said that there were so many people there, even before the race started (which is unusual) and even though it was going to rain (not unusual-these fans are nuts!).

They did an announcement trying to figure out who came from farthest away-- the couple who came from Oregon won. Oregon!!! If Keith tried to get me to go to the west coast for a car race I think I... I really don't know what I'd do besides laugh at him!

Haven't posted in a few days...

Not too much to say!!

Softball this week was in the rain, but make up games are at nine thirty so I think I'd rather play in the rain! We still haven't won any games but we came close last night (9-10).

We're starting to get some rain which is good because its getting some of the pollen out of the air.

I will post photos of the flowers I planted soon--they're starting to get fuller and grow taller. But maybe I'll wait until the clematis blooms. We'll see!

Slow weekend...

Nothing really to say. No projects, no accomplishments.

I am COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS until we come home (19). This is one of the longest stretches we've gone without coming home. Luckily we'll be home for three whole days, so we'll have time to do all the things we want and time to visit all the people we need to see.

I am so excited to come home and see Baby Bella, to see our family and friends, and to escape the POLLEN! You wouldn't believe how crazy the pollen is here. I noticed the other day that there was dust on the computer screen, which is weird because I've been really good about dusting. And then I realized it was GREEN! The pollen is in the HOUSE!!!! Its so thick on the car you can write in it, and Keith rinsed both vehicles off yesterday. Gross.

We still need as many prayers about the house as possible, so keep them coming, and also PLEASE remember to vote for our friend Daniel in the America's Most Wanted All Star contest. Its so easy, you don't have to sign up for anything, and it literally takes less than 1 minute.

Not a lot to say today...

The Summer of No Pants

I have decided to forgo pants for the next few months. I am using the word "summer" loosely, because this is really an April-October thing. Reasons for this include:

-I hate pants
-I love skirts/dresses.
-I am rad.
-I like to do weird random things and announce them to everyone (and sometimes give them titles).

The summer of no pants (as with most projects I do) also has a little leeway. For example, sweatpants, of course, never count. And weekends count sometimes. And Douglas Lake doesn't count because really? Its cold up there.

Okay, off to make spaghetti.

Its Thursday!

... and I got nothing.

Took me two nights of Icy Hot, Advil, and sleeping pills but I think I have saved my legs! I don't know what I pulled but it hurt like a mother, thats for sure. But, all better now!

Maybe we'll take Hershey to the dog park this weekend. She hasn't been in forever!!

Oh, we got noticed all right

We got noticed into a 20-0 mercy in the third inning.

I only made it up to bat one time, and I pulled something in my legs. I can barely walk.

Ouchie.

because our team is made of misfits and we didn't get shirts...

...I made shirts for me and my super friend Jilly!



Yes, I used puffy paint, and YES I used 80s neon colors. I want us to be NOTICED!

No Reason Long Weekend

I have tomorrow off and am very excited!

Our kayaking plans got put on hold today, so instead we went to Lowe's and bought a bunch of flowers to plant in the front yard. I'm going to spend my extra day off pulling weeds and making the lawn beeeeeautiful (I hope). Its been really hard waiting this long to plant flowers, because its been so nice, but we usually have a last freeze. I think we're past that now so its a flower free for all.

I, of course, picked out all pink flowers. My poor husband, how does he deal with me?

I'll post pictures tomorrow, along with pictures of the softball T-Shirts I plan on making tonight. Unless they look like crap, then I won't.

big weekend plans

I have a lot of plans for us for the weekend, which are:

-KAYAKING!!!! Keith has been once this year but not me yet
-landscaping. I think we are past thee last frost, thank goodness. I need color in my lawn!
-house cleaning, of course. Its the weekend. That just comes with the package.
-creating bangin' t shirts for jilly and myself to wear to softball games.
-painting. I'm itching to do a new one. I'm inspired by pink tulips.

Thank goodness I gave myself a for no reason three day weekend.

Keith looooooves my cupcakes-- he's already had three.

Keith looooooves my cupcakes-- he's already had three.

baking=happy!

I made devil's food cupcakes with strawberry frosting and an oreo on top. What could be better? THE ANSWER IS NOTHING.

Or maybe if they were shaped like shoes.

Or maybe if they had diamonds. But thats it.

Softball!!!

I joined a co-ed softball team at work... Wasn't sure if it was such a great idea once we started practicing. I haven't played softball since the fifth grade (and I wasn't that good then).

I played catcher and did pretty good if I do day so myself. I caught a tipped ball, made BFFs with the ump (sorry Kelly), and hit three for three with two base hits. I would have made a run if someone else hadn't gotten out.

We got whomped- like a billion to five. But it was still really fun. I can't wait for next Tuesday!!

PS Keith is the worlds best cheerleader even though he spent half the game on his phone. Serves me right, when he played I would read in the stands.