"" drink... to all that we have lost. mistakes we have made... everything will change.....""

doing: at the church working for the day
feeling: tired... i almost fell asleep at lunch! that could have been bad!
listening to: VH1 online radio. my Pandora ran out of free time... yeah don't get me started on that. so i have to wait until tomorrow for my "free 40 hours" to start over!

i'm working really hard to get myself organized and "in the know" for this Youth Minister job. its really hard!! i keep looking at all these emails about events, all the paperwork, the schedules, the payments, ect, ect, and it boggles my brain as to how one single person can coordinate all this stuff!! i know its harder for me because i came into it when things are already happening around me. NCYC(National Catholic Youth Conference) is a big event in KC in November. well the first meeting was held in January. so i'm just taking over this planning with only the "im' a chaperons" knowledge. so again, i'm trying to get myself organized and stuff, but its almost too much.
there are lots of people around me that are helping with things! but its the fact that they've been doing it for a year or more and they know that this paper needs to be signed by this weekend and mailed in.... but they remind me about it on monday of that week.
i feel like i'm scrambling around for things, and i'm so afraid to miss something!
the smaller stuff i'm okay with, the KickOff party which is just grilling and games i'm good with! its the big stuff like the Youth Rally and NCYC that have me freaked out!!
i'll be fine, i know. i just need to get super organized (yes, i hear you all laughing cause that's NOT me)!

i'll get it together! i got some planners for this year and next to have on me at all times! i'm going to get some colored tabbys so i can start this color coding of things! i have to get a headstart on that because once Ethan starts school and sports and things i'm going to be lost!


in other news. i love this weather! if Fall was here forever i'd be happy happy happy!!

we did family pictures last night at Stalzer's studio. Kenzie and John were awesome! adn with 3 little ones i'm sure they-mostly Kenz-were exhausted afterwards!! but the kids ended up being really good! even after Ethan's meltdown, BEFORE the pictures even started! i'm so excited to see them! like, i wanted to go to work today and work on them!! i know everyone else in the world has to wait for theirs...so i'm not getting too out of hand. its just worse for me because i know they are on a card sitting on my desk just waiting!! yup, i'll be doing that in the morning!! haha!

i need to get some more work done. bad part about this laptop(at the church) is that i can't print from it. thats really what i need to do is print a few things. i might have to go find someone with a printer!!

have a good week! i might go home soon and take a nap... just so i can keep functioning!

" i will write you a song,....."

"that's how you'll know that my love is still strong.."

good morning! yes, a morning blog. i'm up and feeling unmotivated to get ready for work. partly because we have NOTHING on the schedule for today-how nice! and partly because i'm keeping a close eye on my sorta sickly baby boy. he's been a bit iffy since wednesday morning. he actually got sick last night, but soon after that he was running laps in the house..... ssoo i'm not THAT worried. but he didn't eat anything except chocolate milk (apparently) yesterday. so hes got some yogurt and juice that i'm making sure he eats slowly!

so tomorrow. tomorrow is my 6 year anniversary to my wonderful husband! 6 years! that means we've been out of high school.... well... i dont need to figure up that. ugh, i feel old! but at the same time i feel like a little kid still! we've been through so much in the last 6 years and yet it seems like we should be just starting out. its odd because hes not the same guy i fell in love with way back in our Sophmore year. hes totally different, but yet the same. hes grown up so much and changed so much. but sometimes hes just that carefree high school boy that just doesnt give a crap! i fell in love with him for so many reasons-but i keep loving him for all sorts of new ones! it seems like every day theres something else that i'm thankful for about him! he always seems to be there for me just when i need him, and also there to piss me off when i really really don't need him to! hes my knight in shining armor, my shoulder to lean on and my best friend to sit and watch the stars with!

our relationship has developed into something new and comfortable. sometimes too comfortable.... but something thats nice to come home to.

to make our relationship even better we have the light of our lives in the center of it. Ethan is the best thing thats ever happened to us! hes sweet, funny, smart, naughty, innocent and playful! he's 100% boy! he's Daddy's best playmate and Mommy's snuggle bug!
we've been talking for awhile about trying again for another baby. it will make our little family perfect and complete! its the image i've had in my head since the moment i knew Matt was the one for me! 2 kids to love and watch grow, Matt and Me! perfect at every angle for me!


(so, it's been a few days,... but better late than never right!?)

Matthew sent me flowers on Friday at work! yellow lilies! i love lilies!! in the card it said, "I love you, Meet me at Kalderas at 5:45" (Kalderas is a new place in Pella!) i think it was because of my relentless badgering that he did this, but i DO love suprises and i DO love the sweetness of flowers at work and dinner for just the two of us! it was perfect!! we had a wonderful meal and then came back to Kville for ice cream! oh... and stopped for diapers in between.... walmart is romantic right?? anyways, it was a perfect way to celebrate 6 years!

""r'memer all that stuff i taught you yesterday.....""

doing: nothing at all....
listening to: Friends on tv
feeling: uneasy.

its sunday. the sunday after our towns little venture that is known as Nationals. it was SUPPOSED to be the day us Knoxvillians got to relax, sadly, the races got rained out last night so they are running the B and A mains tonight at 7. this means that not everyone has vacated our town. some people are sticking around for the races tonight. not too bad i guess. that just means that the people with stands set up had one more day to opt to stay open.

we did a good job at celebrating the last night of Natty's last night in our garage. i didn't get to bed until close to 1 and am regretting it now. it was an interesting night with my friends to say the least. we've hung out alot over the years, but we've never actually gotten on each others nerves the way we did last night. again... interesting. however-when i got mad and yelled (i might have yelled alot last night..) they all seemed to just stop and collect themselves. makes me feel good because it just reaffermed the fact that they really do respect me enough to listen when i say "shut up or go home!!"
they all chose to shut up and we finished the night on a good note! we had fun!


i've been trying really hard to get a few bucks to go on a bit of a shopping spree for myself lately. i put my time in by 1. cleaning out my closet and drawers... and shoes (*tear*), to show Matt that i actually DO need some new clothes. and 2. getting a second job. a second job that will, in another month or so, take up most of the rest of my spare time and demand probably more than i can handle. however-i do have faith that i can do it and that i will have enough help around me to keep me level headed. anyhow-shopping. i really do think that i deserve--DESERVE--to shop a little for myself! i've been patient in waiting until matt would tell me that we do actually have a couple hundered extra so that i could partake in this adventure... but he hasnt yet. so i've started hounding him about it. he's not happy but i think he really does want to give it to me. (matthew, if you do read this, i'm going to keep hounding you... so stop making that face whenever i mention it and just let me go for cryinoutloud!!!!) ((LOVE YOU))

today i wanted to run to Target and see if i could find a few things, but i was lazy-then i really wanted to go-then i didnt really want to go alone.... then i was lazy again. so i changed back into my jammies and have been sitting on the couch for most of the day! oh well! i also tried to online shop, but its just not the same!


yesterday Jeff and i hung some wallpaper at the studio.... hanging wallpaper SUCKS! especially since we picked a design with a bunch of circles on it that obviously has to be lined up exactly! we ended up doing a pretty darn good job and it looks great!!! i'm excited to have our actual sign up so our "reception wall" will be complete!! its taken a long time, but we're finally getting the studio close to being finished!! open house coming soon!

Little E just woke up so were going to take a little walk!

permanent vacation....

we made it home! i didn't want to leave, not even a little bit! i'm positive that Colorado is the place that i was supposed to live... i can't get enough of it! i would never get tired of seeing the mountains every single day! i certainly wouldn't miss the humidity of Iowa.... i guess i wouldn't like the snow(i hate winter with a firey passion).

however, i dont live there and pry never will... so vacationing there is what i'll take for now! i have tons of stories from our trip, but for now pictures is all i'm posting!
Enjoy my little piece of heaven!

no humidity and an hour behind.

doing: relaxing. thats what vacation is for!
feeling: super tired! i'm going to bed asap!
watching: Cartoon Network.... apparently my kid requested to watch Batman, so thats what his uncles found on tv for him!!

this is day 2 of our vacation! we're having a good time-aside from the fact that my 3 year old has been basically grouchy the entire time.

we left around 8 on Thursday night and drove through the night. Ethan slept almost the entire way. he woke up once in Nebraska and freaked out-i dont think he was really sure where he was. then we got out to stretch our leggys later.. in Nebraska. that state is basically endless.... so he got some good sleeping in! he didn't wake up fully until we were in Denver. I slept for an hour or two on the drive. then matt made me switch and drive into Denver.

we got in about 7(CO time). stopped for breakfast and then went to Mike and Ruth (dad's brother) house. we woke them up! OPS! i got about an hours nap in on the couch before people started poking at me! we got ready and headed off to a water park in Lake Wood. Its called Pirates Cove! its basically just a bigger scaled aquatic center. it had a big play area for kiddos, a diving well/pool, a lazy river and 3 bigger slides. it was fun! we were there about 2 hours before Ethan started to get crabby. so we grabbed some lunch and headed downtown to the hotel!

we're staying right in the heart of downtown(i'll have to post pictures later) its been fun! everyone went to a Cubs vs. Rockies game Friday night while Ben and I (the cultured ones) headed off to the Denver Art Museum. Ben and i then walked around downtown for awhile. we hit up the 16th street mall, which is sort of comparable to the Chicago --what is is--Maricle Mile or whatever. its just got lots of shops over the span of like 20 blocks! we stopped at Rock Bottom Brewery and had a beer. GOOD beer too! we each got one of their bews and they were great!

today we met our family in random spots of the hotel. we all seem to have the same plan, walk around, we're a lively group! so we headed out to 16th street again and did just that! Matt and Elissa's wedding was at 3:30 so we packed ourselves up and headed off to that. it was in a little chapel that overlooked the mountains! it was very nice! the ceremony was 18 minutes-Mom timed it-and then we were headed back off to downtown Denver (to our hotel) where the reception is! we had good food and a few drinks, i got matt to dance with me..... once. and now its almost midnight and i'm ready for bed!

tomorrow is another adventure! i'm going to make matt get up early with me and do some more pictures in downtown Denver. there are some great buildings that i'd like to shoot! and i feel the least silly walking around with matt. he actually points things out to me and really enjoys himself! then were headed to fill another day!!

nighty night!!