White Trash Bunco Night!

Well folks, it just ain't gonna get any better than this! This past week was our monthly Bunco night and somehow we have decided that Bunco isn't enough and now these special nights, just got a lot more specialerer with "themed" nights. Our lovely hostess, Auna themed her night "White Trash" and boy did it turn out to be one trashy night. I was so pumped that everyone went all out and it made for an incredibly fun night.
Here's a close up of my attire... I'm gonna leave it up to your imagination what my shirt says, because I do try to keep this blog PG. Let's just say it rhymes with Camel Towing... oh wait... shoot! This shirt can be yours if you just find a sweatshirt to chop up into a very unflattering cut, surf the net looking for just the right graphic, and finally print on iron-on transfer paper... and

Voila! You've just made yourself a very w.t. shirt in a very w.t. way. I think it was a hit...

...but even better.... Look what I won!
for making this...
All it took 3 boxes of chocolate pudding, a package of oreos (minus the creamy filling) , and a package of bubblegum cigarettes.

This trashy dish came in a very close second though.
Taco in a bag!
Have you heard of it? Take some chili, pour it into your bag of chips, top with lettuce, cheese, and ranch dressing. Eat right out of the bag. Doesn't get more w.t. than this. Boy were they tasty though.

I was so excited to come home and display my new china. I think it looks perfect there.
I could have ended the night right there and been totally happy, but it just got better. I WON! After tying with my friend, Lindsay, for Most Buncos, we had a bunc-off and I became the winner of a duct tape wallet complete with a $35 gift card to the restaurant, Donny Mac's Trailer Park Cuisine. Yes it is actually a restaurant! It is this little restaurant in down-town Boise that I have heard is delicious. Can't wait to go try it out!

I really feel so lucky to have met such fun women up here! Thanks, ladies, for such a fun evening. I'm sure there are many more to come!

Mission....Accomplished!

Over three months of hard work and dedication finally paid off last Saturday. The big race day finally arrived! My sweet friend Emily and I ran our first half marathon...in 90 degree heat! It was so hard...much harder than I had mentally prepared myself for, but we did it! We even made it in under two hours and thirty minutes which was our goal. We are looking forward to running another one on July 12th.

This is Emily who I like to refer to as "the glass half full to my glass half empty". She is a little ray of sunshine and I have had so much fun running with her the past few months. I couldn't have asked for a better partner and friend. We ran the entire race together and I had the best time.
Amber and Cathy also ran on Saturday. They ran the 10K and both did great. Amber decided at 6:45 the night before the race that she wanted to run it. We raced down to sign her up. I was so impressed because the most she had ran before the race was 4 miles. She ran the entire 10K which is over 6 miles! It was so fun to share this day with these women and a few others that happened to run a lot faster than us and didn't make it into the pics.

I think I have caught the running bug and plan on doing many more races in the years to come, but nothing will ever compare to the very first!

A Shout Out to All You Mothers....

I have finally made it to motherhood, if you're not counting the puppies. When, Josh asked me last night how this Mother's Day felt, being a mother for the first time, it made me realize that I am one lucky mom. I looked down at a sleeping Ava nestled in my arms, and couldn't help to feel overwhelmingly blessed for the opportunity I have to be a mother, her mother. I love that little girl so much, she has brought so much joy into my life and a greater love into my life than I could have ever imagined, and can't wait to fill my home with more children, and more love. (Oh, maybe I can wait a little while longer.)

Mother's Day has always held a different meaning up until this year. Usually, I spend the day thinking about the mother's in my life, which I continue to do this year too. First of all, I have a really great mom, who is a really great grandma, too! Lately, I talk to her nearly every day, which has helped so much with her living so far away. Thanks mom for being such a great mom and being a source of constant support in my life. I can always count on you for a shoulder to lean on, or complain too, and of course always a really good laugh. Can't wait to get together in a month or so for a whole week!!!!!

And then there is this sweet mom, I inherited upon marrying Josh. My sweet mother-in-law Bobbie, or as I have recently started referring to her as, Grandma Barbie (a story for another day). This women is one of the most loving, gentle, relaxing women I have ever met. She brings a sense of calm into every room she enters. I so miss living close to her and seeing her more often than we have. I miss walking into her cozy home and hearing relaxing music playing in the background. This woman gives the most amazing massages I have ever had and to this day I would still prefer one from her over a "professional". They are always so much better because she gives them with love. Bobbie, we sure do miss you and hope to plan a trip to St. George to visit this summer. To all the moms in my life, moms, grandmas, aunts, sisters, sisters-in-law, cousins, friends, Happy Mother's Day. Each one of you has influenced me in preparing me to become a mother. Thank you for your examples and your love. Being a mother has been the best experience ever. I hope you all have a great day~

She's Done it Again....

She's turned another month older!

I swear I was just making her 9 month page and now she is already 10!

I love this little girl so much. She just makes my day so much fun. She is really finding her personality and can be so silly with all the faces she pulls and she is always laughing.

We had her evaluation done on Monday to see if she qualifies for physical and occupational therapy through the Infant and Toddler Program here in Idaho. Sure enough she more than qualified and we will begin weekly therapy sessions within the next week or so. The therapist said she has low muscle tone which means that physical activities are more work for her and she gets tired quicker than someone with normal muscle tone. This explains why she hasn't been hitting her milestones within the normal range.

We are very optimisitic that with a little therapy under her belt she will start to catch up to where she should be pretty quickly.

Luckily, this doesn't make her any less cute because, dang, I can't get enough of this sweet little nugget.

Happy 10th months, Ava!

P.S. I doubt we are going to Red Robin tonight to celebrate because our trip last weekend was a little bit more of a splurge than we were thinking considering that gas is so outrageous right now! Darnit!

My Summer Vacation...by Lindsie McDaniel

We really don't have anything too exciting planned this summer in the way of vacation, so hitting up Northern Utah last weekend was quite a treat.

Thursday we headed down to Lehi to stay with my sister, Kelcie, and her husband, Kevin, and their sweet puppy Loucie. We stayed in their beautiful new home that was so comfortable. That night we met my older brother, Derek, in SLC at The Pie for some delicious pizza and great conversation. Thanks so much for letting us stay. We had a great time and can't wait to come back in a couple of months.

This picture was not from last weekend, thank goodness, the weather was actually really nice.

The next morning we headed up to Odgen to spend the rest of the weekend with Josh's brother and his wife, Jason and Callie. On the way up we stopped at the new love of my life, IKEA. It was everything I had heard it would be and so much more. There was this delicious rumor going around (courtesy of my bff/fifth cousin Lindsy) that at the end of the experience, after checking out, a little snack shack waited in the midst where you could purchase a warm and tasty cinnamon roll for only $1, and I mean $1. You hand them the dollar they hand you a slice of baked good heaven, no tax, no nothin'. I was not disappointed, the cinnamon roll was delish! We even got a six pack-to-go for the weekend ahead.

But, the trip only continued to get better. Upon arriving in Ogden we headed straight to "The Most Magical Place on Earth"

How did I ever convince myself, in less than two years of living in Boise, that Costa Vida even compared to Cafe Rio. (Please, please, please, someone with lots of money come open a Cafe Rio in Boise, I promise to personally give you enough business for it to be worth it.) I was quickly brought back down to earth as I devoured the most delicious chicken salad ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was heaven, and to top it off with a diet dr. pepper and a spicy cinnamon mint. How could life get better?

Oh, I know.....

Having it again for lunch the next day! Same thing, just as good.

We had a great weekend with Jason and Callie. I was able to take off for a couple of hours by myself to hit up Tai Pan. It was so much fun to just wander around for a couple of hours without a care in the world. I brought home a few little goodies.

Overall, it was a great weekend, and it just continued to get better once we got home. Only minutes after arriving home we were invited by our great friends/neighbors, the Burhley's over for a delicious Sunday meal. The weather has been beautiful, we have been having fun get-togethers with friends. It has made it so much fun and so easy to come home to our regular lives.