She's Gone Country...

Most of you know, and maybe some of you don't believe, I grew up in the "country." Don't laugh. Not back-woods-toothless-barefootandpregnant-country. It was more like hospitality-repsectyourelders-okayyesdirtroads-country.

We had gravel roads to our house. It took me 20 minutes to get to school, and not because of traffic. Unless you count the combines. When you drive by, passing drivers wave. Really busy ones give you the finger. No, not that finger, the one finger wave. I remember asking my dad when I was younger, why he waved at everyone. You can pretty much assume he knows everyone, but what he said was very important. You never know when a stranger could be a friend, or if you were in some kind of trouble, if you are nice and respectful to people, they will help you.

As a teenager, I couldn't wait to get out of there. I wanted to be "free" from all of it. Everyone knowing your business, no where cool to shop, and I wanted to see what else was out there.

Even up until recently, if you asked me if I would ever move back, I would laugh and say no way. But today, today I miss it. I miss not having neighbors to worry about, leaving your doors unlocked, church with the same small group of people you've been praising God with your entire life. I miss the closeness and warmth that the "country" offers.

And sending Callie to kindergarten at a school that has SIX kindergarten classes? Don't even get me started. It seems too big, too impersonal, and I wish I could send her to a much smaller school. The school I attended was a K-12 school. I went to the same school my entire life, with pretty much the same group of 35 or so kids. Like brothers and sisters to me. I wish she could have that.

Who knows if I'd actually really be happy there. I might have been in the "city" life too long. Two minutes to Target, Hy-Vee up the street, no gravel roads, a million restaurants and shops.... I probably couldn't really do it. And my husband is soooo not a country boy. He wouldn't last a day in the field, or standing it cow poop fixing fences, and he's terrified of horses. Needless to say, I know living on a farm will never happen for us.  But thank God I still have home. Or what I call home. My dad's farm has everything that gives me a bit of comfort.

I Wanna Wake Up Where You Are....

Today is my Anniversary with my husband. We've been married for 7 years. But our story goes so, so much farther back than that. We started dating when I was only 16. Of course we had our break ups and high school drama. We met at Hy-Vee (shocker!) and have been together ever since. I remember seeing him in passing, but I didn't really know who he was until I had to do a catering event. And he was the guy who had to pick myself and a few other girls up afterwards. My first impression, I'm not gonna lie, is that he was a big dork. He had beer cans in the back of his truck, and a sticker that said "Girls Rule." Little did I know at the time, that was NOT his truck, but a friend's. Still. And then he started singing to the Backstreet Boys on the way back to the store. Needless to say, it wasn't love at first sight :)

It didn't take long, though, for us to be attracted to each other. His parents were out of town one weekend, sorry Rita and Jeff, and he had a little party. I went with a friend of his. I wouldn't call it a date, well, maybe it was a date. Okay so maybe I was on a date with one of his friends when we had our first kiss. I obviously wasn't too into the friend of his, and Craig made me laugh. A lot. And smile. When my "date" left, Craig asked me to stay a little bit later, and I did. We watched MTV (back when they played music videos) and just hung out, and had our very first kiss. I remember like it was yesterday.

We dated off and on for a while. Breaking up, then getting back together, it was hard to avoid one another when we worked together. Even when he was mad at me, or I was mad at him, it never lasted long. I couldn't walk by him without smiling, and he'd tell you the same.

Then, I graduated high school. I was dating Craig at the time of my graduation, and I let him know that I was moving. To Minnesota. Over six hours away. We tried the long distance thing, and it was hard. He would come visit me a lot on the weekends, but it wasn't enough. After 3 months, he dropped out of college and transferred stores to be with me. We moved in together in September of 2001. We were just babies, living on love, ramen noodles, and Supermarket Sweep.

After I finished school, we moved back to his hometown. He finished college and remained with Hy-Vee. We got engaged, got married, and moved to Omaha. Our wedding day was so much fun. I am so thankful for all of the family and friends that surrounded our day with love and support. The wedding was short and sweet, and the reception.... let's just say we spent more on beer than we did food. But everyone had a great time.

We now have a house, two kids, a fish, and a dog. Thirteen years later. Our idea of fun is playing basketball with Tanner, or listening to Callie read to us. We go to Target alone on our really crazy nights. And maybe even dinner. Our house is usually a little messy, very chaotic, and our laundry never seems to be done. But it's ours. Together.

Our big night was spent at Applebee's (Callie picked), with both of our kids. We usually go to some fancy restaraunt and order steak and wine, but this time we were at your neighborhood grill, ordering Mac-N-Cheese and applesauce. Instead of fancy plates, we ate out of little red baskets. And we had a blast.

All of this has been created in 7 years. I can't wait to see what the next 70 will bring.

Mom Prom 2012

You guys, I am so excited. Really.

I had really high hopes for this year's Mom Prom. If you don't know what that is, and you consider yourself a friend of mine, where the heck have you been? :)

I nearly tear up as I write that as of right now, we only have 39 tickets left. 39. Out of the 280 we are selling. (We also reserved some tickets for contests, giveaways, and certain sponsored tickets). This year's prom will have 300 women. 300 women who want to make a difference. 300 women who want to have fun, get dressed up, and take a night all to themselves. Which, let's be honest Mommies, doesn't happen nearly enough. 300 women strong. Last year we had about 150. I can't even imagine what we could do at NEXT year's prom. The Qwest (okay, I refuse to call it Centurylink Center, yet)? What venue could possibly hold the hopes that we have for the coming years??

This year's Mom Prom beneficiary is Ted E. Bear Hollow. If you aren't familiar with this amazing organization, they offer counseling services to children and families who have lost a loved one. Free. I honestly hope my children never have to set foot in that building, but if the tragedy ever happened, I thank God that they would have a place to go. A place where they won't feel different, or alone, or lost. A place where they can go and be with other kids their age who have gone through a similar situation, a place that will help them understand, a place where they can build themselves back up.

We did "The Morning Blend" this week. It was fun, but nerve-wracking. I have to thank my husband. He has been so amazing with me being gone a lot for different Prom related reasons. And even running my daycare for a few hours! I think the kids have more fun with him than me!! We sported our dresses, that we bought for $25 from Max I. Walker for the Ultra Chic Boutique going on this Saturday!!

Judy Daniell, Jessica Hudson, and myself

If you can't come to Mom Prom this year, you can still donate. Go to www.omahamomprom.com. Watch out for pictures of this year's Prom. It's going to be a night to remember!

A-maz-ing.

Ahhh. My vacation. I agonized over it, planned my time, my wardrobe, where the kids would be when and with who. I figured out who would take care of our dog, Lucy. I didn't make arrangements for the fish, but that darn fish just has will to live like I've never seen. I am pretty sure she gets fed once a month. I got paperwork ready, I made lists, I scrutinized for months before vacation. And then it was here. And then it was gone.

It was amazing. Craig and I had so much fun together. Not that we don't have fun together regularly, but this was a different kind of fun. The "wehavenostressinourlivesnodiaperstochangenomouthstofeedbutourown" type of fun. It was so relaxing. So nice to eat a meal with no interruptions, to really talk to each other about things like music, books, movies, and just get away from it all. To feel like we did before we had all of the stress and responsibilities. Did we miss the kids? Like crazy. I cried nearly every night. But I knew they were having a blast. One day when I called, they were swinging at the park, and Callie informed me that she "can't talk to you right now, Mommy. I'm on a swing and I need two hands for this." So I know that if she has to choose between the swing and me, the swing wins.

Our trip started in Ft. Lauderdale. We relaxed, shopped, and anxiously awaited boarding our cruise. We ran into one of Craig's co-workers on the flight. Small world, huh? Even smaller that they were then on our next flight and leaving for cruise as well. (Not the same as ours, though.)

We boarded the Carnival Miracle on Sunday. We were all so excited to get on the ship and explore. We had so much fun people watching, sun bathing, and playing all of the silly games that cruise ships have to offer. Craig even took a dance lesson. On a stage. In front of people. (Well, about half of the lesson until he decided to quit!)

Our first island was Grand Turk. We went to the beach, shopping, and just relaxed. I swam in the ocean, and Craig just tried not to get an even worse sun burn. (Yes, just a day into the cruise, he was a lobster!)

Our second island was the Dominican Republic. We had a not so good experience there. We went to La Romana via shuttle, and were dropped off at the "market." I really don't even want to talk about what happened in our 15 minutes there. We then took a shuttle to a little village, where we got to see some amazing views, beautiful streets and buildings, and some relax time.

Our third island was Aruba. I was in love immediately. We went to De Palm Beach. We snorkeled, we ate, we drank, we did the water park, we did the banana boat. Has anyone seen "Jaws?" The one where the kids are paddling the banana boat along, ever so serenely? This is what I thought we'd be doing. We went to get on and they required life jackets. "Overly cautious" I thought. We were tied to the dock and I saw the guy let us go. And then I saw that the rope was also tied to a boat in front of us. I was so not aware of what I was in for. And I wish I had a picture or video to show you just what happened. The guy drove the boat with us straddling this tiny air raft, flying through the air, being pelted with salt from the ocean. I have never held on for dear life quite like I did this day. The guy gave us directions before we got on the raft. I couldn't remember them! I didn't think they were important! I thought we were paddling the boat! He said something about sharks, something about the easiest way to get back on if you fall off (!!XXX!!!) and I couldn't remember any of it. I remember telling Craig "I don't want to do this anymore! I don't want to do this anymore!" Oh, and he said he wouldn't go over 15 MPH but anyone on that raft will tell you that was a LIE!!!!!! He was twisting and turning and I kept holding on and holding on. Then, he flipped the raft over. On purpose. I was in the ocean straight up "Jaws" style, with my life jacket, my contacts barely intact, and no memory of my directions. They very leisurely came back around, we got back on the raft, and I couldn't wait to be on land. Looking back, it really was super fun, but I can't say I'd ever do it again. The rest of the day in Aruba was spent shopping. Much more my cup of tea:)

Aruba day was also my birthday. I am pretty sure, thanks to my husband and family and friends with us, that every single passenger knew it was my birthday. Between shouting it out when I was the "lucky" girl chosen for trivia, or shouting it out in the dining room, or elevator, or anywhere, I can say I've never had so many strangers sing "Happy Birthday" to me ever in my life.

After Aruba we were on to Curacao. I also had a lot of fun here. We shopped, walked around, and relaxed. The buildings were so, so beautiful.

It was such an amazing trip. We missed the kids, and it was good to be back home, but I am so glad that we went. We are already planning the next one. WITH the kids this time :)

Stop the Clock.

Time is just going too fast for me. Everytime I turn around Tanner's saying new words, Callie's mastering a new skill, the newest being reading, and I get a year older. I wish I had a pause button because I know I am going to want these times back someday. Even during my worst day. Even when the kids are all screaming, the dog's whining, and all I want to do is go to the bathroom without eight kids beating the door down for something. I do have to stop and remind myself that they aren't little forever. Someday, they'll want nothing to do with me, they'll just want to go out with their friends.

I am getting a break from all of it soon. I'll be on a cruise with my husband, for the first time in six years. We are really, really looking forward to it. But I can't help but feel guilty about what I'll miss. Or that Tanner will be confused about where his parents are. At least he'll be with people he knows and loves.

I am looking forward to spending quality time with my husband. We don't get enough time to ourselves. I am looking forward to eating a meal without cleaning up a spill, getting more milk, cutting up someone else's food, or picking corn out of my hair. I'll have 11 days that I don't have to change any diapers, tell anyone to brush their teeth or feed the dog, and I will get to sleep whenever I want to. And go to the bathroom whenever I want to. I won't have to watch Dora, do dishes or laundry, or play Old Maid. I actually won't watch TV at all. I won't have to check my emails, I won't be on Facebook (unless there's free WiFi somewhere, then I'll post a pic to make you all jealous!), and I can disconnect for 11 days.

All of those daunting chores will go to someone else. Mostly, my sister, my mom, and my neighbor. They get all of the dirty diapers and snotty noses, but they also get all of the hugs and kisses. They get the five minutes of cuddle time both of my children require before starting their day. They get the bedtime stories and fun games. They get the smiles, they get to see Tanner jamming out and listen to Callie read them a book. I have never left them for this long of a time, and I am sure it will be harder on me than it is on them.

Sure, there will be moments on vacation where I want to hit the pause button. When my feet hit the sand and it's 80 degrees outside and I have all day to relax, explore, shop, and be with Craig and other friends and family. But it's a different kind of pause button. I can't wait until the kids are a little bit older and they can go with us next time.

Until then my sister and her husband, my neighbor, and my mom are more than happy to care for the most important gifts God has ever given me. And I know they will be just fine....

For You I Will...

I've learned a lot of things in my 28 years of life. I know I have a lot left to learn.

I always, always thought, even after I graduated high school, that I would never have friends like that ever again in my whole life. Maybe a bit dramatic, looking back on it, but how could I? How could I have friends like the ones I had my first slumber party with? That I had Christmas Concerts, church, and dances with? Who got in trouble right along with me for drinking at parties or staying out too late? How could anyone relate with me on that same deep, 13 year long level? And I honestly just thought that it would never happen and I just had to figure out a way to accept it.

Fast forward to college, and yes, I made some friends. I only really talk to 2 of them anymore. Oh, and those high school friends? I must say that I actually do talk to a lot of them still. And that I think about them a lot. And that I truly love them. We can go months without talking and pick up right where we left off. And those relationships are very important to me.

Enter, my sisters. They have always been my friends. Darci, and I don't think this is a secret to anyone, and it's not meant to hurt my other sisters, has been my best friend forever. We've had disagreements, of course. But she has really been my best friend and she's a friend I know that will be there for me no matter what, no matter when, no matter how. She's the first person I want to call when I am mad, sad, happy, or have big news. She knew about both of my pregnancies before my husband even did. She helped me through a loss of a pregnancy. She is my little sister, but in a lot of ways I feel like it's opposite. Like I need her guidance on many issues in my life.

Enter, friends in my early 20's. A lot of them were honestly great, but we just drifted apart. I had marriage and babies before most of them and we just reached different stages in our lives and that's okay. If it weren't for facebook, I probably wouldn't really know too much about how they are doing now. Of course there's one that stuck :) And we don't talk all of the time since she moved back to Sioux City to restart her life. But I love that girl for life.

My late 20's (wow, that's scary) have been amazing, especially as far as friendships go. In the last year I have met some of my truly, truly best friends. One in particular that I feel like I've known all of my life. We did this little thing called "Mom Prom" together last year, maybe you've heard me mention it before... :)

All of these friendships are treasured to me. And they all taught me something, good or bad, about myself and what a friend truly is. And to me, a friend never makes you choose sides. A friend is always there for you, right or wrong, but should be the one to tell you when you are wrong. And if you are a friend, you should accept that you are not always going to be right. A friend sympathizes with you when you are having troubles, if even hers are "worse." A friend should show up just because, not just when things are really bad or really good. A friend would bring over your favorite (or HER favorite!) bottle of wine just to chat. A friend shows interest in your life and invests in your children. And you do the same for her.

Unfortunately, I've learned what to avoid in a friend as well. Avoid friends who have "one up" you all of the time, ones that you can't trust, because just like a marriage, you have to be able to trust your friends. Avoid friends who suck the positive energy out of you. Avoid the friends who demand you be their only. Avoid friends who change their story. Avoid friends who have a sense of entitlement.Avoid friends who take advantage of your or exploit your weaknesses. Hold your friendship close and never just give out to everyone. It should be a chosen process. Think of the 5 people you are closest to. They speak volumes about what kind of person you are. Choose friends who are like you (but still different!) and that deserve to be that close to you.

Guess who told me that? One of my great girlfriends :)

I Love Lucy... Todd :)

As many of you know, we got a new puppy last night!! It seems like it was an 'impulse buy' to some, but believe me, I've been thinking about this for quite a while. Every time my kids have to say goodbye to their favorite dogs, Daisy (my brother-in-law and sister-in-law's dog) or Jingles (Grammy's dog) it crossed my mind. And if you know me, this is a stretch. I am not an animal person. I couldn't even imagine me petting a dog, heaven forbid one over licked me. When I think of a dog here is my train of thought. Literally. The dog goes outside. The dog pees and or poops. The dog steps in it. The dog licks it's privates. The dog licks your kids' faces. You kiss your kids' cheek. You basically just ate doggie doo doo. Yay...

Our new puppy is about 10 months old, so the rescue shelter estimated. She is very calm for a puppy. She is very small for a black lab/retriever mix. Her name at the shelter was Liv. I had a daycare kid named Livi (we called her Liv) and so I wanted to rename her. The rescue volunteer recommended we keep her name beginning with the letter "L" and so we now call her "Lucy." She was brought to the rescue center when she was found by a stranger.

I really wanted a big-ish dog. One that would bark when a stranger came too close to the house. It would make me feel more safe. (Not doubting my husband's ninja skills, of course. Have you SEEN the guy? I wouldn't mess with him... ehem....) Anyway.... Lucy is afraid of her reflection in the window, and I haven't heard so much as a yelp. So much for my guard dog.

How are we doing? So far, so good. As of 8:03 pm she has only had one "accident" and it was right by the back patio door so I am thinking I missed her "open the door, you fool" sign. We are going to get bells to hang on the door and teach her to ring it when she needs to go potty.

We went on our first walk and can I just say, we were a hot mess. I was pushing the stroller, I had Lucy on a leash and Callie was walking, or being tripped the entire time by Lucy. I rammed the stroller into her, the stroller nearly tipped over a few times, Lucy was running circles around me and I nearly fell... all in a matter of blocks. I am so glad it was dark and cold so no one could see the complete mess we were.

And can I just say, my friends and family have been amazing at helping me out with this?? I have been texting, facebook stalking, calling, anyone who has a dog and asking a million questions. So. Sorry. But so very grateful that you are there to help me out :)

The kids are in love. I'm in love. I think we'll keep her :)