Mini Vacation!

Last week we took a "mini vacation" and had a ton of fun!  It earned it's "mini" status for a couple different reasons...
#1:  It was really only 1.5 days off work, and vacations in my book must be over 3 days to be significant. ha!
#2:  We really didn't go anywhere that we haven't already been...but that doesn't mean it wasn't a great trip!

So what did we do, you ask?  We drove up to the Iowa State Fair first - which we were both really looking forward to.  Last year was my first State Fair experience, and of course I loved it.  I pretty much love any large events with lots of people so when you throw in carnival rides, performances and fried food galore -- I'm in complete awe.  (PS.  Mom & Dad, looks like you did do something wrong while raising me.... no State Fair trips.  Fail.)   Anyways, we met up with Lindsay, Adam & Jill...pitched our tent in almost the exact same spot as last year... bought the most expensive drinks on earth... ate the BEST food item at the Fair...and then enjoyed a GREAT concert in the Grandstands.  Darius Rucker was a really awesome performer... we recommend him to any country music lovers out there! :)  

$12 Beer?  Doesn't even sound good, right?

Mmmmm "Chicken Lips"...the BEST thing you'll ever eat.

Darius Rucker concert at the Iowa State Fair = fabulous!!

All of us, at the Darius Rucker concert!

Of course, camping at the State Fair leads to ridiculously long lines for the showers so we opted to hop across town to my friend Maggie's apartment for a quick visit and quick showers. (Thanks Mags!)  This was about the time that storms starting brewing so we steered clear of the Fair for a little longer and indulged in a big breakfast at I-Hop.  Yum!

Coffee, Pancakes, French Toast and everything else that is good. :)

Friday at the Fair was rainy -- which forced me to buy the ugliest pair of shoes that I have ever owned.  Yep, you guessed it, I now own crocks.  Gasp!  They did solve the slippery-flip flop situation though so I guess they've served their purpose and can rest in peace in the trunk of my car until our next camping adventure.  (Background Info: The crocks are the 3rd pair of shoes that I've had to buy while camping... I always overpack clothes and forget about my feet. Maybe someday I'll learn.)  A few hours after the shoe-spree the rain cleared out just in time to enjoy the afternoon at the Fair!  Here's a glimpse of what the fun included....

Colt Ford concert (for free!)...who would have thought that a country rapper would be good?  He is!

On our drive back from the Fair we decided to stop at the Lake for some extra fun in the sun!  This was the only time all summer that we got to go tubing and jet skiing!! It's hard to believe that it's the end of August and we only got to go once.  It was a really great addition to our mini-vaca though! :)  To top it off we spent Saturday night at a wedding reception (congrats Casey & Sara!) and took Rockie swimming on Sunday.   Yep, you read right... we took the dog to the pool!  On the last day that the pool is open they have a "Dog Day" and it was unlike anything we've ever seen.  Dogs were everywhere...some big, some small, some on leashes, some in life-jackets, some running around like crazy! We were a little nervous to take Rockie there since she's never been around that many other dogs but she did a great job!

She wasn't too fond of the water at first... it took some persuading/pulling to get her in.

By the time we left she was jumping off the side into the 3-foot and swimming around with Kurt!
She loved it. =)

Of course the weekend expired and we were thrown into another week of work (a full week....sigh!).  With only 3 weeks left until Memory Walk I am keeping crazy busy in the office and coming home completely brain-dead each night.  But, I do like the chaos because it's all for a good cause!  Which... by the way... if you'd like to support my efforts I would greatly appreciate a donation of any amount.  All donations help fund Alzheimer's care, support, advocacy and research through the Alzheimer's Association.  With your help we will be one step closer to finding a cure for this devastating disease!  

Ey, yey, yey.... Is it really almost September??  We're ready for some football, sweatshirts and sitcoms.  Bring it on!!

By Popular Demand

OK, Ok, ok... we promise to post more often.  After numerous reminders that we've been slacking on the blog lately I guess it's time to step it up. 

To put it plain and simple - this past weekend rocked.  Matt came to stay with us Thursday night - Sunday and we packed in a ton of fun stuff.  Matt & I had a perfect sunny day at Lost Island on Friday (sorry Kurt, somebody's gotta bring home the bacon!)... He even (rather forcefully) convinced me to go on the Molokini Crater aka the funnel the doom as I like to think of it!  I've been notoriously chicken about this slide each year that we've visited the waterpark so it wasn't much of a surprise when I bowed out last year.  Since it was just the 2 of us this time around I had to suck it up and take the plunge... literally.  Long story short I managed to keep my fears to myself until I let them all out in a nice healthy scream as we slid (backwards) down the 75-foot drop.  It was intense, definitely a rush, but not my cup of tea. Of course, Matt got a laugh out of it! ....We spent the rest of the weekend playing games, watching movies, making delicious food and doing random stuff around the house.  =) 

On Sunday we had some company over to BBQ and see our house!  We loved having my grandparents, aunt and uncle, cousins and parents up for the day!! The weather couldn't have been better and it was awesome to have family around to hang out for the afternoon.  Let's do it again soon!!

....And now, by popular demand, a couple of our favorite recipes that have won the hearts of our loved ones!  We highly recommend whipping these up ASAP! 

Chicken Tamale Casserole

1  cup  (4 ounces) preshredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese, divided
1/3  cup  milk
1/4  cup  egg substitute (I usually just beat 1 egg)
1  teaspoon  ground cumin
1/8  teaspoon  ground red pepper
1  (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
1  (8.5-ounce) box corn muffin mix
1  (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
1  (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce
2  cups  shredded cooked chicken breast
1/2  cup  sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Combine 1/4 cup cheese and next 7 ingredients (through chiles) in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
3. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until set. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over top. Top with chicken; sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces; top each serving with a dollop of Daisy!  =)  
Serves 8 .... or reheats GREAT.

Peach Crunch Cake
24.5 oz jar of sliced peaches in light syrup
1 package yellow cake mix
1 stick butter (1/2 cup), cut into 16 pieces
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Layer ingredients in a 13 X 9 dish, in order starting with the peaches.
Bake for about 40 minutes.
Serve warm ....with ice cream. 
Serves 12.

Enjoy! :)

More Time Please.

I know we start every post like this but WOW - we seriously need more hours in the day, and more days in the summer!  I have been having serious mixed feelings about mid-August being here already...

PROS 
August is still summer so that automatically earns brownie points

Matt is visiting us in August (more details below)

Work is busy - which I prefer

UNI students are back in town
Emilee is moving to Cedar Falls

Football season is just around the corner

CONS

Summer is almost over

Kurt works long hours

It is insanely hot (so far)

We have to re-new our tags on both vehicles
The sun is setting earlier

So there you have it... the Pros narrowly beat the Cons for August.  We will just keep trying to soak up as much sunshine as we can!

This past week has been pretty uneventful.  Kurt is busy working on a huge upholstery job which is very time consuming since he is currently doing this on top of his full-time job.  He has been working hard to get his business off the ground and has had a steady stream of upholstery jobs this summer.  He's managed to convert our garage into an upholstery workshop (of course, he has big plans to make it better in the future) but it sure beats working out of the 2-bedroom apartment that we used to live in. HA, that is a sight I will never forget.  =D  If you, or anyone you know, is looking to have some upholstery done please keep Kurt in mind.  Visit the website at www.ShowtimeAutoLLC.com for more information and give Kurt a call for a quote!

Kurt's new upholstery table -- put to good use!

I've also been keeping busy with projects of my own -- We've made quite a few wedding-related decisions over the past couple months and it feels good to check things off that list!  My bridesmaids found a dress they all love (I even want one, that's how cute they are!), I've gather lots of fun ideas by browsing online and we booked a photographer from Cedar Falls.   Of course, my never-ending DIY projects are still keeping me entertained as well... I love doing crafts and have always enjoyed the personal touches that can be found at most weddings/receptions.  Our reception will be full of fun little things that fit our personalities and I'm having a blast working on them. =)  Here's just a little sneak peak of what's to come....

Some of my DIY centerpiece materials. :) Love them!
(The teal looks blue...but it's teal.)

On another note, we are really looking forward to having my brother, Matt, come stay with us this week/weekend.  Matt & I have have a tradition (which started when I moved into my first apartment during college) where he visits for 3 days each summer!  I'd have to say it's one of my favorite traditions because not only do we get to spend alot of time hanging out together but we have also made a tradition of going to Lost Island (the waterpark) and eating Chinese food.  Can't beat that!!!!  Since Kurt has now joined our tradition we're always packing in even more fun stuff... maybe some frisbee golf, bowling, wii, movies?  You never know, but it's always a great time!! Can't wait for him to get here tomorrow night.

Until next time, stay cool (literally stay in the A/C). 

Home Sweet Home

My oh my it's AUGUST.  We're looking forward to another month of summer fun but still reeling from all the craziness of July!  We had a great weekend which (of course) went too fast -- we finally stuck around Waterloo for a weekend.  Kurt finished one of our big projects by fixing the multiple problems with our garage... It was leaning and sagging in all sorts of ways. Some genius before us decided to cut out 4 of the 7 trusses when they installed the automatic garage door... so he had his work cut out for him!  Kurt spent a good chunk of time setting concrete anchors, lifting the ceiling up,pulling walls in, re-setting all the trusses and tearing out the old ones. Good thing he's a "handy man" because it looks like a whole new garage now!! 

What an improvement!!! :)

ed

I've also been working hard to "finish" the inside of our house as well!  We've added alot of personal touches and it's really feeling like home to us now!  Of course... there's still some finishing touches that need to be done and a nice long "wish list" for the coming years but here's a peak at our new place: 

Sorry for the blurry pictures! It's the best we can do for now and we've gotten plenty of people asking for house pics.  We're really happy with our cute little starter home and can't wait to keep making it our own!  Come visit us sometime... we love company. =)