Family Weekend at the Lake!

We opted for a more laid back weekend at the lake this time. Julie & Doug invited the Estep family (Jeremy & Amy are Tristan's godparents) while we invited Dan's side of the family down. The kids had a great time squirting each other with waterguns for about 10 hours. I couldn't believe how long the game lasted. Isiah was fearless and barely got his lifejacket on before he ran up the slide to get in the water. At age 2, we can already tell he is going to be one we'll have to watch. I'll update this post with the link to the pictures on picasa.

We also went to the Royal's game again this weekend. This time we sat in the suite, so Dan felt much better. Good thing too, it was wicked hot! (ah, Jake, I miss you). Dan got an extra ticket this time so Dad could come along. I think he had a great time.

Section 104

Many of you know that Dan has become a social sensation since taking his job here in KC. He entertains clients constantly and not a week goes by when I don't have to ask "when am I going to see you this week?" since he's always on the move. Well, sometimes he lets me tag along.

Last night he had an extra ticket to the Royals game in Section 104. Now, to give you some perspective, Dan usually sits in the front row behind home plate or in the luxury suite. He jokingly complained about having to go back to Section 104. I took a picture from our seats. Literally 12 rows behind homeplate. BUT, it's not all inclusive and it doesn't have a waitress... c'mon Dan! I think he has become extremely spoiled with these new company perks.

This is where we sat. See that jumbotron, oh yeah, Julie and I were on it doing the "shoulder dance".

See those those two guys standing? That's where Dan usually sits. He was very angry with whoever that was.

It was "Girls Night Out", so all the lovely ladies were sporting these pink hats. I only put it on at the end because it started to rain. Julie was actually there for a work event but snuck over to our seats towards the end. I took all these lovely pictures with my new camera that I purchased yesterday. You all know how much of a gadget geek I am and I happily report that this one does not disappoint. Its waterproof and even has a floaty strap incase I drop it in the lake. Uh, hello awesome!

We are off to the lake this weekend. I'm hoping to get my burn on since I've officially made it through most of the summer in my normal pasty state. I just want a little color! Hope you're looking forward to a great weekend, wherever you are!

The passing of Randy Pausch

If you haven't seen the "Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch, then I would highly encourage you to do so.

Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon professor inspired many, including me, with his final speech on how to live out your childhood dreams. I would encourage everyone to go to his website and see it if you haven't. It truely is inspiring and its a very sad thing to see him pass on.

http://www.thelastlecture.com/

I'm a gardener!

I have moments when I really, really miss New York. Dan and I saw the movie, Sex and the City, and it made us both ache for the city. I have to remind myself often why we moved back because otherwise I know we'd be so homesick. It's weird to think that we're "homesick" for New York since it isn't really "home". The truth is, it became our home. Many members of our family is still there, even though they aren't blood relatives. Family is who you spend holidays with and who you confide in during rough times. "Home" is where your family is. Well, our family is in KC AND NYC.

So, as you can probably tell by the title of this post, I have a gardening story to share. I've been trying to find new hobbies back here in the country and one that I've been trying my hand at, is gardening.

I am fortunate to have married into a family of horticulture experts. Not only did my sister-in-law and mother-in-law major in horticulture at MU, they both have pursued it as their career. So you can guess who I went to when I decided to grow some tomatoes on my patio this summer. Amy, Dan's sister, hooked me up with some patio tomato plants. I'm proud to say that they have NOT died. In fact, they have started to bear fruit... literally. Here's a picture of my beautiful tomatoes.

Now I must admit... they aren't any bigger than a golf ball right now. But hey, these were delicious. Here are the green ones that should be ready soon!

I hope your summer is going well, wherever you are!

4th of July at the lake

4 days of relaxing at the Lake of the Ozarks. Hmm, or should I say, 4 days of partying at the Lake of the Ozarks.... ? Yes that seems to fit better. I was so tired yesterday that I stayed home from work!



The weekend was extra special because its the first time in a long time that all my siblings and their significant others have been able to get together. Justin and Sara came down from Chicago. Bret & Josh came back from college and of course, Dan and I live here now.



Here's a great pic of whole group on Julie & Doug's dock. We quickly went through over 8 gallons of margaritas as well as too many beers to even count. I was shocked at how much we can drink! Well, not really shocked... but surprised definitely.


From the left: Me, Dan, Bix (not really a brother but a partier with us nonetheless), Sara, Julie, Doug, Josh, Bret & Justin.

Bret's girlfriend, Catie, is missing from the picture because she couldn't hang. She had to rest. It was her first time meeting the whole family so I guess it's excused.

Hope your 4th was just as much fun as ours!

Midwestern Lunch Fare

One of the things that continually shocks me about the midwest is the variety of "acceptable" lunch fare here. Each day as I stroll into the lunch room to prepare my frozen South Beach Diet meal in the microwave, I am surprised at the things people will eat for lunch. Here is a list of some of my favorites:

• Cup O'Noodles - this is a staff favorite because its in the vending machine
• Pizza Rolls - lovely little pizza bites that will cost you about 500 calories per bite
• Chinese Food - The delivery guy knows this place so well he's taken to bringing the security guard free eggrolls everyday.
• Pop Tarts
• Bowl of Strawberries - yep, that's it. Just a bowl of strawberries for lunch.
• Ramen Noodles with cut up hotdogs (saw this one today... the fact that I was intrigued and thought it looked good is probably not a good sign.)
• La Michaela Frozen Meals - Also in the vending machine

Don't get me wrong, I get the convenience factor but how can you just eat 2 pop tarts for lunch and not be starving 5 minutes later? I eat my SBD meal, pudding, beef jerky, and whatever else I can get my hands on and I'm still about to chew my arm off by the time I get home and eat dinner.