Mizzou Homecoming 08

We had a great time at Homecoming for many reasons.

1. My sorority had an informal reunion tailgate that allowed us to see many familiar faces and their spawn.

2. Some of Dan's fraternity brothers always tailgate at the games, and just happened to be in the same lot as the Theta tailgate.

3. Mizzou beat Colorado in a SHUTOUT!!!

Here's a pic of all the old sorority gals, it was great to see them and their families. Its weird how time flies, huh?

The Mansions of Newport, RI

Last week when I was in Providence, Rhode Island for work, we took a side trip to Newport for the day. First of all, Rhode Island is basically an annex to Boston. They are fans of all the Boston teams and there was not a restaurant that didn't serve "chowda" or New England Clam Chowder as most would say it. So our little trip to Newport was surprising on many levels including the beautiful mansion tour they tout to the tourists. We, of course, could not pass up the opportunity to take a look. Below are a few pictures from the mansion tour, and the cliff walk.

You can go into the mansions but we were too late since that morning I was too busy beating my boss at Madden 09 on Xbox. Yeah, it was my first time playing... ever.

Dan & Isiah

This past weekend we went to Columbia for the Mizzou game. Alas, we lost. But the weekend wasn't an entire bust, we got to spend time with the family. Dan was playing with our nephew, Isiah, or rather he was playing with the tractors and Isiah joined in. Amy and I watched from inside the house and really enjoyed watching the boys.

Real Life Gossip Girls

Alicia, Shawn, Gannon, Sam & Jill

Last week when I was in NY, I attended the 21st birthday party of my new boss's son. Well he's really my boss's boss... but you get the point. All of his children attend NYU, though he lives in Detroit. He asked that Shawn, my boss... (are you following this?) arrange for a small party at a great place, the Sixth Ward. This is the same bar where I had my going away party, and is owned by a great friend, James.

The Orley Family, my boss's boss is the third from the right.

What did I expect? I expected a bunch of 21 year olds to come in and act stupid, drink a ton of shots and have to go home by 11 because they haven't quite grasped how to handle liquor yet. Mind you, it is a Tuesday night and thus a school night.

Not quite...

Here's what we got, real life Gossip Girl. If you haven't seen the show, it revolves around the lives of the NY elite high school kids. They drink and have more adult experiences than any high school kid I ever knew. They also have luxuries that put my Gap wardrobe to shame.

I decided I needed proof of these real life Gossip Girls so I randomly went around taking pictures of them under the ruse of being the party photographer. I am sorry to say that I don't think I got Keith Richards' daughter or Sting's son in any of my pics even though they were in attendance. Just for the record, I did not socialize with these kids... I merely sat at the edge of the bar and watched them like they were in a fishbowl. I'm not jealous of them, it has to be exhausting to live their life. I'm already tired enough as it is.

What's with the plaid? Don't worry, it's probably Gucci plaid... very chic.

Back at New Horizons!

I am happy to announce that on 9/22 I accepted a job back at my old home, New Horizons. I'll be doing Marketing for New Horizons of the Northeast... which means NYC, Philadelphia, Rhode Island and Connecticut. I spent last week traveling around to some of the offices that I'll be supporting and found that while many things have changed, plenty has stayed the same. It's great to know that so many of my old friends are still around and in some ways I can pick up with them where I left off.

I'll be primarily working from home, which I love. I get so much more done and my life is primarily run through this wonderful invention called a cell phone. All I can say is, I love my bluetooth headset, it never leaves my ear. I guess that just confirms that I am a total geek.

I am really excited about this new venture and happy to say that for the first time since we left NY, I feel like I'm home.

I quit my job! Yay!

I won't go into the specifics but while I'm on a roll in sharing all the news... I quit my job! It just ended up being a really bad fit and was a very dramatic situation at the time. Now that I've had time to reflect on it and the anger, stress that came along with the situation, I realize it was just the wrong position for me. Along with Dan, I made the decision to quit and find something better. So, I'm home full time right now enjoying unemployment. Fortunately Dan and I are in a very good position to do this so the normal worries of not having a job don't necessarily apply to our situation. However, if I sit at home forever, my mind will go to mush. There's only so many days I can watch "The View" and "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" before I will start to go insane. My time off is not without great perks, however, since I really enjoy sleeping in. :)

More to come on my next career move but for now I think I'll just take a break... or a nap... whichever I feel like doing in the moment.

This also allows me to be a stay at home mom to the cat, Monroe. She doesn't seem to notice or care, though.

Sara & Justin's Shower

My step-brother, Justin, is getting married this October and recently had the wedding shower. One of the things we've noticed since returning back to Kansas City is that our social agenda is about 1000 times more busy than it was in NY. I never knew there was so much stuff to attend that we were missing. Sometimes its not such a good thing since it keeps us really busy and I do miss having Dan all to myself but overall we've got to do a lot of things that we would have normally missed. Hopefully things slow down just a little this fall... although I don't know how that will happen with the football schedule.

Anyway... here's the link to some cute pics from Sara & Justin's shower. They live in Chicago and are enjoying the life away from home similar to what Dan & I enjoyed in NY.

http://picasaweb.google.com/samantha.shepard/SaraJustinSShower#

Lobsterfest '08

I was invited to Lobsterfest over at the Jackman household this year. This was apparently the 6th year but my first since I've never been around before. I took Julie to be my partner in crime since the boys were at "guys weekend" down at the lake. Basically the deal was, for $25 you got unlimited beer & lobster etc. Some people chose steak instead but you get the idea. When the day came, the lobsters were flown in that morning for their inevitable death to serve as nourishment to many party goers. There were about 50 people there and overall it was a great party. Julie and I did not know how to approach breaking down the bodies of the lobsters so we offered them up to Chris Bix to finish them off. He ended up not figuring it out either...




Epitome of surf & turf...


Julie and Sam


I got to reconnect with some people from high school including these two, Mike Jacobi & Matt Kartsonis. They were hilarious. I particularly enjoyed geeking out with Jacobi over his new Blackberry.


Chris Jackman (host of Lobsterfest) and me


Sam, Bix & my newest friend Annette. We joked that we were all going to Facebook each other after the party... low & behold... Annette found me a few days later and 'friended' me.

Golfing with Matt & Lori in the country

I realized that I haven't been diligent in posting the goings ons of the Shepard Family lately. I'm going to try to catch up over the next few days.

Golfing with Matt & Lori Hill: Dan and I made a trip down to Clinton to visit Matt & Lori and go golfing a few weeks ago. We decided to go to this country golf course that is about an hour south of Clinton. Notice the tractor in the background and the gravel golf cart paths...

I had to get this pic with the tractor... priceless.

We only drink the best on the course... Busch Light (Lori says "Cheers!")

Matt & Dan pose like pros.

After golf, they tooks us to Lucas Oil Speedway for a Dirt Race. I've posted a video here but here is a pic. It was surprisingly awesome. I completed the evening with the requisite beer & corndog dinner.

Charlotte Elaine Fulton, my grandma

I've been dreading posting this news but have decided that it will be good to just get it out there. My Grandmother Elaine, who I am named after, was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma early in the summer. She has just completed her chemotherapy and begins radiation soon. She has been amazingly strong throughout the entire ordeal and inspiring to me. I went with her on her last chemo treatment where she schooled me on the "red devil", aptly named for its red color and ability to make your hair fall out. I took her picture to mark the occasion for her to look back on for years to come. Her doctor has been extremely positive about her prognosis and has assured us that this is "curable".






When we moved back here there were many factors that played into the decision. The first reason I usually give people is that my sisters have started to have children and we wanted to be around to see them grow up. Of course explaining the other factors usually isn't necessary because most take the first reason as enough explanation. One of the reasons I don't often share is to be with my grandmother. I can't explain the relationship we have other than to say we are connected in some way. She understands me like no one else and I'd like to think that I understand her better than most. I missed having her in my life to guide me and help navigate situations that life brings. Moving back to Kansas City brought us back together. She's wonderful and I hope I can be just like her when I grow up. Go Grandma!