Sunday, April 25, 2010

Jersey Shore Party!

What a busy weekend it was! This past week there was nothing too interesting to report on. We had nice weather for most of the week so we got some outside stuff done (I even got to mow the WHOLE yard by myself!) and just messed around, getting ready for the weekend. This weekend we had a Jersey Shore themed birthday bus for myself and my friend Steph. Everyone had to dress up like a Guido or Guidette - if you've ever watched the MTV reality show, it's basically just a bunch of Italians who go to the Jersey Shore for the summer, but the way they dress, talk, and act is hilarious! So we had a theme. Everyone did an AWESOME job at dressing up! I'll stop talking and let the pictures show the rest:

Steph & Me - birthday girls!:


Josh looked really good as Pauly D!


Janell was an awesome Snookie too!


Some of the guys:


The group of us:


We had such a great turn-out - about 30 people showed up! It was a great time had by all :)

As you can see, Andy came home for the party and Laura came with him! So Saturday during the day Jane, Laura and myself went and bought some flowers and then made a day of it! I had to go to shoe carnival to get some shoes for the party, and I needed to stop at Petsmart and get a new fish. We also had lunch and I bought an ISU rock for the landscaping (I'll have to get a picture of it when it gets nice out - it has been raining all day!). But at PetsMart I picked out a crowntail betta and named him Spike Lee:

He's pretty awesome and really beautiful. He sits in the tank on the dining room table.

After the big weekend was over, we're pretty dead for a few weekends. Nothing really planned, which is actually a good feeling. We're nearing the end of the school year and I can't believe I'm almost done with my first year of teaching! It has seriously just flown by. This week we have a field trip to Central College for some of the students who had a high GPA for the past year, and then next Monday we're going to Camp Dodge with the 8th graders. I can't believe it is almost MAY! Our last day is May 28th, so only a month to go really. This summer I'll be back at the pool, but I'm ready for sun and relaxation!

Monday, April 19, 2010

Happy Birthday to Me!

Happy Birthday to me! My birthday was on Saturday so I was pretty excited about my special day! Birthdays are always a big deal to me, even though Josh just counts them up as "another day". So Saturday we woke up and it was my big, special day! We didn't really do too much, actually. I was slightly disapointed, but I suppose that's actually what happens when you just get older. I went and got a pedicure, a "happy birthday" to myself, and then we went out to eat with Bryce & Jill and then out to the bars. I didn't feel up to myself and so that kind of made me not as excited as I should have been. All-in-all, I was sad when the day came to an end because it really did just seem like just "another day". But it was nice to hear all the birthday wishes and get the cards from family too!

For my birthday Josh tinted my car and my parents paid for half of a set of a rims for me. Josh and I seriously LUCKED OUT when we found these rims - they are in amazing condition and the tires are great and we got everything for only $550. We basically saved over $1,000 on them! I was so happy! Here is how they look:

I've gotten a lot of compliments on them, and I think they look awesome! So classy, not ghetto haha.

We've also been updating the kitchen. The kitchen is ALMOST finished - now we just need the blinds and we're set! We're ordering wood blinds from Lowes so hopefully that looks nice. We got curtains last night and we're indecisive about whether or not we like them (I don't mind them, Josh doesn't like them at all), but with the new countertop and backsplash and new windows, I think it looks great. Here are our new windows:


And here is a picture of the whole kitchen (don't mind the mess!):


Now we just need the appliances and we're set! I've been thinking about applying for a Lowe's card and buying a refridgerator with it and just making the $20.00 each month for it, but haven't decided yet. A new fridge would definitely be on my "want" list!

So the weekend wasn't so bad, and my special day wasn't a "bust" I just need to start thinking of EVERYDAY as my special day :) Only 29 school days left!

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Good Weekend!

I've been busy! This past weekend was so nice out, so we spent a lot of time outside grilling, cleaning up the yard, and just plain enjoying the nice weather! On Saturday Josh took me to get my car windows tinted for my birthday, I was so excited! We had to get up really early to be in Des Moines by 8:00A.M. on Saturday morning, but once we got there we went out to eat at Perkins for breakfast. I haven't had Perkins breakfast in so long it was delicious. Then we kind of drove around and saw the sights while we waited...I saw a lot of places I had heard about, but never actually seen. Usually when I go to Des Moines I have a reason and I know how to get there so I don't really ever get to see any of the other stores/places it has to offer on the west side. That night we grilled out with friends and went uptown to the bar to see the band. It was a pretty good time! Sunday was beautiful out so we got the bikes out. Josh was riding around and Tyson wouldn't stop following him around! It was really funny to see this little weiner dog chasing Josh around on the bike!



They both decided to follow him here:

You can kind of see the tint on my windows in this photo, but it looks different since Josh's truck is behind it.

We're hopefully going to go look at some new rims for my car tonight too...yay! Then my car will be ready, ready for summer :)

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Update

Here are the pictures of the railing I promised!




And here is the house when we bought it!



Crazy, huh?!

And Tyson really enjoyed his jersey. :) Go ISU!

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Finally April!

It is finally April! I can't believe it! March is usually one of those blah months where the weather is never very nice and it just always seems cloudy. April reminds me of baby animals, pastel colors, fresh green grass, and my birthday! I've been joking that it is my "birthday month" since this past weekend Josh's grandma gave me my birthday present (some money, a gift card, and a new scarf!), this coming weekend Josh is getting my car tinted for me for my birthday, the weekend after is my actual birthday (yay!), and the last weekend in April is my birthday party with all my friends! So it should be a pretty good month.

I can't believe I basically only have 2 months left of teaching. Wow. My first year has gone pretty quickly. I definitely feel more comfortable in the classroom now, but am looking foward to not only having the summer off, but coming back more prepared next year. It gives me something to look forward to!

This past weekend was a pretty good one. I went to Omaha to visit Grandma and Grandpa on Thursday afternoon. We went out for dinner and then sat outside and just talked, it was so nice. Friday I came home (we didn't have school on Friday) and got my hair done then Josh and I just ordered some food and had a night in. Saturday was Jane's birthday and Andy and Laura came home (with Kayden :)) so we all went out to eat that night for her birthday. Sunday we had Easter dinner at Josh's grandma's house - tons of food! We will have left overs for the rest of the month! Yesterday I just did some running around; had a cavity filled, got my physical for my summer job, and went to the doctor. Everything checked out fine! And have I ever said how amazing Josh is?? Through this entire busy weekend he got the railing put up around our deck out front! It was a little harder than he had anticipated, but it looks so nice! I took pictures, so I'll have to post them when I get home. That means basically the house is done for updates for the summer (aside from the 3 windows we have that need to be put in). Can't wait to enjoy the deck this summer!

That's about it, hope everyone had a good Easter! While we had a good weekend, we've been sending out lots of prayers and thoughts to Rachel as she goes through the tough journey of continuing on with life after the loss of her husband, Brice. We were all in shock and devastated to learn our friend and someone so young had passed. So I've been praying for her everyday, I can't even imagine the hurt her heart must feel. Lots of love, thoughts, and prayers sent her way!