Roadtrip to Lincoln

 

 A couple of weeks after our trip to Omaha, we took a family trip to Lincoln. It was our night to use our volleyball tickets. Yeah! We had three tickets, so Analise went with us. Needless to say, she was thrilled. We took Maisie and Sadie  over to Tabitha and Jesse's to spend the evening. They were excited, too. Everyone was happy, so you've got to love that.

I just love Husker volleyball, and I love the Coliseum they play in. And I knew this was the last year in this venue, so that is why I really wanted to go. And I am so thankful we could.

 Huskers beat the Hoosiers

 We spent the night in a new hotel (thanks to hotel points) and spent the next morning swimming. Actually, I forgot my swimsuit. (And not on purpose. :)) The rest of them spent a couple of hours swimming and having a great time.  While they swam, I went to Kohl's on a mission. Santa was planning ahead.

 We had a great weekend. I loved getting away as a family. I loved the girls having fun with Tabitha and Jesse. I loved how Tabitha and Jesse loved their time with the girls. I loved being at the volleyball game with a husband who enjoyed it, too, and a daughter who loves learning more about the game.  And so all my birthday gifts come to and end, and like said, this was one of my best birthdays ever. 

When we packed for the trip, I told the girls to  pack their backpacks with things to do in the van. Not far down the road, Analise pulls out her globe. A globe. We laughed so hard. Sadie had one slipper in her backpack. And Maisie's funny was she was quiet, looking out the window when she announced, "I just counted to a million.!"

A Quick Get Away

Brandon and I were able to leave on a Saturday morning for Omaha. We dropped off the girls at Grandma and Grandpa's house and headed out. The girls were excited to be there, and we were so thankful for them taking care of the girls.
When we first got to Omaha, we went to Borsheims to get our rings cleaned. While they were getting cleaned, we ate lunch at Paradise Cafe. They have my favorite tomato soup. We then went to a mall so I could do some shopping. First stop - The Buckle. I really wanted some Miss Jean blingy jeans, so I tried on MANY pair and finally found some to buy Yeah! Next stop - Maurice's. I wasn't impressed with much in the store, but Brandon was helpful in picking things out for me to try. So I ended up getting some things...even though I was "thrilled" with my purchase.
By then it was dinner time, so we went to The Cheesecake Factory. I love their Chicken Carbonara. So good. So not healthy. We weren't sure what to do next; we both wanted to see a movie, but there wasn't anything good showing. So we spent over an hour at Dick's. I love that store. We had so much fun just walking around looking at things. Brandon can really make me laugh when we shop at those stores. We finally headed to our hotel where we curled up and watched the NE vs MI football game. Brandon relaxed while doing other things, and I read while watching the game. For me that was total relaxation. I was able to watch a game without a certain daughter talking/asking questions the entire time.
Sunday morning we slept in and then hit Kohl's, Sports Authority, and finished with lunch at Biaggi's. For Brandon's sake we went to Cabela's before heading home. Finally a store that he enjoys.
We picked up the girls in the late afternoon, and we were ready to be with them again. I really appreciate a husband that is willing to go away with me to do things that I enjoy but wouldn't be his choice of how to spend a weekend. And we had a good time. We enjoyed meals with good conversation. We laughed a lot. And we both relaxed. Something we both needed.

Now for the ending of the story. The jeans I bought stretched while I wore them. So they didn't fit anymore. I took them back to the Buckle where I tried on more jeans. Went home with another pair, and I wasn't excited about them. So a couple of weeks later, I went back to the Buckle, AGAIN. And I tried on about 15 more pair. Finally, I found "the pair." Ready for this....skinny jeans! I said I would never buy skinny jeans. And guess what? I love them!  Later in talking with someone from church who works for the Buckle, I learned there are about 85 different fits of jeans in their stores. And I only tried on about 30! And then when you add the pockets and stitching, there are almost 200 styles/fits. Amazing. And I found one I love. They aren't Miss Me's like I wanted, but these are more practical. :)
And then...I took most of my things back to Maurice's and exchanged them for things I liked even more. Plus I had coupons this time, so I came home with more for less. I guess I learned that I don't need the big cities to get my shopping fix. Though it is fun to get away. And my dear hubby, took me away, and then I ended up getting more things local. What a man. What a man.

Birthday and Halloween

They always fall on the same day, year after year. This was the 35th time. Goodness - I am 35.

And I have to say, this was the best birthday I've had in a long time. Let's see what this old mind can remember....

 

Some background - A few weeks prior to my birthday I emailed Brandon at work and told him that I wasn't going to hint at what I wanted. I informed him that I wanted a weekend away with him to Omaha for some shopping, and that I would love, love, love to go to a Lincoln volleyball game the same weekend.

As we prepared for the celebration with his folks, he told me he wasn't able to volleyball tickets for the NE/Penn State game. I wasn't surprised; it was near impossible.

 

I celebrated with the Luke family a few nights before my birthday. Jacki made Mexican Chicken Chowder soup for my meal. Sarah added some fruit; we had some bread, and it was all yummy!

I got some new things for my kitchen, some spending money and some other goodies.

And then Sarah had me open my gift:

A Husker N with a volleyball on it. I loved it! Last year for her birthday I had given her an N with a football on it.

 After I opened it, she handed me a note from Brandon informing me that I had three tickets for the NE volleyball game vs IU in a couple of weeks. I was giddy! I got to go to a game! Sarah made it happen - thanks so much. And I was also thankful for the friend that donated her three tickets for that game. More to come on that.

 For my cake, I made pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting. So yummy.

 

My real birthday was full of fun, too. To start off, I had an eye appt. Good times learning your eyes have again gotten a little worse. Another sign of old age. From there, I took my dilated eyes to meet Sarah for coffee at Starbucks. However, it was more than that! She had Gretchen and Lindsey there, too. And my favorite donuts to go along with my hot chocolate. I felt so loved.

 

I was the able to go to my fave Thai place with Brandon for lunch. I always treasure that time with him.

The afternoon was full of phone calls, texts and reading sweet messages on FB.

Brandon came home for a quick meal (left over soup....I wasn't going to cook on my birthday). We got the girls in their costumes and off we went.

Three tigers this year  - costumes I bought at 75%  off last year. Sweet little tigers, aren't they?

 We went over to Lindsey's house first to see all our friends dressed up. There was the "Peanuts" gang, a gymnast, Doc McStuffins and a pizza box. It was a beautiful evening to be outside!

 Surrounded by my friends - G and L

 From there we headed over to the cousins' house to walk their neighborhood with them. What a fun looking crew. We enjoyed our time with them like we do every year.

 After we walked a couple of streets with them we stopped by at each of the girls' teachers home. I love how they are excited to see their teacher, and the teachers are always excited to see them, too.

We came home, got the girls in their jammies, and then they hid my gifts in the living room.

Each girl had drawn a picture for me on a white board. So special!

 Caramel thought she could have a sock for my birthday.

I just felt so loved all day long. My quality time love tank was FULL!

Sadie is Star

Sadie was star of the week during the last week of October; she was super excited about it.

She worked on a poster featuring herself. Here are some highlights:

 

 A close second to this is driving monster trucks.

 Forgive me for this being sideways...just notice what one of her favorite foods is. Not common among preschoolers I bet.

 We took snacks all three days. Here is day 1 - spiders. Can you believe it? I helped make spiders. The girls had a great time putting them together.

 We sent cupcakes for Halloween and then made these for Thursday. We included blocks of cheese with them. Aren't they cute?

Pumpkin Patch

 

We went to the pumpkin patch on a nice, Sunday afternoon. Good times were had by all!

 

 

 

Happy New Year

Oh my, oh my. It's January 2, and I  have yet to blog about my birthday....two months ago already.  To help bring in the new year, I hooked my computer up to the tv, and we had a year in review with my blog. We talked about how it's good to reflect and remember the blessings God has given us. Unfortunately, we could only be thankful through mid-October. :) However, I was very thankful for what I had recorded; I had forgotten so many things already.
I told Brandon he needs to take me to San Fransisco again to confine me to a hotel room so I could catch up on my blog.  That's not going to happen, so I  will just chip away at getting caught up on our lives. Welcome 2013.