The Wedding was Wonderful...

Everything was beautiful.

The ceremony was wonderful, the atmosphere, the food, the music...

The company and time spent together... just wonderful.

My most favorite part, of course, was when my husband arrived on scene...

It had definitely been way too long since I'd seen those baby blues.  =)

I'll post more soon, but as of right now I'm caught up in the throws of having skipped out on over half a week's classes in order to be at this beautiful cross country affair.

So much reading to get done... so, so, so much reading...

I'll see you soon lovelies... and I'll bring pictures and videos!

Cali Bound!

On Thursday, August 26th this lovely couple will be exchanging vows, rings and kisses and enter into the beautiful covenant of marriage...

...and I am blessed with the privilege of witnessing it all from a front row seat.  =)

I'm so very excited to see them...

and admittedly a little more excited to be meeting my hubbers for a weekend rendezvous on the west coast.  =)

This also means I'll not see you lovely folks until I return.

But I promise to return with lovely California pictures and share them with all of you lovelies!

Ciao!

Back to School, Back to School!

Yes readers, tomorrow I will {re}start the last year of my undergrad degree in music education!!!

The story is that I was four weeks into this last year in the fall of 2009 when Hubs and I got the "fo sho" that we were Texas bound.  Thus, I withdrew from classes and followed my sweet hubster south for a Texas adventure!  Now, almost exactly one year later I am back, ready to roll and waaay ready to graduate!!!

Some think they have senioritis their fourth year of school... try a five year degree with a one year break in the middle!  Sure can make a girl feel like she's behind the curve, but I know that my little sabbatical was the best thing for us in the long run.  =)

So, tomorrow looks like this for me:

1) Pick up sticks/walnuts/trash in the lawn

2) Mow the lawn

3) Walk the puppies

4) Visit the gym

5) Shower / Get ready

6) Unpack my few remaining boxes {hopefully}

7) Class

8) Dinner with some girlfriends

9) First GAL meeting of the semester!

Oh... and the reason for the mowing + walking + gym visit combo = we had a worship team pool party & BBQ tonight and I ate way too much food.  

No, I'm not that insecure.

Normally, I would not worry about this.  However, I have this tiny little bridesmaid dress that I'm attempting to fit into this Thursday and so far I'm just barely squeezing by... literally.

I blow all my air out to be able to zip this sucker... lol

Thus... I'm hoping to shed some major calories tomorrow... and the few days following before the BIG day... 

So my Monday is a little full friends... wish me luck!  =)

Thrifty Hand-Me-Down's

Hola Readers!

So first of all, thanks so much for your comments on my last post!  I really appreciate it and it's nice to know there are some lovelies out there interested in what I'm writing!  =)

So, yesterday I thought I would "capture" and share some of the lovely little ditties that Mark and I inherited while we were in Texas.

All of the items in this post are from Ms. K, our downstairs neighbor who passed away just a few weeks before I moved back to KC.  

Well to start with, these cute little baskets got a fresh paint job yesterday afternoon...

Not sure what I'll use them for yet, but this seemed like a fun little time filler to help me avoid the boxes for a while... plus the spray paint was left over from previous projects.  =)

But those are just silly little teasers... 

This item here is the main reason I wanted to make this post...

An antique hat rack / umbrella stand that Ms. K's son so generously gave to us in the midst of packing up her apartment.  It was so sweet of him.

The brass is in serious need of polishing, but I love the gorgeous cherry wood and adorable little details like the marble shelf and crystal drawer knob.

This pane of glass is what slides in that opening at the very top... It is extremely yellowed and stained as you can see from the picture, but that should all clean up rather easily {when I finally get around to it}.

I still can't believe he so graciously passed this beautiful piece of furniture on to us.

 

Now for a bit of a debate:

I'm not a big brass fan.  Rephrase: I won't say "hate," but I really, really dislike brass.  I am more in favor of painting it a flat black to make it look like wrought iron or something but the hubs loves the brass and really wants to polish it instead of paint it.  I've told him that we can give polishing a try first, but if it won't shine up well, painting it is.

Though we've already compromised on a temporary verdict I'm curious, what do you think we should do with the brass hat hangers?  

Would you Polish or Paint?

Dear Readers,

So here's the deal folks.  I super love blogging, and though things have been a little crazy in these past few months, I'm finally beginning to settle back into a regular routine that will be my life for some lengthy foreseeable time to come now.  I'm getting really excited about some blog topic ideas that have started popping into my head and even a few interactive little ditty's that could be fun, but before I go putting forth all that effort, I have this piece to settle.

I am a "needs a pat on the back" kind of person... pitiful as it may be, this is who I am.  And prior to my most recent post on my return to the "big city," I was on a running streak of almost ten posts with NO comments... ouch.

I don't need "kudos" or even "hellos" on every post to keep going... but I would like to know every once in a reasonable while that I'm not sending my heartfelt little writings out into a vast empty space where no one ever reads them.

So do me a favor please and if you read my blog, show me some comment love!  =)

Side Note: I do know that I have several readers who are not a part of the actual "blog world" themselves and wonder if perhaps these readers do not often comment because they don't know they can.  Well, if that's you, let me tell you the good news!  You can leave comments on blogspot blogs using many sign-in's such as AIM, Google and even no sign-in at all as "Anonymous" -- just sign your name at the bottom of your comment if you want me to know who you are.  ;)

So friends, before I begin hard work on my many new blog topic ideas, speak up and let me know whether or not I should still be putting out all this effort.  Like I said, I love blogging.  I just want to know that it's not a lost effort.  =)

Now what about you, readers?  Do those of you who write your own blogs often find yourselves frustrated with a lack of feedback or does the presence of comments or the lack there of phase you at all?  I'm just wondering!  =)

Dear Kansas City, I've Missed You

Well readers, I figure it's about time for me to make my official "Hello Again Kansas City" post!  =)

That's right.  

I am proud to be, once again, an official resident of Kansas City.  

Though my past year in the Texas panhandle was an amazing experience and has forever left little Texas Lonestar prints on my heart, there are a few charms of this lovely city which I missed immensely...

{I personally recommend the raspberry tea or thrilla vanilla}

Loose Park...

{Dear Texas friends... these are what we call trees... lol 

...and I missed those too!}

The Plaza...

...more specifically...

{oooh sweet dulce de leche cheesecake...}

And of course I missed our house!!!

I also definitely missed having the convenience of pretty much any store I could possibly desire within maximum 30 minute driving range (most are only 5-10 minutes) as opposed to minimum one hour... yep... definitely have missed that.

But, of course, the things I missed about Kansas City most of all were not the stores, parks, cafes, our house or even the trees... but most of all I missed those closest to me.

my friends...

my family...

my church family...

These are definitely my favorite things about Kansas City.  =)

Now, if only my very most favorite thing about Kansas City would hurry up and get back here... ;)

My Husband is a Wakeboard Rockstar

 ...and sometimes his rockstar status comes with a cost.

Well actually, I believe this is the first time it has come at an actual cost... but I'm getting ahead of myself.

These are the kinds of rockstar things my hubster likes to do...

This...

and this...

and between wakeboard runs he enjoys swimming water-logged trees to shore...

But after years of slapping that wakeboard against the water again and again...

and a few good spills like these...

{some spills admittedly purposeful}

I suppose he was bound to land himself here eventually.... 

 

 As hard as he runs that board, I'm impressed, really, that it's taken him so many years to acquire his first ER-worthy wakeboard injury.  Well done dear.  

This particular fall actually ripped his feet right out of the boots!  

Once free of Mark's feet, the board saw it's opportune moment to take revenge on my sweet hubby for the years of abuse he's put it through... and that's when it hurled itself right into hub's noggin for a good whack.

Ironically, no one checked him for a concussion... he was acting just a hair loopy... but that's not entirely abnormal for him.  =)

Also, I don't think he'll ever be known for being an excellent patient, lol.  

The man has a head injury and he won't stop walking around.  Then he grabbed the truck keys right out of my hand when we were leaving the ER!  I told him, "Any head injury that lands you in the ER and requires staples calls for a minimum 12 hour restriction from operating vehicles or large machinery."  

May not be the Doc's rule, but let us recall, he forgot to even check for signs of concussion.

And I snatched the keys back.  =)

So for the next 10 days my handsome hubbers boasts this rockin' style...

True "metals" of honor?

Disclaimer for my awesome hubs:  

1) He doesn't "bite it" nearly as often as this post appears to suggest... he is quite skilled.  =)  

2) After contemplating the purchase for several years now, hubs assures me this is the year we will invest in a wakeboard helmet.  

The Overall Price of my Hubster's Rockstar Status:

Replacing the T-shirt Used as Head Rag: $5

Emergency Room Visit: $75

Wakeboard Helmet for Future Use: $40

Lessons Learned in Watersport Safety

&

Renewed Appreciation for the Well Being of My Husband's Head:

Priceless

Disclaimer for Myself:

I jest, but there were moments in there where I was sincerely concerned and I am now also sincerely relieved that he is well.

I love you sweetie!

Lake, Skylar... Skylar, Lake

This week our young little family is on vacation at the lake with Mr. Young's family.

Yesterday Mr. Skylar Kal met the lake for {what we believe was} the first time.

This is how it went...

Clearly, I found it quite comical.

He did swim when we took him out of the life jacket.  

We think it was just too buoyant for his weight.  lol

I believe it was a fairly successful introduction.

Lake, meet Skylar... Skylar, meet Lake.

Good.

Now let's all be friends.  =)

You Know You're Neglecting Your Dogs When...

They sneak into your car and stage a sit-in protest while you're trying to load up to go.

This happened the other day as I was packing up my goodies needed for the last few days before my BFFs wedding.  It's one thing when you have one dog to manhandle out of the car, but when there are two it doesn't matter... they just keep taking turns hopping back in!

I must admit, it was quite humorous.  

Though my sweet puppies may have made me a few minutes late, I completely understand the protest as this past week was a crazy one and I spent very little time distributing the love and attention our pampered little pups are used to.  =)

No worries, today we are off to the lake to spend a week with the hub's fam.  The puppies are coming and they will be spoiled rotten from all the attention by the week's end.

They deserve it, they were very patient this week.  =)