A Change In the Wind

As a Disney fan, there's one thing that most of us want more than anything. A chance to be closer to the World. We talk about moving down there, dream about moving down there...but what actually happens with that dream becomes a little closer to reality?

Brian and I have been toying with the idea of moving to Florida ever since we got married. We'd talk about how great it would be living in the Sunshine State. Away from terrible, cold winters. Close to WDW we could go for the weekend, without having to hop a plane, living in a place with palm trees. We'd say we wanted to do it before we had kids.

So, Brian would apply for jobs in Florida...but little would happen, as one would expect...we even went around to the different hotels this past January, while we were there, but no avail. Therefore, it's always been a dream.

However, about six months ago...that dream changed a bit...to allow for it to become more of a closer reality. Because Brian let his work know that he really did want to move. And his boss said he'd try and help him in his quest. I didn't take this to mean much. But his boss wasn't joking. He got in touch with his boss who owns quite a few properties in Florida.

Brian told me that his boss's boss was on the lookout for a potential job for him. Ok, I thought...well, that's great, but I doubt this will amount to anything. When do things like that ever amount to anything?

Then about a month ago, Brian told me his boss' boss wanted to do some restructuring at his hotels and that the move may actually happen. This got me a little more anxious. It seemed like a little bit more of a reality. But alas, the real world snuck in and his boss, we would find out, would be transferring to another hotel in the near future. So, knowing that, we figured that the idea of Florida was back on the back burner.

Apparently, it may not be. As we got word today that there's a very real chance, by the end of the year, that Brian may have a real job in Florida. Our dream is very quickly becoming a reality.

And I'd like to take you with me on this journey. Because what happens when the move to Florida is something that more than likely is going to happen? What happens when you actually get to live out what you've been dreaming about for so long? It's never as great as you picture it being, for sure.

The one thing I do know though, It's going to be one scary adventure....that I know 100%.

New Computer

Well, I've been slacking again...but this time, I have news.

I am officially going to need a new computer. Which makes me very sad. Although I knew it was coming.

If you remember from earlier this year, I had to take my computer in because it was just having a bunch of problems. The guy told me that I was going to need to buy a new computer because it would be cheaper than fixing the problem, which was more than likely putting in a new motherboard.

He fixed the computer so I could function on it for a while, and I was attempting to save up money so I could buy a new one.

Well, yesterday, I was on YouTube and all the sudden, my computer crashed, like it usually does. I system restored it, just like I normally do...tried to restart it and it didn't restart. It needed to be system restored again. (Again, something that I'm used to). This time, it will not go to the system restore page. It gets suck on the page right before it starts restoring. So, I can't do anything.

And rather than me take it back to the computer place to fix where it'll cost another $150...I'd rather save the $150 and put it towards the cost of a new computer. So, that's what I'm going to be doing.

Although, I might take it in to see if I can get a few pics taken off of it...as there are just a few that I believe I've erased from my camera that I would like to try to salvage. If not, it's not a big deal...I have them saved on Facebook and I'd just have to save them on my computer, but still, I'd rather have the original files.

I have a feeling I can't salvage the pics though because the last time we fixed my computer the USB port stopped working and that would be the only way I would think I'd be able to save what I wanted.

So, now I'm on the market for a new computer. Can't decide whether I want a desktop or a laptop. I keep going back and forth between the two. Part of me says desktop, because it's what I already have and all I'd need to do would be to buy a tower. But part of me thinks it would be nice to have a laptop that I could take around everywhere. Although I'd have to buy a few accessories for a new laptop...so...This time, I am going to take my time and explore...unlike the last time. I will NEVER do that again. I learned my lesson the hard way.

Meh...it stinks, but unfortunately, I knew it was gonna happen.

So Busy!!!

OMG!

So life has totally gotten away from me and my time to do this!!!

Last weekend, WHF was the best man in his best friend's wedding reception. (His friend had gotten married on a cruise ship a few weeks before). The reception was nice. Kinda boring though. Not one person really got up and danced. It was mostly just people sitting around tables, talking. Which is difficult, when the only people you know at said reception are the best man and the bride and groom. lol!

WHF and I were the only people that danced, which let me tell you...is awkward!

WHF gave a really nice toast though. It was very heartfelt...which I didn't expect from him.

Today, we are off to another wedding. This time, it's one of my friends. This girl I've known since I was 3. She helped me learn to tie my shoes! :) It should be a much better evening than last weekend's festivities because my whole family will be at this one...and dancing will be a must. :)

I also have another temporary kitty here (this one really is temporary) as my mom and dad's cat had her bits and pieces removed...so she's healing, but her kitten still wants to play. Stitched up mommy can't play in her condition...so Opie (as he's affectionately known because he has orange hair like Opie Taylor), is living with me temporarily.

My kitty does NOT like this one though. Lots of hissing and swatting going on. Which makes me feel bad...but I had no choice in the matter. This was the best situation.

It has been interesting having a kitten in the house though. They are FULL of energy!!!! Opie is constantly bouncing off the walls...tables...couches...pretty much anywhere he goes he's bouncing. Shoulda called him Tigger! lol!

Anyway...that's about it with me. So sorry for stinking with the updates...hopefully life will slow down enough for me to post in the near future again. :)

I'm A Slacker!

Wow...so apparently I have totally be slacking at this. Not that I have too much going on right now. It's been a boring few weeks in the neighborhood lately. (I mean last weekend, I spent a good portion of it at my house bored out of my mind. As you can see...I haven't been too exciting!)

The one fun thing was that WHF and I ended up going to the zoo last weekend. Just for a few hours. (With a free zoo, you can get away with going for just an hour or two and not feel bad.) We stopped off to visit the monkeys...my favorites...and then we went searching for Mr. Giraffe.

I don't know if you all remember, but Mr. Giraffe is a very, VERY happy guy. He is definitely one who likes to get all up in his lady giraffe's business that he lives with. Last time I went with my brother, we seriously watched this for like an hour...although last time we were alone.

This time...Mr. Giraffe acted the exact same way...and there was a crowd. Everybody was in on the Giraffe watching. lol!

Also, in some other news...WHF has decided what his birthday present to me will be. A trip for my friend and I to go to Disney World.

He knows how much we've been wanting to go all year (and well, if we're being honest, since like our Freshman year of college...which is like close to 8 years now or so...) and this was the year we could make it happen with her in the Army and getting free passes and me having an AP. All it took was some money. Now, I've been saving each week and have a good portion of my half, however my friend has not...because of a lot of reasons. (Not necessarily because she didn't want to, more because she had cash flow issues a lot of the time...)

So, because of this, WHF decided that it would just be a good idea if he paid her way to go. At first I thought he was only gonna pay for her to fly down there and she had to pay the hotel with me, but then he made it dawn on me that he was taking care of everything for it. I was SHOCKED!!! I had no idea that's what he meant...and I thought he was crazy. That was absurd for him to do! But he knew I would love it...so I decided to take him up on the offer.

So, as long as my friend can get off work and as long as her Army papers come in...We're Going To Disney World! (Wow...what a sickness I have...if we start counting from last Sept's trip...I will have been at Disney 5 times in basically a year...holy crap!!!! Um...I think no more Annual Passes for me for a while...lol!)

Huh...I guess my life isn't 100% boring. :)

Bedroom Quest

So, lately I've been on a "Let's Make My House Look Nice" kick. I'm tired of living with no decorative stuff...so, I wanted to get things looking more my speed.

First thing on my list was updating my kitchen...which I've been doing with a wine bottle theme. It's looking really great. I'm really liking it a lot.

The next thing I wanted was a new bedspread. My old bedspread was really dated looking. When we bought it, we didn't really shop around...we just bought something b/c it had a lot of stuff in it.

Needless to say, this time I had more of an idea of what I was looking for.

The problem...when I painted my bedroom, I painted it to match my bedspread...which at the time...I thought was a great idea...now, this proved to be a potential bad choice. Why? Because I painted my bedroom red and gold. Two colors that together are now apparently very out of style.

So, yesterday, WHF and I went on the quest of finding a bedding ensemble that we both liked. This proved much harder than we thought.

We went to 12, count them...12 stores in search of something that would work for us. We did find a few that we loved. The first was at Bed, Bath and Beyond. I really liked this one...the problem...it was $199...and although I had a coupon for it...it was still quite pricey with the coupon. But I loved it...and it was a front runner for me.

The second one we liked was at the Ashley Furniture store. We both liked this one and it was reasonably priced, but when we sat on it, it wasn't very cushy. So, we wanted to think about it.

The 3rd one...WHF really loved...from JC Penny's but it was only red and I really wanted something that had both red and gold in it. But I figured if worse came to worse, I could accent it with gold pillows or something.

Finally, we went to Gordman's. There they had a bunch of red and gold things. We found two we both liked, but realized the one was in a king...the other was a queen...and it was on clearance. $42....done and done.

I mean, even if we hate it in a few years, we won't feel bad because we didn't pay too much for it!

So, after all the searching...here is the winning bedspread...and I'm so happy it's done.

This one is without the flash, so you can get a better idea of the colors.

And WHF is happy too. Because even though it was tough shopping all day yesterday, he realized why shopping around sometimes helps. Because you can get a really great deal...if you look.

Now...all we need is a new bedroom set and I'll be very happy with my bedroom. :) Ah...house ownership. You're never happy with what you've got. lol!!!

Big Money, No Whammys!!!

So today, I went to the casino with my grandma and my brother. We went to the new casino in our town because none of us had ever been there before. We thought, why not try it?

It is a beautiful place, filled with lots of rich colors. Browns and reds and golds. It's simply stunning. And best of all, their buffet is seriously one of the best buffets I've ever eaten. Just really good, quality tasting food.

But best of all...was the casino portion. It's so nice in there. It's really big. I actually lost my grandma for a while. I also got my brother hooked on Roulette! He really liked it when I taught him how to play. (Video Roulette, not the big tables!)

After we played for about an hour or so, we decided to go look for my grandma. We found her, finally, but she still wanted to play some more. So, my brother decided to sit next to her and play too.

Now, before we went to the casino, grandma gave me $30 to gamble with. I had spent $15 of it and decided I'd go spend the other half. There was a machine that my mom and I had played at another casino that I'd really liked, so I wanted to see if they had it at this one.

It was the Wizard of Oz game. I put in $10 and just played. Got down to about $6.00 or so and then hit it for over $150! I then decided that I would get it down to $150 and then leave. I only had about $10 or so to go. I got to like $154 and then hit it again for another $100!

So, I decided to see if it would hit again, putting back another $20 or so...and didn't win again...so I walked away with around $240. I gave my Grandma her $30 back and left with $205!

I was so thrilled! I've never won that much before in my life!!! Although I'll probably end up going back to the casino and putting it all back in at some point this year with Grandma, but still...to at least get to leave with money instead of empty pocketed was wonderful!

I'll definitely go back to this casino...although it makes me wonder...it was my first time there...and my grandma's first time there...both of us left as winners...(more or less)...wonder if they if the slots set up so if you're a newbie, you're more inclined to win so you come back. You always want to go back to a place you've done well at and it worked for me! I'm going to be a loyal customer from now on. I was definitely impressed.

Laundry surprise!

My dog is seriously goofy. Last night, I was getting ready to go to bed and I found her, sleeping. Yet, she was sleeping in a place that I didn't understand.

How did she even think to get in the basket? She has a blanket on the floor in the other room that she'd been laying on recently...why jump in the basket?

Strange, strange dog...

Volleying

Last night, I did something else I hadn't done since high school.

I went out and played volleyball...sand volleyball.

This is so not me...

I don't play sports...I suck at them. Matter of fact, I was quite anxious to get out there and play. I didn't think I'd be any good and while the game didn't count for anything, I didn't want to suck so bad that my teammates would think, why the heck did we let her play?"

But, I got out there...and I had one heck of a great time! It was so fun. Granted...I suck...but not as bad at the playing as I thought I would. More, I suck completely at serving. matter of fact, couldn't get the ball over the net on a serve...gave the team their final point to win on one game...but in all, we weren't a bad team for a makeshift one. We actually won one of the games! lol!!!

So, I'm glad I played last night. It really was a blast!

Meeting Hi and Poppy

I am so behind on this post, but I've been super busy! Finally it's here. :)

This Easter, Baby Katie finally got to meet Hi and Poppy for the first time ever!

BIL called WHF two days before Easter and asked what we were doing. WHF and I didn't have major plans and we knew that Katie was almost 6 months old...it was beyond time for her to see her great-grandparents.

So, we told them we had no plans and went over there on Easter Sunday.

Didn't do much, but I think the pics say it all. They were so happy they finally got to meet their great-granddaughter. :)

First up, Poppy holding Katie:

Katie meeting Hi (her namesake):

BIL and SIL:




Uncle WHF holding Katie:

Auntie Nibbs getting some love:

Hopefully it won't be until next Easter until we all get together again! :)

Loosing Me

For the past two months, I've really been trying hard to loose weight. I'm not over-weight by any means, but I definitely weigh more than I would like to.

So, 2 months ago, I decided I was going to do something about it. I started eating healthier by eating more salads, more yogurt, more reduced fat cookies, more fruit...just anything that I thought could be conceived as healthier.

And it appears to be working...at least a little bit.

Last month, my mom and a few other people kept asking me if I'd lost weight. I wasn't sure, but once I got on the scale, it said I weighed 2 lbs less than I had previously. (Originally it said I had weighed 6 lbs less, but I don't think I weighed myself right then.)

Then this month, I got on the scale and weighed 2 lbs less than I did the month before. Which makes me very happy.

So, now I'm down to being under a weight that I can deal with, however, I would like to drop it down a bit more. I would like (if I'm wishing for stuff) to lose another 10 lbs...however, I think I could be sufficiently happy if I lost another 5. Then I would be back to a weight I could feel comfortable with seeing. lol!

In all though, I'm quite shocked that changing my diet, just a tiny bit like that, adding just a bit more healthy stuff (and I'm still eating a bit of the junky stuff too...let's be honest, I'm not living on the "only eat healthy stuff" diet, that's just not gonna be feasible for me...lol!) and doing no exercise has helped me.

Of course, now I might start the running thing, since I think WHF really enjoyed the fact that we did that together last week. So, maybe that will help me loose some more weight faster.

In all, I'm very pleased with my progress...and that's all a girl can ask for. :)

Run Nibbs! Run!!!

Yesterday, I did something I haven't done since my sophomore year in high school. It is something I vowed I wouldn't ever do after, yet, I found myself strangely compelled to attempt it again.

So, what was this miraculous feat I completed? I ran! Now, I know what you're saying...ooh...she ran...big whoop. But for me, this is a huge deal. I always joked that I would only run if someone was chasing after me. I HATED running with a passion. It was always my least favorite part about gym class. I dreaded it so much.

But yesterday, I not only ran, but I ran a whole mile. I not only ran a whole mile, but I almost ran a whole mile, only walking for approximately 30 steps or so before starting back up and running again. I not only ran ran a while mile, I did it in like 10 minutes. Not too shabby for not doing it in about 10 years.

That's right, I said 10 years. It's been almost 10 years since I've even remotely come to running a mile...and back then, I never ran ran the whole way...I walked a good portion of the mile back in gym class. lol!!!

So, what made me decide to go out? Well, ever since I met WHF, he's always ran. He was a runner in high school and constantly runs in 5k's here at home...and he's asked me before if I wanted to go with him. I've always laughed and said no...have a great time. But yesterday, I don't know. Maybe it was that I decided I wanted to share in something that he's so passionate about with him, since he shares so lovingly in my Disney obsession with me. Maybe it was that I wanted to get in shape. I've been trying to eat healthier in my life...more salads, more fruit, more yogurt...and last month, I lost a total of 2 lbs. (The scale originally said 5...but I opted for the second weighing...I figured there was no way I could have lost 5 lbs eating more salads and low fat Chips Ahoy cookies.)

Whatever the reason was, I am really proud of myself. And best of all, WHF is proud of me. I did something that he's never even come close to seeing me do and I think he was really impressed with me even attempting to do it. The fact that I actually accomplished the feat was huge to him...he even bragged about me at work today. :)

So, will I go out with him again? You know what? I don't know. I might.

And that in and of itself is a big deal...because I'm not shooting down the idea immediately...and that's something that personally I'm amazed about. :)

It's Baseball Season!!!

So today is opening day...and it's colder than cold out there...and it was snowing this morning. Something is wrong with this picture. Opening day should be warm and not filled with people huddled up in blankets, scarfs, and hats! But, all that doesn't matter because the Cards are playing ball. The crack of the bat...the smell of hot dogs...the yells of the drunk dudes...lol!

As of right now, the game is tied...hopefully they'll pull it out.

However, I do have some exciting news...I get to go to my first game of the season...tomorrow! Becker called me and asked if we wanted to go, so I said yes! Yay for baseball! Unfortunately, it will be freezing cold tomorrow. Guess I'll have to pack the hat and gloves. :(

More Wedding Pics

Well, here are the pics from the wedding. It was a great day. I took all the pics from the day... :)



Oh...and if you don't want to put in your email...make one up. :)

Olivia and Derek

Olivia and Derek
Originally uploaded by rikkibeourguest

Well, they did it! They got married. More pics coming, but here's one of them! :)

Bachelorette Fun!

Last Saturday, we had Olivia's final harrah as a single woman! And a good time was had by all...so what better way to share the good time, but by pictures! :)

We started off that morning not telling Olivia what we were doing in the afternoon. She knew about the evening stuff. First things first, she had to get dressed in her Cardinal's gear.

Getting ready to go for the day:


From there, we went downtown...unfortunately, we forgot the St. Patty's Day parade was that day. That made for some interestingness. Also, we were the only people downtown not wearing green. :)

Yay! There's a parade today...is that what we're doing?


Nope...not what we're doing...we're headed to Busch Stadium! Better than that...we're headed to a tour of Busch Stadium!

Us girls outside:



Yeah baby! All Star Game 2009!!! That's right!

Look how pretty the field is!

So, we walked around the stadium with our tour guide. There was only about 15 or so of us on the tour. It was really neat to get to see the behind the scenes stuff at the stadium. One such behind the scene included my next pic.

This is where they broadcast the games from. The windows open up so you can hear the crack of the bat and the vendors selling junk food!

Um...next...we actually got to go out onto the field!!! Woot!!!!

Can you tell Olivia's excited?

The view the players get!

That's right, we got to go inside the dugout too! Wonder who's butt has sat here? :)

I love this pic! Us girls!

From the field!

I was quite excited too!

After going out on the field...we went past where Fredbird lives. He's not normally there on days when they don't play, but because he had to be in the St. Patty's Day parade, we got a special experience.

Oh...and Liv got proposed to. She already said she's leaving her fiance for Fredbird. :)

Now Fredbird is going to carry her away!

After all the baseball madness, we went bowling. Since that's what Olivia really wanted to do.

Here is is getting her first strike!

The good times didn't last long though as she realized later that she sucks at bowling.




Becker was doing pretty fabulous though.

However, no one did as fabulous as me! I won the second game and apparently the series! That's right, I rock! (Check out the R...that's me! 128 Baby!)



Then we went to change clothes for the evening and ate some of the yummy cupcakes I made. They're funfetti! With blue icing...which I food colored. :)


After that, it was off to Target in search of a veil Olivia could wear for the evening. We did find someone else who wanted her attention:

We got her a veil and she got all cutsie for the night.

Yay for us! Don't we look pretty?

So, that night, we went to a dueling piano bar. It wasn't as fun as the first time Becker and I had been, but we had a good time. The bad things were we had to wait 45 minutes before anyone waited on us (not too big of a deal, we'd be there all night, but we did have to bring a manager over to ask where our waitress was) and two...we waited for them to play our song for her...they played it, but didn't mention anything about her getting married b/c a bunch of other people requested it too. :( So we requested another song...took them and hour and a half before they played it and that's because our waitress had to go over there and make them. After that, we left because we were tired...we suck...it was only 11:30 pm...lol! Whoo! Look how crazy we are!

The piano player was singing Let's Get It On...so the other player had to come over and be serenaded:

Olivia and I dancing to Rock Your Body...the song we requested...finally!!!!

So, that was our fun, fun night. Olivia gets married tomorrow, which means I won't be the only one of us out of our group married anymore. That will be nice...although he goes to Iraq in like a month from now...so we won't get to spend any time with the two of them. :(

I'll be sure to post some wedding pics as I'm the official photographer for tomorrow. This makes me kinda scared. I've never done a wedding completely by myself before. Hope I do well! :)