Diverting My Nervous Energy

It is 8:13 p.m. on Thursday, January 3.  There is approximately 30 seconds left in the first quarter of the Fiesta Bowl game and I can't seem to watch the game.  I want the Cats to win so badly -- mainly for Collin Klein, but also for all of the KSU fans -- and my nervous energy is getting the best of me, so I'm blogging instead :) 

{I found a reliable watermarking website, so I plan to use a few photos from time-to-time -- it's hard to have a blog without photos}

We had a wonderful Christmas!  We could not have asked for anything more -- lots of quality time with both families, lots of time to relax and recharge our batteries, lots of people to love on Mason, and taking time to focus on the gift of Jesus' birth and what that means for our eternal life in heaven.  
Mason and I were able to spend a couple of extra days in Pratt before our official visit started and it was so fun to spend a few quiet days at "home" with him and my parents.  He also did great making the adjustment from our house to my parent's house and even slept better there than he does here.  Maybe it was because he was so tired?  That is what I'm going to tell myself anyway (side note: he is a REALLY good sleeper, I think we were just surprised at how well he adjusted).  
I tried a new cookie/candy recipe this year that seemed to be a hit.  Of course, I found it on Pinterest!  

Source: plainchicken.com via Tessa on Pinterest

The only changes I made were adding M&M's and I didn't buy enough white chocolate chips so I had to substitute some semi-sweet chips.  These are definitely going on my Christmas cookie/candy rotation from now on.  They were THAT good!
Speaking of Christmas recipes found on Pinterest, I also made this salad for our Christmas dinner.  If you do one thing this week it would be to make this salad.  It was so good!!!  The dressing was the best part, in my opinion.

Source: thecafesucrefarine.blogspot.com via Tessa on Pinterest

**EDIT** Things are getting a little testy in our household....I will just keep quiet and continue writing.
Our new year has started off kind of quiet, which I like.  It was nice not having to dread going back to work after the holidays and I think that has helped with the "quietness".  I have not developed any resolutions for the year...I think history would indicate I'm not so good at sticking with things as the year progresses.  Hey, at least I can admit it, right?!?!  We do have some house update projects we are trying to accomplish, so we have set some goals for those.  We also decided we would like to get a little more organized and maximize our storage space (Little Man is outgrowing some of his "gear" so we need to find places to store all of it) so we took one day over the weekend to clean out, purge, and reorganize our basement.  It felt REALLY good to get that stuff done.  I had been trying to get to it since I quit work but I just never knew where to start, but thankfully Brandon attacks things with plans!  
Mason has also be the recipient of LOTS of hand-me-down toys and then couple that with the toys he got for Christmas and he is one lucky boy!!  Thankfully, Brandon's dad was willing to build us a toy shelf earlier this fall and we filled it up at that time, but it was due for another reorganization.  Here is the final product!  

Pretty awesome, huh?!?  Everything has a home, for the most part.  Not pictured are a few of the Christmas gifts he received that reside across the room.  Now, I just need to get some cute posters on the wall to add some personality and this room will be done.  I'd also like a bean bag to sit in while Mason plays, but I doubt that will happen.  
Well, the game is now in the third quarter -- yes, it has taken me a LONG time to write this blog...I'm a little rusty -- so I'm going to sign off.  Let's just hope the Cats can pull out a W!!  It is 22-10 now (Oregon is leading)....

Lately...

• ...my dear ol' blog has been neglected.  I have had so much going on with wrapping up my job at the Chamber, to transitioning to my new job as a full-time mom, to adjusting to my part-time job, to enjoying my time with the little guy, to weekends with family, etc. etc. that my blog has honestly been the last thing on my mind.  
• ...we celebrated Halloween with the cutest puppy you've ever seen!

• ...we have been LOVING watching the Cats this season (I mean, we LOVE every season, but this season has been especially fun!).  While Mason and I have not ventured to Manhattan yet, Brandon has gone up a few times.  And of course, Mason is a true Wildcat fan!!

• ...the Fall colors around here have been amazing!  We have loved watching the trees in our yard change colors.  What we have not loved are the leaves that we Brandon have to pick up.

{This pic was taken through our window and our neighbor had just mowed up his leaves...}

• ...I have made a couple of tasty recipes!  These Oatmeal Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies were AMAZING and Brandon gave this Jalapeño Popper Dip two thumbs up!  Funny story about the dip.  I had made it for our Tuesday night Bible study group and put it in the oven to bake while we met and when I came upstairs to take it out of the oven I realized that I never turned the oven on.  So, we had M&Ms for a snack that night.  Oh well...at least our friends can laugh with me!
• ...we visited Megan and Kevin and their sweet boys in Oklahoma.  We had not been down there in a LONG time and we wanted to have have Megan take Mason's six month pictures and our family pictures.  Of course, the pictures turned out amazing (the picture of Brandon and Mason melts my heart!) and we had a wonderful time hanging out with our two little families :)   Here is a pic of our three boys (who would have ever thought we would have three boys between the two of us?!?).

Well, I think that is all for now.  I need to ease back into this blogging thing :)

Why I didn't root for KU in the NCAA Tournament

Some people ask us why we don't root for KU when they aren't playing our beloved Wildcats.  We hear "Oh, but KU is part of the Big 12 and you should root for your conference" or "...But you are a Kansan and KU is still a Kansas team" or "I would root for K-State if they were in the national championship" (to which I reply "umm, no you wouldn't") -- yes I've heard it all which is why I'm here to defend my stance on this issue:

• I'm am a K-State fan down to my core.  My dad is the oldest of eight kids and seven of those eight kids all GRADUATED from K-State.  In my immediate family, all of us but one -- not quite sure how he slipped in...just kidding!!! -- are GRADUATES of K-State.  We are loyal fans who hang with our teams through thick and thin.  We have all invested lots of time and money into the university which gives us the right to be passionate fans.  This leads me to my next point...
• Many of the mouthy KU fans did not even attend KU, none-the-less graduate from KU.  They haven't invested large amounts of time and money into the university, yet they are the first ones to make smart remarks when K-State loses, or are the people who deck out their offices and homes with gear to show their "spirit".  K-State fans, in general, are not band wagon riders.  I believe the tweet below sums up the feeling of most KSU fans:

• With that said, I don't mind non-graduates being fans.  It's fine to get behind a team, but don't be a super-fan and talk a bunch of trash.  It's just rude!
• It is also funny to me that KU does not consider K-State a rival, yet they are so competitive with us.  According to dictionary.com, a rival is a person who is competing for the same object or goal as another, or who tries to equal or outdo another; a competitor; a person or thing that is in a position to dispute another's preeminence or superiority.  Even if they don't consider us  "rivals", we are competitors and competitors don't root for each other no matter if we are all from the same state or conference.

I don't want to come across as a sour grape, but I can only take so much!!!  

And just for good measure, here I am dressed for the "big game"!!  Go Cats!!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday... (On A Thursday)

I got an email from the K-State Alumni Association this morning and when I opened up it I saw this picture.  It sure made me miss that place.  Isn't the campus so beautiful?!?

We Went Bowlin'

I'm feeling a little pathetic that I'm just now getting our pictures from the Cotton Bowl up, but that is just how it goes sometimes. 

We headed to the Big D on Thursday morning in order to make it in time for the KSU pep rally at Rangers stadium.  I think they estimated there were close to 20,000 people in attendance so that was fun.  I can't say the pep rally was very peppy, but we did get to see a rendering of the new West Side stadium design and we caught a glimpse of Terrence Newman, so it wasn't all bad.

After the pep rally we met up with some of my parents' college friends at a fun BBQ restaurant.  The restaurant was a little bit off the beaten path and our GPS ended up taking us on a toll road that ran right through the middle of the airport.  Needless to say the two backseat drivers (me and my mom) thought we were totally lost but we ended up in the right spot.

Friday morning we got up and headed to the Galleria for a little pre-game retail therapy.  The guys were not too thrilled but my mom, sister and I had a great time!  And, I got a pair of super cute Sperry's!

After we finished shopping we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the big game!  We couldn't get over the size of the stadium.  It really is hard to put into words just how big and amazing that place is.

{Yep, that bottom right picture is of all of our backsides...}

We had tickets to a fun pre-game party that was held in a club that was field level so we had a fun time getting an up-close and personal look at the filed and the players.  Oh yeah, and Eric Stonestreet!!  He was not at our party but he was making the rounds on the filed and we got to give him a high-five...so fun!!

{the screen was sooooo big we couldn't event get the whole thing in the picture!}

We made our way to our seats a few minutes before the pregame festivities started and we had quite a view :)  Of course, we wish the Cats could have pulled out a win but that didn't happen.  However, we had a great time anyway!!

Satruday morning we got up and went to the JFK memorial in downtown Dallas.  I had been before but I was a lot younger and didn't appreciate it as much as I did this time. 

After the JFK memorial we headed to the Ft. Worth Stock Yards.  Our first stop was Billy Bobs, but it was 2:00 in the afternoon so there wasn't much activity.  And thanks to Twitter, I found out that Khloe and Rob Kardashian were perusing the streets of the Stock Yards so I was determined to go find them.  I didn't find them, but we did have fun and Brandon even got a pair of cowboy boots!  Real, genuine Texas cowboy boots!  Oh yeah and we watched a three minute cattle drive where the cattle were basically sleep walking...

{The pic of Brandon is from the bull riding arena at Billy Bobs.  He had not bought his boots yet.}

And, as if we hadn't already had a full day we made one more stop at the Dallas Mavericks basketball game.  We figured we might as well take in one more sporting event and one more arena/stadium.

{Bottom right pic is of my brother-in-law, sister, aunt and us}

And yes, I did spot Khloe and Rob Kardashian at the game!  In fact, I pretty much spent the whole game looking for and watching them.  Lame.  I know.

Sunday morning we all got up early and headed our separate ways.  We really enjoyed Dallas and can't wait to get back there again sometime very soon!

Paint the Town Purple!

Last night the Wildcats played basketball against West Virginia University here in Wichita at INTRUST Bank Arena.  This game was particular exciting because it put K-State's former coach, Bob Huggins, against his former assistant coach and now K-State head coach, Frank Martin.  Both of these coaches are what I would call "passionate" on the court so it made for an entertaining evening.

The other cool thing about the game was that it allowed Wichita to shine in the national spotlight.  The arena was filled (15,004 to be exact) and the fans were on fire!  My social media feeds were full of people praising our city for being such great hosts and in his post-game interview, Frank Martin even commented on the impressive showing and said he thinks they should come back to Wichita more often. 

Even though the Cats lost in double overtime I think it was a successful night all the way around! 

{Brandon was trying to tell me to watch the game and not take pictures...ha!}

Labor Day

Our Labor Day wasn't so labor-less...

It all started Friday afternoon when we ventured up to Kansas City in order for Brandon to redeem his anniversary gift.  If you know Brandon, you know he is the most loyal Kansas City Royals fan.  Ever.  He has loved the Royals since he was a little guy, he bats left-handed because George Brett batted left-handed and he will defend George Brett against the haters (ahem...my brother) until the day he dies, he remembers where he was when the Royals won the World Series, and he can rattle off Royals stats from any era.  I could go on, but you get the point.  So, for our fifth anniversary, I decided to get him a Royals experience that he wouldn't forget  - a personal, behind the scenes tour of Kauffman Stadium!  Needless to say, he was very excited and I think he had a great time.  But, I will let the pictures do the talking...

{In the media room}

{Frank White}

{Getting to know Jeff Franceour}

{Bill Butler a.k.a. "Country Breakfast", a nickname he gave himself}

{Hosmer!}

{Royals Hall of Fame}

{Broadcast booth}

{First base camera bay during the National Anthem}

We sat in the Diamond Club seats with my sister and her husband and enjoyed a lovely evening, but unfortunately the Royals didn't win.  However, we did get to experience the Friday night fireworks after the game.  

After a long night, we were definitely ready for bed since we had a big day on Saturday.  We started out at the City Market with my sister and her family.  The city market is located in downtown Kansas City and was so fun!  Before we got going, the girls took a little train ride...

After the train ride, we browsed the market and walked away with plenty of goodies:

• heirloom tomatoes (oh how I wish I could find these in Wichita)
• peaches
• corn on the cob
• dog treats
• bread
• spices and dressing mixes
• flower pots (to be revealed later...)

We left the market in time to meet my brother and his family for lunch before some of us headed to God's country for the Wildcat football game!  If you follow me on Twitter, you know that the game was pretty ugly, but we did pull out a win and we had a great time, as usual!

{the only pic I got was of the band...oops!}

We got back to KC pretty late and pretty much fell right to sleep after our long day.  But we had to get rested up for yet another fun day!  After church on Sunday, the boys took the little girls home for naps while us big girls squeezed in a little shopping.  The highlight of the shopping trip?  Trader Joe's!  Trader Joe's just opened up near my brother and sister's house and I've heard so many great things about their products on food blogs and from my sister and sister-in-law so I knew I needed to make a stop.  And, I was not disappointed!  Not only did they have great products, their prices were also amazing!  For around $50 I got the following:

• 2 chocolate bars
• 1 tub of mini peanut butter cups
• 1 tub of pistachio toffee
• 1 bag of frozen potstickers
• 1 bag of sweet potato fries
• 2 jars of pasta sauce
• 2 packages of refrigerated pasta
• 1 bag of sweet potato chips
• 1 bag of peanut butter filled pretzels
• 1 bag of honey sesame almonds (or crack!)
• 1 box of chocolate covered frozen banana slices
• 1 box of mini ice cream sandwiches
• 2 bags of fresh pizza dough
• 1 bottle of pomegranate limeade (I hear it is great with a little bit of vodka)

Can you believe I got all of that for roughly $50??  I was shocked!  So far, we have used the pizza dough, the tortellini and one jar of pasta sauce (not all together!) and have been extremely pleased with the taste and the quality of the items.  Brandon did not quite understand why we drove all the way to KC to buy groceries, but I hate to inform him that this probably won't be the last time we do this :)

After our shopping trip, we met up with everyone for a little family bowling!  Surprisingly, the little girls did a pretty good job of bowling granny style.

We worked up quite an appetite bowling so we headed over to Todd and Natalie's for dinner and consumed some of our market finds from the day before.  Oh yeah -- we also had some amazing peach cobbler, Paula Deen style!  We definitely went home full and happy.

Monday, we got up and had a yummy breakfast and then packed up the car to head home.  Since we stayed with Tara and Matt, we decided to stop by Todd and Natalie's before we left town to spend a little time with our niece.  We ended up taking the dogs to the park for a little walk because she LOVES dogs and guess who she chose to walk...

Yep, Koby is very loved by this little girl!  

We finally made our way home and hit the ground running.  We unloaded our stuff, washed the car, cleaned out the interior, started (and finished) laundry, Brandon mowed and I made dinner.  Even though it was a crazy busy weekend, we had a great time!