Congratulations

I realized that I never did put this on our blog, and it is such exciting news that it deserves to be here! Josh found out this week that he has been accepted to Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY! He will start with internet classes only, we're not moving there! Yet, anyway... we're not making any plans, because God will lead where He wants us to go. And for now I'm content knowing that... Josh is very excited to feel like he is pursuing his ultimate goal of full time ministry. Wherever we end up, it will be an exciting ride, and this is the first step. Way to go, Josh! :)

YUM!

So we had a lazy day today, we cleaned house all morning, fried our fish from last night for lunch, took a nap, and hit Wal-Mart. Then I decided to get creative, and I tried out a new recipe. Turns out it's my new favorite for easy-but-fancy desserts (not that I ever really need those, but I can dream, someday I might throw a party). I saw it on Everyday Italian last week. It's Fried Nutella Ravioli! And it's awesome! Just take wonton wrappers, brush egg around the outside, put a bit of Nutella in the middle, seal them up, fry for 45 seconds per side, and you're done. If you want to be really fancy, dust them with powdered sugar. The wrapper gets all crispy, and the Nutella is semi-melted and creamy inside. YUM! Just thought I'd share, in case there are any other bored culinary experimenters out there! :)

Gone Fishin'

We finally got to go fishing tonight! It was blasted hot all day, so we finally left at like six. It was still blasted hot, but we headed to the Thomas' anyway. We had a really great time, especially after we walked all the way around the lake to get to the dam. It was worth it, though, because that was definitely where the best fishing was! The lake was so low that there were huge amounts of scum all around the edge, and while there was still scum by the dam, it only went a foot or two into the water, and then it dropped off and was deep.

I started out using an all white rooster tail with a silver spinner. Apparently, when it is bright and sunny outside, you want the brightest lure you can find. And it definitely worked! However, I did realize that I was a little out of practice casting. So several times I attempted to knock the fish out instead of actually catching them. Though rarely used (and rarely successful) this technique involves hurling your lure at breakneck speeds directly at the lake about 2 feet from the shore, hoping to whack some unsuspecting fish on the head, thereby knocking it unconcious so that it will float to the top. I also caught the dam behind me (I know, I'm talented) several times. But, I still managed to catch 11 fish! Some of them were really more bait than fish, but, hey, they count! I caught 3 perch/bluegill, and the rest were largemouth bass. One of the bass was about 3 inches long, and he didn't go after my lure, I snagged him by the belly on my way through the scum. Soooo, not the most talented fishing, but I did alright! When the sun went down we switched to darker lures (a black and red rooster tail with a brass spinner this time) and that's when I caught my two biggest bass. All in all we kept 8 or 9 fish, so we did alright. Josh didn't have as great of luck as I did, but we kept a greater percentage of his fish! And he caught the only two catfish, which will definitely make good eating. And, since he is a WONDERFUL HUSBAND, he is downstairs right now cleaning all of the fish in the garage! It's kind of fun to know that this is something we can do together to relax, and we will both really enjoy it! :) 

Goin' for a Ride!

Josh and I never do this, but this afternoon we had to go across town to an auction of Dad's to pick out a desk for Josh's office at church. When Dad called we had the dog in the house, so we decided to take her with us. I didn't realize that we'd be at the auction for half an hour, or quite how ridiculously hot it was outside! So poor Isabella was dying of heat by the time we left. However, she was exceptionally good at the auction, except when she figured out who Dad was, then she jumped all over him. But mostly she was good. So we decided to treat her with some ice cream from McD's, since her cousin, Sarge, seems to like the stuff so much. Clearly, she approves! :) She just slurped it down in the car, and finished it off at home! She was so cute! Odd thing is, she seems to have extraordinary amounts of energy tonight... hmmm...

The Classics Never Die

Well... they say the classics never die, and as another week of VBS comes to a close at the MHBC, I have to agree! Though there have definitely been changes, like no more trail mix on Thursdays (BUMMER!) and we had orange sherbert tonight instead of watermelon (the first time we haven't had watermelon on Parent Night since I can remember), it's still basically the same. The kids are still great... we still have fun... 3rd & 4th grade still gets candy (only now I'm giving it out instead of getting it!)... Susie still does music... Dan still does rec with whatever random assortment of youth boys are there... and kickball is still THE game to play! And, of course, Charlie the Church Checker shows up with his random and assorted group of Bobs. Tonight they serenaded us with "We Are Family," in honor of our theme, The Jesus Family Reunion. Trouble is, it sounded like no one could remember anything except the line "We are family," so mostly they sang that over and over. And, I tell you what, nobody can sing like Charlie the Church Checker... he doesn't hit the notes, he KNOCKS THEM OUT!

Another classic that never dies (much as we want it to sometimes) is Father Abraham. That song just won't go away! :) Of course, it's great for embarrassing people... see rec boys Charlie, Kyle, and Nate, who were tricked into doing it with the 3rd and 4th grade class because they made the mistake of walking upstairs during our music time! And, of course, Susie thought that Dave REALLY needed to do it for us tonight at Parent Night, so he did. I have it taped, complete with sound, but I just haven't figured out how to blog a video... so I'll keep working on that! :) You'll notice I'm not onstage with my kids... 3rd and 4th graders are big enough to handle it themselves! Plus, somebody's got to take the pictures! ;)

Well, with one day left, we are almost done with another year. And I have to stop and remember why we're really here. As funny as Charlie the Frog is... and as much as we all love Father Abraham, we're there for the kids, and I have a lot of fun teaching them, and helping them learn to be better Christians. As we head into tomorrow morning's evangelism talk, I find that several kids are really on my heart, just hoping that they put aside the junk that is in their life, the not so good home life they've had, or the need to be cool and impress, and listen to what Dave has to say tomorrow morning. We've got one last shot with this group of kids... here I go to give it my best! :) And maybe have a little fun along the way! If you've never taught or helped at a VBS... it's like no other experience you will ever have! You will be more exhausted every night when you go home... but you will never miss another Bible school, if you can help it!

An Evening Off

Today was the first day of Vacation Bible School, which is always fun. I'm teaching 3rd & 4th grade this year, and Mom is my helper. Not sure how she managed to get the helper role while I got the teacher role, but apparently her bribe to Nancy was bigger than mine! Oh well... it's not too hard because I have had most of the kids, or at least they went to Midway for 3rd and 4th grade... sometimes that's a good thing, sometimes not! :) But it was a pretty good first day, and, of course Charlie the Church Checker showed up, and he's everyone's favorite part. Makes me wonder what kind of crazy, schizo person can duplicate his personality like that...

Anyway, after I enjoyed a pretty lazy afternoon (though I did get the yard watered and the tent set up and dried out from this weekend) Josh and I realized that we had the whole evening off together! This like NEVER happens. So we played soccer with the dog (that would be the black blur in the picture!) and did laundry and unpacked from this weekend (Truman helped). Then we made homemade pizza, watched bad TV (Project Runway... sooo bad), bought stuff to make ice cream sundaes, and watched a good movie (Zorro). It's just too bad that we're so old that we couldn't even make it through 1/3rd of the movie before we had to go to bed! Oh well... it was a good time anyway. I love being "one of those couples that just sits around and watches movies." Maybe not all of the time, but it sure is a good way to spend a lazy evening off!

 

The Float Trip from...

... well, from nowhere I want to go again! Actually, when it was all said and done, it wasn't so bad. There were many blessings for this weekend's trip, it just didn't start out that way!

We were headed on the float trip Friday evening, and as Friday went on we kept getting more and more youth, until we were expecting 21 kids, which is A LOT! But we got there Friday, and the 21 kids all showed up, ready to go. Unfortunately, we were counting on taking the bus, but when Dad took it to fill it with gas, it started leaking large amounts of water. So, since there is NOTHING between Jeff City and Bourbon, MO, we decided not to risk it. The blessing was that, when we substituted the van and my car for the bus, we had 30 seats for our 29 people. If that's not God's planning, I don't know what is! So off we headed in our convoy, an hour later then we meant to be. And, of course, it always takes longer when driving in a convoy with 29 people (bathroom breaks at one-holer gas stations are infinitely longer when shoving that many people through one restroom), so we didn't hit St. James (dinner) until about 8:30 or 9:00. But, still, we were in great shape to make it to the campsite before they closed at 11:00. So there we are, driving along I-44, and I am feeling like there is a stiff breeze. My car was just pulling really funny and I couldn't keep it going straight... suddenly a lovely flapping sound fills the air, and I feel like I'm driving over the little warning dents on the side of the road... Yep, sure enough, I've got a flat tire. And I'm the last car in the convoy, so no one notices when I pull over. We jumped for the cell phones and the rest of the cars pulled over at the next exit. It's not a huge deal, Price kids don't get licenses without knowing how to change a tire, and I've changed several in my day. Not on the side of a highway in the dark, but at least it was the passenger side tire, so I wasn't actually in the traffic. So here we are, 5 women/girls standing on the side of the road... we unloaded my (very) full trunk into the grass, pulled out the spare (a donut, of course) and all of the tools. Yeah, turns out that the tire iron that came in my trunk DOESN'T FIT THE LUGNUTS ON MY TIRE. Kinda defeats the purpose if you ask me, but I'm no expert... so then we had the least helpful highway patrolman EVER stop by... he was on his way to work, so he didn't have his car, but he gave the tire iron a couple of tries, said "It doesn't really fit the lugnuts" and left. Thankfully, the Meyer suburban was stocked (Kevin was a boy scout) with an entire set of socket wrenches. And an air compressor to air up my (flat) spare tire. So in no time at all (yeah, ok) we were back on the road. We did manage to get to the campgrounds before 11:00 (10:45 counts) and we had tents all set up by 11:30 or so. After some brief discussions over sleeping quarters ("Do we have to have an adult in our tent?" "YES" "Do we have to sleep in a tent?" "YES") we headed to bed, hoping the next morning would bring better (or at least less eventful) experiences!

And, of course, God blessed us! I got up early, drove my car to the Walmart in Sullivan. I arrived at 6:50 to find that the tire place opened at 7:00... perfect! I had time to grab Hardee's for breakfast! :) They had my tire fixed in less then an hour (during which time I bought myself a t-bar for my car) and I even made it back to the campsite in time to go on our float. Meanwhile, the kids ate breakfast, broke down camp, and swam in a swimming hole right by our campsite. Despite predictions of rain all day, we had beautiful weather for floating- the sun was out most of the day, and it wasn't too cold. Everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves, and we actually hung out as a group quite a bit. We would stop and swim or play catch or shoot each other with water guns pretty often. Adults stayed with their youth, youth got along, and no one drowned (though Charlie almost did: he got run over by a raft)! After showers and changes of clothes, we loaded back up in the vehicles and had an uneventful (thank God) trip back home. And Josh and I didn't even end up with one bag of unidentified, soaking wet clothes! So, despite a rocky start, the trip was a success and I think everyone had a good time. The best part was looking out at the congregation from the choir loft this morning and seeing the red glow coming from the youth pews (hey, we passed the sunscreen around twice).

New Favorite

So I went to see a movie with Ruth the other day, and Mom came over to pick her up afterwards. We were all (of course) standing around talking and Mom said my new favorite saying... "snap a z." Yes, as in, "If she did that to me, I'd have to snap a z on her." Just picture Mom standing in my living room "snapping a z" and I'm sure you'll appreciate the saying as much as I do... I cannot WAIT to find an excuse to use that in a conversation! :)

Good trip, not so good game!

Well, we wish the Cards could have had a slightly (or MUCH) better game for us, but Josh and I still had a great time on our trip to St. Louis. We got into town at about 10:30, and took the MetroLink to the Arch for our first stop. It's been a long time since I've been to the arch, and I'd forgotten how really huge it is up close. We waited in this gigantic line until they told us that they weren't selling tickets for the trams because they were having some problems with the North tram, and were trying to get the people who had already bought tickets through on the South tram. We went ahead and went inside, just to wander around the museum and the stores. When we'd been through those, they still weren't running, so we decided to head to lunch rather then wait around all day. So we headed out to a place called Dooley's, which Josh had found on the internet as "The Best Place to Eat Before the Game." So we had to try it out. It was pretty darn good. They serve their burgers cafeteria style, you just tell the guy "medium well with lettuce, tomato, and sharp cheddar" and they make it up for you right there. Josh got their famous burger; I got toasted ravioli, which was also awesome.

After Dooley's, we hopped back on the metrolink and headed to Union Station. We wandered around there for awhile; it's a really neat place. They have more Cardinal stores then should be able to coexist in one mall! I can't even count the number of jerseys and hats we looked at! But we weren't really there to buy, so once we'd seen all of the stores, we decided to head back to the arch and see if they were running the trams again... and they were! :)

So we bought tickets, waited our hour (and ate some really good fudge from the museum shop, it was like eating chocolate frosting), and headed down to the tram. Now, I've been up in the arch before, but Josh hadn't. Though he had been warned by Uncle Steve, who said we should prepare for the tram ride by climbing into the dryer. Looking at the picture above, that's not too far from the truth! So we crammed into our tram car with 3 complete strangers, and headed up the arch. It was PACKED at the top. I remember the windows being much bigger, but it was still cool to look out and see the city. On the river side we could see the shadow of the arch, which was also neat. Anyway, after much ooh-ing and ahh-ing we crammed into the tram with another 3 strangers, and headed back down. As we were leaving we watched some morons get arrested for scratching on the Arch. There are like 5 park rangers at every entrance, and these two ladies were just scratching away like it was no big deal. HELLO?! It's a national monument, you don't scratch them!!! They had kids with them, too, what a great example! Then it was off to the game!

The new stadium is very neat looking. I love the color of the brick they used, a really dark red. There are lots of details that make it neat, too, like a cardinal at the end of each row of seats. And our seats were really good... we had 3rd baseline seats, and we were facing east (a good thing at a six o'clock game!) and the people around us weren't idiots. Actually, the 3 strangers we rode down the arch with were sitting in the row in front of us. Turns out they were part of a big family visiting from somewhere out east, one of the Carolinas, I think. We ate all of the typical ballpark food... hot dogs and peanuts and soda! The game was not a good one; the Braves just kept hitting the ball. It actually got pretty sad near the end... the Braves' relief pitcher hit a home run; never a good sign! His batting average was .105. We were going to stay for the whole game (never say die) but in the top of the 9th inning the Cards stopped caring, and they put players in random positions. So Molina, the catcher, went to first base and everybody else got moved around. So we decided if they didn't care, then we would just go ahead and leave. We rode the VERY CROWDED (the word sardine comes to mind) MetroLink back to our car, and headed home. Not before a stop at White Castle (YUCK) and Krispy Kreme (YUM) at Rte. K, of course. It's a tradition after the game! :)

Anyway, as bad as the game was, we both had a great time in St. Louis. It was nice to just get away for a day. And we forget that there are really neat places pretty close to us! Now I'm just enjoying my days off before VBS! :) 

Super Husband, Relaxing Weekend

This weekend has been a wonderfully relaxing one... mostly because my husband is great! :) Friday night, to celebrate summer school being over (YAY) we had a Dinner and a Movie Double Feature. Josh brought home chinese food for dinner, candy for snacks, and we made popcorn... All while watching the double feature of my choice. He gave me lots of choices, from "Josh slit his wrists night" (Centerstage and Picture Perfect) to "I loved growing up in the 80s night" (Goonies & Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). I went with Batman night, so we watched Batman (with Michael Keaton) and Batman Begins. We didn't worry about anything. We just sat and watched the movies and enjoyed each other's company. It was great!

Saturday morning we slept in, and Josh did a little yard work while I unloaded the boxes I brought home from Summer School. Then we reverted back to doing nothing: we went to see a matinee of Superman Returns (MUCH better the second time) and ran to Wal-Mart (a weekend necessity). Then we came home, grilled, played with the dog, and just hung out some more. It was awesome to get some quiet, relaxing, alone time with just me and my husband. We don't get it very often, and certainly not for a whole weekend! And the awesome part is we still have Monday, because I don't have to go back to school, and Josh took off work so we could go to the Cards game! We are going to make a day of it, we'll leave in the morning and hit the arch (Josh has NEVER been there!), and maybe Union Station, and then some place called Dooley's for lunch before the game, which starts at 6:00. I'm so excited, and ready to begin my summer!! And this weekend was the perfect way to kick it off!

Dog Days

Well, it is now officially stinking hot here in Missouri! I knew we couldn't get through summer school without at least one indoor recess due to heat! To celebrate the dog days, I thought I'd post some pictures of THE DOG, Miss Isabelle herself! She spends most of her time in her pool (which is only clean in the picture because I had JUST filled it, usually it's a lovely chocolate milk hue), but she still has more energy than anyone knows what to do with. And, if you can't tell, she's curious- "Hey, Mom, what'cha doin? What's that thing?" Wild as she is, she sure loves us... and has come to understand that inside is much cooler then outside... so she wants in ALL THE TIME now. Oh well, who can blame her? She's wearing a black fur coat!

P.S. Look! We have some grass in our yard! Although, clearly not where the pool is! :)

The Big 5-0... Sunday

The party continues...

On Sunday, the actual big day, we got up early and hit the city. There were 15 of us, and we moved as a herd all around SDC. We had a really good time. The lines were really short, which was awesome, because that meant we could ride a roller coaster, then by the time we made it through the little shop and back in the door, it was our turn again. So we rode Wildfire (see picture) twice, and Powder Keg once. Powder Keg is a great ride! It's a fun one to people-watch because they're just sitting in this little train, all waving to the people watching them, and the next second they're shot off on the ride. Watching the expressions change from "hey, we're so excited, here we go" to "HOLY COW I'M GOING TO DIE! HEEEEELPPP!" is quite entertaining! So we spent all day Sunday meandering around the park. We ate some great food (apple turnovers for breakfast, lumberjack chips with cheese for a snack) and browsed through all the stores. We even rode The Lost River, and I managed to not get soaked. EVERYTIME I ride that ride, I come off looking like a drowned rat. The people in the boat with me are always saying "Wow, I looked over and just saw this wave come over your side of the boat and engulf you." But this time I did NOT get the cave, so I came out moderately wet, and even kept my shoes dryish... and Josh got HOSED, so that made it a nearly perfect day! The funniest part was watching Dad L. enact what he'd looked like 50 years ago... see picture above! We visited the new area, The Grand Exposition, which has fun family rides in it. We rode the big swings, which were surprisingly fun. And we got Aunt Shell on the slingshot ride, which spins you around and around while racing up and down a U shaped track. She didn't ride anything else after that! :) Then we all rode the swinging ship, and by the time we were all finished with that, Josh and I were feeling a little queasy and ready to not ride anymore spinning rides. So instead we sampled our new favorite find at the park; salads at the Italian restaurant. They're really good. By the time we made it all the way around the park, it was 4:00, and everyone was ready for home. Except Josh and I! We decided to wander around for awhile, so we hit the Christmas Store (my favorite) and bought a double-dipped ice cream bar covered in sprinkles (another of our new favorites). Then we headed home, and actually made it home by 9:00 or 10:00. What actually made this weekend so much fun was celebrating with all of the family, and NOT rushing to get back. We just had to be back in time to get a little sleep before Monday, and we accomplished that! Overall, we had a great time! Thanks for hosting us, Mom and Dad L., and Happy Birthday, Dad! We love you!

The big 5-0... Saturday!

Ok, so I finally have time to tell about last weekend in Springfield... I'll tell you what, the Looten's know how to party! :) Dad's fiftieth birthday was a 3 day affair, though Josh and I only got in on 2 days of it (darn jobs). Saturday we goofed off all day... we had breakfast, and I learned a new recipe for cinnamon biscuits (EASY!). Then we just hung around for awhile, not doing much of anything, which is really the best way to spend a Saturday! Then the Spaldings (Jeff and Connie and Amber) showed up, and we went swimming at the rec center pool. Everytime we go there it makes me want to join the ARC again. It's just a lot of fun to have a pool where you can go to goof off. Plus, they have a resistance thing, which I think would be a lot of fun, and a great way to work out. So if I ever have any spare time again (not likely), I'll probably join the ARC. We really had a great time, just swimming around, laughing, and joking. They have a waterslide that goes in like 6 turns and dumps you in the pool. So everyone (and I mean everyone) went down the slide several times. We had to laugh because, no matter how hard he tried, Tim always ended up flinging his feet in the air. He'd shoot out of the tunnel and into the water, and then you'd just see feet... it was quite entertaining.

Anyway, after the pool action on Saturday, we all prepared for the Dad Looten Fiftieth Fiesta! Dad wanted mexican, so we had chicken enchiladas, tacos, and all the fixins. Before we got started, Mom gave Dad his first present-- the "Old Man's Wet Spot Stopper" (see picture below). Dad L. is infamous for dropping food on his shirt, then going to the bathroom and turning a small red spot into a GIANT pink one... so we figured with mexican food we better be safe! :) Then we headed to the backyard for a good old game of croquet. I haven't played croquet since I was about 6 and all I really did was whack the balls around without paying attention to the rules. Well, let me tell you, I think I was better then. I sucked at this game... I knew it was bad when Tom went all the way down, and passed me in the middle wicket on his way back up. That's like getting lapped running the 800... it shouldn't be possible. But, awful as I was, we had a good time. Then it was present opening time... it reminded me of the scene in The Lord of the Rings where Samwise is telling Frodo what they have left to eat "Look, lembas bread... and look, MORE lembas bread." Only instead of lembas, it was Bass Pro gift certificates... again, and again, and again! :) But Dad L. was thrilled, and it was all pretty entertaining. Best gift definitely went to Uncle Steve and Aunt Amy, who found an awesome Card's poster and had it framed... kicker is, they found it free at Hardee's when they upsized their meal... but it's an awesome poster anyway, and it looks great in the nice frame they put it in! :) I kept thinking during the present opening how different I am... I hate being the center of attention, especially when opening gifts. Top 5 most embarrassing moments of my life definitely includes my wedding shower... but Dad L. loved it, and who can blame him? If there's ever a time to celebrate and be the center of attention, it's on your birthday! :) Anyway, so after some strawberry shortcake (GOOD CHOICE!) we headed to bed early because everyone was exhausted after the strenuous game of croquet... or maybe it was the several hours in the pool, it's hard to tell!

Done for the summer

Well, we played our last game of the season tonight. It was actually a really good game. We lost our minds the first inning, and let the other team get ahead 5 to 0. And for several innings our bats were quiet, they were ahead 6 to 0, and it looked like it was going to be a not-so-good night. But we pulled it together, started "rattling the bats" and had some outstanding hits (I didn't, but the rest of the team did). It was a pretty close game... we came back to 6 to 5, with the help of a 3-run homer (thanks Stacey), and then went ahead 6 to 8 in the next inning. It ended with a spectacular play at 2nd base; the runner got thrown out from the outfield (again, thanks to Stacey), it was pretty neat. So we took 2nd in the league, just behind the team that should definitely NOT be in the non-competitive league! Which is pretty impressive, we actually have a really good team now.

I really just love playing the game. I'm not the best, never have been and never will be, but I just enjoy it. I'm even starting to enjoy being the catcher in a slow pitch game. I squat still, though not like I did in fast pitch, and I still have trouble letting the ball bounce. But I'm a lot better at predicting the bounce now, so I get hit a lot less (as does the umpire, and it's always important to protect the ump). Tonight I even got to throw someone out at 3rd, which was fun. The hitting is my favorite part. Just the feel of the ball off my Captain Caveman bat; there's nothing like it. Some weeks I wish for rain and dread going to the fields, but once I'm there I almost always enjoy myself. I hope I keep playing, and I can't imagine why I wouldn't. So, ladies, here's to next year! :)

P.S. We had fun in Springfield and Branson this weekend... longer post and pics to come later... when it's not 10:45!

Please help us! Our Mommy and Daddy left us here with our aunt Ruthie!! We've been whining and crying because they left us!! While our aunt Ruthie is great because she feeds us and plays with us and she's an all-around WONDERFUL aunt, we still miss our Mommy and Daddy!!
Isa: I tried to call them back by my barking, but it didn't seem to work because they are still not home yet!! (Although I think I may have annoyed the neighbors a little bit) =)
Truman: I thought the mice might have scared them away, so I hunted all night to get them out of my house so Mom and Dad would come back! (Then I spent all day holding the comforter and couch down to make up for it). FYI: Aunt Ruthie is not a mouse.
Please come home Mommy and Daddy so that we can play with you guys again!! We love you and we miss you lots!!!

Suitcase 1, Truman 1

The final victor remains to be seen! :)

Suitcase 1, Truman 0

Happy 4th

Happy 4th of July! :) We had a great time; we went to the church picnic at the Drane's house. We spent most of our time fishing (in case you can't tell). Charlie definitely won for biggest fish, and I think Josh won for smallest.... tehehe... In all fairness, Josh may not have caught the biggest fish on his pole, but he was the one who told us which color lures to use (light colors in the sunlight, dark colors when the sun goes down), and was responsible for Charlie catching that large fish with his chartreuse (green to us non-fishing folk) and black worm. I won for fastest catch, since I caught my first (and biggest) fish on my very first cast! The most exciting part was probably when Heather and Josh stepped into some tall grass and saw the grass in front of them swaying suspiciously. They decided they didn't want to fish at that spot anymore! It's been such a long time since I went fishing, I really enjoyed myself. I never realized how much thought could go into fishing, but it was fun anyway! :) Then we ate entirely too much of some great food: Yaya's blackberry cobbler, Mom's potatoes, pasta salad, hot dogs, homemade ice cream, etc, and finished up the night with some pretty awesome fireworks. All in all, it was a great party, and Josh and I even escaped getting lost on the way out (although that was pure luck).

Not so cool thing about the fourth: My dog is ridiculously scared of fireworks. And we live in a neighborhood outside the city limits so it sounded like a war zone out here. Even though we brought her inside she still barked, and then she worked herself up so much that she yakked all over her kennel (INSIDE the house, mind you) about 3 times. I am truly blessed to have such an amazing husband that he cleaned it all up, warned me not to come downstairs, lit candles, and washed the dog's blanket to get rid of the smell. So, he's pretty awesome! :) And I'm darn glad that the fireworks seem to have died down! Next year: VALIUM! (for the dog)

Queen for a... second

So Josh and I decided to go out after my ballgames last night, because neither of us had to work today, and we're a young married couple... it's what we're supposed to do! So we headed to Old Chicago for half-price appetizers and the trivia game. It was the first time I'd ever played. We had a great time and, wonder of wonders, I WON A GAME! It was mostly due to some skillful guessing, but it was awesome! At the end of the game they put up this big screen that says "And the winner is..." And it was me! :) Next game I was back to my normal self... 9th out of 10 players, only beating the guy who wasn't actually answering questions anymore... but for a good 30 seconds I was THE BEST! :)

A Study in Contrasts

I play slow-pitch softball on Monday nights... it's not the same as playing fastpitch, and I still miss fastpitch, but I still really enjoy my team and the games. There are 5 or 6 teams in our league, which is the non-competitive league. Last night we had a double-header, and it was definitely a study in opposites! The first game we played a team that is new. This is their first year playing as a team and, if I had to guess, for many it's the first time they've played... period. Josh says it's like watching the jr. high girl's PE class... it's not pretty. Our team is pretty good this year, not the best, but certainly not the worst in our league. So, needless to say, our first game was a beating. From the beginning we instated the "Walking Rule" (there is NO walking, I don't care if you have to take four steps to get to the ball in order to hit it), but even that wasn't enough. By the end of the game we stopped putting runs on the scoreboard (we stopped at 22 to 0), the other team was snipping at each other, and we were doing our darndest to foul out, hit slow grounders, and make stupid running mistakes. What really capped off the game, however, was when I happened to look into left field while we were batting... the left fielder spent AT LEAST TWO INNINGS ON HER CELL PHONE! I don't know if she was talking on it, texting, or playing a video game, but she sure as heck wasn't trying to catch a pop fly! I was amazed... even if you are losing, come on! There was not much pleasure in winning that game.

On the other hand, our second game of the night was against the best team in the league... this team has no business playing in the non-competitive league. They are a very good team, young, and HUGE... We're talking Thangar the Cavewoman plays on this team, with all of her sisters... they walk onto the field swinging their clubs and I feel like I'm tiny... and I'm definitely not. And, to top it all off, they're really good. They hit it to the gap (usually the one over the outfielders' heads) and they catch everything within 15 feet. So we weren't exactly looking forward to this game. Lucky for us, Thangar and her sisters must have been out celebrating the 4th, because their team was short several giants. This being said, they were still an awesome team. But we played our hearts out, had some really good hits and played some great defense. As good as it can be against a team who can place where they hit the ball like nobody's business... one batter came up once and cranked it down the right field line. So we all swing right to cover her... next time it goes right down the left field line. I'm insanely jealous. We kept it close, and actually staged a pretty good comeback in the 7th; the game ended 6 to 8. That game was much, much more fun and rewarding then the first game, even if we lost. I'm a competitive person, but I'd rather lose a hard-fought game, than win a blowout. That being said... it wouldn't break my heart if Thangar and her sisters didn't play next year... :)

Mousecapades, Part II

Ok, so this is really the story that I thought had to be shared on the blog... it goes something like this... We have a cat, Truman (see the lovely picture above), and he is rather worthless. It seems that he spends most of his time sleeping. What I wouldn't give to be a cat... but I digress...

Last night, before we went to bed, Josh and I heard some rather suspicious rustling in the laundry room. We tried to pinpoint the sound (assuming it was a mouse) but couldn't find it, so we went on to bed. Little did we know that our seemingly worthless cat would be on the prowl during the night. I was sleeping peacefully, until about 2:30 in the morning, when Josh jumped out of bed and started yelling "THE MOUSE IS IN OUR BED!" Needless to say, that woke me right up, and I jumped out of bed and we stripped covers and pillows off of it. Unfortunately, no mouse. Then Truman started freaking out in the guest room, so Josh raced off to assist in the mouse hunt. Josh (with Zorro sword in hand) and Truman proceeded to chase the mouse around the guest room, while I listened from the bed. My opinion was that the mouse was no longer in the bed, therefore no longer a concern (no one thinks clearly at 2:30 am). Finally the mouse was caught, and removed, and we went back to bed. I'd really like to thank Truman for carrying the mouse up the stairs and I'm sure I'll be dreaming of mouse feet all night tonight... I love having pets.

I give

Ok, so I give in. After months of "stalking" everyone I know who has a blog, I finally created one for us. Too many funny stories in our lives that should really be shared. Plus, now maybe I'll be better about taking pictures so I can post them for all to see! :) So, hope you enjoy reading about the craziness that is our life.