My Perfect Day...

So, I usually never blog this often, but today was probably one of the most perfect days ever! I have realized how much I love to make things, and the way it makes you feel when you make something, and it turns out so stinkin' cute!! This weekend was the last weekend I had completely off before the baby shower, so I was finishing some last minute projects so this week I can clean, and the following one, cook! It started out with a quick workout, and then off to do errands. I went to Michael's, Joann's, and last but not least Target. I just can't stay away! I bought all the supplies I needed to finish my projects, and Casey even bought me my very own sewing machine. (My night will continue being perfect by testing out the new toy.)

When I came home, Jamie happened to be on Skype, so I was able to talk to her for a little bit, which was awesome. Even though I never really saw her before, being in a different country sure does make you miss someone even more. After our conversation, I played with the puppies, and then began working on my crafts! I finished up the diaper cake and made a wreath for the welcome sign. (It is missing a B, but the package only came with one of each letter..weird.) Here are the final products...

After that, I attempted to finish our bedroom. We have one wall in our room, that was just a blank space. I really wanted those wall adhesives, but could never find one that really explained what I wanted on a bedroom wall. Finally, I decided I would make my own. Casey was a little skeptical, but why should he ever doubt my artsy skills!! I only made it through the first line, but it looks perfect. The whole saying is, "Laugh as much as you breathe, and love as long as you live." The second line will be underneath with love and live in bold. :)
Today was just so wonderful, I had to tell everyone about it. I guess there may be a stay at home mom somewhere inside of me. ;) Now, off to sewing!
Until next time...

Celebrating in Florida

This past week, I was lucky enough to make it down to Florida for a couple of key events. We found out David and Danielle will be welcoming a baby girl in December, and we celebrated Jamie's 21st birthday. It was so wonderful to all be together, but of course I missed Casey, who was unable to make it down. Someone had to work!
I took Jamie out to Durty Nelly's and met up with Laura, which brought back all sorts of memories. I know I'm not that old, but going back to a college town, and reliving some of those memories, sure does make you feel old! It seems like just yesterday we were all sitting the front row at Durty Nelly's singing along to "You're an Asshole," Casey and David getting into some argument about a lot of nothing, Danielle and I sipping on our Malibu and Pineapple Juice. This time, I was standing in the back, being Sober Cab for Jamie! I loved every second of it, but it sure does make you think about how your priorities change.Now, I am back home, placing some final planning on Beth's baby shower!! I can't wait to show you all pictures of the things we will be doing. Only two weeks! I love to host parties, so I am so excited for 50 people to be coming to my house, and celebrating such an exciting time in our friends' life. But before that festivity, my dear friend Jess will be celebrating a huge milestone! Hunter turns one! He is one of the cutest kids, and such a ball of energy, so we will be going over to her house, to help her celebrate her son's birthday. It seems like there is always so much to do, but not enough time. (So I wrote this before we went, but our computer with all the pictures wasn't working, so I had to wait to publish it. Here is an adorable picture of Hunter!)
Finally, Casey has been waiting for 7 months for this one....Gator football has begun!!! The attitude around the house has changed, so long as the Gator's live up to the expectations. We will be representing well up here in Minnesota, as I know everyone will be down in Florida.
Until next time...(The best ending to any blog I have realized..)

Happy Birthday Aspen and me!

Things have been very busy as I was getting ready to fly to Florida for a celebration of events.  With Jamie's 21st and Baby Roo's announcement, it should be a great time with family.  But before I left, we celebrated a couple of birthdays of our own.  Aspen turned one on August 7th, and sticking with tradition, she had her first Guiness.  We decided not to give her a whole one as she isn't quite as big as Kodi was, so Kodi was able to celebrate the festivities as well.  It is amazing that we have had her for almost a year now, I miss the puppy stage when she was too small to eat everything in sight.  Maybe it is a yellow lab thing, but this dog canliterally eat anything you put in front of her.  She has gone through an ipod shuffle, 10 pairs of shoes, cd's, a cable cord, drywall, and an iron cord.  The list continues to grow, but hopefully will end soon.  Maybe she just has separation anxiety and will grow out of it.  

Then, Casey took off for my birthday and we had a wonderful hike and golf round.  Even though I wasn't that good, we had a great time and I hit some really good shots.  We went out to Granite City for dinner, which was absolutely delicious!  Casey had an unbelievable filet, which I of course stole bites of, and I had salmon with crab meat.  It was one of the very best meals that we have ever ha

d! Casey joined the Mug Club, which was an interesting debate as to what we thought the price was.  All in all, it was just a great time to

 spend together, and it made my 24th birthday very special.

A year went by...

It is hard to believe, but a whole year has passed since Casey and I made the big move to Minnesota. Time flies! Over the past year, we have experienced so many new and exciting things. We had a special person come with us for a brief time, which made it a little easier on weekends, but even harder to say goodbye in December. Then, winter came and we thought it would never end. I don't think it is possible for anyone to understand what negative 50 feels like until they experience it, but I tried to explain it to anyone who would listen. (A funny new bumper sticker for Minnesotans regarding global warming after this winter: "We are trying to make it warmer in Minnesota!") It was an awesome experience, many times frustrating, and new excitement living where it snows. We purchased our first home and continue to make it our own. I would say that summer came, but I don't really think that it ever did, especially since it is still only 70 degrees, but we did get many visitors which made it worthwhile. Seeing everyone makes us miss Florida, but then we have so many new stories and friends to share things with. Casey is working hard and doing well with MarineMax. He has so many ideas and I know that he will be doing great things in the near future! As for me, I am still with Target, loving it a little more everyday, and currently seeking the Pharmacy Team Lead position. While I would relocate to a different store, I have faith that the friends I have made will continue to be there for me. There are also so many exciting things coming up ahead and while I would say we can't wait, we can, because we are enjoying the moment we are living in. We look forward to having Thanksgiving at our home, the little niece or nephew in December, the wedding in February, hopefully a little one of our own in the Spring, and of course Beach Week at Crescent. This next year is going to be full of adventure!

50K...and a couple other things

So, I know it has been way too long since I have updated this thing, but I finally had a moment to write about everything I have wanted...so here it goes!

The weather is beautiful right now, so Casey and I have been trying to enjoy as much of the outdoors as we possibly can! Many days we spend working in the yard and playing fetch with the dogs. It is also nice that it doesn't get dark until 10 o'clock!! That way when we come home, there is still plenty of time to be outside. Kodi is still the big baby he has always been and tends to over heat because of his thick dark coat, so I decided to purchase him a little 10 dollar pool (which we discovered today has blown away). He was so excited and eventually Aspen even came around. I think she is more afraid of water than Kodi since we had to give her baths so often in the cold when she was a puppy since Kodi marked her every day! She kept trying to eat the shapes on the inside of the pool. But they didn't pop it, so that was impressive!
Then we had David and Danielle up for what was supposed to be a lovely visit, until they brought the rain with them! It was great to see them and catch up on life, like old times! Boy do I miss our weekly dinners Danielle! Other than the rain, it was wonderful. And just a side note, it hasn't even rained since that weekend! I can't wait to see you guys again in August!

Finally, the main purpose for this blog, the 50K. I don't think I will ever understand what possesses anyone, especially the Smith family (Pops, I blame you), to love running so much, that you want to run 31 miles. But, Casey did this past weekend. Although I didn't understand it, and had two pain in the butt dogs to take care of for 7 hours (bring on the kids, I bet it will be easier!), I was very proud of my husband when he crossed the finish line. I was there waiting and cheering him on to finish his first ultra. Even though it took him a little long than he wanted, without training, I don't think he could have asked to do much better. He was in the top 100 and I had a great time exploring the paths of the St. Croix river. It was a beautiful setting, just an extremely tough course. We were looking at the map and noticed that in a span of 3 miles, he climbed a 500 ft elevation twice and within the first 9 minutes of the race, he climbed 500 ft. On the website, they give you an elevation map and the quote says "Believe us when we tell you, it's worse than it looks!" which is rather amusing. Here are before and after pictures, I'm sure you can tell the difference...
Until next time, we hope everyone is doing well, and will try to update a little more often!

Our felon of a dog...

So many already know the story of little ol' Aspen, but for those of you who haven't, let me enlighten you. For those of you have met Aspen, you would probably agree that she is one of the laziest dogs ever. She sleeps all the time, loves to cuddle, and every once in a while gets a little hyper. Well, we were lucky enough to already have an electric fence in our yard when we purchased the house, so all we had to do was buy a couple of collars. Considering the last post, Aspen being a bad ass and all, she doesn't exactly care about the dinky ol' fence. She has come to realize that if she runs fast enough, it really doesn't hurt all that bad. Unfortunately, we have neighbors who's children are deathly afraid of dogs, and one morning, apparently Apen "attacked" her 8 year-old granddaughter. When really, the little girl was afraid, ran the opposite way, and fell down. Now, I don't have any experience with the law, but I am pretty sure using inappropriate verbage is a fraudulent accusation, and has anyone ever heard of a pur-bred lab "attacking" anything other than a bird? Our two-year old neighbor isn't even afraid of her! So, after I left for work, and Casey is about to walk out the door, he gets a pleasant visit from the police. Oh yes, the crazy African woman called the cops on Aspen! Not even Kodi! The police informed Casey that Aspen is the "aggressor" and needs to be under voice command or on a leash. This has slightly put a damper on letting the dogs run around, and I am dreading the winter, but all in all, at least we didn't have to go to court. So now the joke at work is that we have a felon dog...here is her mug shot.

We love visitors!

So I apologize for really slacking on updating the blog. We have been busy with all the visitors, and have thoroughly enjoyed their company. We first had Jamie up here, which was a wonderful surprise when she got out of the truck with Casey to surprise me. I was so excited to see her! I am disappointed we didn't take more pictures, but we loved just hanging out like old times with her. Sitting on the couch, making fun of Casey...the usual. Then, my daddy came to visit. He helped us finish the outdoor lights, put in a new kitchen sink (which is awesome!), and changed Casey's brakes. He and Casey played some horseshoes to close out the night. I loved having my dad here, but of course am sad to see him go. At least this time I know he's sneaking out tomorrow morning. That's really all that is new with our lives up here. We are settling into being married, and owning a home, which seems to be your new project every day. We are also enjoying the unbelievable weather. For the first time this year, we hit 80 degrees at around 6 this evening. The only other thing that is new is my bike!! I must admit, it is pretty kick butt. Casey brought it home last week, and surprised me. We went on a 10 mile bike ride that night, before I went to work all night!
PS....Aspen is a bad ass...for lack of better words.