Our wet-n-wild weekend

It rained. Well, more like thunderstormed. As we were driving into New Braunfels on Saturday, the skies were sunny and beautiful. But the closer we got, the darker the skies were. And by the time we parked, it was downright pouring. No biggie, we thought, we're gonna get wet anyway. But all the rides were closed because of the lightning. *haha* So we ended up walking around in the rain for almost 2 hours. Once the thunderstorm passed the rides did open back up, but by then it was a gusty 60 degrees. The upside is that everyone left so the lines were really short! ;) 

The next day's forecast didn't look much better, but we ended up having PLENTY of sunshine to get our fill of Schlitterbahn. In fact, had we spent anymore time there I'd shudder to think of what my condition would be. As is, I have bruises under both of my arms from tubing, my feet are so sore I can STILL hardly walk on them barefoot and my pinky and wrist may never by the same after I fell out of my tube in a shallow section of a ride and slammed my hand against the bottom. Ouch. No sunburn, though! Still has pale as a sheet of paper. :)

So to sum up Schlitterbahn...it IS really huge! It started as a small park sandwiched between the little town of New Braunfels and the winding Comal River. They've expanded all over the place (there's a tram that can take you from one park to the other - that's how far apart the editions are.) But it's also the most poorly laid out amusement park I've ever been to. There was an entire section of slides that we almost didn't even find! We wandered down this random staircase and there they were! (They ended up being our favorites, so I'm glad we found them!) The maps were absolutely no help, either.  For one thing they're not very accurate. And they had them posted all over the park but never labeled with "YOU ARE HERE" markers, making them pretty much useless. So this is probably the reason my feet hurt so bad, because we just had to walk around till we figured out where we were. *haha*

One more complaint, then I swear I'll say something positive. :) One of the major draws of this park are the famous "Blaster" slides, which are marketed as "water coasters." I can't tell you how many times I've seen these slides on the Travel Channel on their thrill ride or amusement park specials. *in my best announcer voice* "They've harnessed the technology of using water jets to propel rafts uphill, defying the gravity that has limited to waterslides to downhill movement for so long." So that sounds really cool, right? I mean, I love me a good rollercoaster! What could be more fun than a water coaster? Um, lot's of things. In fact, after waiting in line for over 45 minutes, I called "Dragon's Revenge" the most disappointing part of the trip. It's a double ride, meaning we rode in one of those joint tubes, Jeremy was in front and I was in back. It was a regular tube where your booty is exposed. Remember those water jets that propel the tubes uphill? Well, when we went over them, it felt like someone was shooting my backside with a power washer. NOT comfortable. The jets practically knocked Jeremy's swim shorts all the way off. With every hill I was yelling, "OW! OW! OW! OW! OW!" And, beyond that, the designers seemed to be so excited about their UPHILL technology they neglected to have very many DOWNHILL portions. Which, isn't that the whole point of going uphill? To come back down? That's what I thought. But we just kept going up, then down just a little, then back up again. Not very exciting. 

Enough complaining. We really DID have a great time!! The park is beautifully green and lush, probably because of its position along the river. (I didn't invest in a water proof camera so I don't have any pictures to share, but I did find a couple on the internet to show you.

This shows part of the park that runs along the river. The sidewalk on the left leads up to some slides.

Jeremy and I both agreed that our favorite rides were the "tube chutes," where you sit in a tube and float your way through twisting white water, down little drops and spills. Like this:

This picture shows a particularly gentle portion of a ride, but there were parts that got really rough. (Jeremy fell out of his tube multiple times. *haha*) They were so fun...and each of these rides lasted long enough to make standing in line seem worthwhile (unlike a regular slide where you're done in a matter of seconds.) 

We also engaged in one of our absolute favorite pastimes - people watching. Is anything more fun than people watching at a WATERPARK? ;) It was particularly entertaining playing "tattoo spotters." Boy did we see some doozies!  One dude had a spinal cord tattooed all the way down his back. That was certainly unique.

And I have to say, walking around in my swimsuit in public had the exact opposite effect on my self esteem than I would have thought. It really did me good to see ALL KINDS of bodies. I think I get so caught up in what I see on TV and in magazines that I really start to believe that my body is hideously misshaped and unusual.  That I'm in the minority because I'm carrying extra weight. But seeing other women stripped down and bare, it was apparent to me that NO ONE is perfect, including the skinny minnies that probably look flawless under clothes.

Let it begin!

I am so ready for a weekend away with my hubby!! There's nothing I love more than going places and experiencing new things with my best buddy. Whom, by the way, I've been married to for FIVE YEARS! Yup, today is our fifth anniversary. It's a little hard to wrap my mind around. We've actually been together for 9 years in total when you count in the time we were dating and engaged. While I don't think our lives are exactly what I pictured when I walked down the aisle, I really couldn't be happier. I feel blessed every day to be happy and content. :)

Today our vet clinic is open but Dr. Olson is out of the office. So that means I'm here to answer the phones and sell an occasional bag of dog food or box of flea prevention. I'm not gonna lie, it's pretty boring. But it helps to know that the second I get home we're loading up the car and heading to Texas!! Our plan is to drive as far as we can get tonight, crash at a hotel somewhere, then get up tomorrow morning and drive the rest of the way, going straight to the waterpark. It's like a 9-hour drive in total so I'm glad we're going to break it up a bit.

I'm pretty psyched about Schlitterbahn. No, I'm not excited about wearing my swimsuit, although it's fairly cute...on the hanger. ;) But I've really just decided to have a good time and not be self-conscious. People aren't going to be looking at me, they're going to be too busy having fun slippin' and slidin'. So phooey on caring about that. It did occur to me, however, that I haven't been swimming in almost 10 years. Yikes. Will I even remember how?!? The last time I swam was the summer Jeremy and I met. My parents took us all (me, my sis + both our boyfriends, now husbands) to Florida and we swam both in the hotel pool and in the ocean. I can't believe that's really the last time I've been in the water. How pathetic to let my poor body image keep me from doing something that I enjoy so much. Well I'm putting that on hold this weekend and I'm gonna live it up, baby!!

Looks like a fun place. It's absolutely HUGE!! We're spending both Saturday and Sunday there in hopes to ride everything and take it all in. They have all kinds of slides and wave pools and river-thingies to float in. Plus they have water-coasters where you actually go up and down in your tube. I guess water jets you up each little hill? I'm looking forward to trying those, since I've seen them on the Travel Channel a few times. :)

Then on Monday when we drive home, of COURSE we have to make a pit-stop at IKEA! Hello, it's right on the way! It's a no-brainer. I want a new lamp for the living room...you know, to replace one of the few objects we have left that isn't from IKEA. *haha* (We've got the one that is presently sitting in our living room at Wal-Mart when we got married. It was way cheap and it's getting kinda rickety.)

Happy Memorial weekend, everyone! Hope you all get to enjoy it!

Adventures in Scrapbook Shopping!

On Monday I was fortunate enough to be invited to Kansas City for a day trip of scrapbook shopping and cheesecake eating! How completely fantastic! :) I went with Mary and Toni, two amazing friends I had the pleasure of working with at the Garden, and Mary's friend Linda. It was a really fun day, but it certainly wasn't without its share of hiccups. 

As we were driving along down the highway, having a good ol' gabbin' time, we suddenly heard this loud screeching noise. At first we credited it to some semi's passing on the other side of the road. But then they were gone, and the noise was getting louder. Toni yelled, "I think you have a flat!" and Mary pulled over. We were all in disbelief but lo and behold when we got out to look, the front left tire was in, well, pretty poor shape.  

My mind immediately traveled back to that morning when, as I was getting ready to leave, my loving husband had said, "Make sure you have your AAA card!" And I had laughed to myself thinking, "Oh you sweet, silly boy. Like we're going to need THAT!" Ha! Major jinx, I guess. But after Mary and Linda had surveyed the donut situation and realized we couldn't even get to the thing (it was attached underneath the rear of the car), I whipped that card out and dialed for help.

After my call was FINALLY handled by the "first available representative," I was giving the woman all of our information and she asked us what mile marker we were nearest. Well none of us knew that, but when we looked out the back window we could all see it and it didn't look that far, so Toni volunteered to run and see. (Poooor Toni. *haha* We had no idea how far it really WAS!) 

As she was running and huffing and puffing, these two gentlemen pulled over and asked her if we needed any help. She was able to convey, through broken speech and motions *wink* that we indeed DID need some help. And since AAA was going to take at least 45 minutes to show up, we were thrilled that these fella's were willing and able.

 They told us they'd actually been driving in the OTHER direction and saw poor Toni running down the side of the road. They both said they would never want their wives or daughters to be in that position, so they turned around to help us. Real gentlemen!!! They wouldn't accept any money for their time and we didn't get their names...but GOD BLESS YOU, you nice men, wherever you are. *haha*

So then we had the pleasure of spending an hour in the Ottawa Wal-Mart getting new tires, since we didn't want to be driving on that donut all day. :^/ But eventually we DID make it to K.C. And the first stop for these weary, starving travelers had to be, beyond shadow of a doubt, The Cheesecake Factory! Possibly my favorite place in the whole, wide world of food. :) I ordered my usual: Fried Macaroni & Cheese Balls (yes they're as decadent and fattening as they sound) and Banana Cream Cheesecake, which I think I could eat every day for the rest of my life and never, ever get tired of it. It is DEEEEEEVINE! Heaven on a plate! Mmm mmm MMMM!!! Ok, enough raving. We all enjoyed our lunch, but LOVED our cheesecake! See? 

Me with my banana DREAM!

Toni got some kind of Reece's/Butterfinger Extravaganza! Delish! 

Mary had her favorite, the Snickers Cheesecake. It had chunks of Snicker bars in it! INSANELY yummy!!

Linda tried the 30th Anniversary special chocolate cake + cheesecake layers...amaaazing dahling.

You might be surprised to hear that the day improved even BEYOND amazing cheesecake! Because then it was time to go scrapbook shopping!!! Our first stop was Jo Ann's, which in Wichita is not a very exciting place. But the K.C. Jo Ann's is HUGE and has a big ol' scrapbook section, beyond even what Hobby Lobby has. But big deal, what were they possibly gonna have that I would need? Famous last words. I rounded a corner and there, before my eyes, were the two lines from Colorbok that I had wanted SO badly, but Kathy refused to order. (Remember that ordeal?) I was able to find some of it on 2P's but they didn't carry it all. Well, not only did Jo Ann's have it all, it was 40% off!! 

Um, this is what the section looked like after I got done with it...*hehe*

As you can see, I was slightly excited.

Jumping for joy! *haha* (Toni & I had talked earlier in the day about how popular "jumping" pictures are these days, so we decided this was an appropriate moment to try one ourselves. Funny stuff.) 

After Jo Ann's we went to Archiver's and while there was no literal jumping up and down, I found some great stuff there too!! Most of which was also on sale, so I felt obligated to take it home. *haha*  So much fun! Thanks for letting me tag along, girls!!

And now back to our regularly scheduled program...

It's been a rough weekend on so many levels. But at the same time, I've really been blessed by the overwhelming support and kindness I've received from my family and friends. I can't thank you all enough! I can, however, finally offer up this post about our Branson trip last weekend. :)

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Branson - was - awesome. :) We had a super-fabulous time! Lot's of playing and eating and shopping...all with my favorite people!
Jeremy and I arrived Saturday afternoon around 3:00. The area we stayed in was GORGEOUS!! Beautiful rolling hills covered with masses of trees; we really felt like we were in the middle of nowhere, but were actually just minutes from "the strip." The townhome was perfect, too. We each had our own bedroom with private bath. The place was fully equipped with everything we needed, including dishes, pots and pans and a toaster. There was even a washer and dryer so we could do laundry. Sa-weet!! :)

This was an area by a playground near the townhomes. Isn't it gorgeous?

Probably the best part of this trip was Livvie's growing fondness for Jeremy. She's ALWAYS been shy around him because, out of everyone in the family, she sees him the least. Well she really took to him this weekend and they became good li'l buddies. Again, the townhome was great because we could all be together, even after everyone was in their jammies and winding down for the evening. One night, Jeremy and Livvie had disappeared and we couldn't find them. We'd looked in all of the bedrooms and they weren't anywhere! Eventually they emerged from our bedroom. They were both grinning ear-to-ear and Jeremy told us, "We were in our fort!" He had stripped ALL of the bedding off of our bed and hung them up in the closet to make a little tent, plus all of our pillows were in there lining the walls "so she wouldn't bump her head." It was the cutest thing and I'm SO mad at myself that I didn't get any pictures of it.

Earlier that same evening Jeremy had been watching the Bears game in our room. Livvie was in there with him, wrestling around on the bed. They took a break to come eat dinner, but afterwards Livvie knew exactly how to get Jeremy away from the table and back to playing. "Jer-me, go watch football?" Of course he JUMPED on that chance! *haha*

Here's the two of them stopping to smell the flowers. Aren't they cute?

We spent most of our days at outlet malls and shopping centers and everyone went home with SOMETHING. :) I got a new wallet from the Fossil outlet, and a cute daisy ring...and lot's of cute Christmas ornaments at the Kringles Christmas store. Lauren, Rich and both of the kiddos did great finding shoes. Jack was so cute in his. They're his first pair and he kept clunking his feet together trying to figure out what those big heavy things were doing on there.

We visited a few parks while we were there to give Livvie a chance to stretch her legs and work off her energy. I think the rest of us left more tired than she did!!

And of course, there was a visit to Lambert's as I predicted there would be. We convinced Mom and Dad to come with us and we all made complete pigs of ourselves. It was DELICIOUS as always! The people are always SO friendly and personable. One older gentleman came around with a pot of the "pass-arounds" (which are basically freebie side dishes! Yum!) and asked if we'd like any. It was macaroni and tomatoes (I'm not a fan) so I declined by saying, "No, there's just no room on my plate!" Well he reached over, took the bowl of green beans OFF my plate and proceeded to blop some of this casserole into the spot they had been taking! It was hilarious, we all just died laughing. You could tell he was just an ornery sort of guy. I'm sure he's a fun Grandpa to some lucky kids.

Picture time!! I won't post all of them but here are a few more favorites:

Jeremy was excited that Jackson was in full Bears colors and had to prove it by showing the hat matched. :)

Being Auntie Sarah and Uncled Jeremy to these precious kiddos is just too fun!!

And my FAVORITE picture of the weekend is.....

Is she cute or WHAT? (Mom deserves credit for this picture as well as many others I've used here. Thanks Mom! You're an excellent family photographer. *hehe*)

Branson, here we come!

I am very excited about our family vacation to Branson this weekend! Mom, Dad, Lauren, Rich and the munchkins have headed out today and Jeremy and I will be meeting them there tomorrow. We've reserved a fully furnished town home with three bedrooms and a kitchen so we can be together the whole time!



This is the first vacation we've all taken together since Livvie and Jack have come along. With Liv's food allergies, it's almost impossible for her to eat out. So this is the perfect way for them to experience a getaway but still be able to fix meals at home to ensure her safety.


The agenda is pretty much up in the air. The only place I have on my "MUST VISIT" list is Lamberts. We will be too close not to take advantage of the complete pig-out session they offer. :) They're known for their "throwed rolls," but I don't really care for bread, so I'm in it for the all-you-can-eat helpings of fried potatoes, fried okra and black-eyed peas. Mmm Mmm Mmm!

We're setting out first thing in the morning when Jeremy gets off work, so you can be sure I'll be driving. I'm actually looking forward to it, because that means I get to choose the music! *hehe* I have a limited number of playlists on my iPOD that he can tolerate...and his music choices don't float my musical boat either. (He likes country and Phil Collins. *rolls eyes*) When HE'S driving, it's crucial that we listen to music he knows and enjoys, otherwise we run the risk of him becoming drowsy. Well, tomorrow the goal will be to help him sleep, so I've got my broadway musical soundtracks cued and ready to go! ;) Oh, and my new music I found through Genius! That will be perfect. He'll sleep the whole way there! *haha*

We'll be back late Tuesday night. I'm sure I'll have lot's of fun photos and stories to share by next weekend! :)

Aye yi yi IKEA!

We got back late last night from a whirlwind trip to Dallas. We visited a mall or two, REI (though nothing was purchased there since there are currently no camping trips on the radar and we certainly won't need waterproof matches in New York City...I hope...) and other stores we don't have in Wichita. But the most important place we went (and our entire reason for going) was IKEA!

Those of you who know us well already know we have a slight obsession with this place. And those of you who have been to my home know that every single piece of furniture we own was purchased at IKEA. (Seriously. Ok, so maybe not one file cabinet or my old drafting table. But everything else.) So whenever we see the need to add an item of any sort to our decor, we make a pilgrimage to this wonderland of good deals and build-your-own furniture.

As much as I love IKEA, the place wears me out. That might have something to do with the fact that we can never get out of there quickly. On Monday, we were there for at least 7 hours. And folks, we normally can clear an entire mall in under 45 minutes. We're not poky and we don't doddle. We're the fast-walkers that run you over in Wal-Mart. But time stands still at IKEA. Partially because we love it so much and we try to bask in it's glory for as long as we can. It's also because I have no knack for interior design and I have to steal as many ideas as possible, which is overwhelming when we live so far away. Then there's the fact that we're normally dropping a significant chunk of change and we have to do the math continuously to make sure we're within budget. All in all, I always leave IKEA feeling exhausted and a little numb. (And this time it didn't help that I was feeling under the weather.)

Still thinking, "HOW ON EARTH could you spend so much time in ONE STORE?!?" You've obviously never been to IKEA! It's not just a store. It's monstrous. It's gigantic. Take three SAM's clubs and stack them on top of each other, and that's an IKEA. Except only one level of it resembles a warehouse. The top level is one huge showroom, with real "livable" rooms set up showing how you can live comfortably in relatively small spaces. They have examples of creative decorating and storage ideas. You can test out the sofas or the closet doors. The showroom level also has ALL of the furniture: a section for couches, a section for tables, a section for beds....etc. But you don't really SHOP from this section. You just write down the numbers corresponding to what you want to purchase and then pick it up when you get to the "warehouse."

The middle section is like Target on steroids: pots & pans, dishes, pillows, rugs, curtains, bedspreads, lamps, frames, mirrors...all for a steal of a deal! This leads into the last section, which is the warehouse where you grab up all of the items you picked out in the showroom. All of the furniture IKEA sells has to be assembled once you get it home. Everything comes in boxes and is flat as possible so you can pack it easier. So you load up your carts and mosey (wearily, in our case) to the checkout.

Wanna see some of the stuff we got? OF COURSE you do!!!

This is our new amazing sofa! (Sorry about the weird floating-in-space picture. It came that way off the website.) We wanted something bigger and comfier for our basement. Yes it's bright orange. Yes it's super-snazzy-fantabulous. Oh, and it has huge ottomans. AND, all of the cushions' slipcovers come off and can be dry-cleaned, which is a pretty good idea when you live in a dog house like we do. I love it! :)

This is the rug I have wanted to buy since the very first time we ever went to IKEA. It is HUGE and will cover almost our entire basment. I adore it! No, it's not as bright as the picture shows. It's BRIGHTER. Wow, have you really never seen my house? What would you expect? ;) It's going to tie our new super orange couch in with our existing red chairs that we already have down there, as well as tie in (if not completely cover) our hideous blue carpet we so terribly despise.

I am psyched about this find! Jeremy and I can never find art that we really agree on. I've always kinda liked black and white photography but wasn't sure if it went in our house. You know, with all the COLOR. *haha* Well, not only is this a beautiful black and white photograph of my beloved New York City, the splash of color rocks my world! It's going upstairs in the living room. They also had one of the Chicago skyline (Jeremy's city of choice: GO CUBS! GO BEARS!) which was equally fantastic, but it was out of stock. We'll definitely look for it next time we come back because they would look great next to each other on the wall. (Ahem, I only know this because that's how they had them displayed in the showroom. *haha* Told you a steal ideas!!!)