More Christmas Celebration!

We celebrated with Jason's family on Saturday night. It was a nice time to catch up - one of the few times we get everyone in the same room! Rhonda had to work so she wasn't there and Cody showed up late but it was still a nice time. We're headed up north to my cousin's for New Year's....pictures to come!

Vacation!!

Well, we didn't go anywhere, but Jason and I have both been off work which has been really nice. ISU closes between Christmas and New Year's, and Jason had vacation time to use up. I watched Caden the day after Christmas. Karen's sitter takes this week off so she was looking for volunteers - do you think I'd really turn it down? We didn't do much and he didn't sleep much so hopefully he was okay for her that night. On Thursday, I went to a neighbor friend's to scrapbook. I got as caught up as I could since I have some pictures to still print. That evening was our Mary Kay Christmas potluck - it was nice but I had the beginning of cold so that didn't make for much fun!

I spent all day Friday on the couch (except for getting my haircut) feeling crappy!! I took some Nyquil last night and put Vix on my chest and slept pretty good. I'm feeling a lot better this morning, but we'll see as the day progresses. We're going to Karen's tonight to celebrate Christmas, and I sure don't want to pass this along to anyone!

Christmas!

On Christmas Eve, we drove back to Normal...visited Jason's grandma who moved to a nursing home a few months ago. She is doing well but had been sick. It was a quick visit, but we were also able to see Jason's Aunt Judy, too - she was there visiting. Karen, Kali, & Caden came by and we went to church...nice service and the place was packed! Then, we had appetizers at the house.

We lounged around for most of Christmas Day and then had a Christmas Dinner with some neighbors - the Schneringer's and the Colvert's. They are from Nebraska and didn't make the trip back this year so it was nice for them to have some company. It was great food and a good time. We played Password and had a bowling tournament on the Wii...Kylee, the 5-year old won!!

Sorry...no pictures of these two days...what was I doing?!

Williams Family Christmases!

We headed to Freeport on Saturday to celebrate Christmas with my side of the family. The plan was to go to dinner with my college friend, Janell, and her husband, but Janell wasn't feeling well so we went straight to Freeport. My dad's side of the family came to my parent's house on Sunday for our usual Christmas celebration (we used to always celebrate on Christmas Eve, but it has just gotten too hard since just under half of the cousins are now married)...I have about 25 cousins and there are now 10 second cousins! We also found out that my cousin, Carrie, had her little girl...Rori Grace...on Saturday morning!! Congratulations, Carrie & Nate!! It would be crazy if we all exchanged gifts so we just leave that for anyone still in high school or younger. We were missing about 15 people.  Casey with her neice, Ella, & nephew, Hudsyn.

Staci with her son, Brock. Ella is helping Brock open his gift!

Aunt Carol, Staci (cousin), Kristin (cousin), & Kelly (sister-in-law)

Where the guys spent most of the day -- in the basement watching football!

Kristin, Kelly, Michelle, and Aunt Laurie

After celebrating with the big crowd, we opened gifts with the immediate family. This was the second year we have drawn names between the siblings and my parents. It works out really nice because we spend a little more than we did before and it's way less headache! Besides, it's not really about the presents, anyway, right? Of course, eveyone buys from Nicole and Mitchell and they usually end up with tons of stuff. This year, Nicole got a couple games, a portable dvd player, and other odds & ends; Mitchell got a skateboard, soccer goal, and other things.

arrod's brother, BJ, was in town from California visiting. He even got a stocking!

Jason got his "fun" slippers!

Mitchell with his soccer goal!

Kelly gets a new blender!

Nicole with her DVD player (sorry for the crappy quality photo!)

itchell reading Grandma his book that was made by his class!

Dog Hair...ughh!!!

I think everyone probably knows how much I hate dog hair! Kahlua (our 90 pound lab) sheds like crazy. We've done the fur-minating process at a local pet spa here and thought it worked pretty well, but who has time to take their dog in to have this done all the time? A couple weeks ago, we heard that Petco had a fur-minator brush. Jason checked it out online and it was getting some great reviews - the brushes range from $35 - $55 so we wanted to see what other people thought before we spent that on a brush! Well, we got one last night, and I LOVE it!!! I'll probably get addicted to brushing Kahlua now! :-) Here's a picture of her with the hair I got off last night, and it probably only took about 10 minutes!

I'm sure I could have gotten a lot more, but it was 10:00pm. This could become a daily routine. I'd guess that she's going to like it, too!!

Camera & Caden...

Jason and I have been checking the ads for quite some time now for a new camera. We have the Sony Cyber-Shot 3.2 megapixel which we got about five years ago and have known that we really needed to upgrade, but just didn't want to spend a fortune doing so. Today, I saw a great deal in the Office Depot ad...the 7.2 megapixel Cyber-Shot for only $149.99! It's still at least $179.99 at most places, so we made the trek out before church to pick it up. We're still playing around with it, but I'm sure we'll love it!

We also watched CAden last night while Karen had her girls Christmas party. It's been since Thanksgiving that we saw him last so it was nice. I can't believe how much he has changed...his cheeks are getting so chubby and he is still just cute as ever!! Here's an updated picture:

Shopping...

On Saturday, I went with a few neighbor girls (Becky, Cara, Julie, Sarie, & Tisha) shopping in Chicago on the State Farm bus trip. We weren't really sure how the day was going to go since it was snowing, but we had a great time. We got some good deals - 30% off Ann Taylor Loft plus the great Christmas sales already going on. I got some clothes for me (go figure!) and a couple things for the two new cousins this year (Jackson & Hudsyn). Here's picture of the girls (minus Julie - who was still shopping at Nordstrom's Rack):

Neighborhood Progressive Dinner

On Friday evening, our neighbors had a progressive dinner. That means we did cocktails and appetizers at one house, soup and salad at another house, the entree at a third house and then dessert at a final house. There were about 16 people total, and we had a great time! We even did a white elephant exchange at the end...we ended up with a hot water bottle and Chicago Bears fuzzy dice! Here's a few pictures to enjoy!

Obviously...Jason didn't want his picture taken. :-)

Well! There just hasn't been too much going on the past week in terms of blogging...just been working and getting some routine stuff done at home. I got home late from work on Friday so Jason and I headed out to dinner -- we tried to go a new restaurant here called Destihl. It's a microbrewery with a different menu, I've heard. Well, there was a 2-hour wait for two people!! We ended up eating at Logan's Roadhouse and got in in 10 minutes! We just worked around the house on Saturday and then I went to a Christmas play called Freedom's Gift with Karen and Kali. Jason and I made it to church today, but it was a pretty slim crowd with the weather (ice/slush) the way it was. Today is my sister's fiance's birthday so, I'll leave with this...

Happy Birthday, Jarrod!!!

Sorry your Raiders couldn't at least win for you on your birthday!

Update

Things have been busy this week! I had a meeting for work on Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving. On Sunday, Jason and I went to church, came home for a while, then I drove to Galesburg to buy a dress for my friend's upcoming wedding. Wednesday night was my purse party/wine tasting. It went pretty well, but I was a little disappointed in how expensive the purses have gotten! Probably won't be having another one of those. I might as well buy the real thing for these prices, and I think a lot of other people were feeling the same way. I took my little "sister" to the ISU Women's Basketball game on Thursday night, then drove to Freeport on Friday night. My open house on Saturday went pretty well, although I know there were two people who didn't make the drive because of the weather. It took me 3.5 hours to get home yesterday - much better than the 8 hours it took me to get to Freeport last year! Our driveway and street were the worst - a complete sheet of ice! Luckily, Jason was able to get the durango in the garage. Now, I have another meeting for work today. We'll see how everyone's travels go, it's supposed to warm up to a high of 50 degrees today -- crazy weather!

Turkey!

Well, we hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday and extended weekend. Jason and I stayed here in Normal because I had to work on Friday and Saturday. On Thanksgiving day, we went to his aunt's for dinner. It was very nice - we don't see them all that often so it was good to visit and almost everyone was there! Here are a few pictures for you to enjoy!

ck out that spread!hrissy & Jacob meet me for the first time!

Grandpa holds me while mom gets her food!

Aunt Leta giving me the goods!

Aren't I cute?!

Time Flies!

On Thursday of last week, Jason headed out of town for a work trip to a suburb of Boston, Massachusetts so I went out to visit his sister. I was having some withdrawls from not seeing much of Caden, I guess. We chatted for a while and she was able to pick up Kali from basketball practice and Cody from work without having to bundle Caden up so that was nice. Here's an updated picture of Caden (he's about 4 1/2 months old!):

I left town on Friday morning to head to Freeport for a scrapbooking weekend. On my way, I picked out the dresses for Michelle's wedding -yeah! Mine fit almost perfectly so I was very excited! I was a little nervous since I was just measured again for a friend's wedding and they were a little close. I also got to have lunch with my friend, Janell, who I haven't seen for a few months. I got a lot done scrapbooking but I'm still not caught up. It could be bad because I'm not really sure how much I'll be able to get done until next spring or fall with all of the events coming up...we'll see. Jason is back from work tomorrow. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and he'll get into town on time!

This is a shortened work week for most with the holiday, but I will be working on Friday and Saturday! So, I hope you all enjoy your time off...maybe I'll get a post in after Thanksgiving, but we'll see.

Happy early Turkey Day!

Happy Birthday!!!

Happy Birthday to my nephew, Mitchell, today!!!

Here are a few pictures from when we celebrated in October:

Hope you are having a special day!!

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells!!

Yes, we are already hearing Christmas music on the radio & in stores and we're seeing Christmas decorations! Today, Jason and his friend, Tim, from work participated in the Arthritis Foundation's Jingle Bell 5K Run. It couldn't have been a more beautiful day for it...in the 60's and partly cloudy! Look at all these people!

Just past the starting line!

Don, Tim & Jason

He finished in just under 30 minutes which is a little quicker than his 10-minute mile pace he kept for the half marathon in August. Congratulations and good job, J!

Oklahoma!

No, we didn't travel to Oklahoma this weekend. This was the name of the play, Jason's neice, Kali, was in. We went Saturday night with Karen to see Kali in action. They did a great job! Here are a few pictures:

Wisconsin

Well!!! It's been a crazy few days here...I left on Saturday to do a little scrapbooking at my mom's house and then I went to visit my high school friend, Jackie, until Tuesday. We had a great time visiting and it was great to finally meet her little one. Carter is just so precious!! We hung out on Sunday, on Monday we got his 2 month pictures taken and spent the main part of the day shopping, and on Tuesday I got to watch him while she got her hair cut and colored...a nice break for momma and he was soo good! Here are a few photos of Carter during my visit.When I got home, Jason had moved one of the desks down to the front room from upstairs! We talked about moving the office to the first floor, but he got motivated. He had to install cable in that room for our internet and then moved the desk. So, since I have my open house this weekend, I wanted to have it all put together which meant we spent Tuesday and Wednesday nights moving the other desk and "stuff" down to the front room and moved the couch and chair that were in there to another room! It was pretty exhausting, but I'm glad it's done.

Happy Birthday, Charlie!

Today is Jason's stepdad's birthday!! I'm sure I can find a photo at home, so I will post one later, but for now...I hope he has an excellent day!! It's been way too long since we have gotten together!

Happy Halloween!!!

Okay...I confess...we ran out of candy!!!!! Can you believe it?! Well, first, I waited until today to get candy because I just didn't want it in the house for fear that I would eat a ton of it (it's bad enough to have it on the table at work!). So, I ended up with full size snickers and reese's peanut butter cups - yum! I think the kids that got them think we are AWESOME! I only bought 50 pieces thinking that I didn't want any left over either...I'll definitely remember that we have more than 50 kids coming to the door next year. The worst part is that there is still an hour and a half left of trick-or-treating AND kids keep ringing the doorbell even though the light is off! Here are the two pictures of some neighbor kids we know:

A visit with Grandma

On Saturday, Jason, me, Karen, and Caden visited Jason & Karen's grandma in the nursing home. This was the first time she got to see Caden and the first time we had seen her since Christmas last year. She has fallen a couple times at home and her dementia is getting a little worse. She remembers stuff from the past real well, but tends to repeat things from the present quite often. It was actually kind of sad - they have her in a wheelchair (so she doesn't fall obviously), but she would take long walks every day at home so she seems to be losing some of that mobility by sitting all day. It was a short but nice visit. Caden smiles so much now!! Grandma would makes faces and he just smiled so big...it was too cute!!

Halloween Happy Hour

Our neighbors, Tim & Julie, had a Halloween Happy Hour on Friday night! She decorates to the nines nd even gives prizes for the costumes. We didn't dress up this year, but here's a picture of all who did

Pumpkin Carving

For those of you who don't know, in June, I started volunteering with Big Brothers/Big Sisters. This is something I have wanted to do for a long time and now that I wasn't working at the gym and my work schedule was pretty regular (I get out at my normal time almost every day), I felt like this was perfect. I think my desire to volunteer for this organization came from my mom's friend, Dovie, and her husand who were a Big Brother & Big Sister to two boys when I was a lot younger. Thanks Dovie & Brad!! This is such a great program, and I am so glad I decided to volunteer my time to make a difference in a child! If you're interested in volunteering or even participating in their annual fundraiser - Bowl for Kids Sake - I would definitely encourage you to do so.

My little sister, Aireol, is 10 years old and oddly enough, we have one certain thing in common! Aireol is on the competitive tumbling team at Gymnastics Etc.. I met her once before becoming her Big Sister, but was never her coach. The Case Manager thought it was a perfect match! We have done things like going out to eat to shopping to going through the haunted house, and now carving pumpkins! Here are a few pictures of our evening...

Happy Anniversary!

Today, my parents celebrate 31 years of marriage! Congratulations! Here's a picture from our Alaskan cruise last year celebrating their 30th anniversary.

Caden's 3 month pictures

Here they are....Caden's 3 month pictures from Portrait Innovations! There were a ton more, but these are the ones I have. Isn't he so adorable???

 (Please forgive him - his father is a Minnesota fan!)

Congratulations, Chad!!

I just got word that my brother, Chad, bowled a perfect game on Friday night!! That's right...12 strikes in a row for a score of 300! Congrats, Chad!!

A night with friends!

For the past year, Jason and I have been getting together with two of my co-workers and their husbands for dinner, rotating houses, usually about every other month. Last night, Mel and Rich opened their house up to us for a nice dinner and bonfire (Is it still called a bonfire if it's in a firepit?). We had a great time, and some of us even had 'smores! Yum!ts

 Girls - Me, Mel, & JA

Around the fire.

Rich even got out his guitar!

Weekend Fun

This weekend, we headed to my brother's place in Mt. Horeb, WI to celebrate birthdays. Before the celebration, we took a little trip to Peck's Farmer's Market in Spring Green, WI. They have a petting zoo, pumpkin patch, corn maze, and tons of good treats to eat/buy. Here's a few pictures of our time there:
We celebrated Chad's (Sept 30), Kelly's (Oct 6), Mitchell's (Nov 15), and Jarrod's (Dec 8) birthdays in the evening. Unfortunately, I didn't get any good pictures because the batteries in my camera died. Hopefully my family will share (hint hint). We had some great appetizers, steaks, potatoes, and of course, cake and ice cream! We had a great time, thanks for letting us stay the night, Chad and Kelly!

Here are your results...

Okay, so, I didn't do as well as I had hoped to in the ISU Town & Gown 5K on Saturday, BUT we didn't come in last place! I know I probably didn't train as much or as well as I could have, but I was kind of nervous and it was cold (excuses, excuses!). Jason was kind enough to stay with me throughout the whole thing which I felt kind of bad about since he was the last male to finish! By the time we were finishing our first lap (we had to do 2 laps), there were about a half dozen people who went past us, which meant they were done!! There was even a guy running in just his shorts - not even any shoes who beat us!! I'm not really sure how much of it I actually ran, but Jason thought maybe half total. I took a lot of walk breaks - my shins were hurting pretty bad for whatever reason (not sure why!), but we finished in 40 minutes and had a pretty good time! Here's a picture of us at home afterwards since I didn't bring my camera...

Happy Birthday, Rhonda!

Here's a picture from Christmas last year - Jason and I gave her and Charlie pillows with their favorite teams on them! Quite the rival going on here!

Hope you have a great birthday, Rhonda!

Caden

Caden is 3 months old today! Wow!!! I can't believe it. He's getting his pictures taken this weekend so hopefully I have some really good ones soon.

On Saturday, we visited with Karen, Caleb, Cody, and Caden for the afternoon. Caleb and some friends were pouring a concrete patio with stenciling (really cool - I wish I would have gotten a picture of it!). It had been two week since I saw Caden, and I can't believe how much he has changed!! He is really starting to get the chubby cheeks, arms, and legs ...so cute! If only it was cute as we get older! Of course, I got my time in holding and feeding him. He is such a good baby! Here are a few pictures to enjoy:

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my sister-in-law, Kelly!

Here's a picture of Kelly from one of our scrapbooking weekends.

Also, Happy Birthday to our friend, Sue!

This picture was from the Epiphany Basket Auction with our friend, Bill. Both have moved out of the neighborhood. :-( We hope you both have an excellent birthday!! (Next year's the big 4-0!!)

Happy 1st Birthday!

Happy 1st Birthday to my cousin, Spencer!








This is my cousin, Shawn and his girlfriend, Brandy's, son. Can't wait to see you guys again! It's been way too long.

Happy Anniversary!

It was 3 years ago today that my friend, Jackie, and her husband, Jonathan, got married. Now, they have just welcomed their first little one to the family. Sorry I don't have a picture from that day, but here's one from our friend, Mandy's, wedding. Congratulations!!

Viva Las Vegas!!

Okay, so even though Jason and I are not big gamblers, we just spent two nights in Las Vegas with my friend, Terri (who I used to work with) and her fiance and their friends. We stayed off the strip which worked out okay, free hot breakfast and a free shuttle to Mandalay Bay. The last time we were there was over six years ago so it was fun to go back. It has changed a lot (new hotels) and there is still a ton of construction - wonder what it will look like next time?(the group just outside of Mandalay Bay)

On Friday, we walked on the strip a while and then to Hard Rock Cafe for a late lunch. Friday night we went down to Freemont Street, "old Las Vegas". That was one thing I wanted to do this time around. The light show was pretty neat - I didn't realize it actually covers the street. We had dinner at the Golden Nugget - "only" $20 per person for the buffet! They were having a Bike Fest at the same time so we saw lots of Harley folks.(Tammy and I dancing on the bar at Hard Rock Cafe.)

On Saturday, we made our way to In-N-Out Burger. I had never heard of this place, but my sister said we had to go. I guess they have them in California where Jarrod is from. It was pretty good - REAL potato french fries and the cheapest meal we ate there! Then, we made the long trek down the strip to TI. I figure it was over 5 miles round trip...definitely didn't lack on exercise. We like to do that though so we can see the hotels, and we were able to catch the Bellagio water show. Saturday night we had dinner at the House of Blues and then saw Pauly Shore. He was pretty funny!! 
Jason and I in the Venetian.)

(Terri and I in front of the Mirage.)

We just laid around on Sunday until we had to leave for the airport and head home. The flight was good, just a little tight on AirTran, but for the price, you can't beat it!

And, Happy Belated Birthday to my brother, Chad!!!(It was yesterday - I did call, but didn't get a chance to put it on the blog.)

Welcome Home Sergeant Feit!!

Our neighbor, Matt, has been deployed since June 2006 with the 33rd Military Police Battalion. Today, he and the other 70+ members of his battalion came home in style! Community members donated their convertibles for the guys and gals to ride in in a parade from ISU to the Armory in Bloomington. Jason, Byron (another neighbor), Mel (a friend and c0-worker) and I were standing about half-way through the route and cheered them on. People were everywhere! It was such an awesome feeling!! The parade included a police escort and motorcyclists in between a lot of the soldiers. People had signs, flags and yellow ribbons along the entire route - what an awesome feeling. We even saw one of the soldier (a girl, I might add) with tears in her eyes!

We are SO glad they are home, safe and sound!

Happy Birthday, Janell!!

Today is my college friend, Janell's, birthday! Sorry I can't be there to celebrate with you, but I'm sure you'll have fun anyway! Here's a picture of us from Heather and Jim's wedding in July. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Weekend

On Friday night, I went to the Tri-Valley football game with Karen, Caleb and Caden. The weather was beautiful, but unfortunately they lost! It was their homecoming, too, so that was kind of sad! We watched Kali do flags during halftime and then left not too long afterwards.

Saturday, I went dress shopping for Michelle's wedding... Here they are....the dresses we picked out....

The top one is my dress (in black) and the bottom one is Cara and Nicole's dress (in black and silver).

Jason worked 17 hours - Saturday at 2pm until Sunday at 7am so I ran in the morning - further than the last two times so that was good. My next goal is to do 1 mile either Tuesday or Wednesday night. I went to church and then came home to watch the Cubs and Bears games. At least the Chicago fans got one good win! Now, we just need the Cardinals to beat up on the Brewers this week...(probably the only time you'll ever hear me root for the Cards!).

I'm donating blood after work and then we are headed to Chili's for dinner since they are donating proceeds to St. Jude's tonight!

He's here!!

Hudsyn Richard EllsworthBorn 9/20/07 at 12:47 p.m.
7lbs. 15oz. and 19 1/2 inches long

Congratulations Kristin, Aric and big brother, Zayden!We can't be more excited for you!

(Is this just the cutest picture or what?
I wonder how long this will last! :-))

Not much new...

Not too much has happened, but I have been asked why I haven't updated. So, here goes:

Big Brother 8 - the finale show was on Tuesday which I only wanted to watch to see how everyone reacted when they found out that Eric was America's Player. It was pretty hilarious when they told Dick that the only reason he was still in the house was because America wanted him there. What a mistake! Dick definitely had a different style of game play, but I didn't like it! I thought Daniele deserved the money over Dick, but overall, I thought Eric should have won. How hard it is to play a game when you really don't even know what is expected of you? I mean he had no idea how America was going to vote and then had to match it with his own preferences...yuck! It was an excellent twist. I can't wait to see what they come up with for next year!

Cubs Baseball - My cubbies are still in it...leading the league by one game over Milwaukee! Woo hoo!!! This is so exciting!

5K Training - Jason and I ran last night. Let's just start off by saying that he can easily run the 3.1 miles, where I on the other hand will be having some troubles! I did go further last night than on Sunday morning, not sure if that was just because my body was getting used to it or because I had Jason running beside me. I think Sunday will be the next time I can do it so we'll see. I just hope I can finish in a reasonable amount of time!

Be thinking about my cousin, Kristin, today who went to the hospital to have her 2nd little boy! I'll let you know when I hear how things went and what they have decided to name him!

Coming up...I am going to the Tri-Valley football game tomorrow night with Jason's sister (if the weather cooperates and Caden is feeling better). It's their homecoming, and I think Kali will have a flags routine beforehand which will be nice to see. On Saturday, we are going dress shopping for Michelle's wedding. I'm sure we'll find something - this bridal shop is HUGE! And, no plans for Sunday except to watch some baseball and football. More pictures to come after the weekend!

Also, on Monday, September 24th Chili's restaurants will be donating 100% of their proceeds to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. Please eat there if you can. Here's the link...Chili's & St. Jude

Enjoy!

Weekend Recap

Wow, this weekend has gone by quickly as usual. We finally met our new neighbors (well, at least the husband) on Thursday night. They seem very nice and right about the same age as Jason and I, just a few years older. Unfortunately, they are Cardinals and Colts fans so it could make for an interesting sports season!

Also on Thursday night, I took my "little sister" rollerskating! It was a lot of fun, but I can't remember the last time I did that. The roller rink really brought back a lot of memories like hearing Bon Jovi and Def Leppard... instead now it was all the current music. I was really shocked at all of the people there on a Thursday night, but hey, I guess it's better than hanging out on the streets, right?

On Saturday, I babysat Caden all day!! It was so much fun and interesting, too, to see what life would be like if we had a little one in this house. Of course, since I didn't have anything planned but spending time with him it went great. Now, if I had other plans like we usually do, that could make it interesting! I guess at that point some things would have to be given up! I also was pretty impressed with how Kahlua did. She had a few barking spells, but I didn't think it was too bad. Here are just a few pictures:Today, I started my "training" for the 5K. Since I haven't done any kind of running in a long time, I just took my usual route and ran about a 1/4 of the way there, walked a while, and then ran a little way back. My legs weren't doing bad, I just need to figure out this breathing thing! I went to church while Jason was at work and then we watched our two favorite teams win!! Go CUBS and BEARS!! Sorry, Mel, that you couldn't watch your team win today! :-)

One last thing...my cousin, Kristin, and her husband's, Aric, son has his birthday today...

Happy 4th Birthday, Zayden Ellsworth!

It's Official!!!

I am going to run a 5K! Can you believe it? Not me...especially since I haven't run anything since I had to in one of my college classes over 7 years ago! I guess Jason has just given me the bug...

So, I'll be starting to run this weekend! Hopefully I'll be able to keep up with Jason since he just ran his half marathon in August. By the way, we'll be running the Town & Gown 5K. This run is linked to ISU Homecoming weekend each year and goes over the parade route. If anyone would like to join us, the link is below.

Town and Gown 5K Run

By the way...my niece made it through the surgery and is home resting. Does anybody read this thing??? Haven't seen many comments!

Congratulations, Jackie and Jonathan!

I know I already mentioned that my good friend, Jackie and her husband had a little baby boy back on September 2nd. Thought you'd like to see a few more photos she's been willing to share! Here's baby Carter with his mom and dad in the hospital and one of Carter by himself. Isn't he soo cute!!! I can't wait to meet him in person!

Also, just a little prayer request. This morning my niece, Nicole, will be having some oral surgery. Hope it goes well, and you recover quickly!

9/11

So, since today is such a memorable day for our generation, people are asking the question, where were you? Well, I had just dropped off my Alero to get an oil change and was headed to work at the Radisson (now Double Tree). When I got to work, we spent most of the day in front of the television not believing what we were seeing. I'm so glad that I didn't know anyone in New York when this happened and feel so sorry for those who had loved ones there.

For those of you wondering about Jason ... he was headed to ISU for class. I can't remember if they ended up watching TV or if they canceled class.

They say this is the Pearl Harbor of our generation...a day I know I'll never forget. Bring our troops home safe!!

Congratulations, Dad!!

I'm not sure about you, but I certainly can't imagine working at the same place for 30 (yes, I said 3-0) years! In fact, I think I just heard about an article that said most people only stay with their place of employment for 5 years!! My how times have changed. This year marks 30 years that my dad has worked with his company, and he is receiving an award today!! Now, I can't even tell you what the name of the company actually is at this moment because it has changed so many times...from Sundstrand to Hamilton Sundstrand to Sauer Sundstrand to Sauer Danfoss or some variation of these...but he has stuck with it!

Congratulations on making it 30 years, dad!

My dad is in the center.

Baby Scott has arrived!!

Jeff, Lisa and Big Brother Trevor welcome a little girl to their family!

Taylor Leigh Scott

9/10/2007 8:04 AM

7 lbs 5 oz 19 inches

This is one of our neighbors...hopefully I'll be able to post a picture soon! Congratulations Jeff & Lisa!

Scrapbooking Galore!

Well, I think this pretty much explains what I did for almost all of my weekend! The house was turned upside down with people, tables, and scrapbooking materials. It's always a good time to get a lot done so it was nice, but man, I am exhausted! We started Friday night, went all day and night on Saturday, and some people even finished up on Sunday. It was a great group...me, my mom, my sister, friends from college (Janell & Heather), some neighbors (Becky & Kelly), a friend from work (Mel) and my mom's friend (Brenda). My sister-in-law, niece, and nephew even came over on Saturday. Jason and I are getting Kali a scrapbook for her birthday which was just a few days ago.











On Sunday, I had to go to a meeting in Chicago for work so mom stayed and cleaned everything up! Jason was gone to the races in Chicago on Saturday and Sunday so he didn't have to stay "locked" in the room the whole weekend. I have to add that Kahlua was great, too! I was pretty impressed with how she didn't really bark or get into stuff all weekend. She was wonderful when Caden was there, too! I wasn't sure how she would do with him, especially when I was holding him. Kahlua just kept smelling his feet...it was actually pretty cute!

Big Brother 8

Okay...so, some of you know that I have been a fan of the CBS show Big Brother since it first aired in the summer of 2000! The first season aired when I was living by myself in the Quad Cities doing an internship to finish my degree from ISU. That season also had a person ("Chicken George") from Rockford on the show so it was definitely fun to watch. I have watched every season since then. If you don't watch the show or have any idea what it is about, let me tell you...a group of people (the numbers haven't been the same each year depending on the twist) move into a house for the summer where they have no contact with the outside world and have to complete challenges and are voted out of the house one by one. This season's show is now down to the final four - Dick, Daniele, Zach, and Jameka - as of tonight! Tonight's show was definitely a whirlwind, but we knew it was coming since the finale is September 18th. I'm not sure that I have a favorite this season, but I really liked Eric. I thought he and Jessica were really cute (now they are in the jury house - basically some fancy place on a beach!), and I definitely thought he had it harder than anyone else in the house due to the America's Player (AP) role. Again, if you don't watch - America's Player was part of this year's twist - CBS picked one person to "represent" what America wanted so each week America could vote on certain tasks they wanted AP to fulfill including who to get nominated and evicted. Out of the final four, I think I'd like to see Daniele win. She has won the most competitions and has also had to have the challenge of being in the house with her dad who she hasn't really talked to in a number of years. Oh yeah, that was the other part of this year's twist. There were three people in the house who had their "worst enemies" in the house with them. One of the enemies (Carol), went home the first week, and Dustin was soon to follow. Dick and Daniele are the last pair. So, there you have it... my opinion on Big Brother 8. Now, I just have to watch the next week and a half to see who gets the money!

Happy Birthday, Kali!

Just a quick note to say Happy 15th Birthday to Kali!!! We're going to her place tonight for cake and ice (and to hold baby Caden, of course) so I'll get some pictures and put them up later tonight! Exactly one year until this girl gets her driver's license...wow!!

I also want to put out a quick prayer request for my friend, Mel. She is suffering from hives and having a reaction to the medication the doctors are giving her. We're not sure what's going on at this point, but are thinking about her.

What a weekend!!!

It was a beautiful weekend here...Jason got home from Chicago on Friday so we just ordered some pizza and hung out. On Saturday, we went to a wedding for Sheila from ISU. She was an intern in our office and now works in the Alumni office. It was a beautiful day for a wedding. Congratulations Sheila and Tony!!!

Here's a picture of the bride and groom & one of the ladies from our office with the bride!

Also on Saturday, my very good friend from jr. high and high school, Jackie, gave birth to a bouncing baby boy...Carter Jonathan Flack was born on 9/2/07 at 2:22am weighing in at 7lbs. 12oz. and 20" long. Congratulations Jonathan & Jackie!!! I can't wait to come visit you and see your new bundle of joy!!

On Sunday, our neighbors, who moved to Bourbonnais about a month ago, came down for the pool party and to visit. It was nice to see them again. I'm really glad they don't live too far away so we can still visit. Hopefully the new couple/family that moves into their house will become great friends, too!

Go Cubs Go!!

So, I think everyone here realizes that I am a big Cubs fan, have been my entire life. It started way back when I was a lot younger and mom, dad, Michelle, and I would go on bus trips with the Freeport Park District into Wrigley Field at least once each summer. They were so much fun!! Now, I love making the trip as an adult. I have to say that Jason is a true Cubs fan now too, but it did take some work. The first game we went to (well, we didn't really get to see the game - it was the day Daryl Kile was found in his hotel room in Chicago) he wore a St. Louis Cardinals t-shirt, just to irritate me! I'm not really sure when he became a loyal fan or what did it, but I can say that he is one now! We have been to Busch Stadium, but I have to say that I just LOVE Wrigley Field. The atmosphere and the history that goes along with it is just amazing if you ask me. A few weeks ago we went to the game against the Cards with two other couples - one were Cards fans, the other were one of each. By the end of the game, they were Cubs fans! woo hoo! (I guess it couldn't hurt that the Cubs won!) One other thing I have to say about Cubs fans is this...they are true fans, no matter what! Wrigley Field always has huge crowds no matter the time, weather, or opponent and that is a true reflection of our loyalty. Now, granted that we have not won a World Series in the past 5, 10, 20, or even 50 years, but that's okay...."It's Gonna Happen!" and I believe this may be our year! You know...we are in FIRST place with the Cardinals three games BACK!

For those of you who enjoy the song playing after every Cubs home game win this year, "Go Cubs Go",....here's the link to hear it: Go Cubs Go

So, for that 1pm game today...Go Cubs Go!

A visit with Karen, Caden, Kali, and Caleb!

Last night I went to Jason's sister's to visit. Caden is already 7 1/2 weeks old and getting so big! Look at his chubby little cheeks! I can't believe how quickly he is growing! I've been over there about once a week since he came home from the hospital. I love holding him and just looking at how much he changes. For those of you that recall he went to St. Francis when he was born, he is doing so much better now! Kali was home too, so that was nice to see her. They are getting ready to go into their third week of classes already. She is a freshman this year - high school, woo hoo!! Here's a picture of Kali making Caden smile! :-)I really appreciate being able to spend time with them. It's amazing how much closer this little guy has brought us , and I am so glad!!

New Blogger Here!

Since I've now been browsing (I wouldn't call it stalking, would you?) other people's blogs, I have decided to create one for our family! This should work out nicely since the last website we had hasn't been updated since before our house was complete! I can't even recall the address for it anymore. But now, for those of you who have been asking when we are going to update it, we'll just start over! More to come...

A very special THANK YOU to my friend, Melissa, for creating my page for me!!