It's Good To Be A Colts Fan

We recently had the chance to go to see the Colts in their preseason home opener game on Friday August 14, 2009. It was the Colts vs. Vikings, Manning vs. Peterson...or the battle of the second strings, but it was still an awesome game. It was awesome thanks to the great parents/parent-in-laws we have here in Colts country. Kim was able to get us tickets through Anthem for their box seats. I know, great way to start football season right? You don't know the half of it...amazing.

*The great family that brought us to the game...Thanks Kim and Terry, love you guys!!!*

*The amazing view of the field*

We liked (loved) the seats...

and the food

So, the Colts didn't have the greatest game in the world. We lost 3-13 and Manning was sacked in 3 of his 6 snaps, but it is only preseason. It was still the greatest game I have been to for any sport. I think it was the mix of great scenery, great family, and amazing food. We are truly blessed to have had such an amazing opportunity, and the family to share it with.

I am planning a future post of the game action shots I took in the next couple of days, so more details are to come. I captured some really fun action shots I think everyone can enjoy.

30 Years In The Making

So I recently spent the last few days with my dad and 9 of his old navy buddies. They got together again after 30 years of not seeing each other. Oh the stories they had to share. I wanted to go along just to see if all of my dad's stories I heard growing up were true. I needed witnesses to the so called crazy antics of his military days. Turns out his stories were true, and he even left some good ones out that he couldn't remember but others could.

The above picture is my dad in a cut-out at the Naval Museum in Norfolk, VA where he was stationed. The bubble in the picture says he is a storekeeper, the position my dad held on his ship. He was on the USS Edenton, a salvage ship, that was deployed from the Amphibious Base in Norfolk. He was in service for a total of 4 years and was happy when he finally got out. As happy as he was to get out, he did make some great friends.

The above picture is of a 3 masted schooner that we took for a tour of the Naval Bay and the ships that were docked in the harbor. Below are some of the ships.

When all the guys got together the chaos began. These guys are crazy, but honestly some of the nicest, caring, and insightful men I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I walk away from this trip with wisdom given from men who have tried it all and learned life the hard way...

It was a trip I will never forget. I learned about my dad's Navy days and met the men who helped make him who he is today. These guys all became men together while on that ship, but many stayed boys at heart. They shared a bond I may never fully understand, but have to respect and appreciate.

I also learned what NAVY means... Never Again Volunteer Yourself (I thought it was funny).

Saturday August 1st...oh what an adventure!

I wanted to give myself time to settle down from this past weekend and get school started with before I gave my two cents on the wedding weekend. As most of you know, one of my younger brothers Kamaron got married this past weekend to the love of his life Anique. They both looked very happy together and I wish them the best as they start their lives together in Kansas City!

What was meant to be just a fun day where I could celebrate, turned into an adventure to say the least. My job on Saturday was to drop Zach off at the church at 10:15 for pictures so that I could meet Imogene to get the cake set up at the reception hall. When I arrived at the church, I was in a very good mood. Then I found out that plans had changed slightly as I found out I was going to have to go to the Union first to meet Dana to get the key. I was suppossed to already know this but somewhere it was lost in translation. But no big deal... I had plenty of time....until....

I went into the men's bathroom (since the women's was occupied by Anique and her bridemaids) with Zach so he could help fix my dress and when Zach was zipping it up the zipper got off the track and got stuck. After hearing "oh no" I tried not to freak out but when I figured out what happened I wasn't too happy. So I took off the dress and tried to fix it myself. When I got really frustrated because I couldn't, I asked/cried/got angry with Zach to get my mom. There I am in the men's bathroom with no dress on but a tank top, underwear, and dress shoes (quite comical looking back on it). Well after mom looked at the dress, we figured out that there is nothing that could be done except sewing me up...with a small sewing kit...not gonna happen!

Well with the back on my dress completely open, my "bite me" underwear, and no sweater I had NO CLUE what I was going to do. But even though I was getting hysterical, mom stayed calm and safety pinned me, gave me her sweater, and sent me off to Kohl's to find a new outfit so I can be back to the church in less than an hour for pictures. This is totally going to happen (haha)!

Well Zach drove me to Kohl's (keep in mind he is completely dressed to the T all ready for pictures while I am basically hanging out of the back with only the tops of my underwear showing). We were on a mission. Zach was a real trooper and we looked for every dress that I could wear a regular bra with and were in my size. Then I went for a skirt and top option which turned out to be the best. But there was still a problem...my shoes I brought were brown and my new outfit was black.

So we headed to the shoes area where we looked at EVERY SINGLE black dress shoe and couldn't find a single 9 or 9.5. Actually there was nothing bigger than a 7. So I settled on a flip flop that kind of matched my outfit (not really but it was the best I could do). Then it was time to check out where I paid WAY TOO MUCH for the outfit but what was I to do.

The checkout lady was about as slow as they go and said she liked the outfit I had chosen but liked my dress better and that I should just wear it. This was immediately after I told her that my zipper broke. We made it out of the store, I cheered up, left mom an interesting voicemail, and headed back to the church. Luckily Zach didn't miss any pictures, but I felt awful because I missed the cake and mom had to miss Kamaron and Anique's first sighting. Needless to say, my Saturday morning was eventful. The rest of the wedding went well and reception was crazy at first but once we started dancing it was all in the past. At least I can tell you this...I have MANY memories from this wedding that I'm sure I'll laugh on a lot and will never forget. Thanks Zach and mom for everything! (Sorry I have no pictures of the wedding/reception to share!)

Almost Back to Normal

Sorry it has been so long since we've posted but last weekend was crazy to say the least. But with vacation over, the wedding over, and it is now August, it is time to get back to "normal". Today I started jump start at the school and also had 2-a-days for volleyball. So my work schedule will be from 8-3 til the end of May (minus school vacations). Summer was awesome but I'm always glad when things get back to normal. So as school is about to start back up, I'm wishing the best not only for Zach and myself but also for everyone else out there! I'll try to post again this week once I get my classroom decorated so you can see where I'll be teaching this year!

New Place - Final Part (3)

Okay...so I have drug it out long enough. We have finally had our first visitors last Saturday so our place is no longer a mystery. Thanks Mom, Dad, Kyler, and Kara for coming to check it out! Here is the last pictures of the new place.

This is from our small deck/patio looking at the inside of the apartment and also at the storage unit.

This is inside our storage unit. As you can tell, we filled it up pretty well!

At the end of our small hallway is our bedroom. This is as you look in the door.

View # 2 for the bedroom. The back white door is our closet (I'll spare you the picture!).


And last but not least...the bathroom. This is looking in through our door.

This is the second view of the bathroom. Okay...that's our new place drug out in as many posts as possible. I promise my next post will be about something new and exciting...okay...probably not but I'll try!

New Place - Part 2

Here is another step into our Bluestone Apartment. Just because I'm posting these pictures doesn't mean you shouldn't come over and check it out yourself! We love visitors!!!

When you walk in from downstairs we have a coat closet. As you can see, we have decorated the stairwell with Zach's collection of carved masks.

At the top of the stairwell is a built in desk...which we refer to as Zach's desk. This is where he keeps his computer and important school stuff. It was a very nice addition to the apartment!

Just around the corner is our little dining room. A lot of the time we eat in the living room together, but it is nice to have there. Right now it is collecting my school stuff to prepare for Jump Start at SHS.

And this is where we have spent a lot of time so far...the living room. We have a bookcase on the left side which isn't visible in the picture you can see everything else. We have enjoyed having 2 couches (thanks Grandpa Kenny) and love spending time together relaxing in the living room!

Stay tuned for the final part in our apartment tour tomorrow. I know how to drag it out and keep you suspensful..ha!

New Place

Zach and I decided awhile ago that we were going to move into another apartment. We were tired of the old place and wanted a change that would fit us better. We downsized to a one bedroom but it has more square footage and we can actually enjoy all of the space our apartment has to offer. It is a brand new apartment complex and we are the first residents in this unit which is an extra bonus. The next few posts will be pictures of our new place starting with the kitchen and laundry room for those of you that are curious!

This is what you would see after you walk up the stairs and make a left. We have lots of storage space and a nice basic oven/stove.

This is the other side of the kitchen. My two favorite parts are the double basin sink and that I can see the living room while doing dishes.

So...this is a little different but behind this curtain is our laundry room. It might be a little unclassy but we didn't know what else to do that would be as cheap so we used a curtain rod and one curtain to make a "door" to separate the kitchen and laundry/pantry.

This is directly behind the curtain. Zach bought and hung up those shelves for me so we have more storage for food. Isn't he just the best husband!?!

This is directly to the right. That cabinet was in our old place and we moved it here and then Zach hung more storage for food on the other wall.

Then on the left is our washer and dryer that Steve bought for us as an anniversary gift. And as you can see...I've filled up the shelving too!

This is the kitchen and laundry/pantry rooms. Stay tuned tomorrow for some more pics of the new apartment!